News
Iranian president says White House “afflicted by mental retardation”
Hits out at Trump administration’s “outrageous and idiotic” decision to impose sanctions on supreme leader and foreign minister.
Disgraced daughter of late Uzbek dictator pleads for clemency
Gulnara Karimova makes move after $1.2bn of her assets are reclaimed by Uzbekistan. Once known as the country’s “most hated person” and accused of massive telecoms and other corruption, she is languishing in jail with health problems.
Poland’s Supreme Court reform breaches EU law, the bloc’s top court rules
Poland dropped the contested changes in December, but the European Commission pressed on with the case to enshrine in the EU’s legal order that any member state’s tinkering with the independence of the judiciary must be contained.
Albania’s top election body decides local vote will go ahead
Electoral College weighs in on constitutional crisis after Albania's President Ilir Meta cancelled the local election, while Prime Minister Edi Rama insists it will go ahead.
More than 250,000 gather in Prague for anti-government protest
A series of protests against the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his minority government culminated on June 23 with the biggest mass protest in Prague since the Velvet Revolution in 1989. More than 250,000 people gathered on Letna plain.
Crowd at Ukraine's gay pride march doubled this year
Ukraine celebrated its third Kyiv Pride with a record turnout of 8,000 people who marched through the capital despite violent threats from far right extremists who had also travelled to Kyiv to prevent the march.
Erdogan candidate suffers thumping defeat in Istanbul revote
Sensational victory for opposition's Imamoglu. How strongman president reacts to second humiliation now the question in earthquake for Turkish politics.
Serbia/Kosovo summit cancelled
Kosovan president blames "hasty, uncoordinated and wrongful decisions" by officials in Pristina, which he says have damaged the country's standing with its international partners.
Owner of largest Moldovan business group Trans-Oil sells 12% stake to US fund
Oaktree Capital Management makes the first corporate investment by a major US asset management firm in Moldova.
Subsidies for coal power three times higher than for renewables in Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia
Three Western Balkan states paid €444mn in direct subsidies to coal-fired plants and just €147mn for the production of energy from renewable sources in 2015-2017, a report from the Energy Community showed.
Istanbul revote: Erdogan’s ‘Ocalan’ strategy to win over Kurds looks like a dud
Turkey tense ahead of controversial June 23 poll with strongman’s strategies for reclaiming the city seemingly failing at every turn.
CEE states block EU ambitions to go carbon neutral by 2050
A group of Eastern European member states said no to a carbon neutrality goal without guarantees that the cost of reducing emissions is offset to lessen the impact of the transition on their economies.
Georgian protesters attempt to storm parliament after "protocol blunder" with Russian MP
Scores injured after crowd incensed at lawmaker taking the speaker’s chair is pushed back with rubber bullets and tear gas.
Czech energy company CEZ exits Bulgaria, faces a lawsuit from the Pirates at home
The Czech state-owned energy company CEZ Group sold its assets in Bulgaria to the local Eurohold company for €335mn after an earlier deal was blocked by regulators.
Trump tells world to ‘wait and see’ how US will respond to Iran shooting down drone
Anxieties over conflict in Middle East grow as day also sees Iranian-backed Houthis hitting Saudi desalination plant with apparently sophisticated missile.
Main suspect in Moldova’s $1bn bank fraud sells business as his alleged protector loses power
Change in ownership of the duty-free chain that was previously the Shor family's flagship asset revealed shortly after change of government in Chisinau.
IMF warns that Kosovo's 100% import tariffs backfired on local population
Tariffs intended to punish Serbia and Bosnia have increased prices of food and other consumer goods on the domestic market, impacting lower income households.
Credibility of Turkey’s inflation data questioned by opposition motion put to parliament
MP asks finance minister Albayrak if he has asked the statistics institute to adjust consumer price rise figures in a “fictional” way. Adds that incorrect numbers would wrong millions of workers by restricting pay hikes.
RATINGS ACTION: Moody’s cuts 18 Turkish banks in wake of surprise sovereign downgrade
Rating agency sees Erdogan administration as unwisely focused on near-term priority of “propping up economic activity at expense of eroding underlying resilience of economy and banking system to external shocks”.
Romania’s opposition fails to overthrow government with no-confidence motion
Result will strengthen the position of Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, who aims to lead the ruling Social Democratic Party after its former leader was sent to prison.