PRICE HIKES The new year has brought a
\nseries of fiscal amendments to the Romanians, ranging from new VAT rises to other
\nmajored excises and taxes. Fines have also been raised, and companies reporting
\nover 50 million euros in turnover will pay taxes of at least one percent of
\ntheir turnover. Tobacco excises have been raised and there are VAT raises
\nbetween 9 and 19 % for certain products and services. A special tax has been
\nintroduced for expensive goods, such as houses and cars as well as raised
\nexcises for sweet products. Fuel excises have also been raised and experts
\nbelieve the new fiscal measures will translate into a higher inflation and a depreciated
\nlocal currency against the Euro. Romania’s budget deficit this year has been
\nestimated at 5% of the GDP with an economic growth of 3.4%. 7% of the country’s
\nGDP has been earmarked for investment. <\/p>\n
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QUAKE Authorities in Japan are in
\na battle against time in their attempt to find survivors after the 7.6
\nmagnitude earthquake on Monday, which was followed by many aftershocks.
\nAccording to provisional tolls, scores have been killed and hundreds of
\nbuildings destroyed. Numerous fires caused by broken pipelines have been
\nreported in the north of the Noto peninsula, close to the quake’s epicenter. As
\ntemperatures went below zero at night, rescuers are making great efforts to
\nfind survivors. <\/p>\n
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GAZA Israel has pulled out its
\ntanks from some parts of the Gaza city announcing a new stage in its war
\nagainst the terrorist group Hamas. The new change in Israel’s tactics involves
\nthe partial pull out of its troops from the Gaza Strip and an increased focus
\non smaller-scale targeted operations. Israel says one of the key objectives is
\nthe complete elimination of the Hamas threat and the release of the hostages
\nstill kept by the famous terrorist group. According to Radio Romania
\ncorrespondent in Israel, the attempts to release the Israeli hostages, which seemed
\nto be compromised at a certain point, have these days been given a fresh
\nimpetus thanks to the mediation efforts of Qatar and Egypt. The war in Gaza,
\nwhich broke out after the attack on Israel masterminded and conducted by the
\nterrorist group Hamas on October 7, when 12 hundred people were killed and 240
\nkidnapped, has so far caused the death of roughly 22 thousand Palestinians in
\nthe Gaza Strip. At the same time, most of the region’s 2.3 million people
\nresidents has been displaced. <\/p>\n
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WEATHER The
\nweather remains warm in Romania with temperatures higher than those usually
\nregistered at this time of the year. Showers have been reported in small areas
\nin the country’s south-east. Wind has intensified at higher altitudes in the
\nmountainous area of the Eastern and Western Carpathians. The highs of the day
\nare ranging between 4 and 12 degrees Celsius while the capital city Bucharest
\nreports higher temperatures than usual for the winter season, of at least 10-11
\ndegrees Celsius. <\/p>\n
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(bill)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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