Newsflash, September 5
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 05.09.2014, 12:08
The European Union and the United States are today announcing new sanctions against Moscow, accused of supporting the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine with military personnel and weapons. The EU leaders, attending the NATO summit in Wales, have announced the restrictions are targeting the banking, energy and defense sectors. The new restrictions will be imposed unless progress is made in the peace negotiations, in the next few hours. The Radio Romania correspondent in Newport has mentioned that the NATO Secretary general Anders Fough Rassmusen is accusing Moscow of having done nothing for a peaceful solution to the crisis in Ukraine. Rasmussen has again called on Russia to give up the illegal annexation of Crimea, withdraw its troops from Ukraine’s territory and stop fueling the conflict with military, weapons and funds. Bucharest, represented at the summit by President Traian Basescu, Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean and Defense Minister Mircea Dusa, is for harsher sanctions against Russia and for strengthening NATO’s eastern flank.
Romanian Agriculture Minister Daniel Constantin is today attending in Brussels, an extraordinary meeting on the embargo imposed by Russia on food products from Europe. Participants will also discuss new ways of supporting European producers affected by Moscow’s decision. Ahead of the meeting, Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean and European Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, attended a conference on Romanian traditional products held at the European Parliament’s headquarters.
The head of the Romanian Audio-Visual Council, which regulates the domestic electronic media market, Laura Georgescu, has today been prosecuted for corruption. Narcisa Iorga, working with the same institution and MP Viorel Hrebenciuc, seen one of the most important members of the ruling Social Democratic Party, are also investigated in the same file. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, Hrebenciuc allegedly used his political influence to convince the members of the Audio-Visual Council to reconsider their decision of withdrawing the license of a TV station from outside the capital city.
Around 200 domestic and international flights have been cancelled today on the Frankfurt airport as pilots working for national carrier Lufthansa embark on a six-hour strike. Protesters are demanding the reinstatement of a benefit allowing pilots to choose early retirement at the age 60, on partial pay. Lufthansa has said it wants all pilots who are medically fit, to keep flying until they are 65. Pilots are also asking for a 10 percent pay rise.
Europe is faced with a terrible crisis, the most serious one after WW2 and dialogue is the only way in which a solution can be found, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Anne Brasseur, paying an official visit to Romania, has said. She has pointed out that except for the crisis in Ukraine, there are many other crises in Europe, generated by corruption, exclusion and xenophobia. Anne Brasseur’s agenda includes meetings with several Romanian officials.
Iran and the United States continue their bilateral talks in Geneva on Friday as international diplomacy, with EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, at helm, tries to end a decade-old dispute over Tehrans atomic activities by a new deadline in late November. The six powers – the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain – aim to persuade Iran to scale back its nuclear program in exchange for phasing out sanctions that have severely hurt its oil-dependent economy.
USS ROSS destroyer is to arrive today in the Romanian harbour of Constanta, where it will stay until Sunday. The purpose of this visit is to strengthen bilateral ties between the American and Romanian naval forces, as part of the Strategic Partnership. USS ROSS will take part in the multinational exercise SEA BREEZE 2014, in which the Romanian forces are present with a frigate and a corvette.
New talks about settling the conflict in Eastern Ukraine are taking place today in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. Attending the meeting are representatives of the pro-western administration in Kiev, of Moscow, the pro-Russian rebels and of OSCE. Ukrainian President, Petro Porosenko and one of the separatists’ leaders, Alexandr Zaharcenko, said that, if progress is reached during the talks in Minks, they will both order their forces to cease fire this afternoon. Porosenko added that numerous western states offered to supply Ukraine with military equipment, including high range weapons. This would add to the 15 million euro aid promised by NATO for the advancement of logistic facilities for Ukrainian troops.
The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest has today nominated by drawing lots, the five judges to be part of the Central Election Bureau for the election of Romania’s president. The first round of voting is due on November 2 and candidacies must be submitted until September 23rd. Definitive candidacies will be announced five days later by the Central lection Bureau. The election campaign starts on October 3rd and ends on November 1st.
The football game between the national sides of Romania and Greece, is due on Sunday on the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Piraeus. This is Romania’s first game in its Euro 2016 qualifying tournament and an opportunity to avenge its defeat at the hands of Greece in the World Cup playoffs. Greece qualified for the World Cup tournament in Brazil after defeating Romania at home 3-nil last November and drawing in Bucharest 1-all. This time around, Romania’s Euro 2016 qualifying group also includes Hungary, Northern Ireland, Finland and the Faeroe Islands.
