October 18, 2025 UPDATE (2)
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 18.10.2025, 20:00
GOVERNMENT – The Bucharest government’s priority is to secure funds for already contracted investments and pay off the state’s overdue debts, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan told Radio Romania in an interview. He added that among the top priorities right now are also improving the collection of budget revenues and reducing public spending. The Prime Minister said that, by the end of the month, the ruling coalition will also identify a solution for lower costs in the administration, through a reform for which the government will seek Parliament’s vote of confidence. Ilie Bolojan claims there will be no need for further austerity measures next year.
EXPLOSION – A person injured in Friday’s explosion in an apartment building in Bucharest, with extensive burns and multiple traumas, was transported on Saturday morning to a hospital in Austria for specialized treatment. The patient was transported onboard a SMURD plane of the General Inspectorate of Aviation. The patient was permanently monitored by the medical team during the trip – the Department for Emergency Situations reports. The Floreasca Emergency Clinical Hospital announced that two of the three injured people who were hospitalized there are recovering after the emergency surgeries they underwent. We recall that three people died in the blast.
LECTURESHIP – A Romanian Language Lectureship has been established at the prestigious University of Cambridge, within the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics (MMLL), a project funded by the Romanian Government. This new lectureship will offer free Romanian language classes (beginner and intermediate level), as well as a program of cultural events dedicated to promoting the Romanian language and culture in the British academic environment. Classes are open to all members of the University and are based on an accessible and interactive format. The University of Cambridge becomes the second university in the United Kingdom to host a Romanian language lectureship, alongside University of Oxford, where the lectureship was founded in 2012.
DRUGS – Approximately 22 kilograms of cannabis, allegedly introduced onboard an Athens – Bucharest flight, were discovered in the troller of an Albanian citizen, following a sting operation organized by the Romanian police, under the coordination of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). The drug, packed in 49 vacuum bags, was hidden in checked luggage, the individual being investigated being caught red-handed. The man was detained for the crimes of international trafficking of high-risk drugs and trafficking. The individual now risks being placed on pre-trial arrest for 30 days.
TOURISM– Romania has registered a decrease in the total number of tourists this year. According to statistics, during the summer season, some 4.3 million Romanian tourists traveled to the country, compared to 4.6 million in 2024. According to travel experts, the main reasons behind this decrease are the drop in the value of vacation vouchers and the increase in VAT. (VP)
