March 18, 2017 UPDATE
For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.
Newsroom, 18.03.2017, 18:52
TERRORISM – A man was shot dead on Saturday morning by security forces after grabbing the weapon of a soldier on Orly International Airport in Paris in what seems to be a terrorist attack. No one got hurt in the incident. Air traffic was brought to a halt and thousands of people were evacuated from the two terminals, which were both shut down. The authorities have launched a large-scale security operation involving bomb disposal experts. Counterterrorist prosecutors are conducting an investigation. Sources with the French Interior Ministry say the man was a radicalized Muslim who had been on the watchlist of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Prior to the incident on Orly Airport, the man had opened fire on a roadblock checkpoint in northern Paris, injuring a policeman, then headed to Orly. Since January 2015, Paris saw one of the highest number of terrorist attacks, which killed numerous victims.
MILTARY EXERCISE – 1,200 Romanian and US military are taking part in the Spring Storm 17 joint military exercise, consisting of complex defence tactics carried out on the Romanian Black Sea coast and urban areas, with naval, ground and air support. Today the military are scheduled to carry out a drill for the debarkation of Romanian and American marines from the USS Carter Hall landing ship. During the drill the forces will be attacked by battleships on sea while the Romanian Air Force will provide air support with two MIG 21 Lancer fighter jets. In another development, diplomatic and military sources in the Russian media say the Russian Federation is closely monitoring the French warship La Fayette, which will be anchored in the port of Constanta over March 24-27 as part of a joint military exercise carried out with the Romanian navy.
MOLDOVA – Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Moldovan counterpart, Igor Dodon, met in Moscow to discuss the terms of the agreement of their previous meeting, held less than three months ago. Igor Dodon said difficulties in terms of bilateral relations have been overcome due to this agreement and suggested the organization of consultations for the conclusion of a Strategic Partnership. The agenda of Igor Dodons visit to Moscow is mostly focused on the economy, and included the Moldovan officials participation in a Russian-Moldovan business forum. On this occasion, Igor Dodon called on Russian business people to invest in the Republic of Moldova. Any investor with an investment capital exceeding one hundred thousand dollars may apply for Moldovan citizenship and thus benefit from Moldovas Association Agreement with the European Union. At the same time, the Moldovan President said on April 3, Moldova will sign a cooperation agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.
TRUMP – US President Donald Trump on Friday talked to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about migration, which he sees as a privilege, not a right, underlining that citizen safety should come first. The two officials also discussed the NATO budget, with the White House leader insisting on the need for member states to make contributions to the NATO budget. Donald Trump said there are states currently owing large sums of money, and they have to pay their debts. In turn, Chancellor Merkel argued in favour of resuming negotiations between the European Union and the United States on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Angela Merkel also expressed their willingness to improve relations with Russia, provided a positive solution is found to the crisis in Ukraine.
GYMNASTICS – Gymnast Catalina Ponor on Friday qualified to the vault and floor final events at the World Gymnastics Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is the only Romanian athlete qualified to the finals, scheduled to take place on Sunday. 120 gymnasts from 21 states are taking part in the World Championships, an important event ahead of the European Championships to be hosted in April by Cluj Napoca, central Romania. (Translated by V. Palcu)
