January 26, 2014 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 26.01.2014, 19:19
WEATHER – Romanian authorities urge people not to travel to the areas affected by snowfalls and blizzards, as the Prime Minister Victor Ponta warned on Sunday that the entire coming week would be difficult in terms of the weather. According to the PM, over 8 thousand employees of local authorities and intervention services take part in snow-clearing operations. For the first time ever, Romanian weather services issued a red-code alert for heavy snowfalls and blizzards on Sunday. Because of the extreme weather, the three motorways and almost 30 national roads were closed, while railway traffic is also disrupted. Power outages have been reported in tens of localities, and the sea and river ports have been closed down. Airports are still operational, although some flights have been delayed. Schools in the capital Bucharest and other counties will be closed down on Monday and Tuesday.
ECONOMY – Romania’s PM Victor Ponta is to meet in Bucharest on Monday with a mission of the IMF, the World Bank and the European Commission, which is assessing in Bucharest the stand-by loan agreement signed last year. The international experts have also had talks with President Traian Basescu, who reiterated his opposition to a supplementary excise on fuels. The loan granted by the international lenders to Romania amounts to 4 billion euros, but Bucharest only plans to use this money in case of emergency. The goal is to protect Romania from prospective financial shocks and to help reduce the financing costs. Until February the 5th, the international experts are to have talks with the authorities, representatives of political parties, trade unions, business associations, banks and civil society. The talks focus on the priorities of economic reforms and the legislation with an impact on the economy.
EGYPT — Egypt’s interim president, Adly Mansour, announced in a televised address on Sunday that the presidential elections would be held before the legislative ones, thus clearing the ambiguities concerning the transition calendar promised by the army in early July, when it ousted Mohammed Morsi, AFP reports. Mansour’s speech comes a day after the country marked 3 years since start of the riots that led to the removal of Hosni Mubarak. The presidential and legislative elections, to be held by summer, are expected to put an end to the democratic transition launched in mid-January by a referendum on the new Constitution.
UKRAINE – Pope Francis Sunday called for an end to violence in Ukraine and for dialogue between the Government and opponents, who have been protesting for two months, France Presse reports. At least three people — six, according to the Opposition — died in the clashes between the protesters and the security forces of President Viktor Yanukovych last week, as tensions spiralled in Kiev. The Opposition mobilised after in later November President Yanukovych chose to put on hold the agreements with the EU and to strengthen relations with Moscow instead.
