Brussels  - The European Union is sending 55 observers to monitor Malawi's May 19 general election, in which President Bingu Wa Mutharik is vying for a new term in office, officials in Brussels said Friday.

The EU's Election Observation Mission to Malawi will consist of 28 long term observers, who are already monitoring the election's preparations, and 20 short term observers.

Their role will be to "observe voting, counting and the tabulation of results," the EU's executive arm in Brussels, the European Commission, said in a statement.

Brussels - The European Union is sponsoring television programmes designed to promote North African societies as modern, open and emancipated, officials in Brussels said Wednesday.

The EuroMed-News project, co-financed by the European Commission using 2.16 million euros (2.85 million dollars) of European taxpayers' money, also aims to increase awareness among the local populations about what the EU does to foster cooperation and dialogue between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

Brussels  - Rene Vandereycken was sacked on Tuesday night as Belgium national team coach over a poor World Cup qualifiying campaign with almost no hope of making the 2010 finals.

Vandereycken's time was over after begium lost twice to Bosnia-Herzegovina, on March 28 and April 1, to rank fourth in their group, 11 points behind runaway leaders Spain. Only the top team qualifies directly for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Vatican City  - The reaction of Belgium's parliament to Pope Benedict XVI's remarks against the use of condoms, is "astonishing" the Vatican's chief spokesman said Friday.

Father Federico Lombardi was commenting on a vote by Belgian lawmakers on Thursday in which they approved a motion which could lead their country's government to lodge an unprecedented, formal protest with the Vatican over the pontiff's remarks.

Brussels - There can be no alternative to a two-state solution for the Middle East, said Quartet envoy Tony Blair in Brussels on Wednesday, a day after the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in.

"There is no alternative to a two-state solution, except the one-state solution. And if there is a one-state solution, there's going to be a big fight," Blair said after a meeting with European Union officials in Brussels.

Brussels  - The European Commission on Wednesday decided to drop its antitrust charges against MasterCard after the payments card company agreed to reduce the fees it charges for international transactions.

MasterCard had already bowed to EU pressure in June by temporarily repealing its multilateral interchange fees (MIFs), which had been found to breach the bloc's competition rules.