Why Romania still wants the Euro

The weight of austerity measures throughout Europe has not been without political casualties. Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Ireland have all seen transitions of power as their new governments have been forced to make brutal cuts to public spending. Romania is the latest country to join the fray. Following mass protests in January, Mihai Razvan Ungureanu has taken on the mantle of prime minister.

Sir David Frost speaks to Ungureanu, the Romanian prime minister, about the recent protests in Bucharest against the austerity measures the government is taking, and why, in spite of the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, Romania is still keen to join the Euro.

“It is about prudence and responsibility. It is a country of great potential and this is not hot air. It is a country that has started its economic recovery with a good perspective, apart from what’s happening around Romania, this country has an excellent future – provided its course is steady…,” Ungureanu says.

Thirty years after the Falkland conflict, Jimena Blanco, an Argentine journalist and editor of Latin News Daily, debates the continuing tension between Argentina and Britain with British Falklands veteran Tony Banks.

Louise Foxcroft, the author of Calories and Corsets, discusses the history of dieting over the last 2,000 years, with an especial look at the end of Lent and the beginning of the Easter chocolate binge.

“The first diets begin with the Greeks and the Romans. It’s not quite the same as we think of it today, as a sort of discreet weight loss regime. In those times, 2,000 years ago, to diet was to be part of a whole lifestyle move, so you would diet, keep fit and keep a good shape for personal reasons, health reasons and moral reasons, but also as a civic duty,” Foxcroft says. 

‘Switch’

He was known as one of the world’s greatest and most controversial footballers. He played most famously for Manchaster United and he had an impressive international career with France. He retired from football at the age of just 30, but now he is trying to make his mark on the competitive world of acting, starring in the new film Switch. Former football star Eric Cantona joins Sir David to discuss his transition into a movie star.

Fierce clashes have been reported between Syrian government forces and opposition fighters in Duma, near the capital Damascus, and in other parts of the country this week, amid fears that unrest is spreading into civil war. The continuing violence comes amid cynicism over the regimes pledge to implement Kofi Annan’s six-point peace plan by April 10.What can be expected from Kofu Annan’s mission? Is it already too late for a political solution as government forces continue to try to crush any resistance?

Dr. Samir al-Taqi, a Syrian academic and journalist, gives his predictions for the future of Syria and President Bashar al-Assad.
    
Also joining Sir David this week is Denis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential candidate, to talk about the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, the upcoming US presidential race and takes a look at the Republican candidates.