October 12, 2014
For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.
Corina Cristea, 12.10.2014, 12:00
VISIT – Minister Delegate for Romanians Worldwide Bogdan Stanoevici attended the opening of the 15th edition of Days of Romanian Culture in Munich as part of his visit to Germany. The Romanian official also met with representatives of the Romanian communities in Munich, Nuremberg and Ingolstadt. In his speech Bogdan Stanoevici spoke of close and long-lasting relations between Romanian and German cultures, as well as the potential this bond has in conducting projects in the future. In addition, the Romanian Minister highlighted the positive contribution the Romanian community has had in its country of residence, the importance of developing the associative sector in Diasporic communities as well as the importance of integrating Romanians abroad in civic and social activities.
VISAS — Bucharest has hailed Canada’s decision to include Romania on the List of Designated Countries of Origin, adding that the measure is an important step towards achieving the objective of eliminating visas for Romanians travelling to Canada. Countries on this list are considered safe democratic countries that uphold the rule of law, offer protection and don’t generate a flux of refugees and asylum seekers. In another development, the European Union has voted against setting up a visa regime for citizens of the US, Canada, Australia and Japan, although these countries continue to demand visas for citizens of several Member States, including Romania. The European Commission argues that progress has been made in negotiations with non-EU member states with a view to reaching full reciprocity as regards the visa regime.
GYMNASTICS — Romanian Larisa Iordache won silver in the floor finals of the World Gymnastics Championships held in Nanning, China. This is the second medal for Iordache after on Friday she won silver in the individual all-around event. Simone Biles of the United States won gold, while Aliya Mustafina of Russia walked home with bronze. Aged 18, Larisa Iordache won gold five times in the European Championships and bronze with Romania’s team at the 2012 London Olympics.
FOOTBALL — Romania’s national football team on Saturday grabbed only one point in the match against Hungary played on National Arena stadium in Bucharest. The match ended 1-all and counted towards the 2016 European Championships. On Tuesday, Romania will take on Finland away from home. Romania is playing in Group F alongside Northern Ireland, the Faeroe Islands, Greece and Hungary. In the first match Romania secured a 1-nil away win against Greece. In the last 14 years Romania qualified only once at a European championship, the 2008 championships hosted jointly by Austria and Switzerland.
ASTRA FILM FESTIVAL — The Grand Prize of the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu was awarded to the Ukrainian documentary “Maidan”, a film documenting the manifestations in Kiev preceding the ousting of president Viktor Yanukovich. The best international documentary award was given to “Master of the Universe” directed by Marc Bauder. The film offers insight into the world of finance through the eyes of a person that once belonged to this world. In the same section, “The Second Game” directed by Corneliu Porumboiu got the jury’s special mention. “Blood” directed by Alina Rudnitskaya won the award for best documentary in the Europe section, while Teodora Ana Mihaia’s “Waiting for August” won the prize for best documentary in the Romania section.
ISLAMIC STATE — The United States has announced that it has responded to an Iraqi Government request to carry out several aid drops for re-supplying Iraqi security forces on Friday and Saturday. Meanwhile, the international coalition continues its air strikes on the Islamic State terrorist cell in Syria and Iraq. This time air strikes were targeting areas on the outskirts of the Kobane city, on the Turkish border, where violent clashes are taking place between Kurdish forces and Jihadist terrorists. The US and the Netherlands have also carried out air strikes in Iraq, one close to Tal-Afar in the north and another two northwest of Hit in the Al-Anbar province.
