October 5, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 04.10.2014, 12:15
Early parliamentary elections are held in Bulgaria today, following the Government’s resignation this summer. Opinion polls show the center-right party GERB as winning the elections to the detriment of the socialists. Bulgaria, the poorest EU state, has been lagging behind many countries in the region because of its governments’ inability to combat corruption and organized crime. Latvia, another former Soviet state, staged parliamentary elections on Saturday, against the background of increased security concerns generated by Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine. The pro-Russian party “Armonia” seems to have lost the elections to the center-right coalition, after most ballots have been counted.
Romania might be playing a very important role on the former “Silk Road”, connecting Europe to Asia. This is one of the conclusions of the ‘Bucharest Forum 2014’ attended by political leaders and personalities of the international business circles. In their opinion, Romania is a stability pillar on the west coast of the Black Sea and, in terms of geography and economy, it is a gate between Europe and Asia. The forum was staged by the Aspen Romania Institute and the German Marshal Fund of the US, in partnership with the Foreign Ministry and the National Bank of Romania.
The absorbtion rate of community funds will exceed 40% in October, the Romanian Minister of European Funds, Eugen Teodorovici has said. According to Minister Teodorovici, at the end of September the absorbtion rate stood at 38.46%. This year Romania has cashed in over 2 billion euros from Brussels, more than in any other year. Moreover, the amount received in the first nine months of 2014 is bigger than the corresponding one in 2013.
Pope Francis and more than 200 senior bishops are meeting at the Vatican to discuss some of the most controversial issues concerning the contemporary Catholic family. Among the issues to be approached is abortion, contraception, homosexuality and divorce. This is the fist extraordinary Synod of the Pope’s pontificate. It will last two weeks and a follow-up meeting will be held next year. Pope Francis said he hoped they would have a “sincere, open and fraternal” discussion that would respond to the “epochal changes” that families were living through.
Over 8,000 athletes from 50 countries are today competing in the 7th edition of the Bucharest International Marathon. On this occasion, Romanian athlete Constantina Dita, an Olympic champion in Beijing, in 2008, announced her withdrawal from marathon competition. Constantina Dita, who has been living in the US for the past 12 years, holds the Romanian record in the half marathon, marathon and the 20-km race events.
Romanian Horia Tecau and Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer won the men’s doubles of the ATP tournament in Beijing. The two defeated the team made up of Julien Benneteau of France and Vasek Pospisil of Canada, 6-7, 7-5, 10-5. This is the second ATP title for Tecau and Rojer in China in a single week. The two tennisplayers have won together 7 ATP titles this year, while Tecau’s record includes a total of 23 tournaments he won in the men’s dobles.
