March 12, 2017 UPDATE
Diplomatic dispute between the Netherlands and Turkey/ World Day against Cyber Censorship marked on March 12/ US ambassador to Romania states the objectives of his mandate
Newsroom, 12.03.2017, 18:26
Diplomatic dispute — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for international sanctions against the Dutch government after it prevented two Turkish ministers from addressing Turkish expatriates in Rotterdam. Erdogan said the Netherlands acted like a ‘banana republic’ and criticized the EU states for not having condemned the attitude of the Dutch authorities. The Turkish government is trying to persuade the Turkish expatriates in Europe to vote “YES” in the referendum scheduled for April, which is about enhancing the constitutional prerogatives of the president. The Dutch government explained that such meetings generated tensions only a few days ahead of the general elections in the Netherlands. The Dutch police used water cannons to disperse the about 1,000 people who came to protest outside the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam against the decision of the Dutch authorities. Protests also took place in front of the Dutch Embassy in Ankara. For a short period of time, a Turkish flag replaced the Dutch flag at the Netherlands’s consulate in Istanbul, a gesture to which the Dutch government reacted. The Turkish authorities are responsible for the safety of Dutch officials in Turkey, said Sunday the Dutch foreign minister, in the context of the growing dispute between the two countries. Previously Germany, Austria and Switzerland refused to approve pro-Erdogan meetings.
US – Romania — The US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, says that one of his objectives in Romania is to promote democracy and the fight against corruption. At a meeting with the representatives of the Romanian entrepreneurs, the American official said that he wanted his mandate to help strengthen security and prosperity in Romania. He highlighted that Romania and the US had an excellent cooperation in the military field, at intelligence services level for fighting terrorism, for the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and for fighting human and drug trafficking. Another priority of his mandate is to promote democracy, the rule of law and the anti-corruption fight. The US has strongly supported the anti-corruption fight as well as the consolidation of democratic institutions in Romania, ambassador Klemm also added.
Day against cyber censorship — The World Day against Cyber Censorship is marked on March 12 each year. The day was first marked in 2008 and was initiated by the NGOs “Reporters without Borders” and Amnesty International. The event is meant to support a cyber space without restrictions and accessible to everyone, and to draw attention to the fact that by creating new spaces for the exchange of ideas and information, the Internet could become a force advocating freedom.
Romanian police report — The Romanian police announced that in 2016, they dismantled 30 organized crime groups specializing in cyber crime. According to a police communiqué made public on Sunday, crime-fighting structures within the Romanian Police organized last year more than 270 actions and conducted over 700 house searches. 199 people suspected of perpetrating cyber crimes were taken into custody, 171 arrested, and 121 were subjected to legal restrictions pending trial.
PM Grindeanu in Parliament — The Romanian PM Sorin Grindeanu is the guest of a political debate “The PM Hour” to be held on Monday in the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies. The debate with the theme “The effects of non-transparent governing- the government emergency decrees no. 6 and 9 of 2017” was asked by the parliamentary group of the National Liberal Party. Government decree no. 6 refers to the modification and amending of certain laws and to the measures set for making investments financed from public funds while decree no. 9 refers to budgetary measures for 2017 and the prorogation of certain deadlines. The interim Liberal leader, Raluca Turcan, said the budget for 2017 allows the minister of regional development to grant European funds for local development in a discretionary manner, which means that local authorities are made dependant on political factors.
Migrants — 8 migrants from Iraq and Syria, among whom children, were caught Sunday by the Romanian border police in Timis county (in the west) as they were trying to illegally enter Romania from Serbia. According to News.ro the migrants did not have identity papers and said they intended to go to Western Europe. In the past months, the Romanian border police have thwarted many attempts of migrants illegally crossing the Romanian southern and western borders.
Car registration — In Romania the number of new cars registered in February exceeded by almost 48% the number reported in February 2016, shows the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Directorate. The data shows that, in the context of the elimination of the environmental stamp duty, almost 12 thousand new vehicles have been registered. Most of them are brands such as Dacia, Skoda, Volkswagen, Renault and Ford. (translation by L. Simion)
