Radio România Internațional

Tag: Kazakhstan

December 12, 2023 UPDATE

MOLDOVA The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis had talks on Tuesday with
his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu, during which he reiterated Romania’s
support for Moldova’s EU accession efforts. Romania, Iohannis emphasised, firmly
supports the opening of EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova.
Wednesday through Friday president Iohannis takes part in the EU – Western Balkans
Summit and the European Council meeting in Brussels, in which context he will
plead for a decision with respect to the start of accession negotiations with
Ukraine and Moldova. Also on Tuesday, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu had a telephone
conversation with the Moldovan PM Dorin
Recean, in which he reiterated Bucharest’s steady support for the neighbouring
country’s EU accession. The two prime ministers also discussed bilateral
cooperation projects, especially in the field of cross-border energy
interconnection and the financial assistance provided by Romania for Moldova’s
development.

SCHENGEN The Romanian interior
minister Cătălin Predoiu highlighted, in a statement following the Salzburg
Forum in Slovenia on Tuesday, the progress made in the talks concerning Romania’s
Schengen accession. He said he had talks regarding the technical options for a
decision to be made in December. As regards the fears concerning the transfer
of illegal migrants in Austria, Predoiu explained that those concerns exclusively
relate to the migrants originally registered in Romania. According to the
current Dublin regulation, once captured in Austria and proved to be illegal
migrants, these individuals are returned to the country from which they came, the
Romanian official added. In 2023, 120 people were in this situation, Predoiu
mentioned.

ECONOMY Romania’s budget deficit in 2024 will be
below 5% of GDP, lower than at the end of this year. According to the Romanian
government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal
Party, next year substantial additional funding will be earmarked for public
education, healthcare, transports and investments. Under the draft 2024 state
budget, salaries in the public sector as well as pensions will be raised. The
government promises that all these increases will be operated without
concurrent tax raises. The leaders of the ruling coalition parties rely on a
planned set of measures to increase budget revenue collection and curb tax
evasion, as well as on the digitization of the national tax agency.

AGREEMENT
The Romanian foreign ministry took note of the publication of the Russian
Federation’s government decision to withdraw from the bilateral agreement of
2005 concerning the opening of a Romanian consulate general in Rostov-on-Don. According
to a news release issued on Tuesday, Romania has not been officially notified
yet on this decision. At present, apart from the embassy in Moscow, Romania
also operates a consular office in Rostov-on-Don and one in Sankt Petersburg. This
summer the Romanian foreign ministry requested Moscow to reduce the number of
diplomatic personnel at the Russian embassy in Bucharest by 40.

VISIT The PM of
Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, Tuesday received the foreign minister and deputy PM of
the Republic of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, in which context the head of the
Romanian government emphasised that the excellent dynamics of bilateral
relations ensure great potential to the bilateral cooperation towards the
interconnection between Europe and the Caspian Sea region. According to a news
release issued by the Romanian government, the Romanian PM hailed the upward
trend of the political dialogue and economic cooperation between the two
countries and mentioned that Kazakhstan is Romania’s largest economic partner
in Central Asia. As regards the cooperation in the energy sector, the two
parties agreed to encourage cooperation in order to enhance the security of
energy supplies for the EU member states as well as for the Republic of Moldova
and Ukraine, reads the news release. The two officials also discussed the
regional security situation in the context of Russia’s military aggression in
Ukraine.

TENNIS The
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will be heard at the Court of Arbitration
for Sport in Lausanne on February 7-9, in proceedings initiated by Halep
against the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). In October, the twice
Grand Slam winner lodged an appeal with the CAS against her 4-year suspension
for doping. The Romanian athlete was penalised for two separate violations of
the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, the first one concerning the identification
of a banned substance at the 2022 US Open, and the second one concerning
irregularities in her biological passport. (AMP)

12 December 2023
January 10, 2021

COVID-19 Over 4,100 new COVID-19 cases and 16 related fatalities were reported on Monday out of around 30,700 tests. At least 400 patients are in intensive care. In 11 cities the COVID-19 infection rate is above 3 per thousand, with the capital city Bucharest and Ilfov County in the south now on the yellow list, alongside Cluj (north-west), with rates of over 2 per thousand. Meanwhile, the vaccination rate remains low. Only 2,700 people got the first dose in the last 24 hours, nearly 3 times below the average of the last few days. So far, approx. 42% of the population have received at least one vaccine dose. The spread of the Omicron variant triggered a number of protection measures. 160 outpatient evaluation centres will be operational as of this week, to reduce pressure on hospitals.

INTEREST The Board of the National Bank of Romania may decide today to further raise the policy interest rate, currently standing at 1.75% per year. The increase is expected, given the rise of the inflation rate in Romania and abroad. The policy interest rate was last increased in November, but only by 0.25%, which is less than analysts had expected.

DIPLOMACY Romanias foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu has talks today with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi in Bucharest. The visit takes place in the context of recent positive developments in bilateral relations, including Islamabads support for the Romanian authorities efforts to evacuate Romanian and Allied citizens as well as 156 vulnerable Afghan nationals from Afghanistan in August and September 2021. The 2 officials are to discuss means to strengthen bilateral relations, to consolidate political dialogue and economic cooperation. A cooperation agreement between the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Pakistani Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as well as a framework agreement on student exchanges between the Polytechnic University in Bucharest and the University of Islamabad are some of the documents signed during this visit.

KAZAKHSTAN Monday is a day of national mourning for the victims of the recent violent protests in Kazakhstan, where the situation seems to have stabilised. However, president Kassym Tokayev carried on removing suspected opponents from the countrys security services, with 2 more top-level officials dismissed. They were the deputies of the former head of the National Security Committee, Karim Masimov, dismissed and arrested last week on charges of treason. Masimov was an ally of former president Nursultan Nazarbaev. The latter stepped down in 2019, but he preserved control on key posts until a few days ago. The crisis in Kazakhstan started early this month, after gas prices were raised. The originally peaceful protests quickly spiralled into violent clashes resulting in human casualties and many buildings damaged, especially in the countrys economic centre Almaty. Thousands were arrested. Tokaev requested and received the support of a military alliance headed by Russia, whose troops are currently protecting strategic sites in Kazakhstan.

TALKS Talks are held in Geneva, Switzerland today by US and Russian officials over the situation in Ukraine. The parties have voiced reserves with respect to a prospective compromise. Russia said on Friday it would not yield to pressure, and warned that talks may be suspended, while Washington said hopes for success were rather low. The talks take place amid worries over Russias military build-up close to its border with Ukraine and fears that Moscow may once again attack the country, after having occupied and annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine is seeking NATO membership, but Moscow wants guarantees that NATO would not continue to expand eastwards. The meeting in Geneva will be followed this week by talks between Russian and NATO officials in Brussels, while an OSCE meeting due in Vienna is also scheduled to focus on the situation in Ukraine.

HANDBALL Romanias national mens handball team qualified into the second round of the 2023 World Championship qualifiers, after defeating the Republic of Moldova 33-23, on Sunday night, at home in Cluj-Napoca, in the last match of the first preliminary round, Group 3. In the previous group matches, Romania defeated Israel 33-30, which in turn beat Moldova 42-31. Romania came out 1st with 6 points, followed by Israel (4), Moldova (2), and Cyprus, (0). Cyprus was unable to take part in the tournament because of a COVID-19 outbreak in its team, and all its games were forfeited with a score of 10-0 for the opposing team. The top 2 teams in each group moved into the second round of the qualifiers. Four times a world champion, Romania has so far taken part in 14 mens handball World Championships, but its last participation dates back to 2011. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

10 January 2022
January 10, 2021

COVID-19 Over 4,100 new COVID-19 cases and 16 related fatalities were reported on Monday out of around 30,700 tests. At least 400 patients are in intensive care. In 11 cities the COVID-19 infection rate is above 3 per thousand, with the capital city Bucharest and Ilfov County in the south now on the yellow list, alongside Cluj (north-west), with rates of over 2 per thousand. Meanwhile, the vaccination rate remains low. Only 2,700 people got the first dose in the last 24 hours, nearly 3 times below the average of the last few days. So far, approx. 42% of the population have received at least one vaccine dose. The spread of the Omicron variant triggered a number of protection measures. 160 outpatient evaluation centres will be operational as of this week, to reduce pressure on hospitals.

INTEREST The Board of the National Bank of Romania may decide today to further raise the policy interest rate, currently standing at 1.75% per year. The increase is expected, given the rise of the inflation rate in Romania and abroad. The policy interest rate was last increased in November, but only by 0.25%, which is less than analysts had expected.

DIPLOMACY Romanias foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu has talks today with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi in Bucharest. The visit takes place in the context of recent positive developments in bilateral relations, including Islamabads support for the Romanian authorities efforts to evacuate Romanian and Allied citizens as well as 156 vulnerable Afghan nationals from Afghanistan in August and September 2021. The 2 officials are to discuss means to strengthen bilateral relations, to consolidate political dialogue and economic cooperation. A cooperation agreement between the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Pakistani Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as well as a framework agreement on student exchanges between the Polytechnic University in Bucharest and the University of Islamabad are some of the documents signed during this visit.

KAZAKHSTAN Monday is a day of national mourning for the victims of the recent violent protests in Kazakhstan, where the situation seems to have stabilised. However, president Kassym Tokayev carried on removing suspected opponents from the countrys security services, with 2 more top-level officials dismissed. They were the deputies of the former head of the National Security Committee, Karim Masimov, dismissed and arrested last week on charges of treason. Masimov was an ally of former president Nursultan Nazarbaev. The latter stepped down in 2019, but he preserved control on key posts until a few days ago. The crisis in Kazakhstan started early this month, after gas prices were raised. The originally peaceful protests quickly spiralled into violent clashes resulting in human casualties and many buildings damaged, especially in the countrys economic centre Almaty. Thousands were arrested. Tokaev requested and received the support of a military alliance headed by Russia, whose troops are currently protecting strategic sites in Kazakhstan.

TALKS Talks are held in Geneva, Switzerland today by US and Russian officials over the situation in Ukraine. The parties have voiced reserves with respect to a prospective compromise. Russia said on Friday it would not yield to pressure, and warned that talks may be suspended, while Washington said hopes for success were rather low. The talks take place amid worries over Russias military build-up close to its border with Ukraine and fears that Moscow may once again attack the country, after having occupied and annexed Crimea in 2014. Ukraine is seeking NATO membership, but Moscow wants guarantees that NATO would not continue to expand eastwards. The meeting in Geneva will be followed this week by talks between Russian and NATO officials in Brussels, while an OSCE meeting due in Vienna is also scheduled to focus on the situation in Ukraine.

HANDBALL Romanias national mens handball team qualified into the second round of the 2023 World Championship qualifiers, after defeating the Republic of Moldova 33-23, on Sunday night, at home in Cluj-Napoca, in the last match of the first preliminary round, Group 3. In the previous group matches, Romania defeated Israel 33-30, which in turn beat Moldova 42-31. Romania came out 1st with 6 points, followed by Israel (4), Moldova (2), and Cyprus, (0). Cyprus was unable to take part in the tournament because of a COVID-19 outbreak in its team, and all its games were forfeited with a score of 10-0 for the opposing team. The top 2 teams in each group moved into the second round of the qualifiers. Four times a world champion, Romania has so far taken part in 14 mens handball World Championships, but its last participation dates back to 2011. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

10 January 2022
January 8, 2022 UPDATE

CORONAVIRUS — A little over 6 thousand new cases of Covid-19 were reported in Romania on Saturday and 26 related deaths. Around 400 patients are in intensive care. Almost 7.9 million people have been fully vaccinated, accounting for more than 40% of the eligible population. Face masks are again mandatory both indoors and outdoors as of Saturday, when the state of alert was extended by another 30 days and the use of textile and plastic masks was no longer permitted due to their very low efficiency. Only surgical and FFP2 masks are allowed. A 5-day quarantine is required for vaccinated people or people who had the disease in the last 180 days as well as a 10-day quarantine period for all other persons. The same rules apply to direct contacts of people who test positive to the virus. Unvaccinated persons who have not had the disease in the past six months will be quarantined for 10 days if they travel to Romania from EU countries in the red zone and from non-European areas. Vaccinated people from outside the EU who present a negative PCR test conducted 72 hours in advance will not have to quarantine.

DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu will hold consultations on Monday with his Pakistani counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureschi during an official visit the latter will pay to Romania on January 9 and 10, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The visit is held in the context of a positive dynamic in bilateral ties, and of the vital support that Pakistan granted to Romania in August and September 2021, in its effort to evacuate from Afghanistan Romanian citizens, citizens of allied countries and 156 Afghan citizens at risk. A cooperation accord will be signed between Romania’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Pakistan’s Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry as well as a framework cooperation agreement for an exchange of scholarships between the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and the University in Islamabad.

NATO — Every country, irrespective of size or geography, has the fundamental right to decide on its path and the alliances it wants to join, NATO Deputy Secretary General, the Romanian Mircea Geoana said on Friday evening, after an extraordinary virtual meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC). The meeting, held at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, focused on Russia’s military build-up in and around Ukraine and on broader European security issues. Ministers stressed that any further aggression against Ukraine would have significant consequences and called on Russia to give up its aggressive rhetoric against its neighbours, withdraw its troops from Ukraine and choose the path of dialogue and peace. The meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers comes ahead of a series of diplomatic engagements next week with Russia, including a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council on January 12.

KAZAKHSTAN – Authorities in Kazakhstan have detained Karim Massimov, the former head of the national security committee, on suspicion of treason, the security committee said on Saturday, Reuters reports. Massimov, who was fired this week as protests raged across the Central Asian country, was detained along with several other officials. The largest country in Central Asia has been shaken by protests that broke out on Sunday in the west of the territory, because of the increase in the price of liquefied gas, and spread to the economic capital Almaty, where the demonstrations turned into a riot against the Power, and protesters stormed official buildings. The head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Friday authorized security forces to fire at protesters and, supported by Russia, ruled out any negotiations with them. A military contingent from Russia and other Moscow allied countries was dispatched on Thursday in Kazakhstan to support the government and security forces. Authorities have announced that more than 4,000 people have been arrested. Tens of protesters have been killed, the BBC reports.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep qualified on Friday for the final of the Melbourne Summer Set 1 tournament. She defeated the Chinese Qinwen Zheng (19 years old, 126 WTA), in two sets. Halep will play the final against the Russian Veronika Kudermetova, after Naomi Osaka of Japan withdrew before today’s semifinal. Halep defeated Kudermetova in both games played against her before. This is Halep’s 41st singles’ final of her career. She has won 22 finals so far. (EE)

8 January 2022
08.01.2022

Covid en Roumanie – Un
peu plus de 6 000 nouveaux cas d’infection au virus SARS – CoV – 2 en 24 heures
ont été ont été rapportés samedi en Roumanie. 26 décès ont également été
rapportés. 400 malades sont en réanimation. Près de 7,9 millions de personnes
ont été vaccinés au schéma complet, soit 40% de la population éligible du pays.
A partir de ce samedi, le port du masque médical est à nouveau obligatoire au niveau national dans tous les
espaces fermés et ouverts, suite à la prolongation de l’état d’alerte pour une
nouvelle période de 30 jours. Les masques textiles et en plastique ne sont plus
permis, mais uniquement les masques chirurgicaux et de type FFP2. A partir
d’aujourd’hui d’autres mesures de gestion de la 5e vague de l’épidémie entrent
en vigueur. Les institutions, les autorités publiques et les opérateurs
économiques doivent assurer à l’entrée dans leurs immeubles un triage
épidémiologique et la désinfection obligatoire des mains. Par ailleurs, la
période de quarantaine a été réduite de 14 à 5 jours pour les personnes
vaccinées ou bien ayant été infectées au cours des derniers six mois, alors que
pour les personnes non-vaccinées, la période quarantaine est de 10 jours. Les
personnes malades observeront une quarantaine de 7 jours. Les voyageurs
non-vaccinés et qui n’ont pas été infectés au cours des derniers 6 mois seront
placés en quarantaine pendant 10 jours, s’ils arrivent depuis des Etats de l’espace
communautaire en zone rouge et de l’espace non-européen. Les seules à ne pas
être placées en quarantaine sont les personnes vaccinées qui arrivent depuis l’extérieur
de l’UE et qui présentent le résultat négatif d’un test de dépistage RT PCR,
effectué dans un délai de 72 heures avant le voyage.

OTAN – Tout Etat, quel que
soit sa taille et sa géographie, a le droit fondamental de décider de son
chemin et des alliances dont il souhaite faire partie, a déclaré l’adjoint du
secrétaire général de l’OTAN, le roumain Mircea Geoana, vendredi soir, à
l’issue de la réunion extraordinaire des ministres des Affaires Etrangères de
l’OTAN. Selon le responsable de l’Alliance, les participants à la réunion ont
évalué les implications pour la sécurité européenne de la mobilisation
« injustifiée et non-provoquée » par les forces de la Fédération de
Russie aux frontières de l’Ukraine. Ils ont appelé la Russie à renoncer à la rhétorique
« agressive » à l’adresse de ses voisins, à retirer ses forces
militaires, à détendre la situation créée et à privilégier la voie du dialogue
et de la paix. « Le Conseil OTAN -
Russie du 12 janvier constituera une opportunité pour la Russie de démontrer
son désir réel pour le dialogue, la diplomatie et le respect des engagements et
des normes internationales. Nous ne ferons aucun compromis face aux principes
fondamentaux de la sécurité et de la sécurité européenne, consenties par le
Traité de Washington » a écrit Mircea Geoana sur Facebook. Une réunion
de la Commission OTAN – Ukraine sera convoquée la semaine prochaine, tout comme
d’autres consultations avec d’autres partenaires clé, tel la Géorgie, la
République de Moldova, la Finlande, la Suède et l’UE.

Kazakhstan – L’ex président kazakh Noursoultan Nazarbaiev appelle la population à soutenir le gouvernement pour faire face a la crise que traverse le pays, a déclaré samedi son porte-parole, selon l’AFP. Le Kazakhstan, plus grand pays d’Asie centrale, est ébranlé par une contestation qui a éclaté dimanche en province avant de s’étendre à d’autres villes et surtout a Almaty, la capitale économique, ou les manifestations ont viré en émeutes chaotiques et meurtrières. L’appel de l’ex président Noursoultan Nazarbaiev intervient alors qu’un de ses alliés proches, Karim Kajymkanouli Massimov, ancien Premier ministre, a été arrêté pour trahison après avoir été démis de ses fonctions de chef du Comité national de sécurité (KNB) comme conséquence des émeutes déclenchées par une hausse du prix du gaz. Le KNB a indiqué samedi que M. Massimov avait été placé en détention jeudi après le lancement d’une enquête pour haute trahison. Le chef de l’Etat, Kassym-Jomart Tokaiev, a autorisé vendredi les forces de sécurité a tirer pour tuer afin d’étouffer toute rébellion et, fort de l’appui de la Russie, a exclu de négocier avec les manifestants. Un contingent de troupes russes et d’autres pays alliés de Moscou sont arrivées jeudi au Kazakhstan pour appuyer le pouvoir en place en protégeant les bâtiments stratégiques et en épaulant les forces de l’ordre.

Diplomatie – Le ministre roumain des AE, Bogdan Aurescu, rencontrera lundi son homologue du Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, pour des pourparlers politiques dans le cadre de la visite officielle que celui-ci effectue les 9 et 10 janvier en Roumanie. Cette visite se déroule dans le contexte d’une dynamique positive enregistrée récemment dans les relations bilatérales, y compris pour ce qui est de « l’appui essentiel » que le Pakistan a accordé aux efforts de la Roumanie d’évacuation d’Afghanistan de ses propres citoyens, de ressortissants d’autres Etats alliés et de 156 ressortissants afghans en situation de risque durant les mois d’août et de septembre 2021. Un accord de coopération entre la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Roumanie et l’Association des Chambres de Commerce et d’industrie du Pakistan sera signé à cette occasion. S’y ajoutera un accord de coopération qui prévoit un échange de bourses entre l’Université Polytechnique de Bucarest et l’Université d’Islamabad.

Tennis – La joueuse roumaine de tennis, Simona Halep s’est qualifiée aujourd’hui dans la finale du tournoi de Melbourne Summer Set 1, après avoir disposé en deux sets de la chinoiseQinwen Zheng. Halep, deuxième favorite affrontera dans le dernier acte la sportive russe Veronika Kudermetova, qui a bénéficie du retrait de la Japonaise Naomi Osaka, avant la demi-finale de samedi. Simona s’est imposée dans les deux matchs antérieurs contre Kudermetova. Pour Halep c’est la 41e finale de sa carrière de simple. La Roumaine en a remporté 22.

Handball – La sélection nationale de handball de Roumanie a débuté par une victoire dans le 3e groupe de la première phase des préliminaires du Championnat du monde de l’année prochaine sur le score de 33 à 30 contre Israël, vendredi dans la soirée à Cluj dans le centre-ouest du pays. La Roumanie s’est assurée pratiquement la qualification dans la phase suivante de la compétition. Dimanche la Roumanie rencontre la République de Moldova.

Météo – Les météorologues ont émis aujourd’hui une alerte code jaune aux chutes de neige et aux tempêtes de neige sur 14 départements de l’ouest du nord-ouest et du sud-ouest du pays, valable jusqu’à dimanche matin. Des chutes de neige sont prévues et une couche moyenne de 10 à 15 centimètres se posera sur ces territoires. Sur les Carpates Occidentales, sur l’ouest des Carpates Méridionales et sur le nord des Carpates Orientales les chutes de neige seront abondantes. Des précipitations mixtes et des pluies verglaçantes sont attendues. Les maxima iront de 0 à 9 degrés. Temps morose à Bucarest aussi avec des maximas de 2 degrés seulement.

8 January 2022
January 7, 2022 UPDATE

CORONAVIRUS — In Bucharest, the head of the Department for Emergencies, Raed Arafat, announced after a meeting of the National Committee for Emergencies on Friday that the quarantine periods would be reduced as of Saturday. A 5-day quarantine will be required for vaccinated people or people who had the disease in the last 180 days and a 10-day quarantine period for all other persons. The same rules will apply to direct contacts of people who test positive to the virus. The state of alert has been extended by the Government by another 30 days starting on Saturday and the use of textile or plastic masks is no longer permitted due to their very low efficiency. Only surgical or FFP2 masks are allowed. Almost 6 thousand new cases of Covid-19 were announced on Friday and 31 related deaths in 24 hours. Almost 8 million people have been fully vaccinated in Romania.

KAZAKSTAN — Western countries and organisations have called for an end to the violence in Kazakhstan, after the country’s president said he ordered security forces to “fire without warning”, amid a violent crackdown on anti-government protests. The North Atlantic Alliance is worried about the developments in the former Soviet state, said Javier Colomina, NATO Secretary Generals Special Representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia. NATO called for restraint and calm and asked the authorities to respect the citizens’ right to peaceful protests. The German Government said that violence can never be an appropriate response and shooting civilians is not an option. The largest country in Central Asia is shaken by protests that broke out on Sunday in the west of the territory, because of the increase in the price of liquefied gas, and spread to the economic capital Almaty, where the demonstrations turned into a riot against the Power, and protesters stormed official buildings. At the request of the Kazakh government, Moscow, Belarus and Armenia sent troops while China voiced its support for the authorities.

CELEBRATION – Some 2 million Romanians celebrated their name day on Friday, when the Orthodox marked Saint John the Baptist feast day. St. John is considered the most important prophet, the one who makes the connection between the Old and New Testaments. He prophesied the coming to earth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, baptized Him, and revealed Him to the world as the Messiah. This day marked the end of the winter holidays.

DJOKOVIC – The Australian Interior Minister Karen Andrews said that Novak Djokovic was not being held captive and could leave the country whenever he wanted, while the famous Serbian tennis player spent the night in a Melbourne immigrant detention hotel and his lawyers were fighting against his deportation. The players father, Srdjan Djokovic, has accused the Canberra government of imprisoning his son and wanting to humiliate him, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says the player is the victim of political persecution. Novak Djokovic, winner of the Australian Open, was detained at the airport in Melbourne after arriving in Australia on Wednesday, on grounds that there were issues with his entry visa. The tennis player had received a vaccination exemption against Covid-19 from the tournament organizers to compete in the event scheduled for January 17, but this was not enough for the border officials, who cancelled his visa saying that Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet entry requirements into Australia. Novak Djokovic is awaiting a court ruling on whether he can stay in Australia after his team of lawyers challenged his visa cancellation.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep qualified on Friday for the semifinals of the Melbourne Summer Set 1 tournament. She defeated the Swiss Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Simona Halep (aged 30, 20 WTA) will face in the penultimate act the Chinese Qinwen Zheng (19 years old, 126 WTA). Another Romanian – Irina Begu – was, instead, defeated by the American Amanda Anisimova (2-6, 6-3, 6-2) in the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Summer Set 2 tournament. However, Irina Begu is qualified for the doubles semifinals, together with the Serbian Nina Stojanovic. On Saturday, the two will take on the second-seeded pair made up of Bernarda Pera (USA) / Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic). (EE)

7 January 2022
07/01/2022

Coronavirus en Roumanie — La cabinet de Bucarest a approuvé la prolongation de l’état d’alerte à commencer par le 8 janvier et l’introduction de mesures supplémentaires visant à combattre la pandémie de Covid-19. Il sera de nouveau obligatoire de porter des masques en intérieur comme à l’extérieur. En plus, les masques textiles ou en plastique ne sont plus autorisés, mais seulement ceux de type médical ou FFP2, à niveau de protection plus élevé. Entre temps, en Roumanie, le nombre des infections au Covid-19 a quadruplé par rapport à la semaine dernière. Ainsi, vendredi, les autorités ont annoncé 5 922 nouveaux cas de personnes infectées au SARS-CoV-2 et 31 décès en l’espace de 24 h. Par ailleurs, près de 8 millions de personnes ont été entièrement vaccinées dans ce pays, soit un peu plus de 40 % de la population éligible. Détails après nos infos.

Réunion – Le chef de la diplomatie roumaine, Bogdan Aurescu, participe aujourd’hui à la réunion extraordinaire des ministres des Affaires étrangères des États de l’OTAN, organisée en visioconférence. Les débats portent sur la situation sécuritaire dans le Voisinage oriental et à la mer Noire, engendrée par le déploiement massif de troupes russes à proximité de l’Ukraine et ses implications sur la stabilité euro-atlantique dans son ensemble. Selon le ministère des Affaires étrangères, Bogdan Aurescu soulignera, entre autres, la nécessité de poursuivre les efforts visant à renforcer la posture alliée de dissuasion et de défense sur l’ensemble du Flanc est, y compris et en particulier dans la région de la mer Noire. Il va réitérer également le soutien de Bucarest à la souveraineté et à l’intégrité territoriale de l’Ukraine, dans le cadre de ses frontières internationalement reconnues. La réunion ministérielle a été convoquée par le secrétaire général de l’OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg.

Kazakhstan – Le président du Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokaev, a déclaré aujourd’hui que l’ordre constitutionnel avait été rétabli en général dans ce pays après plusieurs jours de manifestations sans précédent. Dans un communiqué séparé, le ministère kazakh de l’Intérieur a annoncé que 26 « criminels armés avaient été liquidés » et que plus de 3 000 avaient été arrêtés. Toujours selon le ministère, 18 policiers et membres de la garde nationale ont été tués depuis le début des manifestations. Les médias internationaux notent, cependant, qu’Internet et la téléphonie mobile sont coupés au Kazakhstan, donc les chiffres sont difficiles à vérifier. Le plus grand pays d’Asie centrale est secoué par des manifestations qui ont éclaté dimanche dans l’ouest, après une hausse des prix du gaz liquéfié, et se sont étendues à la capitale économique Almaty, où les manifestations se sont transformées en soulèvement contre le pouvoir, et des manifestants sont entrés dans les bâtiments officiels. A la demande d’aide du gouvernement kazakh, Moscou a envoyé des troupes. Les États-Unis ont mis en garde contre toute violation des droits de l’homme. L’Union européenne s’est également dite préoccupée par l’évolution de la situation au Kazakhstan. Selon le ministère des Affaires étrangères de Bucarest, les cent Roumains présents au Kazakhstan sont en sécurité.

Saint Jean – Près de 2 millions de Roumains fêtent leur saint patron aujourd’hui, lors de la Saint Jean-Baptiste — ou Saint Jean – célébrée par l’Église orthodoxe (majoritaire) le 7 janvier. Saint Jean est considéré le prophète le plus important, celui qui fait le lien entre l’Ancien et le Nouveau Testament. Il a prédit la venue sur terre de Jésus-Christ, Fils de Dieu, l’a baptisé et l’a présenté au monde comme le Messie. Ce jour marque la fin des fêtes d’hiver.

Tennis – La joueuse de tennis roumaine Simona Halep s’est qualifiée aujourd’hui dans les demi-finales du tournoi Melbourne Summer Set 1. Elle a battu la Suissesse Viktorija Golubic par 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Simona Halep, 30 ans, 20e au classement WTA, affrontera la Chinoise Qinwen Zheng (19 ans, 126e) dans l’avant-dernier acte du tournoi. Une autre Roumaine – Irina Begu – a essuyé une défaite par l’Américaine Amanda Anisimova par 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 dans les quarts de finale du Melbourne Summer Set 2. Irina Begu se qualifie toutefois pour les demi-finales de double avec la Serbe Nina Stojanovic, et elles affronteront samedi les têtes de série n° 2 Bernarda Pera (États-Unis)/Katerina Siniakova (République tchèque).

Météo – Le temps est en refroidissement aujourd’hui, plus marqué dans les régions du sud et du sud-est de la Roumanie ; ainsi, sur l’ensemble du pays, les températures sont comparables aux moyennes pluriannuelles de saison. Le ciel est variable dans la moitié nord, et pour le reste, les nuages persistent et par endroits il pleut. A la montagne, en grande partie dans les massifs du sud, il neige. Le vent est faible à modéré, plus intense dans le sud. Les maximales se situent entre -1 et 8 °C. 3 petits degrés sous la pluie à Bucarest.

7 January 2022
January 7, 2022

Covid-19Ro. The Romanian Government has approved an extension of the state of alert by 30 days, starting tomorrow, when additional anti-Covid protection measures also come into force. The most important measure is that wearing a protective mask will again be mandatory both indoors and outdoors. In addition, textile or plastic masks are no longer allowed, only surgical and FFP2 masks, which ensure a higher degree of protection. Meanwhile, in Romania, the number of Covid-19 cases has more than quadrupled since a week ago. Authorities have today reported 5,922 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection and 31 deaths in 24 hours. On the other hand, almost 8 million people have been fully vaccinated in Romania, which is a little over 40% of the eligible population.

NATO. The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, is attending today the extraordinary meeting of the NATO heads of diplomacy, held via videoconference. The debates focus on the security situation in the Eastern Neighborhood and the Black Sea generated by the massive deployment of Russian troops in the vicinity of Ukraine and the implications for Euro-Atlantic stability as a whole. According to the MFA, Minister Aurescu will emphasize, among other things, the need to continue efforts to strengthen the Allied position of deterrence and defense on the entire Eastern Flank, in particular in the Black Sea region. At the same time, he will reiterate Bucharests support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders. The ministerial meeting was convened by the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Kazakhstan. Kazakhstans President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has stated today that constitutional order has been largely restored in the country after several days of unprecedented protests. In a separate statement, the Kazakh Interior Ministry has announced that 26 “armed criminals have been liquidated” and more than 3,000 have been arrested. According to the Ministry, 18 policemen and members of the National Guard were killed in the protests. However, the international press notes that the internet and mobile telephony are disrupted in Kazakhstan, so the figures are difficult to verify. The largest country in Central Asia is shaken by protests that broke out on Sunday in the west of the territory, because of the increase in the price of liquefied gas, and spread to the economic capital Almaty, where the demonstrations turned into a riot against the Power, and protesters stormed official buildings. At the request of the Kazakh government, Moscow sent troops. The United States has warned against any violation of human rights. The European Union is also concerned about the recent developments in Kazakhstan. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, the approximately 100 Romanians in Kazakhstan are safe.

Djokovic. The Australian Interior Minister Karen Andrews said that Novak Djokovic was not being held captive and could leave the country whenever he wanted, while the famous Serbian tennis player spent the night in a Melbourne immigrant detention hotel and his lawyers were fighting against his deportation. The players father, Srdjan Djokovic, has accused the Canberra government of imprisoning his son and wanting to humiliate him, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says the player is the victim of political persecution. Novak Djokovic, winner of the Australian Open, was detained at the airport in Melbourne after arriving in Australia on Wednesday, on grounds that there were issues with his entry visa. The tennis player had received a vaccination exemption against Covid-19 from the tournament organizers to compete in the event scheduled for January 17, but this was not enough for the border officials, who cancelled his visa saying that Djokovic failed to provide appropriate evidence to meet entry requirements into Australia. Novak Djokovic is awaiting a court ruling on whether he can stay in Australia after his team of lawyers challenged his visa cancellation.

Celebration. Some 2 million Romanians are celebrating their name day today, which is the Saint John the Baptist feast day in the Orthodox Calendar. St. John is considered the most important prophet, the one who makes the connection between the Old and New Testaments. He prophesied the coming to earth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, baptized Him, and revealed Him to the world as the Messiah. This day marks the end of the winter holidays.

Tennis. Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has qualified for the semifinals of the Melbourne Summer Set 1 tournament, with almost 240 thousand American dollars in prize money. She defeated the Swiss Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Simona Halep (aged 30, 20 WTA) will face in the penultimate act the Chinese Qinwen Zheng (19 years old, 126 WTA). Another Romanian – Irina Begu – was, instead, defeated by the American Amanda Anisimova (2-6, 6-3, 6-2) in the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Summer Set 2 tournament. However, Irina Begu is qualified for the doubles semifinals, together with the Serbian Nina Stojanovic. On Saturday, the two will take on the second-seeded pair made up of Bernarda Pera (USA) / Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic). (MI)

7 January 2022
January 6, 2022

EPIPHANY – Christians in Romania celebrate the Epiphany today, one of the most important religious holidays in the country. This holiday marks the day when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. On this day, priests hold special services and distribute holy water, called agheasma, to believers. The believers use it to bless their houses, goods, and animals, as it is believed that this blessed water has miraculous powers and protects them. They also drink the water every morning, for eight days. Because this holiday involves the participation of numerous people, in all the churches across Romania, measures were taken to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. Winter holidays in Romania are due to end on Friday with a festivity celebrating the birth of St. John the Baptist.

PROTESTS — Trade unionists with ALRO Slatina, in southern Romania, the largest aluminium plant in Central and Eastern Europe, have today taken to the streets in protest at the leadership’s decision to reduce production due to the energy crisis. According to protesters, more than 1,000 employees risk being laid off. Protests were also held at the aluminium plant in Tulcea, in the south-east, over the growing energy prices. The plant has already reduced production and the workers fear they may lose their jobs. In another development, the Social Democratic party (in power) has announced it will ask for a revision of the legislation regarding the protection of citizens from the constant increase in the energy and gas prices.

EDUCATION – The Romanian students’ associations have announced they will protest in front of the Education Ministry in Bucharest today and will challenge in Court the Minister’s order that leaves 730,000 of them without scholarships. The National Students’ Council have condemned the measure by which the education ministry decided to deprive tens of thousands of children of their right to education. The threshold for a merit scholarship was raised from 8.5 to 9.5, a criterion that students see as ineffective and unfair. Students also want the new criterion to be enforced only starting next year. In his turn, Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu has recently said that during the classes held online due to the pandemic, grades were distorted so that 50% of Romania’s students could have received merit scholarships.

CORONAVIRUS — The number of Covid-19 infections in Romania has increased four times as against last week. More than 6 thousand cases have been announced today, as the Romanian authorities are getting ready for the 5th wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of patients are in intensive care. The Department for Emergency Situations passed a decision that reintroduces compulsory face covering both outdoors and indoors. Also, only surgical masks or FFP2 masks can be used, as they provide better protection than cloth masks. Other restrictions will be reintroduced, depending on the number of new infections. The infection rate per one thousand people is on the increase in most counties and in Bucharest, and it stands at 0.67 at national level.

KAZAKHSTAN – Russia sent paratroopers into Kazakhstan on Thursday to quell a countrywide uprising after deadly violence spread across the former Soviet state, Reuters reports. Authorities said they had killed dozens of rioters in the main city Almaty, while13 members of the security forces had died, including two who had been decapitated. According to Reuters, a presidential residence and the mayors office were both ablaze. As the Internet had been shut down across the country the full extent of the violence was impossible to confirm. Protests started after a sudden increase in fuel prices but spread rapidly, taking authorities by surprise. Romania’s diplomatic personnel in Almaty is safe and the diplomatic mission in Kazakhstan is in touch with those almost 100 Romanian citizens in this country, mostly experts working in private companies, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced.

HANDBALL – Romanias mens national handball team is training for the preliminary qualifying tournament of the World Championship, on home turf in Cluj-Napoca (northwest). Between January 7-9, 2022, the Romanians will take on the national teams of Israel, Cyprus and the Republic of Moldova. Last week, Romania played, also in Cluj, two training matches with the Turkish national team, and won both of them. The friendly matches replaced in the program of the two teams a new edition of the traditional Carpathian Trophy, which was canceled, as several members of the Swiss and Iranian teams tested positive for Covid-19. The coach of the Romanian team is the famous Spanish Xavi Pasqual, who won the Champions League with Barcelona three times. (EE)

6 January 2022
July 27, 2017

LEGISLATION – The Government of Romania is discussing today a bill on vaccination, which lays down responsibilities for the authorities, healthcare staff and parents. The bill is designed to regulate the organisation and financing of vaccination in Romania, and to raise awareness on the benefits, safety, quality and possible adverse reactions of vaccines. The bill also provides for a national reserve stock covering at least the annual vaccine needs, with doses valid for at least one and a half years. The bill was drafted after the large number of measles cases and deaths caused by this disease prompted the World Health Organisation to include Romania in the 5 countries that total over 80% of the number of cases reported worldwide. We have more on this after the news.

MOLDOVA – The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova has dismissed today as unconstitutional an order signed by the pro-Russian Socialist President Igor Dodon regarding a planned referendum in September. The Court president, Tudor Panţâru, quoted by Radio Romania correspondents in Chişinău, said that by signing that order Dodon breached the Constitution. According to the order, the referendum scheduled for September 24 was designed to give the President increased powers in order to dismantle Parliament and call early elections. The Moldovan pro-European Liberals challenged the order and notified the Constitutional Court.

EXPO 2017 – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, is on a visit to Kazakhstan today and tomorrow, to take part in the official ceremony occasioned by Romanias Day at “Expo 2017 Astana. Future Energy and to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry, during the visit Teodor Meleşcanu will have political talks with his counterpart, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, and meetings with officials and lawmakers in Kazakhstan. He will also visit Karaganda region, home to an important Romanian community. Expo 2017 Astana brings together participants from 114 countries and is due to end on September 10. Romanias stand will present the most powerful laser in the world, which is currently being built in Magurele, southern Romania.

JUSTICE – The Romanian Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, discussed the progress in implementing the recommendations of the latest Cooperation and Verification Mechanism report, during a meeting with the first vice-president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, in Brussels on Wednesday. Tudorel Toader emphasised that reforms in the judiciary will be operated in a transparent manner, based on public debates and consultations, and will follow the regular parliamentary procedure. In turn, Timmermans appreciated the major progress made by Romania in reforming its judicial system and fighting corruption, and said Brussels was expecting further improvement in this respect.

ART – As part of a Romanian-American cultural exchange project, the National Museum of Maps and Old Books in Bucharest and Blue Hill Art and Cultural Center put together an exhibition on contemporary American printmakers. The exhibition includes 34 works by 11 American artists, and the opening ceremony takes place today in Bucharest.

FOOTBALL – The 3 Romanian teams taking part in Europa League are playing tonight, on home turf, in the first leg of the competitions third preliminary round. Universitatea Craiova takes on the Italian side AC Milan, Dinamo Bucharest plays against Athletic Bilbao, and Astra Giurgiu against the Ukrainian team FK Oleksandria. On Wednesday night, Romanian champions FC Viitorul Constanţa defeated APOEL Nicosia 1-0, in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the Champions League. On Tuesday, in the same stage of the competition, vice-champions FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) drew at home, 2-2, against the Czech side FC Viktoria Plzen. The second leg is scheduled for next week.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

27 July 2017