May 20, 2017
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Newsroom, 20.05.2017, 13:55
EUROPEAN NIGHT OF MUSEUMS — 212 cultural institutions in Romania are tonight taking part in the 13th edition of the Night of Museums, when access will be free of charge. Hundreds of events await visitors in museums, art galleries and unconventional venues, such as exhibitions, concerts, creative workshops, film screenings addressing all ages and tastes. The event is enjoying a growing success from one year to the next at international level, as millions of Europeans are marking this event. A total of 3,000 museums all over Europe are taking part in the event. On the same day, museums in Romania are staging the largest nationwide protest since the anti-communist revolution of December 1989. Museum employees will gather in front of the National History Museum in Bucharest to signal the fact they are part of a professional category that has been overlooked by the recent salary increases and that the current salary bill places them in a discriminating and unfair position.
COMMUNITIES — The Hungarian Government has decided to extend the economic development programs addressing the Hungarian communities in Romania, and will launch a pilot program worth 3,2 million euros. The announcement was made on Friday by State Secretary with the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, Levente Magyar. According to the Hungarian official, the Government has already launched two similar programs addressing the Hungarian communities in Vojvodina, Serbia and Carpathian Ruthenia, Ukraine.
TRUMP — Donald Trump is as of today in Saudi Arabia on his first external visit as US president. Trump will meet King Salman in Riad while on Sunday he will address leaders from over 40 Muslim countries as part of a summit devoted to the fight against radical organizations. The visit is part of an eight-day tour of the Middle East with the White House leader also expected to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories before reaching Europe, more precisely Brussels, the Vatican and then Sicily to attend the NATO and the G7 summits.
ELECTIONS IN IRAN — The acting president of Iran Hasnan Rohani has won a second term in office after winning Friday’s first round of the presidential election, the Iranian public television station has announced. Rohani defeated his opponent, the Conservative Ebrahim Raisi. According to official results, Rohani grabbed 57% of the vote to Raisi’s 38,3%. Voter turnout stood at 73%. Pundits recall that Rohani’s first term in office was marked by the nuclear agreement reached two years ago with the world superpowers, drawing Iran out of isolation and lifting the sanctions suffocating the country’s economy. On the other hand, some voices criticize the president for his appetite for reforms, while others say he’s done too little to change the country. The most influential man in this country, the religious supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seems to support his opponent, Raisi, a clergyman who’s leading one of Iran’s most powerful charitable organizations. Raisi promised more social protection, more jobs as well as a return to economic isolationism.
HEARING — Former FBI Director James Comey, last week sacked by US President Donald Trump, will testify before the Senate’s special committee. Comey was fired by the White House leader while the FBI was investigating Russia’s alleged involvement in the presidential election held in 2016, USA. The hearing will take palce after Memorial Day, which this year is celebrated on May 29. According to news agencies, Donald Trump had purportedly asked James Comey in February to close the investigation into Michael Flynn, his national security advisor, charged with having had suspicious contacts with Moscow. Flynn immediately resigned after the Justice Department warned he could be blackmailed by the Russian Federation.
TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranked 4th in WTA standings, is today playing Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands, 20 WTA, in the semi-finals of the Rome tournament, totalling 2,7 million dollars in prize money. Aged 25, Halep is seeded 6th in the competition, and is playing her third semi-final in Rome after the ones in 2013 and 2015. This is also the fourth time Halep will play Bertens, Halep winning two games and losing once. Last week Simona Halep won the WTA tournament in Madrid for the second year in a row. (Translated by V. Palcu)
