Brussels - Turkey took another small step towards European Union membership Friday by opening two new negotiating chapters with the bloc's executive, the European Commission.

But after talks in Brussels with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn warned that more was needed from Ankara, particularly in the field of political and social reform.

The commission is also insisting that Turkey allow access to its ports to Cypriot vessels, as requested by EU governments in December 2007.

Babacan said his country's goal was to reach a comprehensive settlement on the Cyprus issue.

Brussels - Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme faced growing calls to quit Thursday after his office was accused of trying to influence a court ruling on the sale of the country's troubled Fortis bank.

"Leterme wobbles" read the front-page headline of leading Flemish daily De Standaard.

"Leterme torpedos himself" said the French-language daily Le Soir.

Paris - French bank BNP Paribas disclosed Thursday that it is postponing its planned takeover of the troubled bank and insurance company Fortis, citing a Brussels court ruling.

On its website BNP Paribas cited a December 12 ruling by a court in Brussels ordering a 65-day freeze on any transaction involving Fortis in a case involving a suit filed by some 2,000 shareholders challenging the selloff of the bank.

BNP Paribas also called off an extraordinary shareholders meeting which had been set for Friday to vote on the Fortis takeover.

In late September, a joint rescue plan by The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg was announced effectively to nationalize Fortis and then break up the company into separate units in each of the countries.

Brussels - The European Commission on Wednesday approved a series of temporary guidelines designed to make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to access funds during the credit squeeze.

Under the new rules, applicable until the end of 2010, European Union governments will be allowed to grant eligible SMEs up to 500,000 euros (687,000 dollars) in direct aid, without first having to seek the commission's approval.

Governments are also encouraged to provide subsidized loans to companies producing green products, while risk capital aid is increased from 1.5 million to 2.5 million euros per year.

Liege, Belgium  - The local history museum in Liege has reopened to the public after a four-year renovation.

Brussels - The population of the European Union increased to nearly half a billion in 2008, thanks largely to a rise in net migration, figures released Monday in Brussels show.

According to the bloc's statistical office, Eurostat, the 27 countries that form the EU will have a combined population of 499.7 million people on January 1, up 2.2 million from
2007. About a third of this rise is attributable to the number of immigrants entering the bloc.

And with the accession of Slovakia into the eurozone, 328.6 million people will be sharing the bloc's common currency, the euro, next year.