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Latest Updates

News

Argentina has stepped up its sovereignty claim over the Malvinas Islands (Falklands) following reports that the United States could reconsider its position on the dispute.

The Middle East conflict has landed on Latin America at an awkward moment. After two years of gradual progress bringing inflation under control, the region's central banks now face the prospect of that effort being undone by an external conflict.

Colombia’s death toll from a bus bombing in the southwestern department of Cauca rose to 20, authorities said, in one of the deadliest recent attacks on civilians as the country approaches presidential elections.

Only four vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on April 26 according to Kpler data, Tasnim has reported, indicating the world's most important oil chokepoint remains effectively closed at Iran's discretion despite the April 7 ceasefire.

New Zealand sheep meat will enter India duty-free under the new FTA signed on April 27, eliminating a 33% tariff that has long blocked Wellington from the Indian market. Wool and forestry also gain day-one access, but dairy remains largely excluded.

Tech

Russia launched its first operational batch of low-Earth orbit internet satellites in March, marking the beginning of what the Kremlin has boasted is the country's path to digital sovereignty — a homegrown alternative to SpaceX's network.

Russia's two largest online marketplaces, Wildberries and Ozon, will reach a combined 77% market share by end-2026, but their year-on-year growth has slowed sharply as consumers cut non-food spending and sellers exit the platforms.

Iran's nationwide internet blackout has run since February 28 and remains largely in place after the April 7 ceasefire, with global access available only via a paid "Pro" tier.

Kuwait is accelerating the rollout of its Government Cyber Shield, offering 24/7 monitoring and free penetration testing to all ministries, as Iran-linked hacking groups including Handala step up cyberattacks on Gulf infrastructure during the war.

UK Biobank de-identified participant data was listed for sale on Alibaba-owned Chinese consumer website by three academic institutions in breach of contract.

Opinion

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.

Armenia's fragmented, pro-Russia opposition appears ill-equipped to convert discontent with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan into progress in the polls, says Carnegie Politika comment.

Data

Corporate market reaches record size of UZS 5.28 trillion ($437mn).

The outlook revision reflects uncertainty over CPC’s ability to restore interest coverage above 4.0x, amid higher oil prices and limited cost pass-through.

South Korea’s economy rebounded sharply in the first quarter, driven by strong semiconductor demand, though policymakers are warning that a global energy shock is likely to weigh on activity in the months ahead.

Bank of Russia has cut its key interest rate by 50 basis points to 14.5% in its eighth consecutive rate cut, with the regulator forecasting annual inflation will fall to between 4.5% and 5.5% in 2026.

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.

Features

Saudi Arabia has launched its most intensive diplomatic engagement with Lebanon in years, deploying a royal envoy to Beirut, coordinating with Washington on ceasefire terms and invoking a 35-year-old Saudi-brokered accord as the political framework.

Military expenditure the Asia-Pacific region increased sharply in the last year, reaching a total of $681bn - an increase of 8.1% year on year and the largest annual expansion in military spending since 2009

The investigation has moved into what is being called the "forensic truth" phase. This follows a year of legal stalemate where a previous impeachment attempt was blocked by a Supreme Court ruling on the "one-year bar" rule.

By contrast, China operates over 60 submarines, including at least 12 nuclear-powered vessels and by 2035 half of Beijing’s projected fleet of around 80 attack submarines could be nuclear-powered.

Vladimir Putin's approval rating has fallen for a seventh consecutive week to its lowest level since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to data from VTsIOM,

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

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

Greater regional coordination seen as key to solving conundrum.

The UAE has launched a National Initiative for the Adoption of Climate-Smart Crops, targeting millet, sorghum and salinity-tolerant feed grass to cut import reliance and build drought-resilient food production under the 2051 food security strategy.

Regional authorities across South Korea are currently engaged in a high-stakes struggle to secure the nation's debut small modular reactor installation, lured by the promise of vast financial dividends.

Bangladesh has issued an operating licence for the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, after completing inspections of primary equipment and confirming the reactor is ready for first criticality.

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