On the anniversary of the outbreak of the war in the South Caucasus, Cotidianul reports that "in late 2008, in spite of Russian warnings, Romania exported 3.6 million euros worth of infantry weapons and anti-tank grenades to Georgia." The daily quotes an employee of the conventional arms department of the Romanian National Agency for Export Controls, who confirms the value of the arms shipped and adds that he cannot comment on sales in 2009, because "the report for the year has not been finalised." Bucharest has been selling arms to Georgia since 2006. Cotidianul notes that "the exports are not illegal," though there is a concern that "they could sour Romania's relations with Moscow." The Russians have threatened Ukraine with economic sanctions if it continues to supply arms to Tbilisi.
The resignation of Health Commissioner John Dalli last month lifted the lid on the influence of the tobacco industry in the European Commission. That influence has even penetrated OLAF, Europe's anti-fraud office, writes Der Spiegel. 
A small country with just 6 million inhabitants, Denmark is now a rising star in the world of television thanks to well-crafted series like “Borgen”. Developed by a production system that is unlike any other, the shows owe much of their success to the almost total freedom granted to screenwriters. 
Incapable once again of taking a unified position on a matter of foreign policy, European countries are voting independently on UN non-member state observer status for the Palestinian Territories. Yet there was a time when Europeans claimed to have a key role to play in the peace process.