December 7, 2013
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 07.12.2013, 13:21
South-Africans have today continued to pay homage to anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday night, aged 95. Romania too has sent message of condolences. President Traian Basescu talked about the exceptional personality of Nelson Mandela, and Prime Minister Victor Ponta voiced his deepest compassion for the loss. The former king of Romania, Michael the 1st sent his condolences too, speaking about a man made of virtues that can hardly be found today. Winner of the Peace Nobel Prize in 1993, Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa, after 30 years spent in prison as political detainee.
Early this week, 20 Romanian police officers were posted to Paris, to help their French colleagues. They will patrol the streets of the French capital and will help provide security in busy tourist and commercial areas. They actually add to the another 10 Romanian policemen who work in Paris all year long. The French Police has announced that the number of Romanian citizens arrested in Paris has dropped by 5%, and the number of underage Romanians detained by the police has also dropped, by 8%. In 2013 Romanian police officers have participated in international cooperation missions in Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, Austria and Bulgaria.
Last night in Milan Romania signed the contract of participation in the Expo Miland 2015, which will be held between May 1st — October 31st. The Romanian pavilion will be placed right in the middle of the exhibition compound, next to those of Italy, Mexico and France. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Romania’s participation in the fair will help boost bilateral relations with Italy, on the basis of a consolidated strategic partnership, through public, cultural and economic events organized during the 6 months of the exhibition. 139 countries have announced their participation so far. This year’s topic is Feeding the planet, energy for life”
Prizes of the European Film Academy are to be awarded in Berlin today. One of the nominees in the female performance category is Romanian actress Luminita Gheorghiu, for the role in the film Child’s Pose”. The French actress Catherine Deneuve will receive a life long achievement award. The European Film Academy was established in 1989 by directors Wim Wenders and Ingmar Bergman, together with another 40 European film makers.
Hundreds of people have today protested against the US company Chevron’s intention to install in the commune of Pungesti, north-eastern Romania, a shale gas well. The protesters, most of them locals, but also other people who came from all across the country, are against the extraction of shale gas through hydraulic fracking, a technique that is used in the US. According to ecologists, this technique can easily lead to a severe pollution of underground waters and cause earthquakes.
The Romanian women’s handball team are today playing their first game at the World Championship hosted by the city of Novi Sad, in Serbia. The Romanians will play against Tunisia, in group D. The group also includes Hungary, Germany, the Check Republic and Australia. Romania is the only country to have participated in all final tournaments of the World Championships, starting 1957. The latest significant performance though was the one scored in 2005, when Romania was vice-champion.
