January 10, 2016 UPDATE

Romanian meteorologists issue warning against heavy precipitation valid until Tuesday/ Tougher asylum laws are likely in Germany/ Bucharest on Vogue's Must-Travel-List

Newsroom, 10.01.2016, 19:00

CHILD WELFARE- The Romanian and Norwegian authorities will continue talks next week on the five children of the Bodnariu family, who have been taken into custody by the Norwegian child welfare services, Barnevernet, after reportedly having been physically disciplined by their parents. Romanias Ambassador to Oslo is due to meet representatives of the Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion on January 13. Also, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that, at its initiative, the Romanian Child Protection Authority has issued a proposal for the Norwegian side to agree with the childrens integration into their uncles family in Romania and is waiting for an answer in the coming days. In turn, the Bodnariu family have contested in court the measures taken by the Norwegian local authorities. Meanwhile, rallies of support for the Bodnariu couple have been staged in several cities across Romania and abroad.

HEAVY PRECIPITATION-The National Meteorological Authority has issued a warning against heavy precipitation valid for western, northern and central Romania until Tuesday morning. Meteorologists forecast very heavy rainfalls in the north, where 25-30 litres are likely to fall per square meter, and even 40-50 litres per square meter, in isolated places. Sleet is expected to fall in the mountains. On Monday, the sky will continue to be overcast in most regions, but temperatures will be higher than usual for this time of the year. The lowest temperatures will range between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, whereas the highs will vary from 6 to 14 degrees Celsius.

EXPULSION– A Jordanian national, Jamal Khalil, was expelled from Romania on Saturday, for national security reasons. The High Court of Cassation and Justice has dismissed the defences appeal against a ruling issued by the Court of Appeals in Bucharest in late 2015. Jamal Khalil has been declared undesirable for 15 years, after the relevant authorities have discovered solid evidence leading to the conclusion that the Jordanian citizen carried out activities which put in jeopardy Romanias national security. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Jamal A. Abdel Jabbar Khalil Shalash, who has been living in Romania since 1991, was monitored by the Service since 2014. The intelligence agency said the Jordanian national was unconditionally supporting the Islamic State terrorist group, for which he was conducting online propaganda campaigns, being willing to get involved in prospective actions targeting Romanias security.

TOUGHER ASYLUM LAWS -
German Justice Minister, Heiko Maas, has said he
believes the sexual assaults and street muggings against women in Cologne on
New Year’s Eve were coordinated and
prepared ahead of time. In an interview with the German newspaper Bild
am Sonntag, Maas has said his suspicion is that a specific date was
picked up, and a certain number of people expected, which adds a whole new
dimension to the investigation. He accused xenophobic organisations of using
these crimes in order to stir up hatred against immigrants. The New Year’s
string of attacks created a shock wave in Germany and magnified criticism
against the openness policy towards migrants, pursued by German chancellor Angela
Merkel. On Saturday, at the end of a political meeting, Merkel stood for
toughening laws to expedite deportation for asylum seekers who commit crimes.

EU-UKRAINE – The EC President, Jean Claude Juncker, stood in favour of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine, ahead of a referendum in the Netherlands, set for April 6, that might block the ratification of the document. In an interview to the Dutch media, the President of the European Commission urged Dutch voters to say “yes in the referendum on the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine. A negative vote is tantamount to a victory scored by Russia and could open the doors to a continental crisis. The Dutch should go to the polls on April 6 and should vote in the referendum as a European strategist, being aware that the agreement is also to the benefit of the Netherlands, says Jean Claude Juncker. The initiators of the referendum say however that a rejection of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine will help stabilise the relations with Russia and calm things down

H-BOMB TEST– North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said the hydrogen bomb test carried by his country is a self-defensive step against a U.S. threat of nuclear war. Kim Jong Un has also said his country has “the legitimate right of a sovereign state to do that and deemed it “a fair action that nobody can criticize, the Korean state news agency has reported. A fourth nuclear test carried out by North Korea on Wednesday angered both China, its main ally, and the United States, who hadn’t been earlier notified of the test, although the U.S. government and weapons experts doubt North Koreas claim that the device was actually a hydrogen bomb, Reuters reports. Analysts believe the test, which produced an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 degrees, too weak for a real hydrogen bomb test, was meant to open the stage for a rare congress of the ruling Workers Party, the first such meeting since 1980. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern, saying it is a provocation to peace and security.

FIRE -
Three people who sustained severe burn injuries in a fire which broke out in a
coffee shop in the capital city of the Republic of Moldova, Chishinau, on
Sunday were flown over to Bucharest by a specially equipped aircraft of the
Romanian Air Forces. 17 people, among whom children, with burns and smoke
inhalation injuries were taken to various hospitals in Chishinau. The authorities
say the fire might have been caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder, but the
circumstances of the accident should still be investigated.

BUCHAREST ON VOGUES “MUST-TRAVEL LIST– Romanias capital city, Bucharest, has been added by the US Vogue Magazine on the “Must-Travel List. In an article posted on the Vogue website, the American journalists present seven urban attractions, to help tourists “discover all of the newness this old city has to offer, as “while the historic wartime architecture remains, Bucharest also upholds a modern, cosmopolitan vibe. These include several bars, coffee shops and stores in the city centre, apart from well-known tourist objectives such as the Romanian Athenaeum or the National Contemporary Art Museum, hosted by the Peoples Palace. One such attraction is considered to be a bar with “an industrial design and an urban vibe, boasting a delicious Italian menu and a club downstairs, “one of the coolest nightclubs and concert venues in the city. Other locations include a coffee shop where they roast their own coffee, “a slightly concealed storefront in an old typography building, that houses some of the worlds coolest fashion labels, or a store which is “the place to visit for exclusive fragrances, niche colognes and obscure scents.

TENNIS– Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, WTA’s no.2, on Tuesday will meet French Caroline Garcia in
the second round of the Sydney Tournament, with 753,000 dollars in prize money
up for grabs. The two tennis
players will be meeting for the first time, with Halep being first seeded. Last week, the Romanian tennis player withdrew
from the Brisbane International, after suffering injuries ahead of a second round
match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who won the tournament.

(Translated and edited by Diana Vijeu)