May 22, 2016 UPDATE
For a roundup of domestic and international events, click here.
Newsroom, 22.05.2016, 12:15
VISIT — Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos is on a four-day visit to the United States. On the sidelines of his visit Dacian Ciolos will meet with US vice-president Joseph Biden. The Prime Minister previously said the main purpose of the visit is to consolidate economic bilateral cooperation, and extend cooperation to other fields under the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The first stop during his visit is Detroit, where Prime Minister Ciolos on Monday is meeting with representatives of the US company Ford, to encourage them to continue their investment in Romania, as well as with other US businesses. In Washington, the Romanian official will have a series of meetings with high-ranking officials in the US administration, representatives of the business sector as well as members of the Romanian community in the US.
DIPLOMACY — Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu on Monday is attending the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. The agenda of the meeting is focused on hot topics such as the EU Regional Strategy for Syria and Iraq, the anti-DAESH Strategy and aspects pertaining to migration. In addition, Minister will exchange views on the EU Global Strategy, ahead of the European Council in June 2016. Minister Lazar Comanescu is also to attend a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers with their counterparts from the Eastern Partnership. Here talks will focus on the status of implementation of objectives laid out at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga of May, 2015.
EXERCISE — Over 1,000 military from 30 NATO units and structures are taking part in the NATO communications and IT exercise “Steadfast Cobalt 2016”, hosted by Bucharest until June 3. According to the Romanian Defence Ministry, the exercise is primarily aimed at testing and evaluating the inter-operability of the communications and IT systems, with a view to supporting NATO command structures and forces engaged in a major collective defence operation in Eastern Europe. “Steadfast Cobalt 2016” is an exercise aimed at certifying NATO’s communications and IT structures that will be part of NATO’s Enhanced Response Force starting 2017.
AIRSTRIKE — The Afghan Intelligence Service on Sunday confirmed the death of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US airstrike in Pakistan. Previously US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday as part of his visit to Myanmar that the Taliban leader was killed because he represented a threat to US and Afghan troops, but also to the Afghan civilian population. The authorities in Islamabad have demanded an explanation form Washington, although John Kerry said the Pakistani Prime Minister had been informed about the attack.
CANNES — The feature Dogs written and directed by Bogdan Mirica on Saturday evening scooped the award of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) in the Un Certain Regard section at the 69th edition of the International Cannes Film Festival. The grand prizes in the main section will be awarded this evening. Two Romanian features are favourite to win the grand prize Palme d’Or, according to France Press news agency: Cristian Mungiu’s Graduation, focusing on compromise and corruption and Cristi Puiu’s Sieranevada, a story with autobiographical undertones, both of which have been well received by the critics.
PLANE CRASH — Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday said all scenarios are being considered as explanation for the crash of the EgyptAir airliner carrying 66 people on board, mostly Egyptian and French citizens. According to the president, the investigation might take longer, but no one would try to cover up the facts. Authorities in Cairo have underlined that it was vital to find the plane’s black boxes, to ascertain the circumstances of the crash. French investigators claim that minutes before disappearing from the radars, the plane sent a couple of warnings signalling smoke in the cockpit. The plane was flying from Paris to Cairo. The Egyptian Navy has announced the discovery of human remains, the wreckage of the plane and personal belongings of the passengers floating in the Mediterranean, some 290 km north of Alexandria.
TENNIS — Romanian tennis player WTA 6th ranked Simona Halep on Monday is playing Nao Hibino of Japan, 70 WTA, in the opening round of the Roland Garros tennis tournament, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year totalling 32 million dollars in prize money. The match was originally scheduled on Sunday but was called off due to the heavy rain. In the men’s competition, Adrian Ungur of Romania, 204th ATP, was knocked out by Igor Sijsling of the Netherlands, 123 ATP. In the women’s singles, Irina Begu, 28 WTA, is playing Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States, 88 WTA. Monica Niculescu, 35 WTA, is playing Pauline Parmentier of France, 95 WTA. Alexandra Dulgheru, 129 WTA, is playing Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, 52 WTA, and finally, Sorana Cirstea, 99 WTA, is playing Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 20 WTA.
(Translated by V. Palcu)
