10 April, 2015

News and current affairs from Romania

Newsroom, 10.04.2015, 11:59

The annual inflation rate in March was .79%, up .4% from the historic minimum reached a month ago, according to official data published by the National Institute of Statistics. Compared to the same month last year, prices have gone up in all categories. In the fist quarter of this year, the average monthly rise in prices was .4%, similar to the rise last year. At the same time, in the last 12 months (April 2014- March 2015), the average rise in consumer prices was .9% as compared to the previous 12 months.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry continues to evacuate and repatriate Romanian citizens from war torn Yemen. So far, 25 Romanian citizens and 3 family members have been repatriated. Three of them reached the country on Thursday. They came in with support from the Romanian embassy in Abu Dhabi. Romanian diplomats collaborate with international organizations involved in the evacuation procedures and with the states who have citizens still in Yemen and who are working towards their evacuation.

Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers all across the world, including Romania, a majority Orthodox faith country, celebrate Good Friday. People flock this night to churches for the special mass. In Jiu Valley, hundreds will attend the religious procession called the Stages of the Cross. The faithful walk over 10 km. A similar event takes place in Arad County, at Hodos-Bodrog monastery, the oldest documented monastic establishment in the country, mentioned in documents as early as 1177. On Saturday at midnight the faithful celebrate Easter.

Romania is set to receive 8.5 million Euros from the EC for covering part of the damage caused by flooding in 2014. The heavy rains last year have wreaked havoc in 30 counties, and caused losses in several major sectors of the economy. According to the European government, this aid is aimed at restoring vital infrastructure, also covering reimbursement of emergency and rescue operations. It is also aimed at covering costs with clean up of affected areas. The money that has been earmarked comes from the EU’s Solidarity Fund.

US President Barack Obama and Cuban communist leader Raul Castro are meeting today in Panama at the Summit of the Americas, sealing the new relationship between the US and Cuba, according to AFP. The two countries have decided to normalize relations in December, after decades of mistrust during and after the Cold War. In 1982, the US State Department placed Cuba on its list of countries that sponsor terrorism, accused of fueling Marxist insurrections. The two broke off relations in 1961. The first high level discussions were carried out yesterday between Secretary of State John Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. The two day Summit of the Americas brings together 35 heads of state.

Crown Princess Margaret of Romania and Prince Radu will spend Easter night in Chisinau, according to the Royal House. On Saturday, the two attend Easter mass in the capital of the Republic of Moldova, where they are scheduled to meet the chairman of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Adrian Candu, Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca and the head of the Moldovan Science Academy, Gheorghe Duca. This is for the first time in 73 years when members of the royal family of Romania step into the grand cathedral in Chisinau. In October 1942, King Mihai and Queen Mother Elena attended mass there when the cathedral was restored. It was the last visit by Romanian monarchy to the city.

The World’s number 36 tennis player, the Romanian Irina Begu has qualified straight into the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Charleston, in South Carolina, an event with 731,000 dollars prize money up for grabs, as Begu’s eighth finals contender, Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova pulled out of the competition. In the quarterfinals, Begu will be taking on the winner of the game pitting the world’s number 5 tennis player Angelique Kerber of Germany against Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena Vecino. In the eighth finals of the Charleston tournament, another Romanian, Andreea Mitu, 107th-placed according to world rankings, conceded a two-sets defeat to the world’s number 20 tennis player, the American Madison Keys, who is also favorite number 7 to winning the tournament.

Romania’s national football team went two notches up and is now 12th-placed according to the rankings of the International Amateur Football Federation in April. It is the national squad’s best position in the last seven years. We recall that in April 2008, the Romanian national team occupied a position in the upper echelon of the rankings, being 11th-placed. Also, it is for the first time in 15 years when Romania has outclassed Italy according to world rankings. Romania’s recent achievement has occurred in the wake of their slim one-nil win against Faeroe Islands, in a fixture counting towards Euro 2016 preliminaries. Romania is the leader in its group, while Germany is on top position according to the International Amateur Football Federation’s rankings. The world’s vice champion Argentina is the runner-up team, while Belgium is 3rd-placed, according to the same rankings.