January 30, 2014 UPDATE
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Valentin Țigău, 30.01.2014, 12:00
All the blizzard alerts for the south and south east of Romania have expired now, but very cold weather follows. Forecasters warn of minimums as low as minus 15 to 18 degrees C. Seven counties in the southeast are still under alert. Additional military and civilian aid workers have been sent to the affected regions. A few hundred towns and villages are affected by heavy snow and strong winds. Two motorways and 30 national roads in those areas have been shut down, while most trains are also affected. Schools remained closed on Thursday in 14 counties, including the city of Bucharest. At the same time, ports on the Black Sea have resumed traffic.
US General Philip M. Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, spoke in Bucharest, saying he was impressed by Romania’s contribution to NATO missions, as well as by its participation in the anti-ballistic shield. He singled out during his meeting with Defense Minister Mircea Dusa the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, the Baltic aerial policing operation, as well as the Act Defense and Ocean Field operations in Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea respectively. On Thursday night, gen. Breedlovemet Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean for talks on a couple of topics high on NATO agenda including the future NATO summit due in Britain in September.
Romanian president Traian Basescu has called on Prime Minister Victor Ponta to endorse an emergency ordinance on amending the new Penal Code due to come into force on February 1st 2014. According to the president some stipulations of the Code, such as those on the permission to intercept potential criminals only after they have been cautioned, can impede the good functioning of the legal system. The Prime Minister explained the law had been promulgated by the president, but by all means the Justice minister would present the government with several amendment proposals. The National Anti-corruption Directorate and the Higher Council of Magistracy have also called for amendments to the present Penal Code. We’ll revert to the topic after the news.
Romania’s former Liberal Transport Minister, Relu Fenechiu has been sentenced to five years in prison. Fenechiu has been indicted by the prosecutors of the National Anti-corruption Directorate for having sold old transformers at the price of new ones to the national electricity producer Electrica Moldova. Other persons in this file, including Fenechiu’s brother, have received prison sentences between five and seven years.
Romania’s president Traian Basescu on Thursday held talks in Bucharest with John Sawers, the head of MI6 on the cooperation between the Romanian and British institutions specialized in fighting terrorism. Sawers thanked for the excellent cooperation between the Romanian anti-terrorist structures and MI6. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian presidency, the British official added that the partnership with the intelligence institutions in Romania was one of the best Britain had and that in the past years Romania had gained the reputation of being a major NATO ally.
Romania is ready to work with all interested parties in developing the Black Sea region, as stated in Bucharest by Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean at a conference dedicated to improving the Black Sea’s development potential. Corlatean said that Romania supported enhanced dialog between Black Sea countries and European institutions, but also a strong partnership between the EU and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, adding that Romania plans on being extremely active in its future position of coordinator of the organization’s environmental workgroup, between 2014 and 2016. The conference in Bucharest, organized by the Romanian Foreign Ministry and the European Commission, was attended, among others, by the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Maria Damanaki. The conference brought together public and private sector actors from all states around the Black Sea.
The Parliament in Kiev on Wednesday night passed a law providing amnesty for protesters withheld during the recent demonstrations in Ukraine. This is one more concession made towards the opposition, after discarding tough rules against the protesters. The law frees protesters in exchange for their liberating the ministries and state administration buildings that have been blocked. Catherine Ashton, head of European diplomats, present in Kiev, called on a stop to violence and intimidation in Ukraine, pleading for a real dialog between power and the opposition. The political crisis in that country has reached levels without precedent, prompted by the decision made by the Yanukovich government in November to refuse signing the association agreement with the EU.
On January the 30th India celebrates the Martyrs’ Day. The date was chosen as it marks the assassination in 1948 of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is considered the father of the modern Indian state.
