Bucharest - The Czech Republic will make no special effort to tackle climate change when it takes over the rotating EU presidency in January, Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on Thursday.

"We will not be campaigners for the climate package," Klaus said, during a private visit to the Romanian capital Bucharest, the Romanian news agency Mediafax reported.

He also expressed fears that the global financial crisis would be used as a pretext for curtailing freedoms in the markets.

"The climate is OK," and the problem of global warming was mere "ideology," Klaus said at a book presentation.

Dhaka  - Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed Sunday urged Romanian authorities to recruit Bangladeshi workers to help contribute to the south-east European country's economy.

The president was commenting during ceremonies as outgoing Romanian Ambassador Vasile Sofineti paid a farewell visit, with Ahmed offering skilled and semi-skilled labour, according to a statement released by the Presidential office.

Bucharest  - Romania's centre-left Social Democrats (PSD) were leading the centre-right Democratic Liberals (PDL) of President Traian Basescu by less than a percentage point in the country's parliamentary elections Monday.

With 99.62 per cent of Sunday's ballots counted, figures released by the Central Electoral Commission gave the Social Democrats' 33.09 per cent in the lower house compared to Basescu's PDL 32.34 per cent.

In the Senate, the PSD collected 34.12 per cent, while the PDL garnered 33.57 per cent.

Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu's National Liberal Party languished in third place with 18.57 per cent in the lower house and 18.75 per cent in the Senate.

Bucharest - The centre-right Democratic Liberals (PDL) of Romanian President Traian Basescu held a razor-thin lead in Romania's parliamentary elections, according to latest returns on Monday.

With 71 per cent of Sunday's ballots counted, the PDL were narrowly ahead of the opposition Social Democrats, while Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu's National Liberal Party languished in third place.

BUCHAREST, Romania, Nov. 30  -- Exit polls indicated Romanian voters favored the ex-communist Social Democrats in the country's general election Sunday.

The BBC reported that while the ultimate make-up of the next government remained uncertain, exit polls showed the Social Democrat candidates would receive about 36 percent of the vote. The governing National Liberals appeared to have about 20 percent and the party's former allies, the Liberal Democrats, were at about 31 percent, the British network said.