Saturday, January 19, 2008
* NEWS *
EDITORIAL
Imperial hubris – Fritz Stern – Ziua – read here -
“The United States, with its claims of exceptionalism, is usually thought of as free of historical analogies. But comparisons with the fate of earlier empires are becoming more common”.POLITICS
President Basescu mocks Teodor Melescanu – Anca Hriban, R.I.P. & D.I. – Ziua – read here -“Teodor Melescanu, Romania's defense minister and at present an interim minister of justice as well, announced yesterday that he might not obey the Romanian President's request for the start of criminal investigations against 8 former and present ministers, because the documents received from Presidency did not include the actual criminal inquiry records against the accused. According to the law, such documents are to reach the minister of justice so that the latter would address the Prosecutor's Office“.
PSD leaders make room for ex PM – Cristian Andrei – Ziua – read here -“The reactivation of Adrian Nastase, formerly a president of the PSD (Social-Democrat Party) and also a PM, has become a priority for his adepts who wish him to get a reliable position on top of the party”.
Flawed career of prosecutor Codrut Olaru – S.A. – Ziua – read here -“In today's edition you can read about the career of prosecutor Codrut Olaru. Although accused of abuse at work, favors for criminals and traffic of influence, Traian Basescu appointed him head of the DIICOT (Department to Counter International Organized Criminality and Terrorism)”.
LATEST
Proposal to make bribe for doctors legal – D.M. – Ziua – read here -
“Bribing doctors is so common in Romania that there have even come up proposals to make it legal, according to the BBC. The most recent proposal belongs to the College of Doctors in Cluj, who is asking authorities to modify the legislation in order to allow doctors to get the so-called 'gifts' from patients after the latter have recovered”.
Friday, January 18, 2008
* NEWS *
EDITORIAL
Such outlook, such justice – Cristian Unteanu – Ziua – read here -
“How far are we from the revolutionary justice and its absolute principles and how close are we to what we have claimed we wish to have: politically uninvolved justice to express only the requirements of the rule of law ? I am not very sure that someone can give a certain answer to this question in the European Romania of 2007. Can you ?”.POLITICS
Ex justice minister: There is no project to dismember DNA – Ovidiu Banches – Ziua – read here -“According to Romania's ex justice minister Tudor Chiuariu, there is no government project meant to dismember the DNA (National Anti-Corruption Department), therefore such information is but "the obsession of all the President's servants" “.
Act II in DNA play – Adrian Ghiciusca – Ziua – read here -“The day before yesterday the President of Romania Traian Basescu allowed prosecutors to open investigations against 8 former and present ministers. Yesterday investigators started criminal inquiry against 10 finance providers and managers of Romanian soccer clubs. Here are the names on the DNA (National Anti-Corruption Department) list: Ioan and Victor Becali, Gheorghe Popescu, George Copos, Cristian Borcea, Jean Padureanu, Mircea Stoenescu, Mihai Stoica, Gheorghe Netoiu, Sica Puscoci. They are accused of hiding substantial funds obtained by transferring to foreign teams soccer player like Bratu, Contra or Ganea. According to prosecutors, the harm done on the budget by cutting on taxed income is 1,7 million Euro. Over 600,000 Euro should have reached the bank accounts of the Romanian Soccer Federation”.
Politicians' foundations at our expense – Adrian Ilie – Ziua – read here -“On the website of the Romanian Ministry of Health you can access a draft of a decision government by which a foundation called "Renaissance by Education, Health and Culture" is going to become public utility. This is the foundation headed by Mihaela Geoana, wife of Mircea Geoana. The project became public in January 11, shortly after it was unveiled that this NGO was a privileged renter of the RAAPPS, although the staff was supposed to move from the building in December. According to the government ordinance 26/2000, it becomes an NGO of public utility, providing the right to get public services of non-commercial nature, along with "the preferential right to resources from the state budget and local budgets". Therefore the above-mentioned foundation dealing with the countering of breast cancer has got the legal right to ask to continue as renter of the RAAPPS”.
LATEST
Parliament of Europe passes report on Black Sea cooperation – George Damian – Ziua – read here -“581 MEPs voted yesterday in Strasbourg for the report on Black Sea cooperation, authored by Romanian MEP Roberta Anastase, member of the EPP group. There were only 19 MEPs to vote against and 17 not to vote at all”.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
* NEWS *
EDITORIAL
A prime minister player – Sorin Rosca Stanescu – Ziua – read here -
“Last year I came up with a scenario on Traian Basescu as PM. It seemed hallucinating. It amazed many people. But it is now visible that the President's actions are in keeping with such an intention. If I am right, Traian Basescu will risk so much that he will set his own mandate on fire. He will sacrifice everything to become a player in the government and take a second step later: the constitutional diminishment of the President's prerogatives and the ensuing enlargement of the PM's prerogatives. This is the Putin pattern, which can be successfully applied on Bucharest democracy. And this way not even the Constitution will be what it used to. The ambiguities in the Constitution can grow much less, for this will be the way to a parliamentary republic at last”.POLITICS
8 Romanian ministers under criminal investigations – Mihai Toader – Ziua – read here -“Just a few minutes after the Romanian PM asked him for one more meeting on the Norica Nicolai case, the President of Romania Traian Basescu demanded the opening of procedures for criminal inquiry against 8 former and present ministers. The action of Presidency is legal, given the Constitutional Court's decision in November 2007, according to which the President may decide by himself to agree or disagree to the opening of criminal inquiry against a former or present minister“.
President and PM met again, but in vain – Ovidiu Banches – Ziua – read here -“President Basescu explained yesterday evening: "The future minister of justice was the main topic. (...) In the end, although each of us has still got his own opinion, we have concluded we must find a solution. This meeting should have taken place when I expressed my first invitation to dialogue". The Romanian PM had announced yesterday, just a short while before Presidency released the communique on the 8 former and present minister now under criminal investigations, that he would ask President Basescu to meet with him and analyze the situation of Liberal Norica Nicolai objectively. After Cotroceni Palace announced the new initiative, the Romanian government's spokesman announced learning about the President's solicitation for the start of criminal procedures with view to investigations against present and former officials. No other comment was made”.
Norica Nicolai claims President is 'the teacher' invoked by Omar Hayssam – Razvan Gheorghe – Ziua – read here -“Norica Nicolai, a vice president of the PNL (National Liberal Party) and the Romanian PM's choice for a future minister of justice, denied yesterday the accusations concerning her professional career and she also claimed that the 'teacher' invoked in the talks between Syrian businessman Omar Hayssam and prosecutor Ciprian Nastasiu was the President of Romania Traian Basescu. She argued: "The stenograms published by the press and public debates show the person Omar Hayssam and Ciprian Nastasiu referred to as 'the teacher' is President Basescu. This makes me worry a lot and I think we all should worry that a convicted person and a prosecutor speak about the head of state in such terms" ”.
LATEST
President and PM passed test – Ovidiu Banches – Ziua – read here -“According to the public opinion in Romania, the marks (1 to 10) look as follows: 6,43 for President Traian Basescu, 5,51 for PM Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and 5,38 for the opposition”.
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