Category: Newsflash

Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert for heavy rain, hail and storms, valid until Wednesday afternoon for 17 counties and the capital-city Bucharest. Here atmospheric instability will increase and take the form of downpours, electric storms, strong wind and hail. Highs will range between 32 and 33 degrees Celsius after on Tuesday southeastern Romania was hit by a heat wave. A code orange alert was issued for Bucharest and 12 counties, with the temperature-humidity index bound to exceed the critical comfort level of 80 units and temperatures reaching 40 degrees. Tens of people were affected by nausea and heat stroke due to the extreme temperatures. In another development, the Romanian Rail Company has imposed speed restrictions in areas affected by the heat.

The Romanian Government on Tuesday adopted the first budget adjustment this year, while the economic growth forecast will increase from 1.6% to 1.9%. The Ministries of Health, Education and Justice are hereby granted additional funds, while the Transport Ministry and the General Secretariat of the Government will see their funds slashed. Also on Tuesday the Government adopted the ordinance on VAT reduction for bread, from 24% to 9%, which will come into force as of September 1^st. To counterbalance this measure the Government will increase excises for luxury items and spirits.

If a referendum were to be held tomorrow, 27% of Romanians would vote in favour of restoring monarchy, as compared to 41% who would rather the republic were maintained as a Government of the people. According to a survey commissioned by the Romanian daily Adevarul, 40% of Romanians hold the Royal House in high esteem. Former monarch King Michael I of Romania is the only living head of state who ruled during World War II. Michael I conceded to communist pressure, stepping down in 1947, 66 years after the first king of Romania was enthroned. With the demise of the communist rule in 1989, the members of the Royal House returned to Romania.

The hypothesis Swiss authorities seem to favour as a possible cause behind Monday night’s rail accident in western Switzerland is “failure to comply with traffic signals”. 1 person was killed and another 26 were injured after two trains came on a head-on collision. The accident caps a series of tragic accidents in Europe this month. On July 12 a train derailed in France, killing 7 people. Last week a similar accident happened in Spain, when 79 people were killed after a train derailed near Santiago de Compostela. On Sunday in Italy, a coach crash killed 38 people.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton has argued in favour of a political transition process in Cairo. Ashton believes the process to be conducive to constitution order, free and just elections and to installing a civil government in this country. The EU official met with former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, currently detained at a secret location by the army since he was overthrown on July 3^rd. Ashton said Morsi was feeling well and was kept up to date with the developments. In another development, the French diplomacy has called on Egyptian authorities to release all “political prisoners”, including president Morsi.

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced on Monday, after a meeting with representatives of a joint delegation of the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and World Bank, that Bucharest completed negotiations for another precautionary agreement with its international lenders. The agreement’s details will be made public on Wednesday. Prime Minister Ponta has announced that an agreement has also been reached as far as the budget revision is concerned. On Wednesday the international delegation will end their two-week visit to Bucharest.

The National Anthem Day was marked in Romania through a series of events. The Romanian Defence Minister Mircea Dusa and the Home Affairs Minister Radu Stroe attended a military ceremony. A sergeant who served in Iraq, Daniel Porumb, seriously wounded while on a mission, was advanced and decorated. Many cities in the country hosted similar ceremonies, celebrating the anthem, which was sung for the first time on July 29^th, 1848. A symbol of unity for the Romanian Revolution of 1848, “Awaken, Romanians!” became national anthem after the anti-communist revolution of December 1989.

Romania’s capital city Bucharest and seven counties in the southern half of the country on Tuesday will be under a code orange alert for extreme heat, with maximum temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorology Agency has announced. Thermal discomfort will be high. The temperature — moist ratio will exceed the critical threshold of 80. Another 12 counties in southern Romania will be under a code yellow alert for heat. The heat wave will be followed on Tuesday night by storms and possibly hail. Maximum temperatures in the next 24 hours will range between 27 and 40 degrees Celsius.

The film “Child’s Pose”, directed by Calin Peter Netzer, was selected to represent Romania at the Oscars next years, at the best foreign film category. The film has already won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival this year.

Romanian meteorologists on Sunday issued an Orange Code Alert for extreme heat valid on Monday and Tuesday in eight counties in western and southern Romania. On Monday, the heat wave will lift temperatures up to 39 – 40 degrees Celsius. In the next couple of days thermal discomfort will be high. The temperature – moist ratio will exceed the critical threshold of 80. The Yellow code alert for heat will also stay in place on Monday in southern, western and central Romania where maximum temperatures will stand at 36-38 degrees Celsius.

Romanian students have won three silver medals and three bronze at the 54th edition of the International Mathematics Olympiad held between July 18th and 27th in the Columbian locality of Santa Monica, the Romanian Education Ministry announced. As many as 547 participants from 103 countries attended this year’s edition. Also this month, Romanian students won two gold medals and three silver medals at the Physics Olympiad in Denmark while from the IT Olympiad in Brisbane, Australia, Romanian students returned home with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

As of Monday, 715 employees with the petrochemical plant Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea in southern Romania will enter temporary unemployment until September 8th, the company’s board has announced. They will receive only 80% of their base salary. Trade unions have asked for the replacement of the plant’s board, whom they accuse of unjustified temporary redundancies and inability to boost the activity. Another 900 employees of the same plant were made redundant nine months ago. Oltchim was declared insolvent in January. Its privatisation failed in 2012, when the auction’s winner proved unable to provide the amount he initially said he owned — 45 million euros. The plant needs to be privatised, in keeping with the agreements Romania signed with the IMF.

Romanian mountain climber Zsolt Torok said on Sunday, in a press conference, that he is honoured to be among the few athletes in the world who conquered the Nanga Parbat peak of the Himalayas, which is 8.126 meters high. On July 19th, his team, made up by Teo Vlad, Marius Gane, Aurel Salasan and Bruno Adamcsek, climbed this peak -a first for a Romanian team- without Sherpa and oxygen cylinders.

Romanian film director Radu Mihaileanu won the prize Vento d”Europa at the 19th edition of the Film Festival held in the Ventotene Island, in the Italian region of Lazio, the Radio Romania correspondent in Rome reports. According to organisers, the prize is a homage paid to an artist who, through his works, made an important contribution to the European culture. This is the first time that a foreign director receives an award at this festival.

In a special convention of the populist party Greater Romania, held in Alba Iulia on Saturday, the around 700 participants decided to expel the party’s founding president Corneliu Vadim Tudor and elected Gheorghe Funar as the new president. The delegates also elected the members of the party’s leading bodies, the National Council, the Steering Committee and the Standing Bureau. Corneliu Vadim Tudor views the organisation of the congress as illegal and announced he would take the organisers to court.

The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, said on Saturday at the Summer University in the resort of Tusnad, central Romania, that Hungary’s current policy of protecting national interests must be carried on. Speaking to around three thousand people, he said an important part of this policy is granting dual citizenship to the Hungarians living outside the country. According to Viktor Orban, this is the only solution to the sense of division experienced by the Hungarian nation since its borders were moved, in the 20^th Century. Previously, the State Secretary for European Affairs in the Romanian Foreign Ministry George Ciamba had voiced surprise at the statements of some Hungarian officials with respect to the regional restructuring of Romania, and said this was an interference with a democratic, legitimate and sovereign process in Romania.

Tourists are invited this weekend to the 21st Medieval Art Festival of Sighisoara (in central Romania). This year’s theme is “Vlad, the Knight of Justice: Myth and History,” contrasting the actual personality of the 15th Century Wallachian ruler Vlad the Impaler, and the fictional character Dracula. Visitors may attend parades, shows, tournaments and fights, medieval music and dance, recitals, processions and witch-hunts, public trials, carnivals and wine tasting sessions. Taking part in the Festival are theatre companies from Romania, France, Hungary and the Czech Republic. Sighisoara is the only inhabited medieval citadel in south-eastern Europe.

The funerals of the 78 people who died on Wednesday, when a train went off the rails in Santiago de Compostela will take place on Monday night in the cathedral of this north-western Spanish town, a world Catholic pilgrimage landmark. The regional government of Galicia announced they are working to organise the official funerals, but emphasised that their priorities are to provide assistance to the injured and the victims families, and to identify the victims. 75 of the 78 dead had been identified by Friday. Another 178 people were injured in the crash. The engine driver, suspected of taking the train in a dangerous curve at high speed, has been held by the police and will be heard by a judge.

Around 120 people died and close to 4,500 others were wounded in the clashes between protesters and police forces on Friday night in Rabia al-Adawiya Square in Cairo, according to the web site of the Muslim Brotherhood, which quotes medical sources. The Islamist movement describes the events in Rabia al-Adawiya Square as a massacre. This square is a permanent gathering place for the supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Major rallies were staged on Friday in several cities in Egypt, by Morsi’s opponents and supporters. According to military sources, some 35 million people took to the streets.

Romania will withdraw the remainder of its military forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, with the exception of 200 military instructors that will help train Afghan security forces. The announcement was made during a press conference in Sibiu held by Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Defence Minister Mircea Dusa. At present Romania has a total of 1,600 military stationed in Afghanistan and plans to withdraw 500 of them by the end of 2013.

Over 700 employees with the petrochemical plant Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea in southern Romania will enter temporary unemployment between July 29th and September 8th, the company’s board has announced. They will cash in only 80% of their base salary. Trade unions have asked for the replacement of the plant’s board, whom they accuse of unjustified temporary redundancies and inability to boost the activity. Another 900 employees of the same plant were made redundant nine months ago. Oltchim was declared insolvent in January. Its privatization failed in 2012, when the auction’s winner proved unable to provide the amount he initially said he owned — 45 million euros.

The central Romanian town of Sighisoara is hosting as of Friday until Sunday the 21^st edition of the Medieval Festival. Tournaments, parades, medieval fighting, theatre shows, medieval music concerts, films, book and costume shows as well as dance classes will be held for three days in-a-row. Theatre groups from Romania, France, Hungary and the Czech Republic are attending this year’s edition of the festival. Knightly orders from Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania will also participate in this festival, hosted by the only inhabited medieval fortress in southeastern Europe.

Three Romanian football sides, Petrolul Ploiesti, Pandurii Targu Jiu and Astra Giurgiu have qualified to the Europa League’s third preliminary round. Astra Giurgiu beat Omonia Nicosia from Cyprus while in Targu Jiu, the local side Pandurii outperformed Levadia Tallin. In turn, Petrolul Ploiesti pulled a victory against Vikingur Gota of the Foroe Islands. Romania’s Steaua Bucharest qualified to the Champions League’s third preliminary round after defeating the Macedonian side Vardar Skopje 2-1 in an away game on Tuesday. In the next round, Petrolul will play against the Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, Pandurii will face Israel’s Hapoel Tel-Aviv while Astra will take on AS Trencin of Slovakia.

King Juan Carlos of Spain on Friday visited the survivors of the Wednesday’s train accident, committed to the University Hospital of Santiago de Compostela. Three days of national mourning have been declared in Spain following one of the worst train accidents in this country, that caused the death of 80 people. Media reports say the train may have been running at more than twice the speed limit around a curve when it derailed in the northwestern town of Santiago de Compostela. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced that two investigations are being carried out — one judicial, the other by the investigative commission for rail accidents.

Pope Francis continued, in Brazil, his first apostolic trip abroad, five months after his election. On Friday the Pontiff met with young prisoners at the St. Joaquin Archbishopric and re-enacted the Stations of the Cross at Copacabana Beach. On Thursday, the Pope criticised the plans of some Latin American states to legalise drugs and warned the youth over the danger of giving in to temptations such as money, power and success. As many as 1.5 million pilgrims defied the bad weather to meet the Pontiff on the Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro. Pope Francis came to Brazil on Monday, and until July 29th he will be presiding the World Youth Day, attended by some 1.5 billion young pilgrims from all over the world.

The Egyptian judiciary on Thursday ordered the pre-emtive arrest of former president Mohamed Morsi for a period of 15 days. Morsi is being charged for conspiring with Palestinian terrorist wing Hamas to kill Egyptian military, assault prisons and release prisoners during the popular uprising against president Hosni Mubarak in 2011. The announcement follows within hours after Morsi’s opponents and supporters announced large-scale manifestations. The head of the Egyptian military General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has called on Egyptians to take to the streets in order to mandate the army to put an end to the string of violence. On the other hand, the Muslim Brotherhood, the most vocal supporters of Morsi, have announced they would continue their protests. At least 200 people were killed in the last two months during clashes between supporters and opponents of Mohamed Morsi.

The French judiciary has indicted former IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn and another 12 people for “aggravated pimping” in the so-called “Carlton, Lille” case. Strauss-Kahn has been prosecuted on March 26^th, 2012 impeached for “aggravated organized procurement of prostitutes”, especially in parties held in Paris and Washington.

The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the head of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Jean-Claude Mignon and the French President Francois Holland have strongly condemned the assassination of the Tunisian opposition leader Mohammed Brahmi. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has asked for a quick and transparent investigation so that the authors of the crime should be punished. Mohammed Brahmi was shot dead in front of his house on Thursday morning. Brahmi, a member of the National Constituent Assembly, was commissioned with drawing up a new Constitution. This is the second time an opposition party leader has been killed in Tunisia this year . Prominent secular politician Chokri Belaid was killed in February. His murder sparked protests and forced the then prime minister to resign.

Over 100 thousand people have died since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, in March 2011, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday, when he asked for another peace conference to be organised on this issue. On the other hand, the the UN and the Arab League Special Representative for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said in an interview with the BBC that there was no military solution for the internal conflict in Syria. He warned that the delivery of weapons to rebels or to president Bashar al-Assad’s forces would do nothing but extend the conflict and would, by no means, solve anything.

The Romanian State Secretary for European Affairs, George Ciamba, has criticized in a communiqué the statements made by the participants in the Hungarian Youth Summer School in Baile Tusnad, Central Romania, regarding the regionalization process in Romania. He has said that the opinions voices by the Hungarian State Secretary Nemth Zsolt, are an intrusion into a democratic, legitimate and sovereign process in Romania. Geroge Ciama has stressed that the administrative and territorial reorganization of Romania is in line with the international rules in the field, and adopting such measures is in full compliance with the international obligations Romania has committed itself to under the treaties it is a party to.

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Thursday sent a condolences letter to his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy, following the train accident on Wednesday evening in Santiago de Compostela that caused the death of at least 80 people. The head of the Madrid government declared three days of national mourning, following what is believed to be one of the worst train accident in Spain in over 40 years. According to local authorities there are foreign citizens among the victims, but it is not known yet if any of them are Romanians. Romania’s ambassador in Spain set up a crisis cell and sent an assistance team to Santiago de Compostela, a reagion that is home to about 9,000 Romanians.

Members of the Railway Unions Federation in Romania on Thursday protested against the privatization of the Freight Division of the Romanian Railway Company. People are unhappy with the reduction of the working program from 5 to 4 days a week, the reduction of salaries and the lack of management transparency. On Wednesday, the Romanian Government approved the privatization contract. Railway workers are afraid tat once the purchase contract signed, thousands of employees will be made redundant. The privatization of the company is one of the measures that the government committed itself to taking under the precautionary agreement signed with the IMF in 2011.

Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea qualified for the quarter finals of the WTA tournament in Stanford Los Angeles, with 795,707 dollars in prize money. She defeated Coco Vandeweghe of the US 6-3, 6-3. Cirstea, who is the 5th favorite of the tournament, has so far got a check of 19.300 dollars and 120 WTA points. The next match will be against Byelorussian Olga Govortova, who defeated Australian Samantha Stosur.

The Romanian government on Wednesday approved the privatization contract of the Freight Division of the Romanian Railway Company CFR Marfa. The sales contract will most probably be signed in September, and the privatization procedure will be finalized within 60 days, the Romanian PM Victor Pointa said. In June, GFR, part of the Grampet group, was declared winning bidder in the privatization of the CFR Marfa. They offered 202 million euros for 51% of the shares in this company. Also GFR said they would make further investments amounting to around 204 million euros. On the freight railway transport market in Romania, CFR holds a share of more than 40% while GFR holds more than 30%.

A joint IMF, EC and WB mission continues talks with Romanian officials in Bucharest. On Wednesday the international experts talked with the representatives of the economy and finance ministries. The Romanian economy minister, Varujan Vosganian, said that by the end of 2014 the privatization procedures would be launched for all companies in his ministry’s portfolio, except for those related to Romania’s security. The international financiers are in Bucharest in the context in which Romania wants to conclude another precautionary-type agreement, after the latest such agreement was successfully completed in June.

Romania must focus in the coming 10-20 years on macro-stability, because the lack of macro stability could harm even the country’s democracy, said Wednesday, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu. He warned the politicians that, if they speeded up economic growth ahead of elections, they would do nothing but speed up the economic decline in the post-election period. The national bank governor added that Romanian should count mainly on capitalizing on its domestic resources, be they natural or human resources.

French director of Romanian origin, Radu Mihaileanu, will receive the prize “Vento d’Europa” at the Ventotene film festival in Italy, that will take place between July 25^th and August 2^nd. The prize is awarded to those artists who promoted, through their works, the idea of a European culture. Born in 1958 in Bucharest he made his debut with a feature film called Trahir, but he received international recognition following his second film, Train de vie. His next movie was Va, vis et deviens which was awarded many prizes. In 2009, Radu Mihaileanu wrote and directed The Concert, which was nominated for the Golden Globe award for best foreign film and which received the Cesar award for best sound and best soundtrack.

Russia respects the Republic of Moldova’s sovereign choice, said Wednesday, in Moscow, the Russian foreign minister, Serghei Lavrov, referring to Moldova’s European aspirations. He met with his Moldovan counterpart, Mrs. Natalia Gherman with whom he also talked about the situation in Transdniester. The two officials agreed to recommend to the legislative bodies in their countries to re-launch the activity of the inter-parliamentary commission, which has not convened for 4 years. Also the Moldovan foreign minister said the Republic of Moldova was in favour of starting talks over the political status of Transdniester.

Romania is following the British model of integrated waste management and the measures regarding climate change, said the Romanian Environment Minister Rovana Plumb on Tuesday, after meeting in Bucharest the British Energy Secretary Edward Davey. Minister Plumb said that 5 million tons of waste are generated in Romania every year, which could ensure the energy needed by 2.5 million households. Edward Davey said that Romania has a huge potential in the energy field, which could attract British investment and expertise.

The joint IMF, EC and WB delegation continues its visit to Bucharest, as Romania wants to conclude a new precautionary agreement, after the successful finalization of the previous one in June. On Tuesday, the IMF representatives talked to the Association of Utility Companies in the energy field about market liberalization. Representatives of the Association pleaded for a firm observance of the liberalization calendar, even if this would lead to further price rises. Other topics of discussion were the raising debts of the railway companies to the providers of energy and the reduction of the number of green certificates granted for investments in renewable energies.

Romania ranks 24^th in the EU with regard to conditions for consumers, reads a 2013 report on consumption, published by the European Commission on Tuesday. Romanians are much happier than other Europeans when it comes to the quality-price ration for electronic devices and new cars, but less happy about alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and milk products. Seven out of ten consumers do not know what to do when the products they buy are not as they should be.

The Romanian Peasant Museum in Bucharest got the 2013 Excellency Award granted by TripAdvisor, one of the largest tourist promotion sites, reads a communiqué issued by the museum. Last year, the museum was visited by 3 thousand 5 hundred tourists per month, which places it among the top tourist destinations . Hosted by a building built in the neo-Romanian style, declared a historic monument, the museum got in 1996 the EMYA award for the best European museum of the year.

The legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden will give a concert in Bucharest on Wedesday, part of the Maiden England tour, held for the first time in the 1980s. Voodoo Six and Anthrax will be playing in the opening of the concert. There will be laser shows and impressive props, and the band will be playing against 10 different backgrounds. Among the songs that the fans will hear are the well-known Can I play with Madness, Fear of the Dark and the Number of the Beast.

Romania is following the British model of integrated waste management and the measures regarding climate change, said the Romanian Environment Minister Rovana Plumb on Tuesday, after meeting in Bucharest the British Energy Secretary Edward Davey. Minister Plumb said that 5 million tons of waste are generated in Romania every year, which could ensure the energy needed by 2.5 million households. Edward Davey said that Romania has a huge potential in the energy field, which could attract British investment and expertise.

The joint IMF, EC and WB delegation continues its visit to Bucharest, as Romania wants to conclude a new precautionary agreement, after the successful finalization of the previous one in June. On Tuesday, the IMF representatives talked to the Association of Utility Companies in the energy field about market liberalization. Representatives of the Association pleaded for a firm observance of the liberalization calendar, even if this would lead to further price rises. Other topics of discussion were the raising debts of the railway companies to the providers of energy and the reduction of the number of green certificates granted for investments in renewable energies.

Romania ranks 24^th in the EU with regard to conditions for consumers, reads a 2013 report on consumption, published by the European Commission on Tuesday. Romanians are much happier than other Europeans when it comes to the quality-price ration for electronic devices and new cars, but less happy about alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, fruits and vegetables, as well as meat and milk products. Seven out of ten consumers do not know what to do when the products they buy are not as they should be.

The Romanian Peasant Museum in Bucharest got the 2013 Excellency Award granted by TripAdvisor, one of the largest tourist promotion sites, reads a communiqué issued by the museum. Last year, the museum was visited by 3 thousand 5 hundred tourists per month, which places it among the top tourist destinations . Hosted by a building built in the neo-Romanian style, declared a historic monument, the museum got in 1996 the EMYA award for the best European museum of the year.

The legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden will give a concert in Bucharest on Wedesday, part of the Maiden England tour, held for the first time in the 1980s. Voodoo Six and Anthrax will be playing in the opening of the concert. There will be laser shows and impressive props, and the band will be playing against 10 different backgrounds. Among the songs that the fans will hear are the well-known Can I play with Madness, Fear of the Dark and the Number of the Beast.

The British Energy Minister Edward Davey in Bucharest today is holding talks with Romania’s’ Prime Minister Victor Ponta, with his Romanian counterpart Constantin Nita and the environment Minister Rovana Plumb. The British top-ranking official will also hold meetings with representatives of the private as well as state energy sectors. Among other things, talks will be focusing on the exploitation of shale gas and nuclear energy According to the British Ambassador to Romania Martin Harris the British Government hopes that in the following four years the volume of exports to Romanian will grow by 60 per cent of thereabouts, since a business center will se set up, facilitating the access as well as a better exposure of British companies on the Romanian Roman market. Attending the signing ceremony for the foundation of the aforementioned bossiness center, Edward Davey said Romania had a huge potential in the energy sector, which is highly likely to attract investments and expertise from Great Britain.

The Duchess of Cambridge, the spouse of Great Britain’s Prince William has given birth to a baby boy at Saint Mary’s Maternity Hospital in London. This is the first child of the royal couple and the third in succession to the throne of Great Britain. The announcement of the birth has been carefully masterminded, with Queen Elisabeth being the first to be informed about the event. The baby boy’ s name, however, would be disclosed only after a couple of days. William, Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s first child, married Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011 in London, during a ceremony that was watched by about 2 billion people on the TV. The birth of the Royal Couple’s first child has been hailed by leaders from around the world.

Romania’s football champion team Steaua Bucharest today will be taking on Vardar Skopje from Macedonia, away from home. The game counts towards the second leg of the Champions League’s second preliminary round. We recall Steaua secured a precious 3-nil win in the first leg of the tie. The other Romanian squads playing their games in the Europa League are Panduri Targu Jiu, Petrolul from

President of Romania, Traian Basescu, announced on Monday having postponed a decision on the appointment of Liberal Ovidiu Silaghi as Transport Minister. The head of state mentioned he would make public his decision on August the 23rd, two days before prime minister Victor Ponta’s interim term in office at this ministry ends. According to the Constitution, the President may only once turn down a cabinet nomination by the prime minister. The Transport Minister seat has been vacant since the former holder, Relu Fenechiu, resigned after he recently received a five-year prison sentence.

Romanian PM Victor Ponta had a meeting in Madrid on Monday with his Spanish counterpart, Mariano Rajoy. The two mainly discussed about ways to strengthen bilateral relations, to attract Spanish investors to Romania and to protect and integrate the Romanians who live in Spain. Spain is currently home to a Romanian community of around one million people.

A joint mission of the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank discussed in Bucharest on Monday with representatives of the Transport Ministry. The main topics on the agenda were the pending privatisation of the Freight Division of the Romanian Railway Corporation and the situation of Romania’s national airline, TAROM. This visit by representatives of the international lenders takes place in the context of Romania’s plans to sign a new precautionary loan agreement, after the last one was successfully completed this June.

The EU foreign ministers, convening in Brussels on Monday, decided to include the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah in the list of terrorist organisations. The decision, which comes amid concerns regarding the activity of Hezbollah in Europe, was welcomed by Israel. The EU foreign ministers have also once again called on the interim authorities in Egypt to free the former president, Mohammed Morsi. Romania was represented by foreign minister Titus Corlăţean.

The film ‘Of Men and Snails’, by Romanian director Tudor Giurgiu, won the award for best director at the International Film Festival in Palic, Serbia. This joint French-Romanian production had already won several awards internationally. The Palic festival was created in 1992 as one of the most prestigious in the Balkan region. Romanian films have already made an impact at this festival, with two movies, ‘The Death of Mr. Lazarescu’ by Cristi Puiu and ‘Everyone In Our Family’ by Radu Jude, which won the Grand Prize of the festival.

Mount Gaina in Alba county, western Romania, on Sunday saw the largest traditional outdoor event in Romania, which took place on a plateau at an altitude of 15 hundred meter. The festival, which included traditional and light music performances, a local artisans fair as well as a contest of tradition and folklore, was also attended by Romanian president Traian Basescu. Ever since its first mentioning back in 1816 the event has been attended by major history figures, such as the Austrian emperor Franz Joseph, while he was visiting the region in 1852.

Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Monday will be paying a working visit to Madrid, which includes talks with king Juan Carlos of Spain and his counterpart Mariano Rajoy. Also high on the agenda are the reiteration of Spain’s support in Romania’s efforts to join Europe’s border-free zone, Schengen, talks on the economic and political relations between the two countries as well as the situation of the Romanian minority living in Spain, which accounts for almost one million. Spain is ranking 8th in a foreign investors’ top in Romania.

A joint delegation of the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank is continuing its visit to Romania. The delegation has so far held talks with president Traian Basescu about a new precautionary loan agreement with the aforementioned international financiers. The Romanian president said the new accord is aimed at macroeconomic consolidation, the salary law and the continuation of structural reforms. Last month Romania successfully concluded another economic programme agreed upon with the international financiers, although it benefited from a series of derogations for some unfulfilled criteria.

Four climbers from Romania have for the first time in the history of this country conquered the 8125 meter-high Himalayan peak of Nanga Parbat, in Pakistan. The team made up of Marius Gane, Zsolt Torok, Aurel Salasan and Teo Vlad reached the summit on Friday afternoon without using oxygen supplies or sherpas. Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest summit in the world, has been considered one of the most difficult to climb.

18 athletes from Romania will be participating in this year’s edition of the world swimming championship due in Barcelona until August 4th. The Romanian delegation includes a water polo team of 13, two divers and three swimmers. According to the Romanian Federation of Swimming and Modern Pentathlon, the Romanian delegation’s objective is to qualify for one of the swimming finals and to obtain a place among the first 12 divers. Romania ranks 26th in a world top with two gold medals, one silver and seven bronze. The world swimming championships in Barcelona are to set a new participation record of 2293 athletes from 181 countries.

The Romanian economy is estimated to see a 2.4% growth rate this year bolstered by a significant harvest and a rise in exports to non-EU member countries, says an Economist Intelligence Unit report. According to the aforementioned report the growth is expected to step up in the period between 2014 and 2017, with an average annual rate below 4%. The London-based Economist Intelligence Unit says that in the following years, the structural funds absorption rate could be above the 12% reported between 2007 and 2013 but administrative deficiencies and the need for the government to co-fund projects are to limit the prospects of a significant growth in the absorption rate.

Over 127 thousand Romanians, mostly men, celebrated their name day on Saturday, Saint Elijah’s Day. The saint is said to have lived some 2 thousand 8 hundred years ago, when the people of Israel was straying towards a polytheist belief. In order to convince people to believe in one God, Elijah said that there would be no rain for three years. And so it was. After three years it started to rain again, after he had prayed for it. According to the Bible, Saint Elijah did not die as an ordinary man, he rose to the sky in a chariot of fire. As he was the first man who could fly, starting 1913 Saint Elijah has also been the patron saint of aviators. The Romanian Aviation Day was celebrated all across the country through various military ceremonies and air shows.

Romanian PM Victor Ponta said on Saturday that Omar Hayssam, the Syrian business man with Romanian citizenship sentenced to 20 years in prison for terrorism, was brought back to the country under government’s approval and by abiding by the Romanian laws. Omar Hayssam was brought to Romania on Friday, seven years after he fled the country. He was involved in the kidnapping of 3 Romanian journalists in Iraq in 2005 and was sentenced to prison in absence. In 2006 he managed to flee the country, while on bail. Hayssam was arrested in Syria, where he was sentenced to four years in prison for another case.

Four Romanian alpinists have conquered the 8125 m high Nanga Parbat peak in Pakistan, at the western end of the Himalayans. Marius Gane, Zsolt Torok, Aurel Salasan and Teo Vlad reached the peak on Friday afternoon, and during the climb they did not use any additional oxygen or guides. To mountain climbers Nanga Parbat is one of the most difficult peaks to climb.

Romania has 18 athletes participating in the 2013 World Swimming Championship in Barcelona, which will last until August 4th. The Romanian delegation is made up of 18 polo players, 2 divers and 3 swimmers. According to the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon Federation, the objective is qualification for a swimming final and a place among the 12 best divers.

Over 127 thousand Romanians, mostly men, celebrated their name day on Saturday, Saint Elijah’s Day. The saint is said to have lived some 2 thousand 8 hundred years ago, when the people of Israel was straying towards a polytheist belief. In order to convince people to believe in one God, Elijah said that there would be no rain for three years. And so it was. After three years it started to rain again, after he had prayed for it. According to the Bible, Saint Elijah did not die as an ordinary man, he rose to the sky in a chariot of fire. As he was the first man who could fly, starting 1913 Saint Elijah has also been the patron saint of aviators. The Romanian Aviation Day was celebrated all across the country through various military ceremonies and air shows.

Romanian PM Victor Ponta said on Saturday that Omar Hayssam, the Syrian business man with Romanian citizenship sentenced to 20 years in prison for terrorism, was brought back to the country under government’s approval and by abiding by the Romanian laws. Omar Hayssam was brought to Romania on Friday, seven years after he fled the country. He was involved in the kidnapping of 3 Romanian journalists in Iraq in 2005 and was sentenced to prison in absence. In 2006 he managed to flee the country, while on bail. Hayssam was arrested in Syria, where he was sentenced to four years in prison for another case.

Four Romanian alpinists have conquered the 8125 m high Nanga Parbat peak in Pakistan, at the western end of the Himalayans. Marius Gane, Zsolt Torok, Aurel Salasan and Teo Vlad reached the peak on Friday afternoon, and during the climb they did not use any additional oxygen or guides. To mountain climbers Nanga Parbat is one of the most difficult peaks to climb.

Romania has 18 athletes participating in the 2013 World Swimming Championship in Barcelona, which will last until August 4th. The Romanian delegation is made up of 18 polo players, 2 divers and 3 swimmers. According to the Romanian Swimming and Modern Pentathlon Federation, the objective is qualification for a swimming final and a place among the 12 best divers.

The Romanian authorities have taken into custody Omar Hayssam, the Syrian businessman with Romanian citizenship, who has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for terrorism. Hayssam was involved in the crisis of the Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq in 2005. Under conditional release, in 2006 Hayssam managed to flee Romania. He was apprehended in Syria, where he was given another four-year sentence in another trial. Heads started to roll amid the huge media scandal sparked off by his departure. Among those who stepped down at that time were the heads of the Romanian intelligence services and the country’s prosecutor general.

The Romanian President, Traian Basescu, on Friday had talks in Bucharest with the representatives of the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank about a new precautionary agreement. The Romanian president underscored that the macroeconomic balance is still fragile, that’s why the new agreement should focus on macroeconomic consolidation, which is a sine qua non for sustainable economic growth. President Basescu also referred to other priorities of the new agreement, which should include structural reforms such as the heath care reform, the salary law in the public sector and the continuation of state-owned companies’ restructuring. The latest economic program agreed upon with international financiers was successfully completed in late June.

Romanian foreign minister Titus Corlatean is in Palma de Majorca, Spain to participate in a EU foreign ministers meeting focusing on the future of Europe. The event has also brought together representatives of the European Commission and European Parliament. High on the agenda are ways of ensuring economic growth, the creation of new jobs, Europe’s strategic positioning in the present globalisation context as well as methods to rebuild the citizens’ trust in the European project and strengthen the EU’s democratic legitimacy.

The Day of Romanian aviation and air forces, celebrated on July 20^th, will be marked in Bucharest and other cities of Romania through military and religious ceremonies, exhibitions and demonstration flights. In 2013 the Romanian Air Forces celebrate 100 years since the issuance of the first Law on the organization of military aeronautics. In the past years the Romanian air forces have participated in several missions under the NATO and EU flags.

The G20 countries have announced they will back a plan by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on amending international fiscal laws. The new regulations are aimed at preventing the big international companies from transferring their profits to countries with low profit taxes. Finance ministers and central bank governors from the G20 countries on Friday convened in Moscow in a bid to step up the fight against fiscal evasion and shun a new economic slowdown. The event comes ahead the upcoming G20 summit due in Saint Petersburg in September.

More than 1100 workers from three coalmines in the Jiu Valley, southwestern Romania have staged since Thursday a sit-down strike to protest the lack of a definitive agreement for supplying coal. As many as 500 miners on Friday went on a hunger strike. Miners are discontent with the absence of such a contract which is likely to result in massive lay-offs, a solution the miners completely disagree with, as they consider their jobs being at risk. According to a communiqué issued by the ministry of the economy, the price of coal excavated from the mines that are to be closed down is regulated through a European directive, and any change has to be discussed with the Finance Ministry and the Competition Council.

European Commission officials and members of the Council for the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism for Romania and Bulgaria have convened in Brussels with the view to assessing the progress made by the two countries in the fields of justice, the rule of law and the fight against corruption. Through this mechanism, the European Commission has been monitoring the headway Romania and Bulgaria have made since their EU accession in 2007. The absence of thorough reforms in the judiciary as well as the poor results in the fight against organized crime have so far been mentioned as reasons to block the two countries’ access to the EU’s border-free area Schengen.