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[1/2] A suspected illegal migrant is searched after he was detained by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration, in Forst, Germany, September 20, 2023. In August, registered illegal border crossings to Germany reached 14,701, up 66% on the same month last year, police data shows. Czech police have increased random checks on the Slovak border as well as on highways to Germany, Czech police president Martin Vondrasek said. LAMPEDUSA CRISISAs well as the increase in illegal border crossings, Germany has also taken in around 1 million Ukrainian refugees over the past year. Previously, there have been random police checks on the borders and Germany has maintained stationary controls on the Bavarian border with Austria since 2015.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Martin Vondrasek, Markus Soeder, Rome, Faeser, Piotr Muller, Alexander Ratz, Sarah Marsh, Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak, Jan Lopatka, Rachel More, Kirsti Knolle, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Faeser, Social Democrats, Reuters, Warsaw, Thomson Locations: Forst , Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Czech, Bavaria, Hesse, Bavarian, Austria, North Africa, Lampedusa, Italy, EU, Europe

☆ Knife-edge Slovak election to determine stance on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Robert Fico, leader of the SMER-SSD party, Michal Simecka, leader of Progressive Slovakia party, and Peter Pellegrini, leader of HLAS party await for the televised debate to begin at TV TA3, prior to the Slovak early parliamentary election, in Bratislava, Slovakia, September 26, 2023. Fico's SMER-SSD party has a narrow lead over liberal Progressive Slovakia (PS), which has pledged to stay the course on foreign policy, in two out of four final opinion polls. Such an alliance may be reinforced if Poland's conservative PiS wins another term in October, although PiS has a hawkish view on Russia. The leading Slovak party is expected to get the first chance from liberal President Zuzana Caputova to form a cabinet. "He will stop the weapons (for Ukraine), that is what he gains support on."

Persons: Robert Fico, Michal Simecka, Peter Pellegrini, HLAS, Radovan Stoklasa, Fico's, Viktor Orban, PiS, Zuzana Caputova, Fico, Grigorij Meseznikov, Orban, embolden, Jan Lopatka, Christina Fincher Organizations: Progressive, REUTERS, EU, Reuters, NATO, Oxford, Thomson Locations: Progressive Slovakia, Bratislava, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, UKRAINE, Brussels, Hungary, Europe, Czech Republic, Poland, EU, Prague

Were he to follow through on his promise, it would represent a sea-change for Slovakia, until now a staunch ally of its eastern neighbour Ukraine in its war against Russia. Bratislava has supplied weapons and offered strong political support to Kyiv within the European Union and NATO. Western diplomats and officials in Kyiv also say a small country like Slovakia can only go so far in upending EU and NATO policy. Disinformation, meanwhile, has spread, undermining public support for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion of 2022, said Katarina Klingova of think-tank Globsec. The hoax was debunked, but the reaction pointed to the influence that false information surrounding the Ukraine war has among Slovakia's 5.5 million population.

Persons: Robert Fico, Radovan Stoklasa, Robert Fico's, Fico, Eleonora Tanacova, Viktor Orban, Orban, Katarina Klingova, Klingova, Andrew Gray, Thomas Balmforth, Mike Collett, White, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, EU, European Union, Russia, Moscow, Hungarian, Progressive, Ukraine, Thomson Locations: Banovce nad Bebravou, Slovakia, Russian, Ukraine Brussels, Ukraine, Slovakian, Russia, Bratislava, Kyiv, Crimea, EU, Brussels, Moscow, Donbas, Luhansk, Western, Europe, Hungary, Progressive Slovakia

☆ Slovakia Struggles With Surge in Illegal Migrants as Election Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

"They don't want to live or work here, they are in transit, they rush through as they can," said Jozsef Barta, 70. Although he knew of no criminal incidents involving the migrants, he added: "People are scared to walk in the street." The number of illegal migrants detained in Slovakia has increased ninefold from a year ago to more than 27,000 so far this year, the country's interior ministry said. Hungarian police data also showed a jump in illegal migrant crossings on Hungary's southern border with Serbia in the past weeks, from where they head for Slovakia or Austria. Slovak police patrols are helping their Hungarian colleagues to catch the smugglers but that has proven little deterrent.

Persons: Jozsef Barta, Renata Gregusova, Robert Fico, Fico, Marian Cehelnik, Viktor Orban, Krisztina, Jason Hovet, Jan Lopatka, Gareth Jones Organizations: European Union, Europe's, Police, Reuters, EU Locations: CHLABA, Slovakia, IPOLYDAMASD, Hungary, Chlaba, Germany, Hungarian, Slovak, Europe, Czech Republic, East, Afghanistan, Serbia, Austria, EU, Prague

☆ Czech Protesters Rally Against Government's Pro-Western Policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

And I do not want a puppet government any more," Raichl said, saying the Czech Republic should veto any attempt by Ukraine to join NATO. Under the current government, the Czech Republic has been a close ally of Ukraine, sending tanks, rocket launchers, helicopters, artillery shells and other material to help Ukrainian forces fighting Russia's invasion. Raichl hailed the nationalist policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a role model and called for an alliance of Central European countries to counter Brussels. He also voiced support for Slovakia's former Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has adopted a staunchly anti-Western stance ahead of an election on Sept. 30. Protester Marcela Hajkova, a mother-of-three, condemned the government's military aid to Ukraine, among other policies.

Persons: Petr, Fiala, Jindrich Raichl, Raichl, Viktor Orban, Robert Fico, Marcela Hajkova, Jan Lopatka, David Cerny, Helen Popper Organizations: Ukraine, PRO, ., CTK, NATO, Hungarian, Police, Wagner Group Locations: PRAGUE, Russian Czech, Prague, Moscow, Prague's Wenceslas, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Central, Brussels

☆ Czech protesters rally against government's pro-Western policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Demonstrators take part in an anti-government protest demanding the resignation of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, in Prague, Czech Republic, September 16, 2023. And I do not want a puppet government any more," Raichl said, saying the Czech Republic should veto any attempt by Ukraine to join NATO. Under the current government, the Czech Republic has been a close ally of Ukraine, sending tanks, rocket launchers, helicopters, artillery shells and other material to help Ukrainian forces fighting Russia's invasion. Raichl hailed the nationalist policies of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a role model and called for an alliance of Central European countries to counter Brussels. Protester Marcela Hajkova, a mother-of-three, condemned the government's military aid to Ukraine, among other policies.

Persons: Petr Fiala, David W Cerny, Petr, Fiala, Jindrich Raichl, Raichl, Viktor Orban, Robert Fico, Marcela Hajkova, Jan Lopatka, David Cerny, Helen Popper Our Organizations: Czech, REUTERS, Rights, Ukraine, PRO, ., CTK, NATO, Hungarian, Police, Wagner Group, Thomson Locations: Prague, Czech Republic, Russian Czech, Moscow, Prague's Wenceslas, Ukraine, Central, Brussels

Hungary imposed a national import ban on 24 Ukrainian agricultural products, including grains, vegetables, several meat products and honey, according to a government decree published on Friday. Slovakia's agriculture minister followed suit announcing its own grain ban. EU PLEAEU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Friday countries should refrain from unilateral measures against imports of Ukrainian grain. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia previously said they may extend the restrictions unilaterally while Bulgaria on Thursday voted to scrap the curbs. In August, about 4 million tonnes of Ukraine grains passed through the Solidarity Lanes of which close to 2.7 million tonnes were through the Danube.

Persons: Cernat, Mateusz Morawiecki, Waldemar Buda, Valdis Dombrovskis, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Julia Payne, Alan Charlish, Jan Lopatka, Karol Badohal, Boldizsar, Luiza Ilie, Nina Chestney, David Evans, Alistair Bell, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, European Commission, European Union, EU, EU Commission, Ukraine, Farmers, Solidarity, Thomson Locations: Black, Constanta, Romania, Ukraine, BRUSSELS, WARSAW, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Elk, Russia, EU, Russian, Romanian, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Bucharest

But the flood of grains and oilseeds into neighbouring countries reduced prices there, impacting the income of local farmers and resulting in governments banning agricultural imports from Ukraine. The European Union in May stepped in to prevent individual countries imposing unilateral bans and imposed its own ban on imports into neighbouring countries. Under the EU ban, Ukraine was allowed to export through those countries on condition the produce was sold elsewhere. EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said on Friday countries should refrain from unilateral measures against imports of Ukrainian grain, but Poland, Slovakia and Hungary immediately responded by reimposing their own restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports. Farmers in the five countries neighbouring Ukraine have repeatedly complained about a product glut hitting their domestic prices and pushing them towards bankruptcy.

Persons: Cernat, Valdis Dombrovskis, reimposing, Terry Reilly, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Robert Telus, Julia Payne, Alan Charlish, Jan Lopatka, Karol Badohal, Boldizsar, Pavel Polityuk, Luiza Ilie, Tom Polansek, Nina Chestney, Simon Webb, David Evans, Alistair Bell, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, European Commission, European Union, EU, Ukraine, Facebook, EU Commission, Farmers, Solidarity, Thomson Locations: Black, Constanta, Romania, Ukraine, BRUSSELS, WARSAW, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, EU, Bulgaria, Russian, Romanian, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Kyiv, Bucharest, Chicago

☆ Czech banks hit as central bank ceases paying interest on reserves
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Czech National Bank (CNB) decided on Thursday to cancel paying interest on banks' mandatory minimum reserves from Oct. 5, a move to reduce the costs of implementing monetary policy. The decision follows a similar move by the European Central Bank in July. Komercni Banka said its stipulated amount of required minimum reserves for the current maintenance period stood at approximately 19.6 billion Czech crowns ($861.12 million). Banks have been required to keep a portion of liabilities at the central bank as reserves. Mandatory minimum reserves are not used as a monetary policy instrument but can act as a liquidity buffer to ensure the smooth flow of interbank payments, the central bank said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Komercni Banka, MONETA, Banks, Jason Hovet, Jan Lopatka, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Money Bank, Prague Stock Exchange, Czech National Bank, European Central Bank, Analysts, Komercni, KB, Thomson Locations: Komercni Banka, Komercni, BKOM.PR, Czech, Prague

☆ Slovaks to send up to 500 soldiers to help control migrants crossing from Hungary
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows migrants in front of the migrants camp in Velky Krtis, near the Hungary-Slovak border, Slovakia, September 6, 2023. REUTERS/Radovan Stoklasa Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Slovakia will assign up to 500 soldiers to help police control an increasing flow of migrants coming across the border from Hungary, Prime Minister Ludovit Odor said on Wednesday. Odor said it was impossible to seal the border with Hungary but the troops would help police register the migrants and also patrol towns in the border area. "I would like to assure citizens that we are still talking about transit migration," Odor said after a government meeting. The Interior Ministry said on Tuesday the number of detained illegal migrants has soared by ninefold, to more than 27,000 so far this year.

Persons: Radovan Stoklasa, Jan Lopatka, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Interior, Thomson Locations: Velky Krtis, Hungary, Slovak, Slovakia, Syria, Hungarian, Serbian, Germany, Western Europe, Velky, Prague

Pressure gauges, pipes and valves are pictured at an "Dashava" underground gas storage facility near Striy, Ukraine May 28, 2015. The bloc is expected to reach a target of filling its storage facilities to 90% full by Nov. 1. "EP Commodities transports natural gas to Ukraine and uses Ukrainian gas storage facilities," Miroslav Hasko, chairman at EPH's EP Commodities, said. EU countries' gas storage facilities were 87% full on Aug. 7, according to transparency platform GIE. "We consider gas storage in Ukraine as one of the interesting business opportunities that we are currently considering," SPP told Reuters.

Persons: Gleb Garanich, Miroslav Hasko, Naftotgaz, Martin Pich, Bruegel, Jan Lopatka, Marek Strzelelcki, Pavel Polityuk, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Traders, Gas, Reuters, Commodities, Naftogaz, Thomson Locations: Striy, Ukraine, PRAGUE, WARSAW, Czech, Slovakia, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Kyiv

☆ Exclusive: CEZ plans to bid for Czech gas distribution network GasNet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Electricity transmission lines carry power from CEZ's Ledvice coal-fired power plant near the village of Ledvice, Czech Republic, February 9, 2016. REUTERS/David W Cerny/File PhotoPRAGUE, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Czech electricity producer CEZ (CEZP.PR) plans to bid for the country's gas distribution network GasNet if it goes on sale, CEZ's deputy chairman said, as it would complement CEZ's expansion into gas, a transitional fuel in the shift from coal to clean energy. Pavel Cyrani told Reuters that CEZ would bid when a formal sale process is launched for GasNet, adding the unit would also be a good fit for CEZ's electricity distribution business. GasNet, owned through Czech Gas Network Investments by a consortium led by Macquarie Asset Management and including British Columbia Investment Management Corporation and Allianz Capital, covers 80% of the country's gas distribution through a network of 65,000 km of gas pipelines. "Having gas distribution in the hands of a strong local player would clearly help us in this effort," a spokesman said.

Persons: David W Cerny, Pavel Cyrani, Cyrani, Macquarie, GasNet, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet, Susan Fenton, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Czech Gas Network Investments, Macquarie Asset Management, Columbia Investment Management Corporation, Allianz Capital, Thomson Locations: Ledvice, Czech Republic, Czech, Prague, Ukraine

More than a year later, she was told her application required a key document that was stuck behind enemy lines in Ukraine. "There's always a trade-off between rapid and sustainable labour market integration," said Thomas Liebig, chief economist for the OECD's international migration department. Researchers from Minor, a migration policy think tank, said the large-scale inflow of refugees from Ukraine is seen as a great opportunity in Germany. While the refugees' fate is partly tied to the unknowable course of the Ukraine war, the EU's temporary protection scheme for Ukraine refugees is at present due to expire in March 2024. This puts employers who want to hire refugees in a difficult situation, as they don't know if Ukrainian refugees will be able to stay.

Persons: Maria, Lukas Barth, Svetlana Chuhil, Chuhil, Lauren, Thomas Liebig, Oksana Krotova, Krotova, Ildiko Pallman, Gizem Uensal, Enzo Weber, Jan Lopatka, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Deloitte, Reuters, OECD, United Nations, Minor, German Institute for Employment Research, Thomson Locations: Mykolaiv, Ukraine, Aschheim, Munich, Germany, BERLIN, WARSAW, Poland, Zgorzelec, Goerlitz, Paris, Europe's, Berlin, Kyiv, Prague

[1/3] Writer Milan Kundera is pictured in Prague, former Czechoslovakia, May 6, 1963. CTK Photo/Frantisek Nesvadba via REUTERSPRAGUE, July 12 (Reuters) - Czech-born writer Milan Kundera, author of the novel "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" who lived nearly five decades in Paris after emigrating in disillusionment from his Communist-ruled homeland, has died at the age of 94. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Kundera was "a writer and a voice that we will miss". "Milan Kundera's work is at the same time a deep, human, intimate and distant exploration," she said. Fellow Czech writer Karel Hvizdala told Czech Television he saw his friend last November and he was already in poor health.

Persons: Milan Kundera, Frantisek Nesvadba, Kundera, Petr Fiala, Petr Pavel, Pavel, Elisabeth Borne, Milan, Karel Hvizdala, Albert Camus, Daniel Day, Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Philip Kaufman, Timothy Garton Ash, Monde, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Czechoslovakia's, Jan Lopatka, Robert Muller, Elizabeth Pineau, Tassilo Hummel, Michael Kahn, Jason Hovet, Toby Chopra, Kevin Liffey, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie Organizations: CTK, REUTERS, Moravian, Prague Spring, Czech Television, Czechoslovak Communist, New York Times, Oxford University, Paris Mayor, Czechoslovakia's Communist, Thomson Locations: Prague, Czechoslovakia, REUTERS PRAGUE, Czech, Paris, Brno, France, Communist Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak, Europe, Central Europe, French, Western

☆ Cyanide maker Draslovka mulls equity raise to drive new mining technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Jan LopatkaPRAGUE, June 30 (Reuters) - Cyanide maker Draslovka is considering an equity fundraising worth hundreds of millions of dollars support the roll out of new technology that could help miners slash use of cyanide, its CEO said in an interview on Friday. The privately-held Czech company is the world's leading sodium cyanide maker. It acquired Australian Mining & Process Solutions last year, which developed innovative glycine leaching technology that can cut cyanide usage in mining by about half, depending on the circumstances. Draslovka hopes the technology will spearhead a transformation of the industry, raising its effectiveness and reducing environmental impacts. Bruzek said Draslovka had another 10 similar potential projects lined up by year-end, including a top nickel and cobalt miner.

Persons: Pavel Bruzek Jr, Jan Lopatka, Draslovka, Bruzek, JP Morgan, Barrick, Emma Rumney Organizations: Draslovka, REUTERS, Australian Mining, U.S, Oaktree Capital Management, Partners, Thomson Locations: Prague, Czech Republic, Jan Lopatka PRAGUE, Czech, London, United States, Sasol, South Africa

☆ Czechs call Russia a threat, China a systemic challenge in new security strategy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Russia acts deliberately against Czechia's political, economic and social stability," the strategy document said. "Russia and China share the interest to weaken the influence and unity of democratic countries. The country's previous security strategy, the core for policymaking, from 2015 had not mentioned Russia or China by name. The strategy said Russia was using hybrid actions to weaken democratic institutions and destabilise society. "Unless there is a fundamental and deep political and societal change in Russia, Russia will remain a threat to the European space regardless of the result of the war in Ukraine," the document said.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Sergei Savostyanov, Milos Zeman, Jan Lopatka, Howard Goller Organizations: Sputnik, REUTERS, NATO, EU, Czech, Thomson Locations: Kala, Derbent, Dagestan, Russia, REUTERS PRAGUE, Czech, China, Europe, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Moscow, Taiwan

☆ Taiwan minister meets Czech Senate speaker on trip that has angered China
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PRAGUE, June 13 (Reuters) - Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu met the head of the upper house of the Czech parliament on Tuesday as part of a European trip that has angered China. China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future. Taiwan has no formal diplomatic ties with any European country except the Vatican. China's Foreign Ministry urged Europe on Friday not to have any official exchanges with Taiwan or support "independence forces" ahead of the trip.

Persons: Joseph Wu, Wu, Milos Vystrcil, Petr Pavel, Marketa, Pavel, Jan Lopatka, Nick Macfie Organizations: Taiwan Foreign, NATO, European Union, China's Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: PRAGUE, Czech, China, Taiwan, Central, Eastern, Ukraine, Prague, Brussels, Czech Republic, Beijing, Taipei

☆ Factbox: Why Ukraine is bidding for F-16 jets and will it succeed?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WHAT KIND OF FIGHTER JETS COULD UKRAINE GET? Ukraine wants F-16s, which it says are "four or five times" more effective than Soviet-era jets it currently has. However, Polish President Andrzej Duda reiterated on Tuesday that Poland has too few F-16 jets to be able to give any to Ukraine. Britain will not send jets to Ukraine, a spokesperson for Sunak has said, since Britain does not have the F-16s that Ukraine wants. Denmark said in February it was "open" to the idea of sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

☆ Slovak foreign minister quits in fresh blow to ailing cabinet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Slovakia's foreign minister offered his resignation on Friday, the president said, dealing a fresh blow to the centre-right cabinet which has already been serving in a caretaker capacity ahead of elections in September. Rastislav Kacer's departure follows a string of other ministerial resignations and piles pressure on Prime Minister Eduard Heger, who had been facing mounting opposition calls to quit and make way for a technocrat government. Caputova, whose role gives her the power to appoint a new prime minister, said she would discuss the situation with Heger and parliament speaker Boris Kollar on her return. SaS joined a leftist opposition party in voting through a no-confidence motion in December, accusing the government of not helping people cope with the higher energy costs. The prime minister said he would not comment until he meets the president.

[1/4] Chinese President Xi Jinping and France's President Emmanuel Macron meet at the Guandong province governor's residence, in Guangzhou, China, Friday, April 7, 2023. Macron's comments came in an interview on a trip to China that was meant to showcase European unity on China policy, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also taking part, but highlighted differences within the European Union. A senior diplomat from Central and Eastern Europe, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "President Macron is not speaking for Europe or the European Union. The French foreign ministry cancelled a planned debrief on the trip for foreign diplomats in Paris on Tuesday as officials scrambled to make sure they had a consistent message and to limit any fallout with Washington. But even some of those broadly supportive of Macron's agenda lamented the handling of the China trip, in which von der Leyen received a much more muted welcome than the French president.

☆ Central Europe's policymakers double down on hawkish message
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Jan Lopatka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

As central Europe's central banks were faster than their major peers to hike rates, they had also been expected to lead the way in easing. That message was underlined on Thursday when February data showed industrial wage growth in the double digits. "We do not expect a rate hike," it said after the Czech policy meeting last week. CEE inflation pushing past a peakThe Polish central bank also struck somewhat hawkish tones at its news conference on Thursday after holding rates steady. Romania's central bank left rates unchanged on Tuesday and said inflation may come down faster than previously thought.

☆ ECB rates will need to rise but possibly at a slower pace - policymakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FRANKFURT, March 29 (Reuters) - European Central Bank interest rates will likely have to rise further to contain inflation, policymakers said on Wednesday, but at least one outspoken conservative floated the idea of a slowdown in the pace of increases. ECB chief economist Philip Lane, who makes the formal policy proposals to his 25 colleagues, said that his baseline is for the turmoil to dissipate and then rates would need to rise several times. "If the financial stress we see is non-zero, but turns out to be still fairly limited, interest rates will still need to go up." Slovak central bank chief Peter Kazimir, a proponent of rapid rate increases, meanwhile made the case for slower rises following three straight 50-basis point hikes. Reporting by Balazs Koranyi, Jan Lopatka, Jason Hovet and Robert Muller; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ East Europe governments urge tech firms to fight disinformation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PRAGUE, March 29 (Reuters) - Ukraine and seven other central and eastern European nations have called on the world's top tech firms to act to fight disinformation on their social media platforms by hostile powers which they say undermine peace and stability. "Big tech companies should be vigilant and resist being used as means of advancing such goals. The letter was signed by the prime ministers of Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and released by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala's office. The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), whose members include Meta, Twitter and Google (GOOGL.O) among others, said it backed measures to fight disinformation such as Europe's Digital Services Act (DSA). Platforms should dedicate enough staff and funding for content moderation, address the growing threat of deepfakes and artificial intelligence-generated disinformation, it said.

☆ IOC issues recommendations for Russian athletes' return to competitions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The IOC Executive Board's recommendations concern the return of those athletes to international competitions but not the 2024 Paris Olympics where a separate decision will be taken at a later date. He said the recommendations for events organisers and sports federations to follow included that Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete as neutrals, with no flag or anthem. "I am disappointed by the IOC recommendations," Lipavsky wrote on Twitter. "The parameters as announced are absolutely unacceptable," Russian Olympic Committee president Pozdnyakov told a news conference, according to Russian news agencies. PARTICIPATION WORKSBach had earlier told the IOC Executive Board that Russian and Belarusian athletes were already competing daily in many sports without facing problems.

☆ Exclusive: Agrofert to win EU approval to buy Borealis' nitrogen unit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, March 10 (Reuters) - Czech group Agrofert is set to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its purchase of the nitrogen business of Austrian energy group OMV's (OMVV.VI) unit Borealis, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday. Borealis in June last year announced the deal to sell the business, which includes fertiliser, melamine and technical nitrogen, on the basis of an enterprise value of 810 million euros ($863.5 million). Borealis is 75%-owned by energy group OMV and 25% by Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala. It finalised a turnaround programme in its fertiliser business two years ago. Agrofert has manufacturing facilities in Germany, Slovakia and the Czech Republic and is owned by Czech ex-premier and now opposition leader Andrej Babis.

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