September 16, 2017
The U.S. ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm hails the valor of Romanias soldiers in Afghanistan/ The British Police make “significant arrest in London subway terror attack
Ştefan Stoica, 16.09.2017, 13:58
ROMANIAN TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN– The U.S. ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, has hailed the valor of Romanias soldiers in Afghanistan, in a message of condolence to the family of a Romanian military who died on Friday in the line of duty in that country. “ I was saddened to hear of the death of Corporal Mădălin Stoica who was killed during an incident in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and of injuries to other two Romanian soldiers. I would like to extend my personal condolences and those of the United States to the family and friends of Corporal Mădălin Stoica, as well as to his fellow soldiers. I also wish a speedy recovery to the injured soldiers. The valor of Romanias soldiers in the NATO mission in Afghanistan continues to demonstrate the highest commitment to defending freedom and democracy, “ ambassador Klemm writes in the message of condolence. Corporal Madalin Stoica was on his first mission on theatres of operations. Two other soldiers were injured in the incident, but they are stable. In 2017, the Romanian Army is contributing over 620 troops to the NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, 300 other military being deployed to other regions of the world as part of NATO, EU, UN and OSCE-led missions. 29 Romanian military have lost their lives and over 180 others got injured so far, on missions abroad. The security situation in Afghanistan is still unstable, most incidents being reported in the east and the south.
LONDON – The British Police make “significant arrest in London subway terror attack, claimed by the Islamic State terrorist group. On Friday morning, an explosion at Parsons Green underground station in the west of London injured tens of passengers and led to a terrorist attack being declared. British Prime Minister Theresa May has raised the UK’s terror threat level to critical, its highest level after London was hit by this new terror attack. Critical means an attack is expected imminently and soldiers will be put on the streets to guard key sites and free up police officers.
FINANCIAL -
Romania will keep the budget deficit below 3%, as was pledged under the
Stability and Growth Pact, the finance minister Ionuţ Mişa said in a meeting
with Valdis Dombrovskis, EC Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue,
also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets
Union. The two officials have had a
meeting on the sidelines of the informal meeting of the ECOFIN Council organized
by the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on September
15 -16. The Romanian official has also
said the 5.6% economic growth rate in 2017 is based on consumption, an increase
in the volume of the industrial output and a plummeting unemployment rate.
According to a preliminary Autumn 2017 Forecast released on Friday by the
National Prognosis Commission, estimates on Romania’s economic growth in 2017
have been revised upward from 5.2% to 5.6%.
VISIT – EU Commissioner
for the Security Union, Julian King, will pay an official visit to Bucharest on
Monday, for talks with PM Mihai Tudose, justice minister Tudorel Toader and
interior minister Carmen Dan. The focal points of the talks, to also be
attended by members of the relevant parliamentary committees, will be the fight
against terrorism, the exchange of information and the implementation of the
recently adopted security legislation. The European Commissioner will also
visit the Operational Coordination Centre of the Border Police.
MIGRANTS – The Romanian border police has stopped 19 Iraqi nationals, of which 4 minors, asylum seekers in Romania, upon trying to illegally leave Romania, the line authorities have announced. The Iraqis declared their intention to reach a Schengen country and said they made this choice because they were not holding a valid visa. The number of people trying to illegally cross Romanias western border with Hungary, in the west, has been on the rise over the past year. The number of foreigners trying to illegally cross the border into Romania, by boat, on the Black Sea, has also increased.
ENESCU FESTIVAL – The highlight of the prestigious “George Enescu International Festival on Saturday is a concert under the baton of the world-famous conductor, Zubin Mehta. Performing is the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside the outstanding Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili. Until September 24, over 3,000 of the most highly acclaimed musicians in the world are performing in Bucharest and seven other cities across the country. Inaugurated in 1951, discontinued by the communist regime in 1971 and re-launched after the fall of communism, the Enescu festival is held every other year.
TENNIS – In the Davis Cup double tennis match pitting Romania against Austria, Horia Tecău and Nicolae Frunză will be playing Dominic Thiem/Philipp Oswald. Austria leads Romania 2-0 after the first singles played on Friday in Wels, in the first-round playoffs to remain in the Europe/ Africa Group I. On Friday, Gerald Melzer defeated Dragoş Dima, and Dominic Thiem outperformed Bogdan Borza. On Sunday, Dominic Thiem will play Dragoş Dima and Gerald Melzer will face Bogdan Borza. In the direct matches, Romania leads Austria 3-2.
