8 August, 2016

King Michael might attend royal funeral, Inflation forecast lowered

Newsroom, 08.08.2016, 11:59

ROYAL FUNERAL- Romanias last king, Michael I, could find out today if physicians allow him to attend the funeral of his wife, Queen Anne, scheduled for Saturday at the royal necropolis in Curtea de Arges. Aged 94, himself in poor health, the king was at his wifes side every day at the Swiss clinic where she spent her last days. She passed away a week ago, after a battle with cancer. She was born in Paris in 1923, as Anne of Bourbon-Parma, and met King Michael in London, in 1947. That same year, on 30 December, while the country was practically under Soviet military occupation, and was led by a communist puppet government, King Michael was forced to abdicate, and went into exile. The sovereign was allowed to return home only after the regime change in 1989, regaining his Romanian citizenship and part of his holdings. King Michael acted as honorary ambassador, promoting Romanias integration into NATO, which occurred in 2004, and into the EU, 2007. His first born, Princess Margaret, is his successor as the head of the Romanian Royal House, and custodian of the crown.

INFLATION — Romanias National Bank has adjusted its inflation forecast for the end of the year to -0.4 percent, from the figure 0.6 percent, according to the quarterly report on inflation issued today by Governor Mugur Isarescu. The central bank estimates an inflation of 2% for late next year, lower than it did in May, when the figure stood at 2.7 percent. For 2018, the Governor estimates inflation to exceed the 2.5% target.

CENSURE MOTION — The head of the Social Democratic Party, and the head of the Liberal-Democratic Alliance, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, meet today to discuss the possibility of introducing a no-confidence motion against the technocrat government in Bucharest, led by Dacian Ciolos. Dragnea claims that, by changing the Tax Code, the government illegally levies taxes on war veterans and their widows. At the same time, Tariceanu says that the Ciolos government should focus on running the country, instead of engaging in long term strategies. PM Ciolos rejected the claims, saying that the Tax Code had to be amended, since it contained ambiguous provisions. The two political formations installed the previous government, led by Social Democrat Victor Ponta, who resigned last November, after ample street protests against corruption.

ANONIMUL — The Anonimul Independent International Film Festival starts today in the small town of Sfantu Gheorghe, in the Danube Delta, running for a week. It will feature movies by the special guest, South Korean director Park Chan-wook, alongside other productions, such as Cristi Puius Sieranevada and Bogdan Miricas feature length debut, Dogs, which won an award at Cannes in 2016. In total, over 350 feature length films from 33 countries have signed up for the competition. The trophies for best movie and best Romanian short fiction film will be awarded by audience vote.

OLYMPICS — Romanian athletes continue their evolution in the 31st edition of the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Their next events will be in judo, tennis, shooting, rowing, womens handball, table tennis, and swimming. Alin Moldoveanu and Corina Caprioriu are Romanias best hopes for medals on the 3rd day of the games, as they brought home medals four years ago. Moldoveanu was the surprise winner in London when he won in the 10 meter air rifle event, while Caprioriu went to the finals in the 57 kg category in judo. Eagerly expected is also the Romania- Brazil handball game, as well as the games that will be played by tennis players Monica Niculescu, Horia Tecau, and Florin Mergea. In gymnastics, Catalina Ponor will compete in the beam event, veteran Marian Dragulescu, 35 years of age, competes in the vault event, while Andrei Munteanu competes in the parallel bars finals. Romania is represented in Rio by 96 athletes with 7 reserves.

ISTANBUL — In Istanbul, over a million Turks gathered for a rally dubbed by the authorities a gathering for democracy and martyrs, which turned into a support rally for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The latter promised he would reintroduce the death penalty, with endorsement from Parliament. The Turkish leader promised he would eliminate from state institutions all the supporters of US based preacher Fethullah Gulen, the rival he blames for the recent failed coup. This rally comes after several other pro-government rallies in Turkey in the last three weeks. Over 60,000 people have been arrested, fired or suspended from civil jobs, the police, the army, the judiciary, education and the press, in what analysts call a purge following the failed coup.