Features
Magyar promises austerity to get into Eurozone by 2030
For sixteen years, the question of Hungary joining the euro was not really a question at all. Viktor Orban's government was antagonistic towards Brussels, his party had deep eurosceptic roots, but now Hungary will join the eurozone by 2030.
INTERVIEW: Kazakhstan bets on reliability, digitisation to capture shifting global supply chains
Deputy Trade Minister Aset Nusupov says changing global trade patterns are opening new opportunities for Kazakhstan thanks to its position on the Middle Corridor.
Middle East war shakes tourism in the Western Balkans
From canceled travel arrangements to a decline in bookings, events in the Middle East are impacting the Western Balkan tourism sector, industry representatives tell IntelliNews.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: In 2017, Mark Rutte was a “Nazi remnant” in Ankara’s eyes. This week, the Nato chief is doing Turkish defence PR
Anyone studying the calculated outrage of politicians should take a look at this glaring example.
India cannot compete with Russia in defence export markets
India has traditionally been a major defence export market for Russia, and while being mostly a vendor - customer relationship between 1960 and 2000, it has now started to evolve in the 'beyond-visual range' era of multi-domain warfare.
Russia's economy is cracking — but so is everyone else's
Every week brings a new slew of articles predicting that Russia's deteriorating economy will force Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table as the economy slips into recession. But its not just Russia. All the main countries are in the same boat.
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How America bought Peru's air force over its president's head
Peru's military signed a $2bn F-16 deal just as the country's president was on the radio saying it did not exist.
Gulf oil output could recover within months of Hormuz reopening, Goldman Sachs says
Gulf crude oil production could recover to close to pre-war levels within a few months of the Strait of Hormuz safely reopening, according to Goldman Sachs.
Saudi Arabia moves to reclaim Lebanon from Iran's shadow — but the ceasefire it helped build is already fraying
Saudi Arabia has launched its most intensive diplomatic engagement with Lebanon in years, deploying a royal envoy to Beirut, coordinating with Washington on ceasefire terms and invoking a 35-year-old Saudi-brokered accord as the political framework.
Asia-Pacific defence spending hits post-2009 high as China-Taiwan tensions drive regional build-up
Military expenditure the Asia-Pacific region increased sharply in the last year, reaching a total of $681bn - an increase of 8.1% year on year and the largest annual expansion in military spending since 2009
Paper trail tightens around another Duterte in the Philippines
The investigation has moved into what is being called the "forensic truth" phase. This follows a year of legal stalemate where a previous impeachment attempt was blocked by a Supreme Court ruling on the "one-year bar" rule.
India’s nuclear triad operational, still lags far behind China
By contrast, China operates over 60 submarines, including at least 12 nuclear-powered vessels and by 2035 half of Beijing’s projected fleet of around 80 attack submarines could be nuclear-powered.
Putin's ratings hit post-war low as internet crackdown becomes lightning rod for discontent
Vladimir Putin's approval rating has fallen for a seventh consecutive week to its lowest level since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to data from VTsIOM,
COMMENT: Iran was the prequel, China is the target
A growing chorus of analysts from Moscow, Beijing and Washington think tanks argues that the US campaign against Iran was really aimed at China's oil supply chain, making Tehran the prequel to a longer confrontation
Hungary's plans to join the euro but it won't be easy
For sixteen years, the question of Hungary joining the euro was not really a question at all. Viktor Orban's government was antagonistic towards Brussels, his party had deep eurosceptic roots, but the new government is committed to adopting the euro.
Pakistan playing both sides in US-Iran negotiation is a high-risk balancing act
Pakistan is not undertaking the facilitation of negotiations purely as an act of international statecraft, but rather as a nation with a vested interest in avoiding more of the economic fallout from the continuation of hostilities in the Gulf.
Israel's buffer zone in Lebanon won't stop Hezbollah's fibre optic drones
Israel’s security buffer zone in southern Lebanon is supposed to be a shield against Hezbollah attacks that have battered its northern communities for months. But even if the IDF occupies the entire territory it won’t be protect it form drones.
Slovenia’s political vacuum fuels debate over sweeping economic reform bill
The absence of a new government post-election has not prevented a fierce debate over a far-reaching draft development law that could reshape the country’s tax and social systems.
Trump’s Iran gambit leaves APAC region ‘Quad’ dead in the water
The European Union has already, for all intents and purposes broken away from the US. It is only a matter of time before the Quad either ceases to function or decides to go its own way, without the US.
Israel's Lebanon offensive threatens to unravel US-brokered gas deal and block Beirut's energy future
Israel's military occupation of southern Lebanon is threatening to upend a landmark 2022 US-brokered maritime border agreement and derail Lebanon's best remaining hope of tapping its offshore gas wealth.