News
Indian central bank moves forex swap scheme deadline forward
India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has moved forward the expiration of its foreign exchange swap incentive mechanism by 30 days to August 31, 2026.
Latvian PM says 'last chance' to save airBaltic, airline’s bond price tumbles 42%
Latvia's airBaltic faces a critical week as the loss-making national airline seeks creditor concessions, €225mn in bridge financing and fresh equity to avoid insolvency.
Bulgaria rushes to boost counter-drone defences
Urgent need to strengthen drone detection after an unmanned aircraft entered Bulgarian airspace near the Romanian border before exploding near the town of General Toshevo.
Poland says Russia hired an assassin to kill an American in Warsaw, as sabotage and covert operations raise their head again
Poland says it stopped a Russian-directed plot to murder a US citizen in Warsaw - the first time, its prime minister says, that Moscow has tried to kill an American inside another Nato country.
Jordan's king courts Beijing for investment as war strains economy, US ties fray
Jordan's King Abdullah II has arrived in China for his first visit since 2015, seeking Chinese investment as the Iran war strains the kingdom's economy
Iranian officials put $30,000 price tag on US soldiers
Two of Iran's hardline newspapers gave their front pages to an army commander's offer of cash rewards for killing or capturing American soldiers.
Ukraine starts burying power substations ahead of a fourth winter of strikes
Ukraine has begun putting parts of its electricity grid underground, betting that concrete and depth will do what air defence has not.
Russia charges an escort over the bin bomb that killed Ukraine's submarine defector
The officer who handed Ukraine's only submarine to Russia in 2014 has been blown up by a bomb hidden in a rubbish bin in Sevastopol.
Peter Thiel's Milei bromance pays off with $76mn Argentina shale stake
Peter Thiel has taken a $76mn stake in Argentina's top shale producer, Vista Energy, deepening his ties to President Javier Milei's government and betting oil-rich Vaca Muerta will help power the next wave of AI.
Armenia orders its banks to block payments that dodge Russia sanctions
Armenian banks must now identify and freeze payments designed to slip past Western sanctions on Russia, under central bank rules that took effect on August 12.
Putin asked to place Nestlé's Russian units under 'temporary management'
Russian firm KS Logistika has asked President Vladimir Putin to place five of Nestlé's Russian units under "temporary management."
Iran says no 60-day deadline in Islamabad understanding with US
Iran's foreign ministry says there is no 60-day deadline in its Islamabad understanding with the US and that it will not set policy under time pressure, distancing Tehran from the Western reading of a mid-June memorandum due to lapse on August 17.
Poland’s military build-up faces test of Ukraine’s drone-dominated warfare
Poland showcased its rapidly expanding armed forces on August 15, the Polish Army Day, parading tanks, artillery, missile launchers and combat aircraft through Warsaw in a display intended to deter Russia.
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Indian Navy officer receives gallantry award for daring Gulf of Aden rescue efforts
The MARCOS are Indian Navy’s elite operators and as such the equivalents of the US Navy Seals and the UK Special Boat Service.
Afghanistan FM Muttaqi urges US to reopen Kabul embassy
Five years after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has called on Washington to reopen its embassy in Kabul and deepen diplomatic and economic engagement with the country.
Kyrgyzstan’s Japarov to run for re-election, claims original plan was to stand aside for coup plot convict Tashiyev
Anyone who wants to contest presidency is free to do so, he adds.
Russia demands answers from US, Turkey over cluster bombs for Ukraine
Turkey wants to hand Ukraine a stockpile of American cluster bombs that has been sitting in its depots since the 1980s. Moscow has asked Washington and Ankara to explain themselves.
Indonesia issues tsunami warnings following magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Flores
Tsunami warnings have been issued across four provinces in central and southern Indonesia after a powerful magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Flores island early on August 15.
Blame game under way as massive blackout hits Central Asia
Kazakh utility points finger at hydropower failure in Kyrgyzstan. Claims made by Kyrgyz officials about Kazakh power line disruption denied by Kazakhstan.
The Black Sea war sends world wheat prices up
The US Department of Agriculture has cut its forecasts for Russian and Ukrainian grain exports because of the Black Sea shipping war. The prices of every rival exporter have gone up.