October 6, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 06.10.2024, 13:51

Schengen. The entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area is, once again, on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in a few days’ time. Hungary, the country which holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council and which supports the full entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the European ​​free movement area, will present the current stage of the full implementation the Schengen Acquis by the two countries, following the elimination of air and sea border controls at the end of March. In order to establish the date of the elimination of land border controls, a new unanimous decision by the Council members is needed. The final meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council this year will be held in the first part of December.

Heritage. Between the 6^th and the 8^th of October, Bucharest is playing host to the European Cultural Heritage Summit and the award ceremony of the Europa Nostra prizes. Experts in cultural heritage will discuss the public policy priorities at European level and in respect to the Romanian authorities and will celebrate the best projects for the preservation of the built heritage that won the Europa Nostra competition. Two projects from Romania are among them, namely the Saxon Church in Alma Vii, in the centre, and St. Michael’s Church in Cluj Napoca, in the north-west. The event is hosted by the National Museum of Art in Bucharest.

Elections. Saturday was the deadline for the submission of candidacies for the presidential elections  in Romania. The first round will be held on 24^th November and the second on 8^th December. The candidates include  the leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu, the president of the National Liberal Party, also in government, Nicolae Ciuca, the leader of the Save Romania Union Elena Lasconi, and the former NATO deputy secretary general Mircea Geoana. The final list of presidential candidates will be published on 10^th October, after all challenges filed with the Constitutional Court of Romania are solved.

Middle East. At least 24 people were killed and 93 wounded on Saturday night in an air strike carried out by Israel against a mosque and school in Gaza where displaced persons were sheltering. Monday is the one-year commemoration of the Hamas attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 kidnapped, which led to the start of the war. 42,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed so far, and almost the entire population of Gaza has been displaced in the conflict, which has also caused a severe humanitarian crisis. Israel has repeatedly come under criticism for the way it is waging this war. On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets around the world, including London, Rome, New York, Washington and Cape Town to call for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza and Lebanon. A similar event was held in Paris, where president Emmanuel Macron called for the halt of arms sales to Israel. The 88 members of the International Organisation of La Francophonie meeting in Paris, unanimously called for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in Lebanon, which is also a member of this organisation.

Tennis. The all-Romanian pair Monica Niculescu and Gabriela Ruse won the doubles title at the WTA 125 tennis tournament in Hong Kong. They defeated Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya of Japan in three sets, 6-3, 5-7, 10-5. Another Romanian player, Ana Bogdan, ranked 120 in the world, lost to Japan’s Mai Hontama, world no 116, and missed qualifying for the main draw in the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan, China. She was defeated in straight sets, 6-3, 7-6.

Football. The Romanian football squad are training in Mogosoaia ahead of their Nations League matches against Cprus, on 12^th October, and Lithuania, on 15^th October, both away. In their group so far, Romania defeated Lithuania 3-1 at home and Kosovo 3-nil, leading the group with 6 points. The 2024-2025 Nations League season is also important ahead of the qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup, to be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada.