Latest Updates

Has the Third World War started – in Asia?

As history has demonstrated many times to date, the ‘start’ of a world war is less a moment than a process, and Asia today is beginning to look uncomfortably similar to Europe of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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BALKAN BLOG: Wave of Trump-linked Balkan investments sparks transparency concerns

Mega deals announced by Trump-linked companies brings up concerns over corruption and environmental impact similar to those raised over Chinese and Middle Eastern investments in the past.

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Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent

“We’ve seen record heatwaves from the Mediterranean to the Arctic, while glaciers have been shrinking and snow cover melting. The evidence is unequivocal: climate change is not a future threat. It is our present reality,” the EC said

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Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite venture seeks Kenyan licence to take on Starlink

SpaceX’s Starlink has already established a foothold in Kenya and dominates the country’s high-speed connectivity segment.

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Asian trade jitters spark fresh Malacca Strait monetisation push

The collapse of maritime stability in the Middle East has cast a long, overdue shadow over the busiest maritime chokepoint in Asia: the Strait of Malacca.

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Iran's oil sector fails to "explode" as Trump's shut-in deadline passes

The US blockade of tankers serving Iran’s oil exports is intended to cut Iranian oil exports to near-zero and force its production to stop as storage tanks fill, forcing Tehran to return to the negotiation table. The plan hasn't worked.

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Colombia climate conference closes with push to end oil, gas and coal

War and climate crisis collide in Colombia, where over 50 nations are mapping a path away from oil, gas and coal — outside the UN process that has repeatedly failed to act.

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Europe bought more Russian LNG in March than at any point in history, the same week it banned imports

Despite threatening to end Russian LNG imports completely next year, prompting the Kremlin to threaten to cut off gas exports to Europe before then, the EU just imported the most LNG in history as it slides into an expanding gas crisis.

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Trump sons reportedly take stake in Kazakh miner boasting $1.6bn in US government support

Why global population collapse will keep the wars coming

Allegations of wartime profiteering surface in Ukraine as anti-corruption probe widens

Trump sons reportedly take stake in Kazakh miner boasting $1.6bn in US government support

Tungsten deal was a highlight of last November’s White House summit with Central Asia’s leaders.

Why global population collapse will keep the wars coming

Demographers warned for decades that ageing, declining states grow more dangerous, not less. The wars now spreading from Eastern Europe to the Gulf to East Asia look increasingly like the opening engagements of a long contest over who outlasts whom.

Allegations of wartime profiteering surface in Ukraine as anti-corruption probe widens

Newly published materials linked to an investigation by Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities have triggered a wave of allegations and political controversy.

News

Iran oil minister says US blockade 'failing' to curb oil exports

Iranian officials said a naval blockade had failed to choke off the country’s oil exports and that Tehran had enough storage capacity to see it through for another 30 days, pushing back against reports that Washington plans to widen pressure.

Trump tells Netanyahu that Israel must limit strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon

US President Donald Trump revealed that he instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to limit military operations in Lebanon to surgical strikes against Hezbollah.

Hungary close to political deal with European Commission on unlocking EU funds, Magyar says

Incoming PM Peter Magyar said he held "highly constructive talks" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Bursa Malaysia slides as UAE’s OPEC+ exit rattles energy markets

Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session in the red on April 30 as investor sentiment soured following news that the United Arab Emirates will officially exit the OPEC+ alliance on May 1.

Russia would not accept military presence of outside powers in Central Asia, says defence minister

Andrei Belousov tells SCO meeting Moscow is “closely monitoring” moves made by “non-regional states”.

Iran oil minister says US blockade 'failing' to curb oil exports

22 hours ago

Trump tells Netanyahu that Israel must limit strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon

23 hours ago

Hungary close to political deal with European Commission on unlocking EU funds, Magyar says

1 day ago

Bursa Malaysia slides as UAE’s OPEC+ exit rattles energy markets

1 day ago

Russia would not accept military presence of outside powers in Central Asia, says defence minister

1 day ago

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Tech

Tashkent studio’s pirate survival game Windrose pulls in $30mn in 10 days

10mn+ players attracted by big hit reportedly developed on modest budget.

China's CATL signs mega-sodium battery production deal to drive the nascent tech's development

The world's largest battery maker has just placed a very large bet on a technology that, until recently, most of the industry considered was science fiction.

Putin’s alleged daughter said to head Moscow State University AI ecosystem

Katerina Tikhonova reportedly oversees a broad institutional network at MGU including a research centre, an AI Institute, the MGU-270 supercomputer and the newly launched faculty.

Russia eyes crypto taxation in ongoing fiscal squeeze

Russia’s Ministry of Finance has advanced a draft law that would tax cryptocurrency income broadly in line with securities investments.

Bulgaria, Romania lag EU peers on digital skills, Eurostat data shows

Around 40% of all EU citizens lacked at least basic digital skills in 2025, despite 93% using the internet at least once a week.

Tashkent studio’s pirate survival game Windrose pulls in $30mn in 10 days

17 hours ago

China's CATL signs mega-sodium battery production deal to drive the nascent tech's development

22 hours ago

Putin’s alleged daughter said to head Moscow State University AI ecosystem

2 days ago

Russia eyes crypto taxation in ongoing fiscal squeeze

2 days ago

Bulgaria, Romania lag EU peers on digital skills, Eurostat data shows

2 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

Inconsistent messaging on Turkey shows EU cannot pretend to be geopolitical power, says analyst

Gaffe or not, remarks from European Commision president played into hands of Turkish politicians who want Ankara to pursue closer ties with Moscow and Beijing.

IMF: Can advanced economies avoid debt distress?

Many highly indebted advanced economies face a grim fiscal outlook. Under current policies, the public debt ratios of countries including Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are set to deteriorate over the next two decades.

COMMENT: Russia’s Iran gamble risks sacrificing Gulf strategy for tactical gains

Russia’s deepening entanglement in the crisis around Iran is delivering short-term geopolitical dividends, but at a potentially high strategic cost.

Radev’s victory in Bulgaria offers no relief for North Macedonia’s EU progress

Granted candidate status in 2005, North Macedonia was once considered a frontrunner among Western Balkan aspirants. However, a series of bilateral disputes has repeatedly derailed its progress.

Hungary’s new leader unlikely to shift EU stance on Russia and Ukraine dramatically

Expectations that Budapest will pivot sharply away from Russia and back a more assertive European Union policy on Ukraine post-election may prove misplaced, says commentary by Carnegie Politika.

Inconsistent messaging on Turkey shows EU cannot pretend to be geopolitical power, says analyst

1 day ago

IMF: Can advanced economies avoid debt distress?

3 days ago

COMMENT: Russia’s Iran gamble risks sacrificing Gulf strategy for tactical gains

3 days ago

Radev’s victory in Bulgaria offers no relief for North Macedonia’s EU progress

4 days ago

Hungary’s new leader unlikely to shift EU stance on Russia and Ukraine dramatically

8 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Russia experiencing “never seen before” labour shortages - CBR

Russia’s labour market is not just tight — it has entered what central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina has repeatedly described as an unprecedented structural shortage, driven directly by the war economy.

Wages in Uzbekistan climb 17% y/y in 1Q to monthly average $568

Increase extends a multi-year trend.

Uzbekistan registers strong first-quarter growth of 8.7%

Broad-based expansion increasingly driven by services and construction.

Taiwan household wealth reaches record $5.82 trillion

Taiwan's role as the global hub for AI chips is now directly inflating domestic private capital. While the equity boom is creating massive paper wealth, the concurrent spike in mortgage debt suggests a growing divide between rich and poor.

Poland's population set to fall by 31.6% by 2100, Eurostat says

Poland’s population is projected to decline to 25.6mn by 2100, the third-largest drop in the European Union, with only Lithuania and Latvia expected to record steeper declines.

Russia experiencing “never seen before” labour shortages - CBR

1 hour ago

Wages in Uzbekistan climb 17% y/y in 1Q to monthly average $568

8 hours ago

Uzbekistan registers strong first-quarter growth of 8.7%

1 day ago

Taiwan household wealth reaches record $5.82 trillion

1 day ago

Poland's population set to fall by 31.6% by 2100, Eurostat says

3 days ago

More Data

Features

How China captured the Gulf while Washington forgot to send an ambassador

Beijing now trades nearly $400bn a year with the Middle East, runs the region's largest infrastructure programmes, and brokers its diplomacy. America still sells the weapons. It is not enough

How Tehran systematically dismantled America's Gulf military network in the first days of the war- NBC

When US and Israeli forces launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, striking Iran's nuclear sites, missile factories and military infrastructure, the Trump administration was expecting a walk in the park. It wasn't.

Europe buys the most Russian LNG in history, just as first bans on imports come into effect

Despite threatening to end Russian LNG imports completely next year, prompting the Kremlin to threaten to cut off gas exports to Europe before then, the EU just imported the most LNG in history as it slides into an expanding gas crisis.

Berlin's Kazakh oil fiction is ending and the numbers don't add up

The Kremlin has announced that it will end a three-year old deal to deliver “Kazakh” oil to Berlin from the start of May, plunging Berlin into a fresh energy shortfall crisis as it scrambles to find an alternative source of crude.

Von der Leyen's gaffe complicates EU relations with Turkey

The EU is in a slow-moving identity collapse crisis. Disunity in the EU is growing more obvious each month and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is casting about for ways to rebuild a consensus without much luck.

How China captured the Gulf while Washington forgot to send an ambassador

20 hours ago

How Tehran systematically dismantled America's Gulf military network in the first days of the war- NBC

23 hours ago

Europe buys the most Russian LNG in history, just as first bans on imports come into effect

1 day ago

Berlin's Kazakh oil fiction is ending and the numbers don't add up

1 day ago

Von der Leyen's gaffe complicates EU relations with Turkey

2 days ago

More Features

Blogs

MOSCOW BLOG: EU unblocks Ukrainian loan, twentieth sanctions package, as Kyiv builds a robot army

Phew. That was an effort. EU leaders met in Brussels yesterday and signed off on releasing the €90bn loan for Ukraine that will keep it in the fight with Russia for another two years. They also passed the twentieth sanctions package on Russia,

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: There are those who swear Tokayev just auditioned for the UN top job

Rumours have swirled for months that Kazakhstan’s president wants to succeed Antonio Guterres. An appearance at an event in Turkey did his chances no harm at all.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Message for the CHP. The number of jailed opposition mayors in Turkey has reached 24

Party leader Ozgur Ozel has so far proven so ineffective that president Erdogan finds him entirely tolerable outside of a prison cell.

ASIA BLOG: How Taiwan’s KMT risks the nation’s sovereignty

As Taiwan’s opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun leads a delegation across China the fine line between opposition outreach and quasi-diplomacy is being blurred. It is an issue that should concern anyone with a stake in Taiwan’s democratic integrity.

TEHRAN BLOG: Ceasefire brings quiet relief to Iran, but few believe it will hold

Iranians remain split in the early hours of the two-week ceasefire between their government and US and Israel on the otherside, but as things stand any return to normality is better than nothing.

MOSCOW BLOG: EU unblocks Ukrainian loan, twentieth sanctions package, as Kyiv builds a robot army

7 days ago

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: There are those who swear Tokayev just auditioned for the UN top job

8 days ago

ISTANBUL BLOG: Message for the CHP. The number of jailed opposition mayors in Turkey has reached 24

9 days ago

ASIA BLOG: How Taiwan’s KMT risks the nation’s sovereignty

21 days ago

TEHRAN BLOG: Ceasefire brings quiet relief to Iran, but few believe it will hold

22 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

India’s carbon market gains traction

India has recently told the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme to reduce, remove, or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in the Indian economy by pricing such emissions through the trading of Carbon Credit Certificates.

Central Asia targets skills gap as renewable energy push accelerates

With investments into renewables accelerating, the region faces a widening gap between labour market needs and available skills.

A super El Niño due this year and the world is not ready

The numbers released last week by an international consortium of climate scientists are remarkable in their uniformity. Every single key indicator of the state of the Earth's climate system set a new record in 2025. And not in a good way.

NGOs urge Western Balkans to avoid ‘gas lock-in’

47 civil society organisations call on Western Balkan governments to abandon plans for new gas infrastructure, warning the region risks becoming locked into costly fossil fuel dependence.

Central Asia in race to close power-generation gap – report

Greater regional coordination seen as key to solving conundrum.

India’s carbon market gains traction

2 days ago

Central Asia targets skills gap as renewable energy push accelerates

3 days ago

A super El Niño due this year and the world is not ready

3 days ago

NGOs urge Western Balkans to avoid ‘gas lock-in’

3 days ago

Central Asia in race to close power-generation gap – report

3 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

Iranian officials said a naval blockade had failed to choke off the country’s oil exports and that Tehran had enough storage capacity to see it through for another 30 days, pushing back against reports that Washington plans to widen pressure.

US President Donald Trump revealed that he instructed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to limit military operations in Lebanon to surgical strikes against Hezbollah.

Incoming PM Peter Magyar said he held "highly constructive talks" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session in the red on April 30 as investor sentiment soured following news that the United Arab Emirates will officially exit the OPEC+ alliance on May 1.

Andrei Belousov tells SCO meeting Moscow is “closely monitoring” moves made by “non-regional states”.

Tech

10mn+ players attracted by big hit reportedly developed on modest budget.

The world's largest battery maker has just placed a very large bet on a technology that, until recently, most of the industry considered was science fiction.

Katerina Tikhonova reportedly oversees a broad institutional network at MGU including a research centre, an AI Institute, the MGU-270 supercomputer and the newly launched faculty.

Russia’s Ministry of Finance has advanced a draft law that would tax cryptocurrency income broadly in line with securities investments.

Around 40% of all EU citizens lacked at least basic digital skills in 2025, despite 93% using the internet at least once a week.

Opinion

Gaffe or not, remarks from European Commision president played into hands of Turkish politicians who want Ankara to pursue closer ties with Moscow and Beijing.

Many highly indebted advanced economies face a grim fiscal outlook. Under current policies, the public debt ratios of countries including Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States are set to deteriorate over the next two decades.

Russia’s deepening entanglement in the crisis around Iran is delivering short-term geopolitical dividends, but at a potentially high strategic cost.

Granted candidate status in 2005, North Macedonia was once considered a frontrunner among Western Balkan aspirants. However, a series of bilateral disputes has repeatedly derailed its progress.

Expectations that Budapest will pivot sharply away from Russia and back a more assertive European Union policy on Ukraine post-election may prove misplaced, says commentary by Carnegie Politika.

Data

Russia’s labour market is not just tight — it has entered what central bank governor Elvira Nabiullina has repeatedly described as an unprecedented structural shortage, driven directly by the war economy.

Increase extends a multi-year trend.

Broad-based expansion increasingly driven by services and construction.

Taiwan's role as the global hub for AI chips is now directly inflating domestic private capital. While the equity boom is creating massive paper wealth, the concurrent spike in mortgage debt suggests a growing divide between rich and poor.

Poland’s population is projected to decline to 25.6mn by 2100, the third-largest drop in the European Union, with only Lithuania and Latvia expected to record steeper declines.

Features

Beijing now trades nearly $400bn a year with the Middle East, runs the region's largest infrastructure programmes, and brokers its diplomacy. America still sells the weapons. It is not enough

When US and Israeli forces launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, striking Iran's nuclear sites, missile factories and military infrastructure, the Trump administration was expecting a walk in the park. It wasn't.

Despite threatening to end Russian LNG imports completely next year, prompting the Kremlin to threaten to cut off gas exports to Europe before then, the EU just imported the most LNG in history as it slides into an expanding gas crisis.

The Kremlin has announced that it will end a three-year old deal to deliver “Kazakh” oil to Berlin from the start of May, plunging Berlin into a fresh energy shortfall crisis as it scrambles to find an alternative source of crude.

The EU is in a slow-moving identity collapse crisis. Disunity in the EU is growing more obvious each month and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is casting about for ways to rebuild a consensus without much luck.

Blogs

Phew. That was an effort. EU leaders met in Brussels yesterday and signed off on releasing the €90bn loan for Ukraine that will keep it in the fight with Russia for another two years. They also passed the twentieth sanctions package on Russia,

Rumours have swirled for months that Kazakhstan’s president wants to succeed Antonio Guterres. An appearance at an event in Turkey did his chances no harm at all.

Party leader Ozgur Ozel has so far proven so ineffective that president Erdogan finds him entirely tolerable outside of a prison cell.

As Taiwan’s opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun leads a delegation across China the fine line between opposition outreach and quasi-diplomacy is being blurred. It is an issue that should concern anyone with a stake in Taiwan’s democratic integrity.

Iranians remain split in the early hours of the two-week ceasefire between their government and US and Israel on the otherside, but as things stand any return to normality is better than nothing.

bneGREEN

India has recently told the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme to reduce, remove, or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in the Indian economy by pricing such emissions through the trading of Carbon Credit Certificates.

With investments into renewables accelerating, the region faces a widening gap between labour market needs and available skills.

The numbers released last week by an international consortium of climate scientists are remarkable in their uniformity. Every single key indicator of the state of the Earth's climate system set a new record in 2025. And not in a good way.

47 civil society organisations call on Western Balkan governments to abandon plans for new gas infrastructure, warning the region risks becoming locked into costly fossil fuel dependence.

Greater regional coordination seen as key to solving conundrum.

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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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