15 June, 2015
News and Current Affairs
Bogdan Matei, 15.06.2015, 11:59
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is today on a two day visit to Croatia, invited by his counterpart, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovich, according to the presidency. Iohannis wil also be holding talks with PM Zoran Milanovich and Parliament speaker Josip Leko. On Tuesday, the Romanian president will lay a wreath at a major memorial monument dedicated to Croatian victims of war.
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu visits Ohrid, in Macedonia, attending the meeting of ministers from countries in the Central European Initiative. According to the foreign ministry, the meeting analyzes the latest developments in the region, with an emphasis on European integration. The CE Initiative is a form of regional cooperation bringing together 18 states, of which 10 are EU members.
Pro-Western Liberal Dorin Chirtoaca and former Communist PM Zinaida Grechannyi, the candidate supported by pro-Russian socialists, will be the contenders for the second round of mayoral elections in Chisinau on June 28. On Sunday, in the first round, the pro-Russian side won major victories in the cities of Balti and Orhei. Some analysts claim that the voters expressed their dissatisfaction with the minority government, openly pro-Western.
Romanians observe today 126 years since the death of national poet of Romania, Mihai Eminescu, considered the last of the great European Romantics. Cultural institutes all over the country hold literary seminars, poetry recitals and theater plays inspired by the great poet’s work. The other country commemorating the event is the Republic of Moldova, alongside Romanian communities all over the world. The poet’s birthday, January 15, has been declared by Romania and Moldova Day of National Culture.
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, was designated main favorite in the WTA Premier tournament in Birmingham, starting today, with total prize money worth 665,900 dollars. Halep has qualified straight to the second round of the competition, where she will play against the winner of the game between British player Naomi Broady and Croatian player Ajla Tomljanovic. The tournament includes two more Romanians, Irina Begu, ranked 29th in the WTA standings, who will play in the first round against Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, and Monica Niculescu, ranked 61st, who will play against Barbora Zahlalova-Strycova of the Czech Republic.
Romanian air force squadron of 22 pilots, support personnel and logistics support staff take part in the multinational European Air Transport Training 15 exercise, operating a Spartan cargo plane. The exercise is attended by 550 soldiers from 11 European countries, operating both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. The exercise is meant to hone skills and improve coordination in daytime and nighttime transport operations, with emphasis on low altitude and short landing procedures, coordination with land forces, and means of dealing with anti-aircraft threats.
19 theater, dance and music shows run today as part of the fourth day of the 22nd edition of the Sibiu International Theater Festival, which ends on Sunday. Over 60 venues host a wide array of events, including public squares, churches, historic buildings, pubs and cultural spaces. This festival is the most complex event of its kind in the country, famous for being the third performing arts festival in Europe in scope and size, after the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and the Avignon Festival in France.
