October 17, 2016

Romania's foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu takes part in a meeting of the EU External Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

Newsroom, 17.10.2016, 12:00

EU – Romanias foreign minister Lazar Comanescu is attending, as of today, a meeting of the EU External Affairs Council in Luxembourg. Talks will focus on the Global Strategy for the European Unions Foreign and Security Policy, the EU-Canada trade agreement, migration and the situation in Tunisia and Syria. On the sidelines of the Council, Comanescu will attend a meeting of the Group of Friends of Ukraine to which the Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin is also invited.

ROYAL HOUSE – King Michael I of Romania is turning 95 on October 25th. The Royal House of Romania has made public the events marking his anniversary, to be held between October 20 and 28 in Bucharest and Sinaia. Among them is the first public broadcast of a radio drama produced by Radio Romania and written in 1960 by King Michael and his wife Ana, who died this summer. Photo exhibitions, gala concerts and book launches will also be held. King Michael I, who is seriously ill, is currently at his home in Switzerland. King Michael of Romania was born in 1921 as the son of Carol II of Romania and Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark. He was King of Romania from July 20th, 1927 to June 8th, 1930 and again from September 6th 1940 to December 30th, 1947. He was forced to abdicate in 1947 by the government controlled by the Communist Party of Romania.

ELECTION – The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the party of Montenegro’s long standing Prime Minister, Milo Djukanovic, has won most of the parliament’s seats in Sunday’s legislative elections. The pro-Western Democratic Party of Socialists has won, according to initial results, 40% of the votes, twice as much as the pro-Russian opposition alliance, the Democratic Front. If the minority parties, which ran independently in this election, choose to join him, Djukanovic will now be able to form a new government. The election day was overshadowed by the arrest of former Serbia Gendarmerie commander Bratislav Dikic, who was among 20 paramilitaries detained by Montenegrin police on Saturday with an alleged plan to disrupt Sundays election.

MOSUL – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has today announced the start of the operation of freeing the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul. A senior U.N. official says he is “extremely concerned” for the safety of civilians in Mosul in the fight to retake the Iraqi city from Islamic State fighters. Stephen O’Brien, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement that “depending on the intensity and scope of the fighting, as many as 1 million people may be forced to flee their homes in a worst-case scenario.” The U.S.-led international coalition is providing wide support for the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the battle for Mosul. Turkey has also offered its support.

JUSTICE – The head of the Higher Council of Magistracy (CSM), Mircea Aron, has today announced that it notified the Judicial Inspection in the case of the Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu having urged parliament members to refuse, until the end of their term, to have their say on the anti-corruption prosecutor’s requests. According to the Higher Council of Magistracy, Tariceanu has thus violated the independence of justice. Tariceanu is prosecuted for false testimony and encouraging the offender. He is the second most important official in the state, given the position he is currently holding, that of Senate Speaker. He is also co-president of the recently set up centre-rightist Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, (ALDE).

HANDBALL – Champions League title holders, Romanian women’s handball team CSM Bucharest grabbed a 24-21 win against Russian contenders Rostov, in their Group C debut game counting towards the ongoing edition of the League. CSM had the lead for the most part of the game and secured their win in the final part, when they scored three times. In the other game of Group C, dubbed “the death group”, Hungarian team Györ Audi ETO trounced FC Midtjylland, 31-19. In the League’s forthcoming stage, CSM Bucharest take on FC Midtjylland, away from home.

(Translated by Elena Enache)