June 5, 2014
A roundup of domestic and international news
Bogdan Matei, 05.06.2014, 13:53
The US Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, is today meeting in Romania with his counterpart Mircea Dusa and Prime Minister Victor Ponta. The agenda of talks includes the military dimension of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US, with emphasis on the US’s support for Romania against the current geo-political background, and also topics concerning the NATO summit to be hosted by Wales this autumn. Hagel will visit in the Black Sea Port of Constanta the USS Vela Gulf, the vessel that that has been sent to the Black Sea in response to the crisis in Ukraine. His visit to Romania is taking place two weeks after the one paid by the US Vice-president Joe Biden, who reiterated his country’s support for the security of the east-European allies, worried about Russia’s actions.
Members of the IMF, EC and WB delegation, which is in Bucharest for another assessment of the stand-by agreement signed with Romania last year, have discussed with Romanian Government representatives measures aimed at rendering railway transportation in Romania more effective. According to the Prime Minister Victor Ponta, these measures include a smaller railroad infrastructure, lower costs and also closing down several railroads and building roads instead. More on this after the news.
The European Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Neven Mimica, is on a two day formal visit to Romania, where he will meet with Prime Minister Victor Ponta, the Speaker of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies Valeriu Zgonea, Economy Minister Constantin Nita and the president of the National Authority for Consumer Protection, Marius Alexandru Dunca. The talks will focus on the implementation of consumer protection policies, the observance of the relevant legislation and capacity building.
Energy security, global economy and climate changes are the main issues under discussion on the second day of the G7 summit in Brussels. On Wednesday, the G7 leaders agreed to continue to support Ukraine and announced they were ready to impose even tougher sanctions on the Russian Federation, if the latter did not help restore stability in eastern Ukraine. In another development, the Ukrainian interim president, Oleksandr Turcinov, has today announced the partial closing of the border between Ukraine and Russia, in particular in the regions of Luganks and Donetsk, where martial law could be declared. Currently, Ukrainian soldiers are engaged in an anti-terrorist operation” in the pro-Russia regions in the south-east of Ukraine.
The General Director of the Agency for Payments and Interventions in Agriculture in Romania, Gheorghe Dorel Benu, and the deputy director of the agency’s branch in Suceava, in the north – east of the country, Delia Moldoveanu, were detained on Wednesday for involvement in a case of corruption, alongside a veterinarian and a county councilor. Prosecutors say that the agency in Suceva have endorsed for payment thousands of applications for subventions for people that did not meet the necessary requirements, and the damage stands at approximately one million Euros. In another development, 300 Omniasig employees, brokers and managers are being prosecuting for the illegal conclusion of over 11 thousand 500 house insurance policies. According to the police, the damage stands at some 400 thousand Euros.
Bashar al-Assad has been reelected President of Syria with 88.7% of the votes, despite the civil war in that country, thus securing for himself another 7 year term in office, international news agencies report. Described by the opposition as a farce, the elections have been harshly criticized by the West as well. Some 160 thousand people have died in almost 4 years of civil war in that country, 3 million have emigrated and another 3 have been relocated inside the country.
The best Romanian tennis player of the moment, Simona Halep, ranked 4th in the WTA classification, is today playing against the German Andrea Petkovici in the semifinals of the Roland Garros tournament, after beating on Wednesday the Russian player Svetlana Kuznetova 6-2, 6-2. In the semifinals of the male doubles, the pair made up of the Romanian Florin Mergea and the Croat Marin Dragajna, will play against the all-Spanish pair Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez.
