September 15, 2017 UPDATE
Click here for an update on domestic and international news
Newsroom, 15.09.2017, 19:52
London — The American President Donald Trump has condemned Friday’s attack in a subway station in London and said the terrorists should be treated in a much tougher way, DPA and Reuters report. The explosion of a makeshift device in the subway station wounded 22 people. Great Britain has this year been the target of 4 terrorist attacks that have killed 36 people.
Kabul — One of the 3 Romanian soldiers wounded on Friday in Afghanistan, in a patrol mission in Kandahar, has died, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. Corporal Mădălin Stoica, 41, was on his first mission in the region. The state of the other 2 soldiers is stable. The soldiers were traveling in a convoy in Kandahar, when a booby-trapped vehicle collided with their armored vehicle. The military were deployed in Afghanistan in August. In 2017 the Romanian Army is contributing more than 620 military to the NATO Resolute Support operation in Afghanistan, while another 300 soldiers are being deployed in operations led by NATO, the EU, the UN and the OSCE in other regions. 29 Romanian soldiers have died and another 180 have been wounded in external missions.
Excise duty on fuel— In Romania the excise duty on fuel went up on Friday by 3.5 eurocents / liter, and is expected to increase by the same amount starting October 1. Aimed at bringing in more revenues to the state budget, the measure was taken after the Government eliminated the 7 eurocents extra excise duty on fuel early this year. The introduction of the additional excise is harshly criticized by transporters, who warn that its effects will impact the entire economy.
Ukraine — Three MPs in the Ukrainian Parliament, including Romanian Grigore Timis, have called on President Petro Poroshenko not to ratify the new education law. Passed earlier this month, the law severely restricts the rights of national minorities to education in their mother tongue. The three MPs say Ukraine will violate bilateral agreements with their countries if the law is passed. On Thursday, Foreign Ministers of Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece addressed a joint letter to their Ukrainian counterpart, calling for the amendment of the draft law.
Missile test — The Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron related to the consequences of North Korea’s latest missile test. According to a Kremlin communiqué, the two leaders have condemned North Korea’s provocative actions, which risk leading to “irreversible consequences”. The latest North Korean missile test has been firmly condemned by the UN Secretary General and the EU foreign policy chief. The Japanese Government condemned the action and called it “an extreme challenge”. The US has urged China and Russia to put direct pressure on North Korea. The Romanian Foreign Ministry firmly condemned North Korea’s second missile test and considers that the test is a serious violation of the UN Security Council resolutions as well as a serious challenge to regional and international peace and security.
Tennis — Austria leads Romania 2-0 after the first singles played Friday in Wels, at the Davis Cup, in the first-round playoffs to remain in the Europe/ Africa Group I. Gerald Melzer defeated Dragoş Dima and Dominic Thiem, world no. 7 player, defeated Bogdan Borza. On Saturday, Horia Tecau and Nicolae Frunza are playing Dominic Thiem and Philipp Oswald. On Sunday, Dominic Thiem is playing Dragos Dima, while Gerald Melzer will take on Bogdan Borza. Romania leads 3-2 in official direct games against Austria. (translation by L. Simion)
