October 23rd, 2014

Click here for a roundup of domestic ancd international news

Bogdan Matei, 23.10.2014, 12:00

Romanian military and the crews of two American ships, USS Cole guided missile destroyer and USS Mount Whitney command ship, today take part in a joint exercise in the Black Sea. The Romanian naval forces take part in the exercise with the King Ferdinand frigate a missile carrier ship, two helicopters and a team of military of the Special Operations Naval Forces Group. Also involved in the exercise are the Romanian Air forces, with three MIG 21 Lancer aircrafts. The aim of the exercise is the joint training of Romanian and American ,military, through a series of exercises including maritime interdiction, the search and discovery of submarines as well as air targets identification and tracking procedures. The exercise is a sequel of the joint Romanian-American action, initiated with a view to boosting up the security and confidence level in the Black Sea.

Andrei Hrebenciuc, the son of former Social Democrat deputy Viorel Hrebenciuc is to appear before the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest today, with the proposal of being kept in custody. National Anti-Corruption Directorate prosecutors have accused AndreI Hrebenciuic of setting up an organized crime group, aiding and abetting influence peddling and money laundering, in the file of illegal returns of large areas of farmland and forests. Andrei Hrebenciuc’s father, Viorel, has been indicted in the same file and has stepped down from Parliament, after the National anti-corruption Directorate prosecutors have demanded that Hrebenciuc the father be kept in custody. Alongside two other persons, Social Democrat deputy Ioan Adam and senator Ilie Sarbu, also a Social Democratic Party member and several magistrates, Viorel Hrebenciuc faces accusations of getting involved in the illegal; return of tens of thousands of hectares of farmland and forests. According ot the National Anti- Corruption Directorate, the estimated damage stands at more than 300 million Euro. Viorel Hrebenciuc is currently under investigation in an influence peddling file, alongside senator Dan Sova. Hrebenciuc allegedly pledged support for Sova in the latter’s bid for the position of Social Democratic Party leader, on condition that he offered his backing for a pardoning law in Parliament.

The Champions’ Tournament, the major world tennis event closing the WTA season and bringing together the world’s top lady tennis players is well underway in Singapore, with the scheduled games counting towards the second stage of the so-called White Group. Danish Caroline Wozniacki defeated Polish Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-5, 6-3, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic outclassed Russian Maria Sharapova, 6-3, 6-2. On Wednesday in the Red Group, WTA 4th-seed the Romanian Simona Halep snatched a 6-nil, 6-2 win against world leader Serena Williams. We recall in the first game in her group Halep defeated Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, 2-nil. Halep has practically made headway into the tournament’s semifinals and in her last game on Friday she is due to take on Ana Ivanovici from Serbia. Simona Halep is the third Romanian representative in the Champions Tournament, after Virginia Ruzici, in 1983 and 1984 and Irina Spîrlea, in 1998.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry in Bucharest has firmly condemned yesterday’s terrorist attacks of the Canadian Parliament an the national War memorial, resulting in the death of a Canadian military, according to an AGERPRESS press release on Thursday. The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Titus Corlatean has dispatched a letter to his Canadian counterpart John Baird expressing Romania’s solidarity in such moments of difficulty, also offering condolences to the mourning families. Jointly with Canada and all the other democratic states, Romanian has complied with its commitment to fight international terrorism and extremism, which pose a threat to democratic values, and citizens’ freedom and security, according to the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Bucharest.

Europe’s economic situation, the Ukraine crisis and the Ebola outbreak are high on the agenda of the European Council session, due to begin in Brussels today. Representing Romania is President Traian Basescu, who will also be meting the other presidents and Prime Ministers EU member states, as well as community institutions’ newly-appointed heads, due to start their term in office this autumn, during an inaugural session focusing on energy policies and climate change. On the sidelines of the European Council sessions, president Basescu will be holding talks with his counterparts from neighboring Bulgaria and the so called Vishegrad Group, bringing together such Central-European states as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. In Brussels, Basscu will also take part in the summit of the European Peoples Party ( right-of-center, and the most numerous group in the European Parliament).

The Iraqi Kurds’ regional parliament has passed a resolution on the dispatch of Kurdish fighters in the Syrian town of Kobane, in order to help Kurdish forces defending Kobane form the attacks carried out by the Islamic State Jihadists. The regional Kurdish Parliament has taken the decision since this past Monday Turkey announced it would give its consent for the Iraqi Kurds to transit its territory to Syria, following a tremendous amount of pressure coming from the Kurdish minority and the international community. According to Reuters News Agency, around 500 Iraqi Kurdish fighters are to cross the border towards Kobane later this week. Concurrently, the United States have parachuted weapons and ammunition for the Syrian Kurdish forces, and have also shelled some of the extremists’ positions. The US air forces have also continued their air strikes in Iraq, where 25 Jihadists have been killed in an air raid around the town of Beiji, where the county’s biggest oil refinery lies. .

Romania’s football champion team Steaua Bucharest on home turf today wil be facing Portuguese side Rio Ave. This is Steaua’s third fixture in Europa League’s Group J. In its first two games, Steaua snatched 6-nil win against Danish side Allrborg, and a sustained a 3-1 defeat in the game against Dinamo Kiev in neighboring Ukraine. In Group D, vice-champion Astra Giurgiu in Glasgow face the daunting task of having to snatch an away point in the game against the famous Celtic. We recall Astra sustained a 4-1 defeat in the match against Dinamo Zagreb, and were also defeated by Red Bull Salzburg from Austria, 2-1.