23 November, 2015
Budget debated in Bucharest/ Brussels still under highest terror alert
Newsroom, 23.11.2015, 11:59
The government in Bucharest meets today to debate the budget for next year. PM Dacian Ciolos said that he would like the budget to pass in Parliament in the first half of December. Until then, however, the new ministers have to analyze the projects left pending by the former cabinet, deciding which to integrate in the new bill. The executive also wants to propose new projects reflecting the new platform, among them a rapid reaction plan issued by a joint institutional group. This group would be coordinated by deputy PM Costin Borc, and has to find solutions to boost confidence in the Romanian economy.
Belgium is on its third day of the highest level of terror alert, level 4, imminent risk of attack, in Brussels and its surroundings. The metro train and most public transportation are not in operation, while railway stations and airports are guarded by heavily armed police and army units. The streets are patrolled by military vehicles, and public venues like cinemas, shops, restaurants and cafes are still closed. The Belgian authorities have announced they arrested 16 people on Sunday to Monday, at the top of a wide ranging anti-terror operation. Among the people detained is Salah Abdeslam, a key suspect in the Paris attacks of November 13th.
French President Francois Hollande and British PM David Cameron met in Paris today, promising to intensify their countries fight against the so-called Islamic State, ten days after the terror attacks that left 130 dead in the capital of France. Hollande said that his countrys aim in Syria and Iraq was to cause the highest amount of damage possible to the terror group, confirming that France would step up its air raids against extremists. Cameron said he was firmly in favor of French action being taken, and said that the British air forces have to also launch strikes against IS. He added that he opened a British airbase in Cyprus to French forces. The PM is scheduled to deliver to Parliament a comprehensive strategy for fighting IS.
Today in Bucharest Romania and the United States hold the fourth meeting of the task force for implementing the common statement on the 21st century Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the two countries are reviewing bilateral cooperation, discussing the aims and cooperation priorities for the upcoming period.
The Romanian- Dutch tennis pair Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer have emerged victorious in the last major international tournament of the year. On Sunday, the two have defeated in two sets the Romanian-Indian pair Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna. This is the first time when Romania has two players in this competition, with seven million dollars in prize money, which featured the top eight players of 2015, as well as the eight best male double teams.
The former mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, goes on trial today for bribe taking, money laundering and abuse of office. The Anti-Corruption Directorate alleges that between 2013 and 2015 he joined a local administration ring that rigged public acquisition procedures in favor of companies providing bribes and kickbacks. The former official was detained in early September, and has been under house arrest since release. Over the last few months, several officials from Bucharest City Hall have been jailed for corruption. Sorin Oprescu, a former member of the former ruling Social Democratic Party became mayor in 2008, and was re-elected as an independent in 2012.
Translated by Călin Coţoiu
