BUDGETS – The government has submitted the recently adopted state
\nand social security budgets for 2024 to Parliament for debate. A tight deadline
\nhas been set for discussions in committee and plenary meetings, with a final
\nvote scheduled for Wednesday. The government expects an economic growth of
\n3.4%, with the goal of increasing tax collection and reducing tax evasion.
\nInvestments and transports will receive additional funds. Investments will also
\nincrease to nearly 7% of the GDP next year, while education will have the
\nlargest budget in history. Pensions are also expected to increase by 13.8%
\nstarting January 1, with a recalculation slated for September. The draft budget
\nalso allots funds to increase allowances and social benefits and teachers’
\nsalaries. The government also wants to raise public sector salaries by 5%. The
\nopposition has filed hundreds of amendments, claiming the budget’s plans are
\nunrealistic, quoting data compiled by economists, according to which tens of
\nbillions were left out of the estimated budget, which could thus deepen the
\nbudget deficit. <\/p>\n
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WAR IN GAZA – The Israeli army has published new details confirming
\nthat the accidental killing of three hostages from Gaza by Israeli armed forces
\nis a breach of rules of engagement. The Israeli troops opened fire on three
\npeople that walked out of the building without their shirts on, to prove they
\nhad no bombs strapped and carrying a white flag bearing the message SOS and
\nHelp 3 hostages. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent on the ground,
\nthe incident has further inflamed tensions, putting additional pressure on the
\nIsraeli government to reach an agreement with Hamas for the liberation of the
\napproximately 120 hostages still being held captive in Gaza. Meanwhile, the IDF
\nannounced the discovery of the biggest tunnel used by Hamas Islamists in Gaza. <\/p>\n
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EVACUATIONS – A group of 14 people consisting of Romanian citizens
\nand their families were safely evacuated from Gaza and arrived in Romania, the
\nForeign Ministry reports. The people were evacuated to Egypt on Saturday,
\ncrossing the Rafah checkpoint, where representatives of the Romanian Embassy in
\nEgypt accompanied them to Cairo. Here they boarded a flight to Romania. So far,
\n302 people, Romanian citizens and family members, have been evacuated from the
\nGaza Strip. The Romanian MFA says it remains in permanent contact with the
\nIsraeli and Egyptian authorities to help evacuate the remaining citizens,
\ndepending on the developments on the ground. <\/p>\n
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REVOLUTION – The city of Timi\u0219oara (west) commemorates the people
\nwho lost their lives in the anti-communist revolution of 1989 in Romania. A
\nreligious service will be held at the Heroes’ Chapel in the Revolution Memorial
\nMuseum, followed by a procession to the monuments devoted to the Revolution. 34
\nyears ago, under orders from the communist regime, security forces opened fire
\non the crowd of protestors, killing nearly 100 people and wounding a few
\nhundreds. On December 18, martial law was declared in Timi\u0219oara after the
\nmassacre of the previous day, when dozens of people were killed. Hospitals were
\noverrun, the streets were blocked by tanks and tactical vehicles and a general
\ncurfew was in place. This was the day when several young people were gunned
\ndown on the steps of the Orthodox Cathedral. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of domestic and international news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[32918,116340,116339,116280],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-612040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-1989-anti-communist-revolution","tag-evacuated-romanians","tag-state-and-social-security-budgets","tag-war-in-gaza"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n