October 11, 2013 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of international and domestic news.
Ştefan Stoica, 11.10.2013, 12:27
The 2013 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons. Founded in 1997, the Organization based in the Hague is now charged by the UN Security Council to supervise the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons by June 30th, 2014. Last year the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union, in token of recognition for its efforts to promote peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights across the community.
Visiting EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, who is currently on an official visit to the Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet state with a majority Romanian speaking population) was received by Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti on Friday. Ciolos said the free circulation of Moldovan goods in the EU and the future liberalised visa regime for Moldovan citizens will clearly show the practical aspects of Moldova’s European integration. The European Commissioner for Agriculture pays this visit shortly after Brussels has proposed a complete opening of the community market for the wines produced in Moldova. The measure was taken at the initiative of Dacian Ciolos, in late September, after Russia, the main importer of Moldovan wines blocked their access on the Russian market
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has argued in favour of a political solution to the Syrian conflict, urging the Government in Damascus and the Syrian opposition to attend the International Conference organized jointly by the United States and Russia in November. France Press news agency recalls that in September this year Rasmussen said a military option “was still on the table”, in order to determine Bashar al-Assad’s regime to observe the Russian-American agreement regarding the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapon stockpile. Operations in that respect are already underway, while Damascus has received the acknowledgement of the international community for cooperating with UN inspectors charged with that mission.
US Secretary of State, John Kerry, arrived in Kabul on Friday, for talks with Afghan President, Hamid Karzai. The focal points on the agenda of the talks include the singing of a bilateral agreement in the field of security, which will allow for the presence of US troops in Afghanistan after NATO completes its mission in that country, in 2014. The unannounced visit paid by the US high official to Kabul comes against the backdrop of prolonged negotiations on signing an agreement.
Consumer prices went down in Romania last month by as much as 0.6% as compared to the month of August. The National Institute for Statistics says the decrease is owing to a drop in food prices, as well as to the lowering of VAT for bread. The trade deficit has also dropped by over 40% in the first eight months of this year, as compared to the same period of last year, due to an increase in exports. Industrial production reported a 16% drop in August as compared to July. For the first eight months of 2013 however the Institute reports a 6.5% growth as compared to the same period of last year.
Romania is taking part in the International Book Fair in Frankfurt, one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the world. Romania’s pavilion will play host to several book launches, poetry recitals in Romanian and German and various exhibitions. This year Romania is guest of honour at the Stuttgart Book fair, scheduled to take place between November 14 and December 8. Visitors will be able to listen to audio recordings of Romanian traditional fairytales and attend lectures, book launches, film screenings and debates on the literature of the German minority in Romania.
The British synthpop duo, Hurts, gave a concert at the Romexpo Central Pavilion in Bucharest on Friday evening. There are best known for their first two albums, Happiness and Exile, which both reached the top ten in the United Kingdom. The concert in Bucharest is part of The 2013 Exile Tour”. Also on Friday evening, the Hard Rock Café in Herastrau park in Bucharest hosted a concert put up by the Swedish techno/folk/bluegrass band Rednex, which are best known for their cover version of the song “Cotton Eye Joe”, in 1994. Some of their best known hits are “The Spirit of the Hawk”, “Old Pop in an Oak” and “Wish You Were Here”.
As of Friday, Bucharest will host the 4th edition of the “Balkans Beyond Borders — Reinventing Bridges” Short Film Festival. This year’s theme is reinventing the past and future of the Balkans. Each day will see screenings of films selected in the competition, followed by debates with the members of the jury and other cinema professionals. The programme of the festival also includes several Romanian shorts, such as Cristian Pascariu’s “One Year After”, Luiza Parvu’s “My Baby” and Alexandra Carastoian’s “I Want to Know What It’s Like”.
