17 December 2019

Timisoara holds day of mourning in memory of the first victims of the anti-communist revolution of December 1989.

Newsroom, 17.12.2019, 13:55

Revolution. It’s a day of mourning in the western Romanian city of
Timisoara, which, 30 years ago, saw the first victims of the anti-communist
revolution of December 1989. On the 17th of December 30 years ago,
the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu ordered the use of lethal ammunition.
Today the flags fly at half mast as a tribute to those shot 30 years ago on the
streets of Timisoara in the city’s darkest hour. The anti-communist revolution
broke out on the 16th of December in Timisoara, which, on the 20th
of December, declared itself the first city free of communism in Romania. The
uprising spread across the country beginning on the 21st of
December. More on this subject later in the newsreel.

Budget. The Country’s Supreme Defence Council on Tuesday gave a positive
opinion on the proposed budget for the defence and national security
institutions in 2020. The defence ministry is to receive 2% of the GDP, just
like in 2019, a percentage agreed through a national political accord on
boosting defence spending. The sums earmarked for the other institutions with
responsibilities in the area of national defence and security will ensure that
they can carry out their missions and objectives, the president’s office said
in a statement.

Budget deficit. The
budget deficit level is to drop by 1.6% between 2020 and 2023, from 3.5% of the
GDP next year to almost 2% of the GDP in 2023. According to a report on next
year’s macroeconomic situation and the projection for the 2021-2023 period
published by the finance ministry, the budget bill for next year is based on a
4.1% economic growth rate. The figure is significantly higher than the
estimated EU average of 1.4% for next year according to the European Union’s
autumn forecast.

Ambassador. The United States’ new
ambassador to Bucharest Adrian Zuckerman has officially begun his term after
being received by president Klaus Iohannis for a presentation of his letters of
credence. Zuckerman on Saturday met the foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, saying
on this occasion that he is firmly committed to contribute to the strong
development of the strategic partnership. He recalled that Romania enjoys the
appreciation of president Donald Trump and the entire US administration and
that Romania could not have a better friend than the US. On the 20th
of November, Adrian Zuckerman was voted by the US Senate as US ambassador to
Romania. He replaced Hans Klemm, who had been serving in this position since
2015.

Journalists. 49 journalists were
killed in different parts of the world in 2019 according to a report by the
organisation Reporters without Borders, which emphasises that, although
journalism remains a dangerous profession, this is the lowest figure in the
last 16 years. This historic low compared with the average of 80 journalists
killed in the previous two years can be explained, according to France Presse
news agency, by a decrease in the number of those killed in countries with
armed conflicts like Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. The report also shows that
389 journalists were sent to prison for exercising their profession, up 12%
compared with 2018. Almost half of the journalists sent behind bars are in three
countries: China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Also, 57 journalists are held hostage
at the moment, most of them, like in 2018, in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Ukraine.

Film. The short film The Christmas Gift by the Romanian director
Bogdan Muresanu is on the short list of Oscar nominations for 2020. The film is
one of the most successful Romanian productions, winning over 50 international
prizes and distinctions. The film is a black comedy about the last day of
communism, December 20th 1989, when a couple from Bucharest realise
their 7-year-old son sent a letter by post to Father Frost, the Father Christmas
at the time, in which he wrote his father’s wish to see the dictator Nicolae
Ceausescu dead. The film was recently named the best European short film at the
European Film Awards in Berlin.