April 12, 2017
Government passes decentralization strategy/ German police examining “Islamic link in attack on football team bus/ Romania wins medals at EGMO
Newsroom, 12.04.2017, 13:51
Decentralization — The Romanian PM Sorin Grindeanu has announced the Government will adopt, Wednesday, the strategy for decentralization, pointing out that all the institutions that can pass under the administration of local authorities should be transferred under their management. The domains included in the decentralization process are: agriculture, culture, tourism, the environment, healthcare, education and extra-curricular activities, youth and sports. The general objective assumed in the strategy is the transfer of new competences, except for those of inspection and control, to the local authorities – town halls, local and county councils. At present a great part of these competences are being exerted by the ministries’ decentralized directorates.
Borrusia Dortmund attack — The German police are examining the “Islamic link” to the bomb attack perpetrated Tuesday night on the bus carrying the Borrusia Dortmund football team, the German press writes. According to the press, the letter found on the site of the blast points to the German military involvement against the terrorist organization the Islamic State and it also refers to the attack on the Berlin Christmas market in December. We recall that the bus of the Borrusia Dortmund football team was hit, Tuesday, by three explosive devices at about 7.15 p.m. local time, ahead of the Champions League quarter final they were due to play on home ground against Monaco. The defender Marc Bartra was injured in the explosion and the match was postponed for one day. The footballer was taken to hospital to undergo surgery on his injured arm to repair a fracture and remove shrapnel.
US — Russia — The American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in Moscow in an attempt to persuade Russia to withdraw its support for the Syrian leader, Bashar Al-Assad, and to back the US in its effort to restore peace in the Middle East. The visit of the American official comes against the backdrop of increasing tension between the two countries. Russia has condemned the American missile attack on an air base of the Syrian government forces, in response to the chemical attack that killed 89 people. The foreign ministers participating in a G7 meeting conveyed a message to Russia asking it to give up their support for the Assad regime, but said nothing about possible sanctions against Russia following the chemical attack in Syria.
EGMO — Romania’s girls’ math team won three silver medals and one bronze at the 6th edition of the European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) hosted by Zurich, Switzerland, between April 6 – 12. The medals were obtained by the students of several prestigious IT high schools in Bucharest and Slatina (in the south). The European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad is an international competition similar in structure to the International Mathematical Olympiad. According to regulations, a team is made up of 4 girls. More than 160 girls from 43 countries have participated in this year’s edition.
Statistics — In Romania, the annual inflation rate stagnated in March 2017 at 0,2%. This is the 3rd consecutive month when positive values are reported, after 19 months of negative values of the inflation rate, show data published by the National Statistics Institute quoted by the daily Ziarul Financiar. In February, the annual inflation rate was 0.2% after it had stood at 0.05% in January. At the end of 2016 the annual inflation rate was minus 0.5%, that being the 2nd consecutive year when the annual inflation rate reported negative values. (translation by L. Simion)
