Opening of Romania’s bridge over River Danube delayed
Access to a bridge on the Danube river near the port of Brăila, in eastern Romania, is not expected under previous terms established by an Italian company engaged in the work. The announcement on Wednesday was made by a state secretary in Romania’s Transport Ministry. The opening of the 2 km bridge and connecting roads is delayed which will prevent finalising a project of nearly €500 million until next spring. When complete, the bridge would allow journey times of just two minutes across the River Danube, compared with 45 minutes at present for crossings using ferry services. The Brăila Bridge is a road suspension bridge in Romania under construction since 2019 over the Danube River, between Brăila, a major city in eastern Romania, and the opposite bank of the river in Tulcea County. It will be the first bridge over the maritime Danube sector and the fourth bridge over the Romanian section of the river. At nearly 2 km in length, it will be also the third-longest bridge in Europe.
Romania’s unemployment rate
Romania’s unemployment rate hit 2.56 percent at the end of the summer, a similar level as reported in July while also signaling a very small decrease compared to the same period last year. Almost 83 percent of Romania’s 224,000 unemployed did not receive benefits. Most unemployed are between 40 and 49 years of age followed by those between 50 and 55 years old. The lowest figure is in the 25 to 29 group of age, according to data issued by Romania’s Recruitment Agency.
Prominent surgeon under 30-day arrest warrant
A prominent surgeon in Romania’s western town of Timișoara is under a 30-day warrant issued by a local court. Marinel Gașpar, head of the Cardiovascular Surgery Department at Timișoara’s Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, was arrested after a raid by prosecutors two days ago. Mr Gașpar allegedly received between €100 and €2,000 for medical services he was already paid for according to his working contract. Marian Gașpar, 63, is a university scholar, member of international professional associations, and also the head of the Timișoara Institute in the field since 2003.
Alexandru Danga
