July 31, 2019

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 31.07.2019, 14:00

CARACAL INVESTIGATION – Prosecutors with the
Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism have extended their
investigation into the Caracal murders. They are now investigating a potential
case of criminal negligence in the case of the police officer who talked to 15-year-old Alexandra Macesanu, who dialed the emergency number calling for
help, saying she was abducted and raped. The police officer allegedly did not
follow standard procedures. The suspect in the Caracal murders, Gheorghe Dinca,
is today being transported to the Penitentiary Hospital in Jilava near
Bucharest, where he will undergo a specialized medical exam. Dinca will also be
subjected to a psychiatric evaluation to ascertain whether his judgment was
impaired at the time he committed the two murders he is charged with. Gheorghe
Dinca, a 60-year-old mechanic from Caracal, admitted on Sunday to having
abducted, detained, raped and murdered two teenagers. Alexandra Macesanu was
reported missing on Wednesday, and on Thursday last week she dialed the
emergency number 112, operated by the Special Telecommunications Service, which
was unable to pinpoint the exact origin of the call. Police officers took 19 hours to get into the
suspects’ home. 18-year-old Luiza Mihaela Melencu shared the same fate in
April, when the family reported her missing. The bodies of the two girls have
not yet been found.

INVESTMENT – The European Commission has approved an investment package worth 27.4
million euros for the modernization of the port of Galati, the largest port on
the Danube in Romania. Included in the project are the modernization of the
docks and necessary infrastructure for a modern intermodal terminal. The new
logistic hub will promote the interchange from road traffic to rail traffic and
maritime traffic on the pan-European Rhine-Danube corridor, thus fulfilling a
common goal of the European Union. The total value of the investment stands at
90 million euros, with the Romanian state expected to co-fund the project.

MILITARY EXERCISE – The Resolute Castle 19 multinational
training exercise is coming to a close at the Getica National Training Grounds
in Cincu, Brasov County, central Romania. Taking part in the exercise were military
engineering units with the Romanian Land Forces and the South Carolina National
Guard. For the fifth consecutive year, the South Danube 10th Military
Engineers Brigade, with support from Divisions 2 and 4 Military Engineers’
Infantry, carried out works aimed at creating the training infrastructure and
platforms. Resolute Castle 2019 is aimed at increasing the level of
interoperability by means of constant training and the implementation of
innovative solutions to joint military engineering issues. All the works are
part of a project under the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI), carried out
by the United States in cooperation with Military Engineering structures within
the Romanian Land Forces.

UNEMPLOYMENT – The
unemployment rate rose to 4% in June, which is 0.1% more compared to the
previous month (3.9%), the latest figures of the National Statistics Institute
reveal. The number of unemployed aged 15-74 in June stood at 352 thousand
people, as compared to 351 thousand in May, although on the wane as compared to
the same period of 2018 (379 thousand). Broken down in terms of gender, male
unemployment is 1.1% higher than female unemployment, standing at 4.4%. The
unemployment rate for adults aged 25-74 stood at 3.1% in June.

MEDALS – Romanian students taking part in the International Chemistry Olympiad
in Paris grabbed one gold and three silver medals, the Education Ministry
reports. Mircea Raul Bodrogean, a 10th grader with the International
Computer Science High School in Bucharest won gold. The silver medals were
scooped by Ioana Maria Popa, a 12th grader with the National High
School in Iasi, Ana Florescu Ciobotaru, an 11th grader with the
International Computer Science High School in Bucharest, and Tudor Lile, a 10th
grader with the Moise Nicoara National High School in Arad. A total of 309
competitors from 84 countries took part in the 51st edition of the
International Chemistry Olympiad hosted by Paris, France.

FOOTBALL -
Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj on Tuesday advanced to the third
preliminary round in Champions League after drawing 2-all against Maccabi Tel
Aviv of Israel away from home. In the first leg CFR defeated Maccabi 1-nil. The
team from Cluj will next play Celtic Glasgow of Scotland, which in the previous
round ousted Estonia’s Nomme Kalju 5-nil in the first leg and 2-nil in the
return leg. On Thursday, Romanian vice-champions FCSB will play FC Alashkert of
Armenia in the return leg at home, after winning 3-nil away from home in the
first leg. CSU Craiova will also play against Honved Budapest at home after
drawing nil-all in the first leg. And finally, Romanian Cup winners Viitorul
Constanta will play the return leg against KAA Gent, to which it lost 3-6 last
week.

(Translated by V. Palcu)