Category: Newsflash

Romanian Transport Minister Relu Fenechiu on Thursday announced that the tender auctioning off 51% of the shares of CFR Marfa, the Freight Division of the Romanian Rail Company was won by the only bidder left. The winner is a local company that will now pay the state the equivalent of the remaining 49% of shares, tantamount to 202 million euros. In addition the company will invest another 200 million euros in CFR Marfa. In another development, trade unions continue their protests in front of the Transport Ministry building, condemning the lack of transparency in the privatisation process. Employees fear a forthcoming wave of mass redundancies. The privatisation of loss-incurring CFR Marfa is one of the measures the Government has pledged to introduce as part of Romania’s standby agreement with the IMF, the EU and the World Bank.

Romania and the Netherlands on Thursday signed a joint declaration on the well functioning of the two country’s labour markets by combating worker abuse and illegal labour. The agreement was signed by Romanian Labour Minister Mariana Campeanu and her Dutch counterpart Lodewik Asscher in Luxemburg, where the two officials attended the meeting of the EU Council for Employment, Social Policy, Healthcare and Consumer Protection. Among others, the declaration highlights labour mobility across the EU and the need for institutional cooperation between Member States.

Leaders of the European People’s Party (EPP) attending a summit in Vienna on Thursday adopted a joint declaration under the heading “New growth and jobs for Europe”. According to the document, combating unemployment, especially youth unemployment, remains among Europe’s top priorities. Attending the summit devoted to preparing the agenda of the European Council of June 27th and 28th, were heads of state and government, leaders of the opposition, European Council President Herman van Rompuy, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and Romanian president Traian Basescu.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry claims that the adoption of the so-called state border law in Transnistria, the breakaway region east of the Republic of Moldova, is an act of defiance which will attract the disapproval of the international community. The reaction follows after the leader in Tiraspol Yevgeny Shevchuk promulgated a draft law transferring several Moldovan towns and villages under Transnistrian authority. Experts fear Tiraspol, which currently enjoys Moscow’s support, might resort to a military intervention. Russia would thus try to thwart Moldova’s EU ambitions by preventing the country from signing the association agreement. The Moldovan Parliament on Thursday debated the situation in Transnistria, a region that broke away with Moldova in 1992 in the wake of an armed conflict.

Romanian tennis player Simona Halep on Thursday progressed to the semi-finals of the tennis tournament of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, totalling 235,000 dollars in prize money. 45th WTA seed Halep will go up against Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain in the semi-finals, currently ranking 19th in world standings. We recall that Halep won the Nurnberg tournament last week.

A single company, owned by a Romanian, still bids for the privatization of CFR Marfa, the freight division of the Romanian state railroads company. Two other investors have pulled out of the bid. The deadline for offers is June the 19th. This is the second attempt to privatize the state company, after all offers were rejected in the first stage. This privatization is part of the contract for a major loan with the IMF, the EU and the World Bank.

The United States President Barack Obama proposed on Wednesday, in a historic speech held at the Brandenburg Gate in Germany’s capital city Berlin, the reduction of the nuclear arsenal by as much as one third, worldwide. He said he would seek cooperation with Russia for further cuts “to move beyond Cold War nuclear postures”. Barack Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the situation in Syria, Afghanistan and the Middle East. The two officials also discussed about the negotiations between the European Union and the United States on forging a free trade agreement. Obama’s speech at the Brandenburg Gate was given 50 years from the historic speech held there by the then US President John F. Kennedy.

Romania, alongside Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia is featured in the semi-consolidated democracy category, according to the latest Freedom House report, based on criteria such as election process, civil society, freedom of the press, legal framework independence of the judiciary and corruption, to name just a few. Each of the countries is given an overall democracy score, based on a scale from 1 to 7, with 1 signifying the highest level of democratic development, and 7 the lowest. That score represents the average of the marks each nation has received in the individual categories. Romania, rated at 3.46 in this years report, down from 3.36 in the previous one.

Euranet Plus, a European radio network dedicated to community issues, will have its official launch at the European Parliament in Brussels, and it counts Radio Romania among its members. The event will be attended by journalists, civil society and high European officials, such as European Parliament chairman Michel Barnier. The Euranet Plus inauguration comes against a survey that indicates that two out of three European citizens say they are badly informed on community issues.

An International Monetary Fund mission is these days paying a visit to the Republic of Molova after the previous agreement, signed by the two sides three years ago, has not been finalized because of the political instability in Chisinau. The international experts met with the country’s prime minister Iurie Leanca on Wednesday. In 2010 Moldova signed with the IMF a loan agreement worth 570 million dollars that was badly needed to maintain financial stability, reduce poverty and boost the country’s economy. The former government in Chisinau failed to observe the commitments it had made before the political crisis began. For this reason, the IMF has not disbursed the last tranche of the loan, worth 76 million dollars.

The Romanian Parliament on Tuesday ruled against President Traian Basescu’s proposal to hold a new referendum on introducing a single-chamber Parliament with a maximum number of 300 MPs. Parliament’s legal committees had previously approved the proposal, but their approval was only advisory. President Basescu said that the referendum he damanded would be organized at least a week before the referendum to be held for the validation of the Constitution, provided the new Constitution draft law did not account for the result of the similar 2009 referendum. We recall that four years ago most citizens voted in favour of a single-chamber Parliament with a limited number of 300 MPs.

Romania’s primary political target remains consolidating relations with the US, Romanian president Traian Basescu said on Tuesday following a meeting with CIA Director John O. Brennan. Moreover, president Basescu highlighted the importance of the Strategic Partnership between the two states. In turn, John O. Brennan said that the Romanian intelligence agencies, the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Romanian Foreign Information Service, are truly remarkable and valued by the United States. Prime Minister Victor Ponta also met with the CIA Director and discussed the cooperation between Romania and the US within the Strategic Partnership. The visit of the American official to Romania came two days following the visit of Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.

The process of revising the Romanian Constitution will be analized in full detail by the European Commission, European Commission Secretary General Catherine Day said following a meeting with Romanian Justice Minister Robert Cazanciuc. According to a Romanian Justice Ministry press release, the Commission has acknowledged the activity of institutions playing a major role in combating corruption, although it expects an increase in the rythm of passing rulings in high-level corruption cases. On the other hand, Catherine Day has pointed to the need for Romania to observe the deadline for the enactment of the Criminal and Criminal Procedural Codes. Minister Cazanciuc had previously said the deadline was set for February 1st, 2014.

Romanians have developed an open attitude towards foreigners residing on Romanian territory and support measures aimed at protecting them, reads a press release made public by the Soros Foundation on Tuesday. The research study shows that learning Romanian is key to integration and contributes to finding employment. However, although Romanian and foreign citizens share the same professional qualification, employers favour homegrown workers over foreigners. According to the Soros Foundation, some 100,000 foreign citizens reside in Romania, of which 50,000 are non-EU immigrants.

The human rights organization Amnesty International has urged Romania to seek ways to end the forced evacuations of Roma, according to a report published on Tuesday. Amnesty International condemns the flaws in the legislation allowing local authorities to expel large and long-standing communities of Roma to relocate to improper housing, isolating them from the rest of the population, under the pretext of carrying out renovation works of urban centres. According to the 2011 census, Romania is home to some 600,000 Roma, although according to data issued by NGOs in the field speak of some 2 million Roma.

Afghan forces have formally taken over security for the whole of the country from the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, which has been on a mission to that country since the demise of the Taliban regime in late 2001, President Hamid Karzai has announced. The vast majority of the 100 thousand NATO military, among whom 1,600 Romanians, is to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. However, international observers doubt Afghan forces’ capacity to ensure the country’s security, given the mounting threat of the Talibans, who have been gaining ground in recent years.

At a meeting held in Belfast on Tuesday G8 leaders have called for organizing a peace conference on Syria as soon as possible, highlighting the need to reach an agreement regarding the setting up of a transition government. G8 leaders also expressed concern regarding the rising threat posed by terrorism and extremism in this country. According to a UN report, since March 2011 over 93,000 people have been killed in the civil war against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. G8 leaders have reiterated their unwillingness to pay ransom in any terrorist hostage-taking crises. Experts say the terrorist group Al-Qaeda has over the last two years received 70 million dollars from hostage-taking operations.

The conflict in Syria is high on the agenda of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland, which brings together the seven industrialized countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, Britain and Russia. Late last month the EU lifted the arms embargo for the Syrian opposition, a decision contested by Russia, which is backing the regime in Damascus. In another development, the Russian diplomacy announced that Moscow would not allow the setting up of a no-fly zone over Syria, as this would be tantamount to violating international law.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has been a major partner for Romania as far as structural and development programmes are concerned. The statement was made by Prime Minister Victor Ponta during a joint conference with EBRD president Sir Suma Chakrabarti in Bucharest. According to the EBRD head, Romania gives clear signals of economic recovery after extremely difficult years. At present, Romania is the third country in terms of EBRD investment volume. This financial institution has invested close to 6.2 billion euros in over 330 projects in Romania, for which it has mobilized more than 12 billion euros from other funding sources.

Turkish Interior minister Muammer Guler has described as illegal the call for an all-out strike made by two major trade unions in Turkey in support for the anti-government protests. Since May the 31st, Turkey has seen a string protests staged in several big cities across the country with the aim of removing Prime Minister Erdogan from power. The protesters are accusing Erdogan of authoritarian rule and of remaining loyal to the idea of Islamizing the country. According to the latest toll by the Turkish doctors Trade Union, four people have died and 75 hundred wounded since the beginning of the protests. In an interview to German TV channel RTL, chancellor Angela Merkel has again called on Turkey to observe the freedom of expression, at the same time voicing hope that a peaceful solution will be found.

Bucharest and Moscow on Monday signed a memorandum for the cooperation between the Romanian Higher Defence Council and the Security Council of the Russian Federation. The document provides for cooperation in several fields of activity such as the fight against terrorism, cross-border crime, human and drugs trafficking, ways of fighting money laundering, cyber crime and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The talks between Nikolai Patrusev, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and the Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean held in Bucharest also focused on the partnership between Russia and the EU, and NATO and Russia, including issues such as the situation in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the ISAF forces in 2014, the anti-missile defence and the situation in Syria.

Romania’s Higher Defence Council convened in Bucharest on Monday for decisions on the country’s defence industry and plans to supply the Romanian armed forces with materials. The Council has approved that Romania can deploy a 3039 strong contingent to various operation theatres in 2014. A report on the activity of the Center for Responding to Incidents of Cyber Security has also been approved by the Council.

Romania’s Higher Defense Council meets on Monday in Bucharest to discuss the plan for supplying the Romanian armed forces with materiel for the 2013-2022 period. Another topic on the agenda is Romania’s participation to missions and operations abroad in 2014. Other subjects under discussion are major territorial infrastructure objectives crucial to the national defense system, and the report on the activity of the center for reaction to cybersecurity incidents.

Northern Ireland hosts the two day G8 summit gathering together Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the US and the UK. The main topic on the agenda is the conflict in Syria. Late last month, the EU has decided to lift the embargo on weapon supplies for rebel forces, a decision criticized by Russia, which supports the regime in Damascus. The US announced it would supply arms to the rebels after claiming there is evidence of use of chemical weapons by the regime. The host of the summit, PM David Cameron, said he was confident that the meeting would create the premises necessary for this conflict to be settled.

In Turkey, protests continue against the conservative government led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while the two largest trade unions in the country called for a general strike in protest towards the brutal reaction of security forces. This sparked new international reactions, the most prominent being the call made by the Council of Europe for a stop to the escalating violence. According to a toll presented by the BBC, four people have died and 5,000 have been injured in the three weeks of protests. The protests are aimed at PM Erdogan’s authoritarian rule and his alleged attempt to turn Turkey into an Islamist country.

The secretary of Russia’s Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, is on a visit to Bucharest on Monday. On his agenda are meetings with the head of state, Traian Basescu, and Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean. On Tuesday, Bucharest is visited by CIA chief John Brennan. According to President Basescu, the talks will include the monitoring of emails by US secret services aimed at a number of Romanian citizens.

The Eurostat, EU’s office for statistics, announced Romania now holds first place in the Union in terms of growth in hourly wages. In the EU overall, hourly wagest went up 1.9%, with falling figures in Slovenia, Spain and Cyprus. The cost of wages is calculated taking into account salary, financial compensation and non-salary expenses incurred by the employer.

The 20th edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the third largest in Europe after those in Edinburgh and Avignon came to an end on Sunday in Sibiu, central Romania. On the festival’s last day actors from Belgium presented a show entitled ‘Pedaling toward the sky’, a mixture of film clips, songs and dance performances. During this edition the festival saw the inauguration of a ‘hall of fame’, where 6 leading names in theatre, including director Silviu Purcarete and theatre critic George Banu were each awarded a star. The Sibiu International Theatre Festival this year included over 350 events, from theatre shows, to street performances, workshops, conferences and book launches.

The White House has announced in a communiqué that the United States is ready to directly cooperate with Iran in the issue of its controversial nuclear programme, after the victory in the presidential election of moderate Hassan Rohani. Such a commitment is mainly aimed at finding a diplomatic solution meant to defuse tension at global level over Iran’s nuclear programme, the US presidency has underlined. Hassan Rohani, a moderate religious leader, has emerged as winner of the presidential election in the first round, a win, which marks the come back of the moderates and the reformers after a long period of time. The successor of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has pledged more flexibility in the dialogue with the West, but the strategic files, such as the nuclear one, or the international relations, remain under the direct authority of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, press agencies have announced.

Romanian president Traian Basescu on Sunday told a private TV channel that he believed the upcoming IMF meeting would acknowledge the fulfillment of most of the obligations Romania assumed in the present accord with that financial institution and would validate the conclusion of a new one. On the other hand, the president believes that, although the government still has no intention of raising pensions and salaries, Romania is no longer facing a period of austerity. The president has also envisaged a better evolution of the economy and of the labor market. Romania has signed an agreement with the IMF, the EU and the World Bank, for a precautionary loan, under which it pledged to reduce arrears and privatize a series of big state companies, particularly in the field of energy and transport.

North Korea on Sunday proposed a fresh round of high-level talks with the United States over its controversial nuclear programme aimed at easing tension on the peninsula, France Press reports. However, pundits believe that Washington is unlikely to accept Pyongyang’s offer unless the latter takes concrete action towards denuclearisation. In another move, interministerial negotiations between the South and the North, scheduled for last Wednesday in Seoul have been postponed in the last minute. The recent months have been marked by rising tension on the peninsula, sparked off by Pyongyan’s third nuclear test in early February.

Romanian president Traian Basescu has summoned the country’s Supreme Defence Council, which is due to convene in Bucharest on Monday. High on the agenda are talks over plans to equip the Romanian Armed Forces between 2013 and 2022 and the state of the defence industry. Also high on the agenda are discussions about the Romanian contingents available for international peacekeeping missions in 2014 as well as the privatization of the Romanian Aeronautic Industry.

Romanian rowers Roxana Borha and Iulia Taran became bronze medallists in the 200-meter double kayak race held on Sunday, the last day of the European Kayak-Canoe Championship in Portugal. The Romanian delegation walks away from this competition with five medals, two silver and three bronze.

The 20th edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the third largest in Europe after those in Edinburgh and Avignon came to an end on Sunday in Sibiu, central Romania. On the festival’s last day actors from Belgium presented a show entitled ‘Pedaling toward the sky’, a mixture of film clips, songs and dance performances. During this edition the festival saw the inauguration of a ‘hall of fame’, where 6 leading names in theatre, including director Silviu Purcarete and theatre critic George Banu were each awarded a star. The Sibiu International Theatre Festival this year included over 350 events, from theatre shows, to street performances, workshops, conferences and book launches.

The White House has announced in a communiqué that the United States is ready to directly cooperate with Iran in the issue of its controversial nuclear programme, after the victory in the presidential election of moderate Hassan Rohani. Such a commitment is mainly aimed at finding a diplomatic solution meant to defuse tension at global level over Iran’s nuclear programme, the US presidency has underlined. Hassan Rohani, a moderate religious leader, has emerged as winner of the presidential election in the first round, a win, which marks the come back of the moderates and the reformers after a long period of time. The successor of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has pledged more flexibility in the dialogue with the West, but the strategic files, such as the nuclear one, or the international relations, remain under the direct authority of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, press agencies have announced.

Romanian president Traian Basescu on Sunday told a private TV channel that he believed the upcoming IMF meeting would acknowledge the fulfillment of most of the obligations Romania assumed in the present accord with that financial institution and would validate the conclusion of a new one. On the other hand, the president believes that, although the government still has no intention of raising pensions and salaries, Romania is no longer facing a period of austerity. The president has also envisaged a better evolution of the economy and of the labor market. Romania has signed an agreement with the IMF, the EU and the World Bank, for a precautionary loan, under which it pledged to reduce arrears and privatize a series of big state companies, particularly in the field of energy and transport.

North Korea on Sunday proposed a fresh round of high-level talks with the United States over its controversial nuclear programme aimed at easing tension on the peninsula, France Press reports. However, pundits believe that Washington is unlikely to accept Pyongyang’s offer unless the latter takes concrete action towards denuclearisation. In another move, interministerial negotiations between the South and the North, scheduled for last Wednesday in Seoul have been postponed in the last minute. The recent months have been marked by rising tension on the peninsula, sparked off by Pyongyan’s third nuclear test in early February.

Romanian president Traian Basescu has summoned the country’s Supreme Defence Council, which is due to convene in Bucharest on Monday. High on the agenda are talks over plans to equip the Romanian Armed Forces between 2013 and 2022 and the state of the defence industry. Also high on the agenda are discussions about the Romanian contingents available for international peacekeeping missions in 2014 as well as the privatization of the Romanian Aeronautic Industry.

Romanian rowers Roxana Borha and Iulia Taran became bronze medallists in the 200-meter double kayak race held on Sunday, the last day of the European Kayak-Canoe Championship in Portugal. The Romanian delegation walks away from this competition with five medals, two silver and three bronze.

The Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlăţean, takes part on Sunday in the European Forum in Wachau, Austria. According to the Foreign Ministry, the meeting is an important occasion to approach relevant topics for Romania’s foreign policy, such as the European and global economic developments, security, regional issues, as well as aspects of bilateral interest. On the sidelines of the event, Titus Corlatean will have a meeting with Michael Spindelegger, Austria’s Vice-Chancellor and Minister for European and International Affairs. The two will discuss aspects related to the Western Balkans, Danube Strategy, energy security and the Nabucco project.

The Romanian Simona Halep, seed no. 7 and ranking 58th in the WTA standings, Saturday won the tennis tournament in Nurnberg (Germany), with 235,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, she outplayed Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, 103 WTA (6-3, 6-3). This is the first WTA tournament won by Simona Halep, who also played the finals of the tournaments in Fes, in 2010 and 2011, and Brussels, in 2012. Also in the Nurnberg tournament, the Romanian-Russian pair Raluca Olaru-Valeria Solovieva won the doubles event, defeating Anna-Lena Groenfeld (Germany) / Kveta Peschke (the Czech Republic), 2-6, 7-6 (3), 11-9.

In Greece, the partners in the ruling coalition insisted on Saturday for the complete reopening of the public radio and television stations, rejecting a partial reopening proposal made by the Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras amid protests against his decision to shut down the public broadcasters. Two of the three parties in the governing coalition – Dimar and PASOK — are unhappy with not having been consulted on the matter. The Greek Prime Minister has announced a meeting of the ruling parties on Monday, to discuss the crisis generated by the decision to close the public broadcaster.

At least 23 people were killed on Saturday in two bomb attacks in the town of Quetta, south-western Pakistan. An attack targeted a bus carrying female university students, and the other one a hospital were the victims of the first blast had been taken. The Taliban and other Islamist insurgents that oppose the education of women are very active in the region.

The Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlăţean, takes part on Sunday in the European Forum in Wachau, Austria. According to the Foreign Ministry, the meeting is an important occasion to approach relevant topics for Romania’s foreign policy, such as the European and global economic developments, security, regional issues, as well as aspects of bilateral interest. On the sidelines of the event, Titus Corlatean will have a meeting with Michael Spindelegger, Austria’s Vice-Chancellor and Minister for European and International Affairs. The two will discuss aspects related to the Western Balkans, Danube Strategy, energy security and the Nabucco project.

The Romanian Simona Halep, seed no. 7 and ranking 58th in the WTA standings, Saturday won the tennis tournament in Nurnberg (Germany), with 235,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, she outplayed Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, 103 WTA (6-3, 6-3). This is the first WTA tournament won by Simona Halep, who also played the finals of the tournaments in Fes, in 2010 and 2011, and Brussels, in 2012. Also in the Nurnberg tournament, the Romanian-Russian pair Raluca Olaru-Valeria Solovieva won the doubles event, defeating Anna-Lena Groenfeld (Germany) / Kveta Peschke (the Czech Republic), 2-6, 7-6 (3), 11-9.

In Greece, the partners in the ruling coalition insisted on Saturday for the complete reopening of the public radio and television stations, rejecting a partial reopening proposal made by the Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras amid protests against his decision to shut down the public broadcasters. Two of the three parties in the governing coalition – Dimar and PASOK — are unhappy with not having been consulted on the matter. The Greek Prime Minister has announced a meeting of the ruling parties on Monday, to discuss the crisis generated by the decision to close the public broadcaster.

At least 23 people were killed on Saturday in two bomb attacks in the town of Quetta, south-western Pakistan. An attack targeted a bus carrying female university students, and the other one a hospital were the victims of the first blast had been taken. The Taliban and other Islamist insurgents that oppose the education of women are very active in the region.

The Calafat-Vidin bridge, the second bridge over the Danube river between Romania and Bulgaria and the longest across this river, was opened on Friday in the presence of Romania’s prime minister Victor Ponta, of his Bulgarian counterpart Plamen Oresarsky and of the European commissioner for regional policy, Johannes Hahn. With a length of approximately 2 km, the bridge has two lanes in each direction, a railways track and a cycling lane. Joint Bulgarian and Romanian border police teams will conduct border checks on the Romanian side of the bridge for road traffic and on the Bulgarian side for railway traffic. According to estimates, over 100,000 vehicles are expected to cross the bridge every day.

The research platform in Magurele, southern Romania, Friday saw the start of construction works for the infrastructure of a project called Extreme Light Infrastructure — Nuclear Physics, aimed at building the biggest laser in the world. The project is part of a wider theoretical and applied scientific research project carried out in Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary and is conducted by a consortium of 13 European states. The total value of the project exceeds 356 million euros.

The European Broadcasting Union Friday called on Athens to revise its decision to shut down the Greek public radio and television and to resume broadcasts. The government headed by the Conservative Antonis Samaras said the measure was designed to help save money, and promised the public broadcasters would be reopened, but with smaller staff. The two Socialist parties in the ruling coalition are disgruntled with not having been consulted, and say they might support early election plans. Antonis Samaras has announced a meeting of the ruling coalition on Monday, to discuss the crisis generated by the closing of the public radio and television channels, which shocked the public and triggered strong reactions of the international community.

The government of Turkey announced on Friday it would not redevelop Gezi Park in Istanbul until a court has ruled on the legality of the plan. The announcement was made after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked to representatives of the protesters in Taksim Square, who are demanding the resignation of the government. The original environmental protest focusing on Gezi Park snowballed into a large-scale movement against the Prime Minister, and spread to all major cities in Turkey. The protesters accuse the Prime Minister of a dictatorial rule and of trying to enforce Islamist policies. The clashes between the protesters and riot police have so far resulted in 4 deaths and over 7500 people wounded.

US president Barack Obama has for the first time authorised the provision of arms to the Syrian rebels following a White House announcement that it hold proof the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against the opposition forces fighting against president Bashar al Assad, Reuters news agency says. The US’s decision comes at a time when Syrian government forces are now targeting the north of the country, having captured the strategic town of Qusair last month with the open support of Hezbollah. At the end of last month, the European Union decided to lift the arms ban on the Syrian opposition, a decision opposed by Russia, which supports the regime in Damascus. Over 80,000 people have been killed since March 2011 in the armed conflict in Syria between the forces loyal to the Bashar al Assad regime and its opponents.

The Calafat-Vidin bridge, the second bridge over the Danube river between Romania and Bulgaria and the longest across this river, was opened on Friday in the presence of Romania’s prime minister Victor Ponta, of his Bulgarian counterpart Plamen Oresarsky and of the European commissioner for regional policy, Johannes Hahn. With a length of approximately 2 km, the bridge has two lanes in each direction, a railways track and a cycling lane. Joint Bulgarian and Romanian border police teams will conduct border checks on the Romanian side of the bridge for road traffic and on the Bulgarian side for railway traffic. According to estimates, over 100,000 vehicles are expected to cross the bridge every day.

The research platform in Magurele, southern Romania, Friday saw the start of construction works for the infrastructure of a project called Extreme Light Infrastructure — Nuclear Physics, aimed at building the biggest laser in the world. The project is part of a wider theoretical and applied scientific research project carried out in Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary and is conducted by a consortium of 13 European states. The total value of the project exceeds 356 million euros.

The European Broadcasting Union Friday called on Athens to revise its decision to shut down the Greek public radio and television and to resume broadcasts. The government headed by the Conservative Antonis Samaras said the measure was designed to help save money, and promised the public broadcasters would be reopened, but with smaller staff. The two Socialist parties in the ruling coalition are disgruntled with not having been consulted, and say they might support early election plans. Antonis Samaras has announced a meeting of the ruling coalition on Monday, to discuss the crisis generated by the closing of the public radio and television channels, which shocked the public and triggered strong reactions of the international community.

The government of Turkey announced on Friday it would not redevelop Gezi Park in Istanbul until a court has ruled on the legality of the plan. The announcement was made after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked to representatives of the protesters in Taksim Square, who are demanding the resignation of the government. The original environmental protest focusing on Gezi Park snowballed into a large-scale movement against the Prime Minister, and spread to all major cities in Turkey. The protesters accuse the Prime Minister of a dictatorial rule and of trying to enforce Islamist policies. The clashes between the protesters and riot police have so far resulted in 4 deaths and over 7500 people wounded.

US president Barack Obama has for the first time authorised the provision of arms to the Syrian rebels following a White House announcement that it hold proof the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against the opposition forces fighting against president Bashar al Assad, Reuters news agency says. The US’s decision comes at a time when Syrian government forces are now targeting the north of the country, having captured the strategic town of Qusair last month with the open support of Hezbollah. At the end of last month, the European Union decided to lift the arms ban on the Syrian opposition, a decision opposed by Russia, which supports the regime in Damascus. Over 80,000 people have been killed since March 2011 in the armed conflict in Syria between the forces loyal to the Bashar al Assad regime and its opponents.

Torrential rain has hit hard Romania over the last few days, killing at least three people. According to the Ministry of the Interior, thousands of towns and villages were seriously affected by the downpour. The Government has decided that nearly 200 families and people left stranded be handed down financial aid. Meteorologists have maintained a code yellow alert for torrential rain, hail and gale for southern, eastern and central counties.

Romanian president Traian Basescu on Thursday said that all projects under the Danube Strategy should be listed as top financing targets to be sent to the European Commission by EU Member States. The statement followed the meeting of the heads of Central European states held in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Romanian official expressed his unconditional support for the Danube Strategy ahead of the 2014-2020 EU budgetary framework. The Nabucco gas pipeline and EU enlargement also ranked high on the agenda of the meeting.

The European Parliament on Thursday criticized what has described “the excessive use of force” in Turkey, condemning Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s refusal to seek reconciliation. In a resolution adopted on Thursday Euro MPs expressed concern regarding the violent clashes between the riot police and protesters. Moreover, the European Parliament urged the Turkish Government to adopt severe measures against protesters in order to avoid the conflict from escalating. A recent toll of the protests in Istanbul that have been dragging on for two weeks has reached 4 killed and over 2,000 wounded. Protesters accuse Prime Minister Erdogan of trying to introduce an Islamist regime in Turkey.

Some 12,000 people took to the streets in Athens on Thursday in what has been described as a general protest against the government shutting down the public radio and television stations. The Cabinet headed by the Conservative Antonis Samaras said the measure was prompted by the need to save funds, and that the public radio and television would be reopened in a slimmed-down form. The two Socialist parties in the ruling coalition are disgruntled for not having been consulted, and threaten to support early elections. In exchange for an over 240-billion euro loan, Greece undertook to implement tough austerity measures. The European Commission emphasised that this decision was taken independently by the Greek government, and insisted on the indispensable role that public broadcasters play in a democratic society.

Torrential rain has hit hard Romania over the last few days, killing at least three people. According to the Ministry of the Interior, thousands of towns and villages were seriously affected by the downpour. The Government has decided that nearly 200 families and people left stranded be handed down financial aid. Meteorologists have maintained a code yellow alert for torrential rain, hail and gale for southern, eastern and central counties.

Romanian president Traian Basescu on Thursday said that all projects under the Danube Strategy should be listed as top financing targets to be sent to the European Commission by EU Member States. The statement followed the meeting of the heads of Central European states held in Bratislava, Slovakia. The Romanian official expressed his unconditional support for the Danube Strategy ahead of the 2014-2020 EU budgetary framework. The Nabucco gas pipeline and EU enlargement also ranked high on the agenda of the meeting.

The European Parliament on Thursday criticized what has described “the excessive use of force” in Turkey, condemning Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s refusal to seek reconciliation. In a resolution adopted on Thursday Euro MPs expressed concern regarding the violent clashes between the riot police and protesters. Moreover, the European Parliament urged the Turkish Government to adopt severe measures against protesters in order to avoid the conflict from escalating. A recent toll of the protests in Istanbul that have been dragging on for two weeks has reached 4 killed and over 2,000 wounded. Protesters accuse Prime Minister Erdogan of trying to introduce an Islamist regime in Turkey.

Some 12,000 people took to the streets in Athens on Thursday in what has been described as a general protest against the government shutting down the public radio and television stations. The Cabinet headed by the Conservative Antonis Samaras said the measure was prompted by the need to save funds, and that the public radio and television would be reopened in a slimmed-down form. The two Socialist parties in the ruling coalition are disgruntled for not having been consulted, and threaten to support early elections. In exchange for an over 240-billion euro loan, Greece undertook to implement tough austerity measures. The European Commission emphasised that this decision was taken independently by the Greek government, and insisted on the indispensable role that public broadcasters play in a democratic society.