Belarus ruble sinks 20 percent, shocking citizens
... The National Bank said the devaluation was aimed at raising the competitiveness of the Belarusian economy, which has been battered by the global financial crisis. It also was a condition of a $2.5 billion loan from the IMF announced Wednesday.
Russian Dispute With Ukraine Worsens, Hitting Europe
... There were “no warnings” from the Russian side on cutting deliveries, Dubina said at a press conference in Kiev. “They probably decided to stop deliveries to Europe via Ukraine completely.” He said Ukraine urged the EU to mediate in talks.
Oh yeah, nothing could have warned us.
