July 7, 2015

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România Internațional, 07.07.2015, 12:00

Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is today meeting in Suceava (northeastern Romania, close to the common border) his pro-Western counterpart from the Republic of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti. Formal talks are focusing on bilateral relations and the support Bucharest is giving to the European aspirations of Chisinau. Timofti will today be receiving the Doctor Honoris Causa title at the Stephen the Great University in Suceava, for special merits in promoting the Republic of Moldovas EU integration efforts, for deepening its relations with Romania, as well as for his focus on education and the training of the young generation.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta said that Romania doesnt look like Greece at all; the Romanian official rejected what he described as exaggerated comparisons between the economic situations of the two countries. In a reaction to the referendum in Greece, Ponta says Romania managed to get over the 2009 – 2011 crisis and is currently seeing its fourth year of sustained economic growth, benefiting from an unemployment rate under the European average, social consensus and government stability. Reactions to the situation in Greece have also come from the presidential office and the Central Bank in Bucharest.

A code orange alert for extremely hot weather has been issued for four counties in the west and northwestern Romania, where temperatures are expected to soar to 39 degrees. The rest of the territory, except for the east Carpathian regions is under a code yellow alert for high temperatures. The present heat wave will be felt all over Romania on Wednesday. Meteorologists say the periods of hot temperatures will be alternating with atmospheric instability and thunderstorms are expected on Wednesday night.

Romanias Gross Domestic Product rose in the first quarter of 2015 by 4.1% as compared to the same period last year, also seeing a 1.5% growth as against the last quarter of the same year, says a second provisional report the National Statistics Institute (INS) has released today. According to a first INS report the GDPs dynamic remained unchanged. Romanias economy last year saw a 2.8% growth as compared to 2013 and the National Forecast Committee has upgraded to 3.3% its forecasts on the countrys economic growth. According to the IMF, Romanias economy will rise by 2.9% this year. The World Bank has also upgraded Romanias economic growth rate from 2.9% to 3%.

Finance ministers from the eurozone are today meeting their new Greek counterpart Efklidis Tsakalotos, one of the closest aides of Prime Minister Tsipras and successor to controversial Yanis Varoufakis. Greeces problems are also high on the agenda of a summit that has brought together heads of state and government from the eurozone, which comes after a NO vote Greece gave to the conditions imposed by international lenders in order to resume the bailout plan. The Greek government has the task to come up with serious and credible proposals, French president Francois Hollande said following a meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris. In turn, the German official underlined that eurozone leaders are waiting for very precise proposals and a programme allowing Greece to regain prosperity. On the other hand the European Central Bank decided to maintain emergency liquidity assistance lifeline to Greek banks, which remain closed for another two days. The restrictions, due to expire today, have been extended upon the National Bank recommendation in order to limit withdrawals. The Greek economic minister believes the ECB assistance should be extended by at least a month to give time to the government in Athens to negotiate with lenders.

Six hundred Romanian and US soldiers are participating in a joint military drill called Dacian Eagle 2015, which started in July and is due to end in September at an airbase in Campia Turzii, northwestern Romania. According to the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, Romanian Air Forces are participating with six MIG 21 Lancers and five Puma helicopters, while their US counterparts are using 12 multirole F-15 fighters. Troops from the two countries are training in tactics and technical procedures corresponding to NATO air operations. Romanian Defence Minister Mircea Dusa announced that on April 15th, the presence of NATO military would be permanent in the Alliances eastern flank.

Over 66% of the 12 graders in Romania, roughly 106 thousand of them, have passed the Baccalaureate exam this summer session, sources with the Education Ministry in Bucharest have announced. As compared to the same session last year, the number of those passing the exam was higher by 7%. 400 students have been eliminated for cheating or attempted cheating.

Britain is today commemorating 10 years since the terror attacks targeting its public transportation system, when 52 people were killed and 700 others wounded, Reuters reports. These were the first suicide attacks committed by Islamist militants in Western Europe. “Today the country comes together to remember the victims of one of the deadliest terrorist atrocities on mainland Britain,” Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement. “Ten years on from the 7/7 London attacks, the threat from terrorism continues to be as real as it is deadly – the murder of 30 innocent Britons whilst holidaying in Tunisia is a brutal reminder of that fact. But we will never be cowed by terrorism”, the British official also added.