Bucharest - Romania is set to receive a nearly 20-billion euro (26.9-billion-dollar) package cobbled together by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union to help it weather the ongoing financial crisis.

The IMF will make 12.95 billion euros of the money available in a two-year standby credit, said Jeffrey Franks, head of the IMF mission, Wednesday at the end of negotiations.

Geneva  - Swiss voters overwhelmingly supported a government- backed motion to extend cooperation with the European Union in a referendum on Sunday.

Sydney - A Romanian tourist lost for six days in the 40-degree heat of Australia's Red Centre used his mobile phone to ring home and arrange a helicopter rescue, news reports said Thursday.

He set off last week on a 45-kilometre trek from Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, but ran out of water within three days of his Northern Territory trip.

He turned back and rang home when he was in mobile range, giving his coordinates from his Global Positioning System. Australian police were alerted and a helicopter dispatched.

Bucharest - Romania's new Prime Minister Emil Boc, on the first day of his term Tuesday, announced the salaries of senior government officials would be reduced to a little less than one fifth.

In the current time of crisis, officials had to be the first to tighten their belts, Boc said.

The heads of administrations such as customs, aviation and state- owned enterprises such as power plants were among those affected. They would no longer earn up to
28,000 lei (10,040 dollars) per month, but up to a maximum of 4,800 lei.

Bucharest  - Romania's parliament gave its approval Monday night to the creation of a grand coalition government between the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party
(PD-L) and the socialist PSD party.

Emil Boc, leader of the PD-L, will serve as prime minister. The new government was approved by a 324-115 vote.