Latest Updates

COMMENT: China’s debt-trap diplomacy - lessons from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and beyond

For the nations affected this results in economic dependence on China and often the surrender of strategic assets - or both.

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Timeline for global climate thresholds laid out

The Climate Crisis is accelerating and all the main players predict that the world will warm by more than the 1.5C Paris Agreement target by next year and the 2C maximum will be broached by 2037 – far earlier than previously forecast.

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KYIV BLOG: How is Ukraine going to fund the rebuild and a growing trade deficit?

The money the West grants to support Ukraine’s economy and military campaign gets a lot of attention. So far, the West has sent a total of $133bn to Ukraine over the last three years, according to the Ministry of Finance.

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Mongolia’s coalition government edging towards collapse amid interparty strife, street protests

Situation fluid. Daily developments unfolding in rapid succession.

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Ukraine’s two biggest EU export-earners of corn and metals falling in 2025 as tariff-free deal set to expire

The exports of two of Ukraine’s biggest export earners, corn and metal, are falling, which will squeeze the already cash strapped government and make a €20bn trade deficit with the EU worse in 2025.

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I don’t plan to stand for president again – Erdogan

Top US senator, meanwhile, introduces resolution calling for release of jailed main political rival Imamoglu unless Turkey can present credible evidence against him.

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Rubio rules out Chevron Venezuela licence extension after conflicting signals

The US administration is set to revoke Chevron's licence to operate in Venezuela on May 27, as initially scheduled, contrary to recent Bloomberg reports that suggested a longer extension was likely.

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Whose is bigger (march)? Poland’s presidential race becoming ever tighter

Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and his radical right-wing rival Karol Nawrocki will each lead separate marches through the capital on May 25, as both candidates escalate their campaigns before Poland’s presidential run-off on June 1.

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COMMENT: Can the digital ruble free Russian from the SWIFT sanctions bind?

Iran's Araghchi says Tehran stands firm on positions as US nuclear talks end with limited progress

Europe's troublemakers meet in Belgrade

COMMENT: Can the digital ruble free Russian from the SWIFT sanctions bind?

Russia's central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital ruble, is being positioned as a strategic tool to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions and reduce reliance on the SWIFT international payment system.

Iran's Araghchi says Tehran stands firm on positions as US nuclear talks end with limited progress

The fifth round of indirect nuclear talks between the United States and Iran ended on May 23 after three hours with some but not "conclusive progress."

Europe's troublemakers meet in Belgrade

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on May 23, in a display of solidarity between two of Europe’s most defiant political figures.

News

Mexico skirts recession in first quarter despite Trump uncertainty

Mexico avoided falling into technical recession during the first quarter of 2025, when the country experienced uncertainty from Donald Trump's early days in the White House.

Brazil dismantles Russian 'spy factory' in major counterintelligence operation, NYT reports

Brazilian federal agents have exposed a sophisticated Russian intelligence operation that used the South American country as an "assembly line for deep-cover operatives."

Iranian foreign minister arrives in Rome for fifth round of US negotiations

ranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Rome to participate in the fifth round of indirect negotiations with the US.

Hungary's richest see €5bn surge in wealth, with Orban allies among biggest gainers

Hungary’s 100 wealthiest individuals saw their combined fortunes surge by a record HUF2tn (€5bn) over the past year, lifting the total above HUF11tn for the first time, according to the 24th annual edition of the 100 Richest Hungarians ranking.

Indian passenger vehicle sales continue to set fresh records

Domestic PV sales hit a record for April 2025, with 348,847 units sold—up 3.9% year-on-year, according to the latest data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Mexico skirts recession in first quarter despite Trump uncertainty

22 hours ago

Brazil dismantles Russian 'spy factory' in major counterintelligence operation, NYT reports

22 hours ago

Iranian foreign minister arrives in Rome for fifth round of US negotiations

1 day ago

Hungary's richest see €5bn surge in wealth, with Orban allies among biggest gainers

1 day ago

Indian passenger vehicle sales continue to set fresh records

1 day ago

More News

Tech

M360 GSMA Eurasia event spotlights rich promise of mobile tech, 5G and AI

Mobile technologies and services said to have generated 7.7%, or $220bn, of GDP across region last year.

BERTRAND: US criminalises using non-US AI microchips anywhere in the world

Anyone, anywhere using Huawei Ascend chips could be prosecuted for violating US export restrictions according to new rules issued by the White House in May.

Tajikistan faces uphill climb to wire the country

Dushanbe has slowest Internet in Eurasia.

Saudi Arabia launches first cargo and passenger air taxi application

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Transport and FlyNow Arabia, a company specialising in urban air transport, have begun implementing the kingdom's first application for cargo and passenger transport via air taxi.

COMMENT: How Europe can win the digital nomad race

Record levels of immigration are dominating political debate in the world’s wealthiest countries. But there is a latent trend, still bubbling under the surface, which might soon occupy the minds of Western policymakers: emigration.

M360 GSMA Eurasia event spotlights rich promise of mobile tech, 5G and AI

16 hours ago

BERTRAND: US criminalises using non-US AI microchips anywhere in the world

1 day ago

Tajikistan faces uphill climb to wire the country

1 day ago

Saudi Arabia launches first cargo and passenger air taxi application

1 day ago

COMMENT: How Europe can win the digital nomad race

3 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

ING: Poland’s economy off to a positive start in the second quarter

April data from industry and the labour market suggest an encouraging start to the second quarter in Poland. One data point does not make a trend though, but we see encouraging signs that the recovery has resumed.

COMMENT: A protracted Sino-US trade war is good news for Russia

The United States and China may have agreed to a temporary pause in their escalating tariff battle, but the underlying trade war shows no signs of abating. While markets remain wary of further shocks, one country – Russia – is the big winner.

HALLIGAN: Georgia on my mind — and China's too

Having long ignored the Caucasus region, China is now showing intense interest in developing Black Sea infrastructure, not least in Georgia. The West is pushing back.

COMMENT: China and Latin America forge ‘shared future’ as US wields coercive diplomacy

China hosted Latin American leaders at the China-CELAC Forum, pledging $9.2bn and deeper ties. As US influence fades, Beijing’s “shared future” vision gains ground, fueling a shift in global alliances and challenging Washington’s dominance.

PANNIER: Party in parliament declares itself Uzbekistan's opposition. Something to get excited about?

The country’s registered parties bicker, or pretend to bicker, but they’re all loyal to the president.

ING: Poland’s economy off to a positive start in the second quarter

2 days ago

COMMENT: A protracted Sino-US trade war is good news for Russia

3 days ago

HALLIGAN: Georgia on my mind — and China's too

3 days ago

COMMENT: China and Latin America forge ‘shared future’ as US wields coercive diplomacy

3 days ago

PANNIER: Party in parliament declares itself Uzbekistan's opposition. Something to get excited about?

4 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Uzbekistan’s foreign trade expands 16% y/y in Jan–April to $24.6bn

Fuelled by a 35% rise in exports. Gold shipments up 60%.

Turkey sticks to end-2025 inflation target of 24%

Space for mid-June policy rate cut to 100-350 bp opens up.

Drill down into Poland’s presidential election voting patterns

Poland’s presidential election will go to a second-round run-off after centrist candidate Rafał Trzaskowski and conservative Karol Nawrocki finished in a close contest in the May 15 first round.

Japan's tourism boom: April sees record-breaking 3.91mn foreign visitors

Cumulatively, the first four months of 2025 have seen approximately 14.45mn foreign arrivals, a 24.5% rise from the corresponding period in 2024.

Sri Lanka likely to hold rates steady amid stable growth and tariff uncertainty

The country's economy grew by 5% in 2024, outperforming expectations and marking a significant turnaround after a deep financial crisis triggered by a severe shortage of US dollars three years ago.

Uzbekistan’s foreign trade expands 16% y/y in Jan–April to $24.6bn

1 day ago

Turkey sticks to end-2025 inflation target of 24%

1 day ago

Drill down into Poland’s presidential election voting patterns

2 days ago

Japan's tourism boom: April sees record-breaking 3.91mn foreign visitors

2 days ago

Sri Lanka likely to hold rates steady amid stable growth and tariff uncertainty

2 days ago

More Data

Features

Iraq secures return of three rare ancient artefacts from New York

The Embassy of Iraq in Washington announced the recovery of three rare artefacts from New York, marking another step in the country's efforts to protect its cultural heritage.

Poland’s WIG index climbs 28.6% in 2025 on Ukraine peace hopes and economic stability

The Warsaw Stock Exchange’s (WSE) benchmark WIG index has gained 28.6% since the beginning of 2025, outperforming major global markets amid investor optimism over a potential peace settlement in Ukraine.

Vietnam rising - the future powerhouse of Southeast Asia

Looking ahead to the next 50 years, there is strong reason to believe that Vietnam will not just keep pace with Southeast Asia's leading economies – it may well outstrip most of them in influence and innovation.

Lee VS Kim; a look at South Korea’s leading presidential candidates on foreign policy issues

Whichever way it goes, the result of the presidential election in Korea will play a crucial role in shaping both South Korea and the wider East Asia region’s geopolitical landscape for the foreseeable future.

LONG READ: Wanderlust wins: Russia’s travel boom defies the times

Russia’s $50bn+ tourism industry has been one unexpected beneficiary of the war in Ukraine.

Iraq secures return of three rare ancient artefacts from New York

1 day ago

Poland’s WIG index climbs 28.6% in 2025 on Ukraine peace hopes and economic stability

2 days ago

Vietnam rising - the future powerhouse of Southeast Asia

2 days ago

Lee VS Kim; a look at South Korea’s leading presidential candidates on foreign policy issues

2 days ago

LONG READ: Wanderlust wins: Russia’s travel boom defies the times

2 days ago

More Features

Blogs

ASIA BLOG: South Korea needs political stability now more than ever

iKorea's current political crisis is deeply troubling. The ongoing impeachment proceedings against the disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, regardless of one’s political leanings, are not merely a domestic affair.

BUCHAREST BLOG: Romania at a political crossroads ahead of presidential election runoff

Voters face a stark choice between far-right AUR leader George Simion and independent Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan.

ASIA BLOG: Beijing’s South China Sea strategy is about Taiwan — and the world needs to sit up and take notice

Even as Taiwan is described as potentially the most dangerous flashpoint in Asia, it is actually the fulcrum upon which the future of the Indo-Pacific — and by extension the global balance of power — may pivot.

MOSCOW BLOG: A muted V-day parade on Red Square

I have just been watching the Victory Day parade on Red Square. A few observations.

LATAM BLOG: Gold, murder and the collapse of the Peruvian State

The massacre of thirteen miners in Peru's Pataz exposes a state paralysed by its own laws, captured by criminal economies, and sustained by complicit politicians in the country's collapsing fight against illegal mining.

ASIA BLOG: South Korea needs political stability now more than ever

4 days ago

BUCHAREST BLOG: Romania at a political crossroads ahead of presidential election runoff

8 days ago

ASIA BLOG: Beijing’s South China Sea strategy is about Taiwan — and the world needs to sit up and take notice

13 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: A muted V-day parade on Red Square

14 days ago

LATAM BLOG: Gold, murder and the collapse of the Peruvian State

17 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

Sunlight heating effect on earth more than doubles in the last decade

Global warming results from man-made greenhouse gas emissions that have doubled the heating effect from incoming sunlight, which is now more than the heat radiated by earth into space in the last decade, according to a research paper.

Record temperatures around the world – Statista

A heat wave is sweeping across South Asia, with temperatures having reached 44°C in India’s Jaipur and 50°C in Pakistan’s Shaheed Benazirabad in April, Statista reports.

Uzbekistan: Hub for electric vehicles in Central Asia – report

China expanding share of global EV market.

Heat crisis intensifies as military student dies in Iraq's scorching temperatures

At least one military student has died and eight others were hospitalised after suffering heat stroke due to historically high temperatures in the region.

Mexico's oil champion Pemex grows isolated amid mounting ecological damage

Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, is facing growing criticism for its significant role in hydrocarbon-related environmental damage and its apparent lack of sufficient response strategies.

Sunlight heating effect on earth more than doubles in the last decade

1 day ago

Record temperatures around the world – Statista

2 days ago

Uzbekistan: Hub for electric vehicles in Central Asia – report

2 days ago

Heat crisis intensifies as military student dies in Iraq's scorching temperatures

2 days ago

Mexico's oil champion Pemex grows isolated amid mounting ecological damage

2 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

Mexico avoided falling into technical recession during the first quarter of 2025, when the country experienced uncertainty from Donald Trump's early days in the White House.

Brazilian federal agents have exposed a sophisticated Russian intelligence operation that used the South American country as an "assembly line for deep-cover operatives."

ranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Rome to participate in the fifth round of indirect negotiations with the US.

Hungary’s 100 wealthiest individuals saw their combined fortunes surge by a record HUF2tn (€5bn) over the past year, lifting the total above HUF11tn for the first time, according to the 24th annual edition of the 100 Richest Hungarians ranking.

Domestic PV sales hit a record for April 2025, with 348,847 units sold—up 3.9% year-on-year, according to the latest data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Tech

Mobile technologies and services said to have generated 7.7%, or $220bn, of GDP across region last year.

Anyone, anywhere using Huawei Ascend chips could be prosecuted for violating US export restrictions according to new rules issued by the White House in May.

Dushanbe has slowest Internet in Eurasia.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Transport and FlyNow Arabia, a company specialising in urban air transport, have begun implementing the kingdom's first application for cargo and passenger transport via air taxi.

Record levels of immigration are dominating political debate in the world’s wealthiest countries. But there is a latent trend, still bubbling under the surface, which might soon occupy the minds of Western policymakers: emigration.

Opinion

April data from industry and the labour market suggest an encouraging start to the second quarter in Poland. One data point does not make a trend though, but we see encouraging signs that the recovery has resumed.

The United States and China may have agreed to a temporary pause in their escalating tariff battle, but the underlying trade war shows no signs of abating. While markets remain wary of further shocks, one country – Russia – is the big winner.

Having long ignored the Caucasus region, China is now showing intense interest in developing Black Sea infrastructure, not least in Georgia. The West is pushing back.

China hosted Latin American leaders at the China-CELAC Forum, pledging $9.2bn and deeper ties. As US influence fades, Beijing’s “shared future” vision gains ground, fueling a shift in global alliances and challenging Washington’s dominance.

The country’s registered parties bicker, or pretend to bicker, but they’re all loyal to the president.

Data

Fuelled by a 35% rise in exports. Gold shipments up 60%.

Space for mid-June policy rate cut to 100-350 bp opens up.

Poland’s presidential election will go to a second-round run-off after centrist candidate Rafał Trzaskowski and conservative Karol Nawrocki finished in a close contest in the May 15 first round.

Cumulatively, the first four months of 2025 have seen approximately 14.45mn foreign arrivals, a 24.5% rise from the corresponding period in 2024.

The country's economy grew by 5% in 2024, outperforming expectations and marking a significant turnaround after a deep financial crisis triggered by a severe shortage of US dollars three years ago.

Features

The Embassy of Iraq in Washington announced the recovery of three rare artefacts from New York, marking another step in the country's efforts to protect its cultural heritage.

The Warsaw Stock Exchange’s (WSE) benchmark WIG index has gained 28.6% since the beginning of 2025, outperforming major global markets amid investor optimism over a potential peace settlement in Ukraine.

Looking ahead to the next 50 years, there is strong reason to believe that Vietnam will not just keep pace with Southeast Asia's leading economies – it may well outstrip most of them in influence and innovation.

Whichever way it goes, the result of the presidential election in Korea will play a crucial role in shaping both South Korea and the wider East Asia region’s geopolitical landscape for the foreseeable future.

Russia’s $50bn+ tourism industry has been one unexpected beneficiary of the war in Ukraine.

Blogs

iKorea's current political crisis is deeply troubling. The ongoing impeachment proceedings against the disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol, regardless of one’s political leanings, are not merely a domestic affair.

Voters face a stark choice between far-right AUR leader George Simion and independent Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan.

Even as Taiwan is described as potentially the most dangerous flashpoint in Asia, it is actually the fulcrum upon which the future of the Indo-Pacific — and by extension the global balance of power — may pivot.

I have just been watching the Victory Day parade on Red Square. A few observations.

The massacre of thirteen miners in Peru's Pataz exposes a state paralysed by its own laws, captured by criminal economies, and sustained by complicit politicians in the country's collapsing fight against illegal mining.

bneGREEN

Global warming results from man-made greenhouse gas emissions that have doubled the heating effect from incoming sunlight, which is now more than the heat radiated by earth into space in the last decade, according to a research paper.

A heat wave is sweeping across South Asia, with temperatures having reached 44°C in India’s Jaipur and 50°C in Pakistan’s Shaheed Benazirabad in April, Statista reports.

China expanding share of global EV market.

At least one military student has died and eight others were hospitalised after suffering heat stroke due to historically high temperatures in the region.

Pemex, Mexico’s state-owned oil company, is facing growing criticism for its significant role in hydrocarbon-related environmental damage and its apparent lack of sufficient response strategies.

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In this episode of the Emerging Global Podcast, Ruthie Blum, former advisor to the Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netan....

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