News
Journalists in Central, Southeast Europe face harassment, intimidation and violence
Bulgaria the worst place to be a journalist across the EU and the Balkans, says Reporters Without Borders, but decline in press freedom seen across many countries in the region.
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Romanian justice minister's resignation fails to settle political impasse
Tudorel Toader lost the support of the ruling Social Democratic Party over his reluctance to issue emergency decrees on controversial amendments to Romania’s justice laws.
Russia’s Ministry of Finance holds another record breaking OFZ treasury auction
Russia’s ministry of finance is on a tear as it got another no-limits bond auction for its ruble denominated OFZ treasury bills away setting a fresh record.
Kyiv court rules nationalisation of PrivatBank was illegal
The court's decision caused an immediate backlash from Ukraine’s donors who see the nationalisation of the bankrupt bank as a major victory in the drive to reform the country and end the endemic corruption.
Erdogan lashes out at FT over report on Turkish central bank’s ‘enhanced’ FX reserves
Accuses daily and other Western media of falsely portraying Turkey’s economy as “collapsed, finished”.
Erdogan’s nemesis declared mayor of Istanbul but battle for city not over
Ekrem Imamoglu awarded mandate but analysts note president’s party needs to endure that step to make move for election rerun technically possible.
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Name change at the heart of North Macedonia’s presidential election campaigns
The Prespa agreement, under which the country formerly known as Macedonia was recently renamed North Macedonia, has become the preeminent issue in the race for the country’s presidency.
Moscow Exchange CEO changed but strategy to remain the same
The CEO of the Moscow Exchange Alexander Afanasiev, who oversaw a revolutionary change in Russia’s capital markets, has stepped down a year early and will be replaced by Yury Denisov, another capital markets professional.
Turkey looking for mechanisms to boost sanctions-shielded trade with Iran
Turkish foreign minister reiterates Ankara’s opposition to US economic attack on Islamic Republic at joint press conference with Iranian counterpart.
New Ukraine survey confirms Zelenskiy's landslide victory in second round
Of the total number of respondents who are going to vote in the second round of the Ukrainian presidential election on April 21 (and have already decided on a candidate), 72.2% said they would vote for Volodymyr Zelenskiy
IIB placed record cheap CZK bond to high demand
Hungary-based development bank International Investment Bank (IIB) successfully closed a tap to the outstanding April 2021 CZK Floaters bond worth CZK750mn (€29mn), in line with the Bank’s strategic goal of supporting the local capital markets
Erdogan’s AKP formally submits call for Istanbul election rerun
Markets won’t like it if new poll is triggered. Investors want administration to get on with fixing Turkey’s messed up economy. Result reversal might put another big crack in country’s democratic foundations.
MARKET ANALYSIS: Turkey spirits lifted by rosier industrial data and an Oval Office meeting
Talk turns to whether economy may be pulling out of recession—but a second ‘sudden stop’ in balance of payments might be under way.
EU approves the European gas directive, Gazprom submits third application for Nord Stream 2 pipeline route through Danish waters
The EU Council finally approved a European gas directive on April 15 that is expected to delay commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas line – and potentially leave it half empty.
All but three Moldova-based airlines banned from operating in the EU
Carriers added EU safety blacklist as they fail to meet international safety standards, due to a lack of safety oversight by the Moldovan civil aviation authority.
New drama unfolds over Ukraine's nationalised PrivatBank as Zelenskiy about to win presidential election
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko believes that former finance minister and liberal reformer Oleksandr Danylyuk, who has joined a team of presidential frontrunner and comic Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has a conflict of interest in Privatbank case
Russia restarts Turkmen gas imports after 3-year stoppage
Volumes not yet known but news could be substantial boost for Turkmenistan’s embattled economy.
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Ruling coalition candidate leads poll ahead of North Macedonia’s presidential vote
The election is the first major test for the governing SDSM and its junior partner the Democratic Union for Integration, following the signing of the Prespa agreement in 2018.
German investments in Russia reach their highest level in the last decade
Investments by German businesses into Russia topped €3bn in the last decade, although the number of German firms operating in Russia has fallen from over 6,000 to circa 4,500 in the same period.
Russian children's store Detsky Mir puts in robust 1Q19 trading results, launches in Minsk
Real incomes in Russia may be stagnating but people are still spending on their kids and most of Detsky Mir's gains came from increasing customer numbers.