National Press Review, November 26

Daniel Dăianu, former Minister of Finance, stated for the Adevărul that the usage of the term `imminence` by a senior official of the IMF is a mistake.

Mugur Isărescu, Governor of the National Bank of Romania, responded quickly yesterday and specified that Romania is not facing the danger of not being able to make its external payments.

On the other hand, NBR director Eugen Rădulescu stated that our country could go into default within a year and a half if it did not receive external funding anymore.

In the Jurnalul Naţional we read that President Traian Băsescu criticized everyone yesterday, starting with the press and ending with the Parliament and Ion Iliescu, and even the members of parliament for the Liberal Democratic Party who have accidentally voted the laws regarding the VAT reduction and flat rate reduction to 10 percent.

Present at the anniversary of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, Băsescu said that Romanians are constantly lied to about the wage cuts, without actually being told that the state has no money for higher salaries.

He said that, in Parliament, the personal interest lies above the general interest. In his view, the politicians did, quote 'exactly what they wanted: they doubled the salaries, the pensions and invented 222 welfare categories' end of quote.

Aurelian Şoric has been keeping the interlopes warm for four years - writes the Evenimentul zilei.

During the time Chief Superintendent Aurelian Şoric led the Neamţ County Police Inspectorate, the law was flagrantly violated and criminals walked around freely.

This is the main conclusion of the investigation conducted by the officers of the General Directorate for Control and Internal Audit of the Ministry of Administration and Interior in the last ten days, within the institution shepherded by the Chief Superintendent Şoric.

In numbers, the `balance` of his mandate looks as following: dozens of cases were resolved without criminal prosecution, as the police didn't even bother to pursue at least preliminary investigations, and eighty four complaints regarding serious crimes such as rape, burglary and thefts didn't even receive registration numbers.

However, they were classified. In addition to these, in 2.195 cases whose authors weren't identified, the investigations were not conducted under the supervision of a prosecutor.

Heat is getting more expensive only in poor cities - the Gândul headlines and details:

The National Regulatory Authority for Municipal Services (NRAMS) announced that the local average reference price per Gcal will be higher starting with January 1st, compared to the same period of this year.

Only the cities where mayors don't have sufficient funds to properly raise the local subsidy will experience this increase.

NRAMS President Mircea Matei, stated for the Gândul that 'the local average reference price was influenced by both the tax increase and the decrease in consumption'.

According to him, the most dramatic increases in local average reference prices were recorded in Iaşi and Mangalia.

Thus, in Iaşi it increased from RON 185 per Gcal to RON 204 per Gcal and in Mangalia the price went up from RON 165 to RON 193.6 per Gcal.

Translated by Manuela Stancu and Raluca Mizdrea
MA Students, MTTLC, Bucharest University