Latest Updates

Nigeria's Ondo State announces $50bn investment framework for proposed 500,000bpd refinery, free trade zone

Ondo State signed a $50bn investment agreement with a consortium of international firms, including China Harbour Engineering Company and Honeywell OUP, to build a 500,000-bpd refinery and develop a 1,471-hectare free trade zone.

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Will Trump’s Central Asia summit in Washington help break the Chinese chokehold on rare earths?

“Rare earths”. As Donald Trump on November 6 hosts Central Asia’s five presidents in Washington, DC, observers can forgive themselves if they quickly lose count of the number of times these buzzwords are uttered.

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Ukraine gets a B grade from EU: good, but more work needed

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected a two-tier solution proposed by Brussels to accelerate Ukraine’s EU accession bid, after the European Commission (EC) released a progress report on November 4.

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Indonesia faces fiscal dilemma over $7.27bn high-speed rail debt

The operator, PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia - China, now faces mounting pressure to service both principal and interest payments.

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New members expected to join EU by 2030 as enlargement momentum builds 

Top European Commission officials say admitting new member states to the European Union by 2030 is now a “realistic goal”.

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Russia floats missile supplies to Maduro as US pressure mounts

A prominent Russian lawmaker has suggested that Moscow could supply Venezuela with advanced weapons systems, including the new Oreshnik ballistic missile, as Caracas desperately seeks military assistance amid the escalating US military build-up.

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Guinea’s Doumbouya enters presidential race with major opposition parties excluded

Guinea’s junta leader Mamadi Doumbouya has entered the December 28 presidential race under a new constitution that allows members of the transition government to stand and extends presidential terms.

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TEHRAN BLOG: 200 days without rain

Tehran's water crisis is about decades of chaotic urban expansion, unregulated groundwater extraction, and infrastructure so decrepit that hundreds of millions of cubic metres vanish before reaching a single tap.

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Brazil unveils $125bn tropical forest fund ahead of COP30 summit

Lebanon faces year-end deadline for $250mn World Bank reconstruction loan

Telefónica pulls out of its last Spanish-speaking markets in Latin America

Brazil unveils $125bn tropical forest fund ahead of COP30 summit

Brazil will launch a new financing mechanism to reward countries for preserving tropical forests, seeking $125bn in public and private investment, the finance ministry said ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Belém.

Lebanon faces year-end deadline for $250mn World Bank reconstruction loan

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber warns delays raise concerns funding could be cancelled if the loan is not approved by December 31.

Telefónica pulls out of its last Spanish-speaking markets in Latin America

Telefónica SA has entered a decisive phase of restructuring, marking a retreat from Latin America’s Spanish-speaking markets as it consolidates operations in Europe and Brazil.

News

Nato chief downplays US troop withdrawal, reaffirms commitment to Romania

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte sought to ease concerns over the recent withdrawal of a US infantry brigade from Romania.

First Russian wheat train reaches Armenia via Azerbaijan as Baku-Tbilisi route reopens after decades

Azerbaijan has lifted all post-war restrictions on freight transit to Armenia.

Serbia braces for clashes as Kosovo Serbs join protests in Belgrade

Serbs from Kosovo have arrived in Belgrade after a week-long march, joining pro-government demonstrators calling for an end to over a year of student-led blockades and anti-government protests.

Croatia sees defence industry as key driver of economic growth

Defence Minister Ivan Anušić says global demand for defence equipment has surged since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, creating new openings for Croatia’s high-tech manufacturers.

Pokrovsk update: Russia controls half the city in a chaotic battle

The battle for Pokrovsk is raging and the Armed Forces of Russia (AFR) have captured half the city, but the situation is very confused. Reports from the city say there is no frontline as the Russians are using a “Brownian motion” tactic.

Nato chief downplays US troop withdrawal, reaffirms commitment to Romania

8 hours ago

First Russian wheat train reaches Armenia via Azerbaijan as Baku-Tbilisi route reopens after decades

9 hours ago

Serbia braces for clashes as Kosovo Serbs join protests in Belgrade

18 hours ago

Croatia sees defence industry as key driver of economic growth

20 hours ago

Pokrovsk update: Russia controls half the city in a chaotic battle

1 day ago

More News

Tech

Defence conglomerate Czechoslovak Group acquires Serbian drone tech company MUST Solutions

CSG has been on a shopping spree propelled by its boosted sales following the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as well as armed conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.

Japan’s Nintendo predicts sales of 19mn Switch 2 units to March

The Switch 2 marks Nintendo’s most expensive hardware platform to date and represents the company’s principal long-term base for its extensive roster of first-party franchises.

Kyrgyzstan’s president addresses son’s involvement in creating digital bank with Binance founder ‘CZ’

Crypto kingpin Changpeng Zhao, two weeks ago pardoned by Donald Trump over money laundering, is adviser to country’s leader Japarov.

Russia blocking messaging apps again, sets up copycat Telegram app

Russia’s internet watchdog Roskomnadzor has been blamed for another round of internet outages in Russia, as the state sets up a Telegram messaging app clone as the Kremlin continues to take increasing control of RuNet.

Albania’s AI minister ‘pregnant’ with 83 children, PM says

AI “minister” Diella will give birth to dozens of digital parliamentary assistants for ruling party MPs.

Defence conglomerate Czechoslovak Group acquires Serbian drone tech company MUST Solutions

1 day ago

Japan’s Nintendo predicts sales of 19mn Switch 2 units to March

2 days ago

Kyrgyzstan’s president addresses son’s involvement in creating digital bank with Binance founder ‘CZ’

3 days ago

Russia blocking messaging apps again, sets up copycat Telegram app

9 days ago

Albania’s AI minister ‘pregnant’ with 83 children, PM says

9 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: In Zurich, Turkey’s opposition chief was almost falling over himself to declare that power is nearly upon the CHP

It’s an interesting thought that sounds a bit too good to be true.

COMMENT: Czechia economy powering ahead, Hungary’s economy stalls

Early third-quarter GDP figures from Central Europe point to a growing divergence between the region’s two largest economies outside Poland, with Czechia accelerating its recovery while Hungary continues to struggle.

COMMENT: EU's LNG import ban won’t break Russia, but it will render the sector’s further growth fiendishly hard

The European Union’s nineteenth sanctions package against Russia marks a pivotal escalation in the bloc’s energy strategy, which will impose a comprehensive ban on Russian LNG imports beginning January 1, 2027.

Western Balkan countries become emerging players in Europe’s defence efforts

The Western Balkans could play an increasingly important role in strengthening Europe’s security architecture, says a new report from the Carnegie Europe think-tank.

COMMENT: Sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil are symbolic and won’t stop its oil exports

The Trump administration’s sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, announced on October 22, may appear decisive at first glance, but they are not going to make a material difference to Russia’s export of oil, says Sergey Vakulenko.

BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: In Zurich, Turkey’s opposition chief was almost falling over himself to declare that power is nearly upon the CHP

1 day ago

COMMENT: Czechia economy powering ahead, Hungary’s economy stalls

7 days ago

COMMENT: EU's LNG import ban won’t break Russia, but it will render the sector’s further growth fiendishly hard

8 days ago

Western Balkan countries become emerging players in Europe’s defence efforts

8 days ago

COMMENT: Sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil are symbolic and won’t stop its oil exports

8 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Kazakhstan’s services sector enters negative zone for first time in 10 months, October PMI shows

Business confidence remains historically subdued.

Romania’s manufacturing PMI drops to 47.6 in October as output and orders weaken

Decline driven by falling output and weaker new orders erases gains made over the past six months.

Russia automotive output slumps to levels of first months of Ukraine war as demand slumps

Russia’s automotive industry — once a symbol of the country’s industrial ambitions — has entered another sharp downturn, reversing the fragile recovery seen in 2023 and early 2024.

Emerging Asia overtakes the UK per-capita benchmark

For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, the major emerging economies including China, India and Indonesia have seen GDP as a percentage of the UK’s GDP increase as the leading BRICS countries start to overtake the Developed Markets.

October PMI shows Kazakhstan’s manufacturing declined for fifth consecutive month

Renewed fall in new orders. Some firms point to difficulties receiving goods via stringent Russian customs checks.

Kazakhstan’s services sector enters negative zone for first time in 10 months, October PMI shows

7 hours ago

Romania’s manufacturing PMI drops to 47.6 in October as output and orders weaken

1 day ago

Russia automotive output slumps to levels of first months of Ukraine war as demand slumps

2 days ago

Emerging Asia overtakes the UK per-capita benchmark

2 days ago

October PMI shows Kazakhstan’s manufacturing declined for fifth consecutive month

2 days ago

More Data

Features

INTERVIEW: Population growth makes Central Asia a “hot” region for investors, says Roca executive

Global bathroom products manufacturer Roca Group plans to invest €70mn in an industrial complex in Kyzylorda, as it eyes growing demand across Central Asia.

Kazakhstan defies global FDI downturn as investors target new sectors

Renewables, agribusiness, data centres and advanced manufacturing among new magnets for investment sitting alongside oil, gas and mining.

Is Venezuela's resource wealth Trump's real target?

As US military forces mass in the Caribbean, Venezuela's oil and mineral wealth emerges as a potential prize in a looming confrontation that will likely result in the ousting of President Nicolas Maduro.

The US now sees China as an equal - it is time for Western media to wake up and do the same

China was long filed under “too foreign, too dangerous, too different” in many Western newsrooms. Not anymore. Beijing is now impossible to ignore as American leaders have realised. Western media outlets need to wake up to this reality too.

COMMENT: China’s latest economic conquest – Central Asia

For the five Central Asian republics - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - China has in recent years emerged not only as a dominant trading partner, but increasingly as the only partner nearby that can actually deliver.

INTERVIEW: Population growth makes Central Asia a “hot” region for investors, says Roca executive

1 day ago

Kazakhstan defies global FDI downturn as investors target new sectors

2 days ago

Is Venezuela's resource wealth Trump's real target?

2 days ago

The US now sees China as an equal - it is time for Western media to wake up and do the same

3 days ago

COMMENT: China’s latest economic conquest – Central Asia

3 days ago

More Features

Blogs

MOSCOW BLOG: Western coverage of the Ukraine war turns negative

After more than three years of throwing their support behind Kyiv’s defence of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion and pushing a narrative of “stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the Western press has turned starkly negative in recent weeks.

LATAM BLOG: Argentina’s Milei wins big but must prove he can build consensus

Javier Milei's decisive midterm victory gives him a clear mandate for radical reform, but the Argentine president still lacks a parliamentary majority. He now has to build consensus with centrists while navigating a tricky peso devaluation.

MOSCOW BLOG: Lukoil to sell foreign assets due to US oil sanctions

Russian oil major Lukoil said it would sell its foreign assets in a press release yesterday after it was hit with US oil sanctions.

MOSCOW BLOG: Dmitriev goes to Washington

That didn’t work well. Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on Ukraine who has been leading business talks with the US, shot off to Washington within two days of US President Donald Trump imposing oil sanctions.

LATAM BLOG: Will Argentines give austerity more time to work?

Argentines vote on October 26 in legislative elections that will determine whether libertarian President Milei can sustain his radical economic overhaul or face paralysis in Congress.

MOSCOW BLOG: Western coverage of the Ukraine war turns negative

2 days ago

LATAM BLOG: Argentina’s Milei wins big but must prove he can build consensus

7 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: Lukoil to sell foreign assets due to US oil sanctions

9 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: Dmitriev goes to Washington

10 days ago

LATAM BLOG: Will Argentines give austerity more time to work?

13 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

EU ministers agree on weaker 2040 EU climate goal with CEE opposed

Poland and three other Central European EU member states voted against a new bloc-wide climate target.

Riga Airport becomes the first climate-neutral airport in the Baltics

The airport has implemented a range of initiatives to improve energy efficiency, adopt renewable energy sources and promote sustainable transport across its operations.

Scores dead, helicopter crashes as typhoon Kalmaegi hits Philippines

Typhoon Kalmaegi, one of the strongest storms to hit the Philippines this year, has claimed at least 46 lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

The Arctic and Antarctica record "off the charts" heat as polar warming accelerates

Parts of both the Arctic and Antarctic have experienced historically high temperatures in recent weeks, with weather stations in East Antarctica recording record-breaking warmth for the month of October, alarming climate scientists.

Giant glacier chunk breaks away in Tajikistan, mountain villages put on alert

Situation serves as reminder that climate crisis threatens to wreak havoc in Central Asian country.

EU ministers agree on weaker 2040 EU climate goal with CEE opposed

17 hours ago

Riga Airport becomes the first climate-neutral airport in the Baltics

18 hours ago

Scores dead, helicopter crashes as typhoon Kalmaegi hits Philippines

1 day ago

The Arctic and Antarctica record "off the charts" heat as polar warming accelerates

8 days ago

Giant glacier chunk breaks away in Tajikistan, mountain villages put on alert

8 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte sought to ease concerns over the recent withdrawal of a US infantry brigade from Romania.

Azerbaijan has lifted all post-war restrictions on freight transit to Armenia.

Serbs from Kosovo have arrived in Belgrade after a week-long march, joining pro-government demonstrators calling for an end to over a year of student-led blockades and anti-government protests.

Defence Minister Ivan Anušić says global demand for defence equipment has surged since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, creating new openings for Croatia’s high-tech manufacturers.

The battle for Pokrovsk is raging and the Armed Forces of Russia (AFR) have captured half the city, but the situation is very confused. Reports from the city say there is no frontline as the Russians are using a “Brownian motion” tactic.

Tech

CSG has been on a shopping spree propelled by its boosted sales following the Russian full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as well as armed conflicts in the Middle East and Africa.

The Switch 2 marks Nintendo’s most expensive hardware platform to date and represents the company’s principal long-term base for its extensive roster of first-party franchises.

Crypto kingpin Changpeng Zhao, two weeks ago pardoned by Donald Trump over money laundering, is adviser to country’s leader Japarov.

Russia’s internet watchdog Roskomnadzor has been blamed for another round of internet outages in Russia, as the state sets up a Telegram messaging app clone as the Kremlin continues to take increasing control of RuNet.

AI “minister” Diella will give birth to dozens of digital parliamentary assistants for ruling party MPs.

Opinion

It’s an interesting thought that sounds a bit too good to be true.

Early third-quarter GDP figures from Central Europe point to a growing divergence between the region’s two largest economies outside Poland, with Czechia accelerating its recovery while Hungary continues to struggle.

The European Union’s nineteenth sanctions package against Russia marks a pivotal escalation in the bloc’s energy strategy, which will impose a comprehensive ban on Russian LNG imports beginning January 1, 2027.

The Western Balkans could play an increasingly important role in strengthening Europe’s security architecture, says a new report from the Carnegie Europe think-tank.

The Trump administration’s sanctions on Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil, announced on October 22, may appear decisive at first glance, but they are not going to make a material difference to Russia’s export of oil, says Sergey Vakulenko.

Data

Business confidence remains historically subdued.

Decline driven by falling output and weaker new orders erases gains made over the past six months.

Russia’s automotive industry — once a symbol of the country’s industrial ambitions — has entered another sharp downturn, reversing the fragile recovery seen in 2023 and early 2024.

For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, the major emerging economies including China, India and Indonesia have seen GDP as a percentage of the UK’s GDP increase as the leading BRICS countries start to overtake the Developed Markets.

Renewed fall in new orders. Some firms point to difficulties receiving goods via stringent Russian customs checks.

Features

Global bathroom products manufacturer Roca Group plans to invest €70mn in an industrial complex in Kyzylorda, as it eyes growing demand across Central Asia.

Renewables, agribusiness, data centres and advanced manufacturing among new magnets for investment sitting alongside oil, gas and mining.

As US military forces mass in the Caribbean, Venezuela's oil and mineral wealth emerges as a potential prize in a looming confrontation that will likely result in the ousting of President Nicolas Maduro.

China was long filed under “too foreign, too dangerous, too different” in many Western newsrooms. Not anymore. Beijing is now impossible to ignore as American leaders have realised. Western media outlets need to wake up to this reality too.

For the five Central Asian republics - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - China has in recent years emerged not only as a dominant trading partner, but increasingly as the only partner nearby that can actually deliver.

Blogs

After more than three years of throwing their support behind Kyiv’s defence of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion and pushing a narrative of “stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” the Western press has turned starkly negative in recent weeks.

Javier Milei's decisive midterm victory gives him a clear mandate for radical reform, but the Argentine president still lacks a parliamentary majority. He now has to build consensus with centrists while navigating a tricky peso devaluation.

Russian oil major Lukoil said it would sell its foreign assets in a press release yesterday after it was hit with US oil sanctions.

That didn’t work well. Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on Ukraine who has been leading business talks with the US, shot off to Washington within two days of US President Donald Trump imposing oil sanctions.

Argentines vote on October 26 in legislative elections that will determine whether libertarian President Milei can sustain his radical economic overhaul or face paralysis in Congress.

bneGREEN

Poland and three other Central European EU member states voted against a new bloc-wide climate target.

The airport has implemented a range of initiatives to improve energy efficiency, adopt renewable energy sources and promote sustainable transport across its operations.

Typhoon Kalmaegi, one of the strongest storms to hit the Philippines this year, has claimed at least 46 lives and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.

Parts of both the Arctic and Antarctic have experienced historically high temperatures in recent weeks, with weather stations in East Antarctica recording record-breaking warmth for the month of October, alarming climate scientists.

Situation serves as reminder that climate crisis threatens to wreak havoc in Central Asian country.

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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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