News
Turkish, Armenian leaders go ahead with first-ever face-to-face meeting
Little evidence of progress in normalising Yerevan-Ankara relations or resolving conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan following Prague encounter.
NHL season opens in Prague amid hybrid ice hockey warfare with Kremlin
Czech hockey legend calls on the foreign ministry to prevent Russian players playing in the NHL opener in Prague.
Slovak hospitals face collapse
A recent wave of resignations by medical staff at Slovak health facilities could mean that some of the hospitals are forced to shut down by December.
Head of Ukraine's national bank under criminal investigation days after resignation
The head of the National Bank of Ukraine, Kyryl Shevchenko, is under criminal investigation following allegations of fraud, Economic Pravda reported on October 6.
Kyiv fires back at Putin's order to take over Zaporizhzhia power plant
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree transferring the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) to Russian federal ownership, Ukrainian Pravda reported on October 5. In turn, Ukraine condemned the illegal action.
Kyrgyzstan’s president skips Putin, Rahmon 70th birthday celebrations
Sadyr Japarov takes decision not to attend St Petersburg CIS event with anger at home over Tajikistan’s September “invasion” still raw.
Serbia and Croatia spar over ban on oil transport through Janaf pipeline
Belgrade blames historic differences with Zagreb for failure to secure exemption to EU ban on Russian oil imports.
Whistleblower who revealed massive corruption at Bulgarian border checkpoint fired
Numerous experts appointed by Kiril Petkov's reformist former government have been removed since the change of government in June, undermining the fight against corruption.
EPH to invest €10.2bn into renewables in Germany
The plans mark a major shift in EPH's strategy, which had been to bet that the green transition would take longer than expected.
Romania’s BNR more hawkish than expected with 75bp rate hike, more to come
Romanian central bank's rate hike exceeds expectations as near-term inflation outlook worsens amid faster growth rates anticipated for natural gas, electricity and food.
Poland’s central bank halts rate rises, bets that inflation starts easing soon
The National Bank of Poland left its reference interest rate unchanged at 6.75%, despite inflation accelerating to 17.2% y/y in September.
Lukashenko draws himself deeper into Putin’s war
Lukashenko has now officially admitted a certain participation by Belarus in Russia’s war in Ukraine, likely due to increased pressure from Putin for more political support. Now Lukashenko is drawing himself even deeper into Putin’s war.
Russia strikes Kyiv Oblast with "Kamikaze" drones from Iran
‘Kamikaze’ drone attacks were reported 80 km from Kyiv in the city of Bila Tserkva on the night of October 4. The drones are allegedly part of the Iranian-made Shahed series, which Russia has used on the battlefields since September.
Leading Czech coalition parties endorse three presidential candidates
Spolu politicians have admitted previously that endorsing just one candidate could be seen as a curse, for that person could become a target for voter anger over the soaring cost of living.
Slovak finance minister survives vote of no-confidence
Former coalition partner and SaS leader Richard Sulik says he is now ready to discuss early elections.
Head of National Bank of Ukraine resigns over health issues
The head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) resigned on October 4 citing health-related reasons.
Estonia’s “rat king” to be exhibited at University of Tartu Natural History Museum
A "rat king" is a collection of rats whose tails are intertwined and bound together, either with hair or sticky substances or by getting tied together.
Romanian president tries to save flagship education strategy after plagiarism scandal
Critics slam President Iohannis’s decision to appoint his adviser as education minister as he seeks to rescue widely-criticised Educated Romania project.
First official results from Bosnian elections put nationalists ahead after exit polls predicted losses
Defeat for Bakir Izetbegovic but other leading nationalist politicians like Milorad Dodik appear to be heading for victory with 50% of votes now counted.
Georgian MPs want to rid the country of oligarchs, but not all of them
Ruling Georgian Dream party says founder Bidzina Ivanishvil will not fall under new planned bill.
