March 5, 2019

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 05.03.2019, 14:12

DIPLOMACY – Combating anti-Semitism is one of Romania’s priorities at
the helm of the Council of the EU, said the Romanian Minister – Delegate for
European Affair George Ciamba, during a meeting with the Israeli ambassador to
Bucharest David Saranga. According to a communiqué issued by the Foreign
Ministry, the two officials discussed the excellent stage of Romanian – Israeli
bilateral relations, which are based on a natural partnership, consolidated
along 70 years of uninterrupted diplomatic ties. Also, minister Ciamba highlighted
the significant efforts made by Romania in the past years in terms of assuming
its past and condemning the denial of the Holocaust and anti-Semitism.

MOTION – A simple motion on justice, initiated
by the opposition National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, is to be
read and debated today in the Chamber of Deputies. The final vote will be held
tomorrow. The two parties call for the resignation of Justice Minister Tudorel
Toader. Obedience, lying, lack of responsibility and bad faith have kneeled the
justice system in Romania, the signatories to the motion say, who also
challenge some measures concerning the contest for admission to the National
Institute of Magistracy and the initial professional training of judges and
prosecutors. Also, they accuse minister Toader of maintaining penitentiaries
overcrowded, which will in turn lead to the early release of many convicts and
will endanger citizens’ lives, integrity, health and assets.

EXERCISE – The multinational exercise ‘Poseidon 19’, organized by the
Romanian Naval Forces, is unfolding in the Romanian and international waters in
the west of the Black Sea until the 8th of March. More than 1.100
soldiers, ten Romanian military vessels and four foreign vessels from Bulgaria,
Germany, Spain and Turkey, as well as two fast dive boats are taking part in
the exercise. Air drills are carried out by one Puma Naval helicopter, two
MiG21 LanceR fighters and two F-16 planes of the Romanian Air Forces. The main
goals of the exercise are to strengthen interoperability between the participating
ships and crews and certifying the capabilities of the Romanian Navel Forces
placed at the disposal of NATO for the coming period.

KIDNAPPING – The Romanian Foreign
Minister Teodor Melescanu has stated
that it is not known whether the kidnapping of three Romanian sailors in
the territorial waters of Togo was an act of kidnapping or of terrorism. He has
stated that a crisis cell was activated within the ministry and contact has
been established with the authorities in Togo and Nigeria through the Romanian
Embassy in Abuja. The three sailors were on board of a Maltese ship, with a
crew made up almost exclusively of Romanians. The ship was attacked by a pirate
boat. According to the drill in such situations, the crew took refuge in the
command room and sent a message, as a result of which most of them were rescued.
Three of them, however, were not able to reach the area where the other had
barricaded themselves and were kidnapped.

TRAFICKING – Two Dutch citizens were caught in Maramures, northern
Romania, with 84 kg of heroin hidden in their car. They were detained by
prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism
and are to be brought to court today. Prosecutors will propose provisional
detention, pending trial. The two, one woman and a man, aged 29 and 44
respectively, were coming from Ukraine, in a car registered in Germany. The
border police found a special place in the car, where 167 parcels of heroin had
been hidden.

VOLLEYBALL – The Romanian women’s volleyball teams CSM
Alba Blaj and Stiinta Bacau are today playing the return leg of the CEV cup’s semi-finals.
A week ago, in the first leg, in Bacau, Alba Blaj won 3-nil and holds most
chances of qualifying for the final. Last year, Alba played the final of the
Champions League, which it lost in Bucharest against the Turkish squad
VakifBank Istanbul. In the other semi-final
of the CEV Cup, Swietelsky Bekescsaba of Hungary will play against Yamamay e-work Busto Arsizio of Italy.