Features
Indonesia caught between a rock and a hard place on the Iran-Israel conflict
As open hostilities once again affect millions in the Middle East, 42 Indonesian citizens have found themselves stranded in Tel Aviv after Israel closed its main international airport.
Belarus sliding back into Soviet economy habits
Russia been transformed into a war economy, but it is still run on market lines. Belarus is going in the opposite direction, one that is increasingly mirrors Soviet-style economic management.
PANNIER: Central Asia’s space race
A satellite in orbit offers a nation prestige, essential data in handling natural disasters and, controversially, a blanket “kill switch” for the internet during unrest.
Russia slowly being squeezed out of Syria
The new Syrian authorities have gone a long way towards gaining full recognition by the international community and as these relations get better those with Russia are getting worse.
What the Iran-Israel war could mean for much of Asia
From energy security and trade disruptions to political polarisation and rising tensions among Muslim-majority nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia and nuclear armed Pakistan, the consequences for Asia could reshape regional dynamics.
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ISRAEL IRAN WAR: is the war good news for the Russian budget?
The outbreak of full-scale conflict between Israel and Iran caused oil prices to jump that will provide the Kremlin with a welcome fresh infusion of cash at a time when military spending continues to balloon.
China’s delicate dance in the Iran-Israel war
Beijing has long pursued a foreign policy of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of others, and multipolar diplomacy, particularly in the Middle East. But the deepening crisis between Iran and Israel has tested these principles.
Iranian mines in the Straits of Hormuz could shut down a fifth of oil flows in a week
Iran has somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 naval mines, according to US intelligence estimates, which it could use to block the Straits of Hormuz and halt the flow of a fifth of the world’s oil traffic in a week.
Kremlin in delicate position between Israel and Iran, but could play peacemaker
With its long-standing good relations with both Tel Aviv and Tehran, the outbreak of war in the Middle East has put Moscow in a delicate position, but it has also been presented it with the opportunity to act as peacemaker.
Falsehoods and fabrications: the flood of fake media in modern warfare
A close look by a German news agency reveals that a considerable volume of the content circulating online is fabricated, manipulated, or taken from unrelated events. Most was generated in Iran.
Only Iranians can shake off oppression – but Israel ally Taiwan can serve as an example how
As long as millions of Iranian men opt to sit in silence, knowingly oppressed, year after year, nothing will change.
ISRAEL IRAN WAR: Is this a Sarajevo moment that will lead to world war?
With the Iran and Israel conflict rapidly spiralling out of control, has the world reached a “Sarajevo moment” where the great powers get pulled into a small regional conflict that could spark WWIII?
Mongolia picks reformer to lead cabinet after former PM exits in scandal
Zandanshatar Gombojav’s past may bother nervous foreign investors. But says one expert: “Today he presents himself as a reform-minded stabiliser, not a threat to foreign capital.”
INTERVIEW: Western Balkans attract tech and services FDI as manufacturing outlook dims
Global uncertainty prompted the EBRD to lowered its outlook for the Western Balkans, but the bank’s Matteo Colangeli points to the region’s continued attractiveness for IT and services outsourcing.
Lebanon walks tightrope as escalation tests regional alliances
The implications for Lebanon are grave. While officials have reiterated the state’s commitment to neutrality and sovereignty
The hidden cost of Indonesia’s nickel ambitions
Indonesia ranks among the top global producers of nickel, a critical component in electric vehicle batteries, smartphones, and wind turbines - making the country central to the global shift toward clean energy
CITIES IN PERIL: Boomtowns built on melting ground
The warming climate has opened up some of the world’s coldest regions to mining and shipping, but melting permafrost under cities like Yakutsk and Norilsk is causing buildings and infrastructure to crumble.
Uzbekistan’s President Mirziyoyev strikes neutral stance in investment forum keynote speech
“Uzbekistan has attracted $39bn of FDI in the last eight years, up 10-fold,” Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev told delegates to the fourth Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) on June 10.
Uzbekistan top supermarket Korzinka raises $110mn to fund rapid expansion
Organised retail is growing fast in Uzbekistan, catering to the demands of a growing middle class for convenience and upmarket goods, but it remains in the early stages of development.
CNG vehicle adoption accelerates across India
Air pollution remains a severe public health challenge in North India, especially during the winter months, with several cities in the region regularly feature among the world’s top ten most polluted.