US Ambassador to Bucharest, Mark Gitenstein received on Thursday, during a visit to Botosani, North Romania, a copy of the death certificate of his great great grandfather, news agency Agerpres reports. The document, discovered in Botosani, was offered to him by one of the Jewish community members from Botosani, Gustav Finkel who decided to study the Ambassador’s genealogy tree. read more...

Republic of Moldova’s interim President, Marian Lupu, thanked his Romanian counterpart Traian Basescu for the financial support offered to his country, saying that he appreciates the gesture even more considering that it was made in times of crisis, Romanian news agency Mediafax reports. read more...

PM Boc declared on Wednesday that he is using a tablet PC without any problems related to national security because he only sends public data through the gadget, Romanian news agency Agerpres reports. He revealed his email: emilboc09@yahoo.com. read more...

Former Agriculture minister Ioan Avram Muresan was sentenced to seven years of prison for embezzlement by Higher Court of Justice judges, Romanian news agency Mediafax reads. That decision can be contested. Muresan was indicted on December 18, 2003 by anti graft prosecutors. read more...

Anti graft prosecutors indicted on Wednesday 62 police agents at the Siret customs, North Romania and 4 customs officers from the same customs point, accused of bribe taking, bribe offering and supporting criminal networks, a press release of the institution reads. 49 of them are in temporary arrest while 17 are free. read more...

Pope Benedict XVI sent on Monday red eggs to the Romanian gypsies who occupied on Friday the San Paolo basilica, one of the oldest in Rome, Ansa news agency reports, quoted by Mediafax. read more...

The spark plug, the element that ignites engines with internal combustion might be replaced by lasers that will increase the efficiency of the engine and might eliminate problems related to excessive usage, Romanian and Japanese researchers announced. The team will present the project at Baltimore, in more detail, at a press conference on May 1st. read more...

Bucharest Court postponed the term of the file in which media mogul Sorin Ovidiu Vantu is indicted for favoring Nicolae Popa for May 20. Magistrates motivated their decision on grounds that the file is not in court and that Alexandru Stoian, Vantu’s driver, invoked lack of defense. Vantu was not present at today’s term, he was represented just by his lawyers. His defense attorney, Marian Nazat requested the court to quote Nicolae Popa for hearings. read more...

Former union leader Marius Petcu was indicted by anti-graft prosecutors for bribe taking, Romanian news agency Agerpres reports. Petcu was in temporary arrest. The Bucharest Appellate Court rejected on April 12 the request to temporary release Petcu, temporary arrested on March 31 for 29 days through a decision of the Higher Court of Justice. read more...

President Traian Basescu signed on Thursday the degree acknowledging the resignation of Ioan Botis from the Labour Ministry, the Presidency reads in a press release. Moreover, Basescu signed the decree appointing PM Boc as interim minister of the Labour ministry, the press release reads. read more...

Labour minister Ioan Botis resigned on Wednesday morning after a new talk with PM Boc in which the latter suggested he should resign following the scandal related to his wife’s employment in an association that received EU funds, Romanian news agency Mediafax reads. read more...

A judicial counselor of the Bucharest City Hall and a referee were sentenced to four years of prison and five years of prison by the Bucharest Court, Romania’s news agency Mediafax reports. Bucharest Court sentenced Gabi Paraschiv, referee at the City Hall to traffic of influence. read more...

Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu declared that the famous U2 band will not perform this year in September, Romanian news agency Mediafax reads. The Irish band will not be able to transport the famous The Claw stage in time. read more...

"Citizens consider that corruption increased, the perception on corruption after joining EU did not register a notable improvement, legislative progress were most of the times made at foreign pressure, anti graft prosecutors and the national integrity agency were saved by internal and external pressures, and internal integrity is not a priority at all", some of the conclusions of an audit on anti-corruption strategies in 2005-2010, set up by two independent experts at the recommendation of the latest EC report in July 2010 reads. read more...

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev will decorate on Tuesday, the astronauts that contributed to the space exploration including Romanian Dumitru Prunariu, Romanian news agency Agerpres reports quoting the Kremlin’s press service. read more...

European Parliament’s Vice President Gianni Pittella announced in the Parliament that he received the request of the Romanian Justice ministry to lift immunity of Romanian MEP Adrian Severin. The request will be forwarded to the Judicial Affairs Committee. read more...

PM Emil Boc declared on Tuesday night in an interview for Realitatea TV news television that he is not on the point to resign but to assume responsibility in the Parliament for another law. Boc said that the chief of state never asked him to resign. read more...

Anti-graft prosecutors sent on Tuesday, to the Justice minister Catalin Predoiu a request to lift parliamentary immunity of Romanian MEP Adrian Severin, suspected of bribe taking and traffic of influence following the Sunday Times reveal of the laws for money scandal involving three MEPs including Romanian Severin. Catalin Predoiu would have to send this request to the European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek. read more...

Romanian President Traian Basescu on Saturday has sent his condolences to the family of Filaret Motco, who was killed Friday in an attack on a UN office in Afghanistan. read more...

Romania’s Higher Court of Justice decided on Thursday to temporary arrest Marius Petcu, accused of bribe taking therefore approving the recourse of anti-graft prosecutors against the decision of a lower court to release Petcu, Romania news agency Mediafax reports. Judges issued a temporary arrest warrant for 29 days for Petcu. read more...