Romania’s PM designate holds talks to form government

BUCHAREST: Romania’s prime minister designate Mihai Razvan Ungureanu on Tuesday started talks on forming a new government.

Ungureanu arrived shortly after 0700 GMT at the government offices where the ruling coalition parties will discuss the new team.

Several key ministers should keep their jobs, according to political sources quoted by Mediafax news agency. They include Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu, European Affairs Minister Leonard Orban and Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu.

However, some changes are expected at the ministries of finance, economy and internal affairs, according to sources quoted by Mediafax.

Ungureanu, the head of the intelligence services since 2007, was designated prime minister on Monday by President Train Basescu after Emil Boc resigned following wide protests over austerity cuts.

He has 10 days to form his new team and win parliament’s approval.

His government will be made up of members of the ruling coalition parties: the Liberal Democrats (PDL), the Hungarian minority (UDMR) and the National Union for the progress of Romania (UNPR). AGENCIES

Sundance: “V/H/S” and “Liberal Arts” lead latest sales deals

By Sean O’Connell
TrendPK.com: The Sundance sales continue, as studios snatch up hot properties in the second half of the annual film festival.

Unlike in past years, a strong number of buzzworthy titles have emerged from the 2012 Sundance fest. Even better, most of them are finding homes at supportive distributors, which means we’ll be able to see them sooner rather than later.

So, which films sold in the last 48 hours? Let’s run through the latest acquisitions:

- Mangolia Pictures grabbed the rights to the found-footage horror movie “V/H/S,” an anthology directed by six directors: Adam Wingard, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, David Bruckner, Joe Swanberg and Ti West. The best stories out of Sundance involved audience reactions to “V/H/S,” which included one person fainting and another vomiting. Awesome.

- Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions picked up U.S. rights to “Arbitrage,” Richard Gere’s financial drama. The film was sold for an estimated $2 million.

- Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions partnered with Samuel Goldwyn Films for the rights to “Robot and Frank.”

- And finally, IFC Films grabbed Josh Radnor’s “Liberal Arts,” a well-received follow up to the slight but enjoyable “happythankyoumoreplease.”

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Canada dissolves parliament, election set for May 2

OTTAWA: A general election will beheld in Canada on May 2, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Saturday after his minority Conservative government was brought down on a non confidence vote in Parliament the day before.

Opposition parties toppled Harper on Friday on the grounds that his government was tainted by sleaze, had managed the economy poorly and was in contempt of Parliament. Polls show the right-of-center Conservatives are set to retain power in what will be Canada”s fourth election in less than seven years.

Harper, in power since 2006 with two successive minority governments, says Canada does not need an election at a time when economic recovery is still fragile.

“Against our advice, the opposition parties have chosen to force an election the country doesn’t want and the economy doesn’t need,” he told reporters.

Harper spoke after visiting Governor General David Johnston– the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada”s head of state — to seek the dissolution of Parliament.

The prime minister says that unless the Conservatives get a majority, the three opposition parties will form what he calls an unstable and reckless coalition.

Michael Ignatieff, leader of the main opposition Liberal Party, issued a statement on Saturday saying he would not form a coalition with other parties. (Reuters)

London: angry students protest against fee hikes

Thousands of angry students took to the streets of London Thursday for another protest, as British lawmakers prepared to vote on controversial plans to raise tuition fees.Tens of thousands of students from across the UK were expected to converge on the capital, according to the National Union of Students (NUS), with most marching towards Westminster, where the country’s parliament building is located.

Hundreds of police officers were deployed, many with riot gear, as the authorities looked to avoid a repeat of the disturbances last month when hundreds of protesters stormed the Conservative Party headquarters in the city. The Conservatives are the senior partner in a ruling coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

WikiLeaks cables claim sacking German minister’s assistant

The WikiLeaks revelations have claimed their first political scalp in Europe with the sacking of the German foreign minister’s chief of staff, who acted as a spy for the Americans, keeping the US embassy in Berlin posted last year on the confidential negotiations to form Angela Merkel’s new government.

Amid a mood of increasing anger in the German political class at the disparaging observations on the chancellor’s cabinet from US officials, a liberal MP today demanded the withdrawal of the American ambassador in Berlin, Philip Murphy. Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister and leader of the liberal Free Democrats, the junior partner in the Merkel coalition, is described unflatteringly in the US cables from Berlin as inexperienced,

London: Students clash with police, 5 arrested

Thousands of students and school pupils protested across Britain on Tuesday against planned rises in university tuition fees, bringing disruption to central London and putting strains on the coalition government.

This protest began with a short rally in Trafalgar Square but the planned march to Parliament did not take place. In fiery exchanges in parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the leader of the coalition’s junior partner the Liberal Democrats, defended the fee hike which his party had promised to vote against during campaigning for May’s election. Outside parliament, there were bizarre scenes of cat and mouse as protesters dispersed from the route of a designated demonstration fanning out across central London with police in hot pursuit. The protesters clashed with riot police while others played out a game of cat and mouse with authorities, breaking into groups and dispersing from the designated demonstration route. The Metropolitan Police, who had prepared themselves in large numbers at Parliament Square, struggled to catch up with the students, but there did not appear to be any incidents of violence as in previous weeks; where as the police also arrested 5 students during this protest.

Army’s role in Kashmir to be decided today

SRINAGAR: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) will meet today (Monday) to decide on the partial withdrawal of a special law that gives sweeping powers to security forces in Jammu and Kashmir during anti-insurgency operations.

The key question before the CCS headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be whether or not to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from certain parts of the Valley as a confidence building measure after months of unrelenting protests.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who backed the proposal to partially withdraw the AFSPA, met Home Minister P Chidambaram and Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi ahead of the CCS meeting.

Curfew was clamped in more areas of the Kashmir Valley on Monday as a precautionary measure ahead of a protest march called by the separatists.

Curfew

Turkey referendum win puts Erdogan in pole for 2011

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s ruling AK Party on Monday celebrated victory in a referendum on constitutional reform that was seen boosting its chances of winning a third term of single-party rule at an election due within 10 months.

No sooner had Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared victory than he stoked hardline secularists’ worst fears by serving notice that his AK party, whose roots lie in political Islam, would start work on a brand new constitution.

The High Election Board is expected to announce the official results on Monday, but television news channels reported the government scored a “yes” vote of 58 percent versus 42 percent for the “no” camp. The turnout, among an electorate of just under 50 million, was put at 77 percent.

‘Yes’, but it is not enough,” said a headline in the liberal Radikal daily, saying the result showed enthusiasm for change and the

British coalition rocked after minister quits over expenses

LONDON: Britain”s new coalition government was dealing with its first significant setback on Sunday after David Laws, a high-profile finance minister, quit over his expenses claims.

Laws stepped down as Chief Secretary to the Treasury after admitting he had failed to disclose that he had claimed back rent he paid to his boyfriend because he wanted to keep his homosexuality secret.

Former colleagues of the Liberal Democrat predicted he would make a swift return to the cabinet, having won praise for his performance in just 18 days as a minister in the Liberal Democrat-Conservative government.

Laws, a millionaire former banker, had been one of the chief architects of plans to reduce Britain”s gaping budget deficit in his role as deputy to Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

He resigned after the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported he had channelled more than 40,000 pounds (57,800 dollars, 47,100 euros) of taxpayers” money in rent to his long-term male partner, James Lundie, a lobbyist.

Since 2006, parliamentary rules have banned lawmakers from “leasing accommodation from a partner.”

A senior Conservative, Iain Duncan Smith, praised Laws for making the “right” decision to quit, but indicated that Prime Minister David Cameron could soon recall him to the cabinet table.

“I am deeply sorry that he has had to go,” Duncan Smith told BBC TV. “I have no questions at all that he has the talent to be back.”

Alan Duncan, the first openly gay Conservative lawmaker, said: “I”m upset by the hurt this must have caused him and I hope he”ll soon be back.”

Laws said in his resignation statement on Saturday that: “I do not see how I can carry out my crucial work on the budget and spending review while I have to deal with the private and public implications of recent revelations.”

He said he had not registered the financial arrangement to the parliamentary authorities because of “my desire to keep my sexuality secret.”

Cameron described Laws as a “good and honourable man” and said he believed he had been motivated “by wanting to protect your privacy rather than anything else.”

He said Laws had “a huge amount to offer our country” and hoped he would soon be able to return to the government.

Laws had one of the highest-profile roles in a government that has made reducing Britain”s 2009-2010 deficit of 156.1 billion pounds a priority — he and Osborne have outlined spending cuts worth 6.25 billion pounds.

His successor will be another Lib Dem, Danny Alexander, who played a key role in the negotiations to form a coalition government following the indecisive May 6 general election.

Alexander will move over from his role as the minister responsible for Scotland.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, said he believed Laws” ministerial career could be revived.

“This has come about because of David”s intense desire to keep his own private life private. His privacy has now been cruelly shattered,” he added.

The Telegraph said 44-year-old Laws claimed up to 950 pounds a month for five years to rent a room in two properties owned by his partner.

In a statement Friday, Laws claimed he did not consider himself to be in breach of the rules on expenses as he and Lundie had separate bank accounts and separate social lives.

Laws was also facing questions over whether he should have declared an interest when hosting an event in parliament for the lobbying firm which employed Lundie.

There were 14 guests at the event in September 2004, the official list of functions shows.

Cameron has pledged to clean up politics after last year”s expenses scandal, in which lawmakers were shown to have filed expenses claims for everything from porn films to ornamental duck houses.

UK Treasury minister resigns; Alexander steps in

LONDON: Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander will become the U.

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UK Treasury minister resigns; Alexander steps in

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