http://www.bne.eu en 180 http://www.bne.eu/story3221 The third popular protest went off without a hitch on Saturday, February 4 and moves the fight between the disgruntled middle class and the Kremlin into a new phase: a war of attrition has begun. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3221_thumbnail_protest.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3221 http://www.bne.eu/story3220 The Turkish treasury has launched a study on issuing a sukuk bond, or Islamic debt certificate, to be linked to the toll revenues of a planned third bridge over the Bosphorus, claims a local media report, as the country increasingly looks east for investment capital amidst disenchantment with western investors. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3221_thumbnail_protest.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3220 http://www.bne.eu/story3219 Hungary's flag carrier Malev failed in its bid to overcome a chronic cash shortage and ceased operating on February 3, after a loss of confidence which spiraled downwards swiftly following a move by the government on January 30 to protect it from creditors. Analysts fret the airline's failure could have big knock-on effects for the country's economy, including a possible doubling of the projected budget deficit for the year. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3219_thumbnail_grounded_malev.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3219 http://www.bne.eu/story3218 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made his boldest pledge yet on February 2 that he will liberalise the Russian economy, telling delegates at the Troika Dialog investment conference in Moscow that he if he's elected president come March, then his administration will push for Russia to rise a full 100 places on the World Bank's "Doing Business" survey to 20th. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3219_thumbnail_grounded_malev.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3218 http://www.bne.eu/story3217 Russia's gas heavyweight Gazprom is reportedly close to attaining one of its most cherished dreams – control over Ukraine's gas transit system (GTS). Ukraine seems ready to cede Russia parity control of the GTS in exchange for a big gas price rebate, as the country finds itself between a rock – Russia – and a hard place – the International Monetary Fund. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3217_thumbnail_gashubbaumgarten.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3217 http://www.bne.eu/story3214 Russia's Deposit Insurance Agency has obtained a French court order to seize a chateau near Nice owned by bankrupt oligarch Sergei Pugachev, French paper Le Monde reported on February 2. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3217_thumbnail_gashubbaumgarten.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3214 http://www.bne.eu/story3213 Central European countries reported lowered gas imports on February 1 after Russia's gas export monopolist Gazprom announced it had diverted extra flows to its domestic market amidst the sudden cold snap. While Poland and the Czech Republic downplayed the news, the fact that Russia has cut volumes as temperatures hit new lows for this winter will do little to improve European customers' view on it as a reliable energy supplier. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3213_thumbnail_natural_gas_line.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3213 http://www.bne.eu/story3212 In his first major interview since he was moved into the post full-time in December, Russia’s little-known Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov has pledged to continue the conservative fiscal policies of his former boss and predecessor Alexei Kudrin. He makes all the right noises for the markets and Russia's liberals, but critics would point out that's the fashion in the government right now. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3213_thumbnail_natural_gas_line.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3212 http://www.bne.eu/story3211 Santander is in talks to take over an unnamed Polish bank, Chairman Emilio Botin announced to reporters on January 31, as the Spanish giant looks to take advantage of the crisis for a second time to increase its presence in one of Europe's choice growth markets. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3211_thumbnail_santander.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3211 http://www.bne.eu/story3210 Georgia's success in fighting corruption illustrates that it is not an "inevitable" product of particular environments, and shows other countries that it is possible to deal with, a new report from the World Bank says. http://www.bne.eu/pics/1/3211_thumbnail_santander.jpg http://www.bne.eu/story3210