Radio România Internațional

Tag: Open

  • February 27, 2023

    February 27, 2023

    GOLD
    Romanian judoka, Mircea
    Croitoru, on Sunday became gold medalist in the European Open hosted by Polish
    capital Warsaw after having defeated Slovakian Marius Fizel in the finals. The
    Romanian made his debut in the round of sixteen with a win against Daniel
    Udsilauri of Germany and defeated Anto Dubreta of Montenegro in the
    quarterfinals. Next the Romanian outperformed Mohamed Lahboub of Morocco in the
    semifinals. 8 judokas have represented Romania in the tournament, six in the
    men’s contest and two in the women’s. The European Open in Warsaw has brought together
    429 judokas of 43 countries.






    VISIT The president of the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, Marcel Ciolacu
    is paying a two-day formal visit to Azerbaijan in response to an invitation by the
    president of the National Assembly of this country, Sahiba Gafarova. The
    Romanian official has so far held talks with the country’s president Ilham Aliyev
    on three major energy projects, thorough which Romania had the chance of
    becoming an EU gateway for the gas and energy coming from Azerbaijan. The first
    project focuses on the one-year purchase contract for one billion cubic meters
    of gas starting April. The second is about the construction of two terminals for
    liquefied gas on the Black Sea and the third deals with the development of a
    submarine cable carrying green energy from the Caspian Sea to Europe via
    Romania. Also today, Ciolacu will be having talks with Sahiba Gafarova and
    members of the board of the local state-owned gas company SOCAR, known all over
    the world for its production of oil and natural gas.






    SESSION The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies in
    Bucharest are today convening in a joint sitting to mark a year since the
    Russian military aggression against Ukraine. The war broke out in the first
    hours of 24th February 2022, when Russia launched a wave of rockets
    against its neighbour, preceding the three-direction onslaught of its troops.
    The conflict has so far claimed the lives of tens of thousands. Several cities
    have been destroyed and roughly 8 million people have become war refugees. Part
    of them have transited Romania and even settled here.








    LENT Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers, who are a
    majority in Romania, have today begun the period of Lent, six weeks before
    Easter, which this year is being celebrated on April 16th. Believers
    observing this fasting period must refrain from eating animal-based food, from
    partying and other types of entertainment. Weddings are prohibited during this
    period.






    MEETING The president of the European Commission Ursula von
    der Leyen is today meeting British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in an attempt to
    sign off a revised deal on the Northern Ireland protocol. In a joint statement,
    the two said they would cooperate to solve the dispute caused by the Brexit. For
    Rishi Sunak an agreement would be tantamount to avoiding a trade war with
    Brussels. Better relations are creating new opportunities, such as Britain’s
    access to the EU’s research programme Horizon and its enhanced cooperation with
    France in order to stop human trafficking.








    TALKS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is today paying
    a visit to Luxembourg for talks with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and also to
    attend the European Investment Bank Forum. During the talks with the head of
    the Luxembourgish government, president Iohannis is expected to tackle issues
    related to economic cooperation, particularly in the fields of finance, tourism
    and high technologies but also other topical issues such as the war in Ukraine.
    During the forum of the European Investment Bank, Iohannis is expected to
    deliver a speech over the new global challenges. The Romanian president will be
    holding talks with both the head of the European Investment Bank and the
    European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.


    (bill)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    The Romanian athlete Laura Ilie won the bronze in the 10m air rifle women event of the ISSF World Championship on Saturday in Jakarta, Indonesia. The former European champion got a very good score in the qualifiers, ranking 2nd with 631.4 points, but in the final she came out 3rd, with 260. The gold went to Eszter Meszaros (Hungary), and the silver to Polands Aneta Stankiewicz.



    The Australian Open came to a close on Sunday. The winner of the mens competition was Novak Djokovic, and Arina Sabalenka won the womens competition. Of the Romanian participants, the best performance was Elena-Gabriela Ruses. She reached the semi-finals of the womens doubles, together with Marta Kostiuk of Ukraine. They were defeated in the semis by Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) seed no 1 and winners of this years final as well. But for Ruse and Kostiuk, this was the best performance in a Grand Slam.



    In the Erste Liga, a local ice hockey competition, Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc Sunday defeated the Hungarian side Fehérvár Hockey Académia, 7-3. The Hungarian side also played on Friday, against Corona Braşov, and lost 3-5. Top of the ranking are ACSH Gheorgheni, with 75 points out of 34 matches, followed by Budapest Hockey Académia, with 73 points in 33 matches.



    This weekend also saw football games counting towards the 23rd leg of the Romanian Super League. On Friday, Universitatea Cluj drew at home, 0 – 0, against Rapid Bucharest. On Saturday, CS Mioveni defeated UTA Arad, 2-1, while Chindia Târgovişte managed the same score away from home against Petrolul Ploieşti, and Universitatea Craiova beat FC Hermannstadt, 2-0.



    On Sunday, FC Botoşani outplayed FC Argeş 2-0 and Farul Constanţa won against FCSB, 3-2 after overtime. The game pitting Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe against FC U Craiova was suspended on 26 minutes by the referee Andrei Chivulete, because of anti-Hungarian slogans chanted by the Craiova fans. It was for the first time that a national football championship match was suspended over extremist slogans. Farul Constanta are top of the tables with 48 points, followed by CFR, with 47. (AMP)


  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    The Romanian athlete Laura Ilie won the bronze in the 10m air rifle women event of the ISSF World Championship on Saturday in Jakarta, Indonesia. The former European champion got a very good score in the qualifiers, ranking 2nd with 631.4 points, but in the final she came out 3rd, with 260. The gold went to Eszter Meszaros (Hungary), and the silver to Polands Aneta Stankiewicz.



    The Australian Open came to a close on Sunday. The winner of the mens competition was Novak Djokovic, and Arina Sabalenka won the womens competition. Of the Romanian participants, the best performance was Elena-Gabriela Ruses. She reached the semi-finals of the womens doubles, together with Marta Kostiuk of Ukraine. They were defeated in the semis by Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) seed no 1 and winners of this years final as well. But for Ruse and Kostiuk, this was the best performance in a Grand Slam.



    In the Erste Liga, a local ice hockey competition, Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc Sunday defeated the Hungarian side Fehérvár Hockey Académia, 7-3. The Hungarian side also played on Friday, against Corona Braşov, and lost 3-5. Top of the ranking are ACSH Gheorgheni, with 75 points out of 34 matches, followed by Budapest Hockey Académia, with 73 points in 33 matches.



    This weekend also saw football games counting towards the 23rd leg of the Romanian Super League. On Friday, Universitatea Cluj drew at home, 0 – 0, against Rapid Bucharest. On Saturday, CS Mioveni defeated UTA Arad, 2-1, while Chindia Târgovişte managed the same score away from home against Petrolul Ploieşti, and Universitatea Craiova beat FC Hermannstadt, 2-0.



    On Sunday, FC Botoşani outplayed FC Argeş 2-0 and Farul Constanţa won against FCSB, 3-2 after overtime. The game pitting Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe against FC U Craiova was suspended on 26 minutes by the referee Andrei Chivulete, because of anti-Hungarian slogans chanted by the Craiova fans. It was for the first time that a national football championship match was suspended over extremist slogans. Farul Constanta are top of the tables with 48 points, followed by CFR, with 47. (AMP)


  • January 27, 2023

    January 27, 2023

    ECONOMY
    Romania reports a record-high GDP increase for last year, from EUR 240 bln in 2021 to nearly
    EUR 290 bln, according to the National Strategy and
    Forecast Commission. For this year, however, the institution estimates a
    slow-down of the economic growth from 4.9% in 2022 to 2.8%. The inflation rate
    is also expected to drop significantly by the end of this year, from 16.4% in
    2022 to 8%, and consumption growth is also predicted to drop to 2.4%, compared
    to 4.6% last year. The figures in the winter forecast, made public on Thursday,
    are not different from the ones in the autumn report, released in October.


    HEALTHCARE The number of respiratory infections in Romania dropped last
    week by almost one-quarter compared to the previous week, to 103,000 cases, the
    National Public Health Institute announced. The number is nonetheless 21%
    higher than the average weekly rate in 2015-2020. According to statistics,
    nearly 5,000 of them were flu cases. Since the start of the cold season, 36
    people died from the flu, and nearly 1.5 million people got anti-flu vaccines.


    DIPLOMACY The Romanian
    foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu had a bilateral meeting in Sibiu today with his
    Dutch counterpart, Wopke Bastiaan Hoekstra. The talks focused on Romania’s
    Schengen accession and the ongoing efforts to further this important goal. Bogdan Aurescu reiterated that Romania’s accession will help strengthen
    the security of the EU as a whole and will give credibility to the Union. In
    turn, ministrer Hoekstra reiterated the Netherlands’ active support for this
    process. Wopke Hoekstra also reconfirmed the Netherlands’ commitment to
    consolidating NATO’s deterrence and defence posture on the
    eastern flank, in the context of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, by
    contributing troops to the NATO Battle Group in Romania. The 2 officials also
    discussed the Romanian-Dutch bilateral relations. The meeting took place in the
    context of the Dutch official’s visit to Romania for trilateral political
    consultations in Bucharest, together with the French diplomacy chief Catherine
    Colonna. Ahead of the talks, the 3 ministers made a joint visit to the French
    and Dutch troops stationed at the Cincu military base as part of the NATO Battle
    Group in Romania. In
    Bucharest, Catherine Colonna will be received by president Klaus Iohannis and
    PM Nicolae Ciucă.


    COMMEMORATION
    The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory
    of the Victims of the Holocaust, is marked every year on January 27, under a
    resolution endorsed by the United Nations in 2005. In 1945, on January 27, Allied forces liberated
    the largest Nazi extermination camp, in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland. According
    to historians, the Holocaust resulted in the killing of 6 million Jewish people
    in Europe and millions of other ethnics by Germany’s Nazi regime. Events and activities are organised on
    this day every year at the UN headquarters in New York and UN offices around the world.
    This year’s theme is Home and Belonging. In 2022, the UN General Assembly
    adopted a resolution tabled by Israel, calling on all countries to condemn Holocaust
    denial and anti-Semitism, especially on social networks.


    TENNIS Gabriela Ruse (Romania) / Marta
    Kostiuk (Ukraine) today lost to the defending champions, Barbora Krejcikova and
    Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-2, in the doubles semi-finals of the
    Australian Open. This is the best performance for Ruse and Kostiuk in a Grand Slam
    event. Krejcikova and Siniakova hold a combined 6 Grand Slam doubles titles, 3
    of them last year alone, when they only missed the Roland Garros. In the final,
    the Czech players take on Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara, of Japan, at their first
    presence in a Grand Slam final after defeating Coco Gauff/Jessica Pegula (US). (AMP)

  • January 12, 2023 UPDATE

    January 12, 2023 UPDATE

    SCHENGEN Romania’s Schengen accession is a
    major priority for the country, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said
    in Bucharest on Thursday. He mentioned the country counted on the support of the
    Swedish presidency of the EU. At a press conference organised by the Swedish
    Embassy to mark the start of the Swedish presidency of the EU Council on
    January 1, Mr. Aurescu also mentioned Romania’s handling of the situation
    entailed by war in Ukraine, describing Romania as a de facto guardian of EU
    security. In turn, Sweden’s Ambassador to Bucharest, Therese Hyden, pointed
    out that the Schengen file will be on the agenda of an official meeting, when
    conditions are favourable, more precisely when Austria has changed its
    position regarding Romania and Netherlands has changed its view on Bulgaria’s
    accession. Foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu also had a telephone conversation on the
    same topic on Wednesday with his Swedish counterpart, Tobias Billstrom. According
    to the Romanian foreign ministry, Tobias Billstrom emphasised that the Swedish
    Presidency was determined to be actively involved and to make all efforts for
    this goal to be met. We remind you that on December 8,
    2022, at the JHA Council, Romania was not accepted into Schengen after Austria
    voted against Romania’s joining the passport-free area, and the Netherlands
    opposed Bulgaria’s accession.


    MINORITIES Romania and Ukraine will
    initiate a consultation process regarding Ukraine’s law on national minorities,
    endorsed recently in Kyiv. The two countries’ foreign ministers, Bogdan Aurescu and
    Dmytro Kuleba, Wednesday had a telephone discussion on the topic, after a
    similar dialogue a week ago between the presidents Klaus Iohannis and Volodymyr
    Zelensky. The law triggered concerns among the Romanian authorities, as
    representatives of the Romanian community in Ukraine have not been consulted in
    drafting the document, which was endorsed without a positive opinion of the Venice
    Commission. Although the law is an improvement from the previous drafts, it
    fails to guarantee, among other things, the Romanian minority’s right to
    education in the mother tongue, the Romanian foreign ministry argues.


    FLU 15 people died from seasonal flu complications this season in
    Romania, the National Public Health Institute announced. During the first week
    of this year almost 40% more respiratory infections than in the previous week
    were reported. Drugstores still face shortages of viral infection and seasonal
    flu medication. Moreover, 7 medicines used by almost half of the cancer
    patients in the country are still not available. The health ministry promises
    Romania is not experiencing a medicine crisis and that storage facilities do
    have the drugs in stock.


    UKRAINE American aid is for the first time to reach Ukraine via the
    Romanian logistics hub in Suceava, the US Embassy in Bucharest announced. The
    shipment comprises 30 trucks with clothing, footwear, blankets, hygiene
    products, diapers and emergency kits, donated as part of a campaign launched
    last March in Utah. So far 40 tonnes of goods worth around USD 1 mln have been
    donated, as well as USD 4 mln in cash.


    TENNIS Romanian
    tennis players found out their opponents in the first round of the Australian
    Open. According to the drawing held on Thursday in Melbourne, Irina Begu will play
    against China’s Saisai Zheng, Sorana Cîrstea will take up the uncomfortable
    Kazakh player Iulia Putinteva, and Ana Bogdan will take on Anna Bondar of
    Hungary. Jaqueline Cristian will have one of the most difficult opponents – the
    American Jessica Pegula, and Patricia Ţig will be up against the Chinese Shuai
    Zhang. Romania has five players at the Australian Open, after Simona Halep was
    provisionally suspended after a positive doping test. (AMP)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    Cluj-Napoca is hosting these days the most
    important women’s tennis tournament in Romania. Transylvania Open is a WTA 250 tournament
    with USD 251,750 in total prize money.


    Participation in the tournament is remarkable,
    with all 8 seeds among the world’s top 100 players. Only one Romanian player is
    listed among the seeds, namely Ana Bogdan, number 46 in the world, seed no 3. However,
    in Cluj-Napoca she failed to move past the first round, after being
    defeated on Monday by Jule Niemeier of Germany, number 74 in the world, 7-6,
    6-2.


    Two other Romanians were outplayed on Tuesday: Irina
    Bara, no 150 WTA, lost to Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain (75 WTA) 6-1, 7-5, and
    Jaqueline Cristian (83 WTA) was defeated by seed no 7 Xiyu Wang of China, who
    won 6-3, 6-3. Last year, Cristian reached the tournament’s quarter-finals. This
    year, the only Romanian player to reach the second round was Gabriela Ruse. Ranking
    104 in the world, she defeated Harmony Tan of France, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3.


    Worth noting is that the best-ranking Romanian
    players in the world, namely Simona Halep ( no 9 WTA), Irina Begu (34 WTA) and Sorana
    Cîrstea (40 WTA), chose not to take part in Transylvania Open.


    In related tennis news, the Romanian-born
    Canadian player Bianca Andreescu qualified into the eighth-finals of the WTA 500
    tournament in San Diego, after defeating Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 7-6, 4-6,
    6-2. (AMP)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    Cluj-Napoca is hosting these days the most
    important women’s tennis tournament in Romania. Transylvania Open is a WTA 250 tournament
    with USD 251,750 in total prize money.


    Participation in the tournament is remarkable,
    with all 8 seeds among the world’s top 100 players. Only one Romanian player is
    listed among the seeds, namely Ana Bogdan, number 46 in the world, seed no 3. However,
    in Cluj-Napoca she failed to move past the first round, after being
    defeated on Monday by Jule Niemeier of Germany, number 74 in the world, 7-6,
    6-2.


    Two other Romanians were outplayed on Tuesday: Irina
    Bara, no 150 WTA, lost to Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain (75 WTA) 6-1, 7-5, and
    Jaqueline Cristian (83 WTA) was defeated by seed no 7 Xiyu Wang of China, who
    won 6-3, 6-3. Last year, Cristian reached the tournament’s quarter-finals. This
    year, the only Romanian player to reach the second round was Gabriela Ruse. Ranking
    104 in the world, she defeated Harmony Tan of France, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3.


    Worth noting is that the best-ranking Romanian
    players in the world, namely Simona Halep ( no 9 WTA), Irina Begu (34 WTA) and Sorana
    Cîrstea (40 WTA), chose not to take part in Transylvania Open.


    In related tennis news, the Romanian-born
    Canadian player Bianca Andreescu qualified into the eighth-finals of the WTA 500
    tournament in San Diego, after defeating Liudmila Samsonova of Russia 7-6, 4-6,
    6-2. (AMP)

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

    At the European Judo
    Open held in Oberwart, Austria, Romanian athletes managed to win 3 medals: silver
    for Adrian Șulcă, in the 73 kilo category, and 2 bronze medals for Alexandra
    Pop, in the 48 kilo, and Serafima Moscalu in the 70 kilo category. France came
    1st in the medal ranking, with Romania ranking 9th. The
    competition brought together 283 judoka from 37 countries, 184 men and 99 women.




    Romania won 13 medals,
    6 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze, at the World Under-20 Beach Wrestling
    Championships held on the Neversea Beach in Constanța. The gold went to both
    men and women, 3 medals each. The winners were Ana Maria Pârvu in the 50 kilo category,
    Teodora Sârbu in the 70 kilo and Elena Irina Margaş in the 70+ kilo category. As
    for the men, the best performances came from Daniel Marian Sandu in the 70 kilo
    category, Denis Ioan Chirică in the 80 kilo category and Georgian Florin Tripon
    in the 90+ kilo category. In the Under-17 competition, held in the same place, Romania
    won 9 medals: 4 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.




    Ştiinţa Baia Mare and
    Dinamo Bucharest were the winners in the 3rd round of the National
    Rugby League play-offs. Ştiinţa defeated Steaua 10-8, while Dinamo beat SCM
    Timişoara 20-6. Topping the standings is Ştiinţa Baia Mare with 14 points, followed
    by Dinamo (13 points), Steaua (8 points) and SCM Timişoara (4 points).





    In the last 2 matches of the 9th
    round of Romania’s top football league, FC Argeș lost on home turf to FC
    Hermannstadt, 1-0, and CSU Craiova defeated Farul Constanța 4-3. The current
    top-ranking team is Rapid Bucharest with 21 points, followed by Farul Constanța
    (18) and Petrolul Ploiești (17). (AMP)

  • Sports Flash

    Sports Flash

    At the European Judo
    Open held in Oberwart, Austria, Romanian athletes managed to win 3 medals: silver
    for Adrian Șulcă, in the 73 kilo category, and 2 bronze medals for Alexandra
    Pop, in the 48 kilo, and Serafima Moscalu in the 70 kilo category. France came
    1st in the medal ranking, with Romania ranking 9th. The
    competition brought together 283 judoka from 37 countries, 184 men and 99 women.




    Romania won 13 medals,
    6 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze, at the World Under-20 Beach Wrestling
    Championships held on the Neversea Beach in Constanța. The gold went to both
    men and women, 3 medals each. The winners were Ana Maria Pârvu in the 50 kilo category,
    Teodora Sârbu in the 70 kilo and Elena Irina Margaş in the 70+ kilo category. As
    for the men, the best performances came from Daniel Marian Sandu in the 70 kilo
    category, Denis Ioan Chirică in the 80 kilo category and Georgian Florin Tripon
    in the 90+ kilo category. In the Under-17 competition, held in the same place, Romania
    won 9 medals: 4 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.




    Ştiinţa Baia Mare and
    Dinamo Bucharest were the winners in the 3rd round of the National
    Rugby League play-offs. Ştiinţa defeated Steaua 10-8, while Dinamo beat SCM
    Timişoara 20-6. Topping the standings is Ştiinţa Baia Mare with 14 points, followed
    by Dinamo (13 points), Steaua (8 points) and SCM Timişoara (4 points).





    In the last 2 matches of the 9th
    round of Romania’s top football league, FC Argeș lost on home turf to FC
    Hermannstadt, 1-0, and CSU Craiova defeated Farul Constanța 4-3. The current
    top-ranking team is Rapid Bucharest with 21 points, followed by Farul Constanța
    (18) and Petrolul Ploiești (17). (AMP)

  • April 28, 2022

    April 28, 2022

    REFUGEES The number of Ukrainian nationals who crossed the border into Romania
    went up 30% on Wednesday compared to the previous day, reads a news release
    issued by the Romanian Border Police. As many as 8,635 Ukrainian citizens
    entered Romania in 24 hours, coming from Ukraine or the R. of Moldova. Since
    the start of the crisis over 2 months ago, over 800,000 Ukrainians have come
    into Romania. Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) announced in a
    conference in Geneva that over 8 million Ukrainian may leave their country.
    According to the UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo, the Agency and its partners
    intend to raise USD 1.85 billion to support an estimated 8.3 million refugees
    in Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, as well as
    in other countries in the region, including Belarus, Bulgaria and the Czech
    Republic.


    TROOPS The Romanian defence ministry announced
    that the Romanian Army currently has no troops deployed in the Rep. of Moldova
    to take part in drills or other joint training programmes. The statement comes
    after a Russian-language publication released fake news according to which
    Romania plans to attack Transnistria with NATO support, and then to
    annex the Rep. of Moldova, and claimed that Romanian troops have already been
    deployed to the neighbouring country. Disinformation on Russian channels
    follows a number of attacks by unknown perpetrators, which took place in the
    past few days in Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway region in the east
    of the Rep. of Moldova.


    NATURAL GAS The European Union
    told Russia it would not give in to blackmail, after Moscow discontinued
    natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, which had refused to pay for
    natural gas in rubles. The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen
    said the Union had other options to make up for the suspended deliveries, and
    warned member states not to breach the sanctions imposed by the EU after
    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We have to guarantee alternative supplies and the
    best possible storage levels across the EU, Von der Leyen explained. EU member
    states have implemented emergency plans for such a scenario and we have worked
    together in coordination and solidarity, the EU official added.


    ARMY Military ceremonies, concerts and competitions take place in Bucharest
    today to mark the Romanian Land Forces Day. Events are announced throughout the
    day, including ceremonies, cultural, scientific and educational events, sports
    competitions and military drills, book fairs, concerts and documentary
    screenings. In Arad (west), a military equipment exhibition opens today on this
    occasion, and on Saturday the city will host military and religious ceremonies.


    COVID-19 Nearly 1,150 new SARS-CoV-2 infection cases were reported in Romania on
    Thursday. The authorities have also reported 15 Covid-related deaths. Of the over
    1,200 patients in hospitals, 193 are in intensive care, and most of them are
    unvaccinated. Meanwhile, as interest in vaccination dropped significantly,
    immunisation centres are closing these days across the country. Those who want
    to get the vaccine will be able to do so only in family physician offices as of
    May.


    TENNIS The Romanians Simona Halep, Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu take part in
    the first round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, which starts today.
    Sorana Cîrstea takes on Nuria Parrizas Diaz of Spain (52 WTA). Simona Halep
    plays against Shuai Zhang of China (40 WTA), and Irina Begu faces Belinda
    Bencic (13 WTA) of Switzerland. WTA Madrid Open takes place between April 28
    and May 7. Simona Halep won the 2016 and 2017 competitions. (AMP)

  • January 24, 2022 UPDATE

    January 24, 2022 UPDATE

    CELEBRATION Romania celebrated on Monday 163
    years since the Union of the Romanian Principalities, the first major step in
    the formation of the Romanian nation state, paving the way for the Great Union
    of 1918. On January 24, 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of
    Wallachia, after on January 5 he had become sovereign of Moldavia. His rule
    laid the foundations for modern Romania. Monday was a banking holiday in
    Romania. While many people chose to spend the holiday in mountain resorts, the
    ones who stayed at home had the option of attending military and religious
    ceremonies and celebratory concerts organised around the country under COVID-19
    restrictions. Bucharest’s Patriarchal Cathedral hosted a service devoted to all
    those who contributed to the 1859 Union. Politicians posted messages on this
    occasion. President Klaus Iohannis said the Union on January 24, 1859 proves
    the importance of a project able to bring together the energy of the Romanian
    nation, and urged people to work persistently to consolidate the country’s
    current European and democratic path. The Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă pointed out
    that the Union was the result of the untiring efforts of the politicians of the
    time, driven by the nation’s dream of unity and of administrative, economic and
    social progress. In turn, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and president
    of the Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu said that, 163 years since the
    Union of the Romanian Principalities, what Romanians need more than ever is
    unity and stability, if they are to handle current economic, healthcare and
    security challenges.




    COVID-19 Romanian
    authorities announced on Monday 12,082 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections in 24
    hours and 41 related deaths. The incidence rate in the capital Bucharest is on
    the rise, reaching 10.23 cases per thousand people. The city has been in the
    red tier since January 12, when the incidence rate went over 3 per thousand.
    The COVID-19 testing capacity is set to increase this week to 150,000 tests per
    day, as over 3,800 family physicians have signed contracts with public health
    insurance agencies in this respect. In Bucharest and the nearby county of
    Ilfov, where the largest number of cases is reported, testing centres have
    already been opened in 20 hospitals. On Wednesday at the latest COVID-19
    testing will also be resumed in schools, after more than 10 million test kits
    were received by school inspectorates. A batch of 114,000 doses of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 are set to reach the country on
    Tuesday. The health minister Alexandru Rafila expects the current (5th)
    wave of the pandemic to reach its peak in Romania in about 3 weeks’ time.




    UKRAINE NATO countries are
    placing forces on
    standby and sending additional ships and fighter jets to NATO deployments in
    eastern Europe, as Russiacontinues its military build-up
    around Ukraine, the Alliance announced on Monday. Denmark is sending a frigate
    to the Baltic Sea and is set to deploy four F-16 fighter jets to Lithuania,
    Spain is sending ships to join NATO naval forces and is considering sending
    fighter jets to Bulgaria. France has expressed its readiness to send troops to
    Romania under NATO command. The Netherlands is sending two F-35 fighter
    aircraft to Bulgaria in April to support NATO’s air-policing activities in the
    region, and is putting a ship and land-based units on standby for NATO’s
    Response Force. The US also announced it is considering increasing its military
    presence in the eastern part of the Alliance. The
    president of Ukraine Volodymyr
    Zelensky Monday thanked the EU for the 1.2 billion euros in macro-financial aid
    provided in order to support Kyev in a prospective conflict with Russia. Strong
    Ukraine is the key for European security, he said in a Twitter post. Russia
    has deployed around 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, fuelling concerns
    about a prospective attack on that country.




    TENNIS The Romanian tennis
    player Simona Halep lost to Alizé Cornet of France, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in the round
    of 16 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Monday. For Halep (15 WTA), this
    was the first defeat after a string of 8 consecutive wins.Also on Monday, Sorana Cîrstea of Romania lost to seed
    no. 7 Iga Swiatek of Poland, in the same competition round, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.






    DOCUMENTARY The French public TV channel France 3 broadcasts
    for the first time a documentary on Marie of Romania, the amazing queen
    of the Carpathians, as part of its highly popular history series
    Secrets of history. The production of the documentary took one year
    and a half. Archive photos and footage have been collected, along with
    testimonies by historians and members of the Royal House of Romania. Scenes
    have been shot at the Peleş and Bran castles in the southern Carpathians, at
    the Cotroceni National Museum in Bucharest and at the Curtea de Argeş Monastery
    where Royal House members have been buried. Queen Marie, the wife of King
    Ferdinand I, was acknowledged in Europe as an ambassador of the Romanian nation
    and a supporter of the Romanian nation state. (A.M.P.)

  • January 24, 2022

    January 24, 2022

    CELEBRATION
    Today Romania celebrates 163 years since the Union of the Romanian
    Principalities, the first major step in the formation of the Romanian nation
    state, paving the way for the Great Union of 1918. On January 24, 1859,
    Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of Wallachia, after on January 5 he had
    become sovereign of Moldavia. His rule laid the foundations for modern Romania.
    January 24 is a banking holiday in Romania. While many people chose to spend
    the holiday in mountain resorts, the ones who stayed at home had the option of
    attending military and religious ceremonies and celebratory concerts organised
    around the country under COVID-19 restrictions. Bucharest’s Patriarchal
    Cathedral hosted a service devoted to all those who contributed to the 1859 Union.
    Politicians posted messages on this occasion. President Klaus Iohannis said the
    Union on January 24, 1859 proves the importance of a project able to bring
    together the energy of the Romanian nation, and urged people to work
    persistently to consolidate the country’s current European and democratic path.
    The Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă pointed out that the Union was the result of the
    untiring efforts of the politicians of the time, driven by the nation’s dream
    of unity and of administrative, economic and social progress. This desire
    endured with all the following generations, triggering major changes in the
    Romanian society, Nicolae Ciucă added. In turn, the speaker of the Chamber of
    Deputies and president of the Social Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu said that,
    163 years since the Union of the Romanian Principalities, what Romanians need
    more than ever is unity and stability, if they are to handle current economic,
    healthcare and security challenges.




    COVID-19 Romanian authorities announced today 12,082 new cases of SARS-CoV-2
    infections in 24 hours and 41 related deaths. The incidence rate in the capital
    Bucharest is on the rise, reaching 10.23 cases per thousand people. The city
    has been in the red tier since January 12, when the incidence rate went over 3
    per thousand. The COVID-19 testing capacity is set to increase this week to
    150,000 tests per day, as over 3,800 family physicians have signed contracts
    with public health insurance agencies in this respect. In Bucharest and the
    nearby county of Ilfov, where the largest number of cases is reported, testing
    centres have already been opened in 20 hospitals. On Wednesday at the latest
    COVID-19 testing will also be resumed in schools, after more than 10 million
    test kits were received by school inspectorates. The health minister Alexandru
    Rafila expects the current (5th) wave of the pandemic to reach its
    peak in Romania in about 3 weeks’ time.




    UKRAINE The European Union does not intend for the time being to follow in
    the footsteps of the US and order the families of its diplomats to leave
    Ukraine, the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said today, according to
    France Presse and Reuters. On Sunday night a senior US official justified the
    decision saying that a Russian invasion may take place at any time. The US
    secretary of state Antony Blinken is to address a meeting of the EU foreign
    ministers in Brussels today, via video link, to update them on his recent talks
    with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Attending
    the meeting in Brussels is the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu. Russia has deployed around 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border,
    which the West reads as a preparation for an attack designed to prevent Ukraine
    from joining NATO.




    DOCUMENTARY The French public TV channel France 3 tonight airs for the first
    time a documentary on Marie of Romania, the amazing queen of the
    Carpathians, as part of its highly popular history series Secrets
    of history. The production of the documentary took one year and a half.
    Archive photos and footage have been collected, along with testimonies by
    historians and members of the Royal House of Romania. Scenes have been shot at
    the Peleş and Bran castles in the southern Carpathians, at the Cotroceni
    National Museum in Bucharest and at the Curtea de Argeş Monastery where Royal
    House members have been buried. Queen Marie, the wife of King Ferdinand I, was
    acknowledged in Europe as an ambassador of the Romanian nation and a supporter
    of the Romanian nation state.




    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep lost to Alizé Cornet
    of France, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, in the round of 16 of the Australian Open in
    Melbourne today. For Halep (15 WTA) this was the first defeat after a string of
    8 consecutive wins. Also today, Sorana Cîrstea of Romania takes on seed no. 7 Iga
    Swiatek of Poland, in the same competition round. (A.M.P.)

  • January 22, 2022 UPDATE

    January 22, 2022 UPDATE


    COVID-19 19,371 new Covid cases and 48 related deaths were reported in Romania on Saturday. The number of fatalities is over 10 times smaller than at the peak of the previous wave of the pandemic, but the infection rate continues to grow, reaching 8.77 per thousand in Bucharest. The highest SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in the capital city (16.54 per thousand) was reached on 22nd October last year. The worst-case scenario considered by the authorities predicts up to 70,000 new cases per day in the first half of February. The health minister Alexandru Rafila says that 173 outpatient Covid-19 evaluation centres are already operational across the country, out of a planned 230.



    CELEBRATION The government of Romania celebrated on Saturday 160 years since the first government of Romania was formed, after the union of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia was officially recognised. On this occasion, on the walls of Victoria Palace in the capital city Bucharest, which hosts the head offices of the government of Romania, images were projected during the evening, which are relevant for this milestone in Romanian history, such as the Romanian flag, the date when the first government of Romania was formed, namely 22nd of January, 1862 and the name of the countrys first prime minister, Barbu Catargiu. On Monday, which is a national holiday in Romania, 163 years since the union of the Romanian Principalities will be marked. On 24th January 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, elected ruler of Moldavia the previous week, was unanimously elected sovereign of Wallachia as well, and proclaimed ruler of the United Principalities. During his rule, the institutional foundations were laid for modern Romania.



    STRIKE Romanias capital city Bucharest found itself without above-ground public transportation means on Saturday as well. It was 3rd consecutive day of strike for the Bucharest Transport Corporation, although a court ruled the protest illegal. Unions stand by their demands, which include pay raises and the resignation of the corporations CEO. The drivers who refuse to work risk having their employment contracts terminated, said the Bucharest mayor general Nicusor Dan. He also said the City Hall made available a toll-free number for drivers to report whether they are prevented by their colleagues from going to work, and added that a criminal case has been opened in this respect. Meanwhile, the government is facing demands from trade unions in public education and healthcare as well.



    NATO On Friday NATO rejected Russias request for the pull-out of the Alliances troops in Bulgaria and Romania, and denounced the concept of spheres of influence, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. Russia requested guarantees from the US and NATO that the Alliance would not enlarge further eastwards, and demanded the withdrawal of the troops and equipment deployed to the countries that have joined the organisation since 1997. Also on Friday, the Pentagon announced a large-scale NATO naval exercise in the Mediterranean, amid tensions with Russia, which also announced major naval manoeuvres, AFP reports. Polands PM Mateusz Morawiecki called on European leaders to take a firm and united stand against Russia, in the context of fears that Moscow might plan an invasion of Ukraine. NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will provide Ukraine with US-made anti-armour and anti-aircraft missiles, the defence ministers of the 3 countries announced in a joint statement. In Romania, president Klaus Iohannis has called a meeting of the Supreme Defence Council on Wednesday. The meeting will focus on the security situation at the Black Sea and on NATOs eastern flank, and measures to develop resilience and response capabilities related to the new security challenges.



    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep qualified in the round of 16 of the Australian Open, after defeating Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, 6-2, 6-1, in the 3rd round of the tournament in Melbourne on Saturday. Halep (15 WTA and 14th seed), won the match in 64 minutes. It was the 8th consecutive win for the Romanian player this season. In the next round Simona Halep takes on Alizé Cornet of France (61 WTA). Also on Saturday, another Romanian, Sorana Cîrstea, won in the 3rd round against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, seed no 10. In the next round, Sorana Cîrstea will take on Iga Swiatek of Poland (9 WTA). (tr. A.M. Popescu)


  • January 22, 2022

    January 22, 2022

    COVID-19 19,371
    new Covid cases and 48 related deaths have been reported in Romania today. The
    number of fatalities is over 10 times smaller than at the peak of the previous
    wave of the pandemic, but the infection rate continues to grow, reaching 8.77
    per thousand in Bucharest. The highest SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in the capital
    city (16.54 per thousand) was reached on 22nd October last year. The
    worst-case scenario considered by the authorities predicts up to 70,000 new
    cases per day in the first half of February. The health minister Alexandru
    Rafila says that 173 outpatient Covid-19 evaluation centres are already
    operational across the country, out of a planned 230.




    NATO On Friday
    NATO rejected Russia’s request for the pull-out of the Alliance’s troops in
    Bulgaria and Romania, and denounced the concept of spheres of influence, NATO
    spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. Russia requested guarantees from the US and
    NATO that the Alliance would not enlarge further eastwards, and demanded the
    withdrawal of the troops and equipment deployed to the countries that have
    joined the organisation since 1997. Also on Friday, the Pentagon announced a
    large-scale NATO naval exercise in the Mediterranean, amid tensions with
    Russia, which also announced major naval manoeuvres, AFP reports. Poland’s PM
    Mateusz Morawiecki called on European leaders to take a firm and united stand
    against Russia, in the context of fears that Moscow might plan an invasion of
    Ukraine. NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will provide Ukraine with
    US-made anti-armour and anti-aircraft missiles, the defence ministers of the 3
    countries announced in a joint statement. In Romania, president Klaus Iohannis
    has called a meeting of the Supreme Defence Council on Wednesday. The meeting
    will focus on the security situation at the Black Sea and on NATO’s eastern
    flank, and measures to develop resilience and response capabilities related to
    the new security challenges.




    CELEBRATION
    The government of Romania celebrates today 160 years since the first government
    of Romania was formed, after the union of the principalities of Moldavia and
    Wallachia was officially recognised. On this occasion, on the walls of Victoria
    Palace in the capital city Bucharest, which hosts the head offices of the
    government of Romania, images will be projected during the evening, which are
    relevant for this milestone in Romanian history, such as the Romanian flag, the
    date when the first government of Romania was formed, namely 22nd of
    January, 1862 and the name of the country’s first prime minister, Barbu
    Catargiu. On Monday, which is a national holiday in Romania, 163 years since
    the union of the Romanian Principalities will be marked. On 24th
    January 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza, elected ruler of Moldavia the previous week,
    was unanimously elected sovereign of Wallachia as well, and proclaimed ruler of
    the United Principalities. During his rule, the institutional foundations were
    laid for modern Romania.




    SOCIAL Romania’s capital city Bucharest finds itself without above-ground public
    transportation means on Saturday as well. It is for 3rd consecutive
    day of strike for the Bucharest Transport Corporation, although a court ruled
    the protest illegal. Unions stand by their demands, which include pay raises
    and the resignation of the corporation’s CEO. Meanwhile, the government and
    trade unions in public education are working to reach an agreement by 4th
    February, following a first round of negotiations after teachers went on strike
    on Wednesday. Unionists want pay raises, additional staff to be employed, and
    6% of GDP to be earmarked for public education. Public healthcare unions are
    also to discuss their demands next week with officials from the healthcare,
    finances and labour ministries.




    TENNIS The
    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep qualified in the round of 16 of the
    Australian Open, after defeating Danka Kovinic of Montenegro, 6-2, 6-1, in the
    3rd round of the tournament in Melbourne today. Halep (15 WTA and 14th
    seed), won the match in 64 minutes. It was the 8th consecutive win
    for the Romanian player this season. In the next round Simona Halep takes on Alizé Cornet of France (61 WTA). Also
    today, another Romanian, Sorana Cîrstea, is playing in the 3rd round
    against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, seed no 10. In the women’s doubles,
    Jaqueline Cristian (Romania) / Andrea Petkovic (Germany) qualified in the 8th-finals,
    having defeated the Slovenians Kaja Juvan / Tamara Zidansek, 6-4, 6-0, and are
    next to play agaist Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) / Sara Sorribes Tormo (Spain). (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • 17.01.2022

    17.01.2022

    Coronavirus en Roumanie – Les autorités de Bucarest ont rapporté lundi plus de 8 000 nouveaux cas de Covid confirmés en 24 heures et 17 décès des suites de la maladie. A l’heure actuelle, 12 départements et la Capitale sont en zone rouge avec un taux d’incidence supérieur à trois cas par mille habitants. L’évolution de la situation dans les hôpitaux est très différente par rapport à la quatrième vague, fin septembre, lorsque le seuil des 10 000 nouveaux cas confirmés en 24 heures a été franchi pour la première fois. Les hôpitaux soignaient à l’époque 11 500 malades, dont près de 1 270 en réanimation. Dans les conditions du même seuil des cas d’infection, soit 10 000 atteint il y a deux jours, les hôpitaux soignent trois fois moins de malades, quelque 3 600 et moins de 500 dans les unités de réanimation.

    Coronavirus en Europe – Le Parlement français a adopté définitivement dimanche, par un dernier vote des députés, le projet de loi instaurant le pass vaccinal, que le gouvernement veut mettre en oeuvre au plus vite face au regain de l’épidémie de Covid-19, annonce l’AFP. Le texte a été adopté par 215 voix contre 58, et 7 abstentions. Les parlementaires socialistes ont prévu de saisir le Conseil constitutionnel pour garantir le respect des libertés fondamentales, ce qui va repousser de quelques jours la promulgation du projet de loi. Alors que quelque 300.000 contaminations sont enregistrées quotidiennement en moyenne depuis une semaine, le gouvernement espère une mise en œuvre du pass vaccinal autour du 20 janvier. Il faudra alors pouvoir justifier d’un statut vaccinal pour accéder aux activités de loisirs, restaurants et bars, foires ou transports publics interrégionaux. Un test négatif ne suffira plus, sauf pour accéder aux établissements et services de santé. Par ailleurs, l’Autriche est le premier pays d’Europe à rendre obligatoire la vaccination anti-Covid pour les adultes. Après une semaine de débats acharnés au Parlement et une protestation à Vienne avec des milliers de participants, les autorités ont confirmé que la mesure s’appliquerait à commencer par le mois prochain sous la menace d’amendes de 600 à 3 600 euros en cas de récidive.

    Energie – Le gouvernement modifiera la loi du plafonnement et de la compensation des factures énergétiques selon le ministre Virgil Popescu, qui précise que les autorités envisagent une progression de 33 à 50% de la compensation pour les factures de gaz. Les mesures visant la prolongation jusqu’au 1er avril du schéma d’aide d’Etat tant pour les consommateurs domestiques, que pour les PMEs, seront incluses dans un nouveau projet de décret d’urgence qui sera approuvé au cours de cette semaine. Les syndicats affirment que les prix de l’électricité et du gaz devront être plafonnés, tant dans le cas des producteurs que dans celui des fournisseurs pour une période d’au moins six mois au niveau du moi de décembre 2020, soit avant la libéralisation du marché.

    Education – Toutes les maternelles, les écoles et les lycées de Roumanie ont commencé le deuxième semestre de cette année scolaire. Les cours se dérouleront toujours en présentiel après la modification des critères qui établissent le scénario de déroulement des activités. A partir d’aujourd’hui, les écoles appliquent un nouvel ordre commun des ministères de la Santé et respectivement de l’Education nationale en ce qui concerne le fonctionnement des établissements scolaires, conformément auxquels le taux d’incidence des cas de Covid et la couverture vaccinale du personnel de l’unité scolaire ne sont plus pris en compte dans la décision de suspendre les cours en présentiel. Les autorités ont décidé de passer à l’école en ligne uniquement si au niveau départemental 75% des lits consacrés aux malades de Covid sont occupés, y compris dans le cas des sections de réanimation.

    Russie/OTAN – Les Etats Unis se prononceront en début de semaine au sujet de la dispute avec la Russie après l’impasse constaté à la fin d’une série de pourparlers qui ont échoué dans les efforts de désamorcer un nouveau conflit en Ukraine. Nous sommes préparés pour tout scénario – si la Russie souhaite continuer le chemin diplomatique, nous sommes prêts à réagir aux côtés de nos alliés et partenaires, si la Russie choisir la voie de l’invasion et de l’escalade, nous sommes également prêts à riposter fermement, a averti le conseiller du président américain en charge de la sécurité nationale, Jake Sullivan. Washington accuse les russes d’avoir déployé près de cent mille militaires à la frontière ukrainienne et qu’ils souhaiter créer un prétexte pour une éventuelle offensive. Le Kremlin a rejeté ces accusations et assure que la Russie souhaite se défendre contre une menace de la part de l’OTAN dans son voisinage. La Russie demande notamment des garanties selon lesquels l’alliance n’accepterait une adhésion de l’Ukraine, une concession de principe que les occidentaux refusent.

    Tennis – La joueuse roumaine de tennis Gabriela Ruse ( 82e WTA), a battu en deux sets l’italienne Jasmine Paolini (52e WTA), lundi, à Melbourne, dans le round inaugural de l’Open d’Australie, première tournée du Grand Chelem de l’année. Sa compatriote, Irina Bara a perdu face à l’espagnole Nuria Parrizas Diaz. Bara (134e WTA) participait à la tournée suite au retrait de la tunisienne Ons Jabeur, 10e mondiale, pour des raisons de santé. Egalement aujourd’hui, Jaqueline Cristian (73e WTA), rencontre la belge Greet Minnen ( 84 WTA), dans son match de début sur le tableau principal de l’Open d’Australie. 3 autres sportives roumaines sont présentes au tableau principal de Melbourne : Simona Halep, Sorana Cîrstea et Irina Begu.

    Météo – Une alerte code orange au vent fort est valable jusqu’à demain matin sur les Carpates méridionales mais aussi sur les Carpates Occidentales et Orientales. La vitesse du vent dépassera les 110 km à l’heure pour arriver jusqu’à 140 km à l’heure. Le vent sera au rendez-vous aussi sur d’autres régions roumaines où des alertes code jaune ont été émises. Il pleut aujourd’hui sur l’ouest, le nord et le centre. Les maxima vont de -2 à 8 degrés. 4 degrés en ce moment à Bucarest.