Kazakhstan is now richer than Russia.  That is according to the latest data from the International Monetary Fund, showing Kazakh GDP per capita is projected to hit an all-time high of $14,770 this year, compared with Russia’s $14,260. The fresh numbers, updated earlier in August, show Kazakhstan’s GDP per capita now leads all post-Soviet states other than the Baltics and is even running ahead of China’s.  The data helps illustrate Kazakhstan’s impressive economic growth over the past quarter-century, fueled by…

For the first time since taking office a few weeks ago, Poland’s new President Karol Nawrocki used his veto power to block a bill passed by Parliament—and it was a green energy bill easing rules for building onshore wind farms but bundling it with a freeze on energy prices. “This is the first bill which I’ve decided to veto,” Nawrocki said on Thursday, as carried by Bloomberg. “It was a kind of blackmail by the parliamentary majority,” the president added. The president and his allies of the nationalist…

For the first time since taking office a few weeks ago, Poland’s new President Karol Nawrocki used his veto power to block a bill passed by Parliament—and it was a green energy bill easing rules for building onshore wind farms but bundling it with a freeze on energy prices. “This is the first bill which I’ve decided to veto,” Nawrocki said on Thursday, as carried by Bloomberg. “It was a kind of blackmail by the parliamentary majority,” the president added. The president and his allies of the nationalist…

Africa is poised for a green energy revolution. The continent is incredibly rich in clean energy resources, but the vast majority of them are untapped. At the same time, African nations are in dire need of electrification, as approximately 600 million Africans currently lack access to electricity entirely, and the population is set to boom, creating major hurdles for development.  Although African nations have contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, they stand to suffer the most from the impacts of climate change. Plus, they…

The largest Chinese and Asian refiner Sinopec reported on Thursday a 36% decline in its first-half profit on the back of lower oil prices and refining margins and weakening domestic fuel demand. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec, as it is more commonly known, booked a profit attributable to shareholders of $3.3 billion (23.75 billion Chinese yuan) for the period January to June 2025, down by 35.9% from the same period last year. “Dragged by various factors such as the declining international crude oil prices combined…