Georgiana Tanasescu

The hearings in Parliament of the ministers proposed to take part in the Orban 2 Government concluded on Wednesday, after three days of debates in the joint select committees. Only four ministers - Nicolae Ciuca, Bogdan Aurescu, Virgil Popescu and Adrian Oros - of the sixteen heard in the committees gained an endorsement from MPs, the rest being refused endorsement.

The partial or integral suspension of classes in several education units in the country due to the flu is currently affecting 16,063 pupils, announced, on Friday, the Ministry of Education and Research. According to the ministry, this figure does not represent the number of ill children.

President Klaus Iohannis proposed the chairman of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Ludovic Orban, once more for the position of Prime Minister. "After consulting all the parties and parliamentary formations, I designate Mr. Ludovic Orban for forming a new Government," announced President Iohannis, at the Cotroceni Palace.

After consultations on Thursday with President Iohannis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, national leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL), freshly dismissed PM Ludovic Orban announced having presented to Iohannis the PNL decision to support the requirements for early elections being met.

Romania has a privileged place in terms of visibility at La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale), Romanian Culture Minister Bogdan Gheorghiu said on Tuesday. "Here, I have two arguments. One would be the visitor inflow, which is a huge one. For instance, last year over 600,000 people visited the Arts Biennale, and two years ago, almost 300,000 persons visited the Architecture Biennale.

The first detachment of troops from the 21st Battalion "Black Vipers" Force Protection arrived in Afghanistan, the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) announced on Tuesday. ''The first 'Black Vipers' have arrived in Afghanistan!

The Government will assume responsibility for the two-round mayoral elections, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced on Thursday. "In the discussions we had (...) we made the decision to assume responsibility before Parliament for the two-round mayoral elections," the Prime Minister said in the Government meeting.

Save Romania Union (USR) officials have announced supporting any political action aimed at repealing special state pensions.

Bucharest, Jan 12 /Agerpres/ - Party of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu urges Prime Minister Ludovic Orban "not to sacrifice Romania's stability and economic growth for a relatively petty political purpose" - the early elections.

Bucharest, Jan 12 /Agerpres/ - Fourteen Romanian gendarmes, who participated for almost 6 months in the NATO mission to advise Afghan public order and security forces, returned home on Sunday.