October 25, 2023

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 25.10.2023, 14:25

ARMY DAY – Our military continue to make the army a genuine ambassador of Romania internationally, President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday, at a ceremony marking the Romanian Army Day. The head of state showed that Europe is currently facing an unprecedented crisis. “Peace and the entire security climate at global level are threatened by regional conflicts, witch could escalate. Europe is facing an unprecedented crisis since the Second World War as a result of the Russian Federations brutal and illegal military aggression against Ukraine, while the shocking and reprehensible terrorist attack on October 7 against the State of Israel risks to completely destabilize the Middle East in the long term,” Iohannis pointed out. The President also said that, at present, due to NATO membership and the Strategic Partnership with the United States, Romania benefits from the most solid security guarantees in history. The Romanian army undergoes a full modernization and transformation process and has already reached, under many aspects, the NATO standards, the Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr said in turn.

FAIR- The most important international fair for agricultural and food products and equipment in Romania, INDAGRA 2023, opened in Bucharest on Wednesday. Until October 29, more than 550 companies from 23 countries present the technologies of the future in the agricultural sector and the innovations in horticulture, viticulture and animal husbandry. If decision-makers and professionals are invited to also participate in forums and conferences, the general public is expected to come see the most beautiful farm animals and to taste traditional Romanian dishes.

ISRAEL – Israel has demanded the resignation of the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, whom it accuses of justifying terrorism and the crimes committed by Hamas. Guterres said in the Security Council that the attacks of Hamas on Israel did not happen without reason. Guterres made it clear, however, that the suffering of the Palestinians in what he called “56 years of suffocating occupation” cannot justify the horrific attacks by Hamas, just as these attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people. On the other hand, the United States says it will work with China to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East. The American Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, said at the UN Security Council that he will work with the Chinese Foreign Minister, who is travelling to Washington at the end of the week, to prevent the conflict from expanding. In Amman, the French president is today holding talks with the king of Jordan, Abdallah II, about the reactivation of the “political process" with a view to a “two-state solution”, a Palestinian and a Israeli one. Earlier, during his visit to the region, aimed to mark Frances solidarity with Israel after the unprecedented attack by Hamas, Emmanuel Macron met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the families of the French-Israeli victims of the attack. He then had a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied West Bank.

GOVERNMENT – The increase in the minimum wage in construction, agriculture and the food industry is being discussed, today, by the members of the government in Bucharest with the representatives of unions and employers. The government has promised to increase the salary level in the three sectors soon, so that the employees do not lose money over the elimination of the exemption from the payment of the health insurance contribution. On the other hand, the Executive elaborated an emergency ordinance regarding the reduction of budgetary expenses at the end of the year.

CLIMATE CHANGE – “The effects of climate change are becoming more acute for the Romanian citizens”, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on the occasion of the launch of the Country Climate and Development Report, drawn up by the World Bank. Iohannis said that the climate transition must be fair, inclusive and compatible with economic growth. He also said that, in the case of Romania, there is potential to significantly improve the quality of citizens’ lives and to go through the decarbonization process, neededy to achieve climate neutrality. The effects of extreme weather phenomena also affect the infrastructure, the Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu said in turn. He also said that all countries must take measures for a transition to means of transport that use renewable sources. (EE)