April 30, 2018

Eight Romanian soldiers injured in Afghanistan bombing; Romanian Agriculture Minister attends EU meeting in Sofia

Bogdan Matei, 30.04.2018, 14:08

TERRORISM – Eight Romanian soldiers have been injured in Afghanistan in an IED attack during a patrol mission in the southern province of Kandahar. They are now in stable condition, under hospital care. The Afghan police said that at least 25 people, among them 11 children, were killed in the suicide car bombing against a mosque as the Romanians were passing by. The Taliban has not claimed that it was behind the attack.

SOFIA — Romanian Agriculture Minister Petre Daea is in Sofia, Bulgaria, meeting his counterparts from the other EU member states. Joining members of the European Commission, the ministers are analyzing the issue of double standards of quality in food products in Europe. In May, the EC will start a campaign to uncover double standards. The study will look at a standard basked of products sold in most member states, including chemical and taste tests. 16 states will be participating. Comparative analysis in Romania last year identified 9 out of 29 food products such as dairy, fish, meat and chocolates, that indicated a double quality standard being applied in comparison to other EU countries.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis star Simona Halep continues to lead by a wide margin in the WTA rankings published Monday. She has over 1,200 points ahead of second ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Halep has been holding the top place in the world for 26 weeks, catching up to Russian player Dinara Safina as 14th placed in the rankings of all-time WTA leaders. Five more Romanians are in the top 100 WTA list. Sorana Carstea ranks 35th, Irina Begu ranks 36th, while Mihaela Buzarnescu went up two places to 37th, the best ranking of her career. Monica Niculescu places 64th, while Ana Bogdan ranks 67th. Halep is second place, behind Wozniacki, in the WTA Race rankings.

MAY DAY — The long May Day weekend continues. Almost 80,000 tourists are at the beach on the Black Sea coast, about 10,000 in the Danube Delta, and thousands more in mountain resorts. Romanian Railways has brought into service additional trains to the most popular destinations. 1,500 police and 300 speed detectors are deployed on the roads, watching the heavy traffic.

TOURISM — Romania registers revenues worth 2.24 billion Euro from tourism, but Romanians spend abroad 3.12 billion Euro on tourism related activities, according to a study run by the Initiative for Competitiveness NGO. According to the authors of the study, over the last year, tourism was twice and a half as bad in terms of Romanias trade balance. Almost 200,000 employees depend on this sector, which accounts for 1.3% of the countrys GDP. The National Institute of Statistics published data according to which Romania took in 6.7% more tourists in the first two months in 2018 as compared to the similar previous last year.

JORDAN — Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor continues his visit to Jordan, ending Wednesday. According to the Defense Ministry in Bucharest, the agenda focused on evaluating the security situation in Southeast Asia, the threat of violent extremism, cybersecurity and financing of terrorism, as well as cooperation in combating these threats. On Sunday, Minister Fifor was received by King Abdullah II of Jordan. The two parties confirmed their mutual interest in terms of developing cooperation in defense, including education, joint training, and arms trade.

HEALTHCARE — Romanian Health Minister Sorina Pintea meets this week again with trade union representatives in order to find solutions to their demands. On Thursday, thousands of healthcare workers took part in a protest in Bucharest. All categories of staff claim loss of revenue after new regulations were applied in the state employment system. They also demand the removal of the 30% ceiling for bonuses. Trade unions announced that the protest will be followed by a warning strike on May 7, threatening with a general strike on May 11.