14 July, 2016 UPDATE

Romanian prime minister Dacian Ciolos attends the Europe-Asia summit in Mongolia.

Newsroom, 14.07.2016, 12:15

Romanian prime
minister Dacian Ciolos met the members of the Vietnam-Romania Friendship
Association in Hanoi, calling on them to support efforts by the authorities in
Bucharest to boost economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
He said the two countries meet the conditions for enhanced cooperation,
recalling that thousands of Vietnamese nationals have studied in Romania and
have formed a connection with this country. Earlier, the prime minister met
Vietnam’s president Tran Dai Quang and prime minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to
discuss cooperation in areas such as energy, industry, agriculture, banking,
infrastructure, IT, science and technology, sustainable development and
tourism. From Hanoi, Dacian Ciolos has left for the Mongolian capital Ulan
Bator to attend the Europe-Asia summit.

Romania stands by France in its efforts to manage complex
challenges such as terrorism and climate change, given that Paris is an essential
ally of Bucharest in the European Union and NATO, Romania’s president Klaus
Iohannis said on Thursday at the reception given by the French embassy to
celebrate the French National Day. Iohannis also said that the two countries
wish to overcome together the current challenges and rebuild a European project
for the future. The French ambassador in Bucharest Francois Saint Paul said
Romania would continue to enjoy France’s support and expressed his attachment
for Romania. He spoke about solidarity within the European Union and the good
relationship between Paris and Bucharest, which will be reconfirmed in
September, when president Francois Hollande travels for the first time to
Romania.

Romania’s newly appointed minister in charge of relations with the
Romanians abroad, Maria Ligor, on Thursday started a two-day visit to the UK
for talks with British officials and members of the Romanian community. Ligor,
who took office last week, will discuss the impact of Britain’s leaving the
European Union on Romanians working in the UK and the involvement of the
Romanian authorities to protect their interests. On Wednesday, before
officially tendering his resignation to Queen Elisabeth II, David Cameron said
Britain would continue to observe the rights of EU citizens living in Britain.
He is replaced by his Conservative party colleague Theresa May, who has
appointed former London mayor Boris Johnson, a staunch pro-Brexit advocate, to
head the Foreign Office.

Protests continue in 12 of Romania’s 45
prisons. Inmates are angry at overcrowding and poor healthcare services. They
also want the opportunity for vocational training, shorter jail terms and the
possibility of parole. Justice minister Raluca Pruna said the escalation of
conflict in state prisons was of use to no one and promised the government
would look into the prisoners’ demands. Deputy prime minister Vasile Dancu said
the tense situation in Romanian prisons can be solved through dialogue and
negotiation, but that a public debate should be held to convince society of the
need for more investment in the system.

The Romanian tennis player Marius Copil, no.
163 in the world, on Friday plays the Spanish player Feliciano Lopez, no. 20 in
the world, in the first Davis Cup match between Romania and Spain as part of
the Europe/Africa Group I, held between the 15th and the 17th
of July in Cluj Napoca. Also on Friday, Adrian Ungur, world no. 185, faces
world no. 15 Roberto Bautista. On Saturday, the pair Horia Tecau and Florin
Mergea face the pair Marc Lopez and Pablo Carreno, while on Sunday, Marius
Copil plays Roberto Bautista and Adrian Ungur plays Feliciano Lopez. The winner
advances to the World Group play-offs, while the runner-up continues in Group
I. In the BRD Bucharest Open, Romania’s Patricia Tig lost on Thursday to
Latvia’s Anastasia Sevastova in two
sets. The only Romanian player still in competition is first seed Simona Halep
who plays Bulgarian player Isabella Shinikova for a place in the quarterfinals.
The BRD Bucharest Open is worth 250,000 euros in prize money.

A heatwave will envelop the south and south-east of
Romania in the next 24 hours, with the temperature and humidity index poised to
exceed 80. A new yellow code alert for heat is in place for Friday and Saturday
in 13 counties in south-eastern Romania, including the capital Bucharest. In
the rest of the country, the weather will be unstable, with torrential rain,
hail storms and strong winds being expected. The highs will reach 37 degrees
Celsius. (Translated by: C. Cotoiu and C. Mateescu)