October 28, 2017 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 28.10.2017, 19:23
SPAIN Romania reiterates its firm support for Spain’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, vehemently and irrevocably rejecting Catalonia’s unilateral declaration of independence, the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest says in a communiqué. Spain is Romania’s major ally and strategic partner, the communiqué also says, and the legitimacy of any process or action related to interior order should be according to the fundamental law and the legal order in that state. The Romanian Foreign Ministry reiterates Bucharest’s consistent stand in favour of complying with the international law, which rules out any territorial changes without the accord of the state involved. The main Western chancelleries have also voiced support for the authorities in Madrid. We recall that Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced the sacking of the regional government, the dismantling of the Catalan Parliament and that regional elections are to be held on December 21st. The decisions were made on Friday evening, after the Catalan Parliament had voted in favour of a unilateral declaration of independence and the proclamation of the Catalan republic. The chief the Catalan police has been sacked and the region will be administered by Spanish vice-premier Soraya Saenz de Santamaria and controlled by 33 thousand agents, the BBC reports. The dismissed Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, on Saturday called for democratic opposition against Spain’s formal takeover of the region. In a televised address on Saturday, the separatist leader said that Madrid’s decision to suspend the province’s autonomy and appoint the Spanish Deputy Prime Minister as its provisionary head runs against the will of the people.
TENNIS The world’s best tennis player Simona Halep of Romania is going to end the year in the first position of WTA rankings. Halep managed this performance after Danish Caroline Wozniacki had outperformed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the semis of the WTA Finals tournament in Singapore. Pliskova was the only one who could have outrun the Romanian player in the WTA standings had she won the Singapore tournament. In the finals on Sunday Wozniacki will be up against Venus Williams of the USA, who comes after a win against Caroline Garcia of France.
USR MP Dan Barna is the new president of the opposition Save Romania Union (USR), the third largest political group in Parliament. With 127 votes, Barna has outrun his opponent Vlad Alexandrescu who gets only 50 votes during the party’s extraordinary session in Poiana Brasov, central Romania. We recall the former USR leader and founding father, Nicusor Dan, has left the group after it decided through an interior referendum to take a stand against a controversial initiative of the Pro-Family Coalition who campaigned for a Constitution amendment, which defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. The initiative, which got support from 3 million Romanians, has been contested by NGOs who campaign for human rights in general and the right of sexual minorities in particular.
DEMOTION Romania has been relegated from Group One of the Davis Cup’s Europe-Africa Zone after the Israeli pair made up of Dudi Sela and Jonathan Erlich on Saturday outperformed Romanians Vasile Antonescu and Bogdan Borza. After the first two days Israel is leading Romania 3-0 in the tie-matches hosted by Ramat Hasharon. This has been Romania’s first demotion since 1993. Sunday will see the last singles pitching Dudi Sela against Dragos Dima and Edan Leshem against Nicolae Frunza.
WEATHER Romanian weathermen on Saturday issued a code orange alert for snowfalls and blizzard in the mountains and code yellow alert for gale-force winds and cold weather in almost all Romania until Monday night. Mixed precipitations are expected in the country’s north, centre and east. Maximum temperatures are to range between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius.
