November 8, 2015 UPDATE

The death toll following the fire in Bucharest’s Colectiv club rose to 44. Three more people died of their injuries on Sunday and nine people on Saturday. Authorities and doctors have warned that the number of deaths might increase. Over 40 people continue to be in critical condition in Bucharest hospitals, due to severe burns. Some 20 patients have already been transferred to hospitals abroad. The blaze at Bucharests Colectiv club on October 30 was started by fireworks. The firm contracted to ensure the pyrotechnics show at the club on the night of the tragedy is being investigated, its owners having been arrested. They are also suspected of having tried to destroy evidence. The three club owners are also under arrest, on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter and involuntary bodily harm, as the venue was overcrowded, lacked the required number of emergency exits, and may not have been authorised to hold such a concert. Cristian Popescu-Piedone, the former mayor of Bucharest District 4 where the tragedy occurred is also under arrest, for having issued permits for the club’s functioning in spite of the fact that the club did not qualify. Concerns that safety at the club was compromised because of corruption – a long-standing issue in Romania – have further fuelled public anger against the political elite. Thousands of protesters are holding daily rallies in Bucharest and several other cities, which have triggered the resignation of the left-of-centre government led by Victor Ponta.

Newsroom, 08.11.2015, 14:03

The death toll following the fire in Bucharest’s Colectiv club rose to 44. Three more people died of their injuries on Sunday and nine people on Saturday. Authorities and doctors have warned that the number of deaths might increase. Over 40 people continue to be in critical condition in Bucharest hospitals, due to severe burns. Some 20 patients have already been transferred to hospitals abroad. The blaze at Bucharests Colectiv club on October 30 was started by fireworks. The firm contracted to ensure the pyrotechnics show at the club on the night of the tragedy is being investigated, its owners having been arrested. They are also suspected of having tried to destroy evidence. The three club owners are also under arrest, on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter and involuntary bodily harm, as the venue was overcrowded, lacked the required number of emergency exits, and may not have been authorised to hold such a concert. Cristian Popescu-Piedone, the former mayor of Bucharest District 4 where the tragedy occurred is also under arrest, for having issued permits for the club’s functioning in spite of the fact that the club did not qualify. Concerns that safety at the club was compromised because of corruption – a long-standing issue in Romania – have further fuelled public anger against the political elite. Thousands of protesters are holding daily rallies in Bucharest and several other cities, which have triggered the resignation of the left-of-centre government led by Victor Ponta.

The state institutions’ well-functioning is the condition for a state’s freedom and stability, which cannot exist without laws, competence and ethics, King Michael said in a message on Sunday, on the occasion of the Day of St. Michael and St. Gabriel. The former monarch, who was forced to abdicate by Soviet-backed communists more than six decades ago, has mentioned in his message the young people, who have been protesting in Bucharest and several other cities these days, against corruption and for sweeping reforms of state institutions and the political class. In his opinion, having the best possible laws and the most active civil society are not enough to secure a solid institutional life. “I am sure that the young generation will be able to find, in their Romania, the right balance between civic attitude and state institutions,” the King has said. “I have lived almost 100 years out of the 150 of the Crown, which entitles me to say to our young people: The time of your Romania has come!” the former monarch has also said.

As many as 140 Romanian tourists have been repatriated from the Red Sea resorts of Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The operation was conducted by the Romanian Transport Ministry, with the support of the Romanian Foreign Ministry and the Romanian citizens received consular assistance during the repatriation process. Several countries have decided to repatriate their citizens and restrict flight to and from the Egyptian resorts following information that that it was possible a bomb on board had brought down the Russian plane which crashed last week, 23 minutes after takeoff from the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The crash on Saturday killed all 224 people on board. Russia, which had 78,000 tourists in Egypt and Britain, with around 20,000 tourists, have organised aerial bridges to evacuate holidaymakers as soon as possible. The Russian-Egyptian investigation teams have detected a explosion on board the plane but have said it is too early to say what caused it. A group of Egyptian jihadist have claimed the attack.

Croats are voting on Sunday in a parliamentary election, against the background of the refugee crisis. This is their first parliamentary election since joining the European Union in 2013. The opposition HDZ-led Patriotic Coalition is in favor of a tougher stance than its main rival, the ruling Social Democrats, led by PM Zoran Milanovic on the migrant issue, seeking stricter border controls to manage the flow of people crossing Croatia on their way to Western Europe. Over 330,000 migrants have passed through Croatia since mid-September.

Romania ranked first in the EU last year in terms of number of people working in the field of agriculture, with 25.4%, the Romanian Statistics Institute has announced. Greece with 13% and Poland with 11% follow. The Czech Republic, on the other hand, has the biggest number of people working in the industry sector, 38.3%, followed by Slovakia with 35.5%. In Romania, the number of people working in industry stood at 30,1% in 2014 while 44.5% worked in the field of services.