Russia
McFAUL: Trump does not understand or value Nato and that’s very dangerous
I cannot recall another instance in history when a US president invited an enemy to attack our allies. Imagine how those comments sound in Lithuania, Estonia, or Poland.
Warning of new ice age in Europe as currents in the Atlantic approach a catastrophic tipping point
The currents that circulate in the Atlantic are approaching a “tipping point” that will change the way water flows around the oceans of the world, which will have a catastrophic climate impact on countries around the world.
KSE: Just under 10% of foreign companies working in Russia have left, more than half are staying
As of February 4, 2024, 356 international companies (9.6% of the total number of entries in the KSE database, or 27.8% of the companies that generated revenue in Russia in 2022) have entirely ceased operations in Russia.
EU may sanction Chinese companies for the first time for facilitating Russia’s flourishing trade with friendly countries
The EU is contemplating the unprecedented step of imposing sanctions on three Chinese companies alleged to be aiding Russia's military actions against Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
Austria mulls how to break free from Russian gas
Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler said the government would look to end national gas company OMV’s long-term gas supply deal with Gazprom.
The Russian billionaire who became a double enemy of the state
“The fate of Russian businessman Arkady Volozh is more than just astonishing. It's actually illogical.”
Russian internet major VK buys 70% in Many Apps developer
Russian state-controlled internet major VK (former Mail.ru) bought 70% in the Many Apps (Mnogo Prilozheniy) developer, which was among other projects one of the developers of the RuStore mobile app shop, according to Vedomosti daily.
Pashinyan refuses to guarantee Putin's non-arrest if he visits Armenia
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has refused to give any assurances regarding the possible arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a possible visit to Armenia, following the country's recent accession to the International Criminal Court (ICC)
Will 2024 see the first ever category 6 hurricane?
Disaster season is approaching and this year the world could see its first ever city-killing category six hurricanes.
PANNIER: Russia the loser as wider world of migrant work opens up to Uzbek citizens
Germany, South Korea and Israel look to Uzbekistan to fill 160,000 or more job vacancies. Tashkent likely keen to diversify sources of remittances.
Tucker Carlson gives Putin a platform to justify his war in Ukraine
US journalist Tucker Carlson gave Russian President Vladimir Putin a platform to lay out his justification for attacking Ukraine and clashing with the West that was posted on the ex-Fox News commentator’s X channel on February 8.
Russia looks to nudge US out of Iraq following air raids on militias
Moscow hopes to exploit growing sentiment in Iraq in favour of expulsion of foreign troops.
Boris Nadezhdin’s presidential candidacy rejected
Only four candidates will be on the ballot for Russia’s presidential elections in March after the Central Election Commission (CEC) rejected the applications of the only anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin.
Russia's oil revenues in January higher than from before the war
Russia’s budget earned more money from oil taxes in January 2024 than it did in January 2023, Ministry of Finance (MinFin) reported on February 7.
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Russia reports a painful RUB308bn deficit in January, but nowhere near as bad as the RUB1.7 trillion deficit in January 2023
When the January 2023 Russian federal budget deficit numbers came out this week a year ago a collective cheer went up from Western analysts: they were disastrous.
Russia's retail turnover up 10.2% in December, 6.4% in 2023
Russia's retail trade turnover continued its strong growth in December, increasing by 10.2% y/y, and expanding by 6.4% y/y over the whole of 2023 to reach a total of RUB47.4 trillion ($520.1bn) in comparable prices.
Earth has already passed 1.5 degrees warming, says study
The Earth may have passed 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming and in fact could soon reach 2 degrees, say international researchers who studied 300-year-old sea sponges in the Caribbean.
Russia, Belarus to coordinate website censorship
Russia and Belarus are collaborating to establish a unified database of "extremists," according to the Belarusian ambassador in Moscow BelTA reported on February 6.
OFAC “smart sanctions” target turbine lubricants and additives in an effort to stop Russian military production
Two days before Christmas the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) quietly released new sanctions on an esoteric product group: turbine lubricants. But these "smart sanctions" could bring Russian industry to a standstill.
PANNIER: Response to Bishkek thermal power plant explosion lifts lid on Central Asia relations
And what’s seen is quite encouraging.