May 2 (SeeNews) - Following is a selection of top stories moved by SeeNews over the past week:
ROMANIA'S OMV PETROM PLANS LOWER DIVIDEND, INVESTMENTS IN 2015
Romania's top oil and gas group, OMV Petrom [BSE:SNP], said on Wednesday it will pay a gross dividend of 0.0112 lei ($0.0028/0.0026 euro) per share for 2014, versus 0.0308 lei per share paid a year earlier.
The company also said in a statement it will invest an estimated 5.3 billion lei this year, 20% below the budgeted investments for 2014. Some 90% of the amount will go to Upstream activities. Downstream Oil activities will receive 9% of the budget, while 1% will go to investments in Downstream Gas.
Read more at: http://wire.seenews.com/news/romanias-omv-petrom-plans-lower-dividend-investments-in-2015-474422
SERBIAN PM SAYS INCREASE IN PENSIONS, PUBLIC SECTOR WAGES POSSIBLE IN OCT
Serbian prime minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday pensions and public sector wages in the country could be raised in October, following talks with the International Monetary Fun (IMF) on the issue in August.
Read more at: http://wire.seenews.com/news/serbian-pm-says-increase-in-pensions-public-sector-wages-possible-in-oct-474738
LNG HRVATSKA EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR NON-BINDING BIDS FOR LNG KRK CAPACITY
Croatia's LNG Hrvatska said it has extended until May 31 the deadline for non-binding bids to book capacity at the planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Adriatic island of Krk.
"Due to requests from gas suppliers and regional utility companies for extension of non-binding open season procedure stage, LNG Hrvatska decided to prolong the due date for thirty days," the company said in a statement posted on its website.
Read more at: http://wire.seenews.com/news/lng-hrvatska-extends-deadline-for-non-binding-bids-for-lng-krk-capacity-474423
HP OPENS 5.1 MLN EURO TECH LAB IN SOFIA
Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria said on Wednesday it opened a technological laboratory in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, in which it invested more than 10 million levs ($5.6 million/5.1 million euro).
Read more at: http://wire.seenews.com/news/hp-opens-5-1-mln-euro-tech-lab-in-sofia-474496
FREEDOM OF PRESS ON DECLINE IN MANY WESTERN BALKAN COUNTRIES - FREEDOM HOUSE
Many countries in the Western Balkans continued to exhibit a worrying pattern of press freedom violations in 2014, independent watchdog organisation Freedom House said.
"These media environments feature several common problems: the use of defamation and insult laws by politicians and business people to suppress critical reporting; pro-government bias at public broadcasters; editorial pressure from political leaders and private owners that leads to self-censorship; harassment, threats, and attacks on journalists that go unpunished; and opaque ownership structures," Freedom House said on Wednesday upon the release of its 2015 Freedom of the Press ranking.
Read more at: http://wire.seenews.com/news/freedom-of-press-on-decline-in-many-western-balkan-countries-freedom-house-474644