October 4, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 04.10.2014, 12:02
The Romanian Foreign Ministry has firmly condemned the brutal assassination of the British citizen Alan Henning by the Islamic State terrorist organization and stressed the need for the guilty ones to be brought to justice. US President Barack Obama has too condemned the brutal act and has promised justice. In a video recording posted on the internet on Friday an Islamic State militant is beheading the British volunteer Allan Henning, who was taken hostage in Syria in December. BBC reports that the British government is checking the authenticity of the recording, but the scenario is very much the same as the other three in which two American journalists and a British aid worker were executed. A French citizens was killed in a similar way in Algeria, by a group affiliated to IS. In Friday’s recording, Jihadists threaten that after Henning’s killing there will follow the beheading of an American hostage. The White House has confirmed that Peter Kassing, a former US Army Ranger, is being held hostage by Islamic State terrorists.
The presidential election campaign has officially started in Romania. For a month, 14 candidates will try to win the support of over 18 million voters. The first ballot will be held on November 2nd, and the other one on November 16th. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that 294 polling stations have been organized for the Romanian citizens abroad: 51 in Italy, 38 in Spain, 22 in the US, 21 in the Republic of Moldova, 11 in Great Britain and 9 in France. According to an official communiqué, polling stations are hosted by Romania’s diplomatic missions and consulates abroad, theatres of operations in Afghanistan and other locations where elections are sure to be held in good conditions.
On Sunday, Bulgaria, the poorest member of the EU, will hold early parliamentary elections, for the third time in the past 2 years. The previous government, headed by socialists, resigned in July, after just one year in office, following mass protests. Opinion polls show that the centre-right GERB party will win most of the votes, but it will not get absolute majority. Bulgaria is lagging way behind countries in the region, including Romania, as its officials have never managed to address issues such as corruption and organized crime, Reuters reports.
According to the IMF General Director Christine Lagarde, world economy develops at a slower pace than estimated. The reasons for such a mediocre development are the issues confronting the Euro Zone and Japan. Funds earmarked for public investments are getting smaller in the developed countries, which are trying to reduce their deficits. Lower investments reflect in infrastructure, which is getting older, Christine Lagarde has explained. Against the background of lower inflation and a high level of unemployment, the drop in consumption and investment will slow down economic growth even more, the IMF Director has warned.
The Paris Motor Show has today opened its doors, against a timid recovery of the European automotive market. Attending the prestigious event are some 70 car makers. The Romanian Dacia, owned by the French group Renault, is this year launching the Stepway versions of Lodgy and Docker, as well as two firsts, Duster Air and Sandero Black Touch. Renault is also presenting the fifth generation of Espace, Opel has come up with a new Corsa, and Volkswagen is proud of its new Passat. Although car sales have gone up a little in 2014, after the decline in the past years, the number of new cars registered this year is 20% higher than the peak reached in 2007.
‘Boxtroli’, by the US directors Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable on Friday opened in Bucharest the 9th Anim’est International Film Festival, running until October 12th. A record number of films have registered for this year’s edition, namely 1 thousand 260 from 60 countries, including 18 Romanian productions. 55 films will run for the Grand Trophy to be awarded at the end of the short reel competition. The special guest of this year’s festival is Denmark, which has one of the most prestigious films of animation in the world.
