The other Europe ...today's developments - At this hour ( 1:30 pmlocal time), there are people gathering in the center of Bucharest once more.

ROMANIA: More than 30 people were injured Sunday during a protest that turned violent in Romania’s capital, with demonstrators throwing stones and riot police using tear gas, medical sources said. Around a thousand Romanians had gathered in central Bucharest to voice anger at falling living standards and call on President Traian Basescu to step down. At this hour ( 1:30 PM. local time), there are people gathering in the center of Bucharest once more.

CZECH REPUBLIC: The Czech government’s restitution bill that compensates churches for property and assets confiscated during communist rule has raised political tensions and fiscal costs, and as such is credit negative, Moody’s Investors Service said Monday. The bill commits the state to transferring CZK170 billion, or 4.3% of gross domestic product, to the churches, Moody’s noted. Furthermore, if tensions result in the exit of Public Affairs (VV) from the ruling coalition, early elections would have to be called to form a new government, the credit rating firm pointed out.
SLOVAKIA: Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the Slovak Republic to ‘A’ from ‘A+’, and affirmed the short-term ‘A-1′ rating
BULGARIA: Miners at Bulgaria’s largest coal producer, state-owned Maritza East Mines, went on strike Sunday after failing to obtain demanded wage increases, miners’ union leader Valentin Valchev said.