Croatia’s parliament on December 15 approved legislation paving the way for the construction of a radioactive waste disposal facility near the border with Bosnia & Herzegovina, documents on the parliament website said.  »»»

The new head of the Czech environmental portfolio and leader of the anti-green and eurosceptic Motorists for Themselves party Petr Macinka declared the climate crisis to be “over” during his press conference after the populist new Czech cabinet was signed in.  »»»

The Europeans are preparing for a possible war. But how do they plan to fight? Amid all the talk of a possible war, Nato launched its largest exercise in decades, Steadfast Defender 2024, on January 24. It involved 90,000 troops. »»»

Cool Carriers, the world’s largest  operator of specialised refrigerated cargo vessels, known as reefers, has rejected allegations broadcast by Danish TV2 linking the group to a cocaine-smuggling scheme off Denmark’s coast, insisting it had no operational control over the ships or the crew inv»»»

EU leaders meet on December 18-19  to vote on rules that would allow the seizure of billions of euros of Russian money frozen in EU accounts that will be used to back €210bn worth of Reparation Loans for Ukraine that is bound to trigger a significant retaliation by Russia if the vote succeeds.»»»

Slovenian industrial production declined by 2.0% year on year in October (chart), after dropping by 1.3% y/y in the previous month, the statistics office reported on December 10, marking continued weakness across key sectors. »»»

Czech industrial output increased in real terms by 1.1% year-on-year and dropped by 0.1% month-on-month. The output was slightly above the 0.8% registered in September, but remains unconvincing amid the struggling German i»»»

Bad loan levels across Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe (CESEE) remain close to historic lows despite mounting economic and geopolitical headwinds, but early warning indicators point to rising stress in commercial real estate, small businesses and household credit, according to a new report pu»»»

Pre-Christmas shopping could boost Poland’s GDP growth in the fourth quarter by about 0.5pp, or roughly PLN5.6bn (€1.33bn), analysts at VeloBank said, PAP reported on December 17. The impact reflects a seasonal surge in co»»»

A deepening ideological rift between Europe and the United States is beginning to mirror the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s, according to political commentator and IntelliNews contributor Arnaud Bertrand. Bertrand draws a »»»

The EU’s vote on the Reparation Loan needs to fail. If it passes it will kill off any chance of a peace deal being signed. The US version of the plan is well advanced and special envoy to Ukraine retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg said last week that only points remain to be agreed. The EU ve»»»

British electronics group discoverIE announced that it has agreed to acquire Trival Antene, a Slovenian manufacturer of specialised communication antennae and masts used primarily in defence and professional applications. »»»

A Latvian startup has entered Nato’s innovation ecosystem for the first time. Deep Space Energy has been selected for support under the Nato Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) programme, becoming the first company from Latvia to receive backing since the initiative was la»»»

Vilnius-based venture capital firm Aneli Capital has launched a new €35mn fund aimed at early-stage technology companies across the Baltics, Poland and the wider Central and Eastern European region. The firm plans to make »»»

Latvia’s national airline airBaltic has entered a new phase under freshly appointed chief executive Erno Hilden, a Finnish aviation executive with more than 25 years of industry experience. During his time as chief financial officer at SAS Scandinavian Airlines, airBaltic was among the carriers fro»»»

Italy has thrown its weight behind France's opposition to the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, putting at risk this week's planned signing of the long-negotiated pact between Brussels and four South American nations. Giorgia M»»»

Dubai: Pakistan expects private management to take charge of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by April 2026 after a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation won a 75% stake in a competitive auction, advancing efforts to reduce losses at state-owned firms. Sign up for our daily business newslet»»»

Ocean upwelling zones are acidifying at a frightening pace, threatening fisheries that supply 20% of the world's catch and putting millions of livelihoods at risk, Scottish academics have warned. Because atmospheric CO2 an»»»

Europe’s wildfire crisis is intensifying, with 2025 on track to be the worst year on record, following a 2024 season that was already above the 17-year average, according to a report published on December 8 by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). »»»

Is Russia close to collapse? Russia vs US wartime budget deficits One of the EC executive assumptions for wanting to extend the war in Ukraine by two years is they seem to believe Russia’s economy is close to collapse. EU »»»

US President Donald Trump is in Florida today as the talks with the Ukraine delegation to stop the war continue. There is a decent chance that a deal to stop the war will be done today or tomorrow. However, that will invol»»»

EU leaders meet on December 18-19  to vote on rules that would allow the seizure of billions of euros of Russian money frozen in EU accounts that will be used to back €210bn worth of Reparation Loans for Ukraine that is bound to trigger a significant retaliation by Russia if the vote succeeds.»»»

The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton space X-ray telescope has confirmed observations by Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency showing an X-ray source within interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported on December 17. »»»

Russia and India have instituted what amounts to a "no limits” partnership, a phrasing previously reserved for Moscow's relationship with Beijing. Many reframed avenues of cooperation are becoming resurgent by progressively deepening cooperation across defence, nuclear technology, and logistical in»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pulling his punches in the bombing campaign of Ukraine’s power system. The country is plagued by rolling blackouts after Russia destroyed half of its generation capacity, but Russia could turn out the lights overnight and plunge the whole county into total darkne»»»

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 it did more than redraw the map of Europe: it pulled at the frayed seam that has separated Tokyo and Moscow for decades. Since the end of WWII the two have been held in an uneasy diplomatic limbo. Cordial summits and shared ec»»»

Russia’s federal budget deficit reached RUB4.3 trillion ($47.6bn), or 2% of GDP, in the first 11 months of 2025, according to the latest government data published last week. The shortfall is expected to grow to RUB5.7 trillion ($63.1bn), or 2.6% of GDP, by year-end, the Finance Ministry said. »»»

Russia's federal budget will remain in deficit through at least 2042, according to a long-term forecast from the Ministry of Economic Development, reviewed by Vedomosti on December 16, as falling oil and gas revenues, rising debt, and persistent war-related spending push public finances f»»»

Russia’s annual inflation rate fell to 6.6% in November, down from 7.7% in October, according to a commentary published by the Bank of Russia on December 12. The central bank said the decline was driven by easing food and energy prices, although underlying inflation pressures remain elevated. »»»

The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) resolved to cut the key interest rate by 50 basis points (bp) to 16% at the policy board meeting on December 19, according to the regulator's press release. A cautious key interes»»»

Bad loan levels across Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe (CESEE) remain close to historic lows despite mounting economic and geopolitical headwinds, but early warning indicators point to rising stress in commercial real estate, small businesses and household credit, according to a new report pu»»»

Nearly three years into the war in Ukraine, a former senior White House official has acknowledged that the conflict might have been avoided had the United States been willing to forgo Nato membership for Ukraine. Amanda Sl»»»

A deepening ideological rift between Europe and the United States is beginning to mirror the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s, according to political commentator and IntelliNews contributor Arnaud Bertrand. Bertrand draws a »»»

Ahead of the European Council meeting on 18-19 December, KSE Institute, together with the Centre for Liberal Modernity (LibMod) and a group of international legal and economic experts, has released a new legal analysis of the reparations loan for Ukraine — a Europ»»»

The Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić stated that Republic Day – January 9 – will be marked in the entity with a series of ceremonies. “Ceremonies are planned for January 5, 8, and 9. In Trebinje, we will inaugurate a newly built hospital on January 5, and on January 8 in Banja Luka, th»»»

The EU is today (and maybe tomorrow) discussing how to formally use the frozen Russian Central Assets to fund Ukraine EU summit to formalise use of Russian frozen assets. The issue of the frozen Central Bank assets appea»»»

Russian authorities have escalated restrictions on WhatsApp, sharply reducing the platform’s speed by as much as 80% in recent days, in what digital rights advocates describe as an effective precursor to a full ban. The cl»»»

Russia's State Duma (lower house of parliament) is not considering legislation to ban social media access for children and teenagers, with the effects of similar restrictions in Australia remaining unclear, TASS reported on December 22. »»»

The EU avoided a decision to confiscate assets or income. The European Council (EUCO) summit on December 18 decided neither to confiscate the frozen Russian assets nor to formally use the income generated by the frozen assets. Instead, the EU (except for three states: Hungary, Slovakia, and Cz»»»

Russia is rolling out a new scheme to tag every internet user with a single tracking number that follows them across every website and app they visit, Deputy Digital Development Minister Bella Cherkesova revealed on December 24. »»»

An interstellar comet that sparked speculation about extraterrestrial visitors has departed the solar system after making its closest approach to Earth at 270 million kilometres on December 19, with Russian scientists dismissing claims the object could be an alien spacecraft, RIA Novosti reported o»»»

Russia has reoriented 87% of its trade in physical terms towards non-Western countries compared to around 40% five to six years ago, Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk stated on December 24. Overchuk, Russia's technocra»»»

Regular flights from Moscow's Vnukovo airport to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia commenced on December 23, the airport's press service announced, Interfax reported. Saudi Arabian carrier flynas began operating the route three times»»»

Three people including two traffic police officers died in an explosion in southern Moscow when a suspected suicide bomber detonated a device as officers approached, Russia's Investigative Committee stated on December 24. »»»

Europe’s wildfire crisis is intensifying, with 2025 on track to be the worst year on record, following a 2024 season that was already above the 17-year average, according to a report published on December 8 by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). »»»

Croatia’s parliament on December 15 approved legislation paving the way for the construction of a radioactive waste disposal facility near the border with Bosnia & Herzegovina, documents on the parliament website said.  »»»

This is going to get very messy. This morning Fitch announced it was putting Euroclear, which holds most of Russia’s frozen money, on “ratings watch with negative outlook.” That is a polite way of saying the proverbial is about to hit the fan. »»»

This is going to get very messy. This morning Fitch announced it was putting Euroclear, which holds most of Russia’s frozen money, on “ratings watch with negative outlook.” That is a polite way of saying the proverbial is about to hit the fan. »»»

The European Union faces a mounting challenge in the Western Balkans as a surge of foreign investment, much of it from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), tests the bloc’s ability to promote transparent governance while enlargement gathers new political momentum. »»»