Member states of the European Union

Greece, Israel and Greek Cyprus on Jan. 2 signed an Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) pipeline project, planned to run from Israel to Greek Cyprus, Crete, Greece, and ultimately to Italy, local Greek media reported.

The deal was signed in Athens by the energy ministers of Greece, Israel, and Greek Cyprus, according to the Greek daily Kathimerini.

In 2018, Romania's households allocated only 1.9 percent of their total consumption expenditure for catering services, i.e. restaurants, cafes, bars and tea houses, the lowest percentage among the member states and three times less than the European Union average of 7 percent, according to the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) data.

At this difficult juncture in relations between Greece and Turkey, the Greek-American community played its own decisive role in the adoption into law by the US Congress of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act, known as the East Med Act. By doing so, it has strengthened the position of Athens and Nicosia.

The leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Israel plan to sign an agreement early in the new year for the building of the Eastern Mediterranean natural gas pipeline, the Greek prime minister's office announced Sunday.

The agreement will be signed in Athens on Jan. 2 by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The East Med pipeline will proceed regardless of Turkey's objections, Greece's Energy and Environment Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said Saturday in statements to SKAI TV.

"We are determined to proceed on the basis of international law," he said.

The East Med pipeline will proceed regardless of Turkey's objections, Greece's Energy and Environment Minister Kostis Hatzidakis said Saturday in statements to SKAI TV.

"We are determined to proceed on the basis of international law," he said.

Their choice of meeting place was significant: the campus of the Central European University founded by US-Hungarian financier George Soros. The university is at odds with the government and is in the process of being ousted from Hungary.

The powerful storm in the Baltic Sea yesterday left tens of thousands of households in Latvia and Estonia without electricity, DPA reported.

There are over 50,000 households in Estonia without electricity and 17,000 in Latvia.

The wind gust of up to 27 meters per second knocked down trees that fell on parked cars and blocked roads. Navigation in the area was also affected.

Bulgarians abroad broke the record by the amount of money they sent to their homeland.

For the first time in history, just over a billion and 100 million euros is the money which migrants transferred to Bulgarian accounts, NOVA reported.

According to statistics, about 80% of the money comes from EU countries. The exact amount is EUR 833 million.

Denmark has temporarily resumed border checks at its border with Sweden for six months after a series of serious crimes in Copenhagen and its surroundings, which according to Danish authorities were carried out by criminals from Sweden, the AP reported.