April 12, 2014
Some of the main stories in Romania today.
România Internațional, 12.04.2014, 13:51
The expansion of the bilateral Strategic Partnership in the political, military and security areas was one of the issues discussed on Friday in Washington by the Romanian state secretary for strategic affairs Bogdan Aurescu during talks with US officials. According to a foreign ministry release, Aurescu argued in favour of an increased US and NATO presence in the NATO eastern members, including Romania, amid the worrying developments in the region. Also, Romania stood in favour of expanding military cooperation with the United States. The biggest strategic project in the history of bilateral relations, the construction of a US missile defence system in Deveselu, in southern Romania, is under way, with the base expected to become operational in 2015.
The Romanian Orthodox Church is today holding processions ahead of the Palm Sunday, which is celebrated one week before Easter. The feast commemorates Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, where he was welcomed by people carrying olive branches. In Bucharest, around 10,000 people are expected to take part in a procession held by the Romanian Patriarchal See. As Palm Sunday is this year celebrated at the same time by both the Orthodox and the Catholic communities, the Roman-Catholic Archbishopric will also hold its own procession in Bucharest. On Palm Sunday, the Catholic Church also celebrates World Youth Day initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985.
The Romanian cyclist Eduard Novak on Friday won the bronze medal in the C4 men’s pursuit at the Paracycling Track World Championships hosted by the Mexican city of Aguascalientes. Novak is 5 times world champion and the only paralympic champion in the history of Romanian sports. The points he won in Mexico are very important in the run-up to the Paralympic Games hosted by Rio in 2016. In other sports news, after 250 km through the Sahara Desert, the Romanians Aristide Necula and Paul Dincu on Friday completed the 29th edition of the Marathon of Sands, one of the toughest ultramarathon competitions in the world.
World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day is celebrated on the 12th of April around the globe to commemorate the first ever human flight into space by the Soviet spacecraft Vostok 1 carrying the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin were the first humans to step on the Moon on board Apollo 11. Dumitru Prunariu is the first and only Romanian cosmonaut to fly into space.
Retromobil Club Romania on Saturday organised the Spring Retro Parade, an event held in 21 towns and cities across the country. Over 500 vintage cars made between 1931 and 1983 were presented on this occasion. Now in its 15th year, the Spring Retro Parade is an event initiated by lovers of vintage cars in Romania.
