May 2, 2015
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Mihai Pelin, 02.05.2015, 12:00
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta today continues his formal tour in the Gulf area with a visit to Qatar, the first of a Romanian Prime Minister since the two countries opened diplomatic relations 25 years ago. His agenda includes talks with high officials from Qatar as well as business people and investors. Trade exchanges between the two states rose last year by 28% up to 61 million dollars as compared to 2013. Saudi Arabia was the first leg of Ponta’s Gulf Tour, which will also take him to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
A few players are representing Romania at the tennis tournament in Madrid with almost 4.2 million dollars in prize money. This is the most important tournament before Roland Garros, the second biggest Grand Slam tournament of the year. Romania’s best tennis player at present, Simona Halep will be playing French Alize Cornet in the opening round. Alexandra Dulgheru, owner of a wild card, will be playing seventh-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia while Irina Begu will be facing Kurumi Nara of Japan. Another tennis player from Romania, Andreea Mitu will be meeting Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands and Monica Niculescu will be facing the winner of the game pitching Ukrainian Katerina Bondarenko against Marina Erakovici of New Zealand.
Roughly 40 thousand tourists are spending this weekend on the Black Sea coast after the summer season officially opened on May 1st. Just like in the past years, Mamaia and Vama Veche are the most crowded Black Sea resorts. An adventure park has been inaugurated in the resort of Neptune, while the airfield in Tuzla is offering skydiving opportunities along with helicopter tours. Tourists may opt for one of the numerous open-air shows or for club parties. Another 10 thousand Romanians preferred the mountains; the most crowded resort being Sinaia in the Prahova Valley, where the snow layer is between 70 centimeters and one meter.
At least 50 civilians have been killed by air strikes carried out by the anti-Jihadist coalition over a village in northern Syria, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory has announced. An international coalition initiated by the United States and which includes several Arab countries has been carrying air strikes against the so-called Islamic State in Syria. Started in March 2011 in the wake of the brutally repressed anti-government demonstrations in Damascus, the conflict in Syria turned into a complicated civil war in which more that 220 thousand people have lost their lives and which has caused the exodus of another 10 million.
Protesters clashed with police in Milan in front of the exhibition, which opened its gates on Friday for the following six months. Disgruntled with the way public money is spent, the protesters set a couple of cars on fire, throwing stones, flash and smoke grenades at the riot police who replied with tear gas. Romania is being represented this year at the exhibition in Milan, which brings together 144 countries and unfolds under a suggestive title, Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life. Romania’s stand, which has been shaped like a traditional house from the Danube Delta, a region included in the UNESCO’s heritage list, has as motto, “Live in Harmony with Nature“. Visitors are invited to discover Romania’s cultural heritage, its organic food resources and solutions for sustainable development. Romania’s day at Expo Milan has been scheduled for July 29th.
