May 13, 2015
For a roundup of domestic and international events, click here.
Newsroom, 13.05.2015, 12:00
ECONOMIC GROWTH – According to the preliminary Eurostat estimates made public today, Romania and Cyprus reported the highest economic growth rate in the EU in the first quarter of 2015, as compared to the previous quarter, that is 1.6%. Romania and Cyprus are followed by Spain, Bulgaria, Slovakia, France, Hungary. According to Eurostat, economic growth went down in Lithuania, Estonia, Greece and Finland.The highest annual growth rates were reported in Romania – 4.2% and Hungary – 3.1%. A lower annual growth rate was reported only in Finland.
CYBER SECURITY – As from today, Romania has a Centre for Innovation in Cyber Security, a pilot project for which the US Administration has given an 800,000 dollars worth of grant. The project was launched at the Regional Cyber Security Summit in Bucharest coming to an end today. Advanced technologies will be tested at the Innovation centre, a centre of regional importance. The Regional Cyber Security Summit was organized by the Romanian government jointly with the US Department of Commerce. Companies and government officials, experts in cyber security in the public and private environment from 17 European countries, Romania included and the USA discussed policies of strengthening defense capabilities against information attacks, which both citizens and institutions can fall victim to.
MEETING – As from today, Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu is attending the two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers. The debates, also attended by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, will focus on security challenges in the Eastern and Southern vicinity, the process of political transition and security in Afghanistan and in the region. In another development, the NATO-Ukraine Commission will look into the Ukrainian conflict and its impact on Euro-Atlantic security. On the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, Bogdan Aurescu will have meetings with his counterparts of NATO member and partner countries.
FORESTRY CODE– Romanian deputies are today going to cast a decisive vote on the request for the new Forestry Code to be reexamined, made by Romanias president Klaus Iohannis. Following heated debates, the expert parliamentary commissions on Tuesday rejected the request. The amendments requested were also turned down by the Senate, the MPs of the ruling coalition and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania voting against them. In case it is rejected, the draft code can only be challenged at the Constitutional Court. Romanias president asked for the Forestry Code to be reexamined since in his view, it curtails the activity of woodworking companies and creates the premise for a discriminatory treatment. In another development, the Government notified the National Anti-Corruption Directorate about tens of possible corruption cases in the field of forestry in the 2009-2012 period. Moreover, last weekend, thousands of people in several towns of Romania protested against illegal deforestation.
UKRAINE – Russian Foreign Minister, Serghei Lavrov and US Secretary of State, John Kerry met in Soci, a resort on the Russian Black Sea coast showing the first signs of relaxation between their countries after over one year of Ukrainian crisis and the wish to take joint action on big international issues, FP reports. John Kerry had his first meeting with his Russian counterpart after Russias annexation of Crimea and its involvement in the conflict between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in Eastern Ukraine. Kerry put forward the idea of Western sanctions against Moscow being lifted if the ceasefire was complied with in Ukraine. The two ministers also addressed the war in Syria and the Iranian nuclear programme. In Soci, John Kerry was also received by Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
EARTHQUAKE – At least 90 people died and nearly 2,000 were injured in the second powerful quake that hit Nepal in the last three weeks. The tremor measuring 7.3 degrees had its epicenter at the border with China and was also felt in India. The previous quake of April 25th killed at least 8,000 people and injured nearly 18,000. It was the most devastating quake in that country in the last 80 years, Reuters reports.
ATTACK – At least 43 people were killed and another dozen were today wounded in an attack by gunmen on a bus in Karachi, Southern Pakistan, FP reports quoting the local media. At least six gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on a bus packed with Shiite Muslims. The attack has not been claimed yet. FP reports that in the last few years, attacks have intensified against the Shiite Muslim minority, accounting for about 20% of the Sunni-dominated population of Pakistan, numbering some 200 million inhabitants.
FILM – The independent Romanian short film “Ramona directed by Andrei Cretulescu has been selected for the “Semaine de la Critique section of the International Film Festival kicking off in Cannes today. In the same section, the Romanian young film critic Irina Trocan is a member of the editorial team, along with three other youths from Germany, France and Mexico. “One Floor Below by Radu Muntean and “The Treasure by Corneliu Porumboiu have been selected for the “Un certain regard section. “One Floor Below deals with the conscience problem of a murder witness. The“Treasure is the story of two men going through surprising incidents in their bid to discover a treasure.
TENNIS – Three Romanian female tennis players have qualified for the second round of the Rome tournament with 2.4 million dollars prize money. Irina Begu, seeded 31st, will play against German Angelique Kerber, favourite nr. 9 and Alexandra Dulgheru, seeded 72nd, with meet Czech Lucie Safarova, seeded 14th. Simona Halep, nr. 2 seed and the second favourite of the tournament, will play against American Alison Riske. The pair made up of Simona Halep and Italian Francesca Schiavone have qualified for the eighth finals.
