English

Five Romanians Caught Looting Abandoned Italian House

Five Romanian nationals were detained on Friday in the Italian province of L’Aquila (in the Abruzzo region) when they were caught attempting to rob a house abandoned due to the earthquake Monday, according to news website Tgcom.

Romania Received No Official Information Regarding Romanians Arrested In Chisinau

Romanian foreign minister Cristian Diaconescu said Friday after a council meeting at the ministry that Moldova hasn’t sent any official information regarding Romanian citizens arrested in Chisinau, although unofficial sources and the media report there are such cases.

Romania Ex-WBA Champ Leonard Doroftei, Coach Open Boxing School In Ploiesti

Romania's former WBA lightweight champion Leonard Doroftei and coach Titi Tudor will launch this fall a boxing school in Doroftei’s hometown of Ploiesti, 60 kilometers from capital Bucharest.

Moldovan President Demands Parliamentary Election Vote Recount

Moldovan president Vladimir Voronin asked the Constitution Court on Friday to order a new recount of the votes following parliamentary elections on Sunday which handed the victory to the incumbent communists and sparked violent protests, AFP reported.

Moldovan Police Squads Attacked Pro TV Chisinau Staff

Constantin Rogodantev, camera operator for Moldovan TV station Pro TV, was assaulted Thursday night by police squads protecting the headquarters of Moldovan government, Pro TV Chisinau reported.

Moldovan Police Seized Bus Carrying Moldovan Students From W Romania

A bus transporting 20 Moldovan students from the western Romanian city of Oradea and heading for the Moldovan capital Chisinau was seized by police in Calarasi, about 50 kilometers away from the capital, according to students’ leader Anatol Cojocari.

Moldovan Police Squads Attacked Pro TV Chisinau Staff

Constantin Rogodantev, camera operator for Moldovan TV station Pro TV, was assaulted Thursday night by police squads protecting the headquarters of Moldovan government, Pro TV Chisinau reported.

Romania Might Introduce Pollution Tax In 2010 To Replace Car Tax – Environment Min

Romanian environment minister Nicolae Nemirschi said Friday after a public debate that the ministry plans to introduce a tax as of 2010, calculated considering pollution levels, to replace the country’s current car tax.

DNA Places C Romania Armed Robbery Suspect Gribenco At Crime Scene -Sources

Testing of DNA traces found in the area of the armed robbery that occurred late January in Brasov, central Romania, which left two people dead, match the DNA of suspect Serghei Gribenco, sources close to the investigation said Friday.

Hundreds Of Moldovans Taken To Chisinau By Bus To Attend Protests Friday

Hundreds of people living in localities around the Moldovan capital Chisinau were taken to the capital by bus Thursday night to participate in anticommunist protests Friday, Moldovan agency BASA-press reported.

Romania’s Ex-Secret Service Official Appointed Interim Deputy Head Of Interior Min Division

Former head of the General Counterespionage Department within the Romanian Secret Service SRI, Paul Iordache, who was involved in the SRI-KGB scandal in 2001, was appointed interim deputy head of the Intelligence and Internal Protection Division within the Interior Ministry, official sources said.

Bucharest Police Chief Transfer Unrelated To Mall Conflict – Min

Romanian Ministry of Administration and Interior on Friday said the transfer of Bucharest Police chief Marian Tutilescu to the department for driver’s licenses and registrations is work-related and has no connections whatsoever with the recent scandal involving a police officer at a Bucharest mall.

Three Romanian Journalists Detained By Moldovan Police, Released A Few Hours Later

Three journalists of Romanian TV station Realitatea TV were detained Thursday night by police in the Republic of Moldova and were released a few hours later, Realitatea TV reported on its website.

Romania’s March CPI +0.5% M-M, Annual Inflation Narrows To 6.71%

Romanian consumer price index rose by a higher-than-expected 0.5% in March compared with the previous month, but the annual inflation fell to 6.71% from 6.89% end-February, the National Statistics Institute reported Friday.

Romania’s Feb Retail Sales Dn 7.9% On Yr

Romania’s retail sales, except for sales of vehicles and motorbikes, were down 7.9% in February, compared with the same month a year ago due to the lower sales of fuel and goods, the National Statistical Institute said Friday.

Bucharest Police Chief Marian Tutilescu Replaced – Sources

The chief of the Bucharest Police, Marian Tutilescu, was replaced Thursday in the aftermath of the scandal at the Plaza Romania mall, according to official sources.

Romania’s Cernavoda Nuclear Plant Restarts 2nd Reactor

The second reactor of Romania's sole nuclear plant in southern Cernavoda was restarted Thursday and reached its nominal power at around GMT 1300, the state-owned nuclear energy producer Nuclearelectrica said.

Romania Gets IMF Agreement In Principle On EUR13B Loan – PM

Romanian Government received from the International Monetary Fund the agreement in principle for the EUR12.95 billion stand-by loan, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Thursday.

Romanian Women To Get Pap Smear Testing Charge Free Starting Autumn

Romania’s Health Ministry will unfold a national heath program starting this autumn, for a period of at least five years, allowing women countrywide to benefit from Babes-Papanicolaou testing charge free, which targets to detect pre-cancer and cervical cancer.

Romanian Cos To Pay Turnover-Based Lump-Sum Tax Of Up To EUR10,000 – Fin Min

The lump-sum tax will be calculated according to the companies’ turnover, between an annual minimum level of EUR500 and a maximum ceiling of EUR10,000, the employers’ proposal being accepted by Romania’s Finance Ministry.

Romanian Govt Coalition Maintains Salaries In Education – Sources

The Romanian government coalition decided Thursday that salaries in education will not drop, the minimum pension will be maintained and the pension point will grow to 43.3%, investments will be maintained and leasing companies will be exempt from the lump sum tax, social democrat sources told MEDIAFAX.

EU Calls On Moldova To Resume Normal Relations With Romania

The European Union on Thursday called on Moldovan authorities to resume normal relations with Romania, a EU member since 2007, and to respect all constitutional freedoms.

Romania Urges Moldova To Officially Say How Many Romanians It Arrested

Romanian foreign minister Cristian Diaconescu told a news conference Thursday that Romania notified Moldovan authorities and firmly asked them to communicate officially the number of Romanians arrested to allow them to get consular help.

Romania Notified OSCE Press Freedom Rep On Moldova Situation

Romania has notified the representative for freedom of the media within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) regarding the situation in Moldova, urging the investigation of all cases where freedom of expression was breached, foreign minister Cristian Diaconescu said.

Holiday Tickets Available As Of April 09 – Romanian Tourism Min

Holiday tickets are available on the Romanian market starting with Thursday, April 9, while companies interested can purchase them at issuing units, said Romanian tourism minister Elena Udrea.

FOCUS: Romania ’09 Easter Food Sales Seen Similar With ’08 Sales or Lower

Romania's Easter food sales will be higher than sales in a regular month, but the growth rate will be similar to that in 2008 or lower, following a decrease in consumption due to the economic crisis, according to Romanian owners’ associations in the food industry, who added prices will not go up.

Moldova’s Visa Policy Breaches Agreement With EU – Romanian FM

Romanian foreign minister Cristian Diaconescu said Thursday the Republic of Moldova’s decision to reintroduce visas for Romanians breaches the country’s agreement with the European Union and recommended Romanian citizens to avoid trips to the neighboring country.

Moldovan Protests Spark Sovereignty Worries In Transdniester – Media

The role played by “the Romanian factor” in the Moldovan protests, announced by Moldovan president Vladimir Voronin, determined breakaway region Transdniester to demand guarantees regarding its own sovereignty, according to Russian media.

EXCLUSIVE: Romania Sacks National Football Team Coach Victor Piturca

Romania’s national football team coach Victor Piturca was sacked Thursday following the meeting of the executive committee of the country’s Football Federation, Professional Football League president Dumitru Dragomir told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian’s Opp Party VP Blasts President Over Moldovan Situation

Romania’s opposition Liberal Party (PNL) vice-president, Varujan Vosganian, Thursday blasted President Traian Basescu for his indifference with respect to the situation in the Republic of Moldova and urged the latter to take an official stand as soon as possible.

Orange, Vodafone Sue Romanian IT&C Watchdog Over Data Requirement

Mobile telephony operators Orange Romania and Vodafone Romania appealed in court a decision of telecom regulator ANCOM compelling operators to provide customers with data on charged tariffs and services, ANCOM president Catalin Marinescu said Thursday.

Romanian Govt Estimates To Save Up To RON80M/Year Following Pension-Wage Cumulus Ban

The Romanian government estimates savings of 60 million lei (EUR1=RON4.1827) this year following its decision to ban public sector employees from amassing pensions and wages if their pensions top the average monthly wage, currently set at RON1,700, official sources told MEDIAFAX.

Another Romanian Journalist Expelled From Moldova

Romanian journalist Dragos Bota, of Romanian daily Gandul, was kept Wednesday night in a room on the airport in the Moldovan capital Chisinau and expelled to Romania, the journalist wrote in an article in Gandul.

Eight Romanian Parties Submitted EP Candidate Lists

Four Romanian parties standing in the European Parliament – PSD, in an alliance with PC, PDL, PNL and UDMR -, as well as four parties without representation in the EP – PRM, the Ecologist Party, the Green Party and PNTCD -, have submitted their candidate lists to the Central Electoral Office.

Two Romanian Journalists Expelled From Moldova

A reporter and a camera operator of Romanian TV station Antena 3 were expelled from the Republic of Moldova Wednesday night after they had reached the airport in Chisinau and were told they required a visa.

Danube, Rhine Commissions To Join Policies For Transp Corridor – Romanian Pres

Romanian President Traian Basescu on Thursday said the Rhine and Danube commissions should adopt a joint policy with respect with navigation regulation in view of developing the transport corridor Rhine-Main-Danube.

Moldova Said To Expel Three Romanian Journalists

The Republic of Moldova will expel three Romanian journalists in the upcoming days after Moldovan authorities accused Romania of being behind the anticommunist riots of the past days and decided to reintroduce visas for Romanians, RIA Novosti reported online.

Bucharest To Launch Tourist Bus Services

Bucharest authorities plan to join London and other European capitals in providing tourist buses to help visitors cover a high number of objectives, according to a municipal draft decision published Wednesday.

Romania Cuts Almost 3,000 Jobs This Week

Romania will scrap over 24,125 jobs between April and October, almost 3,000 more than last week, the National Employment Agency ANOFM stated Wednesday.

Romania Will Not Respond To Moldovan Provocations – PM

The Romanian Government rejects the accusations of the Moldovan authorities regarding an alleged involvement in the internal affairs of its neighbor as provocation, Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc stated Wednesday.