September 8, 2019 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

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Newsroom, 08.09.2019, 19:00

SCHOOL YEAR – Over 2.8 million school and
pre-school children start a new school year on Monday, together with over
215,000 teaching staff. As regards schoolbooks, interim Education Minister
Daniel Breaz said textbooks will be ready in time, with the exception of those
for 6th and 7th
graders. Over half of the number of schools don’t have fire safety certificates
at present, according to inspections carried out by the General Inspectorate
for Emergency Situations. A large number of schools don’t have health safety
permits either.

TALKS – Teheran must fully cooperate
with international inspectors, director general of the International Agency for
Atomic Energy, Cornel Feruta, said on Sunday upon his visit to Iran. He pointed
out these interactions entail the full and timely cooperation of Teheran.
During his meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, the
chief of the Iranian Nuclear Agency Ali Akbar Salehi and other high-ranking
officials, Cornel Feruta was informed
about Iran’s latest efforts to intensify the development and research of
enhanced uranium. Talks follow after Saturday Teheran announced Iran would be
using two new centrifuge models to boost its uranium enrichment. This is the
third stage as part of Teheran’s commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal signed in
Vienna. The US withdrew from the deal in 2018, reinstating harsh sanctions on
Iran.

DIASPORA – Two events devoted to
Romanians in the Diaspora and in historic regions came to a close on Sunday.
The debate titled Diaspora, Romanians in historic communities and the
ReUnification goal was organized by the Commission for Communities of
Romanians outside the country’s borders and the Romanian World Council. MP
Constantin Codreanu, the Commission chairman, said that Romanian Diaspora has
played a vital role in the development of the country in the last 30 years. The
Romanian World Council is an NGO militating for the rebirth of nationalism,
preserving national identity and rebuilding the unity of the Romanian people.
Also on Sunday the Forum for Romanians Worldwide came to an end. The event
brought together 120 representatives of Romanians living in the diaspora and in
historic regions. The topics focused on education, project financing
opportunities, tourism, consular services and the vote abroad.

FEAST DAY – Orthodox, Eastern Catholic
and Roman-Catholic Christians in Romania on Sunday celebrated the Nativity of
the Blessed Virgin Mary. Over 2 million Romanians celebrated their name day on
this occasion.

NEGOTIATIONS – US President Donald Trump
announced he would end peace negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan,
although Washington had announced an agreement was soon to be closed after 18
years of conflict. The White House leader made the announcement after the
latest attack in Kabul which killed and American soldier. Trump also said he
cancelled Sunday’s secret meeting he was supposed to have with the Afghan president
and the Taliban leadership. Thursday’s attack in Kabul claimed by the Taliban
also killed two Romanians.

TENNIS – Romanian-born Canadian tennis
player Bianca Andreescu won her first Grand Slam title after defeating Serena
Williams of the United States in the US Open final on Saturday. Andreescu had
an excellent year in the WTA circuit, winning the Indian Wells, Toronto and US
Open tournaments. As of Monday, she will be ranked 5 in the WTA standings,
outranking Romania’s Simona Halep. This was the 10th US Open final
for Serena Williams, who matched the performance previously held by another
American, Chris Evert.

TABLE TENNIS – Romania’s national women’s
table tennis team on Sunday defeated Portugal 3-nil in the European
Championship final hosted by Nantes, France. On Saturday, in the semi-finals,
Romania defeated Poland 3-1, while Portugal defeated Hungary 3-1. The Romanian
men’s team failed to advance to the quarterfinals after losing to Sweden in its
last Group 2 fixture.

(Translated by V. Palcu)