October 12, 2015
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 12.10.2015, 12:00
The National Executive Committee of the largest party in the ruling coalition in Romania, the Social Democratic Party, is analysing today the results of yesterdays vote in which Liviu Dragnea was elected party president. This is for the first time that the Social Democrats have not elected their leader in a congress, but through an internal vote in which all the roughly 530,000 party members were invited to take part. The Committee will also decide today on the partys leadership structure, whose members will be elected in a special congress scheduled for Sunday, October 18. Also today, registrations begin for executive president, vice-president, secretary general and other positions in the party.
The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in Luxemburg in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the participants will exchange opinions on a political agreement concerning the formation of a national union government in Libya and its implications for the future of that country, and will analyse the situation in Syria. The topic of migration will also be approached, ahead of the Summit in Valletta (Malta), which will take place in November 2015.
A technical mission of the International Monetary Fund is expected to arrive this week in Romania. Next years public budgets as well as a possible new agreement with the Fund will be the main topics on the agenda of talks. The visit comes after the IMF recently upgraded its estimates on the Romanian economy. The GDP is expected to go up 3.4% this year and 3.9% in 2016. Last month, Romanias fourth consecutive agreement with the IMF came to an end. The stand-by loan deal amounted to 2 billion euros, but Bucharest has not used the funds. The Finance Minister Eugen Teordorovici said recently that Romania will officially apply for a new loan agreement with the IMF.
Romanian, American, Bulgarian and Ukrainian troops are taking part, between October 12 and 15, in military exercises in the Black Sea international waters. Romania takes part with a frigate, a corvette and two MiG 21 LanceR aircraft. The American forces consist in the USS Porter destroyer and a maritime patrol aircraft, while Ukraine and Bulgaria contributed one frigate each. The troops will practice anti-submarine warfare strategies, to test the joint operation capacity at the Black Sea. According to American officials, participation in exercises together with NATO allies, Romania included, is a permanent mission of the US Sixth Fleet.
The Nobel in Economic Sciences, to be awarded today in Stockholm, concludes this years award ceremonies. The main highlights were the granting of the Nobel Prize in Literature to the Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich and of the Nobel Prize for Peace to several organisations having facilitated the democratic transition in Tunisia. Unlike in previous years, none of the economists on the list of nominees is seen as having bigger chances to win than the others. Last year Jean Tirole of France was awarded the Nobel for his analysis on market power and regulation.
The twin blasts in Ankara, the bloodiest attack ever committed in Turkey, killed at least 97 people, according to a new report released by the authorities and quoted by France Presse. The blasts took place near the central railway station in the Turkish capital city, where people had gathered for a protest against the clashes between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The two suicide attackers were men, and identification operations are underway. The attack came 3 weeks ahead of the early legislative elections of November 1. On Saturday and Sunday, demonstrations were held in several Turkish cities against violence and terrorism. The participants criticised the government for flawed security measures.
Most of Romanias eastern part is subject to a code yellow alert for heavy rainfalls and strong wind, valid until tonight. The bad weather has already caused problems in the north-east of the country, where snowfalls have been reported and several towns and villages experienced power outings. Hydrologists warn that floods may be reported in several counties in the south and east. Meanwhile in Bucharest, the noon reading was 7 degrees Celsius.
Romanias football team has qualified in the final tournament of the European Championship, due next year in France. In their last game in preliminary Group F, the Romanians beat the Faroe Islands 3-0, away from home, on Sunday night. The last time Romania took part in a European final tournament was in 2008. Group F also included Northern Ireland, which won the group stage and also qualified for the final tournament, Finland, Greece and Faroe Islands. So far 16 out of the 24 participants in the final tournament are known.
