The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 will be the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland on May 10 (for the semi-final) and May 12 (for the final). The hosting broadcaster of the contest is YLE. Finland earned the right to host the event thanks to the rock band Lordi winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 as Finland’s representatives.
Country - Participant - Song title
Albania - Aida & Frederik Ndoci - Balada e gurit
Andorra - Anonymous - Salvem el món
Austria - Eric Papilaya - Get A Life, Get Alive
Belarus - Dmitry Koldun - Work Your Magic
Belgium - The Krazy Mess Groovers - Love Power
Bosnia & Herzegovina - Maria ŠESTIĆ - Rijeka Bez Imena
Bulgaria - Love Power - Whater
Croatia - DRAGONFLY feat. Dado TOPIĆ - Vjerujem U Ljubav
Cyprus - Evridiki - Evridiki
Czech Republic - KABÁT - Malá Dáma
Denmark - DQ - Drama Queen
Estonia - Gerli PADAR - Partners In Crime
Finland - Hanna PAKARINEN - Leave Me Alone
France - LES FATALS PICARDS - L’amour À La Française
Georgia - Sopho - Visionary Dream
Germany - Roger CICERO - Frauen Regier’n Die Welt
Greece - Sarbel - Yassou Maria
Hungary - Magdi Rúzsa - Unsubstantial Blues
Iceland - Eiríkur HAUKSSON - Valentine Love
Ireland - DERVISH - They Can’t Stop The Spring
Israel - TEAPACKS - Push The Button
Latvia - BONAPARTI.LV - Questa Notte
Lithuania - 4FUN - Love Or Leave
Macedonia - Karolina - Mojot Svet
Malta - Olivia LEWIS - Olivia LEWIS
Moldova - Natalia BARBU - Fight
Montenegro - Stevan FADDY - Ajde Kroči
Netherlands - Edsilia ROMBLEY - On Top Of The World
Norway - Guri SCHANKE - Ven A Bailar Conmigo
Poland - THE JET SET - Time To Party
Portugal - Sabrina - Dança Comigo
Romania - TODOMONDO - Liubi, Liubi, I Love You
Russia - SEREBRO - Song #1
Serbia - Marija ŠERIFOVIĆ - Molitva
Slovenia - Alenka GOTAR - Cvet Z Juga
Spain - D’NASH - I Love You Mi Vida
Sweden - THE ARK - The Worrying Kind
Switzerland - Cvet Z Juga - Vampires Are Alive
Turkey - Kenan DOĞULU - Shake It Up Shekerim
Ukraine - Flying The Flag - Dancing Lasha Tumbai
United Kingdom - SCOOCH - Flying The Flag
Friday, May 11, 2007
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Suspended President urges opponents to explain reasons for suspension
Romania’s suspended President Traian Basescu urged his political opponents on Tuesday to explain to him what articles of the Constitution he breached that had them vote for his suspension in the Parliament in April. He made the statement during a meeting with representatives of the civil society at the headquarters of the Group for Social Dialogue NGO in Bucharest.
Faced with a May 19 referendum convoked by the Parliament to have him removed from office, he said he was disappointed by political parties today. And he said “it is absolutely necessary to create a right-wing party to coagulate the votes of the Right”.
He said he was most disappointed by the Hungarian Democrats (UDMR), whom he believed to be “vertical political men”. Most UDMR MPs voted for his suspension in April.
He said his political opponents in the government and in the opposition have been trying to remove all those who meddle with their own interests from the political stage in a two-phase maneuver. The first phase was to remove reform-minded Justice minister Monica Macovei from the Government, then himself from the Presidency, he said.
HotNews.ro, May 8, 2007
Faced with a May 19 referendum convoked by the Parliament to have him removed from office, he said he was disappointed by political parties today. And he said “it is absolutely necessary to create a right-wing party to coagulate the votes of the Right”.
He said he was most disappointed by the Hungarian Democrats (UDMR), whom he believed to be “vertical political men”. Most UDMR MPs voted for his suspension in April.
He said his political opponents in the government and in the opposition have been trying to remove all those who meddle with their own interests from the political stage in a two-phase maneuver. The first phase was to remove reform-minded Justice minister Monica Macovei from the Government, then himself from the Presidency, he said.
HotNews.ro, May 8, 2007
Baneasa Airport to close for three months. Low-cost flights move to Otopeni
The “Aurel Vlaicu” Airport in Baneasa near Bucharest, where most low-cost companies are operating, will be closed for maintenance works between May 10-July 31. All flights will be moved on the Otopeni International Airport for the period.
Transport Ministry officials say traffic on the Otopeni Airport will increase by over 50% during the period: half of it from current operators, and the rest from the appearance of new operators and the transfer of operators from Baneasa.
In order to avoid or at least avoid crowding at terminals and check-in offices, the Otopeni Airport management has supplemented the number of security check points by 75% and reorganized the check-in offices.
Companies operating on Baneasa have announced that prices would remain unchanged despite a boost of operational costs.
The low-cost flights market in Romania includes companies such as Blue Air, MyAir, WizzAir, SkyEurope and Germanwings. Other companies such as EasyJet and Ryanair have also showed interest in launching flights to and fro Romania in the near future.
HotNews.ro, May 8, 2007
Transport Ministry officials say traffic on the Otopeni Airport will increase by over 50% during the period: half of it from current operators, and the rest from the appearance of new operators and the transfer of operators from Baneasa.
In order to avoid or at least avoid crowding at terminals and check-in offices, the Otopeni Airport management has supplemented the number of security check points by 75% and reorganized the check-in offices.
Companies operating on Baneasa have announced that prices would remain unchanged despite a boost of operational costs.
The low-cost flights market in Romania includes companies such as Blue Air, MyAir, WizzAir, SkyEurope and Germanwings. Other companies such as EasyJet and Ryanair have also showed interest in launching flights to and fro Romania in the near future.
HotNews.ro, May 8, 2007
Ex-Justice minister Macovei: Basescu is my partner in the fight against corruption
She has joined suspended President Traian Basescu at all political meetings with the public for the past several weeks. Monica Macovei, Romania’s former Justice minister, tells why she is sticking her image to that of the suspended head of state and raises doubts about her replacement at the Justice Ministry, in a HotNews.ro interview.
She says her presence at each of Basescu’s meetings is explained by the fact that he “was my partner in the fight against corruption. And that was and is a cause for which to continue fighting. And it must be on the agenda of all good-willed people and of the civil society.”
Macovei says that the real reason for the suspension of the president is that he told the truth “about political corruption, institutionalized corruption”. Another reason was his fighting for the independence of justice, of prosecutors and judges, she adds.
She says she will try to attend all of Basescu’s scheduled meetings until the May 19 referendum on his dismissal because “politicians are reacting against measures that would lead to their self reform”.
She says she had a discussion with the suspended President on whether to join him in the presidential team when he returns to office after the referendum, but “I have not yet taken a decision on my professional route”. And she dismissed claims that this may be a reason for her to attend his meetings with the voters.
Of the new Justice minister, Tudor Chiuariu, Macovei says that his first public messages were favorable to the continuation of reform and of the fight against corruption. But “now I find it hard to believe in the veracity of these messages… I receive bad signals but I cannot comment on them yet”, she says.
She admits that the laws on the establishment of a National Agency for Integrity (ANI), aimed at checking the wealth and office compatibilities of elected officials, have been evolving the right way “to a certain extent”. She said key issues such as the incompatibility of lawyers serving as MPs, which is missing from the current ANI draft law, are still to be solved.
An interview by Dan Tapalaga
HotNews.ro, May 8, 2007
She says her presence at each of Basescu’s meetings is explained by the fact that he “was my partner in the fight against corruption. And that was and is a cause for which to continue fighting. And it must be on the agenda of all good-willed people and of the civil society.”
Macovei says that the real reason for the suspension of the president is that he told the truth “about political corruption, institutionalized corruption”. Another reason was his fighting for the independence of justice, of prosecutors and judges, she adds.
She says she will try to attend all of Basescu’s scheduled meetings until the May 19 referendum on his dismissal because “politicians are reacting against measures that would lead to their self reform”.
She says she had a discussion with the suspended President on whether to join him in the presidential team when he returns to office after the referendum, but “I have not yet taken a decision on my professional route”. And she dismissed claims that this may be a reason for her to attend his meetings with the voters.
Of the new Justice minister, Tudor Chiuariu, Macovei says that his first public messages were favorable to the continuation of reform and of the fight against corruption. But “now I find it hard to believe in the veracity of these messages… I receive bad signals but I cannot comment on them yet”, she says.
She admits that the laws on the establishment of a National Agency for Integrity (ANI), aimed at checking the wealth and office compatibilities of elected officials, have been evolving the right way “to a certain extent”. She said key issues such as the incompatibility of lawyers serving as MPs, which is missing from the current ANI draft law, are still to be solved.
An interview by Dan Tapalaga
HotNews.ro, May 8, 2007
Car racing event causes traffic trouble in Bucharest
Traffic turned to nightmare in downtown Bucharest starting Tuesday morning as preparations have begun for a car racing event due to take place in the vicinity of the Parliament Palace on May 18-20. But that is not the only issue: all trees along the route of the race, crossing an already arid area, have been cut down with little chance to be replaced.
The event is Vodafone Bucharest Challenge 2007, a Formula 3 race that is part of the FIA GT circuit.
Bucharest traffic police representatives told HotNews.ro that traffic was closed on key routes such as the Libertatii Boulevard, 13 Septembrie Avenue and Unirii Boulevard near the Parliament Palace - better known as the Palace of the People, as ex-dictator Nicolae Ceausescu used to call this gigantic building.
This promises a very chaotic month of May for Bucharest traffic, as works are under way in several other areas such as the Colentina Road, the main route out of East Bucharest.
The Cultura magazine claims Bucharest District 4 mayor Vanghelie is the one to have ordered all trees along the racing route cut down in order to improve the view of the spectators. He allegedly promised to replace them as soon as possible, but that is unlikely as such events will start all over again next year.
May 8, 2007
The event is Vodafone Bucharest Challenge 2007, a Formula 3 race that is part of the FIA GT circuit.
Bucharest traffic police representatives told HotNews.ro that traffic was closed on key routes such as the Libertatii Boulevard, 13 Septembrie Avenue and Unirii Boulevard near the Parliament Palace - better known as the Palace of the People, as ex-dictator Nicolae Ceausescu used to call this gigantic building.
This promises a very chaotic month of May for Bucharest traffic, as works are under way in several other areas such as the Colentina Road, the main route out of East Bucharest.
The Cultura magazine claims Bucharest District 4 mayor Vanghelie is the one to have ordered all trees along the racing route cut down in order to improve the view of the spectators. He allegedly promised to replace them as soon as possible, but that is unlikely as such events will start all over again next year.
May 8, 2007
Romanian intelligentsia appeals for democracy and state of law
Dozens of representatives of Romania’s cultural elite launched an appeal to express their “deep concern about the political situation in the country” on Monday, warning that some authorities are trying to dodge or break the principles and practices of democracy and state of law.
Even more serious, they say, is the fact that such attempts have the cover of the law, as the Constitution is “forcefully interpreted” and laws and decisions with a “disputable legitimacy” are adopted.
Their message comes two weeks before a referendum where voters are invited to decide whether suspended President Traian Basescu remains in office or is removed. The referendum was called by Basescu’s opponents in the Parliament, after they suspended him for alleged breaches of the Constitution. The Constitutional Court had found their charges to be unfounded.
“Despite there are only few days to go until May 19, the date of the referendum, it is worrisome that the rules of the vote were changed in the last minute. This breaches a recommendation of the Venice Commission that calls for referendum-related laws not to be changed for at least a year prior to any referendum”, the appeal says.
It also slams a decision by a parliamentary commission to not give suspended President Basescu any air time for his referendum campaign as well as moves by the “current PSD-PNL-UDMR-PRM-PC parliamentary majority [formed of most parliamentary parties, in power and in opposition] to try and modify the rules of the referendum after the suspension procedure had begun.
”We remind you that the communist state also had many laws and offered legal cover for all abuses and crimes, but that did not mean those laws were legitimate”, the appeal says.
The appeal is signed by Raluca Alexandrescu, Sorin Alexandrescu, Dragos Paul Aligica, Ioana Alimanesteanu, Liviu Antonesei, Catalin Avramescu, Adriana Babeti, Hannelore Baier, Victor Barsan, Radu Bercea, Mihnea Berindei, Rodica Binder, Corin Braga, Maria Bucur, Ioan Buduca, Radu Carp, Al.
Calinescu, Matei Calinescu, Mircea Cartarescu, Ruxandra Cesereanu, Livius Ciocarlie, Eugen Ciurtin, Andrei Codrescu, Andrei Cornea, Paul Cornea, Aurelian Craiutu, Anca Crivat, S.
Damian, Dennis Deletant, Peter Demeny, Simona Dimitriu, Vasile Docea, Eugenia Duta, Constantin Eretescu, Radu Filipescu, Florin Gabrea, Tom Gallagher, Radu Pavel Gheo, Sanda Golopentia, Armand Gosu, Stere Gulea, Petre Iancu, Anca Domnica Ilea, Daniel Ilea, Marian Ilea, Sorin Iliesiu, Gelu Ionescu, Rudy Gheorghe Kleckner, Simone Kleckner-Vrabiescu, Cristian Lascu, Alexandru Lazescu, Gabriel
Liiceanu, Monica Lovinescu, Siliviu Lupascu, Angela Marinescu, Adrian Mihalache, Alexandra Mihalcea, Florian Mihalcea, Mircea Mihaies, Mihaela Miroiu, Mihail Neamtu, Eugen Negrici, Virgil Nemoianu, Ioana Nicolaie, Adrian Niculescu, Alexandru Niculescu, Andrei Oisteanu, Anca Oroveanu, Rodica Palade, Serban Papacostea, Dana Papadima, Andrei Partos, Horia-Roman Patapievici, Ioana Parvulescu, Ovidiu
Pecican, Horatiu Pepine, Dan Perjovschi, Lia Perjovschi, Andrei Plesu, Catrinel Popa, Dumitru Radu Popa, Radu Preda, Tania Radu, Nestor Rates, Serban Radulescu-Zoner, Liviu Rotman, Vlad Russo, Lavinia Stan, Mariuca Stanciu, Ioan Stanomir, Elena Supiur, Anca Sincai, Mihai Sora, Dan Tapalaga, Vladimir Tismaneanu, Traian Ungureanu, Andrei Ursu, Cristian Vasile, Vasile Astarastoae, Anca Vasiliu,
Ion Vianu, Sorin Vieru, Daniel Vighi, Smaranda Vultur, Felicia Waldman, Christina Zarifopol-Illias, Vlad Zografi, Alexandru Zub.
HotNews.ro, May 8, 2007
Even more serious, they say, is the fact that such attempts have the cover of the law, as the Constitution is “forcefully interpreted” and laws and decisions with a “disputable legitimacy” are adopted.
Their message comes two weeks before a referendum where voters are invited to decide whether suspended President Traian Basescu remains in office or is removed. The referendum was called by Basescu’s opponents in the Parliament, after they suspended him for alleged breaches of the Constitution. The Constitutional Court had found their charges to be unfounded.
“Despite there are only few days to go until May 19, the date of the referendum, it is worrisome that the rules of the vote were changed in the last minute. This breaches a recommendation of the Venice Commission that calls for referendum-related laws not to be changed for at least a year prior to any referendum”, the appeal says.
It also slams a decision by a parliamentary commission to not give suspended President Basescu any air time for his referendum campaign as well as moves by the “current PSD-PNL-UDMR-PRM-PC parliamentary majority [formed of most parliamentary parties, in power and in opposition] to try and modify the rules of the referendum after the suspension procedure had begun.
”We remind you that the communist state also had many laws and offered legal cover for all abuses and crimes, but that did not mean those laws were legitimate”, the appeal says.
The appeal is signed by Raluca Alexandrescu, Sorin Alexandrescu, Dragos Paul Aligica, Ioana Alimanesteanu, Liviu Antonesei, Catalin Avramescu, Adriana Babeti, Hannelore Baier, Victor Barsan, Radu Bercea, Mihnea Berindei, Rodica Binder, Corin Braga, Maria Bucur, Ioan Buduca, Radu Carp, Al.
Calinescu, Matei Calinescu, Mircea Cartarescu, Ruxandra Cesereanu, Livius Ciocarlie, Eugen Ciurtin, Andrei Codrescu, Andrei Cornea, Paul Cornea, Aurelian Craiutu, Anca Crivat, S.
Damian, Dennis Deletant, Peter Demeny, Simona Dimitriu, Vasile Docea, Eugenia Duta, Constantin Eretescu, Radu Filipescu, Florin Gabrea, Tom Gallagher, Radu Pavel Gheo, Sanda Golopentia, Armand Gosu, Stere Gulea, Petre Iancu, Anca Domnica Ilea, Daniel Ilea, Marian Ilea, Sorin Iliesiu, Gelu Ionescu, Rudy Gheorghe Kleckner, Simone Kleckner-Vrabiescu, Cristian Lascu, Alexandru Lazescu, Gabriel
Liiceanu, Monica Lovinescu, Siliviu Lupascu, Angela Marinescu, Adrian Mihalache, Alexandra Mihalcea, Florian Mihalcea, Mircea Mihaies, Mihaela Miroiu, Mihail Neamtu, Eugen Negrici, Virgil Nemoianu, Ioana Nicolaie, Adrian Niculescu, Alexandru Niculescu, Andrei Oisteanu, Anca Oroveanu, Rodica Palade, Serban Papacostea, Dana Papadima, Andrei Partos, Horia-Roman Patapievici, Ioana Parvulescu, Ovidiu
Pecican, Horatiu Pepine, Dan Perjovschi, Lia Perjovschi, Andrei Plesu, Catrinel Popa, Dumitru Radu Popa, Radu Preda, Tania Radu, Nestor Rates, Serban Radulescu-Zoner, Liviu Rotman, Vlad Russo, Lavinia Stan, Mariuca Stanciu, Ioan Stanomir, Elena Supiur, Anca Sincai, Mihai Sora, Dan Tapalaga, Vladimir Tismaneanu, Traian Ungureanu, Andrei Ursu, Cristian Vasile, Vasile Astarastoae, Anca Vasiliu,
Ion Vianu, Sorin Vieru, Daniel Vighi, Smaranda Vultur, Felicia Waldman, Christina Zarifopol-Illias, Vlad Zografi, Alexandru Zub.
HotNews.ro, May 8, 2007
Negotiations for rural development projects start this week in Brussels
The projects aimed for the rural environment can obtain funds within the National Programme for Rural Development (NPRD). Details regarding the available sums and the required conditions for funding have not yet been disclosed as negotiations with the European Commission are under way.
The first ,“crucial”, meeting with the EC representatives will take place this week in Brussesls, according to Viviana Vasile, deputy general manager with the Management Authority of NPRD.
The NPRD comprises a large variety of projects, including SAPARD-like projects, agricultural exploitations and modernizing processing units.
The entrepreneurs and, in particular, the micro enterprises active in the rural area can find the most interesting opportunities within the Axe 3 - “tourism” and “non-agricultural activities” (bakery, pastry, food processing, tailor shops, etc).
The grants of the projects amount to 50% of the total value of the project, the rest must be co-financed by the small companies applying for European funds. If the company qualifies for the “large enterprise” category, the grant will reduce to 25%.
“There is a problem regarding the large enterprises as out of the 1300 that exist in Romania only a small percent fulfill, together, the EC conditions for this category”, Vasile said.
The funding threshold, and the eligible expenses are sensitive aspects that must be agreed upon at the national level first. The NPRD is a complex one and negotiations are time consuming, but there has not yet been recorded any delay, on the contrary, there isn’t any country more advanced than Romania as far as this programme is concerned, according to Vasile.
HotNews.ro, Euractiv.ro, May 8, 2007
The first ,“crucial”, meeting with the EC representatives will take place this week in Brussesls, according to Viviana Vasile, deputy general manager with the Management Authority of NPRD.
The NPRD comprises a large variety of projects, including SAPARD-like projects, agricultural exploitations and modernizing processing units.
The entrepreneurs and, in particular, the micro enterprises active in the rural area can find the most interesting opportunities within the Axe 3 - “tourism” and “non-agricultural activities” (bakery, pastry, food processing, tailor shops, etc).
The grants of the projects amount to 50% of the total value of the project, the rest must be co-financed by the small companies applying for European funds. If the company qualifies for the “large enterprise” category, the grant will reduce to 25%.
“There is a problem regarding the large enterprises as out of the 1300 that exist in Romania only a small percent fulfill, together, the EC conditions for this category”, Vasile said.
The funding threshold, and the eligible expenses are sensitive aspects that must be agreed upon at the national level first. The NPRD is a complex one and negotiations are time consuming, but there has not yet been recorded any delay, on the contrary, there isn’t any country more advanced than Romania as far as this programme is concerned, according to Vasile.
HotNews.ro, Euractiv.ro, May 8, 2007
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