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The threat of a political boycott of the European Football Championship by EU countries protesting at Ukraine’s treatment of Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister of the country who is currently on hunger strike in prison, has worried Poland, which is co-organising the competition with Ukraine.
Shadow of boycott over Euro – Rzeczpospolita
In the run-up to general elections on 6 May, polls are forecasting that the coalition led by President Boris Tadić’s Democratic Party (DS) and its rival led by the Serbian Progressive Party will both win around 22% of the vote, well ahead of the country’s Socialist Party which is expected to obtain 14%.
Race between DS and SNS will be a photo finish – Danas
The new social-democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta has announced the line-up for his cabinet, which includes numerous former ministers and several members of his party’s old guard.
New government, old faces – Evenimentul zilei
Bolivian President Evo Morales has signed a decree giving the state control of the 99.94% stake in the country’s main power company, TDE, owned by Red Electrica Internacional, a subsidiary of the Spanish group Red Electrica Corporación (REE). The nationalisation comes hot on the heels of the takeover of oil company YPF, a subsidiary of Spanish group Repsol, by the Argentinian government.
La Bolivie expropriates REE subsidiary – Cinco Días
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang signed several deals: they include one for a loan of a billion euros from the China Development Bank, another to establish a regional logistics hub for telecoms company Huawei in Hungary, and a construction contract for a rail link to link from Budapest to the city’s airport.
Strategic alliance concluded with China – Magyar Hírlap
The German car maker’s plan to produce electric vehicles in Slovakia will generate a total of 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. In exchange, BMW is insisting on a state grant of 500 million euros.
BMW to provide record economic stimulus – Hospodárske Noviny
The first day of a new ban making coffee shots off-limits for non-residents has been marked by several protests: one hundred workers resigned, demonstrations were organised outside several affected businesses, and two coffee shops in Maastricht, which refused to apply the new law, were closed down.
Coffee-shops emptied by wietpas – Trouw
