Turkey's Erdogan to be inaugurated as president

Ankara, 28 August 2014 (MIA) - Turkish President-elect Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to be officially sworn in after winning the country's first ever popular vote for head of state, BBC reports.

Mr Erdogan, who served three terms as prime minister, has vowed to give more power to the previously ceremonial post.

His critics say the move will make him increasingly authoritarian.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is set to be PM after being elected head of the governing AK Party.

Under the constitution, Mr Erdogan must cut his ties to the AK Party once he becomes president.

At the party's congress on Wednesday he made his last speech as leader, saying: "What is changing today is the form, not the essence. The mission which our party has assumed, the spirit of its cause, its goals and ideals are not changing."

Mr Davutoglu was the only candidate to replace Mr Erdogan.

Mr Erdogan won the presidential election earlier this month after gaining nearly 52% of the votes in the first round. sk/11:06

###

EC grants Croatia EUR 8.6 million in aid to address consequences of ice storm

Zagreb/Brussels, 27 August 2014 (MIA) -  The European Union Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, on Wednesday announced an aid package worth nearly 47 million euros for Croatia, Greece, Italy and Slovenia after a series of natural disasters had struck those countries in late 2013 and early 2014.

Croatia will receive EUR 8.6 million from the EU Solidarity Fund for its Gorski Kotar region which was seriously hit by an ice storm early this year. Slovenia, which was affected even worse by the same disaster, has been granted EUR 18.4 million, Hina news agency reported.

EUR 16.3 million will go to Italy to deal with the consequences of serious flooding that hit Sardinia in late 2013, while Greece has been awarded EUR 3.7 million to address the damage caused by an earthquake in Kefalonia and the Ionian Islands early this year.

"This decision reflects the very nature of this Fund, which is solidarity with our fellow Member States and neighbours in their time of need after natural disasters. The European Solidarity Fund helps these countries get back on their feet and regain stability which is threatened by the severe damage to economic sectors such as tourism, or destruction of essential infrastructure. The amount of funding proposed will enable Italy, Greece, Slovenia and Croatia to recover from their respective disasters and reimburse rescue costs in the affected regions," Hahn said.

The aid package needs to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council.