Victor Ponta Renounces Contested PhD Title
Prime Minister Victor Ponta has sent a letter to the University of Bucharest saying he renounces his PhD title, which he obtained in 2003.
Ponta said in a Facebook post he should have done this a while back, when he was accused of plagiarism in his doctoral thesis but said he didn’t want to mix his political career with his professional one.
He added he wants to go for a new PhD when he leaves politics.
The University said in a response to Ponta it will take all the necessary legal steps regarding his request. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Ludovic Orban Elected Head Of Liberal Group In Chamber Of Deputies
MP Ludovic Orban was elected head of the liberal group in the Chamber of Deputies Tuesday, with 43 votes, after current leader George Scutaru resigned to become a presidential adviser.
Orban competed against MP Mihai Voicu, who got 22 votes.
Also Tuesday, Orban told a news conference he has decided to run for Liberal Party president, after party leader Klaus Iohannis was elected head of state. (Romania Libera)
CNADNR Returns To Transport Ministry
The roads authority CNADNR will return to the authority of the Ministry of Transport, said Alexandru Nastase, head of the Department for Infrastructure Projects and Foreign Investment, which currently coordinates the institution.
“Following talks with the prime minister, probably as of tomorrow, when the ordinance on the new Cabinet is approved, CNADNR will go back to the Ministry of Transport,” said Nastase.
The roads authority was under the Transport Ministry until January 2013. (Adevarul)
One Quarter Of Romanians Buy Clothes Every 2-3 Months
One quarter of Romanians buy clothes every 2-3 months, and prefer shopping malls and big retailers such as H&M, Kenvelo, Zara, C&A and Bershka, according to a GfK study.
Bucharest citizens prefer buying clothes and footwear from shopping malls (45%), unlike the citizens in the big Romanian cities, where only 30% buy clothes from shopping malls, or small towns, where citizens prefer clothing shops or clothing booths.
Bucharest also ranks first by online shopping for clothing and footwear – 11%, compared with only 5% in the rest of the country.
One third of the respondents also stated they are waiting for sales season to buy clothing. (Jurnalul National)
CAROM File: Tender Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison, Marian Iancu To 13
The Bucharest Court sentenced businessman Ovidiu Tender to 11 years and four months in prison and Marian Iancu to 13 years and eight months in the Carom file, on accusations of embezzlement and money laundering.
The court ruling is not final and may be appealed.
Tender and Iancu were indicted in 2006, following an investigation led by the former head of the Department for Organized Crime. Bica is currently under arrest and is being investigated for corruption.
Tender and Iancu are accused of illegal taking control of Carom SA Onesti and defrauding it of RON140 billion by 2003. Before 1990, Carom SA was part of the Onesti Petrochemical Platform. (Evenimentul Zilei)