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Death Toll from Romania Nightclub Fire Soars to 43

Two more people succumbed Sunday to their wounds from a horrific nightclub fire in Bucharest that brought down the Romanian government, bringing the death toll up to 43, a hospital official said.

The chief of Floreasca hospital's plastic surgery department said the victims -- a young Romanian woman and a Turkish tourist -- died a day after nine other wounded lost their lives, including two who had been transferred to the Netherlands for treatment.

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Romanian PM Resigns after Deadly Nightclub Fire

Romania's embattled Prime Minister Victor Ponta, mired in a corruption scandal, resigned Wednesday following a deadly nightclub blaze, a day after more than 20,000 people rallied in Bucharest to demand he step down.

The 43-year-old announced his resignation on television, saying it was right that top officials took responsibility for Friday's tragedy at the Colectiv disco in Bucharest, which left 32 dead and nearly 200 injured.

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Romania in Mourning after Bucharest Club Blaze Kills 27

Romania was plunged into mourning on Saturday after 27 people were killed and nearly 200 injured when a fire ripped through an underground nightclub in Bucharest.

Survivors spoke of the horror that unfolded when fireworks -- set off during a pre-Halloween gig by a heavy metal band -- unleashed a blaze, followed by a stampede as terrified clubbers sought the exit.

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Rahi Inaugurates 1st Maronite Church in Eastern Europe, Rejects Unilateralism

Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi inaugurated on Sunday the first Maronite church in eastern Europe, calling for an end to the confessional conflict in Lebanon and rejecting the political hegemony of one sect on the others.

During his sermon at Saint Charbel church in the Romanian capital, al-Rahi said: “We ask for an end to the current political-sectarian conflict and the attempt of any of the sects to impose political hegemony on the others and to act unilaterally in decision-making.”

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Suleiman from Romania: Lebanon to Work on Restoring Syria’s Membership in Arab League

President Michel Suleiman said Tuesday that Lebanon will exert efforts to restore Syria’s membership in the Arab League whose decisions are respected by Beirut no matter what its stance is.

“No matter what Lebanon’s stance is at Arab League summits, it commits itself to its decisions,” Suleiman said at a joint press conference with his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu in Bucharest.

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The Maestros' Magic, in Their Own Words

They can move audiences to tears with their inspirational performances, but few can put their finger on that indefinable something that marks out a great conductor.

Indeed, the maestros themselves are sometimes reluctant to even try, preferring instead for their music to speak for them.

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