English Section

19 ianuarie 2025

Scenario: "When the Chinese shock absorber breaks”

• Starting parameters (real values, Q1 2026)

US Spends More on Interest Than Defense

• US interest payments exceeded defense spending in 2024 for the first time in nearly a century • The gap is expected to widen significantly, with interest costs reaching $2.1 trillion by 2036 - nearly double defense spending

Photo source: facebook/ EduardCarolNovak

Former Sports Minister harshly criticizes Constitutional Court ruling, claims Romanian athletes are being sacrificed

The decision of the Romanian Constitutional Court (CCR) to declare unconstitutional the law requiring sports clubs to include at least 40% Romanian athletes in teams participating in national competitions has sparked strong reactions in the sports world, with former Sports Minister Eduard Novak issuing direct accusations regarding economic interests and political influence that may have contributed to blocking the project.

EU-Mercosur trade deal provisionally applied

The trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) is provisionally applied from today, and will enter into full force once the European Parliament has given its consent, which is a prerequisite for the Council to conclude the agreement.

War with Iran reduces US arsenal

• According to a Pentagon official, the cost of US weapons and ammunition used in the first two months in Iran amounts to $25 billion

1 Euro5.1417

1 Fr. elveţian5.5821

BNR

1 Liră sterlină5.9370

BNR

1 Dolar SUA4.3965

BNR

1 Gram Aur653.5585

BET28263.9

BET FI98133.49

BET NG2102.67

Tropical forests are losing ground more slowly, but the planet is still far from the proposed target

Pluto returns to the center of a cosmic controversy: NASA chief calls for the restoration of planet status

"The country remains, / but the mountains and rivers bear the wounds of time. / In the city of spring, the grass grows deep among the ruins. / The flowers tear tears from the gaze, / and the birds unsettle the heart." (Fragment from the poem "Spring in a Ruined Country" - year 757 - by Du Fu)

How did Moody's raise China's outlook despite the energy shock linked to the war in Iran?

Moody's Ratings recently affirmed China's sovereign rating at A1 and raised its outlook to "stable” from "negative,” citing the economy's resilience to trade and geopolitical pressures, while official...

Vitamin D, a possible cheap ally in the fight against breast cancer

The project of a European naval force takes shape

Study: Plants can feed directly from atmospheric dust

Europe hit by climate extremes in 2025: record fires, severe drought and unprecedented temperatures

Controversy ahead of FIFA Congress: Exceptional security demands for Gianni Infantino

METSAF, the new European support mechanism in the context of the Middle East crisis

The motion of censure contradicted by the included data: Transelectrica - a company targeted by the PSD

Listing of state-owned companies: PSD opposes, Government invokes billions of lei that will go into the budget

• The Senate Economic Committee has favorably approved the postponement of the listing until December 31, 2027 • In order to meet the milestone in the PNRR regarding the listing, three state-owned companies are to be restructured • AMEPIP has...

Argentina, Ukraine, Egypt - the countries with the largest debts to the IMF

• Argentina has a debt of over $ 60 billion, more than any other country • African countries account for the largest share of debtors, although they have smaller loans

Johnson & Johnson accelerates drug development with artificial intelligence

Human Rights Watch urges FIFA to secure an "ICE truce” for the 2026 World Cup

Romania launches center of excellence in quantum technologies to strengthen cybersecurity

ECB: Eurozone banks tighten lending

Europe's economy, dominated by the West

• Europe's nominal GDP - estimated at $32.3 trillion in 2026 • Last year, the EU economy amounted to $16.8 trillion, while the public debt of EU countries was about $15 trillion • Germany - the continent's leader, with $5.4 trillion • ...

Photom source: https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/products/tracked-armoured-vehicles/lynx-infantry-fighting-vehicle

Our government borrows, the Germans at Rheinmetall collect; The truth behind the SAFE mechanism

The German giant Rheinmetall will take the lion's share of the SAFE funding allocated to Romania, according to the official list of the 15 endowment programs sent by the Ministry of National Defense to the defense committees of Parliament, a...

Photo source: facebook / Siegfried Mureşan

European Parliament raises the stakes: euro60 billion in additional taxes per year for 2028-2034

The European Parliament yesterday approved its negotiating position with the EU Council and the European Commission on the multiannual financial framework for the period 2028-2034.

Diana Şoşoacă, left without parliamentary immunity even by her sovereignist colleagues in Europe

Diana Iovanovici-Şoşoacă was left without parliamentary immunity following the approval by the European Parliament of the request made by the Prosecutor General of Romania, in a case in which the MEP is being prosecuted for committing 11 crimes.

ILO: Occupational stress, excessive work schedule and harassment cause hundreds of thousands of deaths annually

Inflation Changes Young People's Love Lives: Dating Becomes a Financial Burden

FIFA increases prize money for all 48 teams participating in 2026 World Cup

Adrian Mitroi, ASE professor: "We desperately need listings, but done professionally, not «Romanian»”

Social-Democrat Senator Daniel Zamfir announced yesterday that the Senate Permanent Bureau has ordered the urgent debate of the project on the prohibition of the sale of state assets to strategic companies of national interest until December 31, 2027.

PSD blasts the listing of state-owned companies on the stock exchange

• The Senate will debate and approve in emergency procedure the draft law L287/2026 on the prohibition of the listing, until December 31, 2027, of profitable state-owned companies • According to the explanatory memorandum of the legislative...

Fiscal consolidation, shaken by the energy shock caused by the Middle East conflict

The beginning of spring found the Romanian economy at a point of maximum tension between internal fiscal consolidation, persistent inflationary pressures and the external shock generated by the Middle East crisis, which reactivated global energy...

March in numbers

• March 2

Porsche exits Bugatti stake

German carmaker Porsche, a division of Volkswagen AG, announced on Friday that it has sold its remaining shares in luxury sports car manufacturer Bugatti, DPA reports, according to Agerpres.

World's Largest Humanoid Robot Maker to List

• China's Unitree is Profitable and Expanding Rapidly

2026 World Cup: NGOs warn of risks of arbitrary detention and human rights abuses in the US

Scientific discovery: Bacterial "guardian” that could slow antibiotic resistance

Eurostat: Romania ranks last in the EU in digital skills and use of online services

Technicians with limited decision-making

Poland's central bank is the biggest gold buyer in 2026

• The institution has purchased over 20 tons of gold this year • Emerging markets have made the most of the purchases as geopolitical risk increases • Russia and Turkey are among the biggest gold sellers, amid fiscal and currency pressures

Russian billionaires' wealth grows despite sanctions

Paradigm shift on the plate

Collective labor agreement signed in higher education: focus on stability and social dialogue

Brussels warns: Energy prices will remain high even if Middle East conflict ends

MApN artificially inflates SAFE funding to cosmeticize Mangalia collapse

The Romanian state is willing to deliberately inflate an order of almost one billion euros, through the SAFE mechanism, so that a private investor can be convinced to swallow a 180 million euro hole at the Mangalia Shipyard, officially valued at...