May 9, 2015 UPDATE

A look at some of the top stories in Romania today

Newsroom, 09.05.2015, 12:05

On Saturday, Romania celebrated State Independence Day, Europe Day and Allied victory against Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said in Bucharest that all European citizens should think about how they want Europe to be and how to make it stronger. In his opinion, they should stay united before the security challenges and contribute to the consolidation of the Schengen area. Iohannis also said Romania is not only dedicated to European Union values, but also a supporter of the process of European integration and a committed partner in the defence of the rule of law and the promotion of market economy. He went on to say that eurozone entry is Romania’s most important national goal. Tens of concerts, performances and competitions were held to mark Europe Day in Bucharest and other cities across the country. Similar events were also held in all EU member states.

Moscow’s Red Square was the site of a massive Victory Day parade involving thousands of soldiers and army vehicles. Russia celebrates on the 9th of May the victory against Nazi Germany in World War II. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Moscow, this year’s parade is the largest in the history of contemporary Russia. Commentators say that, given the crisis in Ukraine, Moscow wishes to demonstrate to the entire world that it is a military force to be reckoned with. France, Britain, Poland and Germany also celebrated the 70th anniversary of allied victory over Nazi Germany. The festivities taking place in the Polish city of Gdansk, where the war started on September 1st 1939, were also attended by Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis.

British prime minister David Cameron, who won Thursday’s parliamentary elections, began to form a new cabinet, the first majority Conservative cabinet after many years. Despite the fact that pre-election polls showed the Conservatives and Labour neck and neck, the Conservative Party won a clear victory, securing 331 seats compared with Labour’s 232. As a result, Britain’s future in the European Union is now in doubt, with Cameron saying he will respect his promise to hold an “in/out” referendum on British membership of the European Union.

59% of Serbia’s citizens support their countrys entry into the European Union, according to a survey commissioned by the European Union Delegation to Serbia. 57% of respondents expect the country to join the Union in ten years’ time or earlier. The results of the poll indicate that around a third of the population is opposed to EU membership, while 6% are undecided. Those supporting membership say prosperity, a better living standard and better chances of finding a job are the key reasons for their position. Accession talks between Serbia and the European Union started officially in 2014, with Serbia hoping to become the bloc’s 29th member state in 2020.

North Korea says it has successfully test-fired a submarine-based ballistic missile, while images broadcast by the state television showed the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watching a missile surface from the sea. Political commentators claim Pyong Yang has a number of nuclear missiles, which, if confirmed, would be an important achievement, as missiles launched from submarines are hard to detect. Kim Jong-un said his country now possessed a strategic weapon able to strike and eliminate in almost any waters the hostile forces infringing upon North Korea’s sovereignty and dignity.

Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak, aged 87, and his two sons Alaa and Gamal were convicted on Saturday to three years in prison for corruption. They will also have to pay a fine of 16.4 million dollars, after being found guilty of siphoning off more than 10 million dollars of public funds. The money was earmarked for the restoration of the presidential palaces, but was used instead to build private residences for the family of the former Egyptian president.

The Romanian-Indian pair Florin Mergea and Rohan Bopanna qualified on Saturday for the doubles final of the Madrid tennis tournament, worth 4.2 million euros. They defeated the all-Spanish pair Marcel Grannollers and Marc Lopez in three sets.