October 13, 2024

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 13.10.2024, 13:59

Alert. The Embassy of the United States of America in Bucharest warns its citizens that there is information regarding potential threats to some synagogues, temples or mosques in Romania, this weekend. The diplomatic representation appeals to US citizens to be very cautious near places of worship in Romania, during this period. The Romanian Intelligence Service reported that there is no information to raise the terrorist alert level in Romania. Despite all this, the spokesman of the Romanian Intelligence Service, Ovidiu Marincea, stated that the attention of the authorities will be increased, given the international context and the religious events at the end of the week. The Romanian Ministry of the Interior has also announced that, this weekend “increased forces will be on duty in the country, to ensure an optimal climate of order and public safety”.

NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization begins its annual nuclear exercise on Monday, against the backdrop of increasingly frequent threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin to use nuclear weapons in the context of the war in Ukraine. NATO sources mentioned, however, that the exercise is in no way a response to Moscow’s threats, given that such military maneuvers have been taking place annually for over a decade. 60 aircraft from 13 countries will participate in the operation, which will take place for 2 weeks in Belgium and the Netherlands. The approximately 2,000 soldiers taking part in the exercise will simulate missions in which NATO planes carry American nuclear warheads.

DiscoverEU. There are only a few days left in which young people who have turned 18 or are turning 18 this year can sign up for a new round of the DiscoverEU program, which gives them the opportunity to explore Europe by traveling by train. Romania is allocated 1,475 travel permits out of the 35,000 offered by the European Commission. Those selected will be able to travel between March 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, individually or in groups of up to five people, for a minimum of one day and a maximum of 30 days. They will also benefit from a card with over 40,000 discounts on public transport, access to cultural institutions, accommodation, food, sports and other available services. The entry period ends on October 16 at noon. All details are available on the European Youth Portal.

Moldova. The Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Romania, Victor Chirila, urged Moldovan citizens, including those who also have Romanian citizenship, to go to the polls on October 20, when presidential elections will be held in the former Soviet republic, with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population, as well as a referendum on for the inclusion in the Constitution, based on the vote of the population, of the country’s irreversible European course. On Saturday, Victor Chirila participated in the Moldovan Wine Festival, an event that has reached its 4th edition and which has brought together this weekend in Bucharest about 50 producers, with an impressive selection of award-winning and appreciated wines all over the world. Moldovan wine is exported to more than 65 countries and has been awarded with more than 6,500 medals in the last six years, more than half of them gold. Last year, Romania was the main export market for bottled wine from the Republic of Moldova, the data centralized by the Chisinau authorities showing an increase of approximately 20% in deliveries to the Romanian market.

Corruption. The case of the former Liberal minister of health, Nelu Tătaru, a liberal deputy, accused by the National Anticorruption Directorate of aggravated bribery, reaches the Bucharest Chamber of Deputies on Monday. The prosecutors requested the lifting of his parliamentary immunity to be able to start computer and home searches. The former minister has already lost his eligible place on the Liberal Party’s list for the parliamentary elections of December 1 and was also dismissed from the leadership of the Vaslui branch of the party, although he claims he is innocent. The anti-corruption prosecutors claim that as a specialist doctor at the municipal hospital in Huşi, Nelu Tătaru would have received bribes of up to 100 euros and foodstuffs from several people, patients or relatives. Another 27 people are being investigated for bribery.

Elections. Lithuanian voters are casting their votes today in the first round of the parliamentary elections, which could bring change in power, but without a change in the foreign policy, given that the main parties agree to strongly support Ukraine and strengthen defense against the Russian threat. It is expected that the Lithuanian social democrats will replace the conservatives in the government. At the same time, the vote could mark the entry into parliament of a new populist party whose leader is on trial for alleged anti-Semitic comments. Approximately half of the 141 parliamentary mandates will be assigned today through a proportional voting system so that the rest will be decided in the second round on October 27.

Football. In the UEFA Nations League, the Romanian team continues its faultless journey. On Saturday evening it defeated the representative of Cyprus away from home, 3 – 0, in the 2nd Group of League C. It was Romania’s third victory in this campaign, after those against Kosovo away from home (3-0) and Lithuania in Bucharest (3-1). Romania will play the next match against Lithuania, on Tuesday, in Kaunas. Romania is the leader in the group, with 9 points, followed by Kosovo with 6 points, Cyprus, 3 points, Lithuania, 0 points. The 2024/25 Nations League will also have a direct effect on the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The best four group winners from the Nations League, excluding the teams that finished in the top two places in the qualifying groups, will participate in the play-off matches for WC 2026, along with all 12 second place teams from the classic preliminaries. Thus, there will be four play-offs, each with four teams, which will be contested in a semi-final-final system, and the last four European national teams participating in the World Cup will be determined from the USA, Mexico and Canada. (MI)