News

Serbia to submit final NIS proposal to MOL as talks near deadline

Tatyana Kekic in Belgrade May 15, 2026

MOL has been in exclusive talks to acquire a 56.15% stake in NIS from Russia’s Gazprom Neft and Gazprom, which are under pressure to divest following US sanctions imposed in 2025.

El Salvador's bitcoin reserve tops $600mn as IMF compliance questions persist

bnl editorial staff May 15, 2026

El Salvador's strategic bitcoin reserve has surpassed $600mn in value, government data showed on May 15, as the country continues periodic cryptocurrency purchases despite pledges made under an IMF loan agreement to limit such acquisitions.

Uganda set to issue first sovereign sukuk to partly finance $3.16bn Kampala-Malaba railway

bne IntelliNews May 15, 2026

Uganda is turning to Islamic finance, regional investors to revive a standard gauge railway (SGR) aimed at boosting East African trade integration.

ADNOC delivers update on landmark pipeline to Abu Dhabi crown prince

bnm Gulf bureau May 15, 2026

Abu Dhabi’s crown prince chaired an ADNOC meeting in which he was updated on the status of the company’s landmark West-East Pipeline Project.

Trump forced to eat humble pie in Beijing

Ben Aris in Beijing May 15, 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping called the US a “country in decline” during a face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump in Beijing, a claim the US president brushed off, saying the Chinese premier was talking about his predecessor.

Poland targets top-three European economic influence within decade, finance minister says

Wojciech Kosc in Warsaw May 15, 2026

Poland wants to become one of Europe’s three most influential and strongest economies within 10 years, Finance Minister Andrzej Domański said during the Impact ’26 congress in Poznań.

Hungary's Orban government sealed mega defence contract with 4iG ahead of election

bne IntelliNews May 15, 2026

New PM Peter Magyar says deal was signed secretly one month before the general election that ousted Viktor Orban's Fidesz.

Energy, Iran dominate final Trump-Xi Beijing summit

IntelliNews May 15, 2026

The emphasis on energy security and trade deficit reduction suggests a move towards a more transactional, stabilised partnership that prioritises domestic growth over ideological confrontation.

Czech ruling coalition passes parliamentary resolution against Sudetengerman summit in Brno

Albin Sybera in Prague May 15, 2026

Resolution tabled by far-right SPD has already strained ties with Czechia's largest trading partner Germany.

Romania risks losing €15bn in RRF funds amid reform delays

Iulian Ernst in Bucharest May 15, 2026

Only seven of Romania's 45 targets and milestones under the Recovery and Resilience Facility have been fulfilled; the remaining 38 must be completed by the end of August.

Rubio affirms Taiwan status quo following Trump-Xi talks

IntelliNews May 15, 2026

US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged following high level talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 14.

Iraq’s Al-Zaidi government gains parliamentary approval

bna Cairo bureau May 14, 2026

The Iraqi parliament voted to grant confidence to the government of Ali Falih Al-Zaidi, approving both its ministerial programme and 14 cabinet ministers during a parliamentary session attended by 270 lawmakers,

airBaltic quarterly losses widen to €70.1mn despite passenger growth

Linas Jegelevicius in Vilnius May 14, 2026

CEO Erno Hilden acknowledged airBaltic is operating under liquidity pressure, but stressed the airline is still meeting all financial obligations.

Systemic forced labour use in Turkmen cotton harvest has worsened, says report

bne IntelliNews May 14, 2026

Children among those forced into backbreaking labour. Filmed evidence for review gathered at "great risk".

Venezuela launches debt restructuring in bid to end decade of default

bnl editorial staff May 14, 2026

Venezuela's interim government has announced it will begin a formal restructuring of the country's external public debt, including obligations tied to state oil company PDVSA, in what could rank among the largest sovereign debt workouts in history.

IMF ready to assess Bolivia financing request as $3.3bn package talks confirmed

bnl editorial staff May 14, 2026

IMF says it stands ready to assess Bolivia's financing request as La Paz confirms talks on a $3.3bn package to address a dollar liquidity crunch and mounting debt obligations amid declining natural gas revenues.

Cuba runs out of fuel as protests push US aid offer back to the fore

Cynthia Michelle Aranguren Hernández May 14, 2026

Cuba declared it had exhausted every last drop of fuel on May 14 — no diesel, no fuel oil, no reserves — as blackouts of 22 hours plunged Havana into darkness and street protests thrust a pre-existing $100mn US aid offer back into the spotlight.

Brazil's Bolsonaro dynasty faces fresh scandal over film deal with disgraced banker

bnl Sao Paulo bureau May 14, 2026

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro solicited financial backing from a scandal-plagued banker for a film about his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to messages published by Intercept Brasil.

Latvian PM Silina resigns as coalition collapses amid political infighting

Linas Jegelevicius in Vilnius May 14, 2026

Resignation plunges Latvia into political uncertainty at a time of heightened regional security tensions and ahead of the parliamentary elections in October.

Iran defends seizure of US tankers as legal under international law

bnm Gulf bureau May 14, 2026

Iran's judiciary has defended the seizure of American oil tankers in Iranian waters as legitimate under domestic law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said on May 14.

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