News In Brief

Romanian president opens Danube-Black Sea canal

President Nicolae Ceausescu of Romania opened a canal linking the River Danube and the Black Sea on Saturday, shortening one of Europe's busiest inland water routes by 250 miles. He used the occasion to call for a halt to the arms race.

''We consider it necessary to put an end to the dangerous arms race, to stop deploying American missiles in Europe and stop Soviet counter-measures,'' Mr. Ceausescu told a crowd of some 150,000 people.

East European sources said Saturday that Ceausescu will fly to Moscow June 4 for talks in the Kremlin. The trip was arranged before Romania's decision to defy a Soviet-bloc boycott of the Los Angeles Olympics was announced, the sources said. They said the issue was bound to be a contentious one at the talks.