September 2, 2015

News and Current Affairs

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Ştefan Stoica, 02.09.2015, 12:00

The new fiscal code goes to the lower chamber of the Romanian Parliament to be debated by the budget committee, and goes to the floor on Thursday. The Senate passed it on Tuesday by a wide margin in the present form. In its highlights, the new law reduces the VAT to 20% starting next year, and to 19% starting on January 1st 2017. At that same date, an additional excise on fuel and special buildings gets dropped as well. Next week, President Iohannis is scheduled to endorse the bill, which he previously rejected.

On Wednesday, Romanian PM Victor Ponta told the annual meeting of diplomats that the Republic of Moldova was an absolute priority for Romania. He called on attendees to promote the interests of the neighboring ex-Soviet republic as if they were their own countrys. Ponta went to Chisinau on August 27, when Moldova celebrated the 24th anniversary of its independence from the USSR. He was received by President Timofti, and also met his counterpart Valeriu Strelet, telling him that Romania fully supports his countrys aspiration to join the EU. Last year, the Republic of Moldova signed association and free trade agreements with the Union, which it hopes to join in 2020.

Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu qualified to the second round of the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, after defeating on Tuesday Russian player Alexandra Panova. Niculescu, 41st seeded, plays in the second round against Italian Flavia Pennetta, 26th seeded. Second favorite Simona Halep, the most celebrated Romanian female player of the last few years, defeated Marina Erakovic of New Zealand to qualify for the same stage of the competition. She is set to play against Katerina Bondarenko of Ukraine. There were three more Romanian female players in the singles, Andreea Mitu, Alexandra Dulgheru and Irina Begu, but they were all eliminated.

The winners of the grand prize of RRIs Mother Rutas Spindle promotional contest have started their trip to the Fagaras and Marginimea Sibiului areas. RRI listeners Jamila Bekkai of Morocco and Gilbert and Annie Dupont of France, as well as Village Antenna listeners Anca and Cristian Balaban of Romania, will be visiting the most important tourist, culture and history spots in the above mentioned areas. The winners are accompanied by our editors Simona Lazar and Valentin Tigau. RRI received 197 correct and complete answers to our query, and, in addition to the Grand Prize that went to Jamila Bekkai and Gilbert Dupont, decided to grant 60 more prizes, which will be received soon this autumn.

This year, over 350,000 people risked life and limb to cross the Mediterranean and reach Europe, of which almost 2,700 have died in the attempt, according to the International Migration Agency. Press agencies announced that tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing the conflict in their country have reached the Turkish coast of the Aegean to get to the EU. Humanitarian organizations estimate that in the last month alone, about 2,000 people a day left Turkey to reach Greek islands on improvised boats. The EU border agency Frontex said that last week alone, 23,000 migrants came to Greece. The EU is grappling with the highest wave of refugees wince WWII. Most are fleeing war zones in countries like Syria and Afghanistan.