On Wednesday, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta tendered his resignation, after a deadly nightclub fire last Friday sparked huge protests in Bucharest on Tuesday evening. "I'm handing in my mandate, I'm resigning, and implicitly my government too," Ponta said in a statement. "I hope the government's resignation will satisfy the people who came out in the streets," he added on Romanian TV. Ponta, battling corruption charges filed over the summer, was already widely unpopular before the tragedy at the Colectiv nightclub, but the fire was the catalyst that drew 20,000 people to the streets of Bucharest demanding his resignation. The fire and resulting stampede at Colectiv killed at least 32 people during a rock concert that reportedly included fireworks, and 130 or so people are still hospitalized.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why UK scientists are trying to dim the SunIn The Spotlight The UK has funded controversial geoengineering techniques that could prove helpful in slowing climate change
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's oppositionThe Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
-
How the woke right gained power in the USUnder the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plungeSpeed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm marketsSpeed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eaterySpeed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reportsSpeed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group textSpeed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contemptSpeed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cutsSpeed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deporteeSpeed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
