Bulgarians rallied on January 18 to demand two Soviet-era nuclear reactors be restarted in the face of global economic woes and cuts in gas supply from Russia.
The prime ministers of Ukraine and Russia said on January 18 that they had reached an outline deal to restore gas supplies to European consumers after marathon talks which dragged on into the small hours of the morning.
A new study has found a link between the economic "shock therapy" of mass privatization in postcommunist countries in the early 1990s and a surge in the death rate for working-age men. But one of the authors says it would be inaccurate to say that mass privatization policies are the direct cause of premature deaths.
The ongoing dispute between Russia and Ukraine over natural-gas shipments to Europe has left the European Union eager to re-examine its options for fuel supplies. One alternative is the Nabucco pipeline, which would ship Central Asian gas directly to Europe and circumvent Russia altogether. Reinhard Mitschek is the managing director of the Nabucco pipeline. He spoke with RFE/RL about the future of Nabucco.
Speaking after crisis talks in Moscow, President Dmitry Medvedev said no gas agreement with Ukraine has yet been reached, but that he would like to see supplies resumed to Europe in a "few days." Meanwhile, millions continue to endure winter with little or no heat.
Having now denied many European countries gas for 10 days, Russia may have brutally exposed the vulnerability of the European Union. But it has also shot itself in the foot and forced the EU to get serious about cutting its exposure to Russian provisions. In the end, Moscow's only long-term reward may be the hope it has done irreparable damage to Ukraine's pro-Western ambitions.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow is nearing a deal to deliver gas to European customers after a contract dispute with Ukraine that has cut supplies since the start of the year.
Eastern European leaders are meeting with Ukraine's president on how to end his country's gas row with Russia. The surprise meeting was called just a day ahead of a similar gathering in Moscow between officials from Russia, Ukraine, and the EU.
Moldovan Prime Minister Zinaida Greceanai said her country will not take sides in the current dispute between Russia and Ukraine over the transit of gas to Europe, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports.
European energy firms are working on a plan to break the deadlock between Russia and Ukraine and restore natural-gas supplies to Europe in mid-winter.
People without Russian Federation passports will form a majority of those who will take part in the election two weeks from now of the next patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Russian and Ukrainian prime ministers will meet this weekend to try to resolve a gas row that has cut back supplies to a freezing Europe.
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