August 22, 2017
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 22.08.2017, 13:53
Kiev — The Romanian authorities are content with the way in which the rights of Romanian minorities in neighboring Ukraine are observed, said in Kiev Romania’s Minister for the Romanians Abroad, Andreea Păstârnac. The statement was made during the talks the Romanian official held with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Pavlo Klimkin. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the two officials agreed that the Romanian minority in Ukraine and the Ukrainian minority in Romania had to remain a key-element of bilateral cooperation. Another topic on the agenda of talks was the visit the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is going to pay to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry officials said.
Afghanistan — NATO, which intervened in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks of 2001 upon the request of the US, will never allow this country to ‘become again a sanctuary for terrorists’ said Tuesday the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. At the same time, the leader in Kabul, Ashraf Ghani hailed the US’s ‘sustainable commitment’ in Afghanistan. The statements follow the warning launched Monday evening by US President Donald Trump that a hasty withdrawal of personnel from Afghanistan would leave a power vacuum that could be filled by terrorists. President Trump admitted that, despite his election campaign promise to pull out the American troops from Afghanistan, he subsequently decided to maintain them there, so as to avoid the errors made in Iraq. Washington also announced its intention to increase the number of American troops in Afghanistan. At present, there are almost 8,400 American soldiers deployed in Afghanistan as part of an international force numbering a total of 13,500 soldiers. Romania has sent more than 600 soldiers to Afghanistan.
Undercloud — Bucharest sees Tuesday the start of the 10th edition of the Undercloud International Independent Theatre Festival. According to organizers, by August 31, over 40 theater shows will be presented. The Undercloud Festival is unfolding under the aegis of the program “Europe for Festivals. Festivals for Europe”, which is an important international certificate granted by the European Commission and the Association of Festivals in Europe.
Football — Romania’s football vice-champions FCSB (formerly known as Steaua Bucharest) will take on Sporting Lisbon on home turf in the 2nd leg of the playoffs for qualification to the Champions League’s groups. The first match ended in a nil-draw. Even if they fail to qualify to the groups of the main European championship, FCSB has a place secured in Europa League. The titleholder, FC Viitorul (south east of Romania) will take on the Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday, away from home, in the 2nd leg of the playoffs of the Europa League. In the 1st leg, FC Viitorul lost 3-1.
Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan (127 WTA) has qualified to the 2nd round of the New Haven tournament in the US which has total prizes worth more than 700 thousand dollars, after she defeated the Russian Elena Vesnina (18 WTA) 2-0. On Wednesday Bogdan will play against the Belgian Kirstan Flipkens (76 WTA). Also the pair made up of the Romanian Horia Tecău and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer has qualified to the quarterfinals of the Winston-Salem tournament in the US that offers total prize money amounting to more than 650 thousand dollars. They defeated 2-0 the pair Dominic Inglot (Great Britain) / Daniel Nestor (Canada).
Madrid — 4 men, the only survivors of the 12 alleged members of an Islamist terrorist cell that masterminded the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils, appeared Tuesday before a court on Madrid. The hearings are taking place one day after the alleged perpetrator of the attack in Barcelona, Moroccan Younes Abouyaaqoub, was shot dead by the police. The 4 suspects are accused of acts of terrorism, murder and possession of weapons. Last week’s attacks, which killed 15 and wounded over 130 people, were claimed by the Islamic State terrorist group. (news translated by L. Simion)
