China unveils 15th Five-Year Plan to accelerate high-tech industrial growth
China’s top leadership has unveiled a new push to turn advanced technologies into large-scale industrial priorities as part of the country&rs...
S&P Global Ratings has revised Uzbekistan’s outlook to positive from stable, affirming its 'BB-/B' ratings. The change reflects steady economic reforms, resilient growth, and support from high gold prices, which are helping stabilize the country’s fiscal and external positions.
S&P Global Ratings upgraded Uzbekistan’s outlook to positive, citing ongoing structural reforms, robust domestic demand, and high gold prices as key factors boosting growth and fiscal stability. The agency affirmed the country's 'BB-/B' long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings.
Uzbekistan’s economy is projected to grow by 5.6% on average through 2028, driven by government-led investment, labor remittances, and energy sector reforms. Plans to gradually increase energy tariffs and reduce subsidies are expected to lower the fiscal deficit from 4.9% of GDP in 2023 to around 3% over the medium term.
Rising gold exports are enhancing fiscal revenues and foreign exchange reserves. While public debt is increasing due to infrastructure spending, it is expected to remain manageable, reaching 34% of GDP by 2028.
However, risks remain due to centralized governance, dependence on commodity exports, and exposure to external shocks.
S&P noted that continued reforms and efforts to strengthen fiscal discipline could lead to a rating upgrade. Conversely, slower growth or rising deficits may stabilize the outlook.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars 'forever' in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
Türkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has described the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military campaign against Iran as a “clear violation of international law”, in his strongest remarks yet on the escalating regional crisis.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars 'forever' in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Kazakhstan has vowed to speed up its investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crash near Aktau, as mounting diplomatic pressure and geopolitical tensions push the disaster further into the international spotlight.
Entrances to Iran's underground and previously bombed uranium-enrichment plant at Natanz have been struck as part of the U.S.-Israeli military attacks on the country, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEZ) confirmed on Tuesday (3 March).
The Israeli military deployed additional forces to southern Lebanon overnight, to take up what a military spokesperson on Tuesday (3 March) described as "defensive positions" aimed at protecting Israeli civilians and strategic sites from potential Hezbollah attacks.
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