February 23, 2016
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Newsroom, 23.02.2016, 12:00
PROTEST – Over 500 miners from the Lonea mining exploitation have blocked themselves in the underground in token of protest against the current situation at the Hunedoara Energy Complex, in the centre of the country. Some of them have gone on hunger strike and one of them needs medical care. Some of those blocked in the underground already have health problems, because of the limited amount of air in the gallery. The miners do not intend to suspend the protest and wait for energy minister Victor Grigorescu to come at the Lonea Mine. They fear they would lose their jobs, because the Hunedoara Energy Complex has entered default of payment and might go bankrupt. In another move, the line minister said yesterday that the countrys energy strategy, which will be finalised this autumn, should look like a business plan, and should not be considered a mere public policy project. According to Grigorescu, placing the coal sector on the right base again, trading the Hidroelectrica company on the stock exchange and keeping nuclear energy experts in the country will be some of the elements included in the strategy.
DIASPORA– The Romanians living abroad are vectors of development and modernisation for the country, Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, had today told a conference in Bucharest, attended by representatives of the Romanian organisations in the Diaspora. The Romanian President has also said the Romanians presence abroad should be a matter of choice and not of necessity and promised, on short term, to initiate a partnership meant to render Romania a prosperous and strong state. In turn, Romanian Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, has made public the governments intention to take a series of measures to determine the Romanians living outside the borders of the country to get more involved in investment projects, encourage peoples return to rural areas, increase the scholarship fund, improve consular services and help them exert their own rights, such as the right to vote.
ECONOMY– The value of the merger and acquisition market in Romania increased by 160% in 2015, exceeding 3 billion Euros, a research conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers Romania shows. Most transactions were made in the industrial production sector and on the real estate market, with the average value of a transaction standing at 26 million Euros, PricewaterhouseCoopers Romania also shows. The significant growth of the local market is partly due to a similar evolution at international level, as the total value of global mergers and acquisitions in 2015 broke the historic high set in 2007. PricewaterhouseCoopers, headquartered in New York, is the largest professional consultancy and auditing service provider in the world.
HEALTHCARE- Cross-checks will be carried out in all hospitals in Romania between March 10th and 25th, healthcare minister Patriciu Achimas-Cadariu announced on Monday. The measure was taken after several babies from Arges County (in the south) were taken to the “Marie Curie Hospital in Bucharest, having been diagnosed with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The situation has brought to light a series of shortcomings in the healthcare system. Meanwhile, the situation of the seven hospitalised children has improved. Only one is still undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit. Two babies will be released from hospital this week. 3 children died this month of severe digestive problems. The epidemiological investigation coordinated by foreign experts, currently in Romania, continues.
JUSTICE – The European Court of Human Rights has today ruled against Romania in the Romanian Revolution file. The state should pay 15,000 Euros to each of the 17 plaintiffs, who lost relatives during the anti-communist Revolution. The file was opened in 2014 against the Romanian state by relatives of the victims of the December 1989 Revolution. The lengthy investigation in the December 1989 Revolution carried out by military prosecutors is the main issue reproached by the plaintiffs.
SYRIA– A ceasefire agreement will be enforced in Syria as of February 27, FP news agency quotes a joint Russian-American communiqué, released by the U.S. Department of State. The agreement excludes the Islamic State terrorist group and the Al-Nusra Front, the Al Qaedas branch in Syria. The government and the opposition in Syria stood for the ceasefire, but they put pre-conditions, which are difficult to meet. Russia and the US are co-chairs of the International Support Group for Syria, which is made up of 17 countries. UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has hailed the agreement, considering it a sign of hope for the Syrian population, but he drew attention that there is still a lot to be done to enforce it.
TENNIS – Romanian Simona Halep, the competitions second seed, is today playing Russian Elena Vesnina, in the second round of the Doha tournament, with 2.5 million dollars in prize money up for grabs. In the doubles, Simona Halep and Raluca Olaru of Romania lost in the first round to Andreja Klepac / Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia. On Monday evening, the pair made up of Romanian Monica Niculescu and Russian Margarita Gasparian qualified to the round of last sixteen of the Doha tournament, after securing a victory against the pair Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia)/Ekaterina Makarova (Russia). In the singles, Niculescu has qualified for the second round, after defeating German Sabine Lisicki on Monday. She will face Serbian Jelena Jankovic in the second round.
Translated by Diana Vijeu
