Latest Updates

IT Park drives Uzbekistan’s ambition to become Central Asia’s next technology hub

Uzbekistan is betting heavily on technology as the next engine of economic growth, with state-backed IT Park emerging as the centrepiece of the country’s ambitions to become Central Asia’s leading exporter of digital services.

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Middle East conflict and energy shock slow growth across EBRD regions

Bank warns higher energy costs are reigniting inflation, weakening industrial competitiveness and straining already fragile public finances

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Brazil-US trade row deepens as Lula slams Rubio and brands Bolsonaro a traitor

Lula branded rival Bolsonaro a "traitor to the nation" and attacked Secretary of State Rubio as Washington proposes sweeping 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods, threatening to unravel a fragile diplomatic truce struck just weeks ago.

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China’s BYD captures 35% of Africa EV market, as latecomer rival Tesla bets on Morocco

Chinese EV giant BYD upped its market share from just 4% in 2023 as electric vehicle sales on the continent accelerated. Tesla is betting on Morocco, Africa’s leading EV manufacturing hub.

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Ukraine drones hit St Petersburg oil terminal as Russia's SPIEF investment forum kicks off

Ukraine hit St Petersburg oil terminals on the morning of June 3 just as Russia’s flagship St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) kicks in a message designed to show that nowhere in Russia is safe from Ukraine’s long-range drones.

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MOSCOW BLOG: Germans return to SPIEF as Russia sanctions resolve starts to fray

German businessmen are going to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia’s premier investment forum, in a public show of the fraying commitment to cutting off commercial ties under the sanctions regime.

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Aura Energy targets 2026 FID for Mauritania uranium mine following deal with "major" nuclear utility

Dual-listed Aura Energy targets final investment decision on its Tiris uranium project in Mauritania by end 2026 after signing a strategic MoU with a "major international nuclear utility".

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Erdogan stole 2023 election win says Kilicdaroglu man

Reporter responds: If that is the case, why is ‘poll theft victim’ Kilicdaroglu playing along with political engineering that opens way to consolidation of Turkish leader’s power?

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Two large deals lift Damascus bourse turnover to SYP80.8mn

Iran strikes US base in Bahrain and Kuwait International Airport

Mexico President rebukes US ambassador over sovereignty comments

Two large deals lift Damascus bourse turnover to SYP80.8mn

Trading on the Damascus Securities Exchange on June 3 was dominated by two large transactions worth more than SYP71.5mn ($646,800).

Iran strikes US base in Bahrain and Kuwait International Airport

Iran announced that it had struck the headquarters of the US 5th Fleet in Bahrain as well as the Kuwait International Airport, resulting in one death.

Mexico President rebukes US ambassador over sovereignty comments

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly rebuked US Ambassador Ronald Johnson, telling him to "respect Mexico's internal affairs" and confine himself to bilateral coordination topics.

News

Iran agrees not to pursue nuclear weapon, Trump says amid renewed Gulf strikes

Trump says Iran has agreed not to build a nuclear weapon and that he expects to meet its supreme leader, even as fresh missile strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain test a fragile Gulf ceasefire.

Israel-Hezbollah clashes continue despite Trump’s truce announcement

Israel and Hezbollah traded fire on June 2 despite Trump announcing a ceasefire understanding, with Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and renewed evacuation warnings for Nabatiyeh casting doubt over the deal's durability.

Kazakhstan taking on lots of debt to China

China-Central Asia Monitor: May 22-28, 2026

Moldova's deputy PM says reunification with Romania envisaged if EU accession stalls

Unification with Romania is being discussed as a potential long-term alternative should Moldova's EU accession ambitions fail to advance.

Protesters break through police cordon in Tirana as anger grows over Trump-linked resort project

Protests are part of a wider mobilisation against a $4bn tourism development backed by investors linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

Iran agrees not to pursue nuclear weapon, Trump says amid renewed Gulf strikes

3 hours ago

Israel-Hezbollah clashes continue despite Trump’s truce announcement

7 hours ago

Kazakhstan taking on lots of debt to China

10 hours ago

Moldova's deputy PM says reunification with Romania envisaged if EU accession stalls

11 hours ago

Protesters break through police cordon in Tirana as anger grows over Trump-linked resort project

19 hours ago

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Tech

Russia unveils ‘Altai’ neuromorphic chip to challenge US in low-power AI and defence applications

Russia has presented a domestically developed neuromorphic processor called “Altai”, a brain-inspired chip designed to perform artificial intelligence tasks with significantly lower power consumption than conventional processors.

Polish e-commerce giant Allegro secures PLN1bn EIB facility for tech and AI push

The six-year facility for Poland's biggest e-commerce player will co-finance Allegro's strategic 2026-2030 plan to push its technological edge.

Baltic states can become a leading innovation hub in Northern Europe, foreign investors say

Despite strong potential, fragmented policies, limited access to growth capital and weak links between business and research hold the region back.

From Soviet antihistamine to Alzheimer's breakthrough: a UK biotech bets on a molecule the world forgot

A small UK-registered biotech company believes it has found an Alzheimer's treatment that is safer, cheaper and more effective than anything currently on the market — and it has done so by revisiting a molecule first synthesised by Soviet chemists.

Japanese groups weigh backing SoftBank-led AI venture

According to people familiar with the matter cited by the agency, the companies are examining plans to invest tens of millions of yen each, equivalent to several hundred thousand US dollars.

Russia unveils ‘Altai’ neuromorphic chip to challenge US in low-power AI and defence applications

1 day ago

Polish e-commerce giant Allegro secures PLN1bn EIB facility for tech and AI push

1 day ago

Baltic states can become a leading innovation hub in Northern Europe, foreign investors say

2 days ago

From Soviet antihistamine to Alzheimer's breakthrough: a UK biotech bets on a molecule the world forgot

5 days ago

Japanese groups weigh backing SoftBank-led AI venture

5 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

COMMENT: A new world of asymmetrical diplomacy

The world has changed in a very fundamental way. For most of the last century the world has been run on the lines of Great Power Geopolitics: them and us; the enlightened and the barbaric; the rich and the poor.

TCHAKAROV: Armenia after an opposition victory — Georgia 2.0?

An opposition win would not be an economic, political or geopolitical disaster.

BERTRAND: Thucydides trap is not real, but threat of WWIII is

I actually suspect that no-one seriously believes in the existence of the "Thucydides trap": not the Chinese, not the West, and probably not even Graham Allison, the author of the concept (he's too smart for this).

RAGOZIN: Melnyk reburial signals ideological shift in Ukraine

During his seven years as president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s attitude to Ukraine’s history has changed radically.

COMMENT: Now there’s a thing – Deutsche Welle circulates Erdogan regime’s line in English but butters up opposition in Turkish

Core tenet of German foreign policy means a public veneer of democratic solidarity, but a reality of accommodating strongmen.

COMMENT: A new world of asymmetrical diplomacy

2 days ago

TCHAKAROV: Armenia after an opposition victory — Georgia 2.0?

2 days ago

BERTRAND: Thucydides trap is not real, but threat of WWIII is

3 days ago

RAGOZIN: Melnyk reburial signals ideological shift in Ukraine

5 days ago

COMMENT: Now there’s a thing – Deutsche Welle circulates Erdogan regime’s line in English but butters up opposition in Turkish

5 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Russian services downturn deepens as demand weakens and confidence hits three-and-a-half-year low

Russia’s services sector contracted at a faster pace in May as weaker customer demand and financial strains among clients weighed on activity, according to S&P Global data, signalling continued pressure on the economy despite falling inflation.

Hungary's economy gains momentum in Q1 with consumption driving growth

Consumer spending rose sharply as households benefited from sizeable pre-election fiscal transfers and improving confidence.

Azerbaijan's non-oil exports reach $1.1bn in four months as gold surges

Exports of gold, petrochemicals and satellite services posted gains while two SOCAR trading divisions recorded steep declines.

Poland's WSE main market trading volume dips 4.4% y/y in May despite strong underlying activity

WIG index closed the month at 137,007.44 points, gaining 35% y/y.

Kazakhstan's manufacturing remained under pressure in May, PMI data shows

New orders decrease slightly. Record reductions in backlogs and stocks of finished goods.

Russian services downturn deepens as demand weakens and confidence hits three-and-a-half-year low

7 hours ago

Hungary's economy gains momentum in Q1 with consumption driving growth

11 hours ago

Azerbaijan's non-oil exports reach $1.1bn in four months as gold surges

11 hours ago

Poland's WSE main market trading volume dips 4.4% y/y in May despite strong underlying activity

15 hours ago

Kazakhstan's manufacturing remained under pressure in May, PMI data shows

1 day ago

More Data

Features

Azerbaijan positions itself as dual-track energy hub amid global supply uncertainty

Azerbaijan is accelerating both fossil fuel and renewable energy development as it seeks to entrench its role as a reliable supplier to Europe and emerging markets, Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov told the 31st Baku Energy Forum.

The lawyer, showman and self-styled tiger seeking to remake Colombia

Abelardo de la Espriella, the flamboyant lawyer, businessman and self-styled "El Tigre" who surged to first place in Colombia's presidential first round, has built one of the most unconventional political brands in the country's modern history.

COMMENT: Did Israel's Netanyahu lose the war he claims to have won?

The most useful comparison for the Iran war of 2026 is not the Six-Day War of 1967. It is the Suez Crisis of 1956. The point is being made openly in Tel Aviv, by columnists who have lost patience with the Netanyahu camp's victory rhetoric.

Kremlin wants “full partnership” with Afghan Taliban, military-technical deal signed

Russia is the only country in the world to formally recognise Afghanistan’s rulers, though Central Asia is slowly but surely building relations.

Bulgaria the latest addition to the EU’s Excessive Deficit Club

Bulgaria has barely had time to celebrate joining the eurozone monetary union at the start of this year before the European Commission is set to turn around and throw it into the rapidly growing financial delinquents club.

Azerbaijan positions itself as dual-track energy hub amid global supply uncertainty

1 day ago

The lawyer, showman and self-styled tiger seeking to remake Colombia

1 day ago

COMMENT: Did Israel's Netanyahu lose the war he claims to have won?

2 days ago

Kremlin wants “full partnership” with Afghan Taliban, military-technical deal signed

2 days ago

Bulgaria the latest addition to the EU’s Excessive Deficit Club

2 days ago

More Features

Blogs

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: Water “insecurities” are rumbling under the surface of regional diplomacy

Kyrgyzstan wants more infrastructure maintenance funds. Afghanistan is preparing to divert river flows for irrigation. Disagreements could mount.

BALKAN BLOG: Is Serbia’s president really on his way out?

Is Aleksandar Vučić finally running out of road? In Serbia, it is the question that follows every large protest.

BALKAN BLOG: Great powers’ competing agendas for the Western Balkans

EU sidelined as Washington warns over China and Russia's influence in new strategy document, while Xi Jinping honours Serbia’s president in Beijing.

CAUCASUS BLOG: Russia's South Ossetia treaty edges toward annexation

New treaty amounts to de facto annexation of separatist Georgian republic, analysts and Georgian opposition figures say.

Venezuela unveils draft oil rules to guide foreign investment push, economy expands

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

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: Water “insecurities” are rumbling under the surface of regional diplomacy

6 days ago

BALKAN BLOG: Is Serbia’s president really on his way out?

8 days ago

BALKAN BLOG: Great powers’ competing agendas for the Western Balkans

8 days ago

CAUCASUS BLOG: Russia's South Ossetia treaty edges toward annexation

12 days ago

Venezuela unveils draft oil rules to guide foreign investment push, economy expands

14 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

Vietnam’s Gia Lai draws wave of renewable energy investment as wind projects expand

Vietnam’s central province of Gia Lai is emerging as a renewable energy investment hub, with several large-scale wind power projects secured in the first months of 2026.

Hungary’s battery boom is causing a water crisis

Hungary’s ambition to become Europe’s electric vehicle battery hub is colliding with a growing environmental reality: the country is running short of water, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) said in a report.

Asia’s EV race speeds up as China’s champions challenge Tesla

As of mid-2026, China remains the centre of gravity in the EV world.

Battery bottleneck threatens India’s renewable energy ambitions

In part in order to reduce its heavy reliance on imported energy, India has an ambitious plan in place - a renewable energy capacity of 500GW by 2030.

Kyrgyzstan uneasy over Kazakhstan’s use of rain-making technology

Experts fret over possible damage to eco-balance caused by cloud-seeding. “If you take a cloud from one place, it will harm another place,” says one scientist.

Vietnam’s Gia Lai draws wave of renewable energy investment as wind projects expand

14 hours ago

Hungary’s battery boom is causing a water crisis

1 day ago

Asia’s EV race speeds up as China’s champions challenge Tesla

1 day ago

Battery bottleneck threatens India’s renewable energy ambitions

1 day ago

Kyrgyzstan uneasy over Kazakhstan’s use of rain-making technology

1 day ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

Trump says Iran has agreed not to build a nuclear weapon and that he expects to meet its supreme leader, even as fresh missile strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain test a fragile Gulf ceasefire.

Israel and Hezbollah traded fire on June 2 despite Trump announcing a ceasefire understanding, with Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and renewed evacuation warnings for Nabatiyeh casting doubt over the deal's durability.

China-Central Asia Monitor: May 22-28, 2026

Unification with Romania is being discussed as a potential long-term alternative should Moldova's EU accession ambitions fail to advance.

Protests are part of a wider mobilisation against a $4bn tourism development backed by investors linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

Tech

Russia has presented a domestically developed neuromorphic processor called “Altai”, a brain-inspired chip designed to perform artificial intelligence tasks with significantly lower power consumption than conventional processors.

The six-year facility for Poland's biggest e-commerce player will co-finance Allegro's strategic 2026-2030 plan to push its technological edge.

Despite strong potential, fragmented policies, limited access to growth capital and weak links between business and research hold the region back.

A small UK-registered biotech company believes it has found an Alzheimer's treatment that is safer, cheaper and more effective than anything currently on the market — and it has done so by revisiting a molecule first synthesised by Soviet chemists.

According to people familiar with the matter cited by the agency, the companies are examining plans to invest tens of millions of yen each, equivalent to several hundred thousand US dollars.

Opinion

The world has changed in a very fundamental way. For most of the last century the world has been run on the lines of Great Power Geopolitics: them and us; the enlightened and the barbaric; the rich and the poor.

An opposition win would not be an economic, political or geopolitical disaster.

I actually suspect that no-one seriously believes in the existence of the "Thucydides trap": not the Chinese, not the West, and probably not even Graham Allison, the author of the concept (he's too smart for this).

During his seven years as president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s attitude to Ukraine’s history has changed radically.

Core tenet of German foreign policy means a public veneer of democratic solidarity, but a reality of accommodating strongmen.

Data

Russia’s services sector contracted at a faster pace in May as weaker customer demand and financial strains among clients weighed on activity, according to S&P Global data, signalling continued pressure on the economy despite falling inflation.

Consumer spending rose sharply as households benefited from sizeable pre-election fiscal transfers and improving confidence.

Exports of gold, petrochemicals and satellite services posted gains while two SOCAR trading divisions recorded steep declines.

WIG index closed the month at 137,007.44 points, gaining 35% y/y.

New orders decrease slightly. Record reductions in backlogs and stocks of finished goods.

Features

Azerbaijan is accelerating both fossil fuel and renewable energy development as it seeks to entrench its role as a reliable supplier to Europe and emerging markets, Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov told the 31st Baku Energy Forum.

Abelardo de la Espriella, the flamboyant lawyer, businessman and self-styled "El Tigre" who surged to first place in Colombia's presidential first round, has built one of the most unconventional political brands in the country's modern history.

The most useful comparison for the Iran war of 2026 is not the Six-Day War of 1967. It is the Suez Crisis of 1956. The point is being made openly in Tel Aviv, by columnists who have lost patience with the Netanyahu camp's victory rhetoric.

Russia is the only country in the world to formally recognise Afghanistan’s rulers, though Central Asia is slowly but surely building relations.

Bulgaria has barely had time to celebrate joining the eurozone monetary union at the start of this year before the European Commission is set to turn around and throw it into the rapidly growing financial delinquents club.

Blogs

Kyrgyzstan wants more infrastructure maintenance funds. Afghanistan is preparing to divert river flows for irrigation. Disagreements could mount.

Is Aleksandar Vučić finally running out of road? In Serbia, it is the question that follows every large protest.

EU sidelined as Washington warns over China and Russia's influence in new strategy document, while Xi Jinping honours Serbia’s president in Beijing.

New treaty amounts to de facto annexation of separatist Georgian republic, analysts and Georgian opposition figures say.

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

bneGREEN

Vietnam’s central province of Gia Lai is emerging as a renewable energy investment hub, with several large-scale wind power projects secured in the first months of 2026.

Hungary’s ambition to become Europe’s electric vehicle battery hub is colliding with a growing environmental reality: the country is running short of water, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) said in a report.

As of mid-2026, China remains the centre of gravity in the EV world.

In part in order to reduce its heavy reliance on imported energy, India has an ambitious plan in place - a renewable energy capacity of 500GW by 2030.

Experts fret over possible damage to eco-balance caused by cloud-seeding. “If you take a cloud from one place, it will harm another place,” says one scientist.

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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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