Turkey
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: PKK renames itself Apoist Movement Management
Scores of names can be traced back to the 1970s Revolutionaries of Kurdistan.
Turkey hikes end-2026 official inflation forecast to 26% in war “shock environment”
Central bank also raises its average Brent oil expectation for 2026 to $89/barrel.
USD syndicated Islamic murabaha loans beat sukuk sales amid war stress in bond markets
1Q shows the loans increasingly prominent in funding mix, driven by private nature, lower requirements and accommodating Gulf Cooperation Council banking systems.
Cryptocurrency A7A5 powers a major sanctions evasion scheme
A new report reveals details of a major sanctions evasion scheme for Russian top business executives and oligarchs based on a cryptocurrency issued by payments company A7.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Istanbul “lawfare” echoes Brazil playbook as Imamoglu trial mirrors elimination of Lula
Stinging comparison between Turkish judiciary’s actions and "Car Wash" moves that once upended Brazilian democracy.
Turkey’s prosecutors recorded 17mn people as “suspects” in 2025
Legal infrastructure faces a “file load” crisis. Simply entering the judicial process has become a punishment in itself.
Coal mines are leaking vast amounts of methane into the atmosphere and almost no one is measuring it - Ember
Almost five years after 159 countries signed the Global Methane Pledge committing to cut anthropogenic methane emissions by 30% by 2030, coal mines are releasing roughly the same amount of the potent greenhouse gases.
Fitch stress test sees no Turkish bank failure even if Iran conflict drives lira to USD/75
Under most severe scenario only one bank, Halkbank, would breach legal reserve requirement criteria, exercise shows.
Is Russia quietly blocking the development of the Middle Corridor?
Mysteriously, the project to build the transit route’s most critical piece of infrastructure, Anaklia deep sea port in Georgia, remains stalled.
Russia accuses West of wanting to wreck Rosatom’s plans to bring nuclear power to Central Asia
Security Council official says campaign to discredit state corporation is under way.
Iran-linked shock’s impact on Emerging Europe seen milder than 2022 crisis, says wiiw economist
Severity of current shock in Emerging Europe linked to Iran war unlikely to match the 2022 crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UAE strikes back at Turkey in fight to become global investor haven
The United Arab Emirates is hitting back at emerging competitors such as Turkey in the fight to emerge as the prime Middle Eastern destination for international investors.
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”.
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.
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.
Emerging Europe weathers Iran war shock, but risks mount, wiiw says
Higher energy prices, weaker trade and geopolitical uncertainty weigh on the region’s outlook, according to new forecasts from the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.
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.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: In 2017, Mark Rutte was a “Nazi remnant” in Ankara’s eyes. This week, the Nato chief is doing Turkish defence PR
Anyone studying the calculated outrage of politicians should take a look at this glaring example.
Erdogan offers 20-year Turkey tax haven holidays to investors exiting war-shaken Gulf
Officials push line that Turkey's time has come, though the fragility of the rule of law and economy could put off many potential investors.
Which countries have fertility rates above the replacement level - OWID
Fertility rates — which measure the average number of children per woman — have been falling worldwide. Since 1950, global fertility rates have halved, from almost 5 children per woman to 2.2, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.