Category: Country Reports
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July 2024
Kazakhstan is opening the door, to what President Tokayev describes as “new oil”, and going after mineral mining investment and is actively drawing up a plan for the development of this extremely lucrative sector. At the same time, stronger and stronger trade ties with China and other neighbours are bringing optimism right across the board.………
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June 2024
Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash led to a period of national mourning. Tipped as a future Supreme Leader, Raisi was not a popular politician. His demise was widely mocked on social media in Iran, the overriding sentiment being that, for many Iranian people, any trauma associated with the crash comes from more senior…
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June 2024
Overview. President Sisi’s patience and diplomatic skills are being sorely tested. Israel appears intent on pushing every last one of his buttons to see just how far they can go. It is in Egypt’s interest to bring peace to Gaza. Revenue, growth, and stability depend on it, but Israel is making it difficult for some…
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June 2024
Kazakhs were gripped by live streams of a murder trial that has broken down some long standing barriers in the country. The trial was about domestic violence but it quickly became politically significant as it kept viewers hooked and mobilised formerly stagnant sectors of society. The drama in the courtroom provoked cross generational discussions on…
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May 2024
Iran and Israel took the Middle East region to the brink of war this month as Israel’s assumption that Iran would not respond to a strike on diplomatic premises in Damascus proved flawed. Both sides resisted their own hardliners' demands to escalate, but even their more-limited responses have crossed a Rubicon.…… Read the rest
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May 2024
In the run-up to May’s critical upazila (local) elections, the main opposition party, the BNP, have expelled 73 members of their party for preparing to take part in the election, thereby violating the BNP’s decision to not take part. The IMF has, for the second time in recent months, reduced its GDP growth forecast (down…
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May 2024
Kazakhstan’s ‘steady as she goes’ approach to international relations continues. President Tokayev is still walking a tightrope between the East, the West and Russia. At the same time he is dealing with the biggest domestic floods for 80 years so home affairs have been his major focus in April. As May begins his priority will…
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May 2024
Pakistan urgently needs a new IMF programme. It is also crying out for immediate economic reforms. The nation sits on a cliff edge in danger of a fall into a debt restructuring. We have a new government but are they up to the task? Coalition governments often make poor economic decisions as they try to…
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April 2024
The seemingly daily blame-game between the two main political parties continues apace, with the two blaming each other for a lack of democracy in the country. On the economic front, exports continue to surge with a third consecutive month of USD 5-billion plus earnings, while remittance collection also continues to show good numbers.…… Read the…
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April 2024
This month it is all about the money. As March opened USD1 was trading at EGP30.89. As it ended USD1 bought you EGP47.25. The much-anticipated floatation of EGP was long overdue – indeed, we predicted it six months ago. The knock on impact on prices has been painful for many but there has still been…