August 21, 2016
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Newsroom, 21.08.2016, 12:00
24 people who intended to illegally cross the Romanian border coming from Serbia (in the south west) were caught last night by the Romanian border police. The arrested persons, 13 adults and 11 children, are immigrants of Turkish origin. According to the Border Police, the Romanian authorities have increased security measures at the border with Serbia, after this week, small groups of immigrants have tried to illegally cross the Romanian border on two occasions. In another development, illegal migration at Romania’s borders has dropped significantly by over 40% in the first 7 months of 2016 as compared to the same period of last year- show data published by the Romanian Border Police. As many as 600 foreign citizens have tried to illegally cross the country’s borders since the beginning of the year, as compared to more than one thousand last year. One hundred of them have been returned to the neighboring border authorities based on the readmission protocols and agreements Romania concluded with its neighbors. Of the total number of illegal migrants, most were organized in groups accompanied by more than 30 guides, Romanian and foreign citizens, who were, in turn, arrested by the border police.
The Romanian High Court of Cassation and Justice will decide Monday whether to extend the remand in custody of the former deputy governor of the National Bank of Romania, Bogdan Olteanu. At the end of July, he was accused by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate’s prosecutors of influence peddling, after, in 2008, when he was the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies representing the National Liberal Party, he asked for and received from a businessman one million euros and electoral support in exchange for appointing a certain person to the position of governor of the Danube Delta. Olteanu is the first national bank official ever arrested by prosecutors. The investigation targets his activity before becoming deputy governor of the national bank in 2009.
Marathon runners Marius Ionescu and Nicolae Soare and wrestler Albert Saritov are representing Romania Sunday in the Rio Olympics, on the last day of the competition. After two weeks of competitions, Romania’s delegation is ranked 45 in the medal classification, with one gold in the women’s epee team competition, one silver won by tennis players Florin Mergea and Horia Tecău in the men’s doubles and two bronze, won by weightlifter Gabriel Sîncrăian and by the women’s eight rowing crew. The modest results obtained by the Romanian athletes in the Rio Olympics have made the president of the Romanian Olympics and Sports Committee, Alin Petrache, already announce his resignation. In another development, the police are investigating the activity of a company that delivered the equipment for the Romanian delegation participating in the Rio Olympics, as the athletes complained after only a few days of competitions that their T-shirts developed tears and the colors transferred to their skins. The company Pax Creative, that delivered the official equipment for Rio 2016 Olympics, was set up by the former president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee, Octavian Morariu, who is currently a member of the International Olympic Committee and by the acting secretary general, Ioan Dobrescu.
This year’s eagerly awaited Romanian thriller, Dogs, directed by Bogdan Mirica, has won 2 awards at the Sarajevo festival, one of the most important film events in Europe. On Saturday night, during the closing gala, Romanian actor Gheorghe Visu received the Heart of Sarajevo award for best actor. The French weekly Telerama compares Visu, aged 60, whose career includes over 40 roles, to the cowboy film stars. The Romanian film has also received the Jury’s Special Mention. Beginning with 23 September, the film Dogs will be shown in Romanian cinemas, and during the coming months it will also be shown at festivals in Canada, Denmark, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and Spain.
(translation by Lacramioara Simion)
