Features
China's latest anti-India move focuses on transit travellers
China’s refusal to acknowledge the validity of an Indian passport held by a UK-based Arunachal Pradesh born traveller illustrates a widening pattern in which Beijing links territorial claims to the movement of ordinary Indian citizens.
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Kazakhstan's critical minerals ambitions may still be a distant dream
So much remains mere speculation.
Ancient city of poets, scholars and dreamers breathes again with the Bukhara Biennial
Among event's most compelling stories was the journey of a humble space for prayer and contemplation.
Demographic shifts threaten long-term growth in Emerging Europe, EBRD warns
Economies are "getting old before they get rich” as labour shortages, rising pension costs and declining working-age populations take their toll on region.
COMMENT: Xi’s call to Trump smacks of a leader whose bark is worse than his bite
That Japan’s Takaichi – a known fan of Britain’s Iron Lady of the late 70s, 80s, and early 90s, Margaret Thatcher – has refused to bend, break or back down under a barrage of Chinese abuse speaks volumes.
Iran-US talks back on the table?
Diplomatic activity involving Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia and US reignites speculation about resumed Tehran-Washington dialogue. Iranian FM visits Muscat whilst President Pezeshkian sends letter to Saudi king interpreted as discreet overture.
INTERVIEW: Ukraine’s "cheap, fast and brutally effective” innovation positioning it as European defence hub
Ukraine has become a centre for defence and dual-use technological innovation since the start of the war with Russia, Maria Repko of Kyiv-based think-tank CES tells bne IntelliNews.
A Ukrainian army of 600,000 men is still the second biggest in Europe
One of the proposals in the US 28-point peace plan is that Ukraine reduce its armed forces to 600,000 men. Bankova has already rejected that proposal, but it would still leave Ukraine with the second biggest army in Europe after Russia’s.
India confronts stricter US sanctions as Russian oil imports decline
India’s reliance on discounted Russian crude — a pillar of its energy strategy since 2022 — has come under renewed strain as Washington tightens sanctions and imposes fresh tariffs on Moscow’s energy sector.
COMMENT: Is this the end of the road for Hasina and the Awami League in Bangladesh?
Sheikh Hasina's dramatic ousting in August 2024 in the wake of violent protests, and her subsequent death sentence ruling has been seen by some as marking the end of the road for the former PM and her party.
LONG READ: How oil price discounts became a barometer of the sanction’s effectiveness
When Russian troops crossed into Ukraine in February 2022, the country’s main crude export blend, Urals, was still trading in line with its traditional discount to Brent of $2. A month later Russia discounted it by $30 to find buyers.
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Peru’s broken regulatory system is enabling illegal mining networks
Peru’s decision to prolong the Integrated Registry for Mining Formalisation (Reinfo) is the clearest indication that the state has lost control over its primary tool for regulating small-scale mining.
After Tajikistan deports hundreds of Afghans, refugee community remains on edge
Tajiks accuse deportees of bad behaviour, many held legal status.
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Maduro's days look numbered. Venezuela's chaos may be just beginning
The drumbeat of war grows louder in the Caribbean as the US masses its largest military deployment since the Panama invasion. Trump wants Maduro gone — but fears Venezuela could become another Libya.
PANNIER: Dire power deficit pits Kyrgyz president against city mayors and kettle against washing machine
Disco lights ordered off by 10pm. Crypto farms unplugged.
COMMENT: Head-to-head – China vs Japan. Who wins?
With the latest China – Japan spat having been blown up exponentially by Beijing in recent days, many in East Asia are asking what would happen if hostilities break out between Beijing and Tokyo.
New jet engines compound Russia’s glide bomb headache for Ukraine
The Russian air force is lobbing as many as 5,000 glide bombs at Ukrainian positions every month, including some bombs weighing 3,000 kg that are powerful enough to destroy any defences.
Ukraine's Energoatom scandal escalates as Zelenskiy dithers on implementing a strong response
The Operation Midas scandal involving close associates of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and senior Ukrainian officials in a $100mn kickback scandal continues to expand and threatens to bring the government down.
China’s LNG tanker shadow fleet – reality or fiction?
China appears to be constructing a discreet fleet of LNG tankers capable of moving sanctioned Russian fuel in what is an emerging tactic that would allow Moscow to preserve export revenue while tightening the energy relationship between the two.
Ukraine’s Energoatom corruption stole money to protect Ukraine’s power stations, caused blackouts
A Russian missile barrage has plunged Ukraine into darkness as winter approaches but could have been avoided. Money earmarked to build effective defences against Russia’s sustained missile attacks was stolen, leaving them defenceless.