August 12, 2015 UPDATE

For a roundup of domestic and international events, click here.

Newsroom, 12.08.2015, 12:15

REACTION – The Romanian government cannot tolerate forever the unacceptable comments of the Hungarian ambassador to Bucharest, said Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Tuesday in a message posted on Facebook. He said the position of the Romanian foreign ministry has been extremely balanced and in keeping with European norms and standards. On Monday, the ministry summoned the charge daffaires of the Hungarian embassy in Bucharest following an interview given by the Hungarian ambassador Zakonyi Botond to the Romania Libera newspaper. Mr. Botond said Bucharest was not interested in completing the transport infrastructure between the two states and urged the ethnic Hungarians in Romania to seek autonomy. The Romanian foreign ministry says the comments about a possible autonomy based on ethnic grounds are tantamount to involvement in Romanias internal affairs. On Tuesday, the Hungarian media carried information according to which the Romanian ambassador to Budapest Victor Micula was summoned at the Hungarian foreign ministry. Bucharest explained, however, that it was the Romanian diplomat who requested the meeting.

ROMANIANS ABROAD – The Bucharest authorities take a deep interest in the situation of the ethnic Romanian communities in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and keep a close eye on the situation of the Romanian communities in the Balkans, said the minister delegate for the relationship with Romanians abroad, Angel Tîlvăr in a talk at the Izvorul Muresului Summer University. He also said that the policy department for the relationship with Romanians abroad supports the consolidation of the associative environment, the preservation and promotion of Romanian culture, the development of civil society and Romanian media. This year, the Izvorul Muresului Summer University is held between August 10th and the 15th and is entitled “Romania and the Romanians on the border with the European Union and NATO. The issues discussed include the relationship between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, the rights of ethnic Romanian minorities in the neighbouring countries and the Balkans and the situation of the Romanian schools and churches in these areas as a means of preserving ethnic identity.

EXTREME WEATHER – A code orange alert against heat is in place in 5 counties in western Romania until Friday. In these areas temperatures will reach 38 degrees Celsius, with the heat index also expected to exceed comfort levels. Another 15 counties in the north, centre, south and the capital city Bucharest are under a code yellow alert. The highs here are expected to exceed 35 degrees Celsius. The unrelenting heat and the lack of rain have taken their toll on crops across the country. Also, the level of the Danube waters has fallen at an alarmingly low level. In the Danube Delta, more than 50 channels have become clogged and hundreds of fish have died because of the low level of the waters and high temperatures.

PROTEST – Detention centres personnel are protesting on Thursday in Bucharest. Employees are calling for the full payment of overdue salaries and for hiring additional staff. Trade unions say the system has some 15,500 jobs, of which 3,000 have been vacant over the last years, which has lead to the overworking of employees. The situation is extremely serious, as inmates account for 50% of security positions. The budget allotted to detention centres has increased steadily over the last two years, while financing is an issue, the National Administration of Detention Centres claims. According to this institution, over the last 7 years the number of employees has increased by 270, while the number of inmates went down by nearly 4,500. There are some 30,000 inmates and some 12,000 employees in the penitentiary system in Romania.

TERRORISM – The Islamic State on Wednesday announced it had decapitated the Croat kidnapped in Egypt three weeks ago and published an alleged photo of the body on Twitter and jihadist websites, France Press reports. Tomislav Salopek, a 31-year-old engineer working for a French geological mapping company was apprehended on July 22 by armed assailants on a road near Cairo. The Egyptian branch of the Islamic State last week threatened to kill him unless Cairo authorities released Muslim women detained in Egypt. If confirmed, this would be the first killing of a foreign hostage by jihadist Egyptians. The Islamic State is currently controlling regions in north-western Iraq, northern Syria, northern Egypt and northern Libya, currently making up the so-called Islamic Caliphate.

TURKEY – Turkeys Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara will push for a no-fly zone over northern Syria to protect civilians fleeing the Islamic State and Syrian government forces, according to the BBC. Ahmet Davutoglu also said he would cooperate with the United State in this respect and did not rule out the possibility to send Turkish troops to protect the area. Turkey has received more Syrian refugees than any other state, more than 1.8 million people according to the latest data published by the United Nations. The Turkish prime minister called on the international community to do more to solve the conflict in Syria which started more than four years ago and criticised the Un Security Council for failing to make a “strong decision to stop the atrocities in Syria. Last month, Turkey launched a “synchronised war on terror, including air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria.