Radio România Internațional

Tag: terrorism

November 18, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT President Klaus Iohannis is in Tanzania, the second stage of
his African tour which also included Kenya and will take him to the Republic of
Cabo Verde and Senegal. During talks with top level officials, president Iohannis
presents Romania’s outlook on reviving its relations with African countries,
based on the recently adopted national strategy for Africa. On the other hand, the
Romanian official also set out to present Bucharest’s views on regional and
international security, given the country’s proximity to Ukraine. We discussed
ways to manage the multiple consequences of the war, including in terms of
ensuring the food security of countries in Africa, Mr. Iohannis said after the
talks with the president of Tanzania, Samia Hassan. I have presented the
comprehensive political, diplomatic, logistical and administrative measures
taken by Romania to facilitate Ukrainian grain exports, including to the
countries in Africa, he added. Klaus Iohannis is to travel on Monday to Cabo
Verde, to meet with his counterpart José Maria Neves.

ISRAEL We agree on the principle of
no forced displacement of Palestinians and a political horizon based on a
two-state solution, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen
said at the end of a meeting with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
in Cairo on Saturday. In turn, the EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said in a
conference at Manama on Saturday that the Palestinian Authority is the only one
that could govern Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas. News agencies
mention that a week ago the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu raised fresh concerns
with respect to the future of Gaza, stating that the Palestinian Authority in
its current form should not be taking control of the enclave. The German
chancellor Olaf Scholz and Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meeting in
Berlin, voiced their strong disagreement with the war in Gaza. Both Germany and
Turkey are worried about the suffering of the Palestinian people, but while Scholz
spoke about the need for humanitarian pauses in order to provide aid, Erdogan called
for a ceasefire, an option rejected by Israel. On site, Palestinian medical
sources announced that scores of people were killed or wounded on Saturday in Khan
Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, following Israeli air strikes. On Friday
Israel had announced it would expand military operations in the south, after handing
out fliers in Khan Yunis the previous day asking civilians to head for the tent
camps on the sea coast in order to avoid the massive shelling planned by the
army. Israel’s ex-PM Ehud Olmert told Euronews that the Hamas underground
command centre was in Khan Yunis, and not at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

TERRORISM A young Romanian national
from Braşov (central Romania) has been taken into custody for promoting
terrorist propaganda materials, the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime
and Terrorism Offences announced. The young man praised terrorist organisations
from the Middle East on his social media account, and posted instructions for
the production and use of firearms and explosives.

CHRISTMAS In the city of Craiova, southern
Romania, hundreds of people witnessed the nearly 2 million lights of the local
Christmas Fair being turned on Friday night. This year’s fair is themed around
the Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen, and all the decorations are white
and turquoise. A giant Christmas tree, a 40m tall merry-go-round and a skating
rink are the main attractions. Concerts and creative workshops will also be
held here until the 2nd of January. Sibiu, in central Romania, also
opened its Christmas Fair in the city’s main square. For the first time this
year, the Fair includes the courtyard of the Brukenthal Palace, a historical
monument built between 1778 and 1788.

AMBASSADOR The foreign minister Luminiţa
Odobescu Friday received the new British Ambassador to Romania, Giles Portman. On
this occasion, Mrs. Odobescu highlighted the important role of bilateral
cooperation in defence and security and the significant potential in the field
of trade and investments, as well as the substantial contribution of the 1.2
million Romanians living in UK to strengthening the ties between the two
countries. In 2024 Romania will host the second Romania-UK Bilateral Forum,
after the first edition of the event held this March in London. (AMP)

18 November 2023
November 4, 2022 UPDATE

LAW Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis Friday signed into law a bill banning convicted offenders
from running for public offices such as senators, deputies, mayors, chairs or
members of county councils and others. Under the said law, the ban does not
apply in cases involving rehabilitation, amnesty or decriminalisation.

AIRCRAFT Romania has signed an agreement to purchase 32 F-16
fighters from Norway. According to the Defence Ministry, the first aircraft
will be delivered towards the end of next year, and total costs amount to EUR 388
mln. The ministry also explains that the aircraft will be operational and fit
for use for another at least 10 years. The agreement is supported by the US
Government and is a capability transfer between 2 NATO member states, aimed at
enhancing Romania’s defence capacity and at ensuring the country’s contribution
to the collective defence as part of the Alliance. At present the Romanian Air
Forces operate 17 F-16 fighters.

TRADE The volume
of trade exchanges between Romania and Germany in the first 9 months of the
year exceeded EUR 28 bln, 18% higher than in the same period last year, says
the Federal Statistics Office quoted by the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce.
According to the same sources, German exports to Romania stood at roughly EUR 15
bln, while imports exceeded EUR 13 bln, placing Romania on the 19th position in
a ranking by exports and on the 21st position in terms of imports. Federal
authorities have voiced hope that Romania will join the Schengen zone as soon
as possible in what is seen as a strong political signal acknowledging the
country’s positive achievements in terms of European integration.

EXTREMISM The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation condemns the
xenophobic statements made by a Hungarian politician on a visit to Sfântu
Gheorghe (central Romania). Barna Bartha, a Deputy affiliated with the
extremist party Mi Hazánk (Our Motherland) made racist statements concerning
Roma and Jewish people, and threatened Boróka Parászka, a Hungarian ethnic
employed as a journalist with Radio România Tîrgu Mureş. The management of the
Radio Broadcasting Corporation sees these statements as unacceptable and a
serious attack against basic rules of democracy and against the rule of law. PM
Nicolae Ciuca also described the threats against journalist Paraszka Boroka as
a serious attack on democratic values and urged the relevant authorities to
use their legal powers to protect the members of mass media. Mi Hazánk is a
far-right party in Hungary, set up 4 years ago by dissidents from Jobbik party
after its leaders moved away from the organisation’s radical roots.

UKRAINE Some 4.5
million Ukrainians, accounting for one-tenth of the country’s population, were
left without electricity on Thursday night, after Russian attacks on the
country’s energy network. Power went out both in the capital Kyiv and in 10
other regions. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russians
cannot beat Ukraine on the battlefield, so they try to break our people by
resorting to energy terrorism. Meanwhile, Ukraine firmly condemned the
massive displacement of civilians in Russian-controlled Kherson region (south)
for fear of a massive Ukrainian counteroffensive. Civilians were reportedly
also moved in the neighbouring region of Zaporizhzhia and in Crimea, the
peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, as well as in the eastern provinces of Luhansk
and Donetsk, partly controlled by pro-Moscow secessionists. (AMP)

4 November 2022
October 3, 2020 UPDATE

Covid19 RO. According to the
Strategic Communication Group, new Covid-19 records were reported in Romania on
Tuesday: 7733 cases, out of 30,336
tests, and 120 infected people who died in
24 hours, the total number of deaths in Romania reaching 7,273. Since the end
of February, 258,437 cases of people infected with the new coronavirus have
been confirmed in Romania. 181,175 of them have been declared cured. Currently,
11,897 people with COVID-19 are hospitalized in specialized health units, of
whom 974, the largest number so far, are in intensive care. In a press
conference, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has stated that Romania expects
to receive the first tranche of COVID vaccine in the first quarter of next
year, stressing that the first to benefit from vaccination will be those in the
medical system and people at risk, with the vaccination of the entire
population starting in the spring at the earliest.

Pandemic. The total number
of new coronavirus infections has exceeded 47.3 million worldwide, the death
toll has exceeded 1.2 million, and the number of people cured is over 34
million, according to Worldometers.info. The worst affected are the United
States, Brazil and India. Against the background of the resurgence of
coronavirus cases in Europe, several states are introducing new restrictions to
curb the spread. Austria is in partial quarantine for at least four weeks in an
attempt to avoid overloading the health system during a second wave of
coronavirus infections. As of Tuesday, the Thessaloniki and Serres regions of
northern Greece are quarantined for two weeks. Flights to and from Thessaloniki
are suspended and travelling at night is banned, except for well-justified
reasons. Schools remain open. Germany and the United Kingdom have announced
strict isolation measures for at least a month, similar to those in March and
April, with economic activity suspended. Portugal has also imposed a partial
quarantine, with authorities warning that this is just the beginning. France,
Spain and Italy are tightening the restrictions that have already been in place
for several weeks.

Terrorism. The level of
terrorist alert remains ‘blue-cautious’ in Romania, the Romanian Intelligence Service informed on
Tuesday. The October attacks in France (in Paris, Nice and Avignon), as well as
in Austria (in Vienna) on November 2, confirm that the threat to Europe is
current and on an upward trend, even if the continent is faced with a deep
health crisis, reads the service’s Facebook page. The model in recent years has
been maintained: small-scale attacks, with weapons that can be easily procured
(white or firearm), organized by individuals, difficult to identify, who have a
jihadist ideological affiliation, but no proven links with terrorist
organizations. The Romanian Intelligence Service also says that sensitive
issues, such as the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, have once again proved
to be the trigger for a series of attacks, but their real motivation is
jihadist-terrorist, based on the ideology of global jihad, in which the West and Christianity are
considered enemies of the Muslim world. The Vienna attack, committed in a
Central European country free from significant terrorist attacks in recent
history, is a warning that any state in Europe can be a target for terrorists,
the Romanian Intelligence Service also warns.

Cooperation. The mutual
interest of Romania and Israel is to expand and deepen the dialogue in various fields,
said on Tuesday in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, in joint statements
with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Ludovic Orban expressed his gratitude
for the excellent cooperation with the Israeli authorities in the management of
the Covid-19 pandemic and said that, in addition to the health sector, ways to
strengthen the already consistent political dialogue will be explored, with a
view to developing economic relations and strengthening cooperation in the
field of defense and security. A Romanian-Israeli Economic Working Group,
launched a month ago, is already active in sectors such as agriculture, water management
or new technologies, Prime Minister Orban added, also announcing that the
Romanian and Israeli governments will hold
a joint meeting in the first half of next year. Ludovic Orban and Benjamin
Netanyahu signed a Protocol to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion with
regard to income taxes. On Wednesday, the Romanian Prime Minister will be in
Ramallah, where he will discuss with his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad
Shtayyeh means of strengthening
bilateral cooperation.

Moldova. The current Socialist
president of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, announced on Tuesday that he
decided to withdraw the citizenship of the former Romanian Social-Democratic
deputy Cristian Rizea, convicted for corruption. He stated that Rizea should be
deported to Romania, where he received a final sentence of 4 years and 8 months
in prison, in a case in which he was found guilty of influence peddling and
money laundering. The Bucharest press had long stated that Rizea was hiding in
Chisinau, where he had obtained Moldovan citizenship. (M. Ignatescu)

3 November 2020
October 3, 2020 UPDATE

Covid19 RO. According to the
Strategic Communication Group, new Covid-19 records were reported in Romania on
Tuesday: 7733 cases, out of 30,336
tests, and 120 infected people who died in
24 hours, the total number of deaths in Romania reaching 7,273. Since the end
of February, 258,437 cases of people infected with the new coronavirus have
been confirmed in Romania. 181,175 of them have been declared cured. Currently,
11,897 people with COVID-19 are hospitalized in specialized health units, of
whom 974, the largest number so far, are in intensive care. In a press
conference, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has stated that Romania expects
to receive the first tranche of COVID vaccine in the first quarter of next
year, stressing that the first to benefit from vaccination will be those in the
medical system and people at risk, with the vaccination of the entire
population starting in the spring at the earliest.

Pandemic. The total number
of new coronavirus infections has exceeded 47.3 million worldwide, the death
toll has exceeded 1.2 million, and the number of people cured is over 34
million, according to Worldometers.info. The worst affected are the United
States, Brazil and India. Against the background of the resurgence of
coronavirus cases in Europe, several states are introducing new restrictions to
curb the spread. Austria is in partial quarantine for at least four weeks in an
attempt to avoid overloading the health system during a second wave of
coronavirus infections. As of Tuesday, the Thessaloniki and Serres regions of
northern Greece are quarantined for two weeks. Flights to and from Thessaloniki
are suspended and travelling at night is banned, except for well-justified
reasons. Schools remain open. Germany and the United Kingdom have announced
strict isolation measures for at least a month, similar to those in March and
April, with economic activity suspended. Portugal has also imposed a partial
quarantine, with authorities warning that this is just the beginning. France,
Spain and Italy are tightening the restrictions that have already been in place
for several weeks.

Terrorism. The level of
terrorist alert remains ‘blue-cautious’ in Romania, the Romanian Intelligence Service informed on
Tuesday. The October attacks in France (in Paris, Nice and Avignon), as well as
in Austria (in Vienna) on November 2, confirm that the threat to Europe is
current and on an upward trend, even if the continent is faced with a deep
health crisis, reads the service’s Facebook page. The model in recent years has
been maintained: small-scale attacks, with weapons that can be easily procured
(white or firearm), organized by individuals, difficult to identify, who have a
jihadist ideological affiliation, but no proven links with terrorist
organizations. The Romanian Intelligence Service also says that sensitive
issues, such as the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, have once again proved
to be the trigger for a series of attacks, but their real motivation is
jihadist-terrorist, based on the ideology of global jihad, in which the West and Christianity are
considered enemies of the Muslim world. The Vienna attack, committed in a
Central European country free from significant terrorist attacks in recent
history, is a warning that any state in Europe can be a target for terrorists,
the Romanian Intelligence Service also warns.

Cooperation. The mutual
interest of Romania and Israel is to expand and deepen the dialogue in various fields,
said on Tuesday in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, in joint statements
with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Ludovic Orban expressed his gratitude
for the excellent cooperation with the Israeli authorities in the management of
the Covid-19 pandemic and said that, in addition to the health sector, ways to
strengthen the already consistent political dialogue will be explored, with a
view to developing economic relations and strengthening cooperation in the
field of defense and security. A Romanian-Israeli Economic Working Group,
launched a month ago, is already active in sectors such as agriculture, water management
or new technologies, Prime Minister Orban added, also announcing that the
Romanian and Israeli governments will hold
a joint meeting in the first half of next year. Ludovic Orban and Benjamin
Netanyahu signed a Protocol to avoid double taxation and prevent tax evasion with
regard to income taxes. On Wednesday, the Romanian Prime Minister will be in
Ramallah, where he will discuss with his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad
Shtayyeh means of strengthening
bilateral cooperation.

Moldova. The current Socialist
president of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Dodon, announced on Tuesday that he
decided to withdraw the citizenship of the former Romanian Social-Democratic
deputy Cristian Rizea, convicted for corruption. He stated that Rizea should be
deported to Romania, where he received a final sentence of 4 years and 8 months
in prison, in a case in which he was found guilty of influence peddling and
money laundering. The Bucharest press had long stated that Rizea was hiding in
Chisinau, where he had obtained Moldovan citizenship. (M. Ignatescu)

3 November 2020
The scale of terrorism in 2019

People said the attacks in the US 18
years ago would change the world. Almost 3,000 people, including Romanians,
were killed after 19 members of the Al Qaeda network hijacked four passenger
planes on the 11th of September 2001. The attacks were considered
the bloodiest in history and the actions to combat terrorism are far from being
over. The attacks revealed vulnerabilities and changed international politics.
The Romanian army general Decebal Ilina looks at the circumstances in which the
attacks took place in an interview to Radio Romania:

Terrorism is based on the element
of surprise. The first line of defence in the fight against terrorism is
represented by the intelligence services and it turned out that the
intelligence services, although they had the data, were unable to verify and
interpret them. They also had many clues that could have led them to the idea
that an attack against the United States was being planned, but out of naiveté
and for other reasons, they did not act when they should have. The only good
thing that came out of this was that an international coalition of intelligence
services was created in order to combat terrorism, which means that information
is being exchanged and which is a very important thing because each can
contribute certain elements in establishing certain details that can combat
terrorist actions. But looking at how the United States acted, it proved
totally unprepared. From my point of view, history teaches nothing to no one,
but punishes those who haven’t learnt its lessons, in this case failing to take
into account the fact that so many acts of terrorism had taken place in the run
up to 9/11.

Defined as an unconventional combat
tactic, terrorism is based on causing a general state of panic and
intimidation, enhanced by the manipulative use of the media, in order to
achieve a goal that is otherwise hard to achieve through democratic and
conventional means. In the opinion of Decebal Ilina, for all the international
efforts to combat this scourge, including the creation of an anti-terror
international coalition led by the United States, mankind is still far from
finding a solution to reduce the threat of terrorism:

Terrorism has been around since
ancient times. Throughout this period, the international community has focused
on combating the effects of these cases of terrorism and less or not at all on
combating the causes. For people are not born terrorists, women don’t give
birth to terrorists, but to free children, to free human beings. These people
become terrorists because of conditions, the environment in which they live. I
believe this world could be much better if we replaced these bellicose actions,
war, with diplomacy. I believe president Trump is doing the right thing by
engaging in dialogue and considering the withdrawal of American troops from
most conflicts initiated by his predecessors.

Statistics showed a few years ago
that the number of terrorist attacks was on the rise, with most attacks taking
place in South-East Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and western Europe, in
France and Belgium. The Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney centralised
the data for 2014, for example, which show that more than 32,000 people were
killed in attacks, 80% more than in the previous year. The countries most
affected by terrorism are Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan and Syria. More
than half of the victims are blamed on the Islamic State and the Boko Haram
terrorist networks, the latter being an African terrorist group that operates
mostly in Nigeria. Al Qaeda was also still a threat to be taken seriously. The
number of the victims of terrorism diminished, however, considerably in the
world in 2018.

In an interview to Deutsche Welle, terrorism
expert Matthew Henman explained the causes of this and why we shouldn’t be
overly optimistic. He said that between 2016 and 2017, the number of terrorist
attacks increased dramatically due to the clashes with the Islamic State over
control of territories in Iraq and Syria, in the cities of Mosul and Raqqa as
well as other regions. Matthew Henman says such fights over the control of
larger urban settlements were no longer waged in 2018. He believes the drop in
the number of attacks in Syria and Iraq were the most important factor
contributing to the diminution of terrorist attacks in the world. This is
explained first of all by the weakening of the Islamic State. It would be a
grave mistake, however, Henman says, to believe that the Islamic State has been
defeated. The threat still exists and the Islamic State terrorists are still
active, not only in Iraq and Syria, but also Afghanistan, West Africa, Yemen,
Somalia and South-East Asia. Only the threat posed by the Taliban is close to
that posed by the Islamic State. In 2018, the number of victims caused by these
extremists doubled compared with the previous year, and there were many victims
among the security forces in Afghanistan. Since the beginning of this year,
almost 200 people were killed and some 900 wounded in terrorist attacks in
Kabul alone.

27 September 2019
March 11, UPDATE

BUDGET The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis Monday signed into law the 2019 social security budget bill. As regards the state budget bill, he asked MPs to reanalyse it thoroughly. The head of state once again criticised the Government led by the Social Democrats. The two-chamber Parliament in Bucharest will re-discuss the 2019 budget bill this week at the request of president Iohannis. The government majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats say they won’t make any changes to the bill because its current provisions ensure the necessary resources in the important sectors of the economy. The opposition say, however, that the budget cannot come into force in its current version, which is one of stagnation and under-development. Once the bill returns to the president, the latter has to sign it into law. He sent the bill back to Parliament after the Constitutional Court dismissed his objections regarding the way the bill was drawn up. The government say Iohannis’ move is a political gesture ahead of the presidential elections later this year.

GOVERNMENT The agenda of Tuesdays Cabinet meeting includes several draft resolutions, including one that concerns a financing contract with the European Investment Bank for the rehabilitation of the healthcare sector and another one concerning the organisation and functioning of the National Authority for Child Protection and Adoption. A bill ratifying the agreement signed by Romania and Hungary in October 2018 on the mutual protection of classified information is also on the agenda. Viorica Dăncilăs Cabinet will also discuss a memorandum on the negotiation of a 177-million euro loan agreement between Romania and the Council of Europe Development Bank for a project aimed at upgrading Romanias judicial infrastructure.

JUDICIARY The independence of the Romanian judiciary must not be affected, and the fight against corruption must carry on, said the first vice-president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, on Monday. He added he did not notice any progress since the latest Cooperation and Verification Mechanism report on Romania, and that he would like EC experts and the Government of Romania to discuss the issues that need to be settled. The European official was granted the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the National School of Political and Administrative Studies. In his address on this occasion, Frans Timmermans spoke about the rule of law, which he believes is one of the decisive topics for the future of Europe.

COMMEMORATION The European Day of Remembrance for the victims of terrorism is commemorated every year on March 11, under a European Parliament resolution. The original proposal was September 11, the day of the largest-scale terror attacks in the world (USA, 2001), but the 4 attacks perpetrated in Madrid, in the morning of March 11, 2004, which left behind 192 dead, including 16 Romanians, and nearly 2,000 wounded from 17 countries, prompted the change of date. Fifteen years ago, in Madrid, 4 commuter trains were blown up by members of a Jihadi cell inspired by the Al Qaida terrorist network. Three attackers were caught and sentenced to thousands of years behind bars. This was the most severe terrorist attack in Spain, and it made the country pull out its troops from Iraq.

VOTERS The total number of eligible voters in Romania included in the Electoral Registry on February 28, 2019 was 18,937,258, the Permanent Electoral Authority announced on Monday. At the previous public announcement on the topic, made late last year, the Electoral Registry counted 18,937,058 Romanian voters. The variation comes as a result of changes reported by mayors as regards the number of voters in their localities, and of data imports from the Directorate for Personal Records and Database Management. Of the total number of Romanian voters in the Electoral Registry, 18,266,936 have their declared residence in Romania, and 670,322 abroad.

BOEING Boeing stock opened 11% down on Monday, after China, Indonesia and Ethiopia requested airlines to ground the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, after a second deadly crash in 5 months. If the same level is reported on closing time, this will be the most severe fall for Boeing shares in nearly 2 decades, ending an upward trend that tripled the share value in little over 3 years, to a record-high 446 US dollars last week. A Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines, heading for Nairobi, went down within minutes after take-off in Addis Ababa, on Sunday, and all the 157 passengers died. The same plane model, operated by Lion Air, had crashed off the Indonesian coast in October, killing all the 189 people on board. Both planes were new and crashed just minutes into the flight.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

11 March 2019
23 March 2018, UPDATE

Brexit. The Brexit negotiations are moving in a
very good direction for Romania, said president Klaus Iohannis on Friday after
a European Council meeting in Brussels. He said an agreement had been reached
so far on the rights of the EU citizens already in the UK and of those who
enter the UK during the transition period. Bucharest also sees as satisfactory
the negotiated financial agreement, president Iohannis added. These statements
were made after the EU leaders discussed the agreement of the European
Commission with the UK authorities on the general principles of the post-Brexit
transition period, between March 2019 and December 2020. The meeting also
discussed the recent measures taken by the US to impose new steel and aluminium
tariffs and the relationship between the European Union and Turkey and that
between the UK and Russia in the wake of the poisoning of the former Russian
spy Sergei Skripal.

Letter.
President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday in Brussels that he had talks with the
head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker about the letter sent by
Romania’s prime minister Viorica Dancila on the subject of high-level
corruption cases. Iohannis said he asked the EU Commission president Juncker to
treat with all seriousness the letter received from prime minister Dancila,
amid legitimate public concerns in Romania. In her letter, Dancila requested
explanations after the national media published a European Commission document
from October 2012 requiring the justice ministry in Bucharest to provide
details from ongoing cases involving politicians and business people. Dancila
says she received information that the European Commission made similar
requests between 2012 and 2018. Dancila says this is not in agreement with the
Cooperation and Verification Mechanism through which the European Union has
been monitoring the progress of the judicial system in Romania since the latter
entered the Union in 2007.

France attack.The Romanian government has firmly condemned
Friday’s terrorist attacks in southern France and expressed compassion and
solidarity with the French people and the victims’ families. Three people were
killed and two wounded in three attacks carried out by a man who declared his
affiliation to the Islamic State. The perpetrator was killed when the security
forces stormed a supermarket in Trebes where the former had taken hostage a
gendarme. President Emmanuel Macron said the security forces acted quickly and
in a coordinated manner. France Presse news agency notes that the jihadist
threat is still high in France, which saw a series of attacks in 2015 and 2016
that killed more than 240 people.

Blast. The minister for Romanians
abroad Natalia Intotero said on Friday that she would travel to the Czech
Republic to be with the families of the Romanian nationals killed in an
incident at a chemical plant. 5 of the 6 people killed in an explosion in the
north of the Czech Republic are Romanian citizens, according to the Romanian
Foreign Ministry. The Czech authorities have started an investigation into the
blast and are also considering the possibility of irregularities in terms of
labour safety. A mobile consular team with the Romanian embassy in Prague went
to the hospitals where the wounded people were taken to identify other Romanian
citizens among the victims. The Foreign Ministry officials have expressed
compassion for the loss of human lives and have conveyed condolences to the
families of the people killed. The Romanian Embassy in the Czech Republic is
monitoring the situation and is ready to provide consular assistance, including
with the repatriation of the victims’ bodies.

Tennis. World no. 1 Simona
Halep and world no. 70 Monica Niculescu, both from Romania, on Saturday play
the third round of the tennis tournament in Miami, the US, worth 8 million
dollars in prize money. Halep faces Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska, while Niculescu
faces the 13th seed Sloane Stephens of the US. In the men’s draw,
Marius Copil, who is no. 84 in the world, will face Russia’s Karen Khachanov,
world no. 41.

Football. Romania play Israel on Saturday and Sweden on Tuesday in
two friendly matches as part of their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. The
Romanian manager Cosmin Contra has named a 27-squad for these games, 16 of whom
play abroad and 11 in the domestic championship. Sweden are currently on the 18th
place in the UEFA ranking, Romania on the 41st and Israel on the 94th.
We recall that Romania have not qualified for this year’s World Cup hosted by
Russia.

23 March 2018
January 28, 2018 UPDATE

GOVERNMENT – The ministers nominated to be part of the new Cabinet in Bucharest Sunday took part in a meeting with the MPs of the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, and the PM designate Viorica Dăncilă presented some of the measures included in the governing programme, including the pension law and the education law. The new government also intends to scrap several taxes. The meeting took place ahead of Mondays vote in Parliament on the validation of the new government. Before the vote, the ministers will also be heard by the specialised parliamentary committees. This is the 3rd cabinet backed by the ruling coalition in the past year. The new team, headed by the MEP Viorica Dăncilă, will include 27 ministers and 4 deputy PM, one more than the outgoing Mihai Tudose cabinet. Also on Sunday, the leaders of the National Liberal Party in opposition convened to define the partys strategy for the new parliamentary session and with respect to the validation of the Dăncilă government. The Liberals have announced they would vote against candidates proposed by the Social Democrats and ALDE. Also in opposition, Save Romania Union announced they would give no votes in favour of the Dancila Cabinet. The head of Save Romania Union, Dan Barna, said on Sunday that the governing team proposed by the ruling coalition was the weakest in the past few years.

EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER – The European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, will be on an official visit to Romania on Monday and Tuesday. She is scheduled to have a meeting with the PM designate Viorica Dăncilă, to discuss European funding. Corina Creţu will take part in a conference, jointly with the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, and will receive a diploma from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. The European official will also be the host of the award ceremony of 2017 European Reporter and Blogger competition.

DATA PROTECTION – The European Data Protection Day was celebrated on January 28. In May this year a new European regulation will take effect in this field, replacing national laws and introducing elements designed to consolidate the rights of individuals. The regulation lays emphasis on the obligations of data operators. Companies will be bound to nominate officers in charge of data protection, otherwise they risk fines of up to 10 million euros in the private sector. In the public sector, penalties will be set by national regulations. For misdeeds like data security breaches, fines may reach 20 million euros for the private sector. The new rule was adopted by the European Parliament and Council in April 2016.

TERRORISM – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has strongly criticised the terrorist attack that killed more than 100 people and wounded another 200 in Afganistans capital city Kabul on Saturday. Bucharest expressed solidarity with the Afghan people and authorities, and reiterated Romanias firm commitment to the fight against international terrorism. The attack, claimed by the Taliban, is one of the most violent Kabul has seen in recent years. Afghanistan declared a day of national mourning on Sunday for the victims of the attack.

RUSSIA – The leader of the Russian opposition, Alexei Navalny, was arrested on Sunday after he joined the protests in Moscow against Russias presidential election due on March 18, which Vladimir Putin is the most likely to win. Russian police forces Sunday raided the campaign headquarters of Putins main critic, Aleksei Navalny, and questioned and arrested members of his team, according to sources close to Navalny. Russian election authorities ruled that Navalny cannot run in the March ballot because of a previous suspended sentence for embezzlement. A long-time and well-known opponent of President Vladimir Putin, Navalny denied any irregularities and said the accusations against him were political. He was also arrested several times for illegal organisation of protests.

HANDBALL – Romanias mens handball team will take on Macedonia in the playoffs for the 2018 World Championship, as decided in a drawing in Zagreb. The final tournament will be hosted by Germany and Denmark between January 10 and 27. The mens team last took part in a World Championship final tournament in 2011. In other news, 3 Romanian womens handball teams won matches in European competitions over the weekend. HC Zalău managed its 3rd running victory in the EHF Cup, at home on Saturday, 31-28, against the Czech team DHK Banik Most, in the competitions Group D. In Group A, SCM Craiova defeated the Russian side Kuban Krasnodar, 30-24, also on Saturday. On Friday, the champions CSM Bucharest outplayed 28-22 at home, the Hungarian team Gyor Audi ETO KC, in the first match in the Champions League main groups. CSM tops the standings with 8 points, followed by Gyor, 6 points. In 2016 CSM won the trophy, while Gyor are the defending European champions.

TENNIS – The Romanians Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu will take part in the WTA tournament in Sankt Petersburg, with 733,900 US dollars in total prize money. Simona Halep, who lost the Australian Open final on Saturday, has withdrawn from the competition. The Melbourne winner, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the new World No. 1, will be the top seed in Sankt Petersburg. Sorana Cîrstea will play in the first round against Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia), and Irina Begu will face a player coming from the qualification round.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

28 January 2018
Bloody Show in Manchester

For decades, Britain managed to stay unharmed by deadly terrorist attacks, but this year the country has twice been the target of bloody incidents. The latest one, occurring in Manchester, in the north-west of England, has been termed by the Prime Minister Theresa May as “an appalling terrorist attack. Dozens of people, including children, were killed or wounded in the blast that occurred at Manchester Arena, the biggest concert hall in Europe, at the end of a show given by the American singer Ariana Grande.

The British Cabinet convened in an emergency session on Tuesday. Also, both Prime Minister May and the leader of the Labour opposition Jeremy Corbyn decided to postpone their campaigns for the early parliamentary elections, scheduled for June 8th. As a bizarre coincidence, the tragedy in Manchester occurred exactly two months after the attack in London, when a British citizen, converted to Islam, ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, then rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament, stabbing a plain-clothes policeman. In total, five people died, including a Romanian citizen, and another 50 were wounded.

In the aftermath of the attack in Manchester, countries around the world, including Romania, have sent messages of condolences and sympathy. Romanias President Klaus Iohannis has voiced his indignation and sadness and Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has stated that “all our thoughts go to the victims and the families of those who have been affected. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has expressed regrets too and voiced solidarity with the British people.

In another move, after the attack in Manchester and a few days after the US President Donald Trump called for an intensification of the fight against terrorism, the New York authorities tightened security measures in areas seen as sensitive. During his formal visit to Saudi Arabia last week, the US President called on the Muslim leaders to eliminate jihadists from their countries. Also in Riad, the US and the Arab monarchies in the Gulf Area announced the setting up of a center aimed to fight against the funding sources that terrorism relies on. (Translated by M. Ignatescu)

23 May 2017
May 21, 2017 UPDATE

LEGISLATION — The draft law on the unified pay scale, stipulating an increase of public sector salaries in several stages until 2022, will be discussed by Senate on Monday. Previously, the Senate’s Labour Committee included a number of amendments, including a 25% pay increase for local elected officials who implement EU funded projects and a 15% bonus for civil servants working with the institutions subordinated to the Environment Ministry. The bill provides for salary increases, in some cases going as far as by 200%, in all sectors.

HEARINGS — A parliamentary committee that probes into the presidential election of 2009 is to start hearings on Monday, and the first to be heard is the journalist and former political adviser Dan Andronic. He has recently stated that the heads of major public institutions at that time, including the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office, influenced the outcome of the vote to the benefit of Traian Basescu. The latter won a second presidential term in office in 2009, after a very narrow victory against the Social Democrat Mircea Geoana. Prosecutors have initiated criminal proceedings in this case, for suspected abuse of office and forgery of documents and election records.

EU — The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Ana Birchall, takes part in Brussels on Monday in a meeting of the General Affairs Council held in an EU27 format, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The participants will adopt a decision authorising the opening of the Brexit negotiations with the UK and nominating the Commission as the EU negotiator, and will endorse negotiating directives. On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Ana Birchall will have talks with her Estonian counterpart, Matti Maasikas, about the priorities of the Estonian presidency of the EU Council and the main topics of discussion at EU level. The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs mentioned that Bucharest attaches great importance to protecting the rights and interests of the Romanians living in UK.

INTERNATIONAL — The USA and the Arab monarchies in the Gulf region Sunday announced the set-up of a centre to fight against the financing sources that terrorism relies on. The announcement came during the visit of US President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia, as a stage in his first international tour. In an address to leaders from over 40 Muslim and Arab countries given in Riyadh on Sunday, Trump called on Muslim countries not to give safe haven to terrorists. On Saturday, the first day of his visit, the USA and Saudi Arabia signed contracts of 380 billion US dollars, mainly in the oil sector and in arms procurement.

TENNIS — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 4 in the world, Sunday lost the final of the Rome tournament, which had 2.7 million US dollars in total prize money. Halep lost the final to the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, no. 11 WTA. Last week the Romanian won the tournament in Madrid for the second consecutive year. The Rome final was the 24th played so far by Halep, who has won 15 tournaments in her career.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

21 May 2017
Romanians, victims of terror attacks

An increasing number of Romanians has recently fallen victims to terror attacks in various parts of the world, attacks that have become much more frequent in the past 16 years. In recent years however terrorists have seemingly changed their tactics and manner of operating. If until now their favorite weapons were the more sophisticated and lethal types, such as explosives and assault rifles, in the past two years terror masterminds used vehicles to mow down pedestrians in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.

Among their latest victims is Andreea Cristea, a 31-year old Romanian killed in the terror attack on the Westminster Bridge in London two weeks ago. Andreea Cristea fell off the bridge after the attacker, a radical Islamist born in Britain, had rammed his vehicle into the pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The second Romanian tourist injured in London, Andreea’s partner, left the hospital shortly after the attack. Another Romanian was admitted to hospital with double leg fracture in the aftermath of the latest terror attack in Sweden.

The 83 year-old woman was hit by fragments of concrete projected by a lorry used by a terrorist to mow down pedestrians in Stockholm. Other Romanians have become victims of terrorism as well, although Romania has not been targeted directly. The first Romanians to fall victims of terror were four people killed in the 2001 attacks, the ones that were said to have changed the world. Three years later, 16 Romanians were killed in the bomb attacks in Madrid. Many other countries from Europe and other continents have become targets of bloody attacks masterminded by terror networks such as Al Qaeda, ISIS and their radical sympathizers. Two Romanians were killed and two others were injured in the 2015 November attack in Paris.

In March 2016, Brussels, the EU’s administrative capital and the city hosting NATO’s headquarters, became the scene of bomb attacks targeting the underground and the airport. 4 Romanians were injured in the attacks in Brussels. Last year a Romanian was killed and another one injured in the attack in Nice, France. Such acts of terror targeting innocent people have no justification, the authorities in Bucharest have repeatedly underscored, recalling that Romania remains firmly committed to combating all forms of terrorism reiterating the need for concerted international efforts to fight the scourge. World leaders have voiced compassion for the victims and also determination to put an end to terrorism.

(Translated by Daniel Bilt)

10 April 2017
April 7, 2017 UPDATE

STOCKHOLM ATTACK – The
Romanian Foreign Ministry is harshly condemning the Stockholm terror attack on
Friday, when a truck rammed into pedestrians, in a main shopping street,
leaving dead and wounded. The Romanian Foreign Ministry sends a message of
condolences to the families of the victims and expresses solidarity with the
Swedish people. Also, the ministry reiterates Romania’s firm commitment to
combating all forms of terrorism. Swedish PM Stefan
Löfven has said there are many elements, which indicate the incident was a
terror attack. The city centre was secured and subway traffic was brought to a
halt in Stockholm on Friday.

LONDON – Romanias ambassador to London has confirmed the death of the Romanian national who sustained serious injuries in the attack on the 22nd of March in the British capital and who had been in hospital for two weeks. The 31-year-old woman fell into the River Thames when the perpetrator of the attack rammed his car into pedestrians on the Westminster bridge. Her partner, who was the second Romanian national wounded in the incident, was released from hospital soon after the attack. The Romanian woman is the fifth victim of the attack. The British-born attacker, who became an adherent to radical Islam, was shot dead by the security forces near the British Parliament. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

SYRIA – The United States launched cruise missiles on a Syrian airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack a few days ago which killed tens of civilians in north-western Syria, and which Washington blames on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. The airbase, from where the chemical attack is believed to have been launched, was almost entirely destroyed. US President Donald Trump said he ordered the strike because the Assad regime used chemical weapons against innocent people, violating international conventions. The great powers reacted differently to the US action. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said the US military strikes in Syria are an act of aggression against a sovereign state and will hinder the creation of an international coalition to combat terrorism. Also, Russia announced it suspended the air-safety deal with the US, an agreement aimed at minimizing risks of in-flight incidents between Russian and US-led-coalition aircraft in Syria and an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held at Russia’s request. Several countries, including Britain, France and Israel, have announced support for the US intervention. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said President Bashar al-Assad carries full responsibility for the US air strikes. In Brussels, the EU has announced that it will work with the US to end the brutalities in Syria. In turn, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said the US’ action is a firm reaction to the chemical weapon attack and reiterated Romania’s solidarity with its allies and partners.

PRESIDENCY – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday sent a letter to the two Speakers of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament, in which he requests to address a plenary session of Parliament, on May 9. In the letter, the President underlines that he would like to send a message on the 140th anniversary of the proclamation of Romanias state independence, and also on the occasion of the Europe Day. The previous address by the President in Parliament was made in February and it was devoted to the state budget.

DIPLOMACY – Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, paid
a two-day official visit to Bratislava as of Thursday, on the invitation of his
Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajčák. The Romanian officials was also received
by President Andrej Kiska and met with the president of the Slovakia-Romanian parliamentary
friendship group, Jana Laššáková. The Romanian foreign minister underlined the importance
of strengthening the politic-diplomatic bilateral dialogue. The agenda of the
talks also included European issues of common interest, such as the future of
the EU, Brexit, energy security and the migration crisis.

BORDER SECURITY – The Romanian border police on Friday tightened controls on entering and exiting the country, with all persons crossing the border being checked against relevant national and international databases. The measure comes after the enforcement of the changes to the Schengen Border Code adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council and meant to improve the security of the European Union and its citizens. The Romanian border police say they have taken every measure to reduce waiting time and ensure operative control and strike a balance between citizen security and the traffic flow.

CONFERENCE ON DEMOCRACY – Law
experts from Romania, France, Greece, Hungary, Georgia, Poland and Turkey
attending an international conference on democracy in Bucharest on Friday
discussed the relationship between the political majority and the opposition,
on the second and final day of the conference. The around 100 participants
presented their own countries’ experience in managing the most difficult aspects
of the interaction between the majority and the opposition and analysed the
democratic instruments and processes. At the end of the conference, the Venice
Commission drew up a report containing guidelines on how the political majority
should behave and interact with the opposition. The event was organised by the
Presidential Administration and the Venice Commission, with support from the
Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.

7 April 2017
April 7, 2017 UPDATE

STOCKHOLM ATTACK – The
Romanian Foreign Ministry is harshly condemning the Stockholm terror attack on
Friday, when a truck rammed into pedestrians, in a main shopping street,
leaving dead and wounded. The Romanian Foreign Ministry sends a message of
condolences to the families of the victims and expresses solidarity with the
Swedish people. Also, the ministry reiterates Romania’s firm commitment to
combating all forms of terrorism. Swedish PM Stefan
Löfven has said there are many elements, which indicate the incident was a
terror attack. The city centre was secured and subway traffic was brought to a
halt in Stockholm on Friday.

LONDON – Romanias ambassador to London has confirmed the death of the Romanian national who sustained serious injuries in the attack on the 22nd of March in the British capital and who had been in hospital for two weeks. The 31-year-old woman fell into the River Thames when the perpetrator of the attack rammed his car into pedestrians on the Westminster bridge. Her partner, who was the second Romanian national wounded in the incident, was released from hospital soon after the attack. The Romanian woman is the fifth victim of the attack. The British-born attacker, who became an adherent to radical Islam, was shot dead by the security forces near the British Parliament. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

SYRIA – The United States launched cruise missiles on a Syrian airbase in response to a chemical weapons attack a few days ago which killed tens of civilians in north-western Syria, and which Washington blames on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. The airbase, from where the chemical attack is believed to have been launched, was almost entirely destroyed. US President Donald Trump said he ordered the strike because the Assad regime used chemical weapons against innocent people, violating international conventions. The great powers reacted differently to the US action. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said the US military strikes in Syria are an act of aggression against a sovereign state and will hinder the creation of an international coalition to combat terrorism. Also, Russia announced it suspended the air-safety deal with the US, an agreement aimed at minimizing risks of in-flight incidents between Russian and US-led-coalition aircraft in Syria and an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was held at Russia’s request. Several countries, including Britain, France and Israel, have announced support for the US intervention. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said President Bashar al-Assad carries full responsibility for the US air strikes. In Brussels, the EU has announced that it will work with the US to end the brutalities in Syria. In turn, the Romanian Foreign Ministry said the US’ action is a firm reaction to the chemical weapon attack and reiterated Romania’s solidarity with its allies and partners.

PRESIDENCY – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday sent a letter to the two Speakers of the two chambers of the Romanian Parliament, in which he requests to address a plenary session of Parliament, on May 9. In the letter, the President underlines that he would like to send a message on the 140th anniversary of the proclamation of Romanias state independence, and also on the occasion of the Europe Day. The previous address by the President in Parliament was made in February and it was devoted to the state budget.

DIPLOMACY – Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu, paid
a two-day official visit to Bratislava as of Thursday, on the invitation of his
Slovak counterpart, Miroslav Lajčák. The Romanian officials was also received
by President Andrej Kiska and met with the president of the Slovakia-Romanian parliamentary
friendship group, Jana Laššáková. The Romanian foreign minister underlined the importance
of strengthening the politic-diplomatic bilateral dialogue. The agenda of the
talks also included European issues of common interest, such as the future of
the EU, Brexit, energy security and the migration crisis.

BORDER SECURITY – The Romanian border police on Friday tightened controls on entering and exiting the country, with all persons crossing the border being checked against relevant national and international databases. The measure comes after the enforcement of the changes to the Schengen Border Code adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council and meant to improve the security of the European Union and its citizens. The Romanian border police say they have taken every measure to reduce waiting time and ensure operative control and strike a balance between citizen security and the traffic flow.

CONFERENCE ON DEMOCRACY – Law
experts from Romania, France, Greece, Hungary, Georgia, Poland and Turkey
attending an international conference on democracy in Bucharest on Friday
discussed the relationship between the political majority and the opposition,
on the second and final day of the conference. The around 100 participants
presented their own countries’ experience in managing the most difficult aspects
of the interaction between the majority and the opposition and analysed the
democratic instruments and processes. At the end of the conference, the Venice
Commission drew up a report containing guidelines on how the political majority
should behave and interact with the opposition. The event was organised by the
Presidential Administration and the Venice Commission, with support from the
Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly.

7 April 2017
Civilians, innocent victims of terrorism

The Syrian opposition, in open
conflict with President Bashar-al-Assad’s regime, claims that the latter is
behind Tuesday’s chemical attack in the north-west of the country, which killed
scores of people, including children. On the other hand, hints coming from
Moscow, a supporter of Assad, suggest that the terror groups operating in the
region are in fact responsible for the tragedy. According to the Russians,
after the attack, the Syrian air forces bombed a warehouse used by the
insurgents where toxic substances were stored.

Caught in the crossfire, both literally
and figuratively speaking, innocent civilians die every day, falling victim to
a complex conflict that seems impossible to solve. The Syrian civil war has
been going on for six years without any indication that a solution is anywhere
in sight. Nearly 5 million Syrians have fled the country, including to Europe,
and more than 250,000 have been killed.

Several thousand kilometers up
north, in Russia’s second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, many families are
also mourning the victims of Monday’s terrible metro attack. The perpetrator, a
22-year old Kyrgyz, used two improvised explosive devices, one of which was
detonated in a carriage on the move between two central stations, while the
second, which had been left in another station, was safely defused.

The President of Romania Klaus
Iohannis sent a letter of condolence to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin,
reading We would like to convey our sincere condolences to you, the Russian
people and the mourning families following the outrageous attack at the Saint
Petersburg metro, which made victims among the civilian population, ending
innocent lives and severely wounding other passengers. Our compassion goes out
to the victims’ grief-stricken families, whose sorrow we share, and to the
wounded, whom we wish a speedy recovery. Klaus Iohannis also reiterates the
importance of carrying on the joint and coordinated efforts to fight the
scourge of terrorism and violent extremism, to prevent and combat it.

No country in the world, no matter
how developed, has ever been capable of overcoming terrorism on its own. Cities
like Paris, Nice, Berlin and London, in countries like France, Germany and the
UK, are as many spots on the distressing map of recent terror attacks, in which
Romanian citizens, whether tourists or residents, were also among the victims.
Expressions of compassion and solidarity are, of course, important. But it is
even more important to take concrete action against terrorism, a rare
occurrence in Europe until a few years ago.

For the time being, following the
attack in Saint Petersburg, the leaders of Russia, France and Germany agreed to
improve communication and the exchange of intelligence between their secret
services in this respect.

5 April 2017
January 2, 2017

IRAQ – French President Francois Hollande said Monday during a visit to Iraq that “supporting military operations against the Islamic State group is key to preventing terror attacks at home”. Hollande made this statement as part of a speech he delivered at a base of Iraqs elite Counter-Terrorism Service near Baghdad. Around 500 French soldiers are part of the international coalition fighting against Islamic State. In another development, at least 30 people have been killed today is an attack committed in a crowded area in Baghdad.

TAX CUTS – In Romania, the price of petrol and Diesel oil have decreased as of January 1st, 2017, following a cut in the VAT, which was set at 19%, and in other taxes. Under the new Fiscal Code, which entered into force on Sunday, the tax on special constructions was also ditched. 2017 is the year when the liberalisation of the price of natural gas and electricity for household consumers is to be completed, resulting in smaller bills for Romanians. Moreover, the gross minimum salary is likely to be increased by the new government, to the approximate level of 320 euros, starting February 1st. Also at the beginning of February, pensioners will no longer have to pay health insurance contributions pensions smaller than 440 euros will be exempted from taxation. Salaries in the public administration will also be increased and the price of medicines will go down by 35%.

ISTANBUL – Turkish police are further looking for the man who committed an attack in Istanbul on New Year’s Eve. Some 39 people were killed, of whom 15 foreign nationals, and another 60 wounded in a bloody shooting at a nightclub in the Turkish capital city. Islamic State claimed the attack. The Romanian Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and reiterated Romania’s participation in the fight against terrorism, reaffirming the need for enhanced international efforts to put an end to this plague. Presidential advisor for foreign policy, Bogdan Aurescu, has condemned the attack in Istanbul and conveyed condolences to the victims’ families. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack was aimed at destabilizing the country and creating chaos, adding that Turkey will fight terrorism to the end in an effort to destroy its root causes.

GOVERNMENT – The Romanian Parliament will initiate procedures on Tuesday with a view to installing the Cabinet led by the new PM Sorin Grindeanu. The new government will be sworn in on Wednesday. Sorin Grindeanu is the second proposal for prime minister made by the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, which hold the majority in Parliament, after the first nominee, Sevil Shhaideh, was not endorsed. Sorin Grindeanu, aged 43, is the president of Timis County Council and was Minister of Communication in the Ponta cabinet.

EXPULSION – The plane carrying thirty-five Russian diplomats expelled from the United States by President Barack Obama has landed in Moscow. The plane had taken off from Washington DC on Sunday with all the affected personnel and their families aboard. On December 29th President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion in response to alleged hacking of some American political institutions.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep number four in the world, has today defeated Jelena Jankovic of Serbia (54 WTA), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the first round of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China, totalling over 600,000 dollars in prize money. Halep will next play against the winner of the game between Shuai Peng of China and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic. Romanian Monica Niculescu (38 WTA) on Sunday qualified to the round of 16 of the after defeating Kai-Lin Zhang of China (134 WTA). Also on Sunday, another Romanian player, Sorana Carstea (79 WTA) defeated Kristina Kucova of Slovakia (81 WTA) and advanced to the next stage.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

2 January 2017