Newsflash June 15

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Mihai Pelin, 15.06.2013, 19:18

The Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlăţean, takes part on Sunday in the European Forum in Wachau, Austria. According to the Foreign Ministry, the meeting is an important occasion to approach relevant topics for Romania’s foreign policy, such as the European and global economic developments, security, regional issues, as well as aspects of bilateral interest. On the sidelines of the event, Titus Corlatean will have a meeting with Michael Spindelegger, Austria’s Vice-Chancellor and Minister for European and International Affairs. The two will discuss aspects related to the Western Balkans, Danube Strategy, energy security and the Nabucco project.

The Romanian Simona Halep, seed no. 7 and ranking 58th in the WTA standings, Saturday won the tennis tournament in Nurnberg (Germany), with 235,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, she outplayed Germany’s Andrea Petkovic, 103 WTA (6-3, 6-3). This is the first WTA tournament won by Simona Halep, who also played the finals of the tournaments in Fes, in 2010 and 2011, and Brussels, in 2012. Also in the Nurnberg tournament, the Romanian-Russian pair Raluca Olaru-Valeria Solovieva won the doubles event, defeating Anna-Lena Groenfeld (Germany) / Kveta Peschke (the Czech Republic), 2-6, 7-6 (3), 11-9.

In Greece, the partners in the ruling coalition insisted on Saturday for the complete reopening of the public radio and television stations, rejecting a partial reopening proposal made by the Conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras amid protests against his decision to shut down the public broadcasters. Two of the three parties in the governing coalition – Dimar and PASOK — are unhappy with not having been consulted on the matter. The Greek Prime Minister has announced a meeting of the ruling parties on Monday, to discuss the crisis generated by the decision to close the public broadcaster.

At least 23 people were killed on Saturday in two bomb attacks in the town of Quetta, south-western Pakistan. An attack targeted a bus carrying female university students, and the other one a hospital were the victims of the first blast had been taken. The Taliban and other Islamist insurgents that oppose the education of women are very active in the region.