Vivid People in the News May 2004

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Newsmakers at home and abroad

May 2004

The Ministry of Culture decided to move ahead with the dismantling of a communist monument from Parcul Carol in order to make room for the construction of an orthodox cathedral. Some groups objected, saying that the country's communist past should be faced up to, not dismantled, while others objected to the continuing erosion of the city's green spaces. Bucharest mayor Traian Basescu said he would oppose the ministry's decision by all means at his disposal. The cost of dismantling the monument is expected to top 1 million euros. Britain resumed visa requirements for Romanians after a scandal that forced the resignation of Britain 's Immigration Minister, Beverly Hughes, and had Tony Blair denying that a deal had been struck with Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nastase whereby Britain would waive the visa requirement in exchange for cooperation in bringing down the level of asylum claims in Britain. Alex Aron, a Romanian working for a private security company was killed in Iraq , in an attack on a US convoy. Another Romanian was injured in the attack, which caused the security company to pull out of Iraq. With cracks appearing in the US coalition in Iraq, Romania was one of the countries which received a phone call from US Secretary of State Colin Powell, asking for assurances that it would stand firm. The Romanian government insisted its troops would stay. However, since the recent escalation of bloodshed in Iraq , the Romanian military contingent of some 350 soldiers in the south-central city of Nassiria has been confined to base just outside the city. Romanians working abroad are expected to send some 1.8 billion euros home this year in bank transfers, according to BNR governor Mugur Isarescu. Bidding began in the much-delayed privatisation of oil behemoth Petrom, which is a massive debtor to the state. The privatisation of Petrom is considered necessary for the state to reduce its influence in the energy sector and for Romania to be deemed a functioning market economy this year, necessary in turn if Romania is to have a realistic chance of joining the EU in its target date of 2007. Gunter Verheugen, the EU enlargement minister, said the 2007 date was still achievable, following some ìwarning shots.î ìThe warning shots proved very helpful,î he said. ìIndeed, they allowed the prime minister to do some things he couldn't do before. For example, to fire the Minister of Justice and establish a new minister who wants reform.î Cuban musician Ibrahim Ferrer, of the famed Buena Vista Social Club ensemble, played two sold-out shows in Bucharest. A poll commissioned by the GfK institute found that 86 per cent of Romanians believed they lived in a corrupt state, about three quarters of respondents believed the government had no real interest in fighting corruption, and about a third considered bribery ìnatural.î Andrei Postelnicu, the Financial Times and Vivid journalist, became engaged to Adina Sadeanu, who is Senior Economics Correspondent at Adevarul.

Greek-controlled Cyprus , the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia formally joined the European Union, swelling its numbers of member nations from 15 to 25. Israel 's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that he was no longer bound to honour a promise that his forces would not try to kill Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader. A week earlier, an Israeli helicopter gunship had killed Abdel Aziz Rantisi, the leader of Palestine's Islamist movement, Hamas, who had three weeks earlier replaced the similarly assassinated Sheik Ahmed Yassin. Rantisi's murder was condemned by governments worldwide with the exception of America 's. In Iraq , car bombs killed 68 Iraqi's, many of them children. Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, offered a truce to any European country provided it abandoned its alliance with America. Lithuania 's election commission ruled that former President Rolandas Paksas, who in early April became the first European head of state to be impeached, could stand in the presidential election next month. Thabo Mbeki was elected as South Africa 's president for a second five-year term after the ruling African National Congress (ANC) won a landslide election. In Ryongchon, 50 kilometres outside the North Korean capital of Pyongchang, more than 160 people were killed after an explosion at a train station, at which North Korea 's President Kim Jong Il had journeyed through just hours earlier. Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed to a British newspaper Israel 's covert nuclear weapons capability, was released from an Israeli prison after serving an 18-year sentence. Israeli authorities swiftly confiscated his passport when he made it known he wanted to go to America. Amidst scenes of what animal rights groups said were ëneedlessly cruel', one of Canada 's largest ever seal culls - 350,000 - began. The Bundesbank's chairman, Ernest Welteke resigned following a controversy over the payment of his $9,200 hotel bill by Dresdner Bank, during the launch of the euro in 2002. Brian Lara, the West Indies captain, broke one of cricket's most coveted records - the highest individual Test innings - and became the first cricketer to score 400 runs in a single innings of a Test match. Phil Mickelson won his first major golf tournament with a birdie at the final hole at Augusta to win the US Masters by one stroke from Ernie Els. Vitali Klitschko claimed the vacant WBC heavyweight crown with a technical knockout of Corrie Sanders. Jim Cantalupo, the worldwide head of McDonald's, died, aged 60. Estee Lauder, the matriarch of the cosmetics company, died, aged at least 95. Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Fiji 's first prime minister, died, aged 83. Norris McWhirter, the founder of the Guinness Book of Records, died, aged 78. University of Toronto scientists said they had identified a gene that puts people at risk of Crohn's disease, which should lead to better diagnosis and treatment of the bowel disorder. Vending machines that deliver hot pizzas in 90 seconds went on trial across Britain. Libby, a German shepherd, was recovering at the home of her owner in Manchester , England after the 28 golf balls she had eaten were surgically removed.