August 23, 2018
President Iohannis commemorates victims of totalitarian regimes; Serbia denies extradition of MP Ghita
Corina Cristea, 23.08.2018, 13:23
BUCHAREST — On Thursday, Romania celebrates the day commemorating the victims of fascism and communism. On this occasion, President Klaus Iohannis said that people should never forget these victims, and that the present generation has to actively fight for democracy and the rule of law. The president recalled that recently there have not been any regimes more bloody than Fascist and Communist dictatorships, which had major impact on the development of states in Central and Eastern Europe, destroying the lives of millions of people. Forgetting these victims, the president said, would be an affront to history and humanity. The day of August 23rd is also the day when the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact was signed.
BELGRADE — The Court of Appeal in Belgrade confirmed the decision of the High Court of Justice in Serbia rejecting the request by Romania to extradite former MP Sebastian Ghita, according to the Serbian press. In July, the High Court of Justice in Belgrade rejected the extradition request filed by the Romanian authorities, and ruled that Ghita was eligible for asylum, on grounds of persecution in his country of origin against his free expression of political opinion. The former MP, accused on several charges, fled Romania sometime in December 2016. He was apprehended in Belgrade in April 2017.
TENNIS — The mens tennis pair Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer qualified in the semifinals of the Winston-Salem ATP tournament in North Carolina, with 700,000 dollars in prize money. They won 6-4, 6-3 against the New Zealand/ Holland pair Marcus Daniell/ Wesley Koolhof. Tecau and Rojer, current title holders, will play in the semifinals against the British pair Joe Salisbury/Neal Skupski.
FOOTBALL — Romanian football champions CFR Cluj and vice-champion FCSB play today away from home the first leg of the Europa League play-offs. The Cluj players take on the Luxembourg team Dudelange, while the former Steaua players take on the Austrians of Rapid Viena. The next leg is played on 30 August. CFR and FCSB are the only Romanian teams left in the European competition.
TERRORISM — Islamic State has claimed the attack on Thursday in Trappes, a periphery of Paris. A man knifed to death two people and gravely wounded one more before being apprehended by security forces, according to police sources. Trappes, a town on the outskirts of Paris inhabited by some 30,000 people, was singled out by the police as a place where around 50 people were recruited to go to fight in Iraq and Syria, and security forces have beefed up their presence.
EPIDEMIC — Ten Romanian counties are now afflicted by the African swine flu epidemic. The over 700 points of infection are mainly in the southeast and northwest, mostly in households. Around 120,000 pigs have had to be culled so far. The National Pro Agro Federation called on the government to make a decision regarding the epidemic in its highest emergency forum, the Higher Defense Council. The federation believes that an emergency situation has to be declared in the affected counties, to prevent the bankruptcy of dozens of companies involved in the meat trade.
