Latest Updates

Pentagon drafts new nuclear strategy weighing tactical weapons against Russia, China

The US Department of Defense is drafting a new nuclear strategy weighing tactical nuclear weapons against Russia and China, NBC News reported on August 5, landing against a backdrop of Russia's 2024 doctrine loosening and 2026 nuclear signalling,...

Read Story

Iranian President Pezeshkian finally meets the new supreme leader, maybe?

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was driven to an undisclosed Tehran location and seated in the dark beside a man he could not see, later asking whether the voice he heard really belonged to supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei - the only known...

Read Story

Serbia races to secure fuel supplies as historic Danube drought threatens imports and agriculture

Serbia is facing growing pressure on its energy and agricultural sectors as record-low water levels on the Danube disrupt fuel imports and deepen concerns over the impact of a prolonged drought.

Read Story

INTERVIEW: Hungarian deep-tech Edortech eyes global battery market with patented tin-alloy anode platform

CEO Adam Vida talks to IntelliNews about Edortech's ONLi platform and its ambitions to build a European supply chain for next-generation batteries.

Read Story

US has burned through half Patriot, 80% of THAAD interceptors fighting Iran – CNN

The US military has used up nearly 80% of its interceptors for the THAAD missile defence system fighting Iran, with senior commanders warning the Pentagon's munitions stockpile is dangerously low, CNN reported on August 4, citing multiple sources...

Read Story

Ukraine faces $3bn grain export loss as Russia's blockade empties Odesa of ships

Ukraine's alternative grain export routes will not reach the capacity needed to compensate for Russia's blockade of Black Sea ports until the end of August at the earliest, and even then will cover only half the volume normally handled through...

Read Story

North Macedonia battles wildfires and water contamination as Europe’s drought intensifies

Europe’s worst drought in decades is disrupting transport, energy and agriculture, with the Balkans increasingly feeling the impact of extreme heat and water shortages.

Read Story

Is Kazakhstan’s Tokayev planning to rule 'forever'?

Or is he bluffing, seeking to keep would-be rivals off-balance?

Read Story

Packaging maker Barem joins lengthening list of Borsa Istanbul companies filing for court protection from creditors

Brazil-Argentina relations downgraded over Milei's insults to Lula

Rubio sees Venezuela transition advancing within months ahead of talks

Packaging maker Barem joins lengthening list of Borsa Istanbul companies filing for court protection from creditors

Series of bankruptcy declarations and defaults casting shadow over stock exchange.

Brazil-Argentina relations downgraded over Milei's insults to Lula

Brazil said on August 4 it would downgrade diplomatic relations with Argentina to the level of chargé d'affaires after Argentine President Javier Milei repeated insults against Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Rubio sees Venezuela transition advancing within months ahead of talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he expects Venezuela's political transition to advance over the coming months rather than years, as representatives of the interim government and the opposition prepare for their first face-to-face negotiations.

News

China expands its presence in Uzbekistan

China-Central Asia Monitor: July 24-30.

Cameroon discusses ship-registry reform with US amid Russian shadow-fleet concerns

Russia-linked oil tankers turned to African registries as established flag states tightened sanctions compliance, while some vessels have also used fraudulent African registration documents.

Uzbekistan’s dismissed energy minister reportedly detained over abuse of office, embezzlement allegations

Ahead of naming successor, president says main problem with Uzbek energy industry is no longer a lack of funding, it is weaknesses in management.

Russian human safari of a Kherson market trader reignites war crimes accusations

A video showing a Russian explosive drone stalking and detonating beside an unarmed market trader in the frontline city of Kherson has drawn fresh accusations of war crimes from Kyiv, days after the UN reported on record civilian casualties.

S&P warns of fiscal pressures ahead of Bosnia's autumn elections

Rating agency says pre-election spending will would push Bosnia’s public deficit above 3% of GDP this year.

China expands its presence in Uzbekistan

6 hours ago

Cameroon discusses ship-registry reform with US amid Russian shadow-fleet concerns

12 hours ago

Uzbekistan’s dismissed energy minister reportedly detained over abuse of office, embezzlement allegations

1 day ago

Russian human safari of a Kherson market trader reignites war crimes accusations

1 day ago

S&P warns of fiscal pressures ahead of Bosnia's autumn elections

1 day ago

More News

Tech

Russia's mobile internet 'whitelist' mode has quietly become permanent

Russia's mobile internet 'whitelist' mode - restricting access to a government-approved list of services - has shifted from an emergency drone-defence measure into a permanent feature of daily life, with only 30.5% of mobile sessions in central...

Putin signs law bringing Russia's crypto market under central bank licensing

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on August 4 that for the first time comprehensively regulates the circulation of digital currencies and digital rights in Russia, TASS reported, establishing comprehensive digital currency rules.

Visa acquires Israeli cybersecurity company BioCatch for $2.4bn

Visa has agreed to acquire Israeli digital fraud prevention company BioCatch for $2.4bn in cash in the latest tech deal between Israeli and US tech and finance firms.

China leads global humanoid robot investment race as US moves to ban Chinese machines

Humanoid robotics has become one of the fastest-growing corners of the global technology industry - and one of the newest fronts in the US-China tech rivalry.

Mega Chinese IPO threatens South Korea chip dominance

A major Chinese IPO in flash memory manufacturing has disrupted the global data storage market, challenging established East Asian tech giants.

Russia's mobile internet 'whitelist' mode has quietly become permanent

6 hours ago

Putin signs law bringing Russia's crypto market under central bank licensing

1 day ago

Visa acquires Israeli cybersecurity company BioCatch for $2.4bn

1 day ago

China leads global humanoid robot investment race as US moves to ban Chinese machines

1 day ago

Mega Chinese IPO threatens South Korea chip dominance

1 day ago

More Tech

Opinion

MENDEL: Before the Harsh Winter: Ukraine’s Quiet Exodus and the Regions Left in Shadow

As Ukraine goes through the fifth year of full-scale war, a quiet but unmistakable movement is underway. Families are packing what they can, often saying goodbye to aging parents and family dogs, and leaving for safer ground.

Bulgaria's foreign policy balancing act raises concerns over European unity

Bulgaria is increasingly pursuing a transactional foreign policy that risks weakening European cohesion, says a new ECFR paper.

COMMENT: Ukraine's refinery campaign is turning oil into Russia's weakest economic link

Ukraine's long-range drone campaign against Russia's oil industry is simultaneously hitting three sensitive areas of the war economy at once: fuel production, domestic logistics of petroleum products, and fiscal stability.

TCHAKAROV: The Kyrgyz som’s calm is getting expensive

The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic has sold almost $1.5bn through nine foreign-exchange interventions since the start of 2026.

MACRO ADVISORY: Best Eurasia books published in 1H26

Macro-Advisory Limited has issued its annual mid-year compilation of the best business, political and general interest books published in 1H26, covering the twelve states in the Eurasia region plus Iran and Afghanistan.

MENDEL: Before the Harsh Winter: Ukraine’s Quiet Exodus and the Regions Left in Shadow

1 day ago

Bulgaria's foreign policy balancing act raises concerns over European unity

3 days ago

COMMENT: Ukraine's refinery campaign is turning oil into Russia's weakest economic link

4 days ago

TCHAKAROV: The Kyrgyz som’s calm is getting expensive

5 days ago

MACRO ADVISORY: Best Eurasia books published in 1H26

6 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Uzbekistan’s headline inflation slows to 6.4% in July from 8.9% a year earlier

Gasoline prices soar 21.7%.

Bulgarians still EU's heaviest smokers

Bulgaria had the highest proportion of daily users of tobacco and related nicotine products in the European Union in 2025, even as smoking rates across the bloc edged lower.

Russia’s services sector remains in contraction as fuel shortages drive costs higher

Russia’s services sector remained under pressure in July as weak consumer demand and falling purchasing power continued to weigh on business activity, while fuel shortages pushed up transport costs and renewed inflationary pressures.

Azerbaijan's central bank reserves rise 4.6% m/m to $13.8bn in July

Azerbaijan's central bank foreign currency reserves have grown 19.6% since the start of the year and 23% over the past 12 months.

Bahrain faces devaluation or default risk from Hormuz closure

Bahrain risks a currency devaluation or sovereign default if the Strait of Hormuz stays shut, Capital Economics warns, with central bank reserves down from $6bn in March to just over $2bn by June and no alternative export route.

Uzbekistan’s headline inflation slows to 6.4% in July from 8.9% a year earlier

1 hour ago

Bulgarians still EU's heaviest smokers

4 hours ago

Russia’s services sector remains in contraction as fuel shortages drive costs higher

13 hours ago

Azerbaijan's central bank reserves rise 4.6% m/m to $13.8bn in July

14 hours ago

Bahrain faces devaluation or default risk from Hormuz closure

1 day ago

More Data

Features

Ukraine's calculus of death: Patriot missile and KIA numbers don't add up

Two numbers define how much longer Ukraine can keep fighting: how many interceptor missiles it has left to defend its skies, and how many of its soldiers are actually dying to hold the line. No one has a clear idea of the real numbers.

Russia adapting hybrid tactics to slow EU enlargement, European Parliament report warns

Russia is refining its use of hybrid interference to undermine European Union enlargement countries by combining disinformation, covert political financing, cyberattacks, economic pressure and proxy actors, says European Parliament report.

Argentina's stabilisation convinces the IMF, not its own people

The IMF calls Argentina's turnaround a success story. Voters call it a broken promise. What a new poll reveals about the gap between Wall Street and Buenos Aires.

Russia is too big to be able to defend itself from Ukraine’s growing arsenal of missiles

Ukraine has run out of air defence ammo and has little chance of getting any more before the war is decided. Bankova only option now is to do as much damage or more to Russia as Russia is expected to do to Ukraine.

LONG READ: Zelenskiy sounding increasingly desperate as the hunt for air defence ammo fails

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is starting to sound desperate. A terrifying winter bombardment by Russian missiles is clearly on the way as soon as the mercury begins to fall. Kyiv is down to its last Patriot interceptor missile.

Ukraine's calculus of death: Patriot missile and KIA numbers don't add up

1 day ago

Russia adapting hybrid tactics to slow EU enlargement, European Parliament report warns

1 day ago

Argentina's stabilisation convinces the IMF, not its own people

2 days ago

Russia is too big to be able to defend itself from Ukraine’s growing arsenal of missiles

2 days ago

LONG READ: Zelenskiy sounding increasingly desperate as the hunt for air defence ammo fails

2 days ago

More Features

Blogs

ISTANBUL BLOG: Turkey probes TV presenter who called Syria’s al-Sharaa a “terrorist with a tie”

Dubious rise to the top is questioned. Watchdog says remarks “incompatible with foreign policy vision”.

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: Unjust bureaucratic hurdles are wrecking legit UK travel dreams

Tourist visas denied based on highly subjective assessments of financial means and intentions to use “return” section of plane ticket.

MOSCOW BLOG: The Nato-Russia clash mission creep

The stochastic war continues to escalate into a brutal tit-for-tat missile war with both sides continuously rolling out new and improved weapons that could eventually lead to a direct clash between Nato and Russia.

MOSCOW BLOG: Hitting the Wildberries warehouse is a lot more painful than it looks

The tit-for-tat missile war escalated at the weekend after Ukraine hit the largest distribution centre belonging to Wildberries, the “Amazon of Russia.” The Kremlin hit back the next day with a massive drone and missile barrage.

KYIV BLOG: What is Ukraine’s future: Afghanistan or Finland?

What is in store for Ukraine? There are two starkly different possibilities. It can become Finland — a country that lost a war, lost a tenth of its territory, swallowed neutrality, and then got rich. Or it can become Afghanistan.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Turkey probes TV presenter who called Syria’s al-Sharaa a “terrorist with a tie”

9 days ago

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: Unjust bureaucratic hurdles are wrecking legit UK travel dreams

10 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: The Nato-Russia clash mission creep

13 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: Hitting the Wildberries warehouse is a lot more painful than it looks

16 days ago

KYIV BLOG: What is Ukraine’s future: Afghanistan or Finland?

19 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

Global textile trade's hidden water costs threaten emerging market supply chains

Countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Uzbekistan have sought to move up global textile value chains but climate change and water scarcity make traditional production models increasingly vulnerable, says Chatham House report.

UK's GBP21.7bn carbon-capture bet faces a credibility gap - Carbon Brief

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) - technology that catches CO2 from a factory or power plant and injects it underground - is central to most official net-zero roadmaps, but remains marginal in practice and mired in controversy.

China expands nuclear build as capacity overtakes France

China has approved the construction of eight more nuclear reactors, extending the country's rapid expansion of atomic power as newly completed units enter service and installed capacity moves ahead of France for the first time.

Water shortages leave 40 villages in Iraq's Diyala facing severe drought

More than 40 villages south of Bahraz in Iraq's Diyala province face acute water shortages, forcing residents to rely on wells, as authorities push to dredge the Khrisan river before the next irrigation season.

Sunken Nazi warships resurface on Danube as Serbia's drought deepens

Dozens of Nazi-era warships, deliberately sunk in the Danube in 1944 to stop them falling into Red Army hands, have resurfaced near Prahovo in eastern Serbia as a summer drought pushes the river to some of its lowest levels on record.

Global textile trade's hidden water costs threaten emerging market supply chains

1 day ago

UK's GBP21.7bn carbon-capture bet faces a credibility gap - Carbon Brief

1 day ago

China expands nuclear build as capacity overtakes France

1 day ago

Water shortages leave 40 villages in Iraq's Diyala facing severe drought

2 days ago

Sunken Nazi warships resurface on Danube as Serbia's drought deepens

2 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

China-Central Asia Monitor: July 24-30.

Russia-linked oil tankers turned to African registries as established flag states tightened sanctions compliance, while some vessels have also used fraudulent African registration documents.

Ahead of naming successor, president says main problem with Uzbek energy industry is no longer a lack of funding, it is weaknesses in management.

A video showing a Russian explosive drone stalking and detonating beside an unarmed market trader in the frontline city of Kherson has drawn fresh accusations of war crimes from Kyiv, days after the UN reported on record civilian casualties.

Rating agency says pre-election spending will would push Bosnia’s public deficit above 3% of GDP this year.

Tech

Russia's mobile internet 'whitelist' mode - restricting access to a government-approved list of services - has shifted from an emergency drone-defence measure into a permanent feature of daily life, with only 30.5% of mobile sessions in central...

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on August 4 that for the first time comprehensively regulates the circulation of digital currencies and digital rights in Russia, TASS reported, establishing comprehensive digital currency rules.

Visa has agreed to acquire Israeli digital fraud prevention company BioCatch for $2.4bn in cash in the latest tech deal between Israeli and US tech and finance firms.

Humanoid robotics has become one of the fastest-growing corners of the global technology industry - and one of the newest fronts in the US-China tech rivalry.

A major Chinese IPO in flash memory manufacturing has disrupted the global data storage market, challenging established East Asian tech giants.

Opinion

As Ukraine goes through the fifth year of full-scale war, a quiet but unmistakable movement is underway. Families are packing what they can, often saying goodbye to aging parents and family dogs, and leaving for safer ground.

Bulgaria is increasingly pursuing a transactional foreign policy that risks weakening European cohesion, says a new ECFR paper.

Ukraine's long-range drone campaign against Russia's oil industry is simultaneously hitting three sensitive areas of the war economy at once: fuel production, domestic logistics of petroleum products, and fiscal stability.

The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic has sold almost $1.5bn through nine foreign-exchange interventions since the start of 2026.

Macro-Advisory Limited has issued its annual mid-year compilation of the best business, political and general interest books published in 1H26, covering the twelve states in the Eurasia region plus Iran and Afghanistan.

Data

Gasoline prices soar 21.7%.

Bulgaria had the highest proportion of daily users of tobacco and related nicotine products in the European Union in 2025, even as smoking rates across the bloc edged lower.

Russia’s services sector remained under pressure in July as weak consumer demand and falling purchasing power continued to weigh on business activity, while fuel shortages pushed up transport costs and renewed inflationary pressures.

Azerbaijan's central bank foreign currency reserves have grown 19.6% since the start of the year and 23% over the past 12 months.

Bahrain risks a currency devaluation or sovereign default if the Strait of Hormuz stays shut, Capital Economics warns, with central bank reserves down from $6bn in March to just over $2bn by June and no alternative export route.

Features

Two numbers define how much longer Ukraine can keep fighting: how many interceptor missiles it has left to defend its skies, and how many of its soldiers are actually dying to hold the line. No one has a clear idea of the real numbers.

Russia is refining its use of hybrid interference to undermine European Union enlargement countries by combining disinformation, covert political financing, cyberattacks, economic pressure and proxy actors, says European Parliament report.

The IMF calls Argentina's turnaround a success story. Voters call it a broken promise. What a new poll reveals about the gap between Wall Street and Buenos Aires.

Ukraine has run out of air defence ammo and has little chance of getting any more before the war is decided. Bankova only option now is to do as much damage or more to Russia as Russia is expected to do to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is starting to sound desperate. A terrifying winter bombardment by Russian missiles is clearly on the way as soon as the mercury begins to fall. Kyiv is down to its last Patriot interceptor missile.

Blogs

Dubious rise to the top is questioned. Watchdog says remarks “incompatible with foreign policy vision”.

Tourist visas denied based on highly subjective assessments of financial means and intentions to use “return” section of plane ticket.

The stochastic war continues to escalate into a brutal tit-for-tat missile war with both sides continuously rolling out new and improved weapons that could eventually lead to a direct clash between Nato and Russia.

The tit-for-tat missile war escalated at the weekend after Ukraine hit the largest distribution centre belonging to Wildberries, the “Amazon of Russia.” The Kremlin hit back the next day with a massive drone and missile barrage.

What is in store for Ukraine? There are two starkly different possibilities. It can become Finland — a country that lost a war, lost a tenth of its territory, swallowed neutrality, and then got rich. Or it can become Afghanistan.

bneGREEN

Countries including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Uzbekistan have sought to move up global textile value chains but climate change and water scarcity make traditional production models increasingly vulnerable, says Chatham House report.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) - technology that catches CO2 from a factory or power plant and injects it underground - is central to most official net-zero roadmaps, but remains marginal in practice and mired in controversy.

China has approved the construction of eight more nuclear reactors, extending the country's rapid expansion of atomic power as newly completed units enter service and installed capacity moves ahead of France for the first time.

More than 40 villages south of Bahraz in Iraq's Diyala province face acute water shortages, forcing residents to rely on wells, as authorities push to dredge the Khrisan river before the next irrigation season.

Dozens of Nazi-era warships, deliberately sunk in the Danube in 1944 to stop them falling into Red Army hands, have resurfaced near Prahovo in eastern Serbia as a summer drought pushes the river to some of its lowest levels on record.

Follow Us On

Most Read

Podcasts

Nato General Secretary Mark Rutte warned that the West needs to prepare of the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping will ....

Reports

Cookies on the bne IntelliNews website