Embassy relocation – The Romanian authorities have announced they will finalize in one month at the latest an analysis related to the relocation of the Romanian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu announced on Sunday. He said the results of the analysis would be forwarded to all Romanian political decision makers including to President Klaus Iohannis. Minister Meleşcanu considers normal the recalling of the Palestinian ambassador to Romania but hopes that diplomatic relations between the two sides will continue. Announced for the first time by the Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea, the government’s intention to relocate the Romanian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem caused unprecedented disputes between the governing coalition and President Klaus Iohannis, who is supported by the Liberal opposition.
Regional policy – The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu will pay a 2 — day visit to Romania as of Monday to discuss sustainable urban development. On Monday Commissioner Cretu will participate alongside PM Viorica Dancila and the minister for European funds Rovana Plumb in a conference devoted to urban investments hosted by Bacau, in the east. Commissioner Cretu will also visit the astronomic observatory in Bacau that benefited from European funds. On Tuesday Corina Cretu and minister Plumb will participate in a dialogue with the citizens at the Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau. In a communiqué issued ahead of her visit to Romania, Commissioner Cretu said that more than one billion Euros would be invested in urban development in Romania.
Tennis — World’s no. 1 player, Romanian Simona Halep was defeated Sunday by Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (4 WTA) 0-6, 4-6 in the final of the Rome tournament. Halep will still preserve the first place in the WTA ranking to be published on Monday and will be top seed at the upcoming Roland Garros tournament to start on May 27, which is the year’s second Grand Slam tournament.
Gymnastics — The president of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation Andreea Răducan was included in the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame as part of a gala that took place in Oklahoma City, in the US. She will remain in the history of world gymnastics as the gymnast who was stripped of her all-round gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics after testing positive for a banned stimulant, pseudoephedrine, that her doctor had given her for a cold. Andreea Răducan is Romania’s 11th representative to be included in the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in the past 25 years after Nadia Comăneci, Bela Karolyi, Ecaterina Szabo, Teodora Ungureanu, Daniela Silivaş, Simona Amânar, Octavian Belu, Lavinia Milosovici, Gina Gogean and Aurelia Dobre.
Religious celebration — The majority Orthodox Christians and the Greek Catholics in Romania will celebrate Saints Constantine and Helen on Monday, May 21. As many as 1.8 million Romanians bear the two saints’ names. Emperor Constantine is known for the Edict of Milan of 313, which gave Christianity a legal status being a religion tolerated by the Roman Empire after centuries of persecution. His mother, Helen, commissioned the building of churches in Bethlehem and on the hill of Golgotha where the Cross, on which Jesus Christ had been crucified, was discovered. (news translated and updated by Lacramioara Simion)
