October 12, 2014 UPDATE

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Bogdan Matei, 12.10.2014, 12:05

MARCH — Over 10,000 people took part on Sunday in a match in central Bucharest expressing solidarity with the Republic of Moldova. A third of the participants were Moldovan themselves. They believe the union of the two states would prevent Moldova from falling victim to Russian aggression, similar to the incidents in eastern Ukraine. This was the third edition of the March for Bessarabia, an event first held in 2012 that marked 200 years since the first annexation of this province by Russia. Part of Bessarabia’s territory, which became part of Romania after the Great War only to be re-annexed by Russia in 1940, became the present-day Republic of Moldova. This summer, the pro-Western Government in Chisinau signed the Association and Free Trade Agreements with the European Union.

WARNING — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a warning for all Romanian citizens in or on their way to Japan, concerning a code red alert against strong wind and heavy rainfall in this country. Additionally the authorities have issued an alert against tsunamis for the coastal area. The Ministry recommends all Romanian citizens to keep up to date to weather phenomena before travelling to Japan, by consulting the website of the Japanese Meteorological Agency and other reference sites. A similar warning has been issued for Romanians in or travelling to India, where severe cyclonic storms are expected.

MILITARY OPERATIONS — Romania ranked sixth among nations taking part in military operations in Afghanistan, Minister for National Defence Mircea Dusa said on Sunday. According to the Romanian official, a total of 25,000 Romanian military engaged in allied military operations during the 12 years of presence in Afghanistan, of which 23 were killed in action. Romania took part in the NATO-led intervention targeting the terrorist cell Al-Qaeda and its Taliban protectors ever since 2002 and was granted NATO accession two years later.

FOOTBALL — Romania’s national team has left for Helsinki, where it will take on Finland in the third match of Group F, counting towards the 2016 European Championship qualifiers. This will be the third match for Romania after last Saturday’s 1-all draw against Hungary and its 1-nil away win over Greece. Northern Ireland is topping the tables with 6 points in 2 matches, followed by Finland and Romania, each with 4 points, Hungary and Greece with 1 point and the Faeroe Islands with zero points. The first two teams will qualify directly, while the team in third place will play in the playoffs. Romania last qualified to a European Championship in 2008.