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BRICS leaders gather in Rio to challenge Western dominance

Leaders from the BRICS group have convened in Rio de Janeiro for their 17th annual summit, casting the expanded bloc as a counterweight to Western institutions whilst grappling with internal divisions over key geopolitical flashpoints.

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100,000 Syrian refugees voluntarily return from Jordan

Jordan’s Minister of Interior, Mazen Al-Faraya, announced that approximately 97,000 Syrian refugees have returned voluntarily from Jordan to Syria since the beginning of this year.

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LNG in Asia: A transitional step on the way to a greener future

As the global push for decarbonisation intensifies, liquefied natural gas - LNG - is emerging as a pivotal player in Asia’s energy transformation.

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Southern Ocean current reverses for first time, signalling risk of climate system collapse

A major ocean current in the Southern Hemisphere has reversed direction for the first time in recorded history, in what climatologists are calling a “catastrophic” tipping point in the global climate system.

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KYIV BLOG - A night under attack

Katia, a 28-year old text editor, had spent Thursday afternoon on the beach by what locals call the Kyiv sea, but which is in fact a huge reservoir formed by the damming of the Dnipro river north of the city.

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Russia launches intense long-range missile strikes and drone barrage targeting Ukrainian infrastructure

Russia has launched the most intense missile and drone strikes on key Ukrainian infrastructure targets over the weekend that is growing in ferocity, focusing on the dwindling air defences installations, logistics hubs, and ammunition depots.

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Three Turkish opposition mayors arrested as Erdoğan’s crackdown intensifies

Three prominent mayors from Turkey’s main opposition party Republican People’s Party were arrested on the morning of July 5, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cracks down on his political opponents ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.

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Water levels drop in Europe’s main rivers as heatwave hits cargo traffic

Both the Vistula in Poland and the Danube in Hungary, two of Europe’s biggest rivers, have reached record-low water levels as Europe’s unprecedented heatwave intensifies and starts to cause major economic damage.

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Egypt approves $959,000 deal with USTDA to develop methane-reduction roadmap

St Petersburg braces for historic flood as Neva River surges past warning levels

Zimbabwe abolishes decades-old dual exchange rate controls

Egypt approves $959,000 deal with USTDA to develop methane-reduction roadmap

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi approved on July 5 a grant agreement worth $959,000 with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to develop a roadmap for reducing methane emissions in Egypt.

St Petersburg braces for historic flood as Neva River surges past warning levels

St Petersburg is bracing itself for the worst flood in 160 years as the water level in the Neva surges thanks to heavy rain.

Zimbabwe abolishes decades-old dual exchange rate controls

Zimbabwe has officially eliminated exchange rate controls that authorities used for decades to arrest and fine individuals and businesses operating with unofficial rates.

News

Iran's most damaged airport resumes operations after 23-day closure

Iran's Tabriz Airport has received approval to resume commercial aviation services following extensive damage sustained from Israeli airstrikes

Russia becomes first country to formally recognise Taliban government in Afghanistan

Russia has formally recognised the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, becoming the first country to do so since the group seized power in August 2021, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on July 4.

Trump-Zelenskiy call discusses air defence ammo as US pauses some arms deliveries

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held a telephone conversation on July 4 and discussed the future defence cooperation and halt in delivery of American weapons.

Estonia declines airBaltic stake offer amid airline's financial challenges

Estonia has decided against purchasing a stake in Latvia's flag carrier airBaltic, Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis announced on July 3.

Outrage after Serbian president pardons men who broke student’s jaw

Anger has grown after President Aleksandar Vucic pardoned four men accused of attacking a student in Novi Sad earlier this year – one of whom broke her jaw.

Iran's most damaged airport resumes operations after 23-day closure

7 hours ago

Russia becomes first country to formally recognise Taliban government in Afghanistan

Latest Updates

News

Iran's Tabriz Airport has received approval to resume commercial aviation services following extensive damage sustained from Israeli airstrikes

Russia has formally recognised the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, becoming the first country to do so since the group seized power in August 2021, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on July 4.

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held a telephone conversation on July 4 and discussed the future defence cooperation and halt in delivery of American weapons.

Estonia has decided against purchasing a stake in Latvia's flag carrier airBaltic, Infrastructure Minister Kuldar Leis announced on July 3.

Anger has grown after President Aleksandar Vucic pardoned four men accused of attacking a student in Novi Sad earlier this year – one of whom broke her jaw.

Tech

Turkey's electronic communications companies increased sector investment by 80% to TRY94.1bn ($2.36bn) compared to 2023.

From 2017 to 2023, private equity and venture capital assets under management in Asia surged by an astonishing 130%, significantly outpacing growth in Western markets.

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority has issued the world's first regulatory framework for hybrid operations, enabling electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

An Iranian communications expert has warned that the country's internet filtering policies have inadvertently led millions of users to install VPN applications that may serve as espionage tools for foreign intelligence services.

Companies link up to expand potential in turning bold ideas into smart business.

Opinion

The President of the National Bank of Poland first called yesterday's cut an adjustment of rates, not the beginning of a cycle of cuts. Finally, he signalled a September cut with the target rate seen in the range of 3-3.5%.

Iran launched its first-ever direct railway connection to China in May, its first rail link to Asia that does not rely on transshipment through seaports or Russia, significantly improving its national security by avoiding the seaborne exports.

Hold the indignation. Let the poor man explain.

Central Asia is bottled up by an unstable Afghanistan. It would dearly love to open a southern corridor that leads to the huge and lucrative markets of Southeast Asia that could transform the economy of the region.

Sanctions against Russia and the voluntary boycott of Russian ports and transit routes by major global transport and logistic companies, created the need for alternative routes to carry the growing volume of trade between China and Europe.

Data

Kazakhstan’s annual inflation rate rose to 11.8% in June, up from 11.3% in May, according to latest figures released by the National Statistics Bureau. Monthly inflation eased slightly to 0.8%, compared to 0.9% in May.

Poland’s public finance sector deficit is projected to reach 6.8% of GDP in 2026 and 5.7% in 2027, according to analysts at Bank Pekao, who cite sustained military spending, weaker tax revenues and looser European fiscal rules as the reason.

Turkey’s consumer price index (CPI) inflation officially stood at 35.05% y/y in June versus 35.41% y/y in May and 44% y/y at end-2024.

Russia’s service sector fell back into the red at the end of the second quarter as the S&P Global PMI index fell to 49.2 in June from 52.2 in May, below the 50 no-change benchmark.

The National Bank of Poland’s decision to cut its main policy rate by 25 basis points on July 3, bringing it to 5.00%, caught most analysts off guard. Yet for those watching closely, the signals were already there.

Features

Russia’s chronic labour crisis is showing signs of beginning to ease, as new data show a slowdown in wage growth and hiring, particularly in the civilian and construction sectors, Kommersant reported this week.

Juliana Marins, 26, fell into a 600-metre ravine near the summit of Mount Rinjani during a guided hike with five other tourists. The volcano, rising 3,726 metres above sea level is one of Indonesia’s most popular but perilous trekking destinations.

Taiwan's Ambassador to Guatemala has reaffirmed the nations' "transparent, sustainable, and mutually beneficial" relationship in an interview with bne IntelliNews following Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo's visit to Taiwan on June 5.

The issue is not simply one of popularity. Matcha production is a highly specialised and seasonal process. It begins with shade-grown tencha leaves, which are harvested only once a year in spring.

India is one of the world’s major consumers of edible oil, with palm oil being the most popular. A significant portion of the country’s domestic demand is met through imports, primarily from Malaysia and Indonesia.

Blogs

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been calling for western arms from day-one of the war and has never received enough soon enough.

Trump's confrontational approach to China, while superficially aligned with concerns within ASEAN, is neither strategic nor consultative. It is built more on spectacle than substance, more on division than dialogue.

There have been dramatic changes in Kazakhstan over the last decade, with a thriving fintech sector and an embrace of green technologies, but the country is still grappling with familiar political and economic challenges.

Armenian PM offered to show the head of the church his penis to prove a point in their ongoing row. But past experience shows it’s difficult for politicians to win a church vs state standoff.

As the world’s attention remains focused on the wars in Ukraine and, more recently, the Middle East, several countries in the Western Balkans are ramping up their military capacities.

bneGREEN

Heat records have become commonplace in meteorological record-keeping, while new cold records have become few and far between, Statista reports.

Poland will not support the European Union’s proposed 90% greenhouse gas emissions reduction target for 2040, calling it “unrealistic” and harmful to the country’s economic and energy security.

A large-scale outage struck the Czech Republic’s electricity grid on July 4, temporarily cutting power to several regions, in what the country’s transmission system operator described as a rare and significant disruption.

Dust storms originating from Iraq are forecast to impact air quality across multiple Middle Eastern countries including Iran, Syria and Kuwait over the next five days, with Iran's Meteorological Organisation warning of severe conditions.

Ecuador has secured $1bn in energy sector investments from Spain and China through 2026, marking an early success from President Daniel Noboa's recent diplomatic tour.

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