Radio România Internațional

Tag: Naomi Osaka

  • January 28, 2019

    January 28, 2019

    FLU – In Romania, 43
    people have died from the flu this winter, Romanian authorities have announced.
    Some 3 million pupils have resumed school today, after on Friday all classes
    were suspended, over flu scare. Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu has
    announced that classes will not be suspended this week, as it is the last in
    the first semester of the school year. Authorities will soon decide whether to
    declare flu epidemic at national level, given the alarming increase in the
    number of cases across the country.




    EU COUNCIL – The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea,
    is attending in Brussels the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the first
    during the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. According to a
    communiqué issued by the Ministry, the main topic on the agenda is the Common
    Agricultural Policy 2020. ‘The Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU aims
    to help ensure European convergence and cohesion, with a view to ensuring a
    sustainable and fair development for all the citizens of the Member States by
    increasing competitiveness and bridging development gaps, the communiqué also
    reads.




    DATA PRIVACY – The National Supervisory Authority for
    Personal Data Processing is organizing in Bucharest today, on the European Data
    Privacy Day, the conference titled Ensuring the Observance of the GDPR. The
    event is held under the auspices of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of
    the EU. The European Data Privacy Day is celebrated on January 28th
    by all the countries members of the Council of Europe and celebrates the
    adoption in 1981, in Strasbourg, of the Convention for the Protection of
    Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data. 43 European
    states have joined the international convention, as wells as countries from
    other continents. Tiberiu Gandu, the Executive Director of the National
    Association of Telecommunications and Internet Providers, has stated that, in
    terms of personal data protection, the EU has the strongest regulation in the
    world.




    BUDGET – Romania’s
    consolidated budget at the end of last year registered a deficit of 2.88% of
    the GDP, just like in the previous year, according to data published on Monday
    by the Finance Ministry. Budget revenues were 17.2% higher than 2017. Budget
    spending was 16.8% higher than in 2017, due in particular to staff expenses,
    which were 23.7% higher that in the previous year. The 2019 draft budget has
    not been presented by the Government yet.




    WEATHER – Weather
    in Romania is getting warmer, after days of extreme phenomena affecting the
    capital Bucharest and 20 counties. According to the latest report, presented
    today by the Interior Ministry, some 8,000 fire-fighters, police officers and gendarmes
    were deployed across the country to intervene in extreme situations. Some 2,200
    trees and 44 electricity poles fell and damaged 360 vehicles. According to a
    communiqué issued by the Energy Ministry, there are some 22,000 households still
    with no electricity, especially in the south and east of the country. Traffic
    has been resumed and is now normal on all motorways and national roads.




    MOLDOVA – The
    Moldovan branch of Amnesty International has today voiced concern over the high
    risk of violation of the electoral law and the international conventions that
    the Republic of Moldova is a party to, Radio Chisinau reports. According to an
    Amnesty International release, several candidates have reported cases of police
    failing to intervene in cases of harassment and aggression perpetrated by alleged
    sympathizers of their opponents’ political parties. The announcement has been
    made given that parliamentary elections are due in the Republic of Moldova on
    February 24th.

    TENNIS – The Japanese Naomi Osaka, who has recently
    won the Australian Open, is the new number one in the WTA rankings. The
    Romanian Simona Halep has stepped down to the third place. Osaka, aged 21, is
    the first Asian player to become leader in the tennis professional circuit.
    Second in the rankings comes the Check player Petra Kvitova, a finalist in the
    Australian Open, with 700 more points that Halep. Romania still has 6 players
    in the top 100. In the men’s rankings, the Romanian Marius Copil has gone up to
    the 56th position, the best in his career.





  • January 26, 2019 UPDATE

    January 26, 2019 UPDATE

    WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued a new code yellow alert against freezing rain and icing valid for 6 counties in south-eastern Romania and the capital city, Bucharest, as well as warnings against freezing rain for the south and the southwest, and against gusty wind and snowfalls for the mountainous regions, valid until Sunday. 16 counties and the city of Bucharest have been affected by freezing rain and precipitations. In Bucharest, scores of trees have been broken or uprooted because of freezing rain and tens of cars have been damaged, the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations has announced. Electricity has been disrupted because of unfavourable weather conditions, with 120,000 people being left without electricity in some 200 towns and villages. Bad weather has also affected road traffic, several segments of highway and national roads having been temporarily closed because of icing and blizzard. Railway and air traffic has also been severely disrupted. Trains failed to arrive on time and many flights have been cancelled or delayed on Henri Coanda Airport near Bucharest as well as on other airports across the country because of aircraft de-icing procedures. Tens of people slipping on snow or ice have been taken to hospital for care, with injuries and bone fractures. Over 12,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry, policemen, fire-fighters and gendarmes have been mobilised to intervene immediately and support the population. As of Sunday noon, temperatures will slightly go up all across the country. The highs will range between minus 3 and plus 7 degrees Celsius.



    FLU – The Romanian Health Ministry will decide next week whether or not to declare a flu epidemic in Romania, after a growing number of flu virus infections and deaths in recent times. The authorities have announced that 39 people have succumbed to the flu this season. The line minister, Sorina Pintea, on Tuesday called on the National Public Health Institute to make public data on the situation at national level and said the ministry will declare the outbreak of a flu epidemic if reported data confirm for a third week the epidemic scale of the flu. Doctors continue to recommend vaccination as well as going to a GP when noticing symptoms similar to flu infections. As regards the suspension of classes in schools and high-schools because of the rising number of flu cases, the health minister said each school can file a request to that end, if the rate of absenteeism exceeds 20%.



    VENEZUELA – The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy,
    Federica Mogherini, on Saturday urged Venezuela to hold free, transparent and
    credible presidential elections to elect a government that truly represents the
    will of its citizens. In the absence of an announcement on the organization of
    fresh elections with the necessary guarantees over the next few days, the EU
    will take further actions, including on the issue of recognition of the
    country’s leadership in line with article 233 of the Venezuelan constitution,
    Mogherini said in a statement. Mogherini’s message comes after the coordinated
    ultimatums from Madrid,
    Paris, Berlin, London and Lisbon, which gave 8 days to the incumbent president
    Nicolas Maduro to call for early elections, or they will recognize his
    opponent, Juan Guaido, as ”president” of Venezuela if he does not do that in
    this time span. On Saturday, the Venezuela file was on the agenda of a UN Security
    Council meeting, convened at the request of the USA. US Secretary of State, Mike
    Pompeo, urged the Security Council members to support the leader of the opposition
    in Venezuela, Juan Guaido. The latter self-proclaimed interim president on
    Wednesday, enjoying Washington’s support.


    MACEDONIA – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has hailed the signing by the Greek Parliament of the Prespa Agreement which provides for the official change of the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia into the Republic of North Macedonia. The Romanian Foreign Ministry says Fridays vote in the Parliament in Athens, alongside the one in the Parliament in Skopje, on January 11, stand proof of both sides commitment to normalise bilateral relations and contributes significantly to giving a new dynamics to the Western Balkans European and Euro-Atlantic perspective. The ratification of the agreement has also been hailed by the USA. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed satisfaction with the approval by the Greek Parliament of the agreement which puts en end to an almost 30 year-long dispute between the two neighbours and opens the way to that small Balkan state towards EU and NATO accession. The agreement has been vehemently contested by numerous Greeks, as Macedonia is also the name of a historical Greek province.



    USA – US President Donald Trump has signed a bill to end federal shutdown and temporarily reopen government. The deal announced on Friday will re-open shuttered federal agencies until February 15. It will enable approximately 800,000 employees affected by the shutdown to resume work and receive payment. In another move, President Trump warned however to impose a fresh shutdown if the Mexico border wall deal is not reached by February 15. The American Senate unanimously passed a funding bill on Friday afternoon. It then went to the House, where it was unanimously approved.



    POLITICS – Former Romanian technocratic PM Dacian Cioloş on Saturday was elected President of the Liberty, Unity and Solidarity Party, PLUS, with a majority of votes. Ciolos said he will only hold a one year mandate, until the leading structures of the party are elected. During his tenure, Ciolos will have responsibilities in building the party and getting good results in the European parliamentary elections scheduled for May. Dacian Ciolos is a former EU Commissioner for Agriculture. He became Prime Minister of Romania in the autumn of 2015, after the resignation tendered by the Ponta cabinet, against the backdrop of wide protests generated by the tragic events of October 30, 2015, when fire ripped through the Colectiv club in Bucharest, killing many innocent lives. Ciolos led the government until the 2016 legislative elections.



    MOLDOVAN ELECTIONS – The electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections of February 24 started in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova on Friday. The elections will be held for the first time based on the so called mixed voting system, that is 50 MPs will be elected on party lists and 51 others in uninominal electoral constituencies, in only one round of voting. Nine parties have already enlisted so far and six have filed the documents at the Central Electoral Committee. According to the opinion polls, the pro-Russian Socialists of President Igor Dodon are in the lead, followed by representatives of the pro-European right and the ruling Democratic Party (left of centre). A referendum on downsizing the number of MPs from 101 to 61 and on introducing the possibility of dismissing MPs will also be held concurrently with the elections.



    AUSTRALIA – Thousands of Australians took part in rallies across the country on Saturday to protest against the so called “Invasion Day, which marks the arrival of the first British settlers in 1788 and which they consider an insult to the indigenous population, FP reports. To many Australians, January 26, when “Australia Day is celebrated, marks the start of oppression against the indigenous population. The protesters, gathered in big cities, have called for changing the date of the national holiday or for simply relinquishing it. Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who is opposed to the change, has said Australia cannot turn its back on its past. In that country, the Aboriginal Australians are most disadvantaged, with a poverty rate much below other communities and also with a reduced access to healthcare.



    TENNIS – Japanese woman tennis player, Naomi Osaka, no.4 WTA on Saturday won the womens final of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, by defeating the Czech Petra Kvitova (no. 6 WTA), in three sets. Osaka, 21, will become no.1 WTA as of Monday, replacing Romanian Simona Halep, who got eliminated in the eighth finals in Melbourne. Osaka is the first woman tennis player from an Asian country to become no.1 in the world. Petra Kvitova will become no.2 WTA, also as of Monday. (Translated by D. Vijeu)