July 28, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 28.07.2014, 12:00
Russia’s expansionist attitude should be a reason for concern, as it has the potential to propagate negative situations on Romania’s territory, head of the Romanian Intelligence Service, George Maior has today told Adevarul LIVE. Maior has also stated that the Black Sea region, which Romania is part of, will in time become a geopolitical zone, an intersection point of some very powerful players — Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The new international tensions are not specific to classical war, but they rather characterise a new type of war, a more complex one, with actions such as cyber attacks, that will affect the region for a long period of time, head of the Romanian Intelligence Service, George Maior has pointed out.
The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 “may amount to a war crime”, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said, adding fighting in east Ukraine has claimed over 1,100 lives with both government and rebel forces using heavy weaponry in built-up areas. The UN official condemned the “horrendous shooting down” of the Malaysian passenger jet in rebel-held territory that killed all 298 people on board, and demanded a “thorough, effective, independent and impartial investigation”. International experts will today try again to reach the site of the crash, after a failed attempt on Sunday, due to escalating violence between pro-Russian rebels and government forces.
French President Francois Hollande on Saturday announced a three-day national mourning over the Air Algerie crash that killed all 118 passengers on board, including 54 French nationals. On Monday, flags flew at half-mast on every public building across the country and will stay this way for three days. Investigation into the causes of the crash continues. The plane’s two black boxes were sent to France for data decryption.
The UN Security Council unanimously adapted on Sunday night in New York a declaration calling for an ‘immediate and unconditional ceasefire’ in the Gaza Strip, for humanitarian reasons. The Council’s 15 member states have called on Israel and Hamas to extend the truce during the Aid el-Fitr Muslim religious holiday marking the end of the Ramadan and after that period. Violence between Israeli and Palestinians continued on Sunday in spite of a 24-hour ceasefire agreement, announced by Hamas.
The US and several European countries have called on their citizens to leave Libya and have withdrawn their diplomatic staff from this country against escalating violence between the army and Iaslamist groups. Several European countries, including Romania have recommended their citizens to avoid travelling to Libya. At least 38 people were killed on Sunday in the city of Benghazi, in the east of the country. The Libyan government announced that about 100 people died in Tripoli, in the clashes that started on July 13th between the special forces and rival militias, who tried to take control of the international airport in the capital city.
