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April 23, 2009118

Steaua – CFR Cluj draw 1–1 on the 26 Day of League I

The team Steaua Bucharest registered an equal score of 1–1 in their home game of Wednesday, when they confronted Romania’s Champion CRFR Cluj, on the XXVI Day of League I.

The goal of Steaua was scored by Dayro Moreno in the 54th minute, while CFR’s goal was scored by Emanuel Culio in the 9th minute. In the 42nd minute, Steaua’s midfielder Florin Lovin was granted a red card for violently hitting Culio.

In the 73rd minute, the fullback of CFR, Cristian Panin, was shown his second yellow card for having kicked the ball after the referee’s whistle and was eliminated. Steaua’s coach Marius Lacatus was sent to the stand in the 71st minute at the suggestion of the reserve referee Sebastian Coltescu. The game was arbitrated by a team that consisted of Teodor Craciunescu (centre referee), side referees Sebastian Gheorghe and Eduard Crangasu and reserve referee Sebastian Coltescu.

Fernando Alonso’s F1 racing car – to be revealed in Focsani

The Formula One racing car of the ING Renault team, which has been driven by Fernando Alonso, will be revealed for three days at the city of Focsani, Agerpres reports.

The car is going to be placed during April 24-26 on Promenada Mall. The event is organized by ING Bank in most important cities of Romania.

Tough sanctions adopted by the Ice Hockey Federation

The disciplinary commission of the Romanian Ice Hockey Federation ruled on Wednesday penalties against HC Csikszereda. The club is to be penalized 15 points for the 2009-2010 championship and to be fined RON 800. The sanctions were adopted following the club’s refusal to let twelve of its players to join the national team.

The twelve players have been suspended 8 legs: Robert Fulop, Istvan Nagy, Jozsef Adorjan, Attila Goga, Botund Flinta, Ede Mihaly, Tivadar Petres, Arpad Mihaly, Zsombor Antal, Zsolt Molnar, Csanad Virag and Levente Lorinncz.

The club could file an appeal in five days. The HC Csikszereda players failed to join the national team for the World Championship Division I Group B, played during April 11-18 at Torun, Poland.

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Dinamo vs. FC Timisoara to be played in Cluj

The Dinamo vs. FC Timisoara Romanian Cup semi-final will be played on Tuesday, April 28, in Cluj-Napoca’s ‘Dr. Constantin Radulescu’ stadium. The other semi-final, pitting CFR Cluj vs. FC Vaslui, is scheduled on April 29 and will be played in Bucharest’s ‘Giulesti-Valentin Stanescu’ stadium.
Both games will start at 8.45 PM and will be broadcast by Antena 1, according to the official website of the Romanian Football Federation.

The Romanian Cup – Timisoreana final is scheduled on June 13.

Lobont to undergo surgery after injuring himself in game against Gloria Bistrita

Bogdan Lobont, the goalkeeper of Dinamo, will undergo surgery after suffering an injury in Dinamo’s home-side game against Gloria Bistrita. Dinamo won the game, score 5-0.

The initial investigation has revealed that the player suffered a sprain at his right knee and torn ligaments. The player will undergo surgery and could miss all of the season. Lobont suffered an injury in the 80th minute of the game. Marius Niculae replaced him in the goal because Dinamo had already exhausted all of its three substitutions.

Romania to be represented by 6 judoka in European Championships

The Romanian delegation, consisting of six athletes, will take part in the European Judo Championships in Tbilisi, scheduled from April 24 to April 26.

In the women’s competition Romania will be represented by Olympic champion Alina Dumitru (48-kilogram category), Andreea Catuna (52-kilogram category) and Corina Caprioriu (57-kilogram category).

In the men’s competition Romania will be represented by Dan Fasie (66-kilogram category), Bogdan Barbulescu (90-kilogram category) and Daniel Brata (100-kilogram category).

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Tisa river polution sparks Romanian-Ukrainian divergence

Romania will be forced to pay compensation to Ukraine for the damage caused by the recent heavy metal pollution of the river Tisa. According to the paper “Gandul,” the pollution was caused by a damage that appeared at a mine near the city Baia Borsa. Moreover, a Ukrainian Deputy informed Romania that his country would file charges in an international court and force Romania to pay in case our country refuses. On the other hand, according to Mediafax, Ukraine intends to consolidate its activities in the Danube Delta, and the increase of the economical development of this area should become a national priority, President Viktor Juscenko declared on Wednesday.

Teachers’ referendum outcome: 64 pc want to organize meeting

The referendum on the organization of the forthcoming protests was finished by the National Education Federation (FEN). According to the results, 64 per cent of the teachers intend to organize a meeting, at 58 per cent of them are prepared to boycott national tests and graduation exams, Realitatea TV informs. The first federation to finish the meeting was Spiru Haret, and 80 per cent of the attendants expressed their willingness to boycott national exams. The final decision on the organization of protests in education will be restarted on April 30, at the meeting of the Executive Bureaus of Education Federation. The teachers are enraged that their wages were not increased and that the Education budget was diminished by RON 600 million, as well as by the lack of decentralization.

One Romanian died, three severely injured in Hungary

One Romanian man died and three persons were severely injured due to a collision of two vehicles that took place in Hungary, not far from the Croatian border, according to the online edition of the “Romania libera” newspaper. In the accident that took place at approximately 2.00 C.E.T., on the M7 Highway near Becsehely locality, a microbus registered in Romania overturned after hitting a car registered in Romania as well, that followed it on the highway. After the impact, many passengers of the microbus fell out, according to the Zalau County Police Department. One of the ten passengers traveling by the nine-seat microbus, aged 36, died at once. Other three travelers were immediately carried to the Nagykaniza Hospital due to severe injuries. According to the Police Department, the traffic on the highway was stopped until 07.00 C.E.T.

Basescu and Boc awaited to attend UDMR congress in Cluj

President Traian Basescu and PM Emil Boc are awaited to attend the Cluj congress of the Hungarian Democratic Union in Romania (UDMR) Saturday, as well as meetings with local officials and county mayors. The congress’s coordinator, UDMR Executive Vice-president Kovacs Peter, said yesterday that the head of state and the premier will deliver the opening speeches. In his turn, the chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Foreign Policy Commission, Laszlo Borbely, said he would urge all the decision-makers for Romanian troops to be pulled out of Iraq after August 1 of this year, given the mandate of Romanian troops in that country is due to expire on July 31. ‘We have an agreement with the Iraqi government until that date, I see no reason why we should maintain troops in Iraq afterwards,’ Borbely said, adding that Romanian troops in Afghanistan ‘is something else’, given Romania’s pledges to the Transatlantic Alliance, commitments that need to be met.

Block of flats in Bucharest caught fire

A great fire occurred yesterday evening and destroyed a block of flats in the Pipera neighbourhood, in Northern Bucharest, Antena 3 reports. Many persons were blocked in burning apartments, some of them were unable to leave an apartment at the fourth floor of the building for a considerable period. Nonetheless, one person was rescued from the building, despite slight injuries and smoke intoxication. A few-month-old baby was also rescued and rushed to the hospital. The fire was caused by children playing in the hall of the block. The children accidentally set some rubbish, included a few plastic bottles, on fire. Several ambulances and fire trucks arrived to the scene of the conflagration as soon as possible and started working on the extinction of the fire. When Nine O’Clock went to print, the firefighters were still trying to put down the fire.

Land Forces Day celebrated throughout the country

On April 23 the Romanian soldiers celebrate the Land Forces Day. The Land Forces’ spiritual patron is St. George. On this occasion all army garrisons have observed a schedule that included the paying of homage to the forerunners, the evoking of the units’ battle traditions and the presentation of the current stage in which the Land Forces find themselves, a communiqué remitted to the press by the MoD informs.

In Bucharest wreaths were laid at the Infantry’s Monument and at the Artillery’s Monument. At the same time, the commandment of the 1st Division ‘Dacica’ celebrated its ‘Open Doors’ day.

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King Mihai endorses Radu Duda’s bid for presidency

King Mihai I yesterday expressed his support of Prince Radu’s candidacy in the presidential election in a message from Elisabeta Palace, noting that it was time the Royal House had become involved in ‘Romania’s development as a state’.

King Mihai said that, with Prince Radu’s candidacy, the Royal House would be trying to show how one should truly serve a people and stated his confidence that the prince would be fit for such an important responsibility and for such an elevated ideal, Mediafax reports.

At the same time, King Mihai said ‘it was not a common thing for a royalty. But life has put us face to face with many uncommon situations that we have always overcome’. The King said he was confident that Prince Radu ‘would be able to bear such an important responsibility and such an elevated ideal’.

The King closed his speech with an appeal for ‘hope’. Whereas, he started with the sentence: ‘Romanians’ hopes have been dismantled one by one over six decades’, he ended with: ‘Let us give hope to Romania in this difficult year!’ (A.M.)

Mitrea accuses Mafia groups of standing behind recent arrests

Realitatea TV quoted PSD Senator Miron Mitrea as saying on his personal blog yesterday that the arrests lately were ordered by certain Mafia groups. He also said the focus is on mafia-inspired political and economic groups fighting to control the Romanian state, a war in which state institutions too are used. ‘What we see today under the form of arrests, raids, inquiries, MAI leaders’ dismissals is a stage in a fierce war. Mafia-inspired political-economic groups, with ties to the criminal world and the former Securitate, have been fighting for years to control the Romanian state. They did not emerge overnight, but tried to take over any time they felt the state was weak,’ Mitrea said, according to whom the phenomenon is rooted in the period before 1989 and endangers the stability of the Romanian state.

Government prepares to fund Nastase’s foundation

The Boc Government is preparing a substantial gift for Adrian Nastase, its former political opponent. According to yesterday edition of ‘Cotidianul’ daily, RON 450,000 or approximately EUR 100,000 will be unlocked from the accounts of the Government Secretariat general and given to the European Titulescu Foundation the founding president of which happens to be Adrian Nastase, ex-Prime-Minister (PSD) and currently President of the PSD National Council. The Director of the Titulescu Foundation, George Potra, refused to tell the journalists from ‘Cotidianul’ what the projects for which the Government is allocating the money were or any other explanation, referring them to the Government for details. Potra denied that the foundation had submitted a funding application to the Government. Adrian Nastase provided some explanations later on. He said the money was for ‘various local and foreign projects and work done in co-operation with the Government or with the Foreign Affairs Ministry’. (A.M.)

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Security guard committed suicide during phone conversation with son

A security guard, member of the Cluj County Security and Protection Department died after shooting himself in the head with his own gun. According to Mediafax, the tragedy occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, while the man was at duty. Even before committing suicide, the guard called his oldest son and confessed he was in debt and that he was unable to take it anymore. The man shot himself during this phone conversation. The guard’s colleagues told investigators that, after midnight, the man claimed he needed some fresh air and went to the backyard of the building where he called one of his sons.

Dozens of graves in the Jewish Cemetery of Botosani desecrated

Dozens of graves built over 70 years ago in the Jewish Cemetery of Botosani were desecrated by unknown persons, Agerpres announces. According to the President of the Jewish community in Botosani, David Iosif, the tombstones of over 25 graves were desecrated using an iron bar. “There are no signs that show it was a proof of anti-Semitism as there were no other signs or inscriptions. I think there were a few young persons under the influence of alcohol. It is a pity that the value and beauty of these old monuments were destroyed,” David Iosif showed. The leader of the Jewish community notified the Police, which started an investigation in order to find the authors. According to the spokesperson of the Botosani County Police Department, Commissar Manuela Ieremie, initial checks show that the desecration of the tombstones was performed by a group of seven young persons.

Hearings within former SRI Generals’ dossier to be made secrete

The hearings within the dossier of the former SRI Generals will take place in a secret session, Mediafax informs. The decision was taken today by the Supreme Court after the prosecutors claimed that the three generals might reveal things that could harm national security. The generals are charged with fraud and with the illegal sale of apartments in Bucharest. One of them, General (r) Dumitru Zamfir, the former deputy of the SRI Director in 2004, is on trial for asking and illegally receiving from RA-APPS a five-room apartment. He argued that his four-room apartment was not adequate. In a separate dossier the prosecutors of the National Anti-corruption Office have extended their investigations to include the former SRI director Alexandru Radu Timofte who had illegally bought an apartment.

Romanian Ambassador to Djakarta, also appointed Ambassador to ASEAN

The Romanian Ambassador to Indonesia, Gheorghe Valcu presented the General Secretary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr. Surin Pitsuwan the cabinet letter by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cristian Diaconescu, appointing him as Romanian Ambassador to ASEAN, Agerpres reports.

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Romania risks loosing the European funds

The members of the European Parliament have agreed to temporary suspend the funds granted to Romania and Bulgaria, Mediafax informs.

The officials came with this decision because they are waiting for a clarification of the situation, which could be offered by the EC’s quarterly reports. They are also waiting for the special reports regarding the management and the control of all funds that are currently distributed to Romania and Bulgaria by the European Union.

The report regarding Romania should distinguish the progress our country has made in fighting against corruption, added the European officials. They have also stated that the European Executive hasn’t paid enough attention and importance to the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU.

NNDKP, Company of the Year at the Chambers Europe Awards

The business law firm Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen (NNDKP), one of the greatest local companies won the Excellence Award and the title of Company of the Year at the Chambers Europe Awards. The award was destined the reward the firm’s activity for 2008, a press release informs. Other nominations for the same award included the local subsidiaries of the companies Badea Clifford Chance, Tuca, Zbarcea & Associates, Musat & Associates, Popovici, Nitu & Associates and CMS Cameron McKenna.

Last year, NNDKP registered a turnover of RON 54.7 million (EUR 14.8 million), which represented an increase by 17.4 per cent (calculated in EUR) to the value of EUR 12.6 million achieved in 2007.

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Spain’s Avantia launches first Romanian project

Spanish capital company Avantia poured over EUR 67 M into land purchases in Romania aimed at housing developments and office spaces, Mediafax reports. Construction works for the first, EUR 12 M, project, will kick off in July. ‘As of 2006, we have bought five tracts of land in Bucharest downtown area, 140,000 sqms in all. We had to move fast, given the speculative market, and prices were rising fast. Starting from mid 2007, we have decided to buy nothing at all, as prices ran amok,’ the Avantia general director, Juan Francisco Diaz, told a press conference. According to the Avantia executive, the company, with a share capital of EUR 90 M, has in view to develop 650,000 sqms of offices and living spaces in Romania over the next decade, of which 200,000 sqms of offices and nearly 5,000 homes. Avantia launched its first residential project in Bucharest’s area of Titan, with work to start in July.

Fewer commercial centres in 2009

The inventory of commercial centres under construction and scheduled for completion in 2009 is 32 per cent less than in 2008, yet accounts for a rented area of 490,000 sqms, according to a study by Cushman & Wakefield Company and reproduced by Agerpres on the trends of the real estate market in Romania. A surface area of 212,000 sqms is to be put on the market of the overall surface area of 490,000 sqms available in Bucharest. The situation is likely to deteriorate on the local market in 2009, which will lead to shrinking demand from retailers, a higher vacancy rate and lower rental prices. Also, according to the report, even if the housing market has been hurt by the effects of the financial crisis, the volume of residential units finished in 2008 rose 36 per cent.

Audi A4 Allroad and Audi A5 Cabrio now in Romania

Local Audi brand importer Porsche Romania yesterday released the Audi A4 Allroad Quattro model at a basic price starting from EUR 34,300 plus VAT, and Audi A5 Cabriolet with a price starting from EUR 37,700 plus VAT, Mediafax informs. Audi A4 Allroad Quattro is available in two Diesel and one petrol engine versions. The starting price of EUR 34,300 plus VAT applies to the 2.0 L 170 HP Diesel engine. The other Diesel engine of 3.0 L develops 240 HP. Audi A5 Cabriolet offers seven engine options, but only five of them will be launched in Romania by the end of 2009. The model equipped with a 2.0 L 211 HP petrol engine will cost EUR 37,700 plus VAT, being the only one that can be ordered in Romania for the time being. Audi sales in Romania were up 10.9 per cent to 2,856 units last year, from 2,574 units in 2007.

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RE/MAX: The rents for commercial spaces in Bucharest reduced in Q1

The rents charged for retail spaces in Bucharest reduced by 28 per cent, in the first quarter, in case of spaces located centrally, by 19 per cent in case of malls, and by 10 per cent in case of shopping centers, based on RE/MAX Bastion agency, which estimates a reduced decline pace over the next months. “Most of the commercial spaces were subject, lately, to rent renegotiation. Yet, within the zone of the Capital, the rents of the street spaces dropped by around 28 per cent from January and until end of March, and in addition, several locations remained empty, the rents in the large shopping centers going down by an average of 10 per cent, while this drop was 19 per cent in case of malls,” as Ana Maria Ionita, RE/MAX Bastion real estate consultant said in a press release.

Bogart: Constructions market to decline 20 – 25 pc in 2009

The constructions market in Romania is expected to decline by 20–25 per cent, mainly because of the drop in the residential field, which accounts for 30 per cent of the total, according to the estimations of Bogart group of companies CEO, Raul Doicescu, Mediafax informs. “The residential segment, which accounts for 30 per cent of the constructions market, is the most affected by crisis, because it is no longer a final consumer. The final consumer of apartments does not have funding from banks. A recovery of the segment could place by means of reducing VAT for the constructions of individual apartments from 19 per cent to maximum 5 per cent, over a given time period, this being the procedure adopted, during crisis, by countries such as Belgium and Turkey,” Doicescu said. The estimations of the businessman are more pessimistic than those of the owner of the constructions group, who estimated, in March, that the constructions market could decline by 10 per cent in 2009, because of economic crisis and fund shortage for project development, which were evaluated in 2008 to EUR 14.3 bln. Doicescu expects an advance, yet, in the turnover of the group he controls, by 8–13 per cent, to EUR 125–130 M, which is much lower than the advance registered in 2008. For the constructions market, which accounts for 80 per cent of the group business, Doicescu estimates a turnover of EUR 100 M in 2009, compared to EUR 90 M in 2008, which stands for 11 per cent advance.

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Senate administrative Commission green lights budgetary rectification ordinance

Yesterday’s session of the Senate administrative Commission gave the go ahead to the budgetary rectification emergency ordinance, with the report to be drafted by the budget and finance joint Commissions, Agerpres reports. Five senators with the Social-Democrat Party (PSD) and the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) voted in favour of the ordinance, and Tiberiu Guthner of the Hungarian Democratic Union in Romania (UDMR) voted against, as he saw it normal for a portion of the IMF loan to go into the state budget, so that Romanian economy gets a fresh boost. According to the Commission chairman, Petru Filip of PD-L, senators came up with no new amendments to the rectification bill, as they were ‘tardy’.

INS: The gross average salary earning in October 2008 – RON 1,806

The gross average salary earning for the employees who, in October 2008, worked at least 23 days, full time, amounted to RON 1,806, women winning, on average, by 7.3 per cent less than men (RON 1,868 for men, compared to RON 1,732 for women), based on a survey on salaries by occupations, conducted by National Institute of Statistics. At October 31, 2008, there were 4,824,900 employees, men accounting for 54.3 per cent. Out of the total number of employed women, 68.9 per cent were working in services, and 50.8 per cent of men were working in services and 46.4 per cent in industry and in constructions. The starting gross average salary, in October 2008, amounted to RON 1,386 for the employees working 23 days, full time, and the gross average salary won was RON 1,694.

2,347 jobs available in Bucharest at the job fair to take place tommorow

The Municipal Agency for Labour Force Occupancy (AMOFM) informed yesterday that 144 companies from Bucharest sent 2,347 job offers for the job fairs to take place on Friday, after having contacted 533 companies. The most numerous vacancies (887) were for skilled workers, and the jobs for high school graduates (761) rankes the second. In case of unskilled workers, 370 jobs were offered, and 329 offers are available for university graduates. At the end of March, 18,884 unemployed persons were registered in Bucharest, out of whom 11,486 workers, 5,336 persons graduating a high school and little over 2,000 were university graduates.

Business turnover by 25 – 30 pc lower for Ana Holding in 2009

The owner of Ana Holding group of companies, George Copos, estimates a turnover of EUR 100 M for this year, down by 25–30 per cent as against the level in 2008, triggered by reduced hotel business, as well as by lower activity volume in case of Ana Imep Pitesti, according to Mediafax. He said that the group budgeted, in November 2008, for 2008, a drop by 10 per cent in the business turnover for the hotel industry as against last year, so that a total drop by 40 per cent is expected for the whole year.

In 2008, Ana Hotels registered a turnover of EUR 42 M, and Copos expects EUR 30 M for this year.

Dragos Nicolaescu appointed Managing Director of Ness Technologies in Romania

Ness Technologies, a global provider of information technology solutions and services, announced yesterday that Dragos Nicolaescu has been appointed managing director of Ness Technologies in Romania. He succeeds Otakar Smolik, the former acting Country Manager. Dragos Nicolaescu joins Ness Technologies in Romania after four successful years as Country Manager for Fujitsu Siemens Computers Romania. Nicolaescu’s responsibilities for Ness Technologies include national and international operations and business development. He will focus on maintaining Ness’ top position on the Romanian IT market while extending the company’s global resources in the region.

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Gianfranco Fini: Black chronicle episodes should not affect the solid Italian-Romanian relations

The president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini, said on Thursday, on the occasion of the visit of his Romanian counterpart, Roberta Anastase, that ‘it would be a great error, a demonstration of nearsightedness and lack of reason’ to reduce the Romanian Italian relationship only to episodes of ‘black chronicles’ whose protagonists would be some Romanians living in Italy.. According to Agerpres, the two officials were to sign a joint statement in this respect later on Thursday. The Italian official emphasised that neither the Romanian community nor Romania should be blamed for the crimes committed by some Romanian citizens in Italy, the more so as the bilateral cooperation in the field of police and justice has intensified as of late.

Fini said that in the upcoming two months, the two legislative bodies will hold a seminar entitled ‘Immigration. Insertion. Citizenship’ to also debate the issue of Romanians living in Italy being granted Italian citizenship and rights afferent to a national minority. Romanian Chamber of Deputies Speaker Roberta Anastase, said during an address to Italian Parliament yesterday that the issue of the social insertion of the Rroma should be looked at as part of a partnership involving the entire European Union, and not just Romania and Italy. Anastase also expressed her regret for the victims of the earthquake that rocked Italy’s region of Abruzzo earlier this month. (A.M.)

Scheffer, in Romania, before completing his term with NATO

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer arrived to Bucharest yesterday on a two-day visit to Romania before completing his term at the leadership of the North-Atlantic Alliance on July 31. Mediafax reports that NATO Secretary General will today be offered the distinction as Doctor Honoris Causa by the School of Law of the University of Bucharest. Present in Brussels, on February 23, Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu invited Scheffer to Romania, in the context of the events organised by the Romanian authorities to mark the fifth anniversary of the country’s accession to NATO. According to a press release of the Foreign Ministry sent to ‘Nine O’Clock’, FM Diaconescu will see Scheffer today to review the outcomes of the recent NATO Summit in Strasbourg – Kehl and to address other highly topical matters such as the situation in the theatres of operations where NATO is present, as well as the Black Sea Region and the Western Balkans.

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