British man gets 6 years in prison for car accident death of noted Romanian film director

Romania: Briton sentenced in filmmaker’s death

Ethan Hawke praises Madonna for supporting Gypsies after she was booed at concert in Romania

Hawke praises Madonna for Gypsy support in Romania

US military base in Romania to become operational as permanent facility

BUCHAREST, Romania — A U.S. army official in Romania says an American military base near the Black Sea port of Constanta will become a permanent facility in the spring and be jointly used with Romanian forces.

US VP Biden says shorter-range missiles threaten Europe, Obama not appeasing Russia

BUCHAREST, Romania — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that Europe was threatened by medium and short-range missiles and a new missile defense system would help protect it.

US VP Joe Biden thanks Romania for troops in Afghanistan, support of US missile shield

BUCHAREST, Romania — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with Romania’s leader on Thursday and thanked him for sending soldiers to Afghanistan and supporting a revamped U.S. missile shield being planned in Europe.

US Vice President Joe Biden to meet Romanian leaders, expected to assure of US support

BUCHAREST, Romania — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with Romania’s president on Thursday and was expected to reassure him that the U.S. commitment to eastern Europe remains strong.

US VP Biden seeks to win back Poland, other US allies after missile program cut

WARSAW, Poland — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden sought reconciliation with America’s staunch allies in eastern Europe Wednesday, starting with Poland, which eagerly signed on to a revamped U.S. missile shield.

Polish leader says he is ready to accept Obama’s new missile defense system

WARSAW, Poland — Standing alongside U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Poland’s prime minister said Wednesday his country was ready to participate in the Obama administration’s revamped plan for a U.S. missile defense shield in Europe.

Biden to reassure Poles disappointed by Obama’s missile defense shift

WARSAW, Poland — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was to meet with Polish leaders and veterans of the war in Afghanistan on Wednesday, during a visit expected to center on revamped plans for a missile defense system.

As east Europe marks 20 years without communism, secret police files still poison the air

BUCHAREST, Romania — Even his best friend betrayed him.

IMF efforts to help E. Europe weather the recession run into political turbulence

LONDON — The International Monetary Fund is facing key political crunch points in its dealings across Eastern Europe even though it has done much to lose its previous reputation as an advocate of austerity.

Romanian government falls in confidence vote in Parliament

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s government fell Tuesday in a confidence vote in Parliament, with lawmakers saying it has failed to improve the economy after it went into recession following three years of growth.

Law enforcement officials warn global crime gangs cooperate better than world’s police forces

SINGAPORE — Transnational crime syndicates are becoming stronger by exploiting technology, forging links with one another and taking advantage of insufficient coordination among the world’s police forces, officials at an Interpol conference said Monday.

Romanian-born German writer Herta Mueller wins 2009 Nobel literature prize

STOCKHOLM — Herta Mueller, a little-known Romanian-born author who was persecuted for her critical depictions of life behind the Iron Curtain, won the 2009 Nobel Prize in literature Thursday in an award seen as a nod to the 20th anniversary of communism’s collapse.

Romania unveils a monument in memory of 300,000 Jews, Gypsies killed during Holocaust

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania on Thursday unveiled a monument in memory of some 300,000 Jews and Gypsies killed during the Holocaust in the country, which at times denied that the extermination even happened.

Thousands of Romanian workers protest low wages outside government HQ; traffic blocked

BUCHAREST, Romania — Thousands of Romanian workers from all over the country protested low wages in the capital on Wednesday, rallying outside government headquarters to demanded leaders do something to increase their pay.

VP Biden heading to visits with NATO allies Poland, Romania, Czech Republic in late October

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden is heading to Europe to meet with NATO allies.

Social Democrat leader: Romanian government collapses after his party quits over firing

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s coalition government collapsed Thursday after nine ministers from the Social Democrats quit to protest the firing of the interior minister for comments about possible election fraud.

Nicolae Plesita, Securitate chief who arranged shelter in Romania for Carlos the Jackal dies

BUCHAREST, Romania — Gen. Nicolae Plesita, a die-hard Communist and ruthless chief of the Securitate secret police who arranged shelter in Romania for terrorist Carlos the Jackal, and was tried for the bombing of Radio Free Europe has died, news reports said Wednesday. He was 80.

Eastern Europe, fawned over by Bush, complains of neglect by Obama administration

Czechs feel betrayed, Poles irked, Romanians slighted. Ask them who’s to blame, and the answer may come as a surprise: President Barack Obama.

Italian lawmaker Alexandra Mussolini moves to block Romanian film

BUCHAREST, Romania — A movie about a Romanian immigrant who dreams of finding a better life in Italy has caused an uproar even before it hits the screens.

Romania’s ‘King of the Gypsies’ praises Madonna for speaking out on behalf of Roma

BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s self-styled King of the Gypsies praised Madonna on Wednesday for using her “Sticky & Sweet” world tour to speak out on behalf of Gypsies.

Hindu and Jew urge Madonna to keep going with her criticism of discrimination against Gypsies

BUCHAREST, Romania — Two Americans — a Hindu and a rabbi — have urged Madonna to take up the cause of the many Gypsies in Europe who face discrimination.

Madonna booed in Bucharest for criticizing discrimination against Roma, or Gypsies

BUCHAREST, Romania — At first, fans politely applauded the Roma performers sharing a stage with Madonna. Then the pop star condemned widespread discrimination against Roma, or Gypsies — and the cheers gave way to jeers.

UEFA orders loss, 2-match home stadium ban for Dinamo Bucharest after fans riot

NYON, Switzerland — UEFA’s disciplinary panel imposed a 3-0 loss to Dinamo Bucharest after rioting fans forced a Europa League match to be abandoned.

Pepsi bottler to build Europe’s largest bottling factory, worth $150 million, in Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania — Pepsi bottling company PepsiAmericas is investing $150 million (euro105 million) to build Europe’s largest bottling factory in Romania, officials said Monday.

PepsiCo to build Europe’s largest bottling factory, worth $150 million, in Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania — PepsiCo’s bottling company PepsiAmericas is investing $150 million (euro105 million) to build Europe’s largest bottling factory in Romania, officials said Monday.

Across Eastern Europe, shopkeepers feel the pain of dramatic drop in consumer spending

RIGA, Latvia — When the Sky & More mall opened in Riga in 2007, retailers hoped its expensive boutiques and upscale supermarket would draw well-off Latvians on their way home to the pine-forested neighborhoods on the capital’s north side.