Radio România Internațional

Tag: Singapore tournament

  • October 22, 2017 UPDATE

    October 22, 2017 UPDATE

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



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



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



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



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



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

  • October 25, 2016

    October 25, 2016

    CELEBRATION – On October 25, King Mihai I turns 95 and the Royal House of Romania organises a series of events, until October 28, to mark his anniversary. Medals and distinctions are being offered, concerts and book launches are held and Radio Romania broadcasts a radio drama written by King Mihai and Queen Ana. Mihai I is Romanias last king and the only surviving head of state from WWII. He ruled the country two times, between 1927 and 1930, and between 1940 and 1947, respectively. Forced by the communists to abdicate, on December 30, 1947, the former sovereign lived in exile. After the Anti-communist Revolution of 1989, he returned to his native Romania. Military and religious ceremonies are being organised in all garrisons and theatres of operation across the country. Floral tributes are also paid at the cemeteries and memorials, in honour of the Romanian heroes in Austria, Bosnia and Hertzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Russia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. A reburial ceremony is held at Rossoshka, in the Russian Federation, for 594 Romanian military who died in the line of duty in the battle of Stalingrad (todays Volgograd) during WW II. At present, 780 Romanian military are taking part in international missions around the world, 629 of them in Afghanistan.



    NON FISCAL FEES– The Romanian Chamber of Deputies has today approved the draft law initiated by the Social Democratic Party to abolish over 100 non-fiscal taxes, including the radio and TV license fee, which covers most of the public broadcasters financing. On Monday, the Social-Democrats announced they gave up the idea of cancelling the radio and TV licence fee, against the backdrop of harsh criticism voiced by the political class, civil society, representatives of public media institutions, who said the absence of such a fee would significantly impact the autonomy of the public radio and TV broadcasters. Today, however, Social-Democrat Liviu Dragnea made a come back and called again, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, for the elimination of the public radio and TV license fee. The draft law has been endorsed by the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies is the decision making body on the issue.



    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – Romanias Constitutional Court is today delivering its ruling on 33 notifications regarding the unconstitutionality of the new law on giving in payments, which allows mortgage debtors who cant repay their loans to give the mortgaged assets to the bank and stop paying back the loans. The law was enforced on May 13th. Also, the bill allowing the conversion of Swiss-franc loans into the local currency at below-market rates has also reached the Constitutional Court. The Government contested the law because, in their opinion, the form under which it was endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies has come to be more than a form of social protection. Under this bill debtors can ask banks to convert their outstanding debt to local currency loans at the exchange rate prevailing when the loan was extended.



    SMEs– Private small and medium sized enterprises in Romania, which got prizes in the 24th edition of the National Top of the Private Companies in Romania, reported a turnover of 2.2 billion Euro and employed over 26,000 people, Florin Jianu, the President of the National Council of SMEs has today said. According to him, the business environment in Romania should be supported by the state, by measures aimed to cut red tape, encourage the work force and grant funds to SMEs. Jianu has also said it is very important to attract investment, be it local or foreign.



    CETA – The European leaders say the summit scheduled for Thursday and devoted to the signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) is “still possible, in spite of Belgiums finding it impossible to approve it at the moment, as it announced. Attending the meeting will also be Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, government officials from Ottawa have announced. Today, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the Canadian trade minister, Chrystia Freeland, and the head of the Belgian region of Wallonia, Paul Magnette, have held talks in an effort to breathe new life into the negotiations on this agreement. All EU member states have expressed their agreement on the conclusion of a treaty, with the exception of Belgium, which needs the agreement of all its five federal entities. The region of Wallonia, discontent about several provisions of the treaty, particularly those referring to the arbitration of trade disputes between companies and governments, has rejected the agreement.



    TENNIS– Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (WTA no.4) is today facing Angelique Kerber of Germany (WTA no.1), in the Red Group of the Champions Tournament in Singapore. Simona is first seeded in the group, after having defeated in the first round, American Madison Keys, whereas Kerber is second seeded, the German player defeating Slovak Dominika Cibulkova (WTA no.8). In the White Group, the Czech player Karolina Pliskova (WTA no.5) defeated the Roland Garros defending champion, Spanish Garbine Muguruza (WTA no.6), and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA no.9) defeated last years winner of the title, Polish Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA no.3). Simona Halep is participating for the third time in the Champions Tournament, after in 2014 she met Serena Williams in the finals, and last year failed to go past the group stage.(Translated by D. Vijeu)