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Shedding communism and embracing the European Union was supposed to shield the former eastern bloc from Russias economic pains. A quarter of a century later, there are companies that remain vulnerable.

The rubles decline is reviving memories of the 1998 default. Moscows former satellites have tied their economic fortunes to western Europe and the proportion of exports to Russia is less than 5 percent, yet the financial turmoil is aggravating the pain caused by the trade confrontation between the 28-member EU bloc and Russia.

A successful year is becoming unsuccessful, said Miroslav Student, the commercial director at Abo valve, a Czech producer of butterfly and check valves for industrial applications. The weak ruble is a headache for us. Its causing financial problems, since our branch there has to pay more rubles for euros, and its also complicating trade.

While the effect on stocks and bonds cant compare with 16 years ago, industries from appliance makers to drug producers to machinery factories across the region are hurting.

Shares of Gorenje d.d. and Krka Group d.d., Slovenias biggest exporters, plunged this quarter on concern the rubles weakening may erode revenue by as much as 50 percent. Sopharma AD, Bulgarias largest publicly traded pharmaceutical company, expects sales to drop. Gedeon Richter Nyrt., Hungarys largest drugmaker, last week warned of a drop in sales and operating profit and a one-time financial loss.

Russia is our biggest market and such drastic currency drops usually lead to refraining from sales for a while until people get psychologically adjusted to the new prices, Sopharma Chief Executive Officer Ognyan Donev said by phone last week. Weve already seen this in Kazakhstan and Ukraine.

Even after Russias importance as a trading partner dwindled following the collapse of communism, its market of about 140 million people remains an important destination for eastern European products.

Data from the International Monetary Fund, compiled by Bloomberg, show exports increased last year as a percentage of trade compared with 1998.

It accounted for 4.3 percent of Polish exports last year, compared with 3.9 percent in 1998. In the Czech Republic, the ratio rose to 3.4 percent from 2.1 percent. In Hungary, they rose to 3 percent from 2.5 percent.

Russia, alongside economic weakness in the euro region, just adds to the headwinds, according to William Jackson, a senior emerging-market economist at Capital Economics in London. He predicted the drop in exports to Russia might erase 0.3 percentage point to 1 percentage point from gross domestic product growth across central and eastern Europe in 2015.

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Russia Crisis Makes East European Companies Fret Over 1998 Redux

Thousands in China are turning their back on communism in favour of obscure Christian sects, one of which worships a female Jesus - and is known to use violence to impose itself, writes Danny Vincent.

Jesus is back and she is opposed to the Chinese communist party.

The Chinese government calls the Church of Almighty God an evil cult. It's a million-strong doomsday sect that believe Jesus has returned to earth as a middle aged Chinese woman named Lightening Deng.

To ask of her whereabouts is "against the will of God", to question her preaching is "against the will of God" and to ask too many questions, is ,well "against the will of God", I am told by Samuel, a 39-year-old member and migrant worker from central China.

The group worship in secret, members never talk on mobile phones and they are banned by the Chinese government. But membership is growing.

Samuel found God in an underground church 10 years ago in his home town.

After converting to the Church of Almighty God he sold his home, gave the money to the sect and moved to Beijing to preach the word of a female Jesus, starting a new life away from his family.

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The Church of Almighty God is just one of many off-shoot Christian sects across this atheist nation.

China has more Christians than communist party members. It's said that more Chinese attend Sunday mass than the whole of Europe combined.

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Inside China's Jesus cult

Vaclav Klaus message to EFDD group about communism and EU
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Vaclav Klaus message to EFDD group about communism and EU - Video

Tom Leykis Show 2014: Russell Brand #39;s Communism
I called in to briefly discuss Russell Brand and socialism in Europe. http://www,premiumtom.com http://www.blowmeuptom.com.

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Tom Leykis Show 2014: Russell Brand's Communism - Video

Mr. Castro confirmed that he would travel to Panama in April for the Summit of the Americas, which Mr. Obama is also set to attend. A White House official said Saturday that there were no current plans for the two presidents to meet there.

Mr. Castro, wearing a traditional white shirt called a guayabera and only occasionally gesturing for emphasis, referred repeatedly to Mr. Obama, praising him personally while also emphasizing that with the process of real diplomacy just beginning, "the only way to advance is with mutual respect."

He insisted, as he and Fidel Castro have for years, that the United States not meddle in the sovereign affairs of the Cuban state.

Carlos Alzugaray Treto, a Cuban diplomat and educator, said Mr. Castro's strong wording, in a speech that is an annual event and rallying point, seemed to be mostly directed at his Communist Party loyalists.

"It's domestic politics," Dr. Alzugaray said.

He noted that, just as Mr. Obama must contend with Cuban-American lawmakers who are angry about the deal, Mr. Castro faces opposition from more conservative party members who recall that Cuba's previous stance, established in the 1960s, was to hold off resuming relations until the United States lifted its trade embargo completely.

"It's Ral reassuring certain people," Dr. Alzugaray said, adding that in both Cuba and the United States, the embryonic era of friendliness would need to be protected from those resisting reconciliation of any kind. "Obama more than Ral has initiated the first step, but other steps are needed."

Amy Chozick contributed reporting from Honolulu.

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Cuba: We'll stick with Communism