Latest Updates

Jailed Belarus presidential candidate Tikhanovsky charged with plotting mass riots

The Belarusian Prosecutor-General’s Office has indicted jailed presidential candidate Sergei Tikhanovsky and his associates with plotting mass riots ahead of presidential elections last August.

Read Story

Baltic states want to ensure the golden goose keeps producing unicorns

Lithuania is starting to catch up with Estonia in terms of startups but the small size of the local talent pools is acting as a constraint.

Read Story

COMMENT: “Patronagists” scandal brings back memories of the communist era in Albania

Ahead of the April general election Albania’s ruling Socialists were revealed to be keeping the population under surveillance.

Read Story

DATACRUNCH: Ukraine starts to close the gap with Russia

Russia and Ukraine are both emerging from the coronacrisis and have had very similar experiences, but as the recovery gets under way Ukraine is beginning to close the gap with Russia.

Read Story

DATACRUNCH: Russian economy makes a stronger than expected recovery

Russia’s economy contracted less than feared in 2020 and now it is bouncing back from the coronacrisis faster than analysts were expecting.

Read Story

BALKAN BLOG: The positive side-effects of Serbia’s regional vaccination campaign

Serbia’s success in first securing vaccines for its own population and then sharing them with its neighbours have done more than two decades of diplomacy to burnish its international reputation.

Read Story

ISTANBUL BLOG: No end to the jitters for Turkish markets

The air is thick with trepidation as to what could be around the corner. And rightly so.

Read Story

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: End of story?

An attempt at dissolving Mongolia's ruling party looks like a desperate manoeuvre from President Battulga Khaltmaa as he fights a ban on seeking re-election.

Read Story

COMMENT: Was Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? A look inside Moscow’s strategy

The recent build-up and withdrawal of Russian forces at Ukraine's eastern border forms part of President Putin's coherent strategy to recover control of Ukraine and reverse the 1991 territorial losses stemming from the 1991 collapse of the USSR.

Read Story

Turkey's "crazy" canal would impact Eurasian trade, geopolitics

Bulgarian businessman claims PM screened sexual assault video to intimidate him

ISTANBUL BLOG: Now you see it, now you don’t

Turkey's "crazy" canal would impact Eurasian trade, geopolitics

The project threatens the delicate regional military balance.

Bulgarian businessman claims PM screened sexual assault video to intimidate him

Boyko Borissov denied accusations of links to extortion and torture made by businessman Svetoslav Ilchovski in damning testimony to parliament committee.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Now you see it, now you don’t

Finance ministry again drops 10-year domestic bond auction from borrowing programme. Once more, ‘Erdoganomics’ is causing trouble for the Turkish economy.

News

High representative warns Bosnian Serb leaders seek to split country

Valentin Inzko told the UN Security Council the challenge to Bosnia’s once multiethnic society is led by the Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, Milorad Dodik.

Liechtenstein prince suspected of poaching after shooting biggest bear in Romania

The Romania National Environmental Guard is investigating the killing of a large brown bear that activists allege was illegally shot by a Liechtenstein prince during a hunt in the Carpathian Mountains.

Borsa Istanbul’s IPO price ceiling spell broken

Flotation pipeline still producing new offerings.

Turkey’s air force becoming obsolete warns Istanbul think tank

Washington’s ban on Ankara acquiring F-35s is a major headache and armed drones are no substitute for manned fighter jets, says EDAM analyst.

Serbia offers cash for jabs as it aims for herd immunity

Serbia is among the most advanced countries in Europe in terms of the share of the population already vaccinated but there are fears numbers could tail off amid anti-vaxxer sentiment.

High representative warns Bosnian Serb leaders seek to split country

22 hours ago

Liechtenstein prince suspected of poaching after shooting biggest bear in Romania

22 hours ago

Borsa Istanbul’s IPO price ceiling spell broken

1 day ago

Turkey’s air force becoming obsolete warns Istanbul think tank

1 day ago

Serbia offers cash for jabs as it aims for herd immunity

1 day ago

More News

Tech

Swiss ICT group ALSO acquires Serbia's PIN Computers

Acquisition of Novi Sad-based PIN Computers to help ALSO's expansion in Eastern Europe.

EWDN: After a new acquisition, Sber wants to become a central player in the Russian digital music market

Sber, the state-controlled financial and digital giant, has announced a binding agreement to fully acquire Muzlab, a leader in the Russian B2B audio streaming market.

EWDN: After successes in Russia and Israel, Yandex prepares to launch express delivery service in Western Europe

Yandex, the NASDAQ-listed Russian tech major, is preparing to launch its express e-grocery delivery service in Western Europe – after successful deployment in Russia and Israel, reports East-West Digital News (EWDN).

Rise and fall of Turkish technology retailer Bimeks ends in bankruptcy

Company that started out as a humble shop run by the Akgiray brothers appears to have expired.

Sberbank pushes the Sber rebranding, promises to double online ecosystem investments over the next three years

Russia’s leading retail bank has rebranded to just “Sber,” dropping the word “bank” from its name, but the change has not really caught on. The management is now ramping up a rebranding drive and has promised to double investment into tech.

Swiss ICT group ALSO acquires Serbia's PIN Computers

3 days ago

EWDN: After a new acquisition, Sber wants to become a central player in the Russian digital music market

6 days ago

EWDN: After successes in Russia and Israel, Yandex prepares to launch express delivery service in Western Europe

6 days ago

Rise and fall of Turkish technology retailer Bimeks ends in bankruptcy

7 days ago

Sberbank pushes the Sber rebranding, promises to double online ecosystem investments over the next three years

8 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

ING: Czech economy falls by less than previously feared in 1Q

The preliminary GDP figure for the first quarter surprised on the upside. The economy fell just 0.3% quarter on quarter, with pandemic restrictions being in place throughout the quarter.

Taking the Tashkent Stock Exchange to the next level

Akmal Djalilov, founder of Uzbekistan’s BeTrader platform, looks at a new decree allowing Uzbek companies to list abroad.

COMMENT: Philanthropy in Russia – not for the faint-hearted

Wealth in Russia comes with no small number of headaches. But one of the more surprising ones, linked to money, is that sometimes you can’t even give it away.

COMMENT: Political interference in Naftogaz supervisory board operations is a major setback in corporate governance reform

Ukraine’s business community and its supporters abroad condemned the Cabinet’s decision to sack the widely respected CEO of Naftogaz Andriy Kobolev on April 28, calling it an abuse of corporate governance that will undermine foreign investment.

RIMMER: Armenia Genocide recognition – better late than never?

The US recognition of the Armenian Genocide was more than 100 years coming, but it runs the risk of looking more like realpolitik than a sincere gesture.

ING: Czech economy falls by less than previously feared in 1Q

1 day ago

Taking the Tashkent Stock Exchange to the next level

5 days ago

COMMENT: Philanthropy in Russia – not for the faint-hearted

6 days ago

COMMENT: Political interference in Naftogaz supervisory board operations is a major setback in corporate governance reform

6 days ago

RIMMER: Armenia Genocide recognition – better late than never?

10 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Russians Services PMI remains a strong 55.2 in April but slowed a little from March, optimism for the rest of the year high

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Russia Services Business Activity PMI index slowed a little in April to 55.2, down slightly from 55.8 in March, but remains robustly above the 50 no-change level as services bounce back.

Bucharest Stock Exchange up 15.7% ytd despite modest performance in April

The main index of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, BET, gained 15.7% in the first four months of this year, with building materials producer Teraplast the top performer.

April PMI shows Covid resurgence undercut Turkish manufacturing

Higher interest rates also appear to have squeezed performance.

Polish PMI eases expansion in April amid supply constraints and inflationary pressure

Analysts say that the PMI is currently reflecting the manufacturing sector’s problems in meeting demand but the problems appear to be temporary.

Russia’s manufacturing PMI slips to 50.4 in April as growth slows

The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Russia Manufacturing PMI registered 50.4 in April, down slightly from 51.1 in March, to signal the slowest improvement in operating conditions in the last four months.

Russians Services PMI remains a strong 55.2 in April but slowed a little from March, optimism for the rest of the year high

15 hours ago

Bucharest Stock Exchange up 15.7% ytd despite modest performance in April

1 day ago

April PMI shows Covid resurgence undercut Turkish manufacturing

2 days ago

Polish PMI eases expansion in April amid supply constraints and inflationary pressure

2 days ago

Russia’s manufacturing PMI slips to 50.4 in April as growth slows

2 days ago

More Data

Features

Russian ice cream consumption to hit new record of 3.1kg per person

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was in Moscow in winter to meet Stalin during WWII. Passing a group of Russians he asked his driver: "What are they doing?" "Eating ice cream, sir." He paused and said: “These people will never be defeated."

Chinese researchers calculate Central Asia’s water waste, agriculture potential

If Central Asian farmers don’t radically change how they use water, the region will not feed China.

Climate change to amplify border tensions in Southeast Europe

OSCE report identifies border hotspots across the region where rising temperatures and more extreme weather events risk adding to border tensions.

Chernobyl anniversary: the next phase

The failure of a routine test at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine released a cloud of radioactive particles in the worst nuclear accident ever.

Kazakhstan: Land ban pleases activists but leaves farming with fewer options

Fear of China fuelled the activism, though frustrations had accumulated over stagnant living conditions in the provinces.

Russian ice cream consumption to hit new record of 3.1kg per person

22 hours ago

Chinese researchers calculate Central Asia’s water waste, agriculture potential

9 days ago

Climate change to amplify border tensions in Southeast Europe

9 days ago

Chernobyl anniversary: the next phase

11 days ago

Kazakhstan: Land ban pleases activists but leaves farming with fewer options

13 days ago

More Features

Blogs

CONFERENCE CALL: Losing the Western Balkans

The EU’s slow and sometimes confusing response to the coronacrisis in the Western Balkans made room for China to increase its influence.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Regime fails to see funny side of TikTok video mocking quite useless Turkish passport

Police detain two young people for satirical use of passport as oven mitt, bookmark and drink mat.

MOSCOW BLOG: Russian economy starts to turn up but so does inflation

Russia’s economy clearly began to emerge from the coronacrisis in March as industrial production went into the black for the first time in almost a year, posting a 1.1% expansion, and inflation started to fall again in the same month.

MOSCOW BLOG: The vaccine wars

Uzbekistan has been sent the first 50,000 of half a million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. On the same day Brazil rejected the vaccine, due to US pressure.

BALKAN BLOG: All eyes on opposition response as Albanian Socialists prepare to declare victory

Prime Minister Edi Rama announced a victory rally after scoring an unprecedented third term in Albania’s general election, but will the opposition accept the result?

CONFERENCE CALL: Losing the Western Balkans

1 day ago

ISTANBUL BLOG: Regime fails to see funny side of TikTok video mocking quite useless Turkish passport

2 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: Russian economy starts to turn up but so does inflation

2 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: The vaccine wars

8 days ago

BALKAN BLOG: All eyes on opposition response as Albanian Socialists prepare to declare victory

9 days ago

More Blogs

Latest Updates

News

Valentin Inzko told the UN Security Council the challenge to Bosnia’s once multiethnic society is led by the Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, Milorad Dodik.

The Romania National Environmental Guard is investigating the killing of a large brown bear that activists allege was illegally shot by a Liechtenstein prince during a hunt in the Carpathian Mountains.

Flotation pipeline still producing new offerings.

Washington’s ban on Ankara acquiring F-35s is a major headache and armed drones are no substitute for manned fighter jets, says EDAM analyst.

Serbia is among the most advanced countries in Europe in terms of the share of the population already vaccinated but there are fears numbers could tail off amid anti-vaxxer sentiment.

Tech

Acquisition of Novi Sad-based PIN Computers to help ALSO's expansion in Eastern Europe.

Sber, the state-controlled financial and digital giant, has announced a binding agreement to fully acquire Muzlab, a leader in the Russian B2B audio streaming market.

Yandex, the NASDAQ-listed Russian tech major, is preparing to launch its express e-grocery delivery service in Western Europe – after successful deployment in Russia and Israel, reports East-West Digital News (EWDN).

Company that started out as a humble shop run by the Akgiray brothers appears to have expired.

Russia’s leading retail bank has rebranded to just “Sber,” dropping the word “bank” from its name, but the change has not really caught on. The management is now ramping up a rebranding drive and has promised to double investment into tech.

Opinion

The preliminary GDP figure for the first quarter surprised on the upside. The economy fell just 0.3% quarter on quarter, with pandemic restrictions being in place throughout the quarter.

Akmal Djalilov, founder of Uzbekistan’s BeTrader platform, looks at a new decree allowing Uzbek companies to list abroad.

Wealth in Russia comes with no small number of headaches. But one of the more surprising ones, linked to money, is that sometimes you can’t even give it away.

Ukraine’s business community and its supporters abroad condemned the Cabinet’s decision to sack the widely respected CEO of Naftogaz Andriy Kobolev on April 28, calling it an abuse of corporate governance that will undermine foreign investment.

The US recognition of the Armenian Genocide was more than 100 years coming, but it runs the risk of looking more like realpolitik than a sincere gesture.

Data

The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Russia Services Business Activity PMI index slowed a little in April to 55.2, down slightly from 55.8 in March, but remains robustly above the 50 no-change level as services bounce back.

The main index of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, BET, gained 15.7% in the first four months of this year, with building materials producer Teraplast the top performer.

Higher interest rates also appear to have squeezed performance.

Analysts say that the PMI is currently reflecting the manufacturing sector’s problems in meeting demand but the problems appear to be temporary.

The headline seasonally adjusted IHS Markit Russia Manufacturing PMI registered 50.4 in April, down slightly from 51.1 in March, to signal the slowest improvement in operating conditions in the last four months.

Features

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was in Moscow in winter to meet Stalin during WWII. Passing a group of Russians he asked his driver: "What are they doing?" "Eating ice cream, sir." He paused and said: “These people will never be defeated."

If Central Asian farmers don’t radically change how they use water, the region will not feed China.

OSCE report identifies border hotspots across the region where rising temperatures and more extreme weather events risk adding to border tensions.

The failure of a routine test at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine released a cloud of radioactive particles in the worst nuclear accident ever.

Fear of China fuelled the activism, though frustrations had accumulated over stagnant living conditions in the provinces.

Blogs

The EU’s slow and sometimes confusing response to the coronacrisis in the Western Balkans made room for China to increase its influence.

Police detain two young people for satirical use of passport as oven mitt, bookmark and drink mat.

Russia’s economy clearly began to emerge from the coronacrisis in March as industrial production went into the black for the first time in almost a year, posting a 1.1% expansion, and inflation started to fall again in the same month.

Uzbekistan has been sent the first 50,000 of half a million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine. On the same day Brazil rejected the vaccine, due to US pressure.

Prime Minister Edi Rama announced a victory rally after scoring an unprecedented third term in Albania’s general election, but will the opposition accept the result?

Follow Us On

Most Read

Podcasts

The world was hit by a global pandemic and an oil shock in 2020 but as 2021 gets underway the economies in Emerging Europe are bou....

Reports

Cookies on the bne IntelliNews website