Iran confirms arrest of French cyclist

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has confirmed the arrest of a young French man who disappeared whilst cycling through the country.

Russia proposes removing enriched uranium from Iran

Russia has proposed removing enriched uranium from Iran and communicated the offer to Iranian authorities, the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Red Sea shipping insurance doubles after deadly Houthi attacks

Insurance costs for Red Sea shipping have more than doubled following Yemen's Houthis' deadly attacks that sank two vessels and killed at least four seafarers, breaking months of relative calm in the crucial waterway.

Transnistria seeks €122mn loan as economic crisis worsens

Economic downturn follows Russia’s decision to halt its long-standing practice of supplying free natural gas to the Moldovan separatist republic.

South Korea’s former president Yoon re-arrested as martial law investigation widens

Yoon was detained at 2:07 am after a court ruled there was sufficient suspicion regarding the accusations and a potential risk of tampering with evidence. His detention followed a nearly seven-hour hearing at the Seoul Central District Court.

Revolut freezes crypto accounts in Hungary amid legal crackdown

Move follows Hungarian government's criminalisation of unauthorised crypto transactions under a sweeping legislative package

Rio unveils $65bn AI hub as Brazil courts global data centre investment

Brazil is vying to capture a substantial share of the global data centre market, as Rio de Janeiro launches an ambitious $65bn artificial intelligence hub and the federal government prepares significant tax relief measures for the sector.

AI surge sparks semiconductor facility expansion in South Korea

South Korea’s semiconductor industry is experiencing a significant investment surge, driven by the explosive demand for artificial intelligence chips and bolstered by strong government support.

Brazil opens door to Chinese AI investment while avoiding Belt and Road

Brazil and China have unveiled plans for a joint artificial intelligence research facility targeting agricultural development, in a significant expansion of technological cooperation between the two emerging powers.

China overtakes US to become world’s R&D research leader on the back Trump’s academic research cuts

China’s lead over the United States in global scientific output has leapt, as new data shows that the gap between the two powers has more than quadrupled in the space of a year, according to Nature’s 2025 index of research papers leaders.

COMMENT: Trump at his most pro-Ukraine yet, but still no sanctions action

US President Donald Trump made his most pro-Ukraine, anti-Russia comments on his presidency to date this week, but he has yet to impose any new sanctions on Russia whatsoever, or follow through on his promises to restart weapons deliveries to Kyiv.

COMMENT: How close to a crisis is Russia's banking sector?

The Russian banking sector, once buoyed by record profits and wartime stimulus, is now showing growing signs of financial strain, leading some to ask if a crisis is looming?

ING: National Bank of Poland press conference, hawkish start to dovish end

President of the National Bank of Poland says latest rate cut is an adjustment, not the beginning of a cycle of cuts.

COMMENT: Iran's new rail link to China played a role in provoking the 12-day war

Iran launched its first-ever direct railway connection to China in May, its first rail link to Asia that does not rely on transshipment through seaports or Russia, significantly improving its national security by avoiding the seaborne exports.

BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Turkey’s tourism minister holidays in Greece

Hold the indignation. Let the poor man explain.

Czech inflation confirmed at 2.9% y/y in June

Consumer price growth (inflation) in Czechia reached its highest level this year after the country’s statisticians confirmed inflation increased by 2.9% year on year, and by 0.3% month on month.

Slovak industry deepens its decline to 4% y/y in May

Romania’s revised Q1 GDP shows slower consumption growth

Data confirms Romania’s GDP continued its five-quarter quasi-stagnation in Q1.

Kosovo’s annual inflation speeds up to 4.3% in June

Steepest annual price rises for categories including food products, transport and package holidays.

Utility tariffs expectedly spike Russian weekly inflation

Russian consumer prices jumped to 0.79% growth week-on-week in the week ending July 7, up from 0.07% seen in the previous week.

The decline of Persian carpet exports reflects the wider Iranian economy

Export figures reveal a catastrophic contraction from $427.4mn in 2011 to a mere $41.7mn in 2024, representing an 90% reduction in carpet sales.

Ever in India’s shadow, Bangladesh needs to define its own energy path

As a country Bangladesh is at an energy crossroads. Following decades of natural‑gas dominance, its energy planners are charting a course towards a diversified power policy with the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant the jewel in the crown.

ESG trends gaining ground across Southeast Asia – by way of ESD stocks

Across the archipelagos and peninsulas of the wider ASEAN region, ESG is no longer confined to idealistic investor presentations. It is beginning to shape investment flows, boardroom decisions and national policy frameworks.

COMMENT: Iraq's fiscal crisis exposes the perils of petro-state profligacy

Iraq's budget deficit will more than double from 4.2% of GDP this year to 9.2% by 2026, according to the International Monetary Fund.

South Asia looks southeast as trade ties strengthen to counterbalance China

This tilt has been most pronounced in India’s expanding economic outreach to Southeast Asia under its "Act East" policy, which has evolved from a diplomatic slogan to a trade and connectivity strategy.

ASIA BLOG: Vietnam – a rising star among Asia’s emerging markets

The transformation of Vietnam over the past three decades has been nothing short of remarkable – from a primarily agrarian economy to one driven by manufacturing, services and exports.

BALKAN BLOG: Can Croatia become a European energy and transport hub?

Croatia has ambitions to become a gateway for energy and trade in Europe, but questions remain about how far this can be achieved in a competitive field.

KYIV BLOG: A night under attack

Katia, a 28-year old text editor, had spent Thursday afternoon on the beach by what locals call the Kyiv sea, but which is in fact a huge reservoir formed by the damming of the Dnipro river north of the city.

KYIV BLOG: Never enough arms and ammo for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been calling for western arms from day-one of the war and has never received enough soon enough.

ASIA BLOG: Southeast Asia should pivot away from Trump’s America and steer in the direction of Europe

Trump's confrontational approach to China, while superficially aligned with concerns within ASEAN, is neither strategic nor consultative. It is built more on spectacle than substance, more on division than dialogue.

Syria battles major wildfires as UN allocates $625,000 for emergency response

Syrian firefighting crews extinguished two major forest fires in Hama countryside whilst continuing to battle devastating wildfires in Latakia province for the ninth consecutive day.

India’s smart metering push gains momentum

India’s ambitious smart metering programme is gathering pace as state-owned distribution companies (DISCOMs) and private partners ramp up deployments across the country.

Kiribati must slash spending to fund climate defences, IMF warns

Kiribati faces mounting pressure to implement drastic fiscal cuts to fund desperately needed climate adaptation measures.

Scientists find ocean and atmosphere equally responsible for Atlantic cold blob

A patch of the Atlantic Ocean just south of Greenland is cooling while much of the world warms, and scientists have found that both ocean and atmospheric factors contribute equally to this "cold blob" phenomenon.

Renewable energy surge puts Latin America on track for climate leadership

Latin America stands at a critical juncture in its energy evolution, with its largest economies showing both remarkable progress in renewable adoption and persistent challenges in weaning themselves off fossil fuels.