1 August, 2019

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 01.08.2019, 13:49

CARACAL CASE – The Prosecutors Office attached to the Superior Council of Magistracy is today analyzing the case of the prosecutor in Caracal, southern Romania, who did not allow the police to enter the house of Gheorghe Dinca, suspected of kidnapping two teenagers, before 6 a.m. on Friday. The Judicial Inspection has started a disciplinary investigation and proposed the suspension of the said prosecutor, until the procedure has been completed. The Caracal case has revealed serious flaws in the activity of some employees in the public sector. One of the girls, kidnapped on Wednesday, on Thursday managed to call 112, the public emergency number managed by the Special Telecommunication Service (STS). STS could not establish the girls exact location, and the chief operator, and then the police officer that talked to the girl, were not able to manage the situation with professionalism. Moreover, STS indicated three wrong addresses, and the police needed 19 hours to get into the suspects house. This string of mistakes led to dismissals and resignations. The Interior Minister Nicolae Moga and the head of STS Ionel Vasilca resigned, and the head of the Romanian Police was sacked, alongside other local chiefs and the prefect of Olt County. In the meantime, investigations into this case, which has shocked Romania, continue and, given its complexity, is to be taken over by the prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism. So, far the investigation has been headed by the anti-mob prosecutors in Craiova. No evidence attesting the death of the two girls has been found yet. Despite the suspect claiming that he killed the girls, they might still be alive. The Chief Prosecutor of the Directorate, Felix Banila, has stated that investigators cannot fully rely on the suspects statement, as he became rather confused during interrogation. Gheorghe Dinca is to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and he will also be tested with a lie detector. In parallel, the interim Interior Minister Mihai Fifor has stated that the management of the emergency number 112 will be transferred from STS to the Interior Ministry, in order to avoid wasting time transferring the calls to the police, ambulance or the fire department.

UNEMPLOYMENT – Romania is below the European average with regard to unemployment, with a 4% rate, 0.2% lower than last year. According to Eurostat, the rate of unemployment in the EU dropped to 6.3% in June, the lowest level recorded in the past 19 years. Among the member states, the highest rates were reported in June in Greece, Spain and Italy. The Check Republic and Germany stand at the opposite pole.

UNTOLD – More than 200 artists will perform on 10 stages at UNTOLD, the biggest electronic music festival in Romania, hosted by the city of Cluj between the 1st and the 4th of August. One of the biggest stages in Europe was placed inside the Cluj Arena stadium. It is 90 m wide and 30 m tall, with LED screens over an area of 1,500 square meters and 1,000 light spots. One of the most expected guests is Robbie Williams, who will perform on Sunday. Special performances will also be given by Armin van Buuren, David Guetta and 3 Are legend. The organizers are expecting some 350,000 people from 100 countries. More on this after the news.

GAUDEAMUS – The Black Sea Resort of Mamaia is hosting the 11th Gaudeamus Black Sea Book Fair, organized by Radio Romania. For five days, visitors have the opportunity to buy discount books, to attend special events, book launches and presentations, as well as various performances, recitals and dance shows. The fair is open every day from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m. and entrance is free of charge.

TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will participate in the first edition of the Zhengzhou Open, introduced this year in the WTA calendar. Also participating will be Karolina Pliskova, of the Czeck Republic ( 3 WTA), Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands ( 5 WTA), Elina Svitolina of Ukraine ( 7 WTA) and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus ( 10 WTA). The competition will be held over September 9 – 15. Simona Halep, who is now no.4 in the WTA rankings, was number one two times between 2017 and 2019, for 64 weeks. Besides the Wimbledon trophy shes won this year, she also won another Grand Slam trophy last year, at Roland Garros.

FOOTBALL – Romanias football vice-champion FCSB (formerly known as Steaua Bucharest), winner of the first leg in Erevan, 3 – nil, is today playing on home ground against the Armenians from Alaskert FC, in the second leg of Europa League. Also on home turf, CSU Craiova is playing against Honved Budapest of Hungary, after a 0-0 draw in the first match, and the winner of the Romanian Cup, Viitorul Constana, will be taking on the Belgian team KAA Gent, who defeated them last week 3-6. On Tuesday night, Romanias football champion CFR Cluj qualified for the third preliminary round of the Champions League, after ending in a draw, 2-2, the match against Maccabi Tel Aviv, away from home. In the first game, at home, CFR won 1-nil. CFR Clujs opponent will be the Scottish squad Celtic Glasgow, who defeated the Estonians from Nomme Kalju 5-nil and 2- nil respectively. (translated by M. Ignatescu)