October 16, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 16.10.2014, 00:00
ASEM – President of Romania, Traian Basescu, is taking part as of today in the Asia — Europe Meeting in Milan, alongside representatives of the EU and of several Asian countries. The topic of this year’s summit is “Responsible Partnership for Growth and Security.” The meeting will be an opportunity to convey a strong message of commitment to Asia. ASEM was created in 1996, as a forum for dialog and cooperation between Europe and Asia.
Corruption investigation – In Brasov, central Romania, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate carries on hearings in a case involving the illegal return of forest property. Three Social Democratic MPs, Ilie Sârbu, Viorel Hrebenciuc and Ioan Adam, and the manager of the ROMSILVA National Forestry Corporation, Adam Crăciunescu, are prosecuted in the case. The charges include the establishment of a crime group, influence peddling and abuse of office. Prosecutors also suspect the involvement of three judges, two lawyers and of Prince Paul, the illegitimate grandson of King Carol II of Romania. According to prosecutors, this organised crime group has caused the State to lose over 300 million euros, the market value of tens of thousands of hectares of forested land.
Economy – Romanian exports may exceed 50 billion euros this year, after having reached a record-high 49 billion euros last year, the Romanian authorities announced. Meanwhile, foreign direct investments rose by 27% in the first 8 months of the year compared to the corresponding period of 2013. The Economy Minister Constantin Niţă says Romania should diversify its export markets and expects the country to become a major energy exporter in the region in the coming years.
IS – Kurdish fighters regained several parts of the Syrian town of Kobane from the hands of the IS, thanks to the intensified international air strikes, a local Kurdish official said. The US announced having shelled Islamic State sites in Kobane in 18 raids on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing several hundreds of IS fighters. The air strikes managed to delay the advance of the jihadist militants, who had seized the centre of the town on Monday. Clashes carry on in Iraq as well, where for the fourth consecutive day IS militants bombed Shiite civilians in Baghdad and carried on attacks in the western province of al-Anbar.
International – The Russian president Vladimir Putin is on a visit to Serbia today, to attend the 70th anniversary of the freeing of Belgrade, in which Russian troops also took part. Since the start of the Ukrainian crisis in November 2013, Serbia, a EU candidate country, has been trying to preserve a balance between complying with its commitments to the EU and good relations with Moscow, which supported Belgrade on many delicate international issues, including the independence of its former province, Kosovo, France Presse comments. The news agency also notes that to Moscow it is important for Serbia’s accession negotiations with the EU not to affect Russia’s interest and partnership with Belgrade.
Ebola – US President Barack Obama, his French counterpart François Hollande, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the PMs of Italy and UK, Matteo Renzi and David Cameron, have rated the deadly virus Ebola as the most severe health emergency of the past years, a spokesperson for the British PM said. These officials held a conference call on Wednesday on the topic, after the US authorities announced that a second nurse in Texas got the virus. EU healthcare ministers are meeting in Brussels today to agree on strengthening the airport screening of passengers coming from the West African countries affected by the epidemic. According to the World Health Organisation, this year Ebola has killed around 4,500 people, out of the 9,000 cases reported in seven countries.
Sports – The EU voiced disappointment with the incidents that affected the Serbia — Albania football match ahead of the 2016 European championship, held on Tuesday in Belgrade. The EU said politics should not be subject to pressure on stadiums. The game was discontinued in minute 41, when Serb supporters tried to get on the pitch, after a drone flew over the stadium carrying the colours of Greater Albania, a nationalist project aimed at bringing together Albanian communities in the Balkans within the same state. The two neighbouring countries, both seeking EU accession, have rather tense relations, further strained since Kosovo, a province with mostly Albanian population, declared its independence from Serbia.
