Features
Battle of Russia’s supermarket titans continues as Magnit closes the gap with rival X5 after acquisition of high-end retailer Azbuka Vkusa
The battle for market share between Russia’s two leading supermarket chains Magnit and the X5 Group saw a strategic shift after Magnit acquired control of high-end supermarket chain Azbuka Vkusa (The ABC of Taste).
Saudi Arabia deploys AI to streamline Hajj
Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry is using artificial intelligence applications within an integrated work system to serve pilgrims and complete their procedures.
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After Pahalgam attack, war clouds hover over the Indian subcontinent
Though no formal announcement or declaration of war has followed, the gravity of the situation is unmistakable. The backdrop is a brazen terror assault in India’s Pahalgam region of its Jammu and Kashmir state that killed 25 Indians and 1 Nepali.
Record gold prices to hit sales volume of Indian jewellery retailers
Gold prices in India have been on a steady uptrend for months, recently touching record highs driven by the US-China trade tensions, a weakening US dollar and rising investor appetite for safe-haven assets.
Trump policies won’t harm Emerging Europe badly – and will actively benefit Russia
Latest wiiw forecasts show little direct impact on Central and Southeast Europe from Trump trade wars.
UKRAINE REMONT: Store openings surge as supermarkets adapt to war
Ukraine's grocery retail sector continued to grow throughout 2024, with major chains increasing their store numbers across the country.
A month on from M7.7 quake, Myanmar’s recovery stalls as extent of losses still not known
The March 28 earthquake was measured at magnitude 7.7, and struck along the Sagaing Fault, a major north-south fault line where the India and Eurasia tectonic plates grind against each other.
Will quiet Sino-Russian stranglehold damn West’s moves to source more uranium from Kazakhstan?
Brief halt at Kazakh-Canadian producer sparks investor concern and suspicion over Moscow factor.
COMMENT: Business and Government in a new partnership for Uzbekistan’s future
Just a decade ago, the idea of building a modern ski resort in Uzbekistan felt like wishful thinking. Its snow-capped mountains were admired for their beauty, but few imagined they could attract international tourists, athletes or investors.
UKRAINE REMONT: Cement sector ready for reconstruction
Ukraine’s cement producers are confident they will be able to produce enough of the material to fully cover domestic demand during reconstruction.
India and Pakistan face-off following killing of 26 tourists as water politics comes into play
After the killing of 26 tourists, tensions are boiling over between India and Pakistan. The perpetrators of the attack, The Resistance Front, is widely believed to have ties to the Pakistani state and military.
Nusantara: Indonesia’s grand ambition to reshape its future
While the announcement came in 2019, formal actions commenced in 2021. A special committee was formed to deliberate, including a study trip to Kazakhstan - another country that had relocated its capital.
Montenegro mega beach deal reignites debate over UAE investments in Western Balkans
A plan to develop Montenegro’s Velika Plaza beach has become the latest battleground in a growing backlash against UAE-backed real estate deals across the Western Balkans.
INTERVIEW: Georgian opposition leader Giorgi Vashadze
Vashadze regards the incumbent Georgian Dream government as a “double-faced” Kremlin agent: ostensibly committed to Western integration, but in reality deliberately sabotaging Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic future in favour of closer ties with Russia.
Russia's expanding pull in Africa is pushing Western influence out
Moscow’s expanding presence in Africa has largely unfolded in silence, but the shift it represents is profound. Like in the game of Risk, Africa’s sheer size and its treasure trove of untapped raw materials is becoming increasingly important.
China exports Xi Jinping Thought to Mongolia
Centuries of deep-rooted mistrust of Chinese mean many Mongolians will see release of translated key works as nothing more than propaganda.
China doubles down on Cambodia ties amid global trade tensions
Amid economic uncertainty, the world is redirecting investments toward Southeast Asia as countries increasingly recognise the strength of regional cooperation.
How Europe has weaned itself off Russian gas in the last three years
In 2021, Eastern European countries imported almost half of their gas from Russia. Only two countries in the region – Albania and Kosovo – were wholly independent of Russian gas.
Is Oman the 'Switzerland of the Middle East'?
Oman stands apart in the Middle East for its consistent adherence to neutrality, a quality that has led observers to frequently describe the sultanate as the "Switzerland of the Middle East."
URUS-ClearPic: The Big Four of US, China, Russia and Europe vie for investment in Central Asia
Historically, it is the ultimate crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia – and the central component for most of the Silk Road. Now the Central Asian countries find themselves caught between the Big Four.