Russia
Russia’s Alrosa finds its largest diamond ever, as Mirny mining operations restart
Russia’s diamond mining monopolist has dug up a 468 carat amber-coloured diamond, the largest diamond it has ever found, after it reopened its Mirny diamond mine in Yakutia that has been closed for seven years.
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HALLIGAN: Power struggle in OPEC+ is pulling oil prices down
The oil market has entered choppy waters once again. Crude prices fell by a dramatic 18% in April y/y – the sharpest monthly drop since November 2021 – partly due to a global slowdown, but more due to a power struggle within OPEC+.
Kremlin to shut down Moscow’s internet during Victory Day parade, as Ukrainian drone attacks cause civil aviation chaos across the country
Widespread disruption is expected across Russia’s capital during the May 9 Victory Day parade after the Kremlin decided to shut down the city’s internet and SMS services for several hours.
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History suggests US and Russia can shape peace between India and Pakistan
India’s military action under Operation Sindoor, targeting sites inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Pakistan’s own territory, has triggered a familiar cycle of tension between the two nuclear neighbours.
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Putin rolls out red carpet for Maduro as Venezuela cements Russian alliance
President Nicolás Maduro arrived in Moscow on May 7 for talks with Vladimir Putin, where both sides committed to expanding cooperation across defence, energy, technology, and finance.
Serbia’s Vucic heads to Moscow for Victory Day parade
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic departed for Moscow to attend Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, defying EU warnings that the visit could further derail Serbia’s stalled path toward EU membership.
Looking at ramifications of China’s shifting energy usage patterns on Central Asia
Renewables are up, fossil fuels down.
Russia’s service sector PMI stagnate at 50.1 in April for a second month
Business activity in Russia’s private sector showed signs of stagnation in April, with services growth flatlining and manufacturing output continuing to decline, according to the latest PMI data released by S&P Global.
Kremlin says Serbia’s Vucic will attend Moscow parade
Move risks a serious rupture with Brussels as Serbia takes an increasingly ambivalent stance to EU enlargement.
InDrive pioneering a sustainable "fair" ride-hailing business
The Siberia-born InDrive ride-hailing service is doing something special. It cut margins, offers the cheapest prices possible and is generous to its largely freelance staff. IIt is pioneering a new "fair" business model that works.
Russia’s GDP contracts in 1Q25 in real terms for the first time since the war in Ukraine started
Russia’s economy contracted by 0.3% quarter on quarter in 1Q25 in seasonally adjusted terms, marking the first quarterly decline since 2Q22, Vedomosti daily reports citing estimates by Raiffeisenbank.
Brazil's Lula stakes peace broker role in Moscow visit
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will arrive in Moscow later this week for talks with President Vladimir Putin and to attend Russia's Victory Day May 9 celebrations.
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Blair think-tank releases scathing criticism of UK climate policy
The arguments contrast sharply with those of the UK’s Labour government.
Trump dollar drama sparks global power shift as BRICS countries circle
Trump dollar drama sparks global power shift as BRICS countries consider alternative currency amid US economic uncertainty
COMMENT: Trump’s tariff drive hits emerging markets as growth and inflation forecasts slide – Oxford Economics
President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies are already casting a long shadow over emerging market economies, with analysts cutting growth forecasts and warning of prolonged investment uncertainty and policy disruption.
Hungarian Commissioner delays EU plan to curb Russian energy dependence
Hungary's EU Commissioner Oliver Várhelyi raised a last-minute objection to delay the approval of the EU's roadmap for ending the bloc's Russian energy reliance.
COMMENT: Is Russia’s economy headed for hard or soft landing?
Russia’s economy slowed much more sharply in the first quarter than anticipated – and it was expected to slow. Is the economy headed for a hard or a soft landing, asks Capital Economics.
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BLOG: The EU’s glacial push to eliminate Russian LNG
The EU is continuing to grapple with the complex challenge of eliminating its remaining oil and gas imports from Russia, as the European Commission prepares to unveil a roadmap this week outlining how to achieve that goal, hopefully by 2027.
Post-war order teetering – rights watchdog
Eurasia “at forefront” of assault on individual freedoms.
Tensions flare in Azerbaijan–Russia ties despite Patriarch’s visit
Mixed messages as an Azerbaijani ruling party MP is refused entry to Russia while President Ilham Aliyev hosts Patriarch Kirill in Baku.