NEWS OF THE DAY - AUGUST 19

Businessman Dinu Patriciu has died in London, where he was receiving medical care after the liver transplant procedure he underwent a year and a half ago in Milan, Italy. Medical sources have stated for AGERPRES that most probably, "his death came as a consequence of post-transplant complications".

* Former President of Romanian Ion Iliescu stated, on Tuesday, that he met the late Dinu Patriciu immediately after the Revolution, in the period before the elections of May 1990, when he, together with Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, represented a group of young National Liberal Party (PNL) leaders, that accompanied the "older generation" formed by Radu Campeanu and Mircea Ionescu Quintus. Iliescu described Patriciu as "a civilized man, a balanced man, a man with an active position, a man of dialogue". The former president also noted that, during meetings with representatives of political parties, he had continued to see Dinu Patriciu after the May 2009 elections, given that he was one of the most appreciated Liberal leaders.

* Businessman Viorel Catarama announced at a news conference on Tuesday that he will no longer run for President of Romania in this November's polls. "I give up my candidacy for President of Romania and I throw my support behind Mr Cristian Diaconescu", Catarama said in speaking of the former People's Movement Party presidential contender.

* Dan Voiculescu, a formally retired media and business tycoon currently serving a 10-year prison sentence has filed a challenge at the Court of Appeals of Bucharest, asking for the cancellation of the verdict in the case of the privatization of the Foodstuff Research Institute (ICA). The first hearing of the challenge filed on Monday is scheduled on October 14. Meanwhile...