Latest Updates

Washington turns Venezuela playbook on Cuba, but finds a harder nut to crack

Indictment, warships, a poisoned chalice of aid: the Trump administration turned every screw on Cuba in a single day. But Cuba is no Venezuela — and Washington may be about to find that out the hard way.

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Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola sells Geregu Power stake to invest $100mn in Dangote refinery IPO

Nigerian investor Femi Otedola sold his stake in Geregu Power Plc (NGX:GEREGU) to position himself for investment in the proposed IPO of Dangote Petroleum Refinery, as investor demand for the listing reportedly surpassed $2bn.

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COMMENT: Russia and China deepen strategic alignment as partnership reaches “highest level in history”

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping set out an expansive vision for their bilateral relationship in a joint statement issued during a state visit to Beijing this week, marking 30 years of strategic partnership.

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Indonesia seeks yuan lifeline with Panda bond debut

Once the physical and digital supply of yuan enters Indonesia’s domestic banking ecosystem, the government can make it easier for real-world import-export businesses to bypass the US dollar entirely.

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Russia irked by US, EU moves to secure Central Asia critical minerals

Kremlin official talks of “attempt to ⁠push Russia out and create a Western-controlled infrastructure in the immediate vicinity of our borders".

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Russia climbs to sixth place among Europe’s wine producers

Russia became Europe’s sixth-largest wine producer and the world’s 11th-largest in 2025, accounting for 2.5% of global output, according to data from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine.

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Ukraine headed for recessionary spiral

Ukraine’s wartime economy is showing growing signs of strain as rising inflation, labour shortages and a widening trade imbalance threaten to push the country into what economists describe as a “recessionary spiral”.

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Bolivia shuns emergency rule as Morales-backed protests tighten grip on La Paz

Bolivia’s government rejected calls for a state of emergency even as escalating protests led by supporters of former president Evo Morales paralysed key transport routes and triggered violent clashes in La Paz.

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Russia moves nuclear weapons to Belarus for joint exercise

Poland offers energy help to wean Hungary off Russia

Turkey sacrifices American treasury holdings in defence of lira amid Iran war

Russia moves nuclear weapons to Belarus for joint exercise

Drills taking place amid heightened tensions between Russia and Nato members, with regional security concerns rising following recent incidents involving drones in the Baltic region.

Poland offers energy help to wean Hungary off Russia

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Hungary's Prime Minister Péter Magyar pledged to work together to advance shared interests in EU and revive CEE's clout.

Latest Updates

News

Russia plans to build nine fast-neutron nuclear power units by 2042 as part of its long-term electricity generation strategy, according to Alexander Lokshin, first deputy director-general of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

The Jordan Tourism Board has launched a global promotional campaign across 10 capitals including London, Rome, Madrid, Moscow and New Delhi, coinciding with the kingdom's 80th independence day celebrations.

Iran’s caviar exports climbed to nearly $8mn in the Persian year to March 20, expanding to 42 international markets, IntelliNews has discovered.

Russia will hold its latest Russia-Africa summit in October, according to officials involved in preparations for the event, as Moscow seeks to expand political, military and economic influence across Africa.

Hungary's new prime minister's first trip after taking his oath was to Poland, to restore strained Hungarian-Polish relations.

Tech

Ukraine has tested a balloon-assisted launch system designed to greatly extend the operational range of its intermediate range attack drones and improve its strike capabilities against Russian targets.

Autonomous freight trucks are travelling around 250,000 kilometres each week on Russian federal highways, according to Alexey Raikevich, chief executive of JSC GLONASS, as Moscow accelerates plans to expand driverless logistics operations.

Since foreign players pulled out of Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the domestic pharma sector expanded rapidly and gave rise to five new billionaires.

Autonomous freight trucks are travelling around 250,000 kilometres each week on Russian federal highways, according to Alexey Raikevich, chief executive of JSC GLONASS, as Moscow accelerates plans to expand driverless logistics operations.

The combined enterprise value of Baltic deep tech firms climbed from €2.6bn in 2021 to €7.5bn in 2025, a 2.88-fold increase unmatched elsewhere in Europe.

Opinion

At the least a PR disaster for the UK around its Russia sanctions regime. At the worst the UK has been pushed by Trump’s war on Iran to easing up sanctions on Russia.

The European Union and Azerbaijan are rebuilding relations after years of strain, says a Carnegie Politika analysis.

The fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) will take place on June 16–18, 2026 just as the government floated the Uzbekistan National Investment Fund (UzNIF) on the London Stock Exchange. The economy is booming and FDI is rising fast.

The listing of the Uzbekistan National Investment Fund (UzNIF) on the London Stock Exchange marked a landmark development whose importance extends far beyond a single financial transaction. It signifies a new phase in Uzbekistan’s transformation.

Trump has seemingly ruined his much hyped Abraham Accords after backing Israel's war on Iran. Now what?

Data

The Russian ruble has become the world’s best-performing currency for a second consecutive year, buoyed by high oil revenues, capital controls and tight monetary policy that analysts say have entrenched structural imbalances in the economy.

There will be no real winners in traditional tourism this summer – only airlines, tourist destinations and central banks left counting the cost.

The Warsaw Stock Exchange's blue-chip WIG20 index could approach its all-time highest level set in 2007 if positive sentiment towards banks, fuelled by interest rate hike expectations, steps up, a brokerage director said.

Iran's fertility rate has fallen to 1.35 children per woman, well below the replacement level, with annual births dropping below 900,000 for the first time, the Health Ministry has said.

Russia’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing their most difficult year since the invasion of Ukraine, squeezed by higher taxes, falling consumer demand, elevated borrowing costs and mounting internet disruptions.

Features

Richard Deitz, founder of New York-based VR Capital, has shifted his focus decisively toward Ukraine, becoming one of the largest foreign investors in several strategically important state-linked companies.

Likely once trodden by Alexander the Great and Marco Polo, its potential is fascinating.

Two legally embattled candidates. A Senate neither controls. Peru isn't choosing a president on June 7 — it's choosing the shape of its next crisis.

President Mirizoyev recently declared that the latest program of reforms has been completed. That focused on reforming the system of government, the state bureaucracy and improving both economic and physical infrastructure.

Most of the new jobs created in Azerbaijan are in construction, but over 50% of the new graduate workforce is humanities-trained.

Blogs

Venezuela has begun circulating draft regulations linked to its newly approved hydrocarbons law.

US President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing ends today and he has been forced to eat humble pie after coming out of the gate last year with an extremely aggressive policy on China.

PM Peter Magyar pledged to dismantle the institutional and financial legacy of Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule, with implications beyond Hungary’s borders.

Something has quietly shifted in Russia. Not the social and economic meltdown Western pundits have been confidently predicting almost continuously for the last two decades. But something has changed and the people are not happy.

Mega deals announced by Trump-linked companies brings up concerns over corruption and environmental impact similar to those raised over Chinese and Middle Eastern investments in the past.

bneGREEN

Wind and solar energy generated more electricity than coal in Turkey for the first time in April 2026, marking a milestone in the country’s energy transition as strong rainfall also boosted hydroelectric output, according to Ember.

Romania is still on track to meet a key Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) milestone linked to a €771mn grant for renewable energy investments, acting Agriculture Minister Tanczos Barna said.

Vietnam’s state-owned power producer EVNGENCO1 has proposed adding 270MW of floating solar capacity across three hydropower reservoirs in southern Vietnam

The government originally targeted a 2025 electricity mix of 20% renewables, 50% LNG and 30% coal. That target has since quietly slipped, with officials now acknowledging that the 20% renewables goal will likely not be reached until after 2026.

We’ll often see headlines quoting how many gigawatts of new solar farms or coal plants China is building. But it’s hard to get a meaningful sense of scale for how electricity generation in China is changing.

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

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