September 29, 2018

For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here

Newsroom, 29.09.2018, 13:03

TREASON CASE – The Directorate Investigating Organized Crime and
Terrorism in Romania (DIICOT) has announced that it has closed a case based on
the high treason accusations brought by Ludovic Orban, the president of the
National Liberal Party in opposition, against Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă.
According to the Directorate, the case, which concerned the memorandum approved
by the Government with respect to the relocation of the Romanian Embassy from
Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, was dismissed because no breach of the law has been
established. The criminal complaint filed in May by Ludovic Orban also
concerned Liviu Dragnea, the president of the Social Democratic Party in power,
who was accused of unlawful disclosure of state secrets, Orban said at the
time.

MEETING – Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu
met with counterparts from Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Sri Lanka, Bahrain,
the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Laos on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly held in New York. Additionally, the Romanian official met with his
Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto. According to a Ministry release, the
two officials looked at ways to improve bilateral relations, based on the
Strategic Partnership between the two countries, EU and NATO membership and
mutual respect. Talks focused on topics of mutual interest, especially
supporting the European track of states in the Western Balkans and the need to
diversify energy transport routes, in order to ensure energy security at
regional and European level.

LAW ENFORCEMENT – The Romanian Police has identified
32 vehicles wanted internationally. Eight were reported as stolen in the United
Kingdom, five in Belgium and Spain each, four in Italy, three in Germany, two
in France and one in Poland, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania
each. The Romanian Police recommends prudence to people who want to buy a
second-hand vehicle in trade fairs abroad and to ask the buyer for all the
proper car identification documents.

GUAM – Ex-soviet states making up the so-called
GUAM group – Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova, will
join efforts to consolidate their positions and defend territorial integrity,
GUAM officials said as part of a GUAM Parliament Assembly held in Chisinau.
GUAM officials have criticized Russia’s involvement in fueling territorial
conflicts and military aggression, particularly in Georgia and Ukraine. GUAM
was set up in 2006, with the aim of developing cooperation between members,
consolidating stability and joint security at European level. The Republic of
Moldova is currently holding the rotating presidency of GUAM. Chisinau is
facing increased pro-Russian separatism in Transdniestr, a region the broke
with Moldova in 1992 in the wake of an armed conflict that killed hundreds and
that ended with the military intervention of Russian forces.

TSUNAMI – According to authorities in Indonesia,
some 400 people were killed in the earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit
Sulawesi Island on Friday. Most casualties were reported in Palu city, hit by
tsunamis measuring three meters in height. The coms and power grid are
temporarily offline, while images flooding public media reveal dead bodies
amidst debris along the shoreline, international news agencies report.

HANDBALL – The Romanian women’s handball team
is today playing Poland’s B team as part of a training campaign ahead of the
European Championship hosted this year by France. The tournament will take
place over November 29 – December 16. Romania was drawn in Group D along with
Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic. At the European Championships of 2016,
Romania was ranked 5th.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and
Raluca Olaru on Saturday lost 7-5, 6-3 to Olga Danilovic of Serbia and Tamara
Zdansek of Slovenia in the women’s doubles final at the tournament in Taskent,
Uzbekistan, totaling 250 thousand dollars in prize money. Olaru has previously
won the Taskent doubles twice, in 2008 alongside Olga Savchuk of Ukraine and in
2016 with Ipek Soylu of Turkey. Begu won the women’s singles in 2012.

(Translated by V. Palcu)