August 20, 2014
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Bogdan Matei, 20.08.2014, 12:00
Romania’s football champions, Steaua Bucharest on Tuesday clinched a one-nil win against Ludogoret Razgrad from neighboring Bulgaria in the first round of the Champions League play-offs. The return game is due in Sofia next week. If Steaua win they will enter the Champions League groups, same as last year and if they lose, they will be playing in Europa League. Romania is represented in Europa League by Petrolul Ploiesti, which take on Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb and by Astra Giurgiu, which will be up against Olympique Lyon of France.
Islamist fighters from Gaza have resumed their rocket attacks against Israel, after negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis stalled in Cairo. The latest frail armistice, which lasted for 12 days and had been extended with 24 hours on Monday was violated by Hamas which fired several rockets against Israel, including targets in the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem thus triggering an IDF response. Several Palestinians, including the daughter and wife of a Hamas leader, have been killed while scores others have been wounded in the latest air strikes. The USA has voiced concern about the new round of violence in Gaza and made an appeal to the sides involved to resume talks for a sustainable ceasefire. Since its onset on July 8th the operation in Gaza has caused the death of more than 2,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, as well as 70 Israelis.
President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Crimea, Oleg Belaventsev, said that the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniester in the east of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet country with a Romanian speaking majority, would eventually belong to Russia. The Kremlin official in the annexed Crimea, said that if it were for him he would annex Transdniester right away. We recall that the province came out of Chisinau’s control back in 1992, upon an armed conflict, which left hundreds of dead and was settled after the Russian army’s intervention on the rebels’ side. The secessionists later requested to join the Russian Federation. Although Russia pretends to respect the Republic of Moldova’s territorial integrity, Moscow continues to support the breakaway province both financially and militarily.
The Romanian seaside resort of Eforie Nord is hosting a meeting of the representatives of the Romanian communities abroad. 200 representatives of these communities are debating issues, which are confronting the Romanians outside the country’s borders as well as ways in which the authorities in Bucharest can address them. Prime Minister Victor Ponta said that the Romanians in the Diaspora must lay emphasis on Romania’s beautiful image and not on its problems. In turn the participants have asked politicians in Romania not to divide the Romanian Diaspora.
During a meeting in Bucharest with Dean Thompson, the US charge-d’affairs in Bucharest, Romanian Defence Minister Mircea Dusa said the situation in Ukraine represents a reason of concern for both NATO and Romania as its ally. On the other hand Minister Dusa has reiterated Romania’s commitment to developing and boosting the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Minister Dusa has appreciated the role of the US military base in Mihail Kogalniceanu, in the southeast of Romania, an essential transport hub for the US equipment on its way back from Afghanistan. At the same time the Romanian minister has briefed the US officials on the installation of the US anti-missile shield in Deveselu, southern Romania due to become operational in 2015.
The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest informs the Romanian citizens that Kenya has closed its borders to citizens coming from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, countries currently being confronted with an outbreak of Ebola epidemic. Concurrently Kenya Airlines has cancelled its flights towards those regions. According to a WHO report, the strongest epidemic of hemorrhaging fever, since the first discovery of this illness back in 1976, has so far killed more than 12 hundred people. Most of the deceased were in Liberia (over 400), Guinea and Sierra Leone.
