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Culture & History Eastern Europe

Neanderthal Teeth Found in Poland

Neanderthal ToothPolish scientists at the University of Szczecin have uncovered three teeth from the first Neanderthal remains discovered on Polish soil.

The findings were published in the German science journal Naturwissenschaften (Natural Sciences) on January 28 this year, after tests confirmed that the teeth found in 2008 indeed once belonged to a Neanderthal.

The teeth were uncovered in the mountains of the Polish Jura Chain – an area which claims more than 200 caves scattered among limestone rocks, cliffs, and outcroppings.

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Current Events Eastern Europe International Relations

Romania Urges Moldova to Join EU

Romanian President Traian Basescu advised Moldovans to carry out the requisite reforms needed to join the European Union on Thursday, during a meeting at a state university in Southern Moldova’s Cahul.Moldova - Romania Presidents

“I tell you, Moldova’s place is in the EU. You need to take a decisive road to the EU,” President Basescu said to a large gathering of students. “This means sacrifices, to be accepted by the political class and the population. But these are worth it because the EU means you can aspire to prosperity.”

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Moldova has been lead by a series of communist, pro-Russia administrations who kept the country as a middle path between Moscow and Bucharest.

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Eastern Europe Economy & Foreign Trade Legal & Regulatory

EU: Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta Fixing Budgets

European Commission responds to updated budget cut proposals from ailing Eastern European economies Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta:

BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)–The European Commission on Wednesday said Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta are taking “effective action” to cut their budget deficits, but warned Hungary that its public finances face “considerable risks” this year.

Hungary likely hit its deficit target last year, with a shortfall worth 3.9% of gross domestic product, according to the commission, the European Union’s executive arm. But state revenue and spending are at risk this year and planned tax cuts next year could further hurt the country’s bid to bring its budget gap back below 3% of GDP by a 2011 deadline, the commission said.

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Current Events Eastern Europe Economy & Foreign Trade Russia

Energy Wars: Russia’s Neighbors Get Even

A great write up on the recent gas dispute between Russia and Belarus, from TIME:

It is becoming a New Year’s tradition in Europe to wake up on January 1 with a big Russian headache. At the beginning of 2006 and 2009, Russia cut off energy supplies to Ukraine after a disagreement over natural gas prices, which subsequently caused fuel shortages in the European Union in the dead of winter. This January, all eyes are trained on Belarus, which has been having its own quarrel with Moscow over oil prices, threatening European energy supplies once again. But three weeks into the current standoff, there’s been a twist: Kazakhstan, another ex-Soviet republic, stepped in last week to offer Belarus its own oil. Now the Kremlin’s most reliable tool for controlling its neighbors — energy blackmail — is at risk of blowing up in its face.

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Central Asia Culture & History Eastern Europe

Bulgarian and Kazakhstani Films Make Foreign Oscar Shortlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences have shortlisted nine foreign films, out of 65 contenders, for the prestigious Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Academy Awards which will take place March 7, 2010 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, California.

Although the nine will be whittled down to just five final nominees by February 2, among the nine shortlisted include Bulgaria’s, “The World is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner,” and Kazakhstan’s, “Kelin.”

If both films make the final cut, it would be the first Oscar nomination for a Bulgarian film and the second for Kazakhstan, after the country’s 2007 film, “Mogul.”

The World is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner Kelin

Here is the list of the final nine:

Argentina – “El Secreto de Sus Ojos”
Australia – “Samson & Delilah”
Bulgaria – “The World is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner”
France – “Un Prophète”
Germany – “The White Ribbon”
Israel – “Ajami”
Kazakhstan – “Kelin”
The Netherlands – “Winter in Wartime”
Peru – “The Milk of Sorrow”

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Eastern Europe Economy & Foreign Trade

Recession Expected to Continue through 2010 in Baltic Region

Nordea Bank AB has predicted that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will experience negative growth in 2010 as their economies fail to rebound as quickly as the rest of Europe.

In the company’s Baltic Rim Outlook yesterday, the region’s largest bank predicts Estonia’s GDP to fall by 0.5 percent, Latvia’s by 2.9 percent, and Lithuania’s output to shrink 2.4 percent before the countries return to positive growth in 2011.

Even then, the growth rates will not match those of a few years ago with expected growth rates of only 4 percent, 2.7 percent, and 3 percent in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, respectively.

Within the European Union, the Baltic states have been hit the worst following the collapse of their real estate sector and languid growth in western Europe, where the three countries look to for more than 60 percent of their foreign sales.

“The hopes of recovery largely rely on the export sector, but so far demand from the main export partners is only growing cautiously,” Nordea Bank said in their report.

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Current Events Eastern Europe Politics

Ukrainian Presidential Election Heading for Round Two

With half the votes tallied in Ukraine’s presidential election held on Sunday, opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich is ahead with 37 percent of the ballots to current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s 24 percent, according to the Central Election Committee.

However, since Yanukovich has seemingly failed to gain a majority vote in the first round, the election process will continue on to a second round which will be held on February 7th.

While Yanukovich is ahead by 13 points after the first round of voting, experts predict Tymoshenko will garner a large percentage of the votes that previously went to the 16 other defeated presidential candidates in Sunday’s election.

The result being a potentially nail-biting finish to an election already wrought with accusations, smear campaigns, and name-calling.

“Yanukovich, who represents criminal circles, has no chance (in the second round),” said Ms. Tymoshenko at a post-election news conference.

Mr. Yanukovich retorted that Ukrainians are evidently ready for a change and said Tymoshenko was, “in despair.”

Although the two presidential hopefuls disagree on several important issues, many are quick to simply distinguish Ms. Tymoshenko as pro-Europe and Mr. Yanukovich as pro-Russia.

That may be due to the fact that Tymoshenko, a former comrade of current president Viktor Yushchenko and of the Orange Revolution, is largely supported in the western, pro-Europe area of the country

In contrast, Yanukovich, a former CPSU member and the man accused of voter fraud in the 2004 election, is against NATO membership and seems to have the support of Russian speaking Ukrainians east of the Dnieper River.

The result of the election may be a key indicator of which direction the country is heading in the future.

Ukraine’s economy has been one of the worst hit by the recent economic crisis with GDP dropping 14 percent in 2009 and its currency, the hryvnia, having a tumultuous year.

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Eastern Europe Politics Russia

Yanukovich Leading Polls in Upcoming Ukrainian Presidential Election

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich is close to realizing a political comeback after his controversial loss to Viktor Yushchenko in the 2004 presidential election, which was marred with charges of corruption and fraud.

Riding a wave of widespread discontent with the Orange Revolution, recent polls show Yanukovich leading in the presidential polls ahead of current Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko going into the first round of voting this Sunday.

“Together, we have suffered through this Orange nightmare,” Mr. Yanukovich said at a recent rally in Dneprodzerzhinsk. “Let us consign this history to the black pages of our lives.”

Recent opinion polls have Mr. Yanukovich between 25 to 33 percent, Ms. Tymoshenko between 15 to 18 percent, and incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko at a mere three percent.

Yanukovich, whose image as a Kremlin lackey cost him votes in 2006, hopes to repair relations with Russia if elected, which have been strained of late as a result of President Yushchenko’s attempt to gain NATO membership.

“We do not want to join any military bloc,” Mr. Yanukovich has said regarding NATO membership.

“Relations should be natural, as they are between the Ukrainian people and the Russian people. They must be friendly, they must be pragmatic, they must be strategic.”

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Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe Wants More Input in Financial Crisis Talks

Officials from the Banking Association for Central and Eastern Europe (BACEE) voiced their desire for Eastern European countries to play a greater role in discussing solutions to the current world financial crisis during a banking conference in Vienna, Austria on Thursday.

BACEE Chief Istvan Lengyel is upset that Eastern Europe doesn’t have much representation in formulating international accounting rules and is being blamed for exacerbating the current situation which was largely caused by Western banks.

“Our banks and governments must be consulted when it comes to solving the problems,” said Lengyel during a news conference.

Categories
Central Asia China Culture & History Eastern Europe

Former Soviet States and China Face TB Epidemic

The World Health Organization has issued a report stating that the spread of multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has reached “epidemic” proportions in many ex-Soviet nations and is now widespread in many provinces in China. Data collected during 2002-2007 showed that one in nine patients of the approximately nine million new cases of TB each year failed to respond to at least one anti-TB drug.

Cases of MDR-TB reached between 9%- 22% of all TB infections in ex-Soviet states, while nearly 20% of all cases in Eastern Europe were drug resistant. In countries such as the UK, France, New Zealand the rate is 1% or lower. Cases recorded in China are believed to show an average of 15% all TB infections being MRD-TB.