Radio România Internațional

Tag: Halep

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The president of the Romanian Football Federation, Răzvan Burleanu, says that, by resuming competitions, football could contribute to easing social anxiety as well as to re-launching the economy after the coronavirus pandemic comes to an end. In a press release published on the official website of the Romanian Football Federation, Răzvan Burleanu explains, quote: “Resuming football competitions will have a major impact on society. Given the role that football plays in our society and its impact on Romania’s economy, we will continue to be a partner of the Romanian state and to contribute to re-launching the economy.



    At the same time, we will continue to bring a significant contribution to the development of the entire society, because football means added value, also through the lens of social and community values. By resuming competitions, we can contribute to easing social anxiety. And we can do this, in a first stage, even if we do not allow spectators in the stadiums” end of quote.



    Football competitions in Romania, initially stopped until the end of March, were suspended through a decision of the Emergency Committee of the Romanian Football Federation at least until the state of emergency comes to an end.



    If the First League matches are not resumed, football clubs are in for big losses. The contract of the Professional Football League with the company that holds the television broadcasting rights for the championship provides for a number of matches that have to be played and broadcasted, and includes penalties for failure to observe the provision related to the number of matches played. According to gsp.ro, the manager of the company holding the broadcasting rights, Orlando Nicoară, says that playing the matches without spectators in the stadiums would be a solution.



    In another development, the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep does not believe that the tennis tournaments scheduled for 2020 can still be played. According to Digi Sport, she said, quote: “No matches will be played by August. I do not know if the matches in America will still be played because they are now facing hard times in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Let’s be realistic, I don’t think that matches will be played this year at all, but I do want to start playing again in September” end of quote. (translation by L. Simion)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The president of the Romanian Football Federation, Răzvan Burleanu, says that, by resuming competitions, football could contribute to easing social anxiety as well as to re-launching the economy after the coronavirus pandemic comes to an end. In a press release published on the official website of the Romanian Football Federation, Răzvan Burleanu explains, quote: “Resuming football competitions will have a major impact on society. Given the role that football plays in our society and its impact on Romania’s economy, we will continue to be a partner of the Romanian state and to contribute to re-launching the economy.



    At the same time, we will continue to bring a significant contribution to the development of the entire society, because football means added value, also through the lens of social and community values. By resuming competitions, we can contribute to easing social anxiety. And we can do this, in a first stage, even if we do not allow spectators in the stadiums” end of quote.



    Football competitions in Romania, initially stopped until the end of March, were suspended through a decision of the Emergency Committee of the Romanian Football Federation at least until the state of emergency comes to an end.



    If the First League matches are not resumed, football clubs are in for big losses. The contract of the Professional Football League with the company that holds the television broadcasting rights for the championship provides for a number of matches that have to be played and broadcasted, and includes penalties for failure to observe the provision related to the number of matches played. According to gsp.ro, the manager of the company holding the broadcasting rights, Orlando Nicoară, says that playing the matches without spectators in the stadiums would be a solution.



    In another development, the Romanian tennis player Simona Halep does not believe that the tennis tournaments scheduled for 2020 can still be played. According to Digi Sport, she said, quote: “No matches will be played by August. I do not know if the matches in America will still be played because they are now facing hard times in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. Let’s be realistic, I don’t think that matches will be played this year at all, but I do want to start playing again in September” end of quote. (translation by L. Simion)

  • March 7, 2020

    March 7, 2020

    COVID-19 Romania has
    so far confirmed 9 infections with COVID-19, the Group of Strategic
    Communication in Bucharest has announced. Three of the people infected have
    been declared cured and have left hospitals but the other 6 people are still being
    treated in medical centers in Timisoara, western Romania, Cluj Napoca, in the
    north-west, Iasi, in the east, and Craiova, in southern Romania. 16 people have
    been quarantined and other 13 thousand are isolated at home. Almost 6 thousand
    infections with the new coronavirus have been reported in Europe, most of the
    cases in Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. China, the
    country where the virus was first discovered in December, has reported 28 new
    cases but no infection has been discovered in the Hubei province, the epicenter
    of the coronavirus outbreak, for the second day in a row. WHO has reiterated its
    appeal that all the countries should make containment of the coronavirus outbreak their top
    priority. The virus has so far made it to 97 countries infecting over 100
    thousand people.










    GOVERNMENT The Romanian Parliament will next week set a date for
    the investiture vote for the cabinet led by Prime Minister Designate Florin
    Catu. A joint session could be scheduled next Friday at the latest. 16 proposed
    ministers have been interviewed this week and nine of them got endorsement. The
    Catu cabinet has to muster 233 votes for Parliament support. We recall the
    first Liberal government, led by Ludovic Orban (leader of the National Liberal
    Party) has been sacked through a no-confidence vote. Orban’s second appointment
    was contested at the Constitutional Court by his Social Democratic opponents
    and the court, which took into consideration the declared intentions of the
    Liberals and the president to trigger snap elections and not to get a
    Parliament majority for the investiture vote, eventually ruled against Orban’s second
    appointment.










    MIGRATION Turkey is repatriating
    the Syrian migrants at the border with Greece after a ceasefire for the Syrian
    province of Idlib was signed by the Turkish and Russian presidents, Recep
    Erdogan and Vladimir Putin respectively. Authorities in Ankara have already
    informed the migrants that the EU border has been closed down and that buses
    have been made available to take them to Istanbul and from there back to Syria.
    However the Greek border forces remain on high alert after Turkish Interior
    Minister Suleyman Soylu on Friday announced Ankara’s intention to deploy 1,000
    policemen along the Evros River at the border with Greece in order to prevent
    Athens from rejecting the migrants attempting to cross it. Romania’s interim
    Interior Minister Marcel Vela has informed the Greek authorities that Romania
    will increase the number of border police and their equipment in Greece. So,
    besides the 21 border police already stationed in Greece, Romania decided to
    add 8 more for the ground monitoring as well as a patrol ship with 24 crew
    members and two experts as part of the operational assistance plan for Greece,
    carried out under the aegis of the European Asylum Support Office.






    TENNIS According
    to the WTA webpage, the world’s no. 2 tennis player Simona Halep of Romania has
    withdrawn from the Indian Wells tennis tournament due to begin in California
    next week to recover from injuries. In 2015 Halep won her first Premier
    Mandatory title in Indian Wells after a finals win against Jelena Jankovic of
    Serbia. Last year’s finalist Angelique Kerber of Germany has also announced her
    intention not to participate for the same reason. This year’s edition of the
    prestigious sporting event will bring together 73 of the world’s best 80
    players.

    (translated by bill)



  • Nachrichten 23.02.2020

    Nachrichten 23.02.2020

    Rumäniens ernannter Premierminister Ludovic Orban geht am Montag ins Parlament, um das Votum zur Amtseinsetzung für sein neues Kabinett zu beantragen. Die 16 Minister des Kabinetts Orban II, in derselben Struktur und Zusammensetzung wie die infolge eines Misstrauensantrags zurückgetretene Regierung, wurden in den Fachausschüssen der Bukarester Legislative angehört. Der Plan der National-Liberalen Partei PNL sieht vor, dass zwei Regierungskabinette abgelehnt werden, damit die Auflösung des Parlaments und die erwarteten Neuwahlen stattfinden können. Die Neuwahlen könnten, wie Ludovic Orban sagte, zwischen dem 15. und 30. Juni stattfinden, in der gleichen Zeit wie die Kommunalwahlen. Die Sozialdemokratische Partei PSD hat jedoch angekündigt, dass sie an der Abstimmung im Parlament über die Amtseinsetzung der neuen Regierung nicht teilnehmen werde. Sollte das Quorum nicht erreicht werden, könnte die Amtseinsetzung der Regierung Orban II verschoben werden. Ebenfalls am Montag wird das rumänische Verfassungsgericht über den Antrag der Präsidenten der beiden Kammern des Parlaments debattieren. Die zwei behaupteten, dass das Staatsoberhaupt, Klaus Iohannis, den zurückgetretenen Premierminister wieder zur Bildung einer neuen Exekutive ernannt habe. Dies verstoße gegen den Willen der Legislative, so die Präsidenten der zwei Kammer des rumänischen Parlaments.



    Das Außenministerium von Bukarest hat bekanntgegeben, dass angesichts des Auftretens neuer Fälle von Infektionen mit dem COVID-19-Virus in Italien sowie der großen Gemeinschaft rumänischer Bürger aus den betroffenen Regionen in der rumänischen Botschaft in Rom eine Notfallgruppe gebildet wurde, die die Situation überwacht und in ständigem Kontakt mit den italienischen Behörden steht. Die italienischen Behörden haben keine Fälle von rumänischen Bürgern mit dem neuen Coronavirus gemeldet, so das Gesundheitsministerium. Aufgrund der Dynamik der Reisen rumänischer Bürger auf den Landstraßen und der Flüge zwischen Italien und China könnte Rumänien mit neuen Fällen von Infektionen mit dem Coronavirus konfrontiert werden. In Italien sind die meisten Krankheitsfälle in den nördlichen Regionen der Lombardei und des Veneto zu verzeichnen, wo mehr als 300 Tausend Rumänen leben. Das Gesundheitsministerium hat angekündigt, dass alle Rumänen, die aus den beiden unter Quarantäne stehenden Regionen Italiens, nach Rumänien zurückkehren, 14 Tage lang isoliert werden. Das medizinische Personal an den Grenzübergängen wurde aufgestockt.



    SPORT – Die rumänische Tennisspielerin Simona Halep, die Nummer 2 der Welt, hat das das mit über 2.600.000 Dollar dotierten WTA-Turnier in Dubai, in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten, gewonnen. Simona Halep hat die Kasachin Elena Rîbakina (19 WTA) mit 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 dramatisch besiegt. Die Rumänin gewann den Titel in Dubai zum zweiten Mal, nachdem sie bereits 2015 diesen Titel gewonnen hatte. Nächste Woche werden der rumänische Tennisspieler Horia Tecău und der Niederländer Jean-Julien Rojer am Doppeltest des ATP-Turniers in Dubai teilnehmen, bei dem es insgesamt fast 2.800.000 Dollar zu gewinnen gibt. Die beiden spielen in der ersten Runde gegen die Deutschen Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies, die Nummer drei der Favoriten und die Meister von Roland Garros. Tecau und Rojer gewannen 2017 und 2018 zwei Titel in Dubai, und im vergangenen Jahr standen sie im Halbfinale.



    Die Frühjahrsausgabe der rumänischen Tourismusmesse ist am Sonntag in Bukarest zu Ende gegangen. Auf der Messe präsentierten mehr als 300 Reisebüros ihre Reisepakete im In- und Ausland, auch für die Osterzeit. Die Veranstalter versprachen erhebliche Ermäßigungen, bis auf 50%. Die beliebtesten Reiseziele sind: die Türkei, Griechenland, Spanien, Tunesien und Ägypten, aber es gibt auch Angebote für exotische Ferien auf Bali oder in Thailand.



    Die 70. Ausgabe der Internationalen Filmfestspiele Berlin, eines der wichtigsten Filmfestivale der Welt, läuft noch bis zum 1. März. Es werden 340 Filme vorgeführt. Für den Wettbewerb um den großen Preis Goldener Bär wurden 18 Produktionen ausgewählt. Der neue Spielfilm des rumänischen Regisseurs Cristi Puiu, Malmkrog, ist in der neuen Sektion Encounters zu sehen. Es handelt sich um einen historischen Spielfilm, eine Filmadaption in französischer Sprache nach dem Gedicht Drei Begegnungen des russischen Philosophen und Schriftstellers Vladimir Soloviov. Ein weiterer rumänischer Regisseur, Radu Jude, beteiligt sich an der Sektion Forum mit zwei Filmen Typographische Großschreibung und Ausfahren der Züge aus dem Bahnhof. Radu Jude ist auch mit einem Projekt auf der Filmmesse vertreten: Somnambulii “Die Schlafwandler, das er als eine populäre Komödie über Sex, Technologie und Gesellschaft beschreibt.

  • February 23, 2020

    February 23, 2020

    VIRUS
    The Romanian Foreign
    Ministry has announced that after new cases of infection with the COVID-19
    virus were reported in Italy, where many Romanians work and live, an emergency
    cell was set up at the Romanian embassy in the Italian capital, which is
    monitoring the situation and keeps in touch with the local authorities. No
    cases of infection have been reported among the Romanian community in Italy,
    sources with the Romanian Health Ministry have announced adding that Romania
    could be more exposed to the new virus on its national territory due to its
    citizens traveling between China and Italy. Most of the cases reported in Italy
    were in the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto, where over 300 thousand
    Romanians also live. We recall that six Romanian nationals from the Diamond
    Princess, a cruise liner that was quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama
    after cases of infection with the new virus had been reported on board, on
    Saturday arrived in Romania. Although tested and found uninfected by a mobile
    medical unit before departure, upon their arrival they have been put in
    quarantine for 14 days. Two infected Romanians on the same vessel are being
    treated in a hospital in Japan and their condition has been reported as good.
    Another nine Romanian nationals, crew members, have decided to remain on board.
    The Health Ministry in Bucharest has announced that all Romanians coming back
    from the two Italian regions will be quarantined for 14 days while border
    checkpoints have received more medical personnel.










    VOTE
    Romania’s Prime Minister designate Ludovic Orban is expected to go to
    Parliament on Monday to get an investiture vote for his fresh cabinet. The 16
    ministers of the Orban ll cabinet, which has the same structure and formation
    as the government sacked through a no-confidence vote, have been interviewed by
    the specialised committees of the Legislature in Bucharest. The Liberals’ plan
    is to have two governments rejected, which could lead to Parliament dissolution
    and early election. According to Orban these could take place over June 15th
    and 30th concurrently with the local election. The opposition Social
    Democrats have announced their intention not to participate in the investiture
    vote. In the absence of a quorum, the investiture voting for the Orban
    government could be postponed. Also on Monday, Romania’s Constitutional Court
    is going to host debates upon a notification from the presidents of the two
    Parliament Chambers who blamed the president for his decision to have
    designated the sacked Prime Minister to forge a new government, which in their
    opinion is sidestepping the Legislature.












    TENNIS The world’s no. 2 tennis player, Simona Halep of Romania, has won
    the WTA tournament in Dubai after a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 victory against Elena
    Rybakina of Kazakhstan. Simona also won the aforementioned tournament five
    years ago and has so far won 20 tournaments. Romanian tennis player Horia Tecau
    and his Dutch partner Jean-Julien Rojer will next week participate in the
    doubles contest of the ATP tournament in Dubai. The two will be taking on third-seeded
    Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies of Germany who are also the Roland Garros
    champions. Tecau and Rojer won two titles in Dubai, in 2017 and 2018 and last
    year they made it to the competition’s semifinals.










    FAIR The spring edition of Romania’s
    Travel Fair held in Bucharest comes to an end today. The event has been attended
    by over 300 travel agencies offering holiday packages in Romania and abroad,
    including for the upcoming Easter holidays. The top holiday destinations for
    the Romanians seem to be Turkey, Greece, Spain, Tunisia and Egypt, but the
    participants’ offer also included exotic destinations such as Bali and
    Thailand.






    (translated by bill)

  • February 19, 2020 UPDATE

    February 19, 2020 UPDATE

    MEETING As of Thursday Romania’s
    president Klaus Iohannis will be participating in a special meeting of the
    European Council in Brussels, which will have high on its agenda the EU Multiannual
    Financial Framework for the period between 2021 and 2027. According to a communiqué
    released by the presidential administration in Bucharest, Iohannis will be
    pleading for the appropriate funding of the Cohesion Policy and the Common
    Agricultural Policy underlining the fact that Romania must benefit from
    significant funds for these two policies as instruments meant to reduce
    development gaps between member states. Iohannis is also expected to support
    the importance of assuring flexible and simplified implementation conditions to
    ease access to the European funds. Statements by several European leaders on
    Wednesday suggest that negotiations over the EU’s Multiannual budget, the first
    after Brexit, are going to be tough and complicated.










    GOVERNMENT Interviews in the Romanian Parliament with the ministers proposed
    to form the second cabinet led by Ludovic Orban ended on Wednesday after three
    days of debates in the specialized committees. Only four ministers in the
    fields of Defence, Agriculture, Economy and Foreign Affairs out of the 16
    interviewed have got endorsement. Parliament is expected to vote on the new cabinet
    on February 24th. Prime Minister Orban decided to maintain the same
    government as he was pleased with their activity. The National Liberal Party’s intention
    is to have two governments turned down, which could lead to a dissolution of
    Parliament and snap election. These elections could be held between June 15th
    -30th concurrently with the local elections. On Wednesday, the
    Senate in Bucharest turned down the government’s emergency ordinance on staging
    early elections.












    TENNIS The world’s no.2 tennis player Simona Halep of Romania on
    Wednesday outperformed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the second round of the Dubai
    tennis tournament and qualified for the competition’s quarterfinals where the Romanian
    is expected to take on Arina Sabalenka of Belarus. We recall that Halep won the
    tournament in 2015 and last year was eliminated in the quarter finals by
    Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.










    BRANCUSI Romania on Wednesday marked 144 years since the birth of its famous
    sculptor Constantin Brancusi, with special events staged in capital city
    Bucharest and Targu Jiu, the city hosting the Sculptural Ensemble of Constantin
    Brancusi. In Targu Jiu, the Constantin Brancusi National Museum was inaugurated
    to include works such as The Table of Silence, The Gate of the Kiss and the
    Endless Column. Also, Romania’s National Museum of Art is hosting a high-tech
    projection show where the public will be able to watch holograms of the
    sculptor and his famous works. Known as the
    father of modern sculpture, Brancusi, born on February 19, 1876, in Hobita, a
    small village in southern Romania, was one of the most influential sculptors of
    the 20th century as well as a painter and photographer. Brancusi willed
    to the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris an important number of works and
    everything his workshop contained, on condition that the workshop itself be
    moved to the museum and restored to its original condition. Part of this gift
    included hundreds of photographic prints he took, beginning in the 1920s, of
    his work and studio. He had initially offered all of them to the Romanian
    state, but the communist government of the 1950s refused the gift.




    (translated by bill)



  • February 6, 2020

    February 6, 2020

    TALKS Romania’s
    president Klaus Iohannis is today having talks with Parliament parties summoned
    after the sacking of the Liberal cabinet led by Prime Minister Ludovic Orban.
    The Legislature on Wednesday endorsed a censure motion tabled by the opposition
    Social Democrats backed by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania
    after the cabinet had assumed responsibility for returning to the two-round
    voting system in the upcoming local election. PSD and Pro Romania, a group
    created by Social-Democratic dissidents, have announced their endorsement for
    the same candidate, Remus Pricopie, a former minister in the Ponta cabinet. The
    Liberals who want snap election have announced their support for their leader
    Ludovic Orban, while the USR has announced it will nominate the former technocratic Prime
    Minister Dacian Ciolos. UDMR will not have their own candidate. President
    Iohannis who is also in favour of early election, says that he wants a
    government with a reforming agenda formed around the National Liberal Party. According
    to the president the PSD does not want reforms and recommended them to stay in
    opposition.












    WEATHER
    The sky is overcast in
    Romania’s south-east and snowfalls are still expected tonight in the country’s northern
    and eastern regions. The highs of the day range between -3 and 7 degrees
    Celsius with a noon reading in Bucharest of 2 degrees. The snowfalls and
    blizzard last night caused disruptions in road, rail and air traffic. Some regions have been left without
    electricity and schools have been closed down.














    VIRUS A ship with 17 Romanians on board has been quarantined in the Japanese
    port of Yokohama, after several cases of cornoavirus infections were reported,
    the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has today announced. According to the same
    sources, the Romanian embassy in Tokyo has been notified by the Foreign Ministry
    in Japan. Out of the Romanians on board, two are tourists and 15 crew. Romania’s
    consulate in Hong Kong has asked for information from the local authorities on
    the situation of the Romanians on board of a ship moored in that port. No case
    of coronoavirus infection has been reported in Romania so far.










    TENNIS The timetable of the games part of the FedCup contest
    pitting the teams of Romania against Russia is to be set today. This coming
    Friday and Saturday, the northwestern Romanian town of Cluj-Napoca will play
    host to the matches counting towards the qualification for a final tournament,
    to be held in Budapest over April 14 and 19. The worlds’ number 2 tennis player,
    Simona Halep, said that this year she won’t play for Romania in the FedCup
    since she will focus on participating in the Tokyo Olympics, where she keeps
    her hopes high for winning a medal, so Romania’s team for the match against
    Russia includes only two top 100 tennis players, WTA 98th-placed Ana
    Bogdan and Raluca Olaru, who is 48th placed according to the same
    rankings. Save for one player, the Russian team is made up only of top 100
    tennis players. It is the first time Romania faces Russia in the FedCUp. We
    recall that in the past, Romania lost both World Group matches against the
    former USSR.

    ACQUITTAL
    The White House has hailed the acquittal of president Donald Trump at the end
    of his impeachment trial saying that the president is not guilty and denouncing
    once again what it calls a witch hunt masterminded by his political opponents.
    Senate majority leader Mitch McConnel has called the impeachment of president
    Trump ‘a colossal political mistake’ while United States House Speaker Nancy
    Pelosi said ‘president Trump remains a threat to American democracy’. The
    Senate on Wednesday voted to acquit president Trump, 52-48 on charges of abuse
    of power and 53-47 on obstruction of Congress.


    (translated by bill)

  • Nachrichten 26.01.2020

    Nachrichten 26.01.2020

    Nach einem neuen Gesetz kann die Polizei in Rumänien den Haushalt einer Person ohne Zustimmung des Eigentümers betreten, sofern sie über Informationen verfügt, dass sich jemand an diesem Ort in unmittelbarer Gefahr befindet, dass sich dort ein Täter oder ein Terrorverdächtiger versteckt, oder in Fällen von häuslicher Gewalt. Die Polizei kann sofort gegen die Täter vorgehen, indem sie sie vorübergehend aus dem Haus räumt, auch wenn sie die Eigentümer sind, oder indem sie vorübergehenden Schutz anordnet. Auch die Weigerung, einen Ausweis vorzuzeigen, wird mit einer Geldstrafe von derzeit rund 300 Euro bestraft. Das neue Gesetz sieht auch Änderungen in Bezug auf die Kompetenzen der Grenzpolizei vor.



    Der rumänische Verteidigungsminister Nicolae Ciuca ist am Montag und Dienstag auf Einladung seines Amtskollegen Joao Gomes Cravinho einen offiziellen Besuch in Portugal. Laut einer Pressemitteilung sind die Hauptthemen der Gespräche zwischen den beiden Verantwortlichen die Zusammenarbeit bei der militärischen Ausbildung, die bilateralen und multinationalen Militärübungen und die Zusammenarbeit in der Verteidigungsindustrie. Im Dezember 2019 unterzeichneten die beiden Länder den Vertrag über den Kauf von fünf F-16-Kampfflugzeugen. Auch die bereits 12 zwischen 2014-2017 gekauften Mehrzweckflugzeuge vom gleichen Typ stammen aus Portugal.



    Rumäniens Präsident Klaus Iohannis hat seinem Amtskollegen Recep Tayyip Erdogan eine Kondolenzbotschaft für die Opfer des Erdbebens im Osten der Türkei am Freitag übermittelt. Rumänien werde die Türkei bei der Bewältigung dieses schwierigen Moments unterstützen, hei‎ßt es in der Botschaft. Auch der rumänische Au‎ßenminister Bogdan Aurescu hat seinem Amtskollegen Mevlut Cavusoglu ein Kondolenzschreiben geschickt. Bei dem Erdbeben mit einer Stärke von 6,8 auf der Richterskala sind mindestens 31 Menschen getötet und mehr als 1.600 verletzt worden. 1999 starben etwa 17.000 Menschen bei einem Beben in der westlichen Stadt Izmit im Nordwesten, das eine Stärke von 7,6 auf der Richterskala hatte.



    “Home”, der erste Film des rumänischen Regisseurs Radu Ciorniciuc, feiert am Sonntag die Premiere im internationalen Dokumentarfilmwettbewerb des wichtigsten amerikanischen Independent-Filmfestivals Sundance. “Home” ist der erste rumänische Dokumentarfilm, der im Wettbewerb dieses Festivals ausgewählt wurde, neben 11 anderen Dokumentarfilmen aus der ganzen Welt, in der Kategorie World Cinema Documentary. Der Film handelt über das Leben einer Familie, die 20 Jahre lang im Văcărești Delta mitten in Bukarest lebte, bis der Ort zum Schutzgebiet und zum ersten städtischen Naturpark in Rumänien erklärt wurde. Ein weiterer rumänischer Film, “Colectiv”, von Alexander Nanau, wird in der Sektion “Spotlight” des Festivals gezeigt. Dabei handelt es sich um eine Dokumentation über die Ereignisse im ersten Jahr nach dem Brand im Nachtclub Colectiv im Oktober 2015 in Bukarest, bei dem 64 junge Menschen starben.



    Ab dem 3. Februar wird Simona Halep die Tennisspielerin mit den meisten aufeinanderfolgenden Wochen unter den 10 besten Spielerinnen der WTA-Rangliste sein. Sie wird den Meilenstein von 315 Wochen erreichen und damit die derzeitige Rekordhalterin, die Schweizerin Martina Hingis, überholen.







  • January 25, 2020

    January 25, 2020

    PARLIAMENT The 2 chambers of Romanias Parliament will convene on January 28 for a special session focusing on a bill scrapping the so-called special pensions paid to magistrates, which are not based on the principle of previous contributions. The Judicial Inspection Division says the bill tramples on the principles of judge independence and immovability, and comes against provisions in the Constitution and regulations by the European Court for Human Rights. On January 29, Parliament also convenes in a joint session to discuss the bill reintroducing the 2-round voting system in local elections, for which the Government takes responsibility before Parliament. The Orban Cabinet says the bill is intended to strengthen democratic standards at local community level. President Klaus Iohannis had previously requested a special Parliamentary session to this end. The Social Democrats, in opposition, reiterated that jointly with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, they will table a no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government.




    HOLOCAUST The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban takes part on Monday in an official ceremony celebrating 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, organised by the Polish authorities on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to a news release issued on Saturday by the Romanian Government, officials from several countries, Holocaust survivors and members of Jewish associations will be attending the ceremony, held under the patronage of the president of Poland Andrzej Duda. The Government of Romania, the release also reads, reconfirms its pledge to carry on Holocaust education and research efforts, to commemorate the Holocaust victims and to take responsibility for the countrys history.




    IMMIGRANTS Romanian border police caught 9 citizens of Egypt, Iraq and Somalia attempting to cross the border into Hungary illegally, with the help of 2 Romanian citizens, the Romanian Border Police announced on Saturday. The investigations revealed that the 7 men and 2 women, aged between 21 and 52, had applied for asylum in Romania. They are currently probed into for attempted illegal border crossing, while the Romanian citizens are facing human trafficking charges.




    CORONAVIRUS China has today announced extending the lockdown introduced in order to contain the newly discovered coronavirus, initially identified in Wuhan. Five cities in Hubei, a province in central China, have been added to the 13 where all bus, underground and ferry services have been suspended, and all outbound planes and trains cancelled. The Chinese army has sent medical teams to the outbreak region, after the death toll has reached 41, out of a total of over 1,300 cases. The virus has reached Europe as well, with 2 cases confirmed in France. The World Health Organisation has decided not to class the virus as an international emergency.




    EARTHQUAKE At least 21 people died, more than 1,000 were injured and several buildings collapsed in a major earthquake that hit eastern Turkey on Friday night, Turkish authorities have announced. The 6.8 magnitude quake was followed by scores of aftershocks. The earthquake, centred 550 km east of the capital city Ankara, in Elazig province, was also felt in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Turkey is frequently affected by major tremors. In 1999, 17,000 people died and half a million lost their homes in a 7.6 earthquake in the north-west of the country, while another one hit the eastern province of Van in 2011, killing more than 500.




    FILM “Home, Romanian director Radu Ciorniciucs first film, premieres on Sunday in the international documentary competition of the most important American independent film festival, Sundance. “Home is the first Romanian documentary selected into this festivals competition, next to 11 other documentaries from around the world, in the World Cinema Documentary category. The film documents the life of a family who lived for 20 years in the Văcărești Delta, up until the place was declared a protected area and was renamed Văcărești Nature Park, the first urban nature park in Romania. Another Romanian film, Colectiv, by Alexander Nanau, will be screened in the festivals Spotlight section. This is a documentary on the events taking place in the first year after the fire in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, in which 64 young people died.




    TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, has moved up into the 4th round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, after defeating the Kazakh Iulia Putintseva (38 WTA) 6-1, 6-4, on Saturday in Melbourne. On Sunday Halep is to take on Belgian Elise Mertens (17 WTA), who beat CiCi (Catherine) Bellis (600 WTA) 6-1, 6-7, 6-0 in the 3rd round. Last year in Melbourne Halep lost in the 4th round, and in 2018 she reached the Australian Open final. Also on Saturday Monica Niculescu (Romania) / Misaki Doi (Japan) moved up into the next round of the doubles tournament, having defeated the Japanese Nao Hibino/Makoto Ninomiya 6-2, 7-5. Niculescu and Doi are to play next against Hao-ching Chan and Latisha Chan (Taiwan).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Romanian athlete Georgeta Popescu has
    walked away with gold from the one-woman bobsleigh race at the Youth Winter
    Olympics in Laussane. Popescu’s time in the two rounds of the competition stood
    at 2 minutes, 26 seconds and 84 hundredths. Viktoria Cernanska of Slovakia came
    second and Celine Harms of Germany ended the race on the third position.

    Another athlete from Romania Antonia
    Sarbu came 13th in the same competition. This is the second medal
    won by the Romanian delegation after the bronze reaped by Ramona Ionel in the
    speed-skating relay race on Wednesday.








    Romanian women’s side Magura
    Cisnadie came a cropper 33-22 in an away match against Danish side Kobenhavn
    Handball. Cisnadie has lost all the matches they played in the competition’s
    groups. In the same group, Siofok of Hungary ended in a 30-all draw their match
    against the Croatians from Podravka Koprivnica.








    Siofok ranks first in the group’s
    ranking with five points followed by Koprivnica also with five, Kobenhavn with
    two and Cisnadie with no points. Cisnadie will be playing Kobenhavn again on
    January 26th, which will also see the return game pitching Podravka
    against Siofok.








    In group C Gloria Bistrita-Nasaud
    has lost to another Danish side Odense Handbold 19-25 in an away game.
    Hungarian side ERD has secured a 29-24 win against MKS Lublin of Poland. Odense
    comes first in the ranking with 6 points, followed by ERD with 3, Bistrita with
    2 and MKS with one. Gloria will be up against Odense in a home game on January
    26th, while the Polish side will be playing on their own turf the
    Hungarians from ERD.








    Romanian tennis player Sorana
    Cirstea has qualified for the second round of Australian Open, the year’s first
    grand slam tournament, after a 6-2, 7-6 win against the Czech challenger
    Barbora Strycova. Cirstea’s next opponent will be the young US player Cori
    Gauff, who comes after a 7-6, 6-3 win against Venus Williams.








    Another three Romanians are on the
    competition’s main draw; Simona Halep, who will be up against Jennifer Brady of
    the US, Irina Begu, who will be playing Kiki Bartens of the Netherlands and
    Monica Niculescu, who will take on Alize Cornet of France.






    (translated by bill)

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Romanian athlete Georgeta Popescu has
    walked away with gold from the one-woman bobsleigh race at the Youth Winter
    Olympics in Laussane. Popescu’s time in the two rounds of the competition stood
    at 2 minutes, 26 seconds and 84 hundredths. Viktoria Cernanska of Slovakia came
    second and Celine Harms of Germany ended the race on the third position.

    Another athlete from Romania Antonia
    Sarbu came 13th in the same competition. This is the second medal
    won by the Romanian delegation after the bronze reaped by Ramona Ionel in the
    speed-skating relay race on Wednesday.








    Romanian women’s side Magura
    Cisnadie came a cropper 33-22 in an away match against Danish side Kobenhavn
    Handball. Cisnadie has lost all the matches they played in the competition’s
    groups. In the same group, Siofok of Hungary ended in a 30-all draw their match
    against the Croatians from Podravka Koprivnica.








    Siofok ranks first in the group’s
    ranking with five points followed by Koprivnica also with five, Kobenhavn with
    two and Cisnadie with no points. Cisnadie will be playing Kobenhavn again on
    January 26th, which will also see the return game pitching Podravka
    against Siofok.








    In group C Gloria Bistrita-Nasaud
    has lost to another Danish side Odense Handbold 19-25 in an away game.
    Hungarian side ERD has secured a 29-24 win against MKS Lublin of Poland. Odense
    comes first in the ranking with 6 points, followed by ERD with 3, Bistrita with
    2 and MKS with one. Gloria will be up against Odense in a home game on January
    26th, while the Polish side will be playing on their own turf the
    Hungarians from ERD.








    Romanian tennis player Sorana
    Cirstea has qualified for the second round of Australian Open, the year’s first
    grand slam tournament, after a 6-2, 7-6 win against the Czech challenger
    Barbora Strycova. Cirstea’s next opponent will be the young US player Cori
    Gauff, who comes after a 7-6, 6-3 win against Venus Williams.








    Another three Romanians are on the
    competition’s main draw; Simona Halep, who will be up against Jennifer Brady of
    the US, Irina Begu, who will be playing Kiki Bartens of the Netherlands and
    Monica Niculescu, who will take on Alize Cornet of France.






    (translated by bill)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    Sports Club Miercurea Ciuc and
    Corona Brasov ended on podium the first stage of the regional ice hockey
    contest Erste League. Miercurea Ciuc came first in the ranking after a 4-3 home
    win against Hungarian side DEAC Debrecen. Corona came third in the competition
    after losing to Hungarian side Fehervari Titanok 3-2 in the extra-time.








    The competition’s next stage will
    see a series of matches between the first five teams in the ranking and the
    last five sides. In the first group, Sports Club has mustered 6 points and is
    being followed by Ferencvaros Budapest with 3, Corona Brasov with 2 and
    Debrecen with one. Last comes Dunaujvaros Acelbikak with no points.








    Romania’s best tennis player Simona
    Halep lost to Arina Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the
    WTA tournament in Adelaide. Next week Halep will be taking on US challenger
    Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open.








    There is no Romanian male player on
    the main board of the Australian Open as Marius Copil was defeated in the
    second qualifying round by Lorenzo Musetti of Italy. The Romanian got the upper
    hand in the decisive set 3-0, 4-1, 5-2 but the 17 year old Italian challenger
    made a great comeback with five consecutive games. Last year Copil had made it
    to the second round of the Australian Open as in 2015; these being his best
    results in Melbourne.






    Two Romanian women’s handball sides
    are playing in the EHF Cup on Sunday. Ranking second in group B, with no points,
    Magura Cisnadie takes on Kobenhavn Handball in an away game. In group C, Gloria
    Bistrita-Nasaud plays, also in Denmark against Odense Handbold. Gloria ranks 2nd
    in the group with 2 points, while their Danish opponent is on the first
    position with 4.




    (translated by bill)



  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    Sports Club Miercurea Ciuc and
    Corona Brasov ended on podium the first stage of the regional ice hockey
    contest Erste League. Miercurea Ciuc came first in the ranking after a 4-3 home
    win against Hungarian side DEAC Debrecen. Corona came third in the competition
    after losing to Hungarian side Fehervari Titanok 3-2 in the extra-time.








    The competition’s next stage will
    see a series of matches between the first five teams in the ranking and the
    last five sides. In the first group, Sports Club has mustered 6 points and is
    being followed by Ferencvaros Budapest with 3, Corona Brasov with 2 and
    Debrecen with one. Last comes Dunaujvaros Acelbikak with no points.








    Romania’s best tennis player Simona
    Halep lost to Arina Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the
    WTA tournament in Adelaide. Next week Halep will be taking on US challenger
    Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open.








    There is no Romanian male player on
    the main board of the Australian Open as Marius Copil was defeated in the
    second qualifying round by Lorenzo Musetti of Italy. The Romanian got the upper
    hand in the decisive set 3-0, 4-1, 5-2 but the 17 year old Italian challenger
    made a great comeback with five consecutive games. Last year Copil had made it
    to the second round of the Australian Open as in 2015; these being his best
    results in Melbourne.






    Two Romanian women’s handball sides
    are playing in the EHF Cup on Sunday. Ranking second in group B, with no points,
    Magura Cisnadie takes on Kobenhavn Handball in an away game. In group C, Gloria
    Bistrita-Nasaud plays, also in Denmark against Odense Handbold. Gloria ranks 2nd
    in the group with 2 points, while their Danish opponent is on the first
    position with 4.




    (translated by bill)



  • January 16, 2020 UPDATE

    January 16, 2020 UPDATE

    MEETING Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on
    Thursday gave assurances to the foreign ambassadors accredited to Bucharest that
    he would see to it that Romania remains a vector of stability and a firm
    promoter of democracy at international level. Against the present international
    background fraught with risks, challenges as well as new and old threats, the
    need for a North-Atlantic alliance strong, united and effective is bigger than
    ever, the head of the Romanian state went on to say adding that NATO is a successful
    military alliance and we are going to continue to work in tight connection with
    the other allies to make it even stronger. As for the relation with Chisinau,
    Romania will resume full cooperation with the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking
    Republic of Moldova when it learns that at government level actions have been
    taken for this country’s implementation of the European road-map. During the
    meeting with the ambassadors in Bucharest, the Romanian president presented the
    main directions of Romania’s foreign policy this year with emphasis on the
    consolidation and extension of the country’s strategic partnership with the USA
    as well as on the increasing role Romania must have in the EU and NATO.










    RESPONSIBILITY The Romanian government will assume responsibility
    for the law on the two-round election of mayors, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
    announced on Thursday. According to the Liberals, the move will give the local
    officials elected more legitimacy and representation. Marcel Ciolacu, the
    interim president of the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) has said that
    his party together with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania
    UDMR will table a censure motion against the executive but that will not lead
    to snap election. ‘We will prove that we have the capability of creating a new
    Parliament majority’, Ciolacu went on to say. The Save Romania Union has hailed
    the Romanian government’s decision recalling the idea of switching to the
    two-round system of voting was a major objective in the agreement concluded
    with the government. Assuming responsibility is a ‘brave initiative’ which the
    centre-to-right People’s Movement Party will support in Parliament, Eugen
    Tomac, the president of the aforementioned party said. Romania’s president
    Klaus Iohannis is totaly supporting the government’s initiative, which he
    considers a correct, democratic and normal move. Also on Thursday the
    government postponed until August 1st the implementation of a law on doubling
    child benefits for which no funds have been found yet.












    TENNIS The fourth-seeded tennis
    player Simona Halep of Romania will be taking on Jennifer Brady of the US in
    the first round of Australian Open due to kick off in Melbourne on Monday.
    Another two Romanians are on the main draw, Sorana Cirstea and Irina Begu,
    while Ana Bogdan, also from Romania, will be playing in the qualification’s
    last round. On Thursday, Halep lost to Arina Sabalenka of Belarus and was
    eliminated from the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Adelaide.






    (translated by bill)

  • Nachrichten 16.01.2020

    Nachrichten 16.01.2020

    Der rumänische Staatspräsident Klaus Iohannis ist am Donnerstag mit den in Bukarest akkreditierten Botschaftern zu Gesprächen zusammengekommen. Dabei versicherte Iohannis den Botschaftern, er werde auch im Jahr 2020 seine Bemühungen fortsetzen, damit Rumänien ein Träger der Stabilität und ein Förderer der Demokratie in der Region bleibt. Was die Beziehungen zu Chișinău angeht, so wird Rumänien die uneingeschränkte Zusammenarbeit mit seinem Nachbarn wieder aufnehmen, sobald die Regierung konkrete Maßnahmen zur Konsolidierung des europäischen Kurses des Landes ergreift. Rumänien werde nur die Projekte beibehalten, die die moldauischen Bürger direkt unterstützen und die Auswirkungen auf lokaler Ebene haben, fügte Iohannis hinzu. Bei Gesprächen mit den ausländischen Botschaftern stellte Präsident Iohannis die wichtigsten außenpolitischen Leitlinien für das Jahr 2020 vor; der Schwerpunkt liege auf der Konsolidierung und dem Ausbau der strategischen Partnerschaft mit den USA sowie auf der Stärkung der Rolle Rumäniens in der Europäischen Union und der NATO, so der Staatspräsident.



    Die liberale Regierung Rumäniens wird im Parlament die Vertrauensfrage für das Gesetz über die Änderung des Wahlgesetzes bei Kommunalwahlen auf das Zwei-Runden-System stellen. Dies erklärte Premierminister Ludovic Orban am Donnerstag. Laut dem Interimsvorsitzenden der Sozialdemokratischen Partei Marcel Ciolacu (von der Opposition), werde seine Partei infolgedessen einen Mistrauensantrag gegen das Kabinett Orban einleiten. Wir werden den Beweis liefern, dass wir dazu fähig sind, eine neue Mehrheit im Parlament zu bilden, so Ciolacu. Die mitte-rechts gerichtete Union Rettet Rumänien USR hat die Entscheidung der liberalen Regierung begrüßt. Die Umstellung auf das zwei Runden-System bei Kommunalwahlen sei eine Priorität des mit der Regierung abgeschlossenen Abkommens, so die USR. Das Stellen der Vertrauensfrage sei ein mutiger Schritt, den die mitte-rechts gerichtete Partei Volksbewegung PMP im Parlament unterstützen werde, sagte der PMP-Vorsitzende, Eugen Tomac. Ebenfalls am Donnerstag kündigte die Exekutive an, die Anwendung des Gesetzes zur Verdoppelung des Kindergeldes auf den 1. August zu verschieben, um Finanzierungsquellen zu finden. Die Allianz der Liberalen und Demokraten ALDE (von der Opposition) unterstützt weiterhin die Wahl der Bürgermeister in zwei Runden, weist jedoch darauf hin, dass mit dem Stellen der Vertrauensfrage durch die Regierung vorgezogene Wahlen erzwungen werden sollen.



    Rumänien hat am Donnerstag das Kommando über eine NATO-Seekampfeinheit übernommen und wird Schlachtschiffe aus fünf Ländern koordinieren. Die Missionen sollen im Schwarzen Meer und im Mittelmeer stattfinden. Das Ständige NATO-Kommando der Minenabwehrhauptgruppe 2 wird Schlachtschiffe aus Bulgarien, Deutschland, Italien, Spanien und der Türkei zusammenführen. Die Gruppe wird tätig werden, um die sofortige Reaktionsfähigkeit auf NATO-Ebene sicherzustellen, die Interoperabilität zwischen den NATO-Schiffen zu erhöhen und das Image der NATO zu fördern.



    Der Verband der europäischen Autobauer (ACEA) hat am Donnerstag bekannt gegeben, dass die Neuzulassungen von Kraftfahrzeugen im Jahr 2019 gegenüber 2018 um 1,2% gestiegen sind. Den größten Anstieg verzeichnete Litauen, wo die Neuzulassungen um über 43% zunahmen, gefolgt von Rumänien mit 23%. Laut ACEA wurden 2019 in Rumänien rund 161.000 Autos zugelassen. Der rumänische Autobauer Dacia machte 2019 fast 4% des europäischen Automarktes aus.



    Drei Länder, die das Nuklearabkommen mit dem Iran unterzeichnet haben, Frankreich, Deutschland und Großbritannien, haben einen formellen Streitmechanismus über die Verstöße des Irans gegen das Abkommen von 2015 ausgelöst, das seine Verpflichtung zur Begrenzung seiner Produktion von angereichertem Uran festschreibt. Der Iran hat 60 Tage Zeit, um die vollständige Einhaltung der Vereinbarung zu erreichen, danach könnten zusätzliche Sanktionen gegen das Land verhängt werden. Im Gegenzug warnte Teheran davor, in unterirdischen Anlagen gelagerte Raketen abzufeuern, die auf Militärbasen der USA und ihrer Verbündeten in der Region zielen.



    Die rumänische Tennisspielerin Simona Halep (zweite Favoritin des Turniers in Adelaide in Australien) ist am Donnerstag im Viertelfinale des Wettbewerbs ausgeschieden. Sie verlor im Spiel gegen Arina Sabalenka aus Belarus mit 6-4, 6-2. Das Turnier wird mit Preisen im Wert von 848 Tausend Dollar dotiert. Dies war Haleps letztes Spiel vor den Australian Open, dem ersten Grand-Slam-Turnier des Jahres, das am 20. Januar beginnt. Mit Sorana Cirstea (74 WTA) und Irina Begu (105 WTA) sind zwei weitere Rumäninnen im Hauptfeld vertreten. Ana Bogdan (96 WTA) trifft in der letzten Vorrunde auf die US-Amerikanerin Ann Li, um sich für das Hauptfeld der Australian Open zu qualifizieren.