A roundup of domestic and international news
COLECTIV- It's been two years since the devastating fire at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, which killed 64 people. Of them, 27 died on the night of the tragedy while the other 37 died later in hospitals in Bucharest and abroad. Hundreds of people participated on Friday evening in a march in Romania's capital, commemorating the victims. Many people hoped that the ones responsible for this tragedy would be punished, but two years on nobody has been found guilty and the flaws in the system are still present.
ACCIDENT- One miner was killed and another three were injured in an accident that took place at the Uricani mine on the Jiu Valley. The victims were doing some final works on the mine that is to be shut down soon. This is the second such accident on the Jiu Valley this month, after the one at the Lupeni mine that killed two miners and injured one. The Lupeni mine will be operational for another five years, according to a memorandum that Romania submitted to the European Commission.
CATALONIA- The Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont might be arrested for rebellion, alongside other officials who helped Catalonia declare its independence from Spain. Hundreds of thousand of Spanish loyalists demonstrated in Barcelona on Sunday in support of Madrid's decision to impose direct rule on Catalonia. The protest took place after Catalan MPs voted in favour of declaring independence from Spain, prompting Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, to sack the separatist Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his government, dissolve the Catalan parliament and call regional elections for December 21.
MINISTRY- The Ministry for the Romanians Abroad is closely monitoring the situation of the over 130 thousand Romanians in Catalonia, in the context of the recent events in that Spanish region, the Ministry says in a release. The Ministry recommends Romanian citizens in the region to get in touch with the Romanian authorities, in case their security is threatened. Also, Romanian citizens are urged to inform the Romanian diplomatic missions of any situation that might affect their work and their relation with local institutions and authorities. The Ministry reiterates the fact that Bucharest firmly and irrevocably rejects Catalonia's unilateral declaration of independence and voices full support for Spain's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the hope that the situation in the Spanish region will soon revert to constitutional order.
CONFERENCE- All EU states must collaborate closely to achieve solid cyber security, the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel said on Monday in Bucharest, at the 7th annual international conference titled "The New Global Challenges in Cyber Security". During her 2-day visit to Romania, Commissioner Mariya Gabriel will hold talks with Romanian authorities on issues such as illegal online content and digital investment.
US INVESTIGATION - The former campaign manager of the US President Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, was indicted on Monday, following an investigation into Russia's involvement in the November 2016 presidential elections. One of Manafort's associates, Rick Gates, is also facing charges. Among other things, Paul Manafort is accused of conspiracy against the US, money laundering, false statements to the federal authorities and failure to declare some foreign accounts. Aged 68, he managed Trump's campaign until August 2016, when he was forced to resign, following disclosures about his ties with pro-Russia Ukrainian oligarchs. The US President has denied any alleged connections with Russia, and the Kremlin has also denied such ties. According to the US Secret Service, the Russian President Vladimir Putin commissioned a campaign to influence the outcome of the presidential elections in the US for the benefit of Donald Trump, also with the aim of undermining the western liberal-democratic system.
TENNIS- Romanian tennis player Simona Halep continues to be world number one for the fourth week in a row. Halep, who has just received the year-end WTA World No. 1 Trophy, has an advance of 40 points as to world no. two, Garbine Muguruza and is 160 points ahead of the third place, Caroline Wozniacki. Another three Romanians who are part of the WTA top 100 maintain their current position - Sorana Cirstea no. 37, Irina Begu No. 44 and Monica Niculescu, nr. 100. Mihaela Buzarnescu went up 17 places and is now no. 72 WTA.
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