November 9, 2013
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 09.11.2013, 12:19
PRIORITIES-The Social Democratic Party (a member of the center-leftist ruling coalition in Romania) will run on its own party lists in the European parliamentary elections due in 2014. The announcement has been made by the party president, Prime Minister Victor Ponta, earlier today in Bucharest, at the National Council of the Party. The Council is also due to set the main political and strategic objectives of the party for next year, as 2014 is the year when both European parliamentary elections and Romanian presidential elections are held. Another issue on the agenda of the Council is decentralization, a draft law which involves a vote of confidence in parliament. The vote is due in mid November.
ARRESTS– Businessman Iustin Paraschiv, who is among the 100 richest people in Romania has been taken into custody for 30 days, in a tax evasion file. The total estimated prejudice brought to the state stands at 70 million Euros. Several persons, among whom a prosecutor from the General Prosecutor’s Office, have been arrested so far in this case, dubbed by the media “the meat network”. According to investigators, the suspects coordinated a network made up of Romanian and Arab business people, who created and implemented a tax evasion mechanism, enabling them not to pay taxes to the state budget for the money obtained from selling meat. In the same file, a Social Democrat Senator is being prosecuted for peddling in influence.
IRANIAN NUCLEAR FILE — The negotiations between Teheran and P5+1 ( a group made up of the US, Russia, China, France, Great Britain plus Germany) held in Geneva on the controversial Iranian nuclear program have been extended for a day. Joining the talks today is Russian foreign minister, Serghei Lavrov. The decision to continue the negotiations has been made after yesterday’s meeting between US Secretary of State, John Kerry, his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton. Kerry has said important issues should still be solved and the conclusion of an agreement with Iran is not within reach. The Westerns suspect Teheran of trying to develop the nuclear weapon, a fact denied by Iran.
COMMEMORATION– Today and tomorrow, Germany is commemorating 75 years since “the Crystal Night”, when the pogrom of Jews, organised by Hitler’s regime started, showing the world his anti-Semitic violence, FP reports. On the night of November 9th to 10th 1938, the shops owned by Jews were devastated and synagogues were set on fire. 90 German Jews died in the wave of violence and 30 thousand others were arrested and then deported. In a video message posted on her web site a week ago, German chancellor Angela Merkel deemed those events “the ugliest moment in the German history”. She called on Germans to show civil courage and not to tolerate any form of anti-Semitism.
UNESCO– The United States and Israel have automatically lost their right to vote within UNESCO, two years after they ceased to pay their financial contribution to this organization, in response to Palestine’s admission. Washington has expressed regret over this situation and has reiterated its wish to further be involved in UNESCO. The US and Israel ceased to pay the contribution, after Palestine’s admission in October 2011, as the 195th UNESCO member.
EXPLOSION- One person died and 14 others got injured, among whom 5 severely, when a pyrotechnical device exploded accidentally during rehearsals for a show at the Sports Palace in Paris.
TYPHOON HAIYAN– The latest death toll shows that over 100 people lost their lives because of typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful this year, which smashed into the Philippines. Gale force wind exceeded 275 km/h.
