September 30, 2016
Romania, on the Watchlist of countries with substantial potential to become emerging markets
Newsroom, 30.09.2016, 12:00
STATE FUNERALS – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today travelled to Jerusalem to pay his final respects to Israel’s former Prime Minister and President, Shimon Peres. The last of the country’s founding fathers and Nobel Prize winner, Peres died on Wednesday at the age of 93 after suffering a stroke. Dozens of world leaders and public figures, such as the presidents of the US, Germany, and France, the European Council president and the UN Secretary General are expected in Jerusalem on Friday, where Shimon Perez will officially be laid to rest. Romania is represented at the funeral by President Klaus Iohannis, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu and head of the Jewish Federation in Romania, Aurel Vainer.
BRANCUSI – September 30 is the deadline for the public donation campaign initiated by the Romanian state for the purchase of the sculpture The Wisdom of the Earth by Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi. The work was first sold in 1911, it was confiscated by the communists in 1957 and became the subject of a lengthy legal battle after the fall of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, ending in 2008 with it returned to the family of its original owner. In September 2014 when the family announced it was putting Brancusi’s statue, an artwork considered a national treasure up for sale, the Romanian Government announced its intention to buy it. The work costs 11 million euros of which the state covers 5 millions and the remaining 6 millions are to be collected from donations. Nevertheless, only 1 million euros have been gathered following the public donation campaign.
RadiRo – The RadiRo 2016 symphonic music radio orchestra festival has reached its seventh day. This evening, the Radio Romania Orchestra will give its second concert within the festival, under the baton of Leo Hussain with violinist Alexandru Tomescu as a soloist. The festival runs until October 1st, when it ends with a concert held by the BBC Orchestra.
ELECTION – The presidential election campaign has started today in the Republic of Moldova. Moldovan citizens are expected to cast their vote on October 30, and elect their president through direct voting for the first time in 15 years. As many as eight candidates are running for president, and opinion polls present the leader of the pro-Russian socialists, Igor Dodon, as favourite.
STOCK EXCHANGE – Romania was officially included on the Watchlist of countries that show a substantial potential to become emerging markets, according to a decision of the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE), made public on Thursday. According to the Bucharest Stock Exchange, it will be possible to make it to the emergent markets category by meeting the liquidities conditions of the overall market.
SYRIA – Over 9,300 people of whom 3,800 civilians have been killed by the Russian air strikes since the beginning of the Russian intervention in Syria, on September 30, 2015, in support of Bachar al-Assad’s regime, the Syrian Observer of Human Right announced. Over 2,700 victims were ISIS militants, while more than 2,800 were members of some groups that fought against the regime. Moscow has been harshly criticised at the UN Security Council meeting by the American ambassador, who defined Russia’s intervention in Syria as barbaric. Russia’s actions were also denounced by the ambassadors of France and Britain.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep , no. 5 in the world, is today up against Czech Petra Kvitova in the semi-finals of the tournament in Wuhan, China, with 2.6 million dollars up for grabs. If she makes it to the final, Halep will play against the winner of the game between the Slovak Dominika Cibulkova and the Russian Svetlana Kuznetova. Simona Halep has already secured her participation in the 2016 WTA Finals in Singapore.
(Translated by Elena Enache)