News
Assassination attempt made against Ukrainian president’s top adviser
An advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Serhiy Shefir, was unharmed in an assassination attempt on the 22 September outside Kyiv. His driver, however, was struck by three bullets and hospitalised in a critical condition.
Basha vs Berisha conflict divides Albania’s opposition Democrats
A very public war of words is raging between the current and former leaders of Albania’s main opposition party, the centre-right Democratic Party.
European Commission refuses Czech request to delay PM's conflict of interest case till after the election
The European Commission is currently not reimbursing the Czech state for subsidies given to Agrofert and has threatened to stop reimbursing Czech spending on wider EU subsidies until the government clarifies its policy.
Polish government outraged by CJEU fine over lignite mine
Poland fined €500,000 per day for failing to abide by order to halt the Turow lignite mine’s operations immediately.
Hungary’s Monetary Council decides to slow the pace of tightening cycle
Rate-setters raised the central bank’s base rate by 15 basis points to 1.65%, below the 20-30bp hike expected by analysts.
Statistical study shows half the votes in Duma election were probably fake
Famous Russian physicist and election statistician Sergei Shpilkin studied the voting patterns in last weekend's Duma election and concluded some 14mn votes, roughly half of all the votes, were faked by the authorities.
Backlash against efforts to force citizens to get vaccinated in Southeast Europe
As low vaccination rates facilitated a new wave of the pandemic, governments are barring entry to malls, night clubs and other venues to those without a coronavirus certificate.
Constitutional crisis looms in Romania
With a no-confidence motion in limbo at the Constitutional Court and PM Florin Citu seeking to bypass a vote by lawmakers on the minority government he wants to install, a constitutional crisis seems unavoidable in Romania.
Russian TCS Group's Oleg Tinkov to settle with US IRS as the bank's stock soars
The founder of TCS Group Oleg Tinkov that owns Russia’s only purely online bank Tinkoff and the US IRS have filed a petition to a court in California to approve an amicable agreement between them.
Tension in Kosovo escalates following car plates tit-for-tat measure against Serbia
Protests erupt after drivers from Serbia are forced to replace their license plates with temporary ones to enter Kosovo.
Azerbaijani, Turkish and Pakistani war games appear to prompt Iran to move infantry to border
Representative of Iranian supreme leader warns Azerbaijan to not “play with the lion’s tail”.
Duma election update: United Russian retains constitutional majority as e-voting used to "edit" results
As the final results from the weekend’s Duma election come in, the ruling United Russia Party has delivered several surprise results and retaken its constitutional majority with 49.65% of the vote, with 90% of the votes counted.
Ukraine holds most successful Gay Pride march ever
Ukraine held its most successful Gay Pride march on September 19, with an estimated 8,000 people in attendance including foreign diplomats.
Russia’s Communist Party makes big gains in the Duma elections as Kremlin efforts to crush smart voting fail
The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) made large gains in Russia’s Duma elections over the weekend in a major upset for the Kremlin, but the ruling United Russia has retained its majority.
London Bullion Market Association suspends Kyrgyz gold refiner’s accreditation for missing gold bars
Kyrgyz investigation, meanwhile, adds former Centerra Gold leading executives to wanted list.
Romania’s leading insurer City Insurance heads towards bankruptcy after losing license
Romania’s Financial Supervisory Authority to start bankruptcy procedures against City after it failed to increase its capital by €150mn as required by the regulator.
Car production in Czechia falls by 39% during summer
Both car producers Skoda Auto and Toyota had to extend their traditional summer shutdowns due to lack of chips.
Hungarian opposition accuses Fidesz of sabotaging first round of primary election
IT experts confirmed that it was not simply an overload but a targeted attack, organisers said.
World Bank drops Doing Business report after alleged pressure from Bulgaria-born IMF chief to favour China
Investigation says Kristalina Georgieva, then a high-ranking World Bank official, and former former Bulgarian finance minister Simeon Dyankov pressured officials to improve China’s position. Georgieva denies the accusations.
Iran cements ties with East as it becomes full member of SCO
“The world has entered a new era,” says Iranian president. “Hegemony and unilateralism are failing. The international balance is moving toward multilateralism and redistribution of power to the benefit of independent countries.”
