Romanian government resigns over economy

PM Emil Boc makes announcement after weeks of protests over austerity measures


The prime minister of Romania says he and his government will resign immediately to protect the stability of the country.

Emil Boc said Monday he is resigning "to ease the social situation" — referring to weeks of protests in Romania over austerity measures that he introduced in 2010.

Boc, who became prime minister in 2008, urged Romania's feuding politicians to be mature and rapidly vote for a new government. He defended his record, saying that he had taken "difficult decisions thinking about the future of Romania, not because I wanted to, but because I had to."

He added that the International Monetary Fund has forecast growth of up to two per cent this year — lower than expected, but higher than the European Union average.

Romania signed up for a 20 billion euro ($26 billion US) loan with the IMF, the European Union and the World Bank in 2009 to help pay salaries and pensions, after the economy shrank by more than seven per cent. In 2010, the government increased sales tax from 19 per cent to 24 per cent and cut public workers' salaries by a quarter to reduce the budget deficit.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012 ... signs.html

Norovirus strikes 3rd American cruise ship


A stomach virus has stricken people on a third American cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Sea left a couple of hours late on Saturday because of the norovirus outbreak, Port of New Orleans spokesman Chris Bonura said Sunday.

About 200 passengers became ill with the gastrointestinal illness, which causes vomiting and diarrhea. The company did not immediately return a call and email seeking further details.

Earlier in the weekend, two Princess cruise ships were forced to undergo a complete disinfection at their home port of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after dozens of passengers and crew fell ill.

The Crown Princess has already headed back to sea. About 158 people were infected by the virus on that ship.

In a statement issued Sunday, Princess Cruises, a unit of Carnival, said the Ruby Princess, which had set sail for the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 29 had returned to port for a sanitizing process after 90 passengers and 13 crew were struck with the highly contagious virus.

Vacation-goers were told their cruise would be delayed a few hours while the ship was being cleaned.

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Half a million lights go out in Blackout Britain: Councils blame cuts as streets are left in darkness

Town halls are switching off half a million street lights to save money despite fears of increased crime and accidents, a Daily Mail investigation has found.
The majority of county councils in England and Wales are plunging some residential and rural roads into darkness between midnight and dawn.
Where lights are being left on after midnight, some councils are fitting them with dimmers to reduce electricity consumption.

The Mail first highlighted concerns about Blackout Britain in 2007. Since then, the number of local authorities cutting back has soared.

Of 27 English county councils, 21 have now switched off some street lights after midnight or turned some off altogether.

Earlier this month, Derbyshire County Council unveiled plans to turn off 40,000 rural street lamps between midnight and 5.30am. The council claims the move will save £400,000 a year.
Up to 80 per cent of Hertfordshire’s 115,000 lights will go out after midnight in the next few years to save £1.3million a year.


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Austerity, moi? Nicolas Sarkozy spends £10k a day on food and keeps 121 cars under his palace

Nicolas Sarkozy has been promising to cut back on his presidential spending, but he’s actually splashing out £10,000 a day on food and keeps 121 cars under the Elysee Palace, according to a new book.
Socialist MP Rene Dosiere, in L'argent de l'État (Money from the State), sets out what he sees as extraordinary excesses by the French President.
In the explosive book, he accuses Sarkozy of ‘ignoring the most elementary principles of the separation between private and public accounts’.


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