National Press Review, 27 January

From the România Liberă we learn ‘why the 2010 gas increases can’t be explained’. ‘Romanian Gas Stations can not raise any substantial argument to justify the price increases in 2010.

Local companies have pursued a policy of price that has almost no connection with the international prices of oil or gas, with the exchange rate movements or tax increases’- shows the report made by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration.

The NAFA considers it suspect that the higher prices of petrol and diesel at the pump are not shown in profits reported by the companies of the fiel.

‘The unjustified increased price of petrol ‘ - also headlines the Gândul, citing the same government report. The document is currently on the table of Premier Emil Boc, who yesterday called for further analysis.

There are suspicions regarding the majority of the fuel increase decisions that were taken simultaneously, by the managements of some companies on this market.

There are suspicions of cartel type arrangements: all gas stations have risen the fuel at the same time.

The oilmen claimed that all the price increases were justified and they accused Boc of lacking aritmetics- write the Gândul.

‘Franks keeps his black humor’ - the Jurnalul Naţional writes about the IMF delegation head, who is on a mission in Bucharest. ‘I do not want to be in the doctor' place when performing a difficult surgery and then he notifies the family. I have good news and one bad.

The operation was a success but the patient died, ‘Franks joked at a meeting with representatives of trade unions and employer associations. The head of the IMF mission in Romania claimed that the absence of the economic growth is the great disappointment now that the agreement worth a billion euros between the Romanian Government and the IMF, EU and World Bank is coming to an end.President of Cartel Alfa, Bogdan Hossu, said that the IMF message was that he had not asked the Government to amend the Labour Code or the ‘flat tax’, but a development of economy, an ‘improvement of the recipe’. Franks said that ‘he wants a country with lower taxation, but the ball is in Government's court, ‘said a representative of employer association, who participated in the discussion.
‘Romania headways in attracting European funds’ - found the Evenimentul Zilei.

It's been four of the seven years in which we could have attracted some 30 billion euros, while the authorities and companies in Romania have managed to take only 8.6 percent of the money, according to the official figures.

The worst results that the Ministry of Transport has had, followed by a program designed to develop the administrative capacity.

The stray dogs’ situation is out of control in the absence of euthanasia or sterilizations - caught the attention of the Adevărul. A woman of 49 years was torn apart by a pack of dogs in County 5 of Bucharest.

The doctors have included dozens of injuries. The animals have torn her muscles and tendons. A few days ago, in Iasi, another woman was torn to pieces by 10 stray dogs.

It's been 20 years now since the fall of communism and our big cities are still full of stray dogs. Another issue that our authorities haven’t solved yet.

The Jurnalul Naţional takes over the alert launched by the World Health Organization about the threat posed by obesity at children.

Worldwide, approximately 43 million children under 5 years are overweight or obese. Children are victims of an intense marketing advertising products rich in fat, sugar and salt, warns the global organization. In our country, the childhood obesity rate is between 6 percent and 8 percent.

They have an increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease when they become adults. In fact, we are already starting to get used to young people between 18 and 30 victims of myocardial infarction, of hypertension and even stroke.

Translated by: Iulia Florescu
MA Student, MTTLC, University of Bucharest