Romania’s National Anthem Day
„Wake up, Romanians, from your deadly slumber
In which barbaric tyrants kept you so long by force.
Now or never, the time has come for you to have a new fate
Which should command respect even from your cruel enemies”.
The verses above are part of Romania’s national anthem as the country is celebrating its National Anthem Day on Wednesday, July 29. Romania’s pavilion at the World Expo in the northern Italian city of Milan is expected to host events aimed at restoring international interest in the country’s culture and investments. House of Deputies’ Speaker Valeriu Zgonea is leading a Romanian official delegation which also includes Ovidiu Miculescu, President Director General of the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation (SRR), a media partner for the event. „I think that people noticed recently Romanian Radio’s involvement in every major event Romania is organising across the country and abroad. Why? It’s because Radio Romania is a trustful partner as Romania’s most powerful public service in relationship with similar public services in Europe and Asia. Our presence here, on the occasion of Romania’s National Anthem Day, is aimed at informing our audiences about the country’s performance at the prestigious event in Milan”, SRR President Director General Ovidiu Miculescu told reporters on Wednesday.
Romanian PM replaced again
Romania’s Deputy Prime Minister Gabriel Oprea will replace for a second time the country’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta between July 29 – August 9, according to an announcement issued by the Official Gazette on Wednesday. In a televised address, Mr. Ponta said he will leave for a 10-day holiday with his family while dismissing reports about an alleged trip to Turkey for medical control following his knee surgery last month. The next cabinet meeting is expected on August 19. Gabriel Oprea, a former minister in both Adrian Năstase and Emil Boc cabinets, is president of the National Union for the Progress of Romania (UNPR) and a former member of the governing Social Democratic Party (PSD). He was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Ilfov county between 2004 – 2012 and a Senator for Bucharest since 2012. Mr. Oprea already served as deputy prime minister since December 2012, additionally holding the Interior portfolio since January 2014. Between June and July 2015, he replaced Mr. Ponta as acting Prime Minister.
A former mayor before Romania’s anticorruption watchdog
A former mayor of the Romanian north-eastern town of Piatra Neamţ has appeared before prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) on Wednesday. Gheorghe Ştefan is under DNA investigation for corruption-related crimes along with a Poşta Română (Romanian Post) executive. Mr. Ştefan, a former mayor of Piatra Neamţ and vicepresident of a political party, is charged for influence peddling, money laundring and abuse of office.
Romania’s largest ever capture of heroin
Romanian authorities have made a massive heroin capture in a lorry heading to northwestern border with Hungary, according to an announcemet of the country’s Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) on Wednesday. The seizure involved 330 kilograms of heroin found on Tuesday in a lorry that was attempting to leave the country through the Petea Customs Check Point of the northwestern county of Satu Mare to Csengersima in Hungary, according to DIICOT police-chief Claudiu Cucu. The drugs were wrapped in packages and soaked with paprika and pepper, then masked in special metal sheet tanks, covered in lead, so they won’t be detected by devices or special dogs. A criminal group of Romanians and Turks were believed to be involved in the drug trafficking.
Alexandru Danga
