March 8, 2024
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 08.03.2024, 13:52
Mining. The arbitral tribunal in the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes is today expected to issue a decision in the case filed against Romania by the Canadian company Gabriel Resources over the exploitation of the cyanide-based open-cast gold mine at Roşia Montană. Finance minister Marcel Boloş said the damages Romania is facing may go up 6.7 billion euros. Prime minister Marcel Cioalcu said he was expecting the decision of the international body before considering the next move. He even mentioned the possibility of holding a referendum to see if the Romanian people agree to the reopening of the gold mine in Roşia Montană. Gabriel Resources filed a case against Romania invoking losses of billions of dollars when the Romanian government did not give the green light to the opening of the mine after the company had already made significant investments. In 2021, Roşia Montană was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list, which further blocked attempts to resume mining work.
Economy. The National Institute for Statistics has revised its economic growth rate forecast for last year up to 2.1% and that for the fourth quarter of last year down to minus 0.5%, according to provisional data published today. The International Monetary Fund estimated a 2.3% economic growth rate for Romania in 2023, while the World Bank forecast 1.8% in its latest report, 0.8% less than in its previous estimate.
Ukraine. The Romanian foreign ministry in Bucharest said it will not recognise the legitimacy of the presidential elections held by Russia in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. The ministry said in a statement that these are integral parts of Ukraine and reconfirmed the firm support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. The Romanian foreign ministry strongly discourages Romanian citizens or legal entities from taking part in the monitoring of the elections in the Russian Federation. It also recalls that the presence of Romanian citizens on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory, including for purposes of observing and monitoring these elections, is liable to criminal and administrative consequences in keeping with the Ukrainian law.
State of the union. The war in Ukraine and the need to support this country in the face of Russian aggression was one of the themes tackled by the US president Joe Biden in his state of the union address. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Washington, the speech was a summary of the policies pursued by the Biden administration and an opportunity to make promises about the future, including raising the salaries of public-school teachers. Biden, who will run for a second term in office, also criticised his rival Donald Trump for what he described as his “bowing down” to the Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his position on guns, at a time when the United States is facing a genuine epidemic of armed attacks.
Women. International Women’s Day is celebrated in most performance venues, museums and cultural institutions in Romania. In Bucharest, Radio Romania’s Concert Hall is hosting a concert featuring two special guests: the British-Australian conductor Jessica Cottis and pianist Adela Liculescu. The Museum of Romanian Literature is hosting a debate on the history of 8th March, and the National Opera in Bucharest will host a ballet performance called Baiadera.
Tennis. Ana Bogdan of Romania (65 WTA) is today facing Russia’s Diana Shnaider (74 WTA) at the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, held between 6th and 17th March and worth over 9 million dollars in prize money. If she wins, in the second round Bogdan will face world no. 9 Maria Sakkari of Greece. (CM)
