National Press Review, November 19

Gândul headlines that "public workers "salaries will increase only with 15 percent on January 1st". The boost will be obtained by reallocating funds for the thirteenth month pay and for holiday bonuses which next year won"t be granted, according to the pay law.

"Boc"s Government: poor and arrogant", this is the headline in Jurnalul Naţional.

According to the daily, the executive body promises salary increases which he won"t be able to accomplish.

In other words, the Government promises salary boosts of 43 percent "in the following years", although it doesn"t have money even for paying salaries as in June, for instance.

Today also, România liberă comments on the tensions inside police departments, after the murder that took place in Piatra Neamţ.

The daily publishes "the X-ray of the underworld gangsters" in the area. Moreover, it outlines that four mafia groups fought for supremacy in the Iaşi and the Neamţ counties.

The murder that took place a few days before revealed not only the tacit consents between mafia gangs, the representatives of local authority and the local MPs too, but also the ineffectiveness of the local structures of both secret services inside the Minister of Interior.

The today"s newspapers write about the new rules regarding chemist"s shops schedule during the following year.

Evenimentul Zilei brings out that the distance between chemist"s shops will be about at least 500 meters (546,81 yards) and more units will be opened during night, too.

Pharmacies will stop selling medicines on the Internet and will have to receive back from patients expired products, in order to damage these as the law says.

We get to an end with the invitations for the forthcoming weekend summed up by Jurnalul Naţional as follows: "fairs for body and soul".

Therefore, in Bucharest, in the peasant market we will find culture, beauty, fashion, health, and natural products.

Regarding the "cultural" department which is the greatest book fair in Romania, the Gaudeamus fair that takes place at Romexpo, this autumn, "can be noticed" in all media.

We enjoyed the excerpt that Gândul cut out from the volume "Do not hope getting rid of books", written by Jean-Claude Carriere and Umberto Eco, which is a very well targeted reason because the printed page will never die.

We quote: "Try to read a novel on the computer screen and after two hours your eyes will be like two tennis balls. Moreover, the computer depends on the existence of electricity and you can"t use it when having a bath or not even when lying comfortably to one side at the cosy light of your lamp".

The Gaudeamus fair, organised by Radio Romania up to Monday, will provide many promotions and great discounts inside the Romexpo building.


Translated by: Cristina Anamaria Maricescu
MA student, MTTLC, Bucharest University