December 9, 2024 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 09.12.2024, 20:00

Defense Ministry – The Romanian Defense Ministry (MApN) signals new disinformation actions in the online environment, especially on the TikTok platform. According to the MApN portal, InfoRadar, Romania’s borders and port infrastructure are targeted. One of the posts falsely accredits the idea that Romania’s borders will be closed and secured with military personnel, and the other presents, without any connection with reality, military equipment that is not in the Romanian Army’s equipment as being concentrated in the Port of Constanța, this being evidence, as the authors of the disinformation claim, of war preparations. The Ministry specifies that all this information is false and that its communication structures will continue to report cases of disinformation of the public opinion as they are identified. The National Audiovisual Council and The National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications have notified the platforms Meta, TikTok, X and Google regarding their obligations in terms of combating disinformation, in accordance with the European regulation in the field.

Syria – On Monday, the EU called for a ‘peaceful and orderly’ transition in Syria, after the removal of the Bashar al-Assad regime from power. The head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, underlined that it was essential to maintain the territorial integrity of Syria, to respect the independence, sovereignty and state institutions of this country and to reject all forms of extremism. The Russian state media reports that the ousted president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, and his family are in Russia and have received political asylum. The coalition of Syrian rebels and local officials have announced that they are working to transfer power and rebuild Syria together. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali has spoken publicly and has said he will remain in office until a new government is installed, that public institutions will be protected and that government officials must remain in office until a new government is formed. According to commentators, busy with the invasion of Ukraine, respectively with the conflict with Israel, Russia and Iran, the supporters of the Assad regime during the civil war of the last decade, have had no significant interventions against the rebels this time.

Weather – In Romania, in the next 24 hours, temperatures ​​will be above the multi-annual averages specific to this date. The sky will be cloudy in the west, north and center of the country, and in the rest the clouds will be temporary. Light rainfalls will be reported in the center and northeast. There will be mixed precipitation in the mountain area and in the northern half of the country. The wind will blow moderately, with some intensification in the east and southeast. Maximum temperatures will range between 3 and 9 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists announce warmer weather than normal for this period throughout Romania, until January 6. Rain will be reported, especially in the first part of this interval, in the eastern, southern and intra-Carpathian regions, according to the four-week forecast issued by the National Meteorological Administration. The first month of winter is characterized by several phenomena, including snow, which, associated with intensification of the wind, will cause blizzards, quite often in the southern half and in the east.

Arrest – Horaţiu Potra, a local councilor in the town of Mediaş (central Romania), known as the leader of a group of mercenaries that operated in Africa, was arrested, Sunday evening, by Romanian prosecutors. His arrest was confirmed by his lawyers, who say that the charges are public incitement and non-compliance with the weapons and ammunition regime, being related to the arsenal found by investigators and a post on Facebook. Several weapons and sums of money were found in a car, in traffic, in Prahova county (south), which transported Potra and another person, who were allegedly on their way to Bucharest. Currently, the Prahova county prosecutors and police are conducting other searches in Ilfov (south), Sibiu (center) and Bucharest. The searches take place in several buildings owned by Potra, as well as in other spaces where it is assumed that there were meetings between him and persons suspected of involvement in perpetrating these crimes. According to the information published in the press, Potra is allegedly a supporter and the one who coordinates the security of the nationalist politician Călin Georgescu, accused of connections with Russia. Winner of the first round of the presidential election on November 24, round which was later canceled by the Constitutional Court of Romania, Georgescu claims that he does not know Potra and that he only knows things about him from the press.

Schengen  – Austria will not oppose Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of the European Schengen free travel area, at the meeting of interior ministers that will take place on Thursday in Brussels, the Austrian APA agency reported on Monday, quoted by Reuters, citing Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. We remind you that Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Schengen in March, by suspending air and sea border controls. Land border controls, however, remained in place due to opposition from Austria, motivated by Vienna’s concerns about illegal migration. Romania could thus enter the Schengen area 17 years after joining the European Union. (LS)