October 31, 2016 UPDATE

Click here for a roundup pf domestic and international news

Newsroom, 31.10.2016, 12:16

STRIKE – The Romanian healthcare staff affiliated to the Sanitas trade union federation went on an all-out strike on Monday, discontent with the salary imbalances in the system. They say they will not give up the strike unless their claims are met. According to the trade union organization, only one third of the medical staff will continue working and emergencies will be dealt with immediately. This is the last stage of the protest actions initiated by Sanitas federation, which started in September. The Sanitas leaders and the Health Ministry representatives held talks on Monday but negotiations ended with no result. The Labour Ministry representatives told the Sanitas leaders that the strike did not comply with the legal conditions for starting a labour conflict.

ROME – The Romanian Embassy in Rome took notice of the death of a Romanian citizen on Monday morning, 24 hours after the quake that shook Italy on Sunday morning. The Romanian Foreign Ministry pointed out that the cause of the Romanian citizen’s death would be established in the coming period. So far no Romanian citizens have been hospitalized following Sunday’s quake in Italy, shows a Foreign Ministry communiqué.

MOLDOVA – The President of the neighbouring Republic of Moldova will be decided in the November 13 election runoff, between the pro-Russian Socialist Igor Dodon and the candidate backed by pro-European parties, Maia Sandu. According to official figures, in the first round held on Sunday, Dodon came out the first of the 9 candidates, with 48% of the votes, followed by Sandu, with 38%. The turnout rate was the lowest in the history of parliamentary and presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova. The observers of the OSCE concluded that the election was democratic and the fundamental human rights and freedoms were observed.

LONDON – The Romanian defense minister, Mihnea Motoc, on Monday delivered a speech, in London, at the multinational ballistic missile defense conference in which he referred to the most important aspects of cooperation between Romania and the US in the ballistic missile defense field, focusing on the base in Deveselu (in the south). He underlined Romania’s important role in the process of ensuring NATO’s defense capability against ballistic missiles by assuming to host elements of the US anti-missile defense shield deployed in Europe. Minister Motoc also highlighted the defensive character of the capability meant to protect the Allied population and territory against threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic space. Minister Motoc met with Vice Admiral James D. Syring, the director of the US Missile Defense Agency, saying that the common project in the ballistic missile defense domain led to an increased security of Romania and the Euro- Atlantic space and to the strengthening of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US.

RADIO ROMANIA – On November 1 Radio Romania marks 88 years of existence. The first official radio broadcast was aired on November 1, 1928 featuring professor Dragomir Hurmuzescu, a physicist and a promoter of Romania’s radio broadcasting. Ever since it was set up, the Romanian public radio has been a promoter and supporter of the Romanian culture and civilization, and has contributed to shaping Romanians’ civic spirit and community cohesion. At present, the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation has three national stations and several regional stations and also an international station broadcasting in ten foreign languages, in Romanian and in the Aromanian dialect. On Monday, Radio Romania opened its doors to the public. Listeners had the opportunity to see the live transmission studios and to meet the producers of radio shows and newsreels.

MILITARY DRILL – Romanian military alongside American soldiers will participate, between November 1-12, in the Patriot Shock V drill to take place in the Training Camp and Surface to Air Firing Range in Capu Midia, in Constanta county (southeast). The Romanian Defense Ministry shows that Patriot Shock V is a bilateral Romanian-American exercise of the surface to air missile structures of the Romanian Air Force, unfolding at tactical level with troops on the ground.(translation by L. Simion)