October 8, 2024
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 08.10.2024, 14:00
Commemoration. The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest hosted an event to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attack of 7th October 2023 in Israel. The event was also attended by prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, Israel’s ambassador to Bucharest Lior Ben Dor, ministers, senior officials, diplomats, ambassadors and MPs. On Monday, one year after the atrocious Hamas attacks against the State of Israel, the Romanian government reiterated its firm condemnation of the attacks and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas. In a statement, the government said Romania supports the efforts of the international community to achieve a ceasefire resulting in the release of hostages and a continual, safe and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. “Bucharest will never cease to support efforts aimed at securing sustainable peace in the Middle East”, the statement concludes.
Heritage. Heritage experts and top European and Romanian officials gathered in Bucharest to discuss public policy priorities for the protection of cultural heritage at EU level as part of the European Cultural Heritage Summit held between the 6th and the 8th of October. The event is organised by the Europa Nostra network under the patronage of the Romanian president and with the support of the European Commission, the ministry of culture and Bucharest City Hall. Researchers, decision makers, artists, historians and leading figures from civil society and the community of European heritage are meeting today for an event entitled “European Heritage Policy Agora – Upholding Quality Principles in Heritage Conservation”. Talks will focus on the concept of quality in the restoration and preservation of cultural heritage, as well as the priorities for the future agenda of the European Commission. The participants will analyse the links between the EU’s major policies, such as the Green Deal and New European Bauhaus, and the key documents on the preservation of heritage, such as the European Quality Principles and the Davos Baukultur Quality System.
Law. The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest on Tuesday passed a bill stipulating that causing or facilitating prostitution or obtaining a profit from prostitution by minors is punishable with 7 to 15 years in prison or 10 to 20 in case of persons with previous convictions for crimes against sexual freedom and integrity, child pornography, people trafficking, child trafficking and pimping. The bill amends and supplements the Criminal Code in respect of the criminalisation of people trafficking and pimping. The crime of exploitation will also include obliging a person to commit acts covered by criminal law.
Nobel. John Hopfield, from the United States, and Canadian Geoffrey Hinton won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in the field of machine learning using artificial neural networks. According to a press release from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, “This technology was originally inspired by the structure of the brain. In an artificial neural network, the brain’s neurons are represented by nodes that have different values. These nodes influence each other through connections that can be likened to synapses and which can be made stronger or weaker. The network is trained, for example by developing stronger connections between nodes with simultaneously high values.”
Schengen. The European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson supports Romania’s and Bulgaria’s also entering Schengen by land by the end of the year. She told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that this is the message she will convey to the Justice and Home Affairs Council taking place in Luxembourg on Thursday. The statement was made during a European Parliament debate on the reintroduction of border controls by some EU and Schengen member states and its effects on the free movement area. Ylva Johansson emphasised that this must be a temporary and last resort measure.
