November 18, 2015
News and Current Affairs
Bogdan Matei, 18.11.2015, 11:59
Five people have been arrested in a police operation in the northern part of Paris, while the police were seeking perpetrators linked to Friday’s attacks. A female suicide bomber detonated a vest during the operation. The target was the supposed organizer of the attacks, the worst in recent French history, Abdelhamid Abaaoud. The so-called Islamic State terror organization claimed the attacks, which left 129 dead and 350 injured.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is on an official two day visit to Slovakia, meeting his counterpart, Andrej Kiska, and PM Robert Fico. The taks focus on enhancing bilateral trade, energy security and the future EU presidency that Slovakia will take over next year. Iohannis will also meet young Romanian professionals working in Bratislava. On Thursday, he goes to Zvolen to lay a wreath at the cemetery where Romanian soldiers are laid to rest.
In Bucharest, the new government sits for its first session, led by former European Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Ciolos. Yesterday, the government was endorsed by Parliament. Ciolos formed the government out of non-political technocrats with experience in the private sector, European institutions, and civil society. The new government wants more transparency, responsibility and dialog, according to the new PM. Its platform includes consolidating the rule of law and fair elections. President Iohannis appointed Ciolos after the Ponta government stepped down as a result of street protests.
Romania’s national football team tied 2-all on Tuesday night in an away game in Bologna against Italy. Ahead of the game, the teams and fans held a moment of silence for the victims of the attacks in Paris and the victims of the catastrophic fire at the club in Bucharest last month. The game comes ahead of the European Championships in 2016 in France. Romania finished second in preliminary group F and qualified straight for the championship, alongside Northern Ireland.
The Gaudeamus International Book Fair opened today, organized by the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation. The fair runs until Sunday, under the slogan ‘The most widely read book fair and most widely listened to radio’. It hosts over 300 publishing houses and 700 events. The guest of honor this edition is the group of Francophone embassies, delegations and institutions in Romania.
Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer today plays against the Croat-Brazilian pair Ivan Dodig- Marcelo Melo, in the second game in London. On Monday, in the opening game, Tecau and Rojer won 6-2, 6-4 against Marcin Matkowski of Poland and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia. The Romanian- Indian pair Florin Mergea- Rohan Bopanna has already qualified for the finals after defeating American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, as well as the British-Australian team Jamie Murray- John Peers. This is the first time when Romania has two representatives in this competition, with seven million dollars at stake and the best eight players in the 2015 season, and the best eight male doubles.
