European Union governments have decided to hold a new round of accession talks with Turkey on 5th November after Germany dropped its opposition over Ankara's crackdown on anti-government protests earlier this year. EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele said the 28-member bloc's accession talks with Turkey should be speeded up to help Ankara implement democratic reforms. The newly opened area covers issues dealing with how a country spends EU aid targeted for poor regions. This is one of more than 30 chapters that need to be discussed before Turkey can join EU. The launch of a new chapter of negotiations with the EU membership candidate comes after a a gap of three years. Earlier this month, the European Commission praised recent judicial reforms in Turkey and the move to salvage a peace process with Kurdish insurgents. However it accused Turkish police of using excessive force to quell protests earlier this year, urged the government to increase the oversight of the police and to press ahead with investigations into their conduct. Six people died and more than 8,000 were hurt in two weeks of clashes in June. Turkey began negotiations to join the EU in 2005, 18 years after applying, but a series of political obstacles, notably over Cyprus and resistance to Turkish membership in Germany and France, have slowed the progress. Cuba is to scrap its two-currency system in the latest financial reform rolled out by President Raul Castro. Since 1994 Cuba has had two currencies, one pegged to the US dollar and the other worth only a fraction of that. The more valuable convertible peso CUC was reserved for use in the tourism sector and foreign trade. Now its value will be gradually united with the lower-value CUP, ending a system resented by ordinary Cubans.