Today in the News

Dozens of foreign employees, including two Romanians, have died in the hostage crisis in a natural gas complex in Algeria. The bodies of the two Romanians have been repatriated.

The Algerian hostage crisis is finally over, and politicians are rushing to find explanations and to prevent more such situations.

The Romanian Parliament starts its activity with a bigger number of seats.

Romania might send troops as part of the European joint military mission due to take action in the Western African country of Mali, the Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean said in Brussels, as the European Union has given the go-ahead for a 15-month

The World Bank, one of Romanias international creditors, has made some recommendations to Bucharest, among which more focus on the measures meant to boost economic growth and domestic production, in terms of increasing productivity and product competitiv

The announcement of the American Investment Bank J.P. Morgan that it will include Romania in the banks Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets has boosted the national currency, which was already on an ascending path.

The Romanian Government plans to slash the VAT on basic foodstuffs and to increase the national minimum salary.

On January 17th, the Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean will attend a special meeting of the EU External Affairs Council, devoted to the crisis in Mali.

A joint delegation of the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank is in Bucharest for a new assessment of Romanias precautionary agreement with those financial institutions.

Romanian Health Minister, Eugen Nicolaescu, has announced that private hospitals will no longer get public money, and county hospitals will no longer be subordinated to local officials.

After 4 years marked by austerity, the new Romanian cabinet claims its 2013 budget will introduce discipline in public finance.

After a 3-week break students and children are back to schools and kindergartens for the 2nd semester of this school year.

By the end of this month the European Commission is due to make public a new report on the Romanian judiciary, which is key to Romania's Schengen accession.

Addressing social injustice, applying fiscal rules for everybody and stopping wasting the public money are some of the elements of budgetary discipline the government announced for 2013.

The executive in Bucharest has passed an ordinance allowing town halls to raise taxes and duties by 16%.