Radio România Internațional

Tag: Catalonia

  • October 29, 2017 UPDATE

    October 29, 2017 UPDATE

    RRI – As of Sunday, October 29, RRI broadcasts a weekly, experimental show in Hebrew, devoted to Jews born in Romania and their families, but also to all Hebrew speakers who are interested in learning about Romania. The show will be broadcast every Sunday, from 7:05 pm to 8 pm Romanias time, on short waves and via the internet. Also, contents in Hebrew will be available on RRIs web site, Android and iOS applications, on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud. RRI boast a rich experience in producing shows devoted to the hundreds of thousand of Jews originating from Romania, who since 1990 have had the opportunity to listen to a show in the Romanian language. Their descendants, now at the third generation after Aliyah, the immigration of Jews from the Diaspora to the Land of Israel, speak Hebrew and their ties with their parents and grandparents birth country should be developed and maintained, including with the help of RRI.



    BREXIT – The Romanian Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu will hold talks in London, on November 3-4, with representatives of the Romanian community in Great Britain on the implications of Brexit. The meeting is part of the public consultations campaign titled Romania against the background of Great Britains exiting the EU. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, there are some 328,000 Romanian citizens living in Great Britain.



    WINTER TIME – On Sunday morning, Romania passed on to the winter time. Thus, 4 am became 3 am (GMT +2 hours), and October 29th was the longest day of the year. This change reverts the passing to the daylight saving time in March, aimed at using natural day light at the maximum and preserving energy. Romania will return to the official summer time on the last Sunday in March 2018.



    CATALONIA – Nobody will recognize the independence of Catalonia and the Spanish government is right in its attempt to restore constitutional order in the region, said on Sunday the European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, Associated Press reports. He stated that the independence referendum held in early October was illegal, also stressing that the EU would not broker the conflict, as the crisis is a Spanish domestic issue. According to Tajani, Spains decision to organize early elections in the region was the best. The Madrid Government has started to directly govern the province of Catalonia. The Catalan leaders and the heads of the police have been sacked. The Catalan police chief has stated he accepts his dismissal and has urged his subordinates to show loyalty to the new chiefs. The former head of the Catalan Government Carles Puigdemont has urged the Catalans to manifest a democratic and peaceful opposition to the measures enforced by the central government. We recall that Romania has reasserted its firm support for Spains sovereignty and territorial integrity and has firmly and irrevocably rejected Catalonias unilateral declaration of independence.



    DAVIS CUP – Israel is leading Romania 4-0 after Mor Bulis defeated Vasile Antonescu in two sets on Sunday, in Ramat Hasharon, in a match counting for maintaining a position in Group I of the Davis Cup’s Europe-Africa Zone. Previously, the Israeli Dudi Sela was supposed to play against the Romanian Dragos Dima, but the match was cancelled. Sunday’s matches are no longer important, as Israel secured its victory on Saturday already, and Romania was relegated from Group I after 24 years. This year, Romania has also lost to Belarus 2-3 and to Austria 1-4.



    TENNIS – On Sunday, the worlds best tennis player, the Romanian Simona Halep, received the WTA world no. 1 trophy, although she was defeated in the group stage of the Finals tournament. The only one who could have changed the rankings was Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, but she was eliminated in the semifinals of the Singapore tournament. Halep, aged 26, became number one in the WTA rankings early this month, when she qualified for the Beijing final.



    BAD WEATHER – All mountain areas in Romania are under orange warning for snow and blizzard until Monday evening. Also, a yellow warning for strong wind and mixed precipitations has been issued for the rest of the country. The wind will blow hard and will accentuate the feeling of cold, reaching as much as 120 km/h in the mountains and 80 km/h in other parts of the country. It’s already snowing across extended areas and blizzard has left several villages without power.






  • October 29, 2017

    October 29, 2017

    RRI – As of Sunday, October 29, RRI will be broadcasting a weekly,
    experimental show in Hebrew, devoted to Jews born in Romania and their
    families, but also to all Hebrew speakers who are interested in learning about
    Romania. The show will be broadcast every Sunday, from 7:05 pm to 8 pm
    Romania’s time, on short waves and via the internet. Also, contents in Hebrew
    will be available on RRI’s web site, Android and iOS applications, on Facebook,
    Twitter and SoundCloud. RRI boast a rich experience in producing shows devoted
    to the hundreds of thousand of Jews originating from Romania, who since 1990
    have had the opportunity to listen to a show in the Romanian language. Their
    descendants, now at the third generation after Aliyah, the immigration of Jews
    from the Diaspora to the Land of Israel, speak Hebrew and their ties with their
    parents’ and grandparents’ birth country should be developed and maintained,
    including with the help of RRI.






    BREXIT – The Romanian
    Minister Delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu will hold talks in
    London, on November 3-4, with representatives of the Romanian community in
    Great Britain on the implications of Brexit. The meeting is part of the public
    consultations campaign titled ‘Romania against the background of Great
    Britain’s exiting the EU’. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, there
    are some 328,000 Romanian citizens living in Great Britain.






    WINTER TIME – On
    Sunday morning, Romania passed on to the winter time. Thus, 4 am became 3 am
    (GMT +2 hours), and October 29th is the longest day in the year. This change
    reverts the passing to the daylight saving time in March, aimed at using
    natural day light at the maximum and preserving energy. Romania will return to
    the official summer time on the last Sunday in March 2018.






    CATALONIA – Nobody will
    recognize the independence of Catalonia and the Spanish government is right in
    its attempt to restore constitutional order in the region, said on Sunday the
    European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, Associated Press reports. He
    stated that the independence referendum held in early October was illegal, also
    stressing that the EU would not broker the conflict, as the crisis is a Spanish
    domestic issue. According to Tajani, Spain’s decision to organize early elections
    in the region was the best. The Madrid Government has started to directly
    govern the province of Catalonia. The Catalan leaders and the heads of the
    police have been sacked. The Catalan police chief has stated he accepts his
    dismissal and has urged his subordinates to show loyalty to the new chiefs. The
    former head of the Catalan Government Carles Puigdemont has urged the Catalans
    to manifest a democratic and peaceful opposition to the measures enforced by
    the central government. We recall that Romania has reasserted its firm support
    for Spain’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and has firmly and
    irrevocably rejected Catalonia’s unilateral declaration of independence.








    DAVIS CUP – Today is the last
    day of the singles played as part of the Israel – Romania Davis Cup, counting
    for maintaining a place in Group I of the Davis Cup’s Europe-Africa Zone.
    Israel is leading Romania 3 – 0 after the first singles and the double, so it
    was relegated from Group I after 24 years. This year, Romania has also lost to
    Belarus 2-3 and to Austria 1-4.






    TENNIS – On Sunday, the
    world’s best tennis player, the Romanian Simona Halep, received the WTA world
    no. 1 trophy, although she was defeated in the group stage of the Finals
    tournament. The only one who could have changed the rankings was Karolina
    Pliskova of the Czech Republic, but she was eliminated in the semifinals of the
    Singapore tournament. Halep, aged 26, became number one in the WTA rankings
    early this month, when she qualified for the Beijing final.






    BAD WEATHER – All mountain
    areas in Romania are under orange warning for snow and blizzard until Monday
    evening. Also, a yellow warning for strong wind and mixed precipitations has
    been issued for the rest of the country. The wind will blow hard and will
    accentuate the feeling of cold.

  • October 28, 2017

    October 28, 2017

    SPAIN Romania reiterates its firm support for Spain’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, vehemently and irrevocably rejecting Catalonia’s unilateral declaration of independence, the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest says in a communiqué. Spain is Romania’s major ally and strategic partner, the communiqué also says, and the legitimacy of any process or action related to interior order must be according to the fundamental law and the legal order in the certain state. The Romanian Foreign Ministry reiterates Bucharest’s consistent stand in favour of complying with the international law, which rules out any territorial changes without the accord of the state involved. The main Western chancelleries have also voiced support for the authorities in Madrid. We recall that Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has announced the sacking of the regional government, the dismantling of the Catalan Parliament, and that regional elections are to be held on December 21st. The decisions were made on Friday evening, after the Catalan Parliament had voted in favour of a unilateral declaration of independence and the proclamation of the Catalan republic. The operational head of the Catalan police has been sacked today and the region will be administered by Spanish vice-premier Soraya Saenz de Santamaria and controlled by 33 thousand agents, the BBC reports.



    DST Romania will tonight adjust clocks backward for Daylight Saving Time. So, 4 o’clock will become 3 o’clock (GMT + 2 hours) while Sunday, October 29th, is to become the year’s longest day with 25 hours. The move is meant to offset the reversed procedure in spring when clocks were adjusted forward in order for the evening daylight to last longer. Romania will again revert to the summer time in the last Sunday of March. Daylight Saving Time is used in over 100 countries and Romania adopted it back in 1932.



    COMMEMORATION Hundreds took to the streets of Bucharest on Friday night to participate in a march in memory of the victims of the devastating fire that ripped through nightclub Colectiv in the capital city on October 30th 2015 when 64 people were killed and 100 wounded. Radio Romania is to broadcast a programme inspired from the tragedy, which is symbolically entitled ‘64’. We recall that the club’s owners and representatives of the company that had provided the pyrotechnic devices for the concert hosted by the club have been sent to court for manslaughter and violation of fire safety regulations. The former district mayor has also been sent to court for abuse of office along with employees from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations for having failed to sanction the club for the absence of a fire safety certificate. We recall the tragedy sparked off large-scale anti-corruption rallies, which forced the Social-Democratic cabinet led by Victor Ponta to step down.



    USR The opposition Save Romania Union, the third largest political force in Parliament in Bucharest is electing a new president during the extraordinary congress that is taking place in Poiana Brasov, central Romania. There are two candidates, Vlad Alexandrescu and Dan Barna, MPs and USR vice-presidents. The former USR leader and founding father, Nicusor Dan, has left the group after it decided through an interior referendum to take a stand against a controversial initiative of the Pro-Family Coalition who campaigned for a Constitution amendment, which is to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. The initiative, which got support from 3 million Romanians, has been contested by NGOs who campaign for human rights in general and the right of sexual minorities in particular.



    TENNIS An Israeli pair made up of Dudi Sela and Jonathan Erlich will today be taking up on Romanians Vasile Antonescu and Bogdan Borza in a Davis Cup match for remaining in Europe-Africa group one. The match is hosted by the Israeli city of Ramat Hasharon and the hosts are leading two-one after the first singles held on Friday, when Dragos Dima was defeated by Edan Leshem and Dudi Sela outperformed young Nicolae Frunza. Sunday will see the games pitching Sela against Dima and Leshem against Frunza. If it loses, Romania will be demoted from group one for the first time since 1993.



  • România sprijină suveranitatea și integritatea teritorială a Spaniei

    Ministerul de Externe de la București a dat publicității un comunicat în care afirmă că respinge cu fermitate și irevocabil declarația unilaterală de independență” a Cataloniei. Reafirmăm sprijinul ferm al României pentru suveranitatea și integritatea teritorială ale Spaniei. Spania este un aliat important și partener strategic al țării noastre, relație reflectată atât la nivel bilateral, cât şi în cadrul UE și la nivel internațional, declară MAE.



    Legitimitatea oricărui proces sau a oricărei acțiuni care ține de ordinea internă a unui stat rezidă în deplina sa conformitate cu legea fundamentală, cu ordinea de drept din statul respectiv. Reiterăm poziţia consecventă a României în favoarea respectării dreptului internațional, care nu permite modificări teritoriale survenite fără acordul statului implicat, adaugă MAE.



    Situația generată în Catalonia ține de ordinea internă din Spania și ne exprimăm speranța că va reveni în cel mai scurt timp în parametrii ordinii constituționale din acest stat, a adăugat Ministerul de Externe de la București.

  • October 27, 2017 UPDATE

    October 27, 2017 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY – Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday received Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. During the talks, the two officials approached issues related to the future of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), as well as about Romanias process of accession to the Euro zone. Klaus Iohannis expressed his countrys support for further consolidating the EMU and underlined that the future of the Euro zone is of special importance to Romania, considering its strategic objective to switch to the Euro as soon as possible. In turn, the European official briefed the Romanian President on the Commissions intention to come up in December with a package of proposals on the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union. It will also include the proposal to create a new financial assistance instrument for the member states willing to switch to the Euro.



    CATALONIA – Spains Senate on Friday approved the request of PM Mariano Rajoy to impose direct rule over secessionist Catalonia, a decision made just a couple of minutes after the Parliament in Barcelona unilaterally declared the regions independence from Spain. Rajoy will hold a cabinet meeting shortly to decide what measures to take. They could include the firing of the Catalan leaders, and the Spanish government taking control of the region’s finances, police and public media. All regional-political, economic and security structures will be directly subordinated to Madrid. Mariano Rajoy has launched an appeal for calm and warned that the Spanish state will soon restore constitutional order in Catalonia. Earlier, the Parliament in Barcelona adopted a resolution calling for “the beginning of a process of the creation of an independent Catalan state in the form of a republic. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and other members of the regional government attended the vote.



    COMMEMORATION – On October 30th Bucharest commemorates two years since the devastating fire that ripped through the Colectiv night club in the capital city where 64 people were killed and 100 wounded. The event is marked in Bucharest by the Colectiv Association through a procession called “the March of Guitars and two days of concerts. On October 30th, Radio Romania will broadcast a programme inspired from the tragedy, which is symbolically entitled ‘64. On this occasion, people are expected to voice their discontent for the belated court trial that has been postponed for the month of November, a decision that caused dissatisfaction among the victims families. We recall that the clubs owners and representatives of the company that had provided the pyrotechnic devices for the concert hosted by the club have been sent to court for manslaughter and violation of fire safety regulations. The former district mayor has also been sent to court for abuse of office along with employees from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations for having failed to sanction the club for the absence of a fire safety certificate. We recall the tragedy sparked off large-scale anti-corruption rallies, which forced the Social-Democratic cabinet led by Victor Ponta to step down.



    DAVIS CUP – Israel has a 2-0 lead on Romania, after the first single tennis matches of the Davis Cup tie, with the winning team remaining in Europe/Africa Zone Group I. On Friday, in Ramat Hasharon, Dragos Dima (463 ATP) was defeated by Edan Leshem (285 ATP) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and Dudi Sela (70 ATP) defeated Nicolae Frunză (600 ATP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. In the doubles, the first match between Israels Dudi Sela/Jonathan Erlich and Romanias Vasile Antonescu /Bogdan Borza will be played on Saturday. On Sunday, in the singles, Sela faces Dima, and Leshem-Frunză. Romania lost both rounds played earlier this year 2-3 to Belarus and 1-4 to Austria, whereas Israel lost 5-0 to Portugal and 5-0 to Ukraine. Israel is trying to avoid relegation from Group I for the first time in the past 16 years, and Romania for the first time since 1993.



    TENNIS – First seeded and no.1 WTA, Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, on Friday failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Tournament in Singapore. In her last Red Group match, Halep sustained a 6-3, 6-4 defeat from Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. Also on Friday, in the other match of the Group, Frances Caroline Garcia defeated Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 and reached the semi-finals, where she will face American Venus Williams. In the other semi-final, the Czech Karolina Pliskova will face Caroline Wozniacki.

  • October 27, 2017

    October 27, 2017

    COMMISSIONER Romania is a trustworthy partner the European project can rely on, but it has to ensure a more effective and equitable system of taxes and social transfers, Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commission Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, has said in Bucharest. Romania boasts one of the highest income inequality rates in the European Union; 20% of the Romanians with the highest incomes, earns eight times more than those 20% with the lowest incomes, and this is all down to taxation, the European official has explained. According to Dombrovskis, Brussels’ advice is to reduce income taxes particularly in the case of low-paid jobs, whereas taxes on consumption, property and other sectors should be raised. The EU official has made this statement at a conference on ‘Growth favouring Social Inclusions — challenges and opportunities’, staged by the representation of the European Commission in Romania.



    COMMEMORATION On October 30th Bucharest commemorates two years since the devastating fire that ripped through the Colectiv night club in the capital city where 64 people were killed and 100 wounded. The event is marked in Bucharest by the Colectiv Association through a procession called ‘the March of Guitars’ and two days of concerts. On October 30th, Radio Romania will broadcast a programme inspired from the tragedy, which is symbolically entitled ‘64’. On this occasion, people are expected to voice their discontent for the belated court trial that has been postponed for the month of November, a decision that caused dissatisfaction among the victims’ families. We recall that the club’s owners and representatives of the company that had provided the pyrotechnic devices for the concert hosted by the club have been sent to court for manslaughter and violation of fire safety regulations. The former district mayor has also been sent to court for abuse of office along with employees from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations for having failed to sanction the club for the absence of a fire safety certificate. We recall the tragedy sparked off large-scale anti-corruption rallies, which forced the Social-Democratic cabinet led by Victor Ponta to step down.



    TENNIS Romanian Simona Halep, the world’s best tennis player and the tournament’s odds-on favourite is hankering for a win against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in order to qualify for the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Singapore. In the other red group game, the already-qualified Danish Caroline Wozniacki will be up against French Caroline Garcia. Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic and US challenger Venus Williams have qualified from the white group.



    AUTONOMY The temporary cancellation of Catalonia’s autonomy is today voted on in the Spanish senate, after the government made a decision in this respect late last week. According to press agencies, the Senate is likely to give a yes-vote to article 155 on withdrawing Catalonia’s autonomy. The article allows the central executive to assume the competences of a region unless that region complies with the legislation and constitutional provisions. The Spanish government sees the law as the only solution to the Catalan crisis, whereas the Catalan leaders believe the move would only fuel the crisis. In the meantime the regional Parliament in Barcelona is debating on a possible unilateral declaration of independence.


  • Tendinţe autonomiste în Europa

    Tendinţe autonomiste în Europa

    Rezultatele referendumurilor organizate, duminică, în nordul Italiei, nu lasă loc multor interpretări optimiste. Inaugurate, anul trecut, odată cu consultarea populară pentru Brexit şi escaladate, în toamna aceasta, de febra secesionistă catalană, tendinţele centrifuge macină unitatea Europei. Pentru a rămâne în Uniunea Europeană, scoţienii par tot mai atraşi de ideea separării de Londra. În Belgia, majoritatea flamandă e tot mai puţin ataşată de francofonii din Valonia şi Bruxelles. Din cele 12 milioane de italieni chemaţi la vot, peste 60% s-au prezentat la urne în regiunea Veneto şi peste 32% în Lombardia, iar mai bine de 90 de procente dintre participanţii la vot au optat pentru o autonomie sporită a celor două provincii.



    Votul este strict consultativ şi, subliniază corespondenta Radio România la Roma, s-a desfăşurat în conformitate cu legea italiană. Rezultatul scrutinului ar putea duce la o negociere cu executivul de la Roma, în vederea unor acorduri financiare mai bune. Potrivit analiştilor, însă, nordul peninsulei nu poate păstra mai mult din banii pe care îi produce fără a provoca probleme pentru regiunile mai sărace din sud. Or, este exact ce-şi doresc iniţiatorii referendumului – formaţiunea, calificată drept extremista, Liga Nordului, care, de mai bine de două decenii, acuză că milanezii, torinezii sau genovezii eficienţi şi bogaţi îi duc în spate pe napolitanii şi sicilienii pauperi şi leneşi. Sociologii numesc această fractură în interiorul unor societăţi altfel omogene etnic şovinismul bunăstării”.



    Dublată de orgoliul unei identităţi aparte, aceasta se manifestă şi în Catalonia, cea mai prosperă, dar şi cea mai îndatorată zona a Spaniei. Peste 40% din exporturile de electronice şi maşini ale regiunii provin din Catalonia, care aduce si 12 din cele 60 de miliarde pe care ţara le încasează anual din turism. Pe de alta parte, însă, datoria sa publică, de 44 de miliarde de euro, ar trebui plătită dacă ar ramâne fără garanţia Madridului. Mai mult, notează analiştii, o Catalonie ipotetic independentă ar ieşi şi din zona euro, fiindcă nici măcar n-are o bancă centrală proprie. Şi n-ar mai face parte nici din Uniunea Europeană, iar cetăţenii ar avea nevoie de paşaport pentru a merge la Madrid sau Paris.



    În numele României, ministrul de Externe, Teodor Meleşcanu a reafirmat sprijinul ferm pentru suveranitatea şi integritatea teritorială a Spaniei. Orice declaraţie unilaterală de independenţă, în orice formă ar fi făcută, este lipsită de fundament juridic şi nu poate produce niciun fel de consecinţe juridice, a subliniat şeful diplomaţiei de la Bucureşti. Niciun stat membru al Uniunii nu intenţionează, de altfel, să recunoască o Catalonie independentă, iar Bruxellesul a calificat problema catalană drept una de politică internă a Spaniei.

  • October 22, 2017 UPDATE

    October 22, 2017 UPDATE

    THE CZECH ELECTION – Populist billionaire candidate Andrej Babis and his party have won the general election in the Czech Republic. Babis, 63, is the country’s second-richest man and campaigned on an anti-establishment and Euro-sceptic platform. With all votes counted, his centrist movement ANO (Yes) collected a share of almost 30%, nearly three times that of its closest rival. Turnout stood at some 61%. Babis is now set to become prime minister after coalition negotiations. He said he had invited everyone for talks but added he was not prepared to cooperate with either the far-right party or the Communist Party.



    ECONOMY – Romanias economy might exceed its potential in 2017 and 2018, a World Bank report shows. Consequently, the Gross Domestic Product might increase by 5.5% this year, due to fiscal measures and the overall improvement of the European economy. The growing consumption will however lead to an increase in the current account deficit, in the inflation rate, which is estimated at 2% at the end of the year. The report also estimates a 4.1% increase in the GDP in 2018 and a 3.6% increase in the following year. The World Bank warns however that the cumulated fiscal pressure and the excessive domestic demand might render the Romanian economy increasingly vulnerable to shocks in the future.



    MEASLES EPIDEMIC – The number of deaths caused by measles in Romania has reached 35, data released by the National Public Health Institute show. A total number of 9,670 cases have been confirmed, in 41 counties. Romania is facing the most severe measles epidemic in the past years. The large number of confirmed cases and deaths has prompted the World Health Organisation to include Romania among the five countries which overall, register 80% of the total number of confirmed cases of measles at world level.



    FILM – The Astra Film Festival in Sibiu chose its winners on Saturday. The prize for best Romanian documentary went to Radu Judes Dead Country. The film is a hybrid between a documentary and an essay, based on documents kept in the Romanian archives and dating back to the 1930-1940 period. The best international documentary prize went to the Chinese film Another Year, which tells the story of a modest family from China, spanning 13 months. In the Central and Eastern Europe section, the jury awarded the best documentary prize to the Polish Film “First Communion. The Excellency Prize went to director Iosif Demian, settled in Australia. His film “Rainbow Balloons, shot 35 years ago and banned by the Communist censorship, was officially launched at this years edition of the Astra Film Festival.



    CATALONIA – Hundreds of thousands of Catalan protesters, together with the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, demonstrated in Barcelona on Saturday against the imposition of direct rule from Madrid. The Catalan society is deeply split over the independence issue. The Council of Ministers which convened on Saturday in an emergency meeting decided to call on the Senate to authorise the sacking of the separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and the dissolution of the Catalan government, whose prerogatives will be taken over by ministers in the central government. Evoking, as a premiere, article 155 in the Spanish Constitution-which allows for suspending a regions autonomy if it does not comply with its obligations to the state- Rajoy also called for the dissolution of the Catalan Parliament and for holding elections in that region in six months time. The measures are expected to be endorsed on October 27 by the Senate, where Mariano Rajoys Peoples Party holds a majority and where he secured the support of the Socialist PSOE, the main opposition party, and of the Ciudadanos centrist party.



    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, top seed and WTA no.1 on Monday will face Frances Caroline Garcia( no. 9 WTA), in her first Red Group match of the Champions Tournament in Singapore. In the second match of the Group, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina( no.4 WTA) will meet the Danish player Caroline Wozniacki ( no. 6 WTA). On Sunday, in the first day of the tournament, in the White Group, Spains Garbine Muguruza (no.2 WTA) defeated Latvias Jelena Ostapenko (no.7 WTA) 6-3, 6-4, whereas the Czech Karolina Pliskova (no. 3 WTA) defeated American Venus Williams (no. 5 WTA).

  • October 22, 2017

    October 22, 2017

    CATALONIA – Hundreds of thousands of Catalan protesters, together with the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, demonstrated in Barcelona on Saturday against the imposition of direct rule from Madrid. The Catalan society is deeply split over the independence issue. The Council of Ministers which convened on Saturday in an emergency meeting decided to call on the Senate to authorise the sacking of the separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and the dissolution of the Catalan government, whose prerogatives will be taken over by ministers in the central government. Evoking, as a premiere, article 155 in the Spanish Constitution-which allows for suspending a regions autonomy if it does not comply with its obligations to the state- Rajoy also called for the dissolution of the Catalan Parliament and for holding elections in that region in six months time. The measures are expected to be endorsed on October 27 by the Senate, where Mariano Rajoys Peoples Party holds a majority and where he secured the support of the Socialist PSOE, the main opposition party, and of the Ciudadanos centrist party.



    ITALY – After Catalonia, two of the most prosperous regions in Italy, go to the polls today to vote in a consultative referendum on greater autonomy. The region of Lombardia, which also includes Milan, as well as the region of Veneto, with the capital in Venice, which together produce 30% of Italys GDP, are inviting their citizens to vote for greater autonomy from Rome. Initiated by the local governors, both of them right wing politicians of the Northern League, a party which has played with a pro-secession idea, the vote is intended to provide more power to the regional authorities relative to spending, immigration, education and healthcare. Five of Italys regions are already enjoying more power, including Sardinia and Sicily. In Lombardia, this vote is also a premiere, as it is an electronic vote, which is cast by means of modern tablets, which thus replace the stamp. Traditional voting methods will however be kept in Veneto. Unlike the independence referendum in Catalonia, which has been declared illegal by the Spanish Government, the Italian Constitution allows for such a vote to be held.



    THE CZECH ELECTION – Populist billionaire candidate Andrej Babis and his party have won the general election in the Czech Republic. Babis, 63, is the country’s second-richest man and campaigned on an anti-establishment and Euro-sceptic platform. With all votes counted, his centrist movement ANO (Yes) collected a share of almost 30%, nearly three times that of its closest rival. Turnout stood at some 61%. Babis is now set to become prime minister after coalition negotiations. He said he had invited everyone for talks but added he was not prepared to cooperate with either the far-right party or the Communist Party.



    MEASLES EPIDEMIC – The number of deaths caused by measles in Romania has reached 35, data released by the National Public Health Institute show. A total number of 9,670 cases have been confirmed, in 41 counties. Romania is facing the most severe measles epidemic in the past years. The large number of confirmed cases and deaths has prompted the World Health Organisation to include Romania among the five countries which overall, register 80% of the total number of confirmed cases of measles at world level.



    FILM – The Astra Film Festival in Sibiu chose its winners on Saturday. The prize for best Romanian documentary went to Radu Judes Dead Country. The film is a hybrid between a documentary and an essay, based on documents kept in the Romanian archives and dating back to the 1930-1940 period. The best international documentary prize went to the Chinese film Another Year, which tells the story of a modest family from China, spanning 13 months. In the Central and Eastern Europe section, the jury awarded the best documentary prize to the Polish Film “First Communion. The Excellency Prize went to director Iosif Demian, settled in Australia. His film “Rainbow Balloons, shot 35 years ago and banned by the Communist censorship, was officially launched at this years edition of the Astra Film Festival.



    HANDBALL – Romanias women handball champion, CSM Bucuresti, is today meeting away from home the Danish team Nykobing Falster Handball, in the third round of the Champions League Group A. In the first two matches, CSM defeated the Slovenian team RK Krim Mercator Ljubljana, on home turf, 30-18, and the Polish team Vistal Gdynia, 34-23, away from home. CSM Bucuresti won the Champions League in 2016 and is one of the favourites in the current edition of the strongest European inter-clubs competition.

  • October 21, 2017 UPDATE

    October 21, 2017 UPDATE

    Catalonia — Head of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy, announced on Saturday that regional elections will be staged in Catalonia within the next six months, to return to what he called “normality”. The Council of Ministers in Madrid decided on Saturday in an emergency meeting, that the powers of the Catalan administration would be transferred to the central government. Also, the Council called on the Senate to authorise the ousting of the separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and his government and to dissolve Catalonia’s Parliament. Spain’s upper house of parliament is scheduled to vote on the plan next Friday. Previously, Puigdemont threatened to make a formal declaration of independence unless the government agreed to a dialogue. Catalan authorities said about 90 percent of those who voted in the referendum on Oct. 1 opted for independence. But only 43 percent of the electorate participated, with opponents of secession mostly staying at home.




    Bill – Romanian Minister of Public Consultation and Social Dialogue, Gabriel Petrea, said on Saturday that the new version of the social dialogue law is almost ready. The law is to be submitted to Parliament for approval and enter into force starting next year. Minister Petrea announced that the last meeting this year between trade union confederations and employers’ associations representative at national level would be held on Monday.




    Attack — A Romanian citizen is among the people injured in Munich, Germany on Saturday, by a man who carried a knife, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The Romanian citizen has been slightly injured and did not need to be hospitalised. As many as five people were injured in the attack and a suspect was detained by the special forces.




    ECONOMY –Romanian economy might grow more than estimated in 2017 and 2018, according to a World Bank report. The GDP could go up by 5.5% this year, due to fiscal stimulation measures and improved results of the European economy. Increased consumption will trigger, however, an increase in the current account deficit and inflation. The report also shows that Romania’s GDP will go up by 4.1% in 2018 and by 3.6% in 2019. The World Bank has warned, however that increased fiscal pressure and excessive domestic demand make Romanian economy more vulnerable to shocks.




    SUMMIT — Brexit and migration were the main topics discussed at the recent Brussels summit. After two days of talks, the European leaders are united and determined to go forward with optimism, as they want to create ‘a better Union closer to the citizen.’ As for the Brexit negotiations, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania at the summit, said that the progress made is insufficient. The Brussels meeting also included talks on migration, a phenomenon that the EU continues to deal with and which has decreased. Iohannis announced that Romania had decided together with the countries participating in the summit to back the Nuclear Agreement with Iran. The EU’s digital agenda, security and defence, the EU’s relations with Turkey and North Korea’s nuclear programme were also discussed during the summit.




    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number one in the world, will be up against French player Carolia Garcia, WTA’s 9th seed in the WTA Finals in Singapore, which brings together the eight best players of the year. Halep, aged 26, who has recently become the world’s best player is also the first Romanian player to achieve this historic milestone since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975, being the 25th woman to hold the no. 1 ranking. Her rise to the first sport brings to an end the reign of Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza, who spent four weeks in the top position. Halep entered the Top 10 for the first time on January 27, 2014, and has been there ever since. (Translated by Elena Enache)




  • October 21, 2017

    October 21, 2017

    CATALONIA — The Spanish Government has begun a crisis cabinet meeting to trigger the suspension of Catalonia’s political autonomy after the region missed a deadline to clarify an ambiguous declaration of independence. The central Government confirmed on Thursday it would invoke article 155 of Spain’s 1978 constitution, which allows it to take control of a region if it breaks the law. Madrid said that the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont had refused to comply with a request to confirm whether the region had declared independence. Puigdemont appeared to declare independence after the October 1st referendum but then he immediately suspended it, calling for dialogue with Spain, a request so far denied. His request for the European Union to mediate in the dispute was denied, with the EU supporting the Rajoy government and saying it would not recognize an independent Catalonia.




    MEETING — Romanian Defense Minister Mihai Fifor said on Friday in Krakow, Poland, that it was high time for Romania and Poland to tighten cooperation in sectors such as defence. Minister Fifor made this statement at a meeting with members of the Romanian community and Polish students studying the Romanian language at the Jagiellonian University. The Romanian official underlined the long-lasting friendship between Romania and Poland and the two country’s good cooperation under the Strategic Partnership. On the occasion of his visit to Poland, Fifor met with Romanian military dispatched in this country as part of the US Army – led NATO Battle Group.




    ECONOMY –Romanian economy might grow more than estimated in 2017 and 2018, according to a World Bank report. The GDP could go up by 5.5% this year, due to fiscal stimulation measures and improved results of the European economy. Increased consumption will trigger, however, an increase in the current account deficit and inflation. The report also shows that Romania’s GDP will go up by 4.1% in 2018 and by 3.6% in 2019. The World Bank has warned, however that increased fiscal pressure and excessive domestic demand make Romanian economy more vulnerable to shocks.




    SUMMIT — Brexit and migration were the main topics discussed at the recent Brussels summit. After two days of talks, the European leaders are united and determined to go forward with optimism, as they want to create ‘a better Union closer to the citizen.’ As for the Brexit negotiations, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who represented Romania at the summit, said that the progress made is insufficient. The Brussels meeting also included talks on migration, a phenomenon that the EU continues to deal with and which has decreased. Iohannis announced that Romania had decided together with the countries participating in the summit to back the Nuclear Agreement with Iran. The EU’s digital agenda, security and defence, the EU’s relations with Turkey and North Korea’s nuclear programme were also discussed during the summit.




    ELECTION – Voting in the Czech parliamentary election began on Friday and continue today with opinion polls predicting victory for businessman Andrej Babis’s centrist ANO movement and other protest parties. Babis is on course to achieve election success on a wave of popular support, anti-immigrant sentiment and a widespread distrust of traditional politics. This despite the fact that the country’s economy is performing well and immigration into the Czech Republic, a country of 10 million people, is virtually non-existent. Although Andrej Babis is not expected to secure a majority, a win for ANO would be yet another success for Europe’s anti-establishment wave.




    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number one in the world, will be up against French player Carolia Garcia, WTA’s 9th seed in the WTA Finals in Singapore, which brings together the eight best players of the year. Halep, aged 26, who has recently become the world’s best player is also the first Romanian player to achieve this historic milestone since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975, being the 25th woman to hold the no. 1 ranking. Her rise to the first sport brings to an end the reign of Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza, who spent four weeks in the top position. Halep entered the Top 10 for the first time on January 27, 2014, and has been there ever since. (Translated by Elena Enache)





  • October 16, 2017 UPDATE

    October 16, 2017 UPDATE

    GOVT RESHUFFLE – The Presidential Administration Monday announced it received from PM Mihai Tudose the nominations for the new ministers, namely Paul Stănescu for the Development Ministry, Felix Stroe for the Transport Ministry and Marius Nica for the Ministry for European Funds. The nominations were made by the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition in Bucharest. The three are to replace the outgoing ministers Sevil Shhaideh, Rovana Plumb and Răzvan Cuc, who have decided to step down so that the activity of the Government may not be affected. Shhaideh and Plumb are prosecuted for corruption-related offences, while Cuc was criticised for the inadequate performance of his ministry. The junior partner in the ruling coalition, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, has announced the party will not withraw support for Viorel Ilie, the minister in charge with liaising with Parliament, who is probed into for influence peddling.




    SANCTIONS – The EU foreign ministers adopted, in Mondays Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg, new sanctions against North Korea in response to Pyongyangs nuclear test in early September. Among other things, the sanctions include bans on oil exports and on all EU investments in DPRK in all sectors, and lowering the remittances that the North Koreans working in the EU may transfer home, from 15,000 euros at present to 5,000 euros. Romania was represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu. The agenda of the talks also included other topics, such as the Iranian nuclear deal and the situation in Turkey.




    DEFENCE – The Romanian Defence Minister, Mihai Fifor, Monday had a meeting with the US Congressmen Steve Russell and Matt Cartwright, who are currently in Bucharest. The talks focused on security at the Black Sea and the development of the strategic partnership between Romania and the US in the defence sector. According to the Romanian Defence Ministry, Mihai Fifor emphasised the importance of a coordinated approach on the entire eastern flank of NATO, and underlying Romanias role as a predictable and solid partner in ensuring Euro-Atlantic stability and security. The participants appreciated the excellent cooperation between the Romanian and American forces in the exercises taking place as part of the Alliance and in the NATO theatres.




    VESSEL – Two Romanians onboard a vessel held in the Libyan port of Tobrouk were repatriated on Monday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. According to the institution, since the case was notified the Romanian Embassy to Tripoli, which has been relocated to Tunis, has made numerous efforts to clarify the situation of the two Romanian citizens, contacting both the local authorities and the ship owner. The Romanian diplomatic mission was also in permanent contact with the commander of the ship and with the Romanian citizens and their families. In order to avoid similar situations in the future, the Foreign Ministry urges the Romanian sailors interested in working on vessels belonging to foreign owners to get thoroughly informed on the status of the respective vessels and to find employers via crewing agencies accredited by the Romanian Naval Authority.





    TRADE WINDS – The largest trade promotion event organized annually by the American Department of Commerce, Trade Winds, will bring to Bucharest between October 18-20 as many as 100 American companies which will get in contact with over 50 Romanian companies. Participating in the event are big American companies such as IBM, Patriot – Raytheon, Kestral, Harris Corporation (space intelligence), SAS Institute (software), Perry Baromedical Corporation (a producer of medical equipment) as well SMEs from the US which are of interest for Romania especially in terms of know-how transfer and innovation. The event will be attended by the Romanian PM and several other ministers. According to a government news release, the initiative of the American Department of Commerce to organize the 10th edition of Trade Winds in Romania and another 4 states in South-eastern Europe, namely Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Serbia, proves the importance the US Administration attaches to this region and to Bucharest in particular.




    SPAIN – Catalonias regional president Carles Puigdemont, has announced in a letter to Madrid that his government was seeking a two-month respite, for further talks with Spains central government. PM Mariano Rajoy had given the secessionist authorities of Catalonia until Monday to confirm whether the region had declared its independence from Spain, and until Thursday to abandon its secession plans altogether. Reuters says that without a clear answer on Monday, Madrid may impose direct control on Catalonia. In the octombrie 1 referendum, ruled illegal by the Spanish national court and marred by police violence, nearly 2 million out of Catalonias 5.3 million voters, with 90% of the votes in favour of secession.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 12, 2017

    October 12, 2017

    GOVT RESHUFFLE – The National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the coalition in power in Romania, convenes today to discuss the government reshuffle requested by PM Mihai Tudose. During the same meeting, the relations between the government and the party are to be clarified. Over the past few days the PM has discussed the reshuffle both with President Klaus Iohannis, and with the Social Democratic leader, Liviu Dragnea. The names the most frequently mentioned in the media in relation to the reshuffle are Sevil Shhaideh, deputy PM and Minister for Regional Development, and Rovana Plumb, minister delegate for European funds, both of them members of the Social Democratic Party and prosecuted for corruption offences. The minister in charge with liaising with Parliament, Viorel Ilie, a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, is also in a similar situation. Other ministers with image problems may also be replaced.




    PACE – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is discussing in an emergency meeting in Strasbourg today Ukraines new and controversial education law. The talk, proposed by the Romanian delegation with support from 5 other national delegations, comes after Ukraine enacted a law that severely restricts access to mother tongue education for ethnic minorities in that country. Senator Titus Corlăţean, the head of the Romanian delegation and also a vice-president of PACE, told Radio Romanias correspondent in Strasbourg that he was hoping for a fair debate, able to persuade the Ukrainian authorities to amend the law. Under the new legislation, ethnic minority children will be able to study in their respective mother tongues only in kindergarten and primary schools, and then they will have to study in Ukrainian exclusively. On Wednesday, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, promised PACE that Kiev would bring the new act in line with all the conclusions of the Venice Commission and would comply with the European Charter for regional or minority languages. Nearly half a million ethnic Romanians live in the neighbouring country, most of them in the Romanian territories annexed by the USSR in 1940, further to an ultimatum, and taken over by Ukraine as a successor state in 1991.




    AUTOMOTIVE – President Klaus Iohannis and PM Mihai Tudose took part on Thursday in the launch of the new Ford Ecosport model, at the Ford plant in Craiova, southern Romania. The head of state said that, by attending the event, he intends to convey a strong message of support for the automotive industry in Romania, which is growing increasingly competitive and has a better and better image in the European market. Since it took over the plant in 2008, Ford has invested over one billion euros in the production unit in Romania. More than 2,800 people are employed by Ford Craiova. The biggest carmaker in Romania is Automobile Dacia, based in Pitesti, in the south, taken over by the French group Renault in 1999. Over 13,500 people are working for this company, which has a turnover of over 4.3 billion euros.




    SPAIN – Spain is celebrating its National Day today, amid tensions between the separatist authorities of Catalonia and the central government in Madrid. PM Mariano Rajoy gave the regional Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont until Monday to give up plans to declare the regions independence, otherwise Catalonia would see its local autonomy suspended. Rajoy accused the Catalan government of having generated one of the most difficult times in Spains democracy and of having staged a very dangerous attack against the Constitution, the unity of Spain, the Catalan state and, most importantly, against Spains people living together.




    MOLDOVA – The European Union announced it would not grant the Republic of Moldova the remaining 28 million euros under the reform programme, intended for changes in the field of the judiciary. The Union believes the Government in Chisinau has failed to meet the conditions requested by Brussels. The EU delegation in Moldova mentions in a news release that the authorities in Moldova have shown poor commitment for reform, have not allotted enough funding and staff and, as a result, progress in terms of judicial reforms has been insufficient. Last week, PM Pavel Filip announced Moldova would no longer receive this years instalment of the 100 million euro aid programme provided by the EU. He admitted that the measure had been prompted by Chisinaus decision to change the election system for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, in such a manner as to favour the major parties.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball champions CSM Bucharest Wednesday night outplayed the Polish side Vistal Gdynia, 34-23, in an away game in Champions League Group A. This is the second win for CSM, after on Saturday night they defeated the Slovenians Krim Mercator Ljubljana, 30-18 at home. The Romanian side are next to play Nykoebing Falster Handboldklub of Denmark, on October 22. CSM Bucharest won the Champions League in 2016, when it first took part in the competition, and is one of the favourites to win this inter-club competition.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • October 9, 2017

    October 9, 2017

    NATO — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said on Monday, at the autumn session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest, that Romania will continue to be a responsible NATO ally. Iohannis has also said that Romania became a relevant contributor to the security of the region and mentioned the country’s having allotted 2% of its GDP to defense this year, which will continue to do for the next 10 years. In his turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the Alliance is concerned with Russia’s military advance and its lack of transparency. Stoltenbeg has mentioned however that NATO has no intention to isolate Russia.




    CATALONIA — Spain’s Prime Minster Mariano Rajoy has said that his country will not be divided, because its national unity will be defended. In an interview with the German daily Die Welt, Rajoy has said he will do everything that he can, in keeping with the country’s laws, to prevent Catalonia from unilaterally declaring independence. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Barcelona on Sunday, in support of Spain’s unity and against Catalonia’s break-up from Spain. Two million voters out of Catalonia’s 5.3 million inhabitants took part in the referendum on October 1st, with 90% of them favoring independence from Spain.




    SALARIES — The average salary in Romania went down by a little over 1% in the month of August against July, in terms of both net and gross value. Romanians got an average salary of 2,364 lei, which is over 500 euros, by 27 lei or 6 euros less than in the previous month. The IT sector is the best paid, with average salaries of 1,300 euros, while the smallest salaries are reported in the hotels and restaurant sector – around 300 euros. The unemployment rate at national level stood at 4.18% in August, the same as the previous month.




    EXERCISE — The Romanian Defense Ministry has announced that the multinational and inter-institutional exercise “CETATEA 2017” has started today and will end on October 18. Planned by the Romanian Army General Staff and coordinated by the Army’s IT&C Department, the exercise is aimed at testing, developing, assessing and confirming the interoperability of the command and control systems, communications, computers, information, surveillance and research. Alongside IT&C structures from the Romanian army, several NATO member countries are also participating in the exercise.




    DEBATES — An emergency debate regarding Ukraine’s controversial education law is held this week in Strasbourg, at the autumn session of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly. The debate was initiated by the Romanian delegation with the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly and has been motivated by the new education law adopted in Ukraine, that restricts the rights of national minorities, including the Romanian one, to study in their mother tongue. Ukraine has announced it will submit the education law to the Council of Europe to be green lighted by experts while President Petro Poroshenko is expected in Strasbourg to offer clarifications on this matter.




    TENNIS — With a run to the final of the China Open in Beijing, Romanias Simona Halep became the new WTA World No.1 on Monday, October 9, when the updated rankings were released. The 26-year-old becomes the first player representing Romania to achieve this historic milestone since the computer rankings were introduced in 1975, and will be the 25th woman overall to hold the No.1 ranking. In the last 52 weeks, Halep has won the Madrid Open for the third Premier Mandatory title of her career, and reached the final of the French Open, the Italian Open and the Cincinnati Open, and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. This season, shes scored five Top 10 victories and has made the last eight in 11 of her past 13 tournaments. At the conclusion of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships, Halep became the active player with the longest streak of consecutive weeks ranked inside the worlds Top 10. Halep entered the Top 10 for the first time on January 27, 2014, and has been there ever since.




    FOOTBALL — Romania’s national football squad played on Sunday its last game counting towards the 2018 World Cup preliminaries. Cosmin Contra’s trainees drew 1-all against Denmark away from home. Romania ranked 4th in Group E. Poland is qualified to the World Cup, and Denmark will play in the playoffs.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)













  • October 8, 2017 UPDATE

    October 8, 2017 UPDATE

    NATO — The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, is coming to Bucharest on Monday, when he is to discuss with President Klaus Iohannis about the forthcoming NATO summit and the status of its eastern flank. The two officials will take part together in the opening of the plenary meeting of the 63rd session of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly. More than 50 delegations from NATO member or partner countries are taking part in the session hosted by the Romanian capital city. Members of the Romanian Government have already addressed the participants, pleading for closer cooperation between the Allies. Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu warned that the buildup of Russian forces at the Black Sea does not target this region alone, but also the Mediterranean and the Middle East, while the Defence Minister Mihai Fifor argued that simplified procedures and legislation in European countries would facilitate the movement of NATO troops from one country to another, allowing for easier participation in exercises involving large numbers of troops and equipment.



    LEGISLATION — The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, the two parties in the ruling coalition, will discuss next week the final texts of the laws on the judiciary. After that, according to the Social Democratic president Liviu Dragnea, the new legislation will be discussed in Parliament. Dragnea says the justice minister Tudorel Toader is drawing closer to finalising the new legislative package. Heavily criticised by the Opposition, civil society and the mass media, and disapproved of by the Higher Council of Magistrates, Toader’s draft laws stipulate, among other things, that the president of the country will no longer be involved in the appointment of the Prosecutor General and the chiefs of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism. The bills also make the judicial inspection corps subordinated to the Justice Ministry, and increase the length in office required for the promotion of magistrates.



    SPAIN — Hundreds of thousands once again took to the streets on Sunday in Barcelona, to call for unity and protest the planned secession of Catalonia. The Nobel-winning Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, who is a Spanish citizen as well, was among the protesters. Employers organisations in Catalonia have also voiced concerns over the separatist intentions of the regional government, announced after last week’s referendum. Rulled illegal by the Spanish constitutional court, and marred by police violence, the referendum brough 2 million out of Catalonia’s 5.3 million people to polls, and 90% of the votes were in favour of secession.



    TENNIS — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep Sunday lost the Beijing tournament final to Caroline Garcia (France), 6-4, 7-6. On Saturday, in the semi-finals, Halep had defeated Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, a victory thanks to which as of Monday Halep is the new WTA no 1. Her performance was hailed by top personalities in Romanian and world sports, Romanian politicians and tennis fans. Simona Halep’s coach, the Australian Darren Cahill, the great gymnast Nadia Comăneci and former tennis player Boris Becker of Germany were among those who congratulated Simona Halep. According to Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase, WTA no 1 in the ‘70s, the hardest is yet to come for Simona Halep, the first Romanian tennis player to have won the top world position in the women’s singles.



    HANDBALL — Romania’s women’s handball champions CSM Bucharest started the 2017-2018 Champions League season with a clear home win against Slovenians Krim Ljubljana, 30-18. In the other Group A game, the Danish side Nykobing Falster outplayed the Polish Vistal Gdynia, 27-21. In the next match in the group, CSM will play in Gdynia, on October 11. In the men’s competition, CSM Bucharest lost at home, 26-30, against SKA Minsk, of Belarus, in the first leg of the second round of the EHF Cup. The decisive leg will be played on October 15, in Minsk.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)