May 1, 2017 UPDATE

For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.

Newsroom, 01.05.2017, 19:04

MAY DAY — Over 80 countries on Monday celebrated May Day, also known as the International Workers’ Day set up in 1889 to commemorate the Heymarket affair in Chicago. In Romania, the communist regime had twisted the holiday to serve as propaganda. Currently, May Day is a public holiday marking the beginning of the summer season. Over 40,000 tourists visited the Romanian Black Seacoast, especially the resorts of Mamaia and Vama Veche, while some 20,000 tourists chose mountain resorts as their holiday destinations.

AIR POLICING — Over May 1 — August 31 a squadron of the Royal Air Force will be deployed to the Mihail Kogalniceanu military airbase in eastern Romania, where it will carry out air policing missions jointly with the Romanian Air Force, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. The squadron consists of 150 military, using Typhoon fighter jets for the first time in Romania. The British fighters will be supported by MiG-21 LanceR jets. Typhoon is one the world’s fastest aircraft, fitted with anti-air radars. Deploying RAF jets to Romania is part of NATO’s action plan to secure operational capability on the Alliance’s eastern, northern and southern flanks. The joint air policing missions will contribute to developing the reaction and deterrence capacity and to consolidating interoperability between Romanian and British air forces.

MACRON — The European Union must reform itself to avoid France potentially leaving the European community, French pro-European presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron has said. Macron is currently favourite to win in the second round of the presidential race which will be held this Sunday. His opponent is National Front representative Marine Le Pen. During the election campaign I have constantly advocated European ideas and policies, because these are very important things for the French people and for our country’s role in the context of globalization, but the dysfunctionality of the Union is no longer sustainable, Macron went on to say. Marine Le Pen on the other hand has overtly expressed her Eurosceptic beliefs during the campaign, promising to stage a referendum on France’s EU membership.

STUDY — The Romanian economy is facing a severe labour market crisis, with the number of employees and the degree of qualification reporting a huge drop in recent years, which might actually worsen in the future. This is the main conclusion of a study made public on Monday by KeysFin financial consultancy agency. According to the research, the main cause is the exodus of Romanians towards the West, particularly after Romania joined the EU in 2007. On the other hand, the number of job vacancies has gone up since 2009, from 39,000 to 60,000 in 2016, the study also shows.

SYRIA — A UN task force charged with identifying people who committed atrocities in Syria is due to start its activity soon, as a first stage in apprehending war criminals. The announcement was made on Monday by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. The setup of the task force, adopted at the UN General Assembly in December, was condemned by the Bashar al-Assad regime as an unacceptable involvement in the country’s domestic affairs. Over 320,000 people were have been killed since conflict broke out in 2011.

EUROVISION — Romania’s representatives at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, Alex Florea and Ilinca Bancila have arrived in Kiev, playing host to this year’s edition. The two will be performing the song “Yodel it!” in the second semi-final, on May 11. The big final is scheduled for May 13. Romania’s best performances in the Eurovision are second place in 2005, with a song performed by Luminita Anghel and Sistem, third place in 2010 grabbed by the duo Paula Seling and Ovi and fourth place in 2006, a feat accomplished by Mihai Traistariu. (Translated by V. Palcu)