International development

JP Morgan in a special report discusses in detail the FTSE Russell announcements and the possible revision of Greece to a developed market. “FTSE Russell will add Greece for possible promotion from advanced emerging (EM) to developed markets (DM).

FTSE Russell announced late on Tuesday it has included the Athens Stock Exchange in the shortlist for upgrading, with the aim of returning it to the category of developed markets

Greece will be added to the Watch List for a possible upgrade from "Advanced Emerging" to "Developed Market" status.

One in four Bulgarians is unable to afford heating during the winter months, according to energy expert Ivan Hinovski. The number of individuals experiencing energy poverty is rising, and many households also face what is termed "hidden energy poverty," characterized by inadequate energy consumption for their needs.

Extremely vulnerable to climate change, not rich enough to stop it on their own, and not poor enough to depend on aid and development financing: the world's small island countries are bracing for both fiscal and climate shocks.

The City of Athens is spearheading an initiative with other municipal authorities in the Attica region that will allow them to negotiate special rates with energy suppliers as a single corporate customer.

Additionally seeking to promote power production through renewables, the so-called Athens Energy Alliance already has eight members, with four more mulling entry into the scheme.

The planned system that will measure the performance of local government organizations, and which in turn will determine their funding, is a necessary step on the path of reforms, along with the others that have been attempted recently.

Tired of mounting debt and multiple crises, leaders of the world's poorest countries have called for a rewrite of the rules governing the granting of billions of dollars.

Argentina has reached an agreement with the International Monetary Fund to refinance more than $40 billion in debt, President Alberto Fernandez has said.

"We had an unpayable debt that left us without a present or a future, and now we have a reasonable agreement that will allow us to grow and comply," Fernandez said on national television on Jan. 28.

Ljubljana – Slovenian NGOs and the human rights ombudsman have called on the authorities to take measures to reduce poverty to the largest degree possible as the world observes International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on Sunday. The ministry in charge social affairs on the other hand says the government has not forgotten the socially deprived.

Nearly 24% of the Bulgarians live in poverty, according to data from the Action Plan for the implementation of the National Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The data also show that the country's goal was to reduce the number of people living in poverty by 260,000 by 2020 compared to 2008.