Bucharest boulevards were deserted last night while December 23rd is considered in Europe as the bussiest shopping day across Europe. Unemployed Romanians in 2011 will receive a smaller state aid and will not have the option to refuse job offers. Spanish police released a teenager held prison by a Romanian.

December 23rd is considered the busiest shopping day across Europe as many people rush into last minute shopping, Romania libera reads. However, in Bucharest boulevards were deserted last night.

In 2009 and 2008 the busiest shopping day was December 23rd when Visa card transactions totalled 1.3 million euro/minut or over 23,000 euro/second. In rush hour, Visa Europe expects to process over 1,000 transactions/second compared to 894 transactions/ second in 2009.

Romanians who will be unemployed in 2011 will receive a smaller state aid and will not be able to turn down job offers, Evenimentul Zilei reads. The measures are meant to encourage the jobless to return to the labor market and ensure financial resources for those that do not have a job.

If a person received in 2010 an unemployment aid of 450 lei, in 2011 it will receive 375 lei. The government's reasons to cut aid was due to the financial difficulties that the state will incur in 2011 as well.

A 14 year old teenager from Madrid was held hostage by a Romaian for about eight weeks. Authorities arrested seven Romanians and five Spanish citizens. One of the suspects committed suicide yesterday, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

The girl was seduced by a 22 year old Romania and convinced to leave her home to live with him. In October the girl's parents alerted the police. The girl confessed that shortly after she was convinced to flee home, she was hid in a house nearby Merida, West Spain where a part of the young man's family lived.

Afterwards, the girl was moved in Bagajoz, near the border with Portugal. For eight weeks, the girl was obliged to prostitute. 12 persons were arrested, of which seven Romanians and five Spanish.