October 12, 2023
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 12.10.2023, 13:55
DRONES- New drone fragments have been discovered on Romania’s territory in Plauru village, near the border with Ukraine. Romanian authorities have taken measures to secure the area while investigation teams are collecting evidence, in keeping with the procedures in force. The areas at risk following situations like these will be further monitored by forces of the Defense Ministry. This is the fourth time, since the beginning of September, that authorities discover drone fragments on Romania’s territory, which are similar to those used by the Russian army in Ukraine.
INFLATION – In Romania, the annual inflation rate decreased in September to 8.8%, from 9.4% in August, as the price of food products went up by 10.36%, of non-food stuff by 6.68%, and of services by 12.10%, according to data made public by the National Institute of Statistics. The inflation rate has been 5.7% since the beginning of the year. The National Bank of Romania (BNR) signaled, at the beginning of October, that, according to current assessments, the annual inflation rate will continue to decrease until the end of the current year in keeping with the latest medium-term forecast. In August, the BNR revised upward, to 7.5%, the inflation forecast for the end of this year and to 4.4% for the end of 2024. The International Monetary Fund estimates that the inflation rate will decrease from 7% to 4% at the end of 2024, but remains above the BNR target.
MEETING — Romania’s Supreme Defense Council, chaired by President Klaus Iohannis, convenes today in Bucharest. An important topic of the meeting’s agenda is drug use among young people and students. Also discussed will be the security situation at the Black Sea, in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, and decisions will be taken as regards the army equipping strategy for the next 10 years.
ISRAEL — Israel continued to bomb Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip and announced that 300,000 military were deployed at the border. Meanwhile, the death toll following Hamas’s attack on Israel exceeds 1,200 with thousands other injured. In Gaza, more than 1,100 people lost their lives and almost 5,400 were injured following bombing by the Israeli army. The UN has warned over a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and announced that half a million inhabitants in this territory have not received their food supplies since Saturday. Meanwhile, Israel has formed a new government, called of ‘national emergency’ that will lead the war against Hamas and can only make decisions strictly related to this war.
FUEL – Romania, Bulgaria and Greece have established a partnership to create a fuel supply network to cover NATO needs at times of peace and war. According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, the three sides signed a letter of intent in this respect, on the sidelines of a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. The project is financed with NATO support and is different from the ones financed by the EU.
FOOTBALL – The Romanian national football squad this evening is up against the Belarusian team in a Group I match of the 2024 European Football Championship preliminaries. The match is taking place in Budapest, Hungary, and Belarus is considered the host team. Romania won the first leg held on March 28 in Bucharest, 2-1. The Romanian national squad also plays on October 15, in Bucharest, the second leg against Andorra. The match will be held without spectators, after UEFA fined Romania for the political messages displayed by its supporters during the match with Kosovo. However, children under the age of 14 will have access to the stadium. In the first match, Romania defeated Andorra 2-0. (EE)
