March 23, 2018
Snow and blizzard wreak havoc on transports in southern Romania, Brussels summit discusses trade relations with the US
Newsroom, 23.03.2018, 13:49
Weather — Snow and blizzard have wreaked havoc on transports in the southern half of Romania, which is under code yellow and code orange alerts for bad weather. Some segments of highways and national roads have been closed and tens of trains canceled and planes have reported delays on take off. Schools and kindergartens in Bucharest and several counties in the south were closed on Friday. Meteorologists announced that temperatures would remain low, even 10 degrees lower than normal for this time of the year. The highs will range from minus 4 to plus 6 degrees C.
Blast — 5 of the 6 people killed in an explosion at a chemical plant 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 labor safety norms observance. 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, also for the repatriation of the victims’ bodies.
Brussels — The EU leaders are today discussing in Brussels the trade relations with the US, while waiting for Washington’s clear, official message related to suspending taxes on steel and aluminum imports. The US announced that the EU and another 6 allies would be exempted for the time being from paying these taxes, which took effect on Friday. Romania is among the European countries that have a direct interest in the issue, as its exports to the US last year amounted to 175 million Euros. The EU hopes to negotiate a permanent tax exemption, otherwise it will activate trade retaliatory measures on several staple American products. Attending the meeting in Brussels, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis pointed out the importance of free trade and underlined that protectionist measures could not support economic development at global level. The heads of state and government attending the Brussels summit will look into the Brexit process as well, and are going to adopt the new guidelines that will define the framework of future relations with the EU.
Damen — The Romanian state and the Dutch company Damen have reached an agreement regarding the take-over from the current owner, the South Korean group Daewoo, of the shipyard in the Black Sea port of Mangalia. According to the Romanian authorities a joint venture will be set up, within which the Economy Ministry will become a majority shareholder. It is for the first time after the December 1989 anti-Communist uprising that the Romanian state takes control again over a privatized strategic industrial objective. Damen is the biggest shipbuilding company in the Netherlands and has the capacity to bring new commissions for building ships to the Mangalia shipyard, which has been facing difficulties since 2016 when the Daewoo group decided to sell its shares as part of a process of restructuring of its international operations.
Tennis — Romanian tennis players Simona Halep, world’s no. 1, and Monica Niculescu (70 WTA) qualified to the 3rd round of the Miami tournament in the US, which has total prizes worth 8 million dollars. Halep obtained a difficult victory, in 3 sets, against the French Oceane Dodin and in the next match she will be up against Polish player Agnieszka Radwanska. Monica Niculescu defeated Magdalenei Rybarikova of Slovakia and will take on the American Sloane Stephens, 13th seeded in the competition. Another Romanian player, Sorana Cîrstea, did no manage to go past the 2nd round of the Miami tournament as she was defeated by Taiwanese Su-Wei Hsieh. In the men’s competition, Romanian Marius Copil reached the 2nd round after defeating Mihail Kukuşkin of Kazakhstan. In the next match Marius Copil, 87th in the ATP classification will play against Russian Karen Hacianov (41 ATP).
Attack — A gunman claiming to belong to the Islamic State terrorist organization took several hostages on Friday in a supermarket in Trebes, near Carcassone, in the south of France. Shots have been fired and the police are currently dealing with the situation. One policeman has alleged been wounded. In the past years, France has been the target of several Islamist attacks. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)
