bne_newspaper_August_24_2018

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2 Top Stories
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11 Central Europe
14 Southeast Europe
16 Eastern Europe 18 Eurasia
20 Opinion
24 Lists24 Lists
August 24, 2018 www.intellinews.com
Kremlin-friendly Zeman refuses speech to mark 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia
bne IntelliNews
Opponents of Kremlin-friendly Czech President Milos Zeman are hanging red boxer shorts from windows on August 21 in protest at his decision not to make a speech or attend any commemorative events on the 50th anniversary of the invasion of the former Czechoslovakia
by the Warsaw Pact.
Russia's financial authorities are putting the economy on an "economic war" footing as sanctions bite
Ben Aris in Berlin
The sanctions based assault on Russia by the US and its expanding sanctions regime is start- ing to take its toll as the Russian government and financial authorities scramble to manage the damage that is now affecting everything from corporate profits to foreign currency reserves.
Crowds in Prague surround Soviet tanks during the Warsaw Pact invasion of the former Czechoslovakia.
Red underpants have become the symbol of anti- Zeman sentiment. The president hit back at his critics and shocked journalists by inviting them to a bizarre press event on June 14 when he set a huge pair of red underpants on fire.
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The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) said it will stop its regular foreign currency purchases on domestic market because of volitility.
Earlier this month Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev likened the mushrooming sanctions regime to a “declaration of economic war” and the government has gone onto a war footing to
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