Menswear sales are still recovering from a dip in 2005, but this season’s Pitti Uomo was attended by 21,000 buyers with significant growth in eastern European and Indian markets. And its fashions were similarly forward…
Yes, they have economic problems and some rocky politics but the old Eastern bloc nations are poised to set the European agenda in 2017. From defence to pinching City of London jobs, the Visegrad Group is shaping up to…
Its disastrous wars of the 1990s left Serbia locked out while other former Eastern bloc nations enjoyed the European party. Now, as its creative and business talent discards nationalist fantasies, the world is catching on…
Often referred to as the last dictatorship in Europe, Belarus has woken up to its image problem and has embarked on a PR mission. But, with its strong-armed leadership still in place, are the changes anything more than…
When Chancellor Merkel steps down at the end of September, whoever takes her place will find that there’s no clear roadmap. We talk to the key parties about Germany’s future on the world stage.
It’s a vital military outpost, dogged by organised crime. However, with huge Chinese, Korean and Japanese markets on its shores, Vladivostok could become Russia’s Far Eastern giant.
Mongolia is rich in raw materials and is thought to have huge oil reserves: resources that its neighbour China – with which it shares a rocky relationship – needs. The dust-bowl capital, Ulan Bator, is already flourishing…
Although the European nut market was worth over €8bn in 2007, consumption there is peanuts compared to the Middle East. But Al Rifai, the Lebanese ‘Rolls-Royce of nut companies’, is expanding into Europe’s underdeveloped…
The Chinese city of Harbin is quickly establishing itself as a regional power, bringing in investment and cashing in on its food and fashion. Although it’s still a long way off Shanghai, it’s proving that it’s far from grim…
With a pivotal geographic location, a vibrant media culture uniting both Asian and European markets and a flourishing defence sector, Australia is in a prime position to become a new, fresh-faced regional power.
From a southern African state that has gone from hungry nation to food exporter, to a vast new port in Mexico and a sea of trouble in Europe, we pinpoint the places that will make the headlines – for good and bad reasons…
Known as the quieter sibling of the UAE’s growing mega cities, the port of Fujairah links the Gulf to the Indian Ocean. But with investment rising and a politically strategic position, this tranquil place may be about to…
The financial spotlight has been shining bright on China’s big eastern cities, but as investors notice the wealth of opportunity and resources in the remote western region, the city of Urumqi is about to take centre stage…
Tangier has a reputation for being a playground for pleasure seekers. But with the opening of a new port this summer, the city is set to become a key business centre. Just a short ferry ride from Europe, staff costs are low…
The world is dividing into two halves: those who will not abandon the nine-to-five routine, and those (think Asian nations) willing to make sure they are open for business at all hours. We may not like it – but will East…