October 28, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 28.10.2014, 12:00
The Romanian Anti-Corruption Directorate has today detained former communication minister Gabriel Sandu, businessmen Dorin Cocos and Nicolae Dumitru and also the mayor of Piatra Neamt, Gheorghe Stefan. The prosecutors allege that Gabriel Sandu signed a preferential contract with a group of companies and asked for almost 5 million euros in exchange for extending contracts to license Microsoft software for use in schools. Dorin Cocos, Nicolae Dumitru and Gheorghe Stefan are charged with influence peddling and money laundering in the same file, which also involves 9 former ministers. The whole affair caused damage to the state budget of tens of millions of euros.
Hungary’s parliament is today having its say on a controversial bill on imposing a new tax on Internet data transfers, which could hit hard Internet and telecom providers and their customers. Around 10 thousand protesters in the Hungarian capital Budapest have demanded a halt to the proposed law. Campaigners say the legislation is “anti-democratic” and will hit the poor. In response, the ruling Fidesz party said it would submit an amendment to the law.
The series of events staged by Radio Romania to celebrate 86 years since its first broadcast, aired on November the 1st, 1928, continues. Under the baton of Tiberiu Soare, with the participation of pianist Horia Mihail, the Radio Romania Choirs and Orchestras will convene, on Friday, in an anniversary concert. Saturday was the Open Doors Day at Radio Romania, when thousands of people took the opportunity to visit the Radio’s headquarters. The Radio Romania Broadcasting Corporation is a structure made up of three national stations, nine regional stations and an international channel, which broadcasts programs in 10 foreign languages as well as in Romanian and in the Aromanian dialect.
Almost half of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova are in favor of their country’s accession to the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. The results of a poll conducted this month in Moldova, without Transdniester, show that 45% of Moldovans favor the joining of this Russia-led structure, while only 43% are backing EU accession, down from 52% last year. On the other hand, 48% of the citizens want their country to become a NATO member. Experts say that the latest polls show an increase in the number of euroskeptics in Moldova.
Representatives of the Romanian and Bulgarian governments signed in Bucharest a memorandum on committing themselves to starting the construction of two new bridges over the Danube, between Turnu Magurele and Nikopole and Calarasi and Silistra, respectively. The first bridge should be ready in two years. This will be the third such bridge over the Danube between the two countries, after the Ruse-Giurgiu and Vidin-Calafat ones, and will cost around 200 to 270 million euros. The project’s initiators will apply for EU co-funding. Bulgaria and Romania have voiced availability to build as many bridges as possible to connect the poor areas on the two banks of the Danube in order to draw investment, boost traffic and support local businesses.
