Czech elections show steady rise of far right and populists

Populist ANO party of former premier Andrej Babis comes first in eight of 13 regional capitals but was only second in the two largest, Prague and Brno.

Protesters take to Iran’s streets for 10th night but situation obscure as regime moves country offline

President says unrest will be dealt with “decisively”. Observers say many Iranians have lost their fear of “brutal regime”.

Serbia signs foreign policy document with Russia amid escalation of Ukraine war

MEPs call for Serbia’s EU accession talks to be frozen over foreign policy consultation plan signed with Moscow.

Belarus drafts bill on parallel imports to avoid Western sanctions

It's not only Belarusian exports that have been negatively affected by Western sanctions this year but the country's imports are also down to dangerously low levels. To ease the pressure Belarus is now considering a new law on parallel imports.

Ukraine slashes ties with Iran in protest at drones supply to Russia

Move comes after Ukrainian military claims to have downed four Iranian-made “kamikaze” unmanned aerial vehicles.

US venture firm launches new fund with exclusive Ukrainian focus

Top Russian e-scooter service aims to raise $167mn on Moscow Exchange

Russian kick-sharing service Whoosh intends to go public on the Moscow Exchange this or next year.

Serbia’s video game industry generated revenues of €125mn in 2021

Serbia is an emerging high-tech hub that is especially strong in blockchain and game development.

Head of North Macedonia’s e-commerce platform Grouper joins Serbia’s Ananas, fuelling takeover rumours

Grouper was set up as a startup by North Macedonia’s ex-finance minister Nina Angelovska in 2011.

France's 52 Entertainment buys Bulgarian gaming developer Casualino

French e-gaming company 52 Entertainment aims to improve its regional capabilities in board and card games.

ING: Eurozone PMI suggests the region may already be in recession

The third decline in a row for the eurozone PMI indicates that business activity has been contracting throughout the quarter. This confirms our view that a recession could have already started.

ING: Energy price caps are appealing, but are not without risks

On 14 September 2022, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced in her State of the Union speech a set of proposals to mitigate the impact of high energy prices.

OPINION: Belgrade’s EuroPride parade was a victory against the Kremlin

The triumph of love over hate showed most Serbian citizens want to live in the democratic world despite Moscow’s efforts.

NEMETHY: The dawn of a new era: more expensive energy and wages?

Psychologists say that the human brain suffers from dozens of different biases, perhaps one of the most important of these being “recency bias”. We tend to project the past into the future and Putin's war has radically changed that future.

PANNIER: Putin arrived with little to offer an SCO summit that showed no real clout

Disparate interests of organisation’s member nations meant many major issues of the day could not even be discussed. But there was only one dominant member: China.

Moldova’s manufacturing activity plunges to levels not seen since lockdown

Moldova’s industrial output plunged by 14.4% y/y in July, when the activity in the manufacturing sector reached the lowest level seen in the past decade except for the March-April lockdown months in 2020.

Analysts wrong again as 'unorthodox' Turkey cuts rates another 100 bp

Benchmark now 12% versus official inflation of 80.2%. Lira continues to sink.

Albanians trust international organisations and religious institutions more than their politicians

More than 70% of Albanians trust the EU, the UN and Nato compared to only one quarter who trust the president or political parties.

Montenegro’s economy posts 12.7% y/y growth in 2Q22

Growth is expected to slow later in 2022 as the war in Ukraine affects tourism and other key sectors.

Polish industrial production shows surprise growth of 10.9% in August

Demand is still poised to weaken in line with the overall economic slowdown.

Belarus corruption watch: The Belarusian government elites' EU vacations

Despite their current hatred for Western Europe, a new investigation by the Belarusian Investigative Centre shows that a wide range of Belarusian government officials own real estate in, and frequently travel to, the EU.

Russian media airing increasingly Armenia-sceptic narrative

Armenians could usually rely on favourable coverage from the media of its strategic ally. Following another escalation, that no longer seems to be the case.

DATACRUNCH: Europe's energy crisis in charts

Russian President Vladimir Putin's two most powerful weapons in his conflict with the West are inflation and power prices.

Energy crisis: Europe’s industry shutting down

Dozens of plants across a diverse range of industries such as steel, aluminium, fertilisers and the power industry have been forced to close up shop as sky-high gas and power prices make their businesses lossmaking.

PANNIER: As Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan descend into another border war, there’s no-one to stop the fighting

Though Russia has offered to mediate, a feeling prevails among some parties that the Kremlin is supportive of Tajik strongman Rahmon.

MOSCOW BLOG: Panic and protests in Russia, but not at mass demonstration tipping point yet

Panic swept Russia after President Vladimir Putin announced mass mobilisation on September 21, with tens of thousands making for border to escape conscription into the Russian army. By the evening small protests broke out across the country.

MOSCOW BLOG: Putin ups the ante with partial mobilisation

The decision was an extreme one and carries real political risks. Most Russian back the war, but only passively.

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: Media risk underplaying significance of Tajikistan’s attack on Kyrgyzstan says academic

Term “border clash” not sufficient for “some of the most violent and consequential” days in the independent history of Central Asia.

MOSCOW BLOG: Two tribes go to war

The economic war is getting increasingly nasty. Sanctions are hurting the Russian economy but Putin's energy crisis has caused a cost of living crisis in the west and the EU's energy intensive industry is starting to shut down. Who can last longer?

ISTANBUL BLOG: Turkey’s $24bn question

Mystery sum helping to finance chronic current account deficit could be linked to ‘wealth amnesties’ allowing crime proceeds into banking system.

bneGREEN: Slovenia’s Sigma Energy deploys device to convert sea waves into electricity

Sigma Energy's full-scale Sigma WEC prototype deployed off Montenegro's Bar in the Adriatic Sea.

bneGreen: Southeast Europe’s first eco-mosque opens in Croatia

As the climate crisis worsens, there is growing interest in building more eco-friendly places of worship.

bneGREEN: Europe pays what it takes to bring in LNG but still cannot get enough

European energy ministers will discuss further options to secure gas supplies and punish Russia.

bneGREEN: Baltic states – except Russia – agree to aim for seven-fold increase in offshore wind

The heads of governments and energy ministers of the eight countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, apart from Russia, have committed to new volumes of offshore wind.

bneGreen: Heavy rain and flooding linked to climate change cause chaos in Skopje

The warmer climate in North Macedonia's capital mean torrential rain and flooding are now more frequent.