Romania’s Constitutional Court decided on December 6 to annul the presidential elections two days before the second round was scheduled to take place The flagrant trampling upon the result of the vote was intended to block an expected win by Calin Georgescu a neo-fascist candidate who had expressed skepticism of the war against Russia The Constitutional Court had already intervened in October when it barred the participation in the election of another neo-fascist candidate the Court claimed that her “public discourse” threatened “the removal of essential guarantees of the state's fundamental values and choices The latest Court decision was based on the outgoing president’s declassification of secret service reports purporting to show a Russian “cyber-attack,” ostensibly responsible for Georgescu’s first round win instead describing the candidate’s social media campaign claiming it found a modus operandi “consistent with a state actor.” Lacking concrete arguments the intelligence agencies instead focus on Russia’s supposed intents which are proven by reciting previous unsubstantiated accusations and even the discussion of the topic of Romanian elections on Russian talk-shows the reporting that followed in international and Romanian media declared the country the victim of a Russian “hybrid attack.” The election campaign for the run-off was subsequently dominated by an atmosphere of official hysteria that saw a third of the seats go to far-right parties with traditional ruling parties—the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and National Liberal Party (PNL)—collapse to historic lows actors and universities rallied behind an official pro-EU and pro-NATO campaign This campaign was directed not against Georgescu It was first of all designed to browbeat widespread working-class opposition to the decades long policies pursued under the aegis of the two organizations There was a particularly surreal quality to endless pageants to the economic benefits of the European Union as vast layers of the population throughout Europe are driven to poverty by price hikes and austerity measures the restoration of capitalism by the Stalinist bureaucracy and the subsequent “European road” have produced an unmitigated catastrophe over the past 35 years anti-communism and national exceptionalism became official state dogmas as vast swaths of the population were pauperized mass unemployment and exodus of workers have been accompanied by the degradation of social and cultural life proclaimed by the former bureaucrats in the 1990’s Accession to NATO was marked by the torture of prisoners in CIA torture centers and Romania’s participation in imperialist wars abroad With the decision of the traditional ruling parties to scrap the election result while the main electoral alternative to these parties is a fascist Eurostat figures for 2023 give a glimpse of the social wasteland left in the wake of EU integration 32 percent of the population and 39 percent of children are classified as at risk of poverty and social exclusion Sixty percent of people cannot afford a 1-week vacation and 23 percent cannot afford a meal with meat every other day Eurostat figures show 16 percent of youth are early leavers form education or training while the Romanian Education Ministry admits to almost a third of youth were missing from the education system in the 2022-2023 school year The number of youths that are neither in education nor in training is the highest in the EU According to National Statistics Institute Romania has a 22 percent youth unemployment rate After the unprecedented gesture by the Constitutional Court the main political parties are preparing for a large national unity government formed by the “pro-European parties,” a government that is set to carry out a ruthless policy of austerity and preparations for war with Russia who will remain in office until at least the spring of next year succinctly expressed the concerns of the Romanian ruling class: “I am saying this for the economy and I believe it is very important that we all know that Romania is not in any difficulty.” The crisis in Romania reflects developments internationally a broad realignment of bourgeois politics in line with the level of the international crisis The new Government will be one of war against Russia and class war at home The EU has vowed to take measures against the “Chinese platform” Tik Tok while both EU and US officials rushed to support the machinations of the Romanian establishment against the supposed Russia’s “hybrid war.” Rather than the hallmarks of a “Russian operation,” the rise of Georgescu appears as the work of a section of the Romanian establishment that emulates the far-right movements cultivated by Trump supporters around the world attempted as far back as December 2021 a copy-cat attack on the Romanian Parliament building modeled on US President Donald Trump’s failed coup of January 6 Romanian police arrested 20 men headed for the capital in possession of various weapons and explosives The individuals were part of a paramilitary group headed by Horatiu Potra a former mercenary and owner of a private military company a far right activist and local politician with ties to mainstream parties was featured prominently during the campaign as Georgescu’s bodyguard Sources close to the investigation told Romanian media that Potra’s men had prepared a list of journalists and politicians to be intimidated or attacked if Georgescu won the presidency Other far right networks with ties to Georgescu have come to prominence in recent weeks and Roma rights activists and public personalities received death threats a crypto-currency mogul from the city of Brasov directly compared his role to that played by oligarch Elon Musk in Trump’s campaign Georgescu also received support on social media from Musk and from Trump’s son who ranted on X/Twitter about a “Soros/Marxist attempt at rigging the outcome & denying the will of the people.” The networks linking Georgescu to international financial and fascist circles show that the antidemocratic decision to cancel his first-round victory will not stop the rise of far-right forces in Romania While it seems likely that Georgescu will not be allowed to stand again his networks will be reabsorbed into the fascist milieu that controls a third of the country’s parliament and that is now effectively the only opposition force in the legislature Sign In Register It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Maria (Mary) Weber grandmother and friend who passed away peacefully on Tuesday Maria (Ambrosi) Weber’s parents Vasile and Tudora (Ivanoff) Ambrosi both immigrated independently from Romania to Wheatstone Saskatchewan by Tudora's father Reverend Sam Ivanoff (Kelowna) where they owned a large orchard and market garden Although the Benvoulin farm no longer exists in recognition for the huge part the family had in the agricultural development in the area the two roads along the Benvolin property in Kelowna were named after Maria’s father - Vasile Rd In 1952 Mary went to visit her older brother Andrew in Red Water so they spent the early years of their marriage relocating as work dictated Alberta where they raised their three children (Wayne They resided in their Carstairs home for over 61 years Mary spent some of her later years at the Chinook Winds Lodge in Carstairs and finally at the Bethany nursing home in Cochrane Mary was involved with many local organizations which included teaching Sunday School with the United Church The Weber Scout Hall in Carstairs is named after Mary and Wilf’s devotion to those organizations Mary belonged to the Legion Auxiliary and was involved in various committees at the Carstairs Seniors Half Century facility She enjoyed being a member of the Old Time Drifters Singing Group which would tour around the district singing at Senior Lodges In her later years she enjoyed being a resident at the Chinook Winds Lodge which was one of lodges the group continues to interact with She loved the outdoors and outdoor activities such as bird watching A favorite travel designation was the annual summer family trip to Kelowna and Saskatchewan would all gather for huge picnics on the beach and savor traditional Ukrainian delicacies Mary was predeceased by her parents Vasile and Tudora Ambrosi; her sister Frosinia Ambrosi; her sister Antonia Panio and her husband Bill; her brother Andrew Ambrosi and his wife Mary; her brother Dan Ambrosi and his partner Edith; as well as many other loving aunts of 72 years; son Wayne Weber; son Glenn (Gloria) Weber; daughter Wilma (Michael) Sannino and their sons Marcus and Maximus; her brother Eli Ambrosi; other extended family members and close personal friends According to her wishes a private family service will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to STARS Donations: 1441 Aviation Park NE, Box 570, Calgary, Alberta T2K 8M7. Please visit their website for further information: : https://stars.ca/get-involved/ways-to-donate/ More National Obituaries > Home > News > Bosses of family-run Murray Motors receive fines for ‘revenge attack’ on car vandal News The bosses of a Scottish car dealership have avoided jail for a brutal ‘revenge attack’ on a vandal who caused thousands of pounds of damage to vehicles on their forecourt Car Dealer reported back in May how father-and-son team Gordon and Morgan Murray took matters into their own hands when Roberto Tudora was captured on camera pouring paint stripper onto cars at their Murray Motors showroom in Fraserburgh The pair are to said have gone to the 38-year-old’s nearby home and ‘battered him’ on his own doorstep the attack was heard by police after Tudora dialled 999 a neighbour told police that the duo had ‘ripped out’ their victim’s home security cameras before attempting to ‘do in’ Tudora They were found guilty of the attack after a trial at Peterhead Sheriff Court and have now returned to the dock to be sentenced Sheriff Craig Findlater hit out at the car dealers for ‘taking things into your own hands’ and not ‘leaving it to the authorities’ He added that Gordon Murray was a man of ‘considerable’ means and handed him a £6,350 fine His son was hit with a financial penalty of £2,575 The ruling came after Gordon Murray’s defence agent claimed that his client’s business had suffered ‘damage’ as a result of the case said his client ‘wants to put this behind him’ ahead of his upcoming marriage Car Dealer reported three years ago that a vandal had broken into Murray Motors and was caught on camera damaging several vehicles Tudora was later named as the culprit and sentenced to 150 hours of community service for the crime following a plea deal which involved the damage being downgraded from £100,000 to £33,000 2021 – just a week after the incident at the dealership – the Murrays arrived at his home to carry out their retribution They pair were later arrested and appeared in court for a jury trial earlier this year A charge of striking Tudora on the head with a hammer was initially put forward before being deleted, the Press and Journal reports Also deleted were allegations that the pair repeatedly stamped on the victim’s body and hit with him with a metal pole told the court: ‘Roberto Tudora is no angel but time and time again his account ties in with other evidence we have heard Unlike the stories being spun by these two men – stories they have made up after events to explain away what they were doing in that house that day.’ Jack joined the Car Dealer team in 2021 as a staff writer He previously worked as a national newspaper journalist for BNPS Press Agency He has provided news and motoring stories for a number of national publications including The Sun We are talking to Director General Dorin Tudora about the problems of oil transport CONPET is a company with a long history and a rich tradition in crude oil transport by pipelines a strategic company for the national economy and an important player on the Romanian capital market CONPET operates a pipeline network with a length of over 3800 km across Romania continuing the activity of the first oil transport operator in the country Dorin Tudora is currently Director General of CONPET where he has previously held various positions – HSEQ Manager Head of the Pipeline and Installations Safety Office Responsible for activities on the security of critical infrastructures of the National Pipeline Transport System Responsible for environmental protection activities He was also General Manager of the company during 2010-2012 He graduated in 2003 from the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at the Petroleum-Gas University (UPG) of Ploiesti you have worked for over 30 years in the oil and gas industry How do you see the evolution of this strategic sector for the national economy in the context of the current crisis What is CONPET’s position on the European energy market CONPET is a company with a remarkable activity in the oil and gas industry of Romania through modernization projects and large-scale investments has met all the challenges posed by the dynamics of an essential industry for the energy sector the crisis generated by the COVD-19 pandemic geoeconomic situation and the energy strategy of the European Union as a whole obviously being the factors dictating the evolution of the market in which we carry out our activity the energy policy for the years 2020 – 2030 is closely linked to the environment and climate change policies the key elements being: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and competitive energy system at affordable prices and security of energy supply through the financial autonomy of a company that finances its activity from own sources in the context of the energy transition process and the company’s policy to align to the new European environmental standards by adapting to the requirements of a dynamic CONPET celebrated at the beginning of this year 31 years of modern existence which merge with the over 120 years of crude oil transport by pipelines in Romania 31 years of activity of a company that enjoys both a tradition of particular importance for the Romanian economy and a present characterized by success and performance What are the outstanding achievements of CONPET To which factors do you mainly assign this success we can speak today about CONPET as a success story The history of oil transport in Romania has evolved from the wooden barrels and ox carts to the operation of a national pipeline system with a length of over 3800 km and a capacity of over 18 million tons continuing a tradition of crude oil transport by pipelines of 121 years adapted to the current realities and which looks confidently towards the future this is due to a consistent set of factors that has ensured continuity I can strongly state that today’s success is due to the professionals of CONPET which has led to the excellence standards of the services we provide to our clients From the vision and effort to find the best solutions for our activity dealt by the members of the Board of Directors and company’s management success has been built through continuous teamwork to the strong position we have in both the energy sector and national economy permanently adapting to the dynamics of the industry in which it operates CONPET has permanently invested in modernization from the pipeline transport network and the entire infrastructure that supported the transport activity to the implementation of a performing IT system and communication system with the permanent improvement of the working conditions for the employees we can see that it has always been in line with all market changes and requirements As an example, I will choose two of our latest achievements that prove our interest in technical performance and improving our activity, as well as our current involvement in the context of the energy transition: in 2020, CONPET commissioned, at Calareti Station the newest and largest crude oil storage tank with a capacity of 31,500 cubic meters and equipped at the highest technological standards and at Barbatesti Ramp it inaugurated the first electric locomotive – LEA intended for the shunting service was included in FTSE Russell indices dedicated to Emerging Markets – i.e. confirming once again the value of our company on the Romanian capital market and also proving the attractiveness of COTE shares among investors the mandate as Director General of the company What are the priorities on your agenda in the new mandate it is my second mandate as director general of CONPET a company in which I have developed and of which I am extremely attached emotionally my mission therefore being even more difficult with a maturity given by the experience and age but also in an extremely difficult context in the middle of a global crisis and an extremely shifting market The priorities of my agenda are therefore in line with the requirements and challenges of today’s market and primarily aim at increasing efficiency and improving the performance of the activity business continuity in conditions of safety for all its employees and clients and the sustainable development of the business by identifying new activities related or not to the core business All directions of action are in line with the European energy strategy and with all the responsibility that comes with managing a strategic activity for our country’s energy security The Coronavirus pandemic has affected the activity of many companies in various business sectors and has generated changes in the conventional organization of working relationships How did the impact of the pandemic and the changes that occurred with it feel at the level of CONPET Dorin Tudora: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic we made sustained efforts for rapid reorganization both to protect our employees in the context of a health crisis we had never encountered before and to continue our work with the same efficiency and under the same conditions of safety of strategic company for the national energy security we are always extremely vigilant and trained to deal with unforeseen situations dynamic and always focused on identifying optimal solutions for us having no option than succeeding in making things work at the highest parameters it is impressive to remember how all the employees have made efforts to adapt without delay to what at the time was a new state of affairs which came with many unknowns and additional rigors prioritizing the health of employees and ensuring business continuity all subsequent decisions and actions were somewhat natural We have relatively easily implemented the teleworking for a large part of the TESA staff given that we had the technique and IT equipment that allowed this transfer and its high professional training allowed a facile adaptation to this new system we ensured the strict observance of health measures so that we did not meet significant problems and the activity was carried out without interruption we used more the remote communication tools and I can say that I have definitely noticed an improvement in remote management and communication I can state with conviction that the people at CONPET have met this challenge with a commendable responsibility which ensures the implementation of the plans and reaching the goals we have assumed at the beginning of each year and obtaining financial results as we had predicted In the context of the health crisis caused by the pandemic have there been at CONPET social responsibility actions I would like to mention that the most important value of our company is given by its People and their welfare and the welfare of the community they are part of has been is and will always be a priority and an important line of action for CONPET Compared to our general directions that we carry out on CSR line during the pandemic we were more attentive to the new needs that appeared in this context and to the most urgent needs that we could respond to The actions that CONPET has taken in these two years of pandemic in the field of social responsibility have focused both on the internal dimension focusing on ensuring a safe and healthy working environment improving the quality of life of employees and maintaining them connected to the values and mission of society the relationship with the communities we belong to with involvement in their development and needs in addition to the prevention and protection measures taken at the level of all working points of the company in order to protect the health of employees an information and accountability campaign was developed on all aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic using both internal communication channels The welfare of our employees continued to be at the heart of our concerns so in 2021 we managed to maintain and even increase the benefits provided with a focus on professional development and training Regarding the external dimension of social responsibility we noticed that the pressure on the medical system and the urgent needs of medical institutions increased significantly in the context of the pandemic so we increased and redirected a large part of the funds for sponsorships to this segment thus supporting public health units in Prahova as well as other organizations directly involved in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic we continued to support all other areas in which we have been involved before and which such as sport – for its extraordinary contribution to maintaining physical and mental health – and culture – for its role as a key resource in post-crisis recovery the results of our actions and our involvement can be seen and we can only rejoice when our employees are satisfied and have a good performance at work and the external beneficiaries can successfully carry out their projects with our help Do you consider expanding the company’s activity What are the priority directions you are taking into account in the investment program for this year Dorin Tudora: We consider diversifying the company’s activity and it is somewhat a condition for ensuring the future of this company together with my colleagues from the management team and with the support of the Board of Directors we prepare scenarios that focus on the development of storage/transport of crude oil and petroleum products for third parties the development of transport of atypical products and maintenance for hydrocarbon pipeline systems the infrastructure and especially the expertise of a qualified staff As far as the investment program is concerned it includes rehabilitation works of the main transport pipelines and modernization works of the installations and equipment related to the National Petroleum Transport System and here I am referring to the implementation of the pipeline leak detection and location system modernization and monitoring of the Cathodic Pipeline Protection System CONPET investment projects aim to increase the efficiency of the transport business the safe operation of the National Transport System and minimize the impact on the environment in the context of the energy transition process and the company’s policy of alignment with the new European environmental standards what are the most important issues you face in the company’s business and what measures can be taken a reputable player on the Romanian capital market The company carries out a business of strategic importance operating a network declared as critical infrastructure; therefore delivering domestic and imported crude oil to the refineries in the country The main risks we face are those related to the low degree of use of the pipeline network dependence on domestic players in the crude oil production and processing sectors and The solutions identified by us are the ones we have presented above namely the development of activities related and not related to the core business what results do you estimate for this year Dorin Tudora: The financial stability of the company The balance of recent years has shown that we have managed to maintain our position as a solid attractive to investors and secure for employees we will constantly look for solutions that will bring profit to the company we consider stimulating revenues by developing new business areas related and not related to the core business initiating new income-generating activities and implementing the major investment projects mentioned above What prospects are there within the company for the future What does the development strategy of CONPET include for a short/medium/long term Dorin Tudora: As it results from everything I have said so far CONPET is a company oriented towards the continuous improvement of the activity on three main lines of action: keeping stable financial results through powerful partnerships with our clients keeping standards of excellence in transport operations and management of risk situations while protecting the environment and the community A father and son who took the law into their own hands and assaulted a man who had vandalised cars at their dealership have been fined thousands of pounds After security cameras captured a man pouring paint stripper onto cars at their Murray Motors forecourt in Fraserburgh Gordon Murray and his son Morgan decided to dish out their own rough justice One week after the attack on their used car dealership which caused thousands of pounds of damage The two Murrays were reported by a neighbour of the vandal and police also heard the assault as Tudora had dialled 999 Tudora could be heard repeatedly screaming for help amid aggressive background noise Tudora was left with a "massive lump" on his forehead were convicted of the attack by a jury's majority decision, Sheriff Craig Findlater at Peterhead Sheriff Court criticised them for not just "leaving it to the authorities" Gordon Murray received a £6,350 fine while son Murray was ordered to pay £2,575 The court was told the Murray Motors business had suffered due to the saga and that Morgan Murray was soon due to be married and wanted to put the issue behind him In the period between the 2021 attack and the Murray duo's prosecution Tudora pleaded guily to the vandalism and was sentenced to community service The UK's leading event for motor retailers returns in 2025 Register your interest in attending the event and be amongst the first to hear details of our event as we announce them Venue: NEC, Birmingham Register to receive our range of digital content By submitting any material to us you are confirming that the material is your own original work or that you have permission from the copyright owner to use the material and to authorise Bauer Consumer Media to use it as described in this paragraph You also promise that you have permission from anyone featured or referred to in the submitted material to it being used by Bauer Consumer Media If Bauer Consumer Media receives a claim from a copyright owner or a person featured in any material you have sent us we will inform that person that you have granted us permission to use the relevant material and you will be responsible for paying any amounts due to the copyright owner or featured person and/or for reimbursing Bauer Consumer Media for any losses it has suffered as a result By dallasnews Administrator John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church community hall behind altar boys singing a hymn Following closely behind was Denver Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Metropolitan Isaiah and then a crowd of more than 100 other worshippers they poured out of the hall and walked toward their new home with its glistening dome The procession was a highlight of Saturday’s Thyranixia (or opening of the doors) ceremony to commemorate the Euless church’s move from its old hall to a newly built Byzantine-style building Breaking NewsGet the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy The Vittases were among the early parishioners of the church which was founded in 1980 to serve a growing Greek Orthodox community in the mid-cities when the church’s few members met in a three-bedroom ranch-style home until the community hall was built in 1988 “There were four founding members who went through the phone book looking for traditional Greek last names in the area to help start the church,” Barbara Vittas said They have seen the congregation grow from 12 members to more than 200 families today “It’s a 30-year dream come true,” Barbara Vittas said “Now we have a place for my children and their children and it’s very exciting to see the dreams of so many people finally come to fruition in this beautiful church.” George Vittas became chairman of Capital Campaign Committee created to raise funds for the church’s longtime goal to build a larger the ranch-style house was demolished to make way for the church designed the church in the Byzantine style with a 65-foot-tall copper dome “It was pretty tough because everyone wanted to make it cost-efficient but I fought for the design because I just thought it was so important,” Mirela Tudora said “Everything is frozen in time — from our architecture to our theology.” The structure was architecturally demanding with the 30-foot-wide dome set atop four arches So challenging was the construction that subcontractors abandoned the project in its early days because of the building’s complexity where she and her husband were parishioners before moving to St Tudora worked with Dallas-based Ashton Wynne Construction “It was a wonderful but challenging project because of the many domes barrel ceilings and groin vaults in the exterior and interior of the church,” Mike Mourton said of the new St “It’s amazing,” Kinman said with tears welling in her eyes the people — we’re all so diverse with Greeks singing and view — all your senses participate,” she said It’s easy to tell when the the curfew ends in Ukraine because at the border crossings of Tudora and Palanca on the south-eastern border between Ukraine and Moldova long lines of cars start to queue up across the tree-lined road separating the two countries Anastasia was among the first people to enter Moldova temperatures had dropped to -6 degrees and snow was falling while trying to cover Arianna with a yellow blanket “We decided to leave our country after the worst night of my life I heard for the first time the deafening sound of the bombing just 5 km from our home” paying attention to the alarms that warn you to return to the bunker immediately “We took the first available bus to Moldova hours of travel because the queue was endless and the people kept increasing along the way” A distance that can be covered in barely more than two hours under normal traffic conditions but with the outbreak of war and thousands of people fleeing it can take up to ten hours to cross the border and be safe the people who were with us in the shelter started gather their belongings to prepare to flee as soon as possible” more than 380,000 refugees from Ukraine* have crossed into Moldova Many more have reached Romania or other European countries since the 24th of February The continuous flow of people fleeing the war increases as the threat on the south-eastern part of Ukraine intensifies: from Mariupol to Odessa weeks in the basement since the beginning of the conflict We could hear the alarms sounding in the city all the time” Anastasia and Arianna are two of the thousands of women and children who have fled Ukraine she is my family and now it is my responsibility to take her to safety to prevent her from seeing and hearing the images and sounds of war it’s the only place where I know people who could welcome and help us not about me but about her childhood which must be peaceful I cannot believe that all this is happening in the twenty-first century” to assist people fleeing the conflict in the country At the border crossings of Palanca and Tudora we offer medical assistance and protection services for the most vulnerable people a city particularly affected by the fighting where we are distributing emergency health kits I study medicine at Sana’a University this is a privilege for me in a country like Yemen Achieving this goal has not been easy; studying medicine has always been a dream for me but my family’s limited economic resources and the poor educational offerings in my country have made my path more difficult I never stopped believing that I could make a difference to be able to treat as many people as possible who as of today do not have access to care I imagine that one day there may be a hospital where getting treatment can be the norm and no longer a right of a few I am studying telecommunications engineering I chose it because I was always amused by the technologies It has a good outlook for the future because And communication is something that is very important in daily life the possibilities will never end in this field My parents are divorced and my mother was a teacher trying to take care of four children The only way I could continue my studies was to get the scholarship This financial support allowed me to reshape my life to better pursue my university studies I was working while studying at the university and with the scholarship I was able to reduce my working hours and devote more time to studying A great weight was lifted off my shoulders thanks to the DAFI scholarship This scholarship really gave me a second chance to achieve my goals and work to my full potential I currently work as an education officer in INTERSOS and strive to never stop learning and developing my skills by enrolling and attending some courses and conferences My dream is to help others realize their dream I want to live free and help others to live free and fulfilled another of my biggest dreams is to continue my studies and do a master’s degree which is the best path for career development and a better future I am 24 years old and grew up in Al Dhalea governorate in northern Yemen I am a fourth-year medical student at the Faculty of Medicine I chose medicine because I have a strong interest and passion for science driven by an innate desire to do what I can to help people who are suffering the medical profession is one of the most coveted in the world I learned the meaning of the words commitment The Lavazza Foundation scholarship has helped me overcome many challenges which has been a constant source of concern for me the scholarship is an essential support for daily expenses something changed in my approach and now I have a more positive outlook on life I started studying with a smile and realize how lucky I am to have had this opportunity I engage more with my classmates and ask the lecturers whenever there is something I don’t understand but I continue to try my best and hope everything goes well I have to believe that I am capable of becoming a good doctor In the past I used to joke about the possibility of becoming a doctor: today I am a fourth-year medical student and I got a scholarship that allows me to believe in a dream coming true to have the resources to make myself presentable and never give up The scholarship has ignited in me a renewed sense of optimism after graduation I would like to continue my studies and pursue a master’s degree My future seemed already written: a life of deprivation I was just a child and already carrying on my shoulders the weight of a particularly complex context for women who are often denied choices everything changed with my determination not to accept a destiny already set I decided to study and have a different future I managed to enroll in the Faculty of Dentistry Then came the scholarship that is allowing me to continue my academic journey and get closer and closer to my goal: to become a dentist Doa’a is a student under our “Scholarships for the Education of Yemeni Youth” project funded by the Lavazza Foundation Doa’a’s story is one of resilience and hope our intervention in Yemen has not only provided access to medical care and essential goods or protection for people who survived violence We have also supported education because we believe that the only way to overcome conflict is to invest in the education of the younger generation Wael has been stateless since the registry office of the town where he lived burned down during the civil war His five children are also stateless: the sons are painters Wael’s wife runs a small shop where she sells household products for third parties she cannot afford the necessary treatment and she doesn’t know how to carry on Lina has always lived in Lebanon but has always remained stateless She works as a cleaner by the hour to help her family With what she earned and some help from her friends she managed to get two of her daughters to continue their studies Esther arrived from Ethiopia ten years ago looking for work to help her ailing mother She found only temporary jobs as a domestic worker She was repeatedly harassed by her employees never registered the marriage and Esther soon discovered his drug addiction (the pills and white powder around the house were not medicines for toothache especially when she refused to act as a courier for drugs outside Beirut he locked her up in a room for days and tortured her with cigarette burns who were never spared mistreatment and beatings when her husband was about to throw a pot of boiling water on her Esther started screaming so loudly that she alarmed the neighbors He ended up in prison but for a short time A Lebanese association that supports women survivors of violence offered refuge to Esther and her two children who remained stateless because their births were never registered from which she receives material and legal assistance She is still afraid to move freely and meet her abusive husband but her family was exterminated during the civil war Amara arrived in Beirut in 2012 from Addis Ababa Like tens of thousands of other migrant workers her stay in Lebanon is framed by the so-called “Kafala” system a sponsorship that often turns into a form of modern slavery providing a precarious legal status that prevents them from registering their children of Lebanese origin Amara married a Lebanese taxi driver and had three children must provide documentary proof of being previously unmarried And how could Amara prove that she was not already married in Ethiopia before leaving the country although the father recognised the three children because he could not present the requested documentation to the registry office Home > News > Bosses of family-run Murray Motors guilty of ‘revenge attack’ on vandal who targeted business The bosses of a Scottish car dealership have been found guilty of carrying out a brutal ‘revenge attack’ on a vandal who caused thousands of pounds of damage to vehicles on their forecourt Father-and-son team Gordon and Morgan Murray took matters into their own hands when Roberto Tudora was captured on camera pouring paint stripper onto cars at their Murray Motors showroom in Fraserburgh The pair are to said have gone to the 38-year-old’s nearby home and ‘battered him’ on his own doorstep a neighbour told police that the duo had ‘ripped out’ their victim’s home security cameras before attempting to ‘do in’ Tudora The men appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court accused of ‘punching and kicking’ the vandal in the savage attack on April 2 2021 – just a week after the incident at the dealership A charge of striking Tudora on the head with a hammer was initially put forward before being deleted, the Press and Journal reports Also deleted were allegations that the pair repeatedly stamped on the victim’s body and hit with him with a metal pole told the court: ‘Roberto Tudora is no angel Unlike the stories being spun by these two men – stories they have made up after events to explain away what they were doing in that house that day ‘The two 999 calls made that morning caused some very ‘They battered Roberto Tudora – and unbeknownst to them the police had been called leaving the phone on recording the whole nasty assault ‘Mr Murray and his son had taken matters into their own hands They were trying to find out who was behind the vandalism of their cars – and they were doing it violently.’ Car Dealer reported three years ago that a vandal had broken into Murray Motors and was caught on camera damaging several vehicles Defending Gordon Murray over the apparent retribution barrister Leonard Birkenshaw claimed that Tudora’s 999 call amounted to little more than ‘muffled scuffling’ in the background then accused the victim of trying to attack his client with a hammer Things took a silly turn and he tried to attack Morgan Murray with a hammer ‘Morgan Murray then took that hammer away to stop anyone from being hurt.’ a jury took just two-and-a-half hours to convict the pair of hamesucken assault – or the assaulting of a person in his or her own house or dwelling place Sheriff Craig Findlater deferred sentencing to next month and background reports will now be prepared The national strike of Romanian teachers was broken up on Monday in a blatant act of betrayal and collusion with the authorities by the union bureaucracy The strike involved hundreds of thousands of education workers many of whom participated in rallies and demonstrations throughout the country for several weeks The teachers’ strike has formed part of a surge in industrial actions in the country and miners all engaged in some form of industrial action Under these conditions the teachers’ union has been working hand in glove with the government to end the strike One major objective underlay this reactionary move The union bureaucracy is fearful of a broader movement of the working class which would threaten its control over the workers and undermine the pro-capitalist and militarist agenda of the government which the union supports The Romanian ruling class is attempting to use the crisis created by the pandemic and the drive to war against Russia to bolster its position as one of imperialism’s main client states in the Balkans and Black Sea region The ambitions of the Romanian oligarchy were spelled out by NATO vice president and Romanian PSD politician Mircea Geoana Geoana spoke of a “historical opportunity” for the Romanian bourgeoisie: “[..] I will say one thing: the entire modern history of Romania is made up of chances taken by the Romanian elites This is how Little Romania [Old Kingdom] was born Little Romania was born after the Crimean war Greater Romania was born after the First World War and Western Romania was born after the fall of Communism [..] For the first time in the history of this country A vast expansion of military spending and acquisitions is accompanied by EU-wide deficit reduction and austerity measures for an end to poverty wages and for the allocation of 6 percent of GDP to education were seen as incompatible with the government’s fundamental aims The government has broken its own laws in order to impose as much as possible of the cost of the war and economic crisis on the workers It has “postponed” for the past 12 years the law that requires the allocation of 6 percent of GDP to education It also refused to apply the salary law dating from 2017 which provided for annual pay increase for state employees which did not account for the explosive increase in prices in recent years was never applied by the authorities for many categories of workers Negotiations were conducted in bad faith by the government which never had any intention of giving an inch to the teachers lest it encourage other sections of workers to demand increases the government issued ultimatums to the teachers Its offer centered on the application of the 2017 law and a scheme for yearly bonuses of around 300 euros Teachers repeatedly rejected these ultimatums despite the union leadership’s attempts to ram them through union executives and government officials told teachers they had until June 11 at 9am to accept the latest offer Teachers protested against this obvious provocation made worse by the fact that it was composed of different packages and obscured by formulas and different indices The unions not only did not explain the offer to the membership they did not carry out even formal consultations Teachers were forced to employ their own juridical and economic experts after a morning meeting with the government union bosses “suspended” the strike until the government passes legislation that includes Saturday night’s “offer” only learning about the betrayal from television with educators storming the offices of county unions Others denounced the betrayal on social media The offer for which the union had broken up the strike was presented to the public as a “25% increase in wages yearly bonuses and a 50% increase from 1st of January 2024.” The government passed two emergency laws on June 12 One of them required the government to apply the 2017 salary law as well as an additional raise equal to 50 percent of the difference between the base salary and the expected base salary on January 1 auxiliary teaching staff will receive 260 euros before taxes and non-teaching staff will receive 80 euros The second emergency law refers to a “teaching career bonus” sum of 400 euros for teachers and 100 euros for non-teaching staff that the government called “a national measure to support educational activity” is set to take place annually until 2027 and is tied to work-related expenditure The unions have made much of the government’s inclusion of the “principle” that the salary of debutante teachers will be calculated “based off” the median base salary in the country the government has proven that it will not honor its own laws The actual wage increase for all the workers is close to zero especially when considering lost wages and benefits for the duration of the strike Romanian teachers earn between 500 and 850 euros Workers must draw the necessary lessons of this bitter experience The teachers’ strike has shown the power of the working class But in order for these struggles to move forward it is necessary to break from the outmoded trade unions and organize independent rank-and-file Committees that establish connections to workers in other sectors and countries across Europe and internationally The struggles of Romanian workers are part an international resurgence of the class struggle Workers all over the world are rising up against massive attacks on living standards and on democratic rights as every aspect of society is subordinated to the war effort The objective conditions exist for a powerful joint offensive by the international working class against social inequality and war But this requires the construction of new organizations of struggle and a socialist orientation and perspective Thanks to the experience gained during almost nine years in the National Bank of Romania, Razvan Popescu has distinguished himself for more than a year in the position of CFO of the largest natural gas producer in Romania – ROMGAZ SA. He has been involved in the process of taking over ExxonMobil’s participation since his appointment and strongly believes in the success of this project Cristian Hubati has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry with an integrated exposure in the Downstream area and in the Exploration and Production area accumulated throughout his career through numerous functions and projects within OMV Petrom Dorin Tudora is in his second term as General Director of CONPET where he previously held various management positions – HSEQ Manager Head of the Pipeline and Installations Safety Bureau Responsible for the activities regarding the security of critical infrastructures of the National Pipeline Transport System “The Romanian energy sector will undergo unprecedented transformations in order to keep up with the major changes taking place at European level mainly as a result of environmental policies the digital revolution and the new challenges of security of energy supply so the voice of professionals in the field needs to be heard more than ever we are pleased to announce the consolidation of our management team with experts whose results speak for themselves The Oil and Gas Employers’ Federation (FPPG) is the framework for the development and efficient management of resources in the energy sector in Romania FPPG activates as a consolidated team of professionals who have obtained recognition both at national and international level which proves that the Federation is a pillar of the Romanian energy system The Bulgarian elections took place on October 2 the fourth round of elections held in the Eastern European country this year led by the liberal We Continue the Change party (PP) of Prime minister Kiril Petkov in a coalition that included the “post-Stalinist” Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) The ruling coalition collapsed in a no-confidence vote held in June On an official voter turnout of just 39 percent the strongest party was the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) The PP lost 5 percent compared to the previous November elections The party will lose 24 seats in Parliament and will have 53 seats to GERB’s 67 The third party was the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) which generally draws votes from Bulgaria’s Turkish minority The fascist VAZ party took 10 percent and will have 27 seats in parliament the largest far-right presence since Ataka won 6 seats in 2017 the fascists were invited into the Government by Borisov The Socialist Party continues to lose votes and became Bulgaria’s fifth-largest party with 9 percent of the vote The other parties have announced their reluctance to form a coalition with the widely despised Borisov who was ousted from power by months-long protests in 2020 and 2021 and the parliamentary set-up is dominated by a deep crisis Immense pressures are being brought upon Bulgarian society with over 20 percent of the population living below the official poverty line and a further 32% of the population at risk of poverty and social exclusion according to Eurostat data The global prices hikes and spiraling inflation as well as the resurgence of workers’ struggles internationally was ousted from power twice in the last decade by mass protests over energy prices Bulgaria was also brutally hit by the ongoing Covid pandemic Having renounced public health measures and seen their health care systems collapse Eastern European countries had one of the highest per capita death rates in the world Bulgaria registered an official death toll of 37,718 for a population of around 7 million people An article in Nature in April by Antoni Rangachev Marinov and Mladen Mladenov underlined the excess deaths in the country particularly in the working age population they calculate the excess deaths in the 40-64 population group at 11,986 Bulgaria is caught up in the geopolitical maelstrom triggered by the NATO war against Russia in Ukraine Borisov’s government worked with the EU to block the South Stream pipeline linking Russia with the Balkans and Central Europe via the Black Sea The Greece-Bulgarian pipeline was unveiled with much fanfare on October 1 and will bring gas from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria The pipeline will shore up gas imports in Bulgaria which was almost entirely dependent on Russian gas Present at the opening in Sofia was Azeri president Ilham Aliyev who recently was emboldened to break a cease fire with Armenia and restart a war in the Caucasus The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 the restoration of capitalism and mounting NATO-Russian conflicts in recent decades have driven a resurgence of wars across the region The Bulgarian bourgeoisie is increasingly hostile and provocative against neighboring North Macedonia North Macedonia’s territory has historically been a target of Bulgarian expansionism and regional ambitions regardless of formal political association It was Borisov’s government that first blocked EU-North Macedonia negotiations in order to force concessions from the Macedonians over language and “national identity” close to the BSP and considered an enemy of Borisov Bulgarian Premier Peskov and Vice President Iliana Iotova unveiled a “Bulgarian cultural club” in the North Macedonian town of Bitola named after the infamous fascist collaborator Vancho Mihailov Mihailov led the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) a terrorist organization in the service of the Bulgarian state Mihailov became an ally of Mussolini and the fascist Ustase movement The IMRO participated in the Bulgarian occupation of Macedonia and parts of Greece Mihailov would flee to Italy and become a collaborator of the CIA against Yugoslavia After the restoration of capitalism and similar to the fate of fascist leaders in other countries the Bulgarian bourgeoisie would rehabilitate Mihailov and the IMRO as it sought to resume its predatory interests in the region Bulgaria’s irredentist ambitions are not only tolerated but encouraged by the EU giving the lie to the imperialist fantasy that the EU is a harmonious association of nations it has allowed the Bulgarian elites to continue blackmailing North Macedonia Germany is also intent to bring North Macedonia firmly into its economic sphere by completing its EU accession in order to counter Russian and Chinese investment and influence in the country The so-called “French proposal” pushed by the EU powers this summer enshrined Bulgarian ambitions on the future course of the North Macedonian accession to the EU The document provoked an intense crisis in both countries It led directly to the downfall of the PP government in Bulgaria when the right-wing There is Such a People party left the coalition because the document offered what they viewed as insufficient concessions The “French proposal” was passed through the Bulgarian parliament with broad support from all political factions the plan was passed through parliament by the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia government often violent street protests throughout the summer These protests were organized and led by the far right and ultranationalist forces in explicit opposition to the country’s founding by the mass Yugoslav partisan armies in December 1945 the party later distanced itself from Sofia These forces represent a faction of the bourgeoisie that opposes Bulgarians ambitions in order to maintain the stranglehold over “their own” working class and carve their own deals with the imperialist powers The participation of the Levica party in these protests only underscores the bankruptcy of this “left populist” party hailed by pseudo-left groups in the region A political confrontation is being prepared between the Bulgarian workers and this corrupt political establishment The main political responsibility for this lies with the BSP and the pseudo left groups that gravitate around it The legacy of Stalinism has been a tragic one in Bulgaria as in the rest of Eastern Europe having participated in capitalist restoration in Bulgaria has seen its vote collapse since the 2017 elections and later it joined forces with the PP to cut ties with Russia and back the NATO war drive the “Progress” platform was initiated in order to put some organizational distance between the pseudo-left milieu and the BSP constructive and full partner in European and Euro Atlantic structures” Progress’ stated aim was to “push the BSP and other political forces to take a course towards a real modern left,” in the words of publicist Stanislav Dodov workers must break with these servants of imperialism and unite with their class brothers and sisters in the Balkans and internationally in a movement against war and capitalist reaction A general election was held on April 2 in Bulgaria the fifth since the fall of the Borisov Government in 2021 Only about 41 percent of Bulgarians showed up to vote Despite the harsh rhetoric and mudslinging between the representatives of the main bourgeois parties in the last two years the Bulgarian oligarchy has in fact presented a solid front against the working class: from the catastrophic COVID reopening and health care collapse Boyko Borisov’s GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) consolidated the number one slot from the previous elections while the PP-DB coalition (We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria) led by Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev gained 24 percent and will lose 9 seats Petkov was prime minister during the crucial early months of 2022 and began steering the country towards an aggressive confrontation with Russia and a caretaker government was appointed by President Rumen Radev The PP has been praised in the international media for its ruthlessly pro-market stance and its staunch support of Bulgaria’s “Western allies.” It managed to take advantage of a protracted electoral crisis to emerge at the end of 2021 as the main “anti-corruption” party The PP has largely cosmetic differences with Borisov whom large sections of the ruling class now regard as too compromised and a liability in the government Petkov had hoped that a first place finish in this round of elections would have offered enough leverage to force a minority government Now Borisov is pressing the PP to join a Grand Coalition The GERB relies on a network of mayors and regional political operatives that it inherited from the old SDS (Union of Democratic Forces); a right-wing party founded after the restoration of capitalism in 1989 Petkov and Vasilev have so far refused the scheme similar to other “anti-corruption” parties that sprang up in recent years The two parties have been in a de facto coalition throughout 2022 working together to ensure parliamentary consensus for the imperialist war against Russia as well as continued provocations towards neighboring North Macedonia The international press that has covered the election have expressed great anxiety to see a Grand Coalition officially take form in Bulgaria to counter what is usually termed “pro-Russian forces,” in fact popular opposition to war Anti-war sentiment is widespread in Bulgaria A poll by the EU Commission in December showed only 24 percent fully approve of the sanctions against Russia showed that a total of 23.1 percent of respondents expressed support for Ukraine Bulgaria has been a member of NATO since 2004 but only 29.8 percent said they would support joining the military alliance if a referendum were held on membership now One political figure that the press describes as “pro-Russian” is President Rumen Radev accused of at times not showing enough enthusiasm towards the war in Ukraine Radev’s office has in fact been a central node of pro-NATO Bulgaria’s machinations in recent years working both with Petkov and his own appointed caretaker government has accelerated Bulgaria’s status as one of the main suppliers of Soviet-type ammunition to the Ukrainian regime Bulgaria and its EU imperialist allies have been pressuring the former Yugoslav republic of North Macedonia to make concessions to historical Bulgarian expansionism Bulgarian caretaker Foreign Minister Nikolay Milkov provocatively requested in April that the country be given a “consultative role” in North Macedonia’s proposed constitutional changes It is open secret that Bulgaria has put its substantial weapons industry at the service of the NATO war machine According to a report in January by the German daily Die Welt Bulgaria has supplied ample quantities of munition and fuel for Ukraine’s Soviet-era equipment and the de facto main opposition force in the country is Revival that gained 14 percent of the vote and has increased its MPs by 10 since the last elections Revival is presented in the Western media as a “pro-Russian” party in an attempt to amalgamate the fascists with genuine opposition to war Revival’s rise is part of an international phenomenon the increasing turn of the bourgeoisie to dictatorial forms of rule and the promotion of fascist forces The organization was propped up as part of the ruling class’s attempt to intimidate and pollute public discourse regarding its handling of the COVID pandemic The party organized an attack on the Bulgarian Parliament on January 12 Its leader Kostadin Kostadinov has expressed his admiration for Donald Trump The noxious anti-science reaction to COVID became the official discourse of the Bulgarian oligarchy spearheaded by the post-Stalinist BSP (Bulgarian Socialist Party) Even minimal protective measures such as vaccines were discouraged leaving the country with only 30 percent of the population vaccinated as of the summer of 2022 That right wing and openly fascistic forces hold sway over Bulgarian society is primarily the responsibility of Stalinism and the bourgeois parties that emerged out of it after the restoration of capitalism: the BSP and the whole coterie of middle-class organizations that surround it these layers are completely submerged in the swamp of fascist conspiracies moral degradation and backwardness that have always been integral to Stalinism the party announced a referendum against “gender ideology” in schools in order “to safeguard Christian and family values for the sake of our children,” and party boss Korneliya Ninova ranted about the “global-liberal” establishment also purged some of Ninova’s potential rivals Several of the purged MPs united with factions and parties that usually tailed the BSP and ran in the elections as Levitsata Expressing virtually no difference to the right wing The BSP itself took almost 9 percent and is now the fourth largest party in parliament The Bulgarian Communist Party and the Party of the Bulgarian Communists participated in the coalition “Neutral Bulgaria,” which includes the far-right Attack party an outlet notorious for organizing fascist thugs throughout the 2000s As the entire bourgeois establishment is shifting further to the right the working class is increasingly entering into struggle where it meets the opposition of the trade unions and their Stalinist and pseudo-left hangers-on Health care workers have struggled against an underfinanced and rotting system since 2019 in open rebellion against the official trade union federation nurses have been protesting and exposing the disastrous situation in the hospitals and the lack of PPE Both the Borisov and successive governments made false promises of pay rises as the situation in the country deteriorated and the workload in the hospitals became unbearable nurses protested in several Bulgarian towns and on March 28 ambulance drivers protested in Sofia large demonstrations took place in the capital against poverty wages and galloping inflation The greatest barrier that workers confront are the trade unions These organizations act as industrial police agents of the state at all junctures seeking to divide workers and suppress their struggles In order to advance their interests and confront the dangers of war and fascism workers must break with the corporatist trade unions and establish independent rank-and-file committees linking their struggles with the international resurgence of the working class Above all they need their own party that has learned the lessons of history and the betrayal of Stalinism This means the building of sections of the International Committee of the Fourth International in Bulgaria and across Eastern Europe to provide the developing struggles a genuinely socialist perspective and leadership This work, Non-commissioned Officer Day, by SGT Marla Keown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Kristy Nicole Smith became the bride of Ryan Edward Hobson on Sat u rd ay i n Lonoke Baptist Church Susan and Kevin Smithof Lonoke are the parents of the bride The groom is the son of Elise and Mark Hobson Honor attendants were Kaysi Jacks and Todd Hobson The couple will make their home in Lonoke after a wedding trip to Hawaii Nuptial vows were exchanged by Katie Marie Hartness and Zachary Todd Oliver on Saturday at Harmony Baptist Church in Prattsville Parents of thebride are Kathy and James Hartness of Prattsville The groom is the son of Paula and Todd Oliver of the East End community Amy Harrington and Dillon Oliver were honor attendants Elizabeth “Lisa” Helen Nesuda and Adam Basil Gianulis were united in marriage Dec 10 at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas Chris Constantinidesand Vasile Tudora officiated Parents of the bride are Laura Nesuda of Coppell and Cheryl Payne-Nesuda and Roger Nesuda of Little Rock Honor attendants were Jessica Coe and Drew Dubocq Two Fraserburgh car dealers have been found guilty of attacking a vandal who caused £33,000 of damage to vehicles in their forecourt had both denied the charge of assaulting Roberto Tudora in his home three years ago It was claimed the attack was retribution for Mr Tudora pouring a corrosive substance over cars at their South Road business a week prior to the assault The jury of seven men and eight women took two and a half hours to find the pair guilty by a majority with some deletions from the original charge of hamesucken assault – the act of breaking into someone’s home intending to attack them The charge of striking Mr Tudora on the head with a hammer was also deleted as was the allegation they repeatedly stamped on his body and struck him with a metal pole The Murrays appeared unmoved as the verdict was read out Fiscal depute Ruairidh McAllister had urged the jury to convict the pair and told them to reject the Murrays’ concocted version of events Unlike the stories being spun by these two men – stories they have made up after events to explain away what they were doing in that house that day “The two 999 calls made that morning caused some very “They battered Roberto Tudora – and unbeknownst to them the police had been called “Mr Murray and his son had taken matters into their own hands They were trying to find out who was behind the vandalism of their cars – and they were doing it violently.” Gordon Murray’s defence agent Leonard Birkenshaw argued that Mr Tudora had phoned the police that morning to try to “cover up” what he had done and described the 999 call as just having some “muffled scuffling” in the background Morgan Murray’s defence agent John McLeod told the jury to consider Mr Tudora as an unreliable witness “Morgan Murray then took that hammer away to stop anyone from being hurt.” Sheriff Craig Findlater deferred sentencing to next month for background reports The court heard differing versions of events about what happened when the father and son went to Mr Tudora’s home on the morning of April 2 2021 Mr Tudora told the jury Gordon Murray – whose address was given as Cairnhill Drive Fraserburgh – hit him with the hammer and said Morgan – whose address was given as Mosspark Lonmay – had been holding a metal bar “like a crowbar” He described being struck to the floor and the Murrays both continued to attack him by punching and kicking him “The first blow with the hammer was to the left side of my head,” he added Asked by fiscal depute Ruairidh McAllister what Gordon Murray had done next Mr Tudora replied: “He was just punching me on my body and head – all over – wherever he could get.” The court listened to the 999 call made by Mr Tudora who can be heard screaming and shouting for help and occasionally declaring ‘oh my god’ – while another voice can be heard shouting “who sent you?” It had been claimed that the hammer attack was in revenge for Mr Tudora vandalising cars in the Murray Motors forecourt and causing £33,000 of damage Mr Tudora, 38, later pled guilty to pouring a corrosive liquid over the vehicles and received community service. The jury also heard a 999 call from Michael McDonald who lived across the road from the Charlotte Street property Mr McDonald is heard telling the call handler that the upstairs CCTV camera had been ripped off the wall “I think he had done some damage to a local garage I believe he is the suspect for damage to £100,000 of cars Gordon and Morgan Murray’s version of events was very different from Mr Tudora’s. They claim they went to the property to evict him following the previous week’s vandal attack and things only turned violent when Mr Tudora picked up the hammer and lunged at Morgan Murray Being led by his defence agent Leonard Birkenshaw Gordon Murray told how his son had come into the bedroom where Mr Tudora was and placed the hammer he had been carrying down on a cabinet “Morgan began removing the CCTV camera from outside the bedroom window,” Gordon Murray went on He told the court that it was whilst his son was leaning out of the window that Mr Tudora grabbed the discarded hammer and made a move to hit Morgan over the head with it He said: “I grabbed Tudora by the arm and pulled him away from Morgan we ended up wrestling on the floor.” Home > News > Man to face trial on £100,000 malicious mischief charge after cars damaged at dealership A 35-year-old man is to go on trial accused of causing some £100,000 of damage to 13 cars at a Scottish dealership Roberto Tudora appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on a charge of malicious mischief at Murray Motors in Fraserburgh It is alleged that he maliciously poured or sprayed a corrosive liquid over the cars in the forecourt on March 23 pleaded not guilty via his defence solicitor Sam Milligan He was released on conditional bail by Sheriff Margaret Hodge who said he mustn’t enter the South Road dealership Tudora also has to stay at home between 7pm and 7am every day as part of his bail conditions A pre-trial hearing will be held at Peterhead Sheriff Court in September CCTV caught a vandal pouring paint stripper over vehicles at Murray Motors in Fraserburgh The dealership posted the footage on its Facebook page and it subsequently received hundreds of shares Police also appealed for the public’s help Man is charged with causing £100,000 of damage to cars at dealership John has been with Car Dealer since 2013 after spending 25 years in the newspaper industry as a reporter then a sub-editor/assistant chief sub-editor on regional and national titles John is chief sub-editor in the editorial department Two Fraserburgh businessmen have gone on trial accused of carrying out a vicious hammer attack on a man and threatening to kill him Gordon Murray has submitted a special defence of self-defence claiming he was protecting his son from being attacked Both men are listed as company directors of Murray Motors in Fraserburgh Peterhead Sheriff Court heard how Mr Tudora was a tenant of Gordon Murray in 2021 renting a property on Charlotte Street in Fraserburgh He had been under suspicion of vandalising cars with a corrosive liquid on the Murray Motors’ forecourt the week before the alleged hammer attack Mr Tudora, 38, later pled guilty to causing £33,000 of damage and received community service The court heard that on the morning of April 2 2021 Mr Tudora was woken by a loud noise at his front door The jury heard that Mr Tudora immediately rang the police when he realised the Murrays had entered his house He said: “I was scared – I went back in my bedroom.” who told the court the men had been armed with a hammer and a crowbar Mr Tudora can be heard screaming and shouting for help and occasionally declaring ‘oh my god’ – while another voice can be heard shouting “who sent you?” Mr Tudora recounted being hit by Gordon Murray with the hammer and said Morgan Murray had been holding a metal bar “like a crowbar” He described being struck to the floor and the Murrays both continuing to attack him by punching and kicking him “The first blow with the hammer was to the left side of my head,” he added on my body and head – all over – wherever he could get “I kept trying to scream my address because I had dialled the emergency services.” Police attended and as Mr Tudora could hear their sirens he said the Murrays grabbed his bedding and went downstairs “I think they told the police on the way out that they were helping me move out of the house,” Mr Tudora explained I can’t remember what happened afterwards.” The court was also shown body-worn camera footage from one of the police officers who came to Mr Tudora’s house at just after 8am that day Mr Tudora can first be seen sitting on his stairs barely able to stand and he later shows the officer upstairs to his bedroom where the alleged attack took place At moments Mr Tudora seems unable to stand and a bruise is visible on his forehead along with some blood He told the court that he had been taken to Aberdeen’s Royal Infirmary and left six hours later having been given the all-clear and painkillers Under cross-examination by Gordon Murray’s defence agent Leonard Birkenshaw it was suggested that when the Murrays entered Mr Tudora’s bedroom the hammer had been put down on a bedside cabinet Mr Birkenshaw then suggested that he had picked the hammer up himself and started attacking Morgan Murray with it Mr Birkenshaw continued: “That’s when Gordon Murray went for you.” Mr Birkenshaw then brought up Mr Tudora’s history of convictions from Romania Mr Tudora replied to say he had never assaulted anybody Mr Birkenshaw also asked Mr Tudora about the vandalism on the cars owned by Murray Motors it was my mistake and I admitted that,” Mr Tudora replied Mr Tudora was also cross-examined by Morgan Murray’s defence agent John MacLeod who read parts of his police statement to him Mr Tudora stated that Gordon Murray had been asking “who had been behind him” referring to the car vandalism and he had said no one was The court also heard evidence from Robert White who had worked at Murray Motors at the time of the incident He said he had been asked by Gordon Murray to go with him to Charlotte Street to “get into the house” He said he was told that the flat was one owned by Gordon Murray and that he had been locked out telling the court he had been instructed to take a crowbar and hammer with him had also joined him and Gordon and Morgan Murray met them at Charlotte Street Mr White said the hammer was used to open the door and Gordon and Morgan Murray entered the house while he waited outside Fiscal McAllister asked Mr White numerous questions about how events had unfolded but he kept answering by saying he couldn’t remember He eventually remembered that he had been given a bag of tools to take back to the Murrays’ garage and he left Charlotte Street on his own not seeing the Murrays again until later the same day told the court he had also been woken by loud banging on their door on the morning of the incident He said he and the third housemate had been told by one of the men to stay downstairs in the living room and “the landlord and his son” had asked: “Where is Roberta?” Mr Bozoi then told the court that he then heard Mr Tudora screaming “I could hear bangs and could hear him shouting ’25 Charlotte Street’ – that was what he was shouting,” he said I told them to go upstairs – because I thought they were going to kill him.” was a resident in Charlotte Street in 2021 and told the jury he had spotted four men outside Mr Tudora’s property and could see they had a bag containing a hammer “The door went in quite quickly,” Mr McDonald said The two businessmen deny the charges and Gordon Murray submitted a special defence of self-defence of another claiming he was protecting Morgan Murray by wrestling the hammer out of the hand of Mr Tudora The charges allege that the men forced entry into Mr Tudora’s home striking him on the head with the weapon causing him to fall to the floor It also states that they allegedly continued the attack by repeatedly punching and stamping on Mr Tudora’s head and body – while also hitting him with a wooden pole – all to the man’s injury The trial being heard by Sheriff Craig Findlater continues Home > News > Man who poured corrosive liquid over 13 cars at dealerships ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work A man has admitted causing £33,000-worth of damage at a used car dealership and been ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Roberto Tudora, 36, of Charlotte Street, Fraserburgh, appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to malicious mischief. On March 23, 2021, corrosive liquid was poured over 13 vehicles at Murray Motors, causing what was initially believed to be £100,000- worth of damage. However, prosecutors accepted a plea for a lesser amount of £33,000. Tudora will now be supervised for a year and has been ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. The dealership on South Road, Fraserburgh, caught the incident on CCTV and a police appeal followed for witnesses. Weeks after the incident, a man was charged and appeared in court on March 31. Owners referred to the incident as ‘absolutely horrendous’ and thanked the many locals and businesses who offered to help them. Rebecca has been a motoring and business journalist since 2014, previously writing and presenting for titles such as the Press Association, Auto Express and Car Buyer. She has worked in many roles for Car Dealer Magazine’s publisher Blackball Media including head of editorial. A YOB admitted sneaking into a car lot to carry out a £33,000 wrecking spree. Roberto Tudora, 36, splattered 13 motors with paint stripper during the late-night rampage at a dealership’s outdoor showroom. CCTV footage showed him clambering up a ladder to get into the Murray Motors site in Fraserburgh. Tudora, from the Aberdeenshire town, tried to hide his face under a hood but was nicked days later. At the time, he said: “I haven’t done anything wrong. "I’m a quiet person and I don’t really care about many things, except my job, family and friends. “I’m talking about the Murray Motors damage, which has nothing to do with me. I don’t know who’s done this and why. “All I know is that it wasn’t me. I don’t care if people believe me or not.” He was at first accused of inflicting £100,000 of damage in March but was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser sum Beak Morag McLaughlin deferred sentencing until next month for reports We told previously how the garage’s owners Avril Murray and hubby Gordon claimed louts have caused £400,000 of destruction to their vehicles since 2002 Avril said: “We’re delighted he has admitted it and it’s being dealt with.” stuart.patterson@the-sun.co.uk We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at scottishsundigital@news.co.uk or call 0141 420 5300 Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click here The Oil and Gas Employers’ Federation (FPPG) the main representative organization for the Romanian energy sector strengthens its management team by appointing three new members: Razvan Popescu – CFO Romgaz Cristian Hubati – Vice President of Operations in the Exploration and Production Division of OMV Petrom and Dorin Tudora – General Manager of CONPET Due to the experience gained during almost nine years in the National Bank of Romania Razvan Popescu has distinguished himself for more than a year in the position of CFO of the largest natural gas producer in Romania – ROMGAZ SA He has been involved in the process of taking over ExxonMobil’s participation since his appointment and strongly believes in the success of this project Dorin Tudora is in his second term as Director General of CONPET Head of the Pipeline and Facilities Safety Office Responsible for the activities of critical infrastructures of the National System of Pipeline Transport we are pleased to announce the consolidation of our management team with experts whose results speak for themselves,” said Franck Neel the Federation of Petroleum and Gas Employers (FPPG) is the framework for the development dialogue and efficient management of resources in the energy This article was published more than 5 years ago The CRA could not immediately say how much it is seeking to recover but the amounts at stake are unquestionably large.Chris Wattie/Reuters The aftershocks of one of the biggest tax scams in Canadian history continue to ripple through the legal system with the quashing of an appeal by one of the tens of thousands of people who used a faux charity scheme to claim outsized income-tax deductions likely totalling billions of dollars The Tax Court of Canada last week released a decision turning down an appeal by Alexandru Tudora of his reassessment by the Canada Revenue Agency had claimed $30,526 in tax deductions for donations he made in 2005 to the Global Learning Gift Initiative Tudora is one of as many as 40,000 Canadians who participated in what is called a leveraged-charity program where the tax deduction claimed and the tax benefit received are many times higher than the cash amounts donated Although the GLGI program continued until 2014 the CRA began rejecting some claims from the program in 2007 according to a class-action lawsuit that is suing backers of the scheme for $800-million including $250-million in punitive damages The CRA challenged the GLGI program in court the Tax Court of Canada ruled in its favour While that decision is not binding on other Tax Court justices it did lay out the legal justification for rejecting GLGI-created deductions through reassessments by the CRA And for the tens of thousands of Canadians who participated in the program those reassessments nullified the hundreds of millions of dollars in tax deductions they had claimed between 2004 and 2014 and required them to repay the resulting tax benefits but the amounts at stake are unquestionably large The decision released last week said the total deductions claimed for just two years were $400-million the law firm pursuing a class-action suit in the GLGI case says the amounts claimed as deductions are “many multiples” of the $500-million in cash that participants gave to the scheme’s backers over a decade Participants made a cash payment to a charity called Millenium and then applied to be beneficiaries of Global Learning Trust 2004 which then gave them rights to educational software licences That software was assigned a market value by the trust that was three five or even eight times that of the cash payment And that assigned value was vastly in excess of the actual price that the trust had paid to acquire the software licences The participants then donated those software licences to a second charity Millenium issued a tax receipt for the cash payment; CCA issued a tax receipt for the donated software licences the receipts generated a tax benefit for the would-be donors that significantly exceeded their cash outlay the 2015 ruling stated that less than 10 per cent of the donated cash stayed with charities; most of the funds were channelled to the promoters of GLGI which found the program to be a “sham,” detailed how one of the participants turned a “staggering” profit from a supposed donation made cash payments of $14,250 in 2004 and $116,000 in 2005 He was issued receipts that allowed him to claim charitable gifts of $57,004 in 2004 and $928,052 the next year even after the original cash donations were accounted for Moshurchak received a net benefit of $4,527 in 2004 and the “huge amount” of $241,268 in 2005 The fact of that profit was a key factor in the court’s decision that the expenditures were not true charitable donations yet the law is clear that any benefit or consideration will do to find there was no donative intent,” Justice Pizzitelli wrote donative intent is needed for a payment to be deemed a charitable donation: The donor must not only be aware that he or she will not receive compensation other than “pure moral benefit,” but to the contrary must “intend to impoverish himself.” The mere fact of claiming a deduction that reduces one’s tax bill isn’t a problem but that benefit cannot be larger than the donation a donation motivated by profit is not a donation at all but the mechanics and legal principles at stake were the same and was issued receipts for $30,526 that included a $25,526 in-kind donation Justice Ronald MacPhee wrote that the program as described in documents submitted to the court “defies common sense" and that he found it "impossible not to conclude that the Appellant intended to enrich himself by participating in the arrangement.” That hoped-for enrichment has not happened the CRA is now requiring not only the reversal of tax refunds participants have lost their original cash outlays Justice Pizzitelli wrote that those who participated in GLGI ignored clear warning signs “When otherwise good people turn a blind eye to the obvious reality surrounding them they cannot lay blame on others for the consequences that follow from the fraud or sham of others They certainly should not expect the Canadian public to fund their losses.” rejected the idea that the promise of turning a large profit on a charitable donation should have set off alarm bells for participants for tens of thousands of people," she said adding that the program’s backers touted valuation reports and legal opinions that seemingly buttressed their claims “There were lots of bells and whistles around the program that gave it the appearance of validity.” Your time is valuable. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. Sign up today Report an editorial error Report a technical issue Editorial code of conduct Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following business and politics and business across the country for nearly three decades his award-winning coverage of tax and fiscal policy Patrick has covered the rise and fall of the dot-coms Alberta’s oil boom and the spectacle of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver He was deputy editor of Report on Business he led the organization to multiple national and regional journalism awards including a Michener nomination for coverage of the deficiencies of New Brunswick's child-care system He returned to The Globe in 2017 as a senior news editor moving to the tax and fiscal policy beat in 2019 he is responsible for The Globe’s daily editorials – a key voice in the national debate Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Non-subscribers can read and sort comments but will not be able to engage with them in any way. Click here to subscribe If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please forward it to letters@globeandmail.com. Readers can also interact with The Globe on Facebook and Twitter Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate If you do not see your comment posted immediately it is being reviewed by the moderation team and may appear shortly We aim to have all comments reviewed in a timely manner Comments that violate our community guidelines will not be posted UPDATED: Read our community guidelines here We have closed comments on this story for legal reasons or for abuse. For more information on our commenting policies and how our community-based moderation works, please read our Community Guidelines and our Terms and Conditions