August 16, 2015
For a roundup of domestic and international events, click here.
Newsroom, 16.08.2015, 12:00
DROUGHT – Romanian farmers will be compensated for losses caused by the severe drought this season from the EU solidarity fund. The Government must submit to the European Commission details regarding this prolonged drought, EU Commissioner for Regional Development Corina Cretu has said. The Romanian Government will compensate farmers whose crops have been seriously affected by the drought, the Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on Friday during a televised show. Farmers claim hundreds of thousands of hectares have been lost to the drought, with losses expected to amount to 2 billion euros. A code orange alert against extreme heat is in place in five counties in the south. The highs range between 28 and 38 degrees Celsius, with a 33 degree noon reading in Bucharest.
STUDY – 96% of Romanians believe in God. 86% say the Church meets the spiritual needs of people, 69% pray daily and over 50% go to confession, reads a recent study conducted by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation and Strategy. Attending religious events also has a high rate among Romanians. 45% of respondents said they attend service at least once a month. Over a quarter of respondents say they have been on pilgrimage at least once. Faith conversion is an isolated phenomenon in Romania. Only 4 in 100 people said they changed their faith. The study was conducted in August over a sample of 1000 people at national level, with an error margin of 3.1%.
FEAST DAY – Orthodox Christians in Romania today celebrate the family of holy martyrs Brancoveanu. Constantin Brancoveanu, Prince of Wallachia in the 17th and 18th centuries, was killed in Istanbul, alongside his four sons, for refusing to renounce the Christian faith and convert to Islam. Brancoveanu was a patron of the arts, founding many churches and monasteries built in the style that bears his name. Sanctified in 1992, the earthly remains of Brancoveanu now rest in a church in downtown Bucharest.
ROMANIANS ABROAD – Participants in the Summer University Izvorul Muresului on Saturday adopted a resolution whereby calling for the creation of a Ministry for Romanians Worldwide, charged with overseeing relations with Romanians abroad, as well as for drafting and urgently implementing a strategy allowing Romanian communities in the Balkans and the West to keep their national identity. The participants also called for smoothing the process of obtaining Romanian citizenship for ethnic Romanians living on the borders with Romania, as well as for the introduction of postal voting. The resolution will be forwarded to the Presidential Administration, Parliament, the Government and political parties. Held between August 10-15, the Summer University Izvorul Muresului was focused on Romanians on the EU and NATO borders.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player WTA 3rd-ranked Simona Halep is today playing Belinda Bencici of Switzerland in the finals of the Toronto tournament, offering 2.5 million dollars in prize money. On Saturday, Halep defeated Sara Errani of Italy, 6-4, 6-4, in the semi-finals. Qualifying to the final has earned Halep a 230-thousand-dollar check and 585 WTA points. This will be Haleps fourth WTA final this season, after she won the tournaments in Shenzhen, Dubai and Indian Wells, all on hard court. Her opponent today, Belinda Bencici is aged 18 and ranks 20 in WTA standings. Bencici knocked out Serena Williams of the US in the semi-finals.
BOXING – Romanian boxer Lucian Bute on Sunday defeated Andrea Di Luisa of Italy by KO in the fourth round as part of a boxing gala held in Centre Bell in Montreal. Di Luisa is the European champion in the super middleweight category. This was Butes return to the boxing ring after a pause of 19 months. With this win, Bute has a chance of fighting again for the world title. The Romanian lost the IBF supper middleweight belt in May 2012 to Carl Froch of England. Aged 35, Bute obtained the 32nd win of his career, the 25th by KO.
