What the newspapers say: December 2, 2010 

​Most newspapers today read about yesterday’s official ceremony celebrating the national day of Romania. Winter installed in Romania and claims its victims: air traffic, roads were affected by the weather. Elsewhere in the news, NASA announces new discoveries tonight.

Gandul reads about the military parade organized yesterday, to mark the national day where just a little over 2,000 people gathered unlike last year when at least 10,000 people came to see the parade.

The newspaper reads that last year, the military parade was held for two hours just like in 2008 but this year, the parade lasted for only 45 minutes. The newspaper reads that the budget decreased this year by 25%.

Politicians were not absent from the parade either. With the President away in an official visit, the Prime Minister and the Senate’s Speaker, considered the second man in the state after the President, quarelled on who to join the parade.

Finally, PM Boc arrived to receive the honours and blamed it on the protocol and said that the President designated him to receive the honours in his absence. Upset, the Senate’s Speaker, former PSD leader Mircea Geoana asks for an investigation of the incident.

Winter installed in Romania and across Europe, claiming its first victims. Several European airports were paralyzed by the bad weather. In Romania air traffic was also affected. As of Tuesday, British airport Gatwick was covered in snow and closed. Edinburgh airport was shut down as of Monday.

Thousands of travelers spend their holidays in airport terminals and perspectives are not optimistic. Flights will be resumed on Thursday morning, British daily the Telegraph informs.

In Romania, the national airliner Tarom canceled 9 flights and another 19 had 2-3 hour delays due to the weather conditions. Airplanes were frozen due to a rare phenomenon in Romania, of rain in winter time which causes instant ice on airplanes.

Gandul reads that NASA announced a conference to present an important national discovery regarding alien life. The conference will be held tonight, at 9PM Romanian time to reveal a discovery that will have a major impact on programs seeking proof that there is alien life, nasa.gov informs.

According to the official press release, the conference will be held at the general NASA HQ in Washington. The event will be aired live by NASA TV and website www.nasa.gov.