Radio România Internațional

Tag: tennis

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Three tennis players from Romania this coming weekend will play in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells, an event with almost 9 million dollars in prize money. In the first round on Wednesday, Irina Begu defeated Ann Li of the USA, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1.

    Begu will next go against 25th- seeded tennis player, Great Britain’s Katie Boulder. On Thursday, Jaqueline Cristian defeated Russian opponent Veronika Kudermetova, 6-2, 6-3. This coming weekend, Cristian takes on 27th-seeded player, Canada’s Leylah Fernandez. Sorana Cîrstea will also go against another seeded player, US opponent Emma Navarro, 10th-seeded in Indian Wells.

    We recall Cirstea in the first round outclassed Australian challenger Maya Joint, who came straight from the qualifiers, 6-2,7-5.
    At the World Women’s Boxing Championships in Nis, Serbia, due to kick-start this coming Saturday, Romania will dispatch a 10-strong delegation of boxers. European champion in 2019 and vice-word champion in 2022, Lacramioara Perijoc stands the greatest chances to winning a medal. Perijoc’s record also includes European silver medals, in 2023 and 2024. In Nis, Lacramioara Perijoc will compete in the 57-kilogram category.

    Also keeping her hopes alive to winning a medal is Claudia Nechita, a boxer who initially competed in the 57-kilogram category and now fights in the 60-kilogram category. We recall Nechita participated in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. In 2024 at the European Championships in Belgrade Nechita walked home with the silver medal.

    The prize money for the medal is impressive: 100, 000 USD for gold, 50, 000 USD for silver and 25, 000 USD for the bronze medal. 10,000 USD go to the 5th-placed boxer. Prize money all told amounts to almost three million USD.

    Football matches are scheduled at the weekend, counting towards the 30th round, the last one, of Romanian Superleague’s regular season. On Friday, Oţelul Galaţi are pitted against Poli Iaşi, while Farul Constanţa play Universitatea Cluj. In Ploiesti on Saturday, the local side Petrolul play Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. In Sibiu, Hermannstadt take on Rapid Bucharest.

    In the first fixture on Sunday, CFR Cluj play a home match against Gloria Buzău. On Sunday evening in Bucharest, round 30th’ derby will see top-of-the-table team FCSB facing the runner-up team Universitatea Craiova. Bucharest team FCSB are fresh from a 1-3 defeat in the Europa League’s round of 16, in the first leg of the tie against French team Olympique Lyonnais.

    The regular season’s last two fixtures are scheduled on Monday, as FC Botoşani are pitted against Unirea Slobozia, while UTA go against Dinamo. FCSB are at the top of the as-it-stands table, with 53 points. Universitatea Craiova follows suit, with 52 points.

  • February 23, 2025 UPDATE

    February 23, 2025 UPDATE

    UKRAINE The interim president of Romania Ilie Bolojan takes part on Monday in an online summit on ‘Defence and Security Strategy of Unity. Action Plan’, organised in the neighbouring Russia-invaded Ukraine, the Romanian presidency announced. On Wednesday, Bolojan took part in a meeting on Ukraine and the security challenges in Europe in Paris. The interim president stated that participants in the meeting in Paris concluded that the best way to solve the crisis is collaboration between European countries and the United States of America, so that there is a ceasefire and a just peace, which cannot be achieved without the participation of Ukraine and the European Union in the negotiations.

     

    COMMEMORATION Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that any responsible person wants a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and expressed hope that, despite the harsh political rhetoric of recent days, the efforts to end the war in Romania’s neighbouring country will be successful. The Romanian PM said in a Facebook post that Romanian companies should play an important role in the reconstruction of Ukraine. It is a project worth over EUR 500 billion, from which Romanian companies should gain as much as possible, Mr. Ciolacu added. On Sunday, around 150 people, mostly Ukrainian refugees, gathered in front of the Ukrainian embassy in Bucharest to mark 11 years of Russian aggression and 3 years since the start of the full-scale invasion. The participants carried Ukrainian and Romanian flags, as well as banners with messages against the war started by Russia and against the Russian president Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian ambassador to Bucharest also attended the protest.

     

    POPE FRANCIS Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church wished Pope Francis a speedy recovery, in a message sent on Sunday on behalf of himself, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the clergy and all Romanian Orthodox believers. The Patriarch says he prays for Pope Francis to recover and resume his pastoral and missionary work as soon as possible. Aged 88, Pope Francis has been hospitalised in Rome for almost 10 days with bilateral pneumonia, and his health has worsened. Pope Francis was elected head of the Catholic Church in 2013.

     

    FILM The Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude was awarded the Silver Bear for best screenplay at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The distinction was awarded for his latest film, “Kontinental ’25”, the story of a female bailiff in the grips of a moral crisis, filmed with a phone in just 10 days. In his acceptance speech, Radu Jude thanked his team and said that the award proves that there is a lot of talent in Romania. The Golden Bear for best film went to ‘Dreams (Sex Love)’/'(Drommer’), directed by the Norwegian Dag Johan Haugerud. The second most important trophy of the Berlinale, the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, was awarded to the Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro for the production ‘The Blue Trail’ (‘O último azul’), and the Silver Bear for best director went to the Chinese filmmaker Huo Meng for ‘Living The Land’ (‘Sheng xi zhi di’).

     

    ARREST Ten individuals close to a French drug trafficker arrested on Saturday in Romania, have been detained over suspicions of having participated in the escape and flight of the repeat offender, the Paris prosecutor announced on Sunday. The known leader of a drug trafficking group, the man had been wanted since his escape in France in May 2024, during which two police officers were killed. On Saturday, Romanian police identified and detained him near a shopping center in Bucharest, and handed him over to the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian player Elizabeta Samara won the silver at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup, which brought together Europe’s best table tennis players in Montreux (Switzerland). On Sunday, the Romanian lost the final to Ying Han (Germany), 2-3. Another Romanian, Bernadette Szocs, lost the quarter-finals on Saturday. Szocs won the competition in 2018, in 2019 she lost the final, and in 2021, 2022 and 2024 she came out third. Elizabeta Samara also won a third place in 2018.

     

    HANDBALL  The Romanian women’s handball team HC Dunărea Brăila have qualified for the quarter-finals of the EHF European League, after a 33-33 draw against the Norwegian side Larvik on Sunday in their last match in Group A. The result won Dunărea Brăila the group stage. In the quarter-finals, they will face the second-placed team in Group B, Ikast Handbold (Denmark). In turn, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea, the winners of Group B, will face Thueringer HC (Germany). The first leg games take place on March 22-23, and the return matches on March 29-30. Meanwhile on Sunday, CS Rapid Bucharest managed to qualify for the play-offs of the Women’s Handball Champions League, after drawing away from home against the Montenegrin team Buducnost Podgorica, 21-21, in the last round of Group B. (AMP)

  • February 20, 2025 UPDATE

    February 20, 2025 UPDATE

    FAIR The 2025 springtime edition of Romania’s Travel Fair got underway on Thursday in Bucharest in the presence of the Minister of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Bogdan Ivan. According to him, authorities are preparing a series of visa facilities for tourists who want to travel to Romania. Currently at its 51st edition, the event is taking place until Sunday on a surface of 12 thousand square meters and brings together 190 exhibitors from Romania and abroad, thus strengthening its status as a reference platform in the tourism industry, the organizers say. This edition brings together a significant number of international participants who account for 52% of the total companies attending. Travel agencies and operators have prepared significant discounts for a wide range of travel packages. Romania’s most beautiful regions are being promoted during the fair offering the visitors the opportunity of discovering these marvelous regions for themselves. The present edition comes with a series of exclusive offers and special discounts for the holidays of 2025 and also includes inter-active presentations and conferences given by experts in the industry as well as virtual tours of the top destinations.

     

    TENNIS Romania’s male tennis team will be up against El Salvador in the Davis Cup’s World Group Two in September this year, the Romanian Tennis Federation announced on its Facebook page on Thursday. The matches are to take place over September 12 – 13 or 13 – 14. Romania conceded a 3-1 defeat to Bulgaria in Craiova, southern Romania, in the World Group One’s play-offs held in late January early February. In Group Two, El Salvador outperformed the Republic of Moldova 3-2 on their own turf in Santa Tecla. Romania hasn’t played Salvador yet whose best known player is Marcelo Arevalo, world leader in doubles contests. Worth mentioning is that the singles ranking doesn’t include any Salvadorian player.

     

    UKRAINE Ilie Bolojan, the interim president of Romania, stated after Wednesday’s informal meeting in Paris that Ukraine’s security is directly linked to the security of Europe and of Romania, reaffirming the importance of the collaboration between the European states and the United States to achieve a just and lasting peace. “A fair peace cannot be achieved without the participation of Ukraine and the European Union in the negotiations,” Ilie Bolojan also stated. Before the meeting, which was also attended by leaders from Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Sweden and Belgium, the interim president of Romania had talks with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron. “We have ensured once again that, just as France has been by Romania’s side in the very important moments of our country’s history, it stands by our side today. We have reconfirmed the strategic partnership with France,” said President Bolojan. He also added, “we have reconfirmed the stability of the French military presence in Romania. At the request of our country, this presence will be strengthened in the coming period.” Bucharest and Paris will also continue their economic cooperation, including in the defense industry, with the development of production capacities in Romania being taken into account for the coming years.

     

    TALKS Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has said, regarding the peace negotiations in Ukraine, that the momentary harsh statements made by the world leaders are not important, what is important is a just and lasting peace in that country, which can only be achieved with the help of the US. He stressed that peace will bring lower energy and gas prices and an economic recovery throughout Europe. It is then vital to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, it is a project of over 500 billion euros, from which Romanian companies must gain as much as possible, Ciolacu added. He announced, on the other hand, that during the working visit he will make to Brussels on Friday, he will meet with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The discussions will focus, among other things, on aspects related to the renegotiation of the NRRP as well as the security situation in the current international context. The Head of the Executive specified that he will be accompanied to Brussels by the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Marcel Boloş, and the Minister of Finance, Tanczos Barna.

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  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    Corona Braşov and Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc on Wednesday won their regular season matches as part of the Erste Liga ice hockey competition. Defending champions Corona Brasov on home turf defeated Hungarian opponents Jegesmedvék of Miskolc 6-4. Corona came from behind, being lead 4-nil. Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc grabbed a 6-2 home win against Dunaújvárosi Acélbikák.

    The regular season’s top team is the Hungarian side Budapest Jégkorong Akadémia. With 78 points on their record sheet, the Hungarians are on a par with ACSH Gheorgheni. In Erste Liga’s play-offs, Jégkorong Akadémia take on Újpest, ACSH Gheorgheni go against Jegesmedvék, Debrecen play Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc, while Corona are pitted against Ferencváros. We recall in the previous edition of Erste Liga’s final, in the game against Ferencvaros Corona emerged as winner, 4-nil on aggregate.

    Three of the teams representing Romania in the European women’s handball competitions grabbed comfortable wins in this past Wednesday’s domestic championship games. As part of the National League’s 17th round, CSM Bucharest grabbed a 28-21 home win against CSM Târgu Jiu. We recall CSM are the best-placed Romanian team in the Champions League. Dunărea Brăila defeated CSM Iasi, 32-23, at home, while SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea trounced CSM Slatina, 41-31, also on home turf.

    CSM Bucharest have a comfortable lead according to the as-it-stands table. Another team playing in the Champions League, Rapid Bucharest, on Wednesday competed in Romanian Cup’s round of 16. Rapid grabbed a 46-16 away win against second-tier team Star Mioveni, securing a place in the quarterfinals where they go against CSM Târgu Jiu on March 16.

    As part of the Challenger tennis tournament, in Bahrain’s Manama, an event with 200,000 USD in prize money all told, the Romanian-Spanish pair made of Victor Cornea and Sergio Martos Gornes on Wednesday advanced to the men’s doubles quarterfinals. Cornea and Martos Gornes defeated Benoit Paire and Yusuf Qaed, 6-2, 7-6. The top-seeded Romanian-Spanish pair received 2, 030 USD and were granted 20 points according to the ATP rankings.

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Romania’s national rugby team has qualified to the 2027 edition of the World Cup, to be held in Australia. According to the rankings of Rugby Europe Championship 2025’s Group B, Romania has booked one of the first two positions having two wins on its record sheet. In an away match on Saturday, Romania defeated Belgium, 31 – 14.

    The Romanian National squad has previously trounced Germany in Bucharest, 48 to 10. This coming Saturday in Botosani, Romania takes on Portugal, in Group B’s last fixture.

    This past Sunday in Cluj-Napoca, the WTA 250 Transylvania Open women’s tennis tournament drew to a close. The event had 275,000 USD in prize money all told. The winner was Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, who defeated Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti in the final, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. Best-placed Romania tennis player was Jaqueline Cristian. In the women’s doubles, pairing up with Angelica Moratelli, Cristian reached as far as the final, where they were defeated, 6-3, 6-1, by the Belgian-Czech pair made of Magali Kempen and Ana Siskova.

    In women’s handball, this past weekend saw matches being played, counting towards the European competitions. In the Champions League’s Group A, Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud in Slovenia on Saturday lost to Krim Ljubljana, 25 to. 28. On Sunday, CSM Bucharest grabbed a 31-30 home win against Croatian side Podravka Koprivnica For CSM, Cristina Neagu scored 8 goals, thus having a record of 1,200 goals in the Champions League.

    CSM Bucharest are 3rd placed, while Gloria, 7th. In Group B, Romanian vice-champions Rapid Bucharest sustained a 24-30 away defeat in Germany’s Ludwigsburg and are 7th-placed according to the group ranking. The first two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals. The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th-placed teams engage in the playoffs to secure a place in the quarterfinals.

    In the EHF European League, Group A, Dunărea Brăila sustained a 28-38 away defeat by German team Thüringer. After four rounds, Dunarea Braila and Thuringer are at the top of the table in their group, with an equal number of points. In Group B, CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea grabbed a 38-34 away win against Sola of Norway. CSM Ramnicu Valcea are still at the top of the table, followed by Danish side Ikast.

    In news from football, Florinel Coman scored a goal in his Serie A debut match. On Sunday, Coman scored for Cagliari, in the game they won against Parma, 2-1. Florinel Coman scored only two minutes after he was sent to the pitch, halfway through the second half of the game. This week, midfielder Coman was given on loan to Cagliari from Al-Gharafa, until the end of Serie A’s ongoing season.

    In the Romanian Super League, FCSB are as of late at the top of the table. In the 26th round on Sunday, defending champions FCSB grabbed a 3-nil home win against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. FCSB have right now 46 points on their record sheet. We recall Universitatea Craiova, Universitatea Cluj and Dinamo Bucharest have 45. On Friday, FC Botoşani and Dinamo drew, 1-all, on the former team’s turf.

    . On Saturday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 1-nil win against Clinceni, in Slobozia. In Galati, the local side Oţelul and Rapid Bucharest drew, 1-all. On Sunday, in Sibiu, Hermanstadt FC and Petrolul Ploiesti drew, 1-all. On home turf, Universitatea Cluj’s home game against Poli Iasi ended in a 2-all draw.

  • February 9, 2025

    February 9, 2025

    TALKS Romania’s Senate will next week be hosting talks with representatives of real estate agencies, notary public, and the National Agency for Cadastre. The MPs want to include in the legislation regulations for the better protection of those who want to buy houses from real estate developers. Three draft laws have already been submitted to Parliament in this respect. The move comes after hundreds of people affected by the Nordis fraudulent scheme have called for amendments to the legislation. The former PSD MP, Laura Vicol, her husband Vladimir Ciorba who is also the main shareholder in the Nordis Group, and other three persons have been placed in preventive detention in connection with the aforementioned file. The investigation is focusing on natural persons and companies accused of having raked in more than 195 million Euros from customers without giving them the apartments they paid for.

     

    VOTE Over 2 thousand Romanian eligible voters residing abroad have so far registered on the website of the Permanent Election Authority to cast their ballot by mail in the presidential election due in May this year. The registration deadline is March 20th and, according to official figures, most registrations came from Germany, Britain, Switzerland, France and Spain. Romania will be hosting presidential election on May 4 and 18. We recall the first presidential round was invalidated by the Constitutional Court in December last year due to interferences in the election process.

     

    CUP Romania’s national fifteen has qualified for World Cup 2027 after a 31-14 win on Saturday against the Belgian side in Rugby Europe Championship. Romania has thus ensured its 10th participation in the World Cup. Only in 2019, Romania was not allowed to attend the competition because it used an ineligible player in the qualifiers. In its debut match in Rugby Europe Championship 2025, Romania secured a 48-10 home win against Germany. Our players will be having their last match at home against Portugal on February 15. Romania ranks first in the standings with nine points followed by Portugal, Germany and Belgium. The first two sides are qualified for World Cup 2027.

     

    SPORTS CS Gloria 2018 Bistrita Nasaud, a women’s handball side from northern Romania, was outperformed by Slovenian side Krim Ljubljana 28-25 on Saturday in an away match counting towards group A of the Champions League. After that game, Gloria has few chances to qualify for the play-offs. In the same group today, CSM Bucharest takes on RK Podravka of Croatia. In the competition’s group B, Rapid Bucharest takes on Ludwigsburg of Germany. In tennis competitions, the Romanian-Italian pair Jaqueline Cristian/Angelica Moratelli has qualified for the doubles finals of the tennis tournament Transylvania Open (WTA 250), a competition hosted by Cluj-Napoca, in north-western Romania, with more than 275 thousand dollars in prize money. The two have clinched a 6-3, 6-2 win against Katarzyna Piter of Poland and Aleksandra Sasnovici of Belarus. In the finals today Cristian and Moratelli will be up against Magali Kempen of Belgium and Ana Siskova of the Czech Republic.

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  • February 8, 2025 UPDATE

    February 8, 2025 UPDATE

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

     

    SIE – The Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) has significantly contributed to meeting the national strategic objectives and honoring the commitments made by Romania within allied and European formats, President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday, in his message on the 35th anniversary of SIE. According to the President, the information supplied by SIE on national security matters has been critical in making decisions for the Romanian state and in handling the increasingly complex security challenges, as part of the efforts to turn Romania into a resilient state, able to face diffuse and unpredictable challenges. Among others, Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine and its subversive hybrid actions in Romania and across Europe, the persistence of classic security risks, such as cyber, terrorism and hostile information activities, have continued to generate national and international security challenges and to shape the activity of the SIE, along with that of other institutions part of the National Security System, the President explained. He also said it is vital to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation and the one with external partners, in order to increase the Romanian state’s capacity to respond effectively to multiple security challenges, with an emphasis on hybrid threats.

     

    IMF- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Bucharest concluded talks with representatives of the main institutions responsible for Romania’s monetary and fiscal policies. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told the IMF experts that the Romanian Government is committed to comply with the budget deficit of 7% of the Gross Domestic Product and to implement the reforms assumed under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Last fall, the IMF published its latest forecast on the Romanian economy, estimating a deficit at the same level as the one set by the government, 7%, for the end of 2025. The IMF estimates are more optimistic both in terms of economic growth, 3.3%, compared to only 2.5% expected by the authorities in Bucharest, and inflation, calculated at 3.6%, below the 4.4% target set by the government.

     

    WAGES – Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Poland, from January 2015 to January 2025, had the highest average annual rate of increase in the minimum wage in the EU, Euronews reports. They reported increases between 10% and 14%, according to Eurostat data. On the other hand, the lowest average annual rate of increase in the minimum wage in the EU was in France (2.1%) and Malta (2.9%). 22 of the 27 EU member states have established a national minimum wage, the exceptions being Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland and Sweden. The monthly minimum wage varies significantly across EU member states. Thus, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France are the countries where the minimum wage exceeds 1,500 euros per month, while Croatia, Greece, Malta, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Hungary and Bulgaria have the lowest minimum wage, below 1,000 euros per month.

     

    INVICTUS – A team of soldiers will represent Romania at this year’s Invictus Games Vancouver and Whistler 2025. The Invictus Games is an international sports competition that was first held in 2014 and aims to raise awareness about the gratitude we owe to the wounded soldiers. This year’s event will take place from February 8-16 in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, and will bring together over 500 competitors from 23 nations around the world. The delegation that will accompany the Romanian team to Canada will be led by the Director of the Defence Staff, Major General Valentin Brînzei.

     

    DISCONNECTION – More than three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have begun to disconnect from Russia’s electricity grid and join the EU’s grid. The two-day process began on Saturday morning, with residents told to charge their devices, stock up on food and water and prepare for severe weather, Reuters reports. A giant, specially built clock will count down the final seconds before the transition, at a landmark ceremony in the Lithuanian capital on Sunday, attended by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. The three Baltic nations will then officially disconnect from the grid that has connected them to Russia since the years after World War II.

     

    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse suceeded to reach the main singles draw of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Doha (Qatar) after defeating Australian Daria Saville 6-3, 6-4, on Saturday, in the final round of the qualifiers. Ruse (aged 27, 112 WTA), who in the first round defeated the American Taylor Townsend (28 years old, 81 WTA), with 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, also defeated Saville in 2022, in the first round at the US Open. Gabriela Ruse will be the only Romanian representative on the main draw of the competition in Qatar, held on February 9 to 15. In Cluj-Napoca (north-west Romania), Russian Anastasia Potapova and Italian Lucia Bronzetti qualified on Saturday for the final of the Transylvania Open (WTA 250). Potapova, the main favorite, defeated Belarusian Aleksandra Sasnovici, 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinal. In the other semifinal, Bronzetti took advantage of the withdrawal of Czech Katerina Siniakova.

     

  • Simona Halep retires from tennis

    Simona Halep retires from tennis

    One of the greatest Romanian athletes, tennis player Simona Halep, announced her retirement at the age of 33.

     

     

    “It is tough to see such a great champion leave the sport”, the Americans from The Tennis Letter, a platform specializing in information on this sport, wrote after the Simona Halep’s announcement that she is retiring. The athlete from Constanţa (southeast) has inspired countless people along the way, The Tennis Letter also wrote.

     

    “I don’t know if it’s sadness or joy. It’s probably both. But I make this decision with an easy heart. I have always been realistic about myself. My body is not strong enough to take me to the level where I probably was. It’s very hard to get there and I know what it means to get there.” These are Simona’s words, said after losing the match to the Italian Lucia Bronzetti, on Tuesday, in Cluj-Napoca (northwest), in the first round of  Transylvania Open. Simona later said in a press conference: “I am at peace, I know that I did nothing wrong in tennis. All I want now is to get some rest. I am a professional tennis player who is exhausted from a professional viewpoint and I want to rest. I don’t want to make plans anymore so I will take things as they come and see what happens”.

     

    Simona Halep is, as the numbers show, the greatest tennis player in Romanian history. She was world number one for 64 weeks, between 2017 and 2019, the peak years of her career. She has two Grand Slam titles – the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019 – as well as three other finals played in the most important tennis competitions: two at the French Open (2014, 2017) and one at the Australian Open (2018). She also finished runner-up at the 2014 WTA Finals.

     

    Starting from 2013, the year of her first performance in the big league, she has won 24 titles in total. She won over 40 million dollars from tennis, being in 3rd place all-time, after the Williams sisters. She defeated the younger one, Serena, in the Wimbledon final. The tennis history has also recorded memorable matches of Simona against athletes of the same caliber, such as Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki.

     

    However, Halep’s most difficult and longest match ever was not played on clay, grass or hard, but in the famous court of arbitration in Lausanne, called to determine whether the Romanian had intentionally doped. In 2022, Halep had tested positive for a banned substance and subsequently suspended for four years. An eternity in tennis and many other sports, especially since, at that time, the Romanian had turned 31. In March last year, following the appeal filed by Halep at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the latter decided that Halep had not intentionally violated anti-doping rules, so the painful match for her own honor was won. She returned to competition, but not at the level she wanted, due to physical problems. The organizers of the French Open and Wimbledon immediately reacted to her the announcement that the Romanian was ending her professional career, evoking her performances and wishing her all the best in her new life, the one after tennis.

     

  • January 28, 2025

    January 28, 2025

    SEARCH The Dutch police are still looking for those who on Saturday morning blasted their way into the Drents Museum in Assen and left with four ancient artefacts belonging to Romania. In a communiqué, the Culture Minister in Bucharest, Natalia Intotero, has referred to the talks she had with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and the Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, about the theft. The minister says these aren’t simple artefacts, but essential parts of the history and identity of the Romanian people also representing a priceless cultural heritage, not only for Romania, but for the entire world and that there is a moral duty to protect and recover these symbols. Intotero has called on the Dutch authorities to attach the proper attention to the issue and take all the necessary moves to identify the thieves and bring the aforementioned treasure artefacts to Romania, where they actually belong.

     

    ELECTION In its session today, the government in Bucharest has endorsed the calendar of the upcoming presidential election. Under the document, the first round of election is due on May 4 and the second on 18. Candidacies are to be submitted to the Central Election Office until March 15 and the election campaign is due to get underway on April 4 and close on May 3, at 7 hours, local time. Romanians living abroad will also have three days to cast their ballot just like last year when the first round was cancelled under a Constitutional Court ruling.

     

    TALKS Romania’s Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, is today having talks with NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. Rutte has recently cautioned that in 4-5 years, the allies will not be able to ensure their collective defence unless they manage to raise the defence expenses. The US president, Donald Trump, whose country covers the biggest part of NATO expenses, has recently called on the allies to raise their national defence budgets to 5% of the GDP. Minister Hurezeanu attended the EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday, which had high on the agenda, the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the relations with the USA.

     

    TOURISM Bucharest has this week presented the fourth edition of the White Charter of Tourism, comprising the industry’s main characteristics, risks, vulnerabilities as well as the opportunities it has at national level. According to the survey more and more tourists are choosing Romanian travel destinations. The main investment domains in the aforementioned industry should remain entertainment and infrastructure and the promotion should be stepped up both at national and international levels. The field ministry believes that by 2035, Romania’s travel industry should have made 3 billion Euros in proceeds, including through the attraction of a larger number of foreign tourists and by doubling down on the existing demand.

     

    TENNIS Romania’s tennis player Sorana Cirstea on Monday qualified for the round of sixteen of the WTA 500 tournament in Linz, Austria, a competition with roughly one million dollars in prize money. The Romanian has outperformed the Dutch challenger Arantxa Rus, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. Cirstea hasn’t won a game in the professional circuit since May last year. Another Romanian attending the Linz competition, Anca Todoni, has been defeated in the first round of the qualifying contest.

     

    WEATHER And now a couple of things about the weather, which is extremely warm for this time of the year with highs ranging from 9 to 18 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 12 degrees.

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  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

     

    The Australian driver Daniel Sanders won this year’s Dakar Rally in the motorcycle section. The Romanian Emanuel Gyenes came in 20th, but he won the Original by Motul category, where participants compete without technical assistance. This is the second time the Satu Mare born athlete has won this category, after 2020. In 2011 and 2015, he won the Marathon class. His best overall ranking in 15 annual competitions remains the 14th place won in 2016.

     

    At the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk qualified for the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles event. In the round of 16, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair defeated the 12th-seeded Hanyu Guo of China and Alexandra Panova of Russia 7-5, 4-6, 7-6. The match lasted 3 hours and 14 minutes. Ruse and Kostiuk have played 2 Grand Slam women’s doubles semifinals together, one in Melbourne in 2023 and another at Roland Garros in 2024. Now, they have secured a check for 142,000 Australian dollars and 430 WTA doubles points. In the quarterfinals, they will face the third-seeded Su-Wei Hsieh (Taiwan) and Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia).

     

    In the women’s handball Champions League’s Group A, CSM Bucharest defeated the Slovenian team Krim Ljubljana 36-23 at home on Saturday, while Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud were defeated in Croatia by Podravka Koprivnica 26-25. CSM are in 3rd place in the standings and will play the against Danish team Nykøbing Falster on Sunday. Gloria are in 6th place and will take on the Hungarian team Ferencváros at home on Saturday. In Group B, Rapid suffered another defeat: 25-42 at home against the Danish side Odense, and remains in 7th place in the group. The Romanian vice-champions will also play the next match at home, against another Danish team, Team Esbjerg, on Sunday. The Norwegian team Vipers Kristiansand withdrew from the competition.

     

    In the EHF European League’s Group A, on Saturday, Dunărea Brăila defeated the Norwegian team Larvik 27-24 away from home and will play on Sunday against Thüringer (Germany). In Group B, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea beat the Danish team Ikast, at home, 27-26. On Saturday they are facing the Norwegian team Sola at home. Both Romanian teams lead the standings in their respective groups.

     

    We end with football. Over the weekend, games counting for the 22nd round of the Romanian Super League took place. On Friday, in Clinceni, Unirea Slobozia defeated Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe 3-2, and in Bucharest, FCSB tied 1-1 with Hermannstadt. On Saturday, in Cluj, Universitatea beat Gloria Buzău 2-1, and in Galaţi, Oţelul drew 0-0 with Petrolul Ploieşti. On Sunday, FC Botoşani played at home against CFR Cluj, and Universitatea Craiova took on Dinamo Bucharest on home turf. Both matches ended in 1-all draws. Monday sees the last two games in this round: Farul Constanţa vs UTA Arad and Rapid Bucharest vs Poli Iaşi. Universitatea Cluj top the standings, with 40 points, followed by FCSB with 38. (AMP)

  • January 19, 2025

    January 19, 2025

    UNIONS Romanian trade unionists ask the politicians in power to talk directly with the people, because social tensions are high, and the powder keg could explode at any moment. This warning was issued by the Cartel Alfa federation in a statement that says political decision-makers have abandoned open communication with Romanians. The budget deficit must be corrected by improving collection, but the government refuses to take any measures outside of recipes that have proven ineffective for years, Cartel Alfa also says.

     

    JOBS Nearly 33,000 positions are declared vacant by employers in Romania, the National Employment Agency announced. Most of them, over 20,000, are intended for unskilled applicants or primary and secondary school graduates. Another 10,000 jobs require high school, post-secondary school or vocational education. A little over 1,900 jobs require a degree, including positions as engineers in various sectors, computer programmers, financial and accounting experts or veterinarians. Also, employers from the European Economic Area offer employment through the EURES Romania network; 100 jobs are available in Germany and Spain, and another 27 in Austria, Ireland and Malta.

     

    ECONOMY The World Bank has revised downward its outlook for the Romanian economy this year, mainly due to the fiscal consolidation measures recently announced by the government. In its latest global economic outlook report, the World Bank lowers its estimate for Romania’s economic growth rate to 2.1% this year, as against 3.8% forecast in June 2024. Also, in 2026, Romania’s GDP growth is expected to be 2.6% compared to 3.8%, as estimated in June. On the other hand, economic growth in Central Europe is expected to recover to 2.8% in 2025 and 3% in 2026, thanks to robust private demand. Export growth in Central Europe is expected to remain modest due to slow progress in the Euro area. The level of investments, especially in Poland and Romania, is expected to improve, thanks to structural reforms and EU funding.

     

    MILITARY Hundreds of British military vehicles are on their way to Romania by ferry, in order to take part in a major NATO exercise, London announced. 2,400 British soldiers with 730 military vehicles will form the main battle group, supported by troops from five other NATO countries, with the United Kingdom assuming command of the land component. The new Allied Reaction Force (ARF) replaced the NATO Response Force (NRF) last year, and aims to respond quickly and effectively to any threat in times of peace, crisis or conflict.

     

    MIDDLE EAST A senior Israeli official said that Israel received a list of hostages in Gaza who are to be released today by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has resigned to protest the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Israeli media reported today. Ben-Gvir’s far-right and ultranationalist party will leave the ruling coalition. After months of deadlock in the 15-month war in Gaza, a three-stage agreement was reached earlier this week. During an initial six-week ceasefire, 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza are to be released in exchange for 1,904 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, while the Israeli army is to pull out of densely populated areas in Gaza. Meanwhile, however, the army carried on its attacks in Gaza, where at least five people were killed.

     

    HANDBALL The women’s handball team CS Rapid Bucharest face today at home the Danish side Odense Handbold, in the Champions League Group B. The day before, in Group A, the Romanian champions CSM Bucharest defeated the Slovenian side Krim Mercator Ljubljana 36-23, also at home. In the same group, Gloria 2018 Bistriţa-Năsăud were defeated, away from home, by the Croatian team RK Podravka Vegeta Koprivnica, 26-25. In the group standings, CSM are in 4th place, with 10 points, and Gloria are in 6th place, with 6 points.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles event at the Australian Open on Sunday, after defeating Hanyu Guo (China) / Alexandra Panova (Russia) 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (10/6). Ruse and Kostiuk have played two Grand Slam women’s doubles semifinals together, one in Melbourne in 2023 and one at Roland Garros in 2024. In the quarterfinals, they will take on Su-Wei Hsieh (Taiwan) and Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia). (AMP)

  • January 18, 2025 UPDATE

    January 18, 2025 UPDATE

    Protest – Thousands of members and supporters of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), the main opposition party in Romania’s Parliament, protested on Saturday in Bucharest and across Romania, demanding, among other things, the resumption of the second round of the presidential election. They criticized the court’s decision by which the action opened by the independent candidate Călin Georgescu in the case of the cancellation of the presidential election was definitively rejected and said that it defies millions of Romanians who demand the resumption of the second round of voting and that it ignores the lack of clear evidence. Organized on time, on November 24, 2024, the first round was invalidated by the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR), which, based on documents provided by the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT), invoked the interference of a so-called state actor. The second round, scheduled for December 8, was to be contested by Georgescu, accused of connections with Russia, and the opposition Save Romania Union (USR) leader Elena Lasconi. In the diaspora, where the polling stations for the decisive round opened on December 6, tens of thousands of Romanians had already voted when the CCR decided to invalidate the first round. The costs of the invalidated election allegedly stand at almost 1.4 billion lei (the equivalent of about 280 billion Euros). On December 21, the acting president’s second and last five-year presidential mandate was to expire, according to the Constitution, but his mandate was extended until the election of a new president to be validated by the CCR.

     

    NATO – Hundreds of British military vehicles are on their way to Romania, loaded on ferries, to take part in a major NATO exercise, the British government announced. 2,400 British soldiers, with 730 military vehicles, will form the main battle group, supported by representatives of five other NATO countries, and the United Kingdom will ensure the command of the land component. The new allied reaction force replaced the NATO response force last year and aims to quickly and effectively respond to any threat in peacetime, crisis or conflict.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the round of 16 of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after defeating the pair Elise Mertens (Belgium)/Ellen Perez (Australia) 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in Melbourne. In another second round match, the Romanian Jaqueline Cristian and her Italian partner Camilla Rosatello were defeated by the pair Leylah Fernandez (Canada)-Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Jaqueline Cristian was also defeated in the singles by the German Eva Lys 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the third round.

     

    Intelligence Service – The Romanian Intelligence Service presented new details about the strategic objectives in Romania that a Colombian citizen intended to blow up, at the instigation of a person from Russia. The target was a recyclable waste deposit, two oil extraction wells and a Natural Gas Regulating Metering Station. Luis Alfonso Murillo Diosa was sent to court last November for crimes against national security. According to the investigators, the Colombian was affiliated with an extensive network of saboteurs, controlled through intermediaries by the Russian secret services, which targeted several European states. A former military, trained in intelligence gathering activities, Diosa arrived on Romanian territory in July 2024.

     

    Fair – Romania will participate in the largest organic products fair in the world, BioFach 2025, which will take place in Nuremberg (Germany) between February 11-14, announced the Bio-Romania Association, supported by the Romanian Government through the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade. According to the Association, Romania has been present for 20 years at this event dedicated to agriculture and ecological products. Since 1990, BioFach has become the essential meeting point for organic food producers worldwide, offering networking opportunities and a place where ideas can be exchanged between all actors in the value chain of the organic sector.

     

    US – The inauguration ceremony of the US President-Elect, Donald Trump, will be moved indoors, as the weather forecast for Monday in Washington indicates very low temperatures, the American press announces. Therefore, the swearing-in ceremony, which was supposed to take place on the steps of the Capitol, will take place inside the Capitol Rotunda, just as it was done at the ceremony for the second term of the former president Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump has told his supporters that they will be able to see the inauguration ceremony on screens located inside the Capital One Arena, a sports arena in Washington with a capacity of 20,000 people. The transition team announced that, on Monday, Donald Trump would again use his own Bible, and also the “Lincoln Bible”, a copy known by this name because it was the holy book used by the 16th president of the USA , Abraham Lincoln. The Republican leader also used these two copies when taking the oath for his first mandate, in 2017, the EFE agency reports. (LS)

  • January 18, 2025

    January 18, 2025

    Protests – Thousands of policemen and other employees from the fields of defense, public order and national security protested, on Friday, in Bucharest, against the provisions of the government ordinance to reduce the budget deficit, which came into force at the beginning of the month. They requested the Government to review the provisions of the aforementioned document, which significantly reduces their income by not paying overtime worked on weekends or public holidays. Thus the protesters say the incomes of operative police officers will be drastically affected, with decreases between 1,000 lei (€200) and 2,000 lei (€400). The PM Marcel Ciolacu said that the issue of paying overtime in the field of public order will be regulated with priority at the beginning of next month, in Parliament.

     

    Verdict – The magistrates of the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest on Friday rejected the appeals filed by the independent candidate Călin Georgescu in the case of the cancelation of last year’s presidential election. He had challenged a decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal delivered at the end of December 2024, by which the judges rejected Georgescu’s request to cancel the three decisions of the Central Electoral Bureau, adopted after the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) decided to cancel the presidential election. Previously, Călin Georgescu, considered pro-Russian, declared that he challenged the decision of the CCR at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). He asks the ECHR to compel the Romanian state to organize the second round of the presidential election in which he and Elena Lasconi (USR) qualified. Based on documents declassified by the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT), CCR judges cited significant irregularities that affected the integrity of the electoral process and manipulated votes through social networks. Documents from the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE), the Interior Ministry (MAI) and the Special Telecommunications Service (STS) showed that Călin Georgescu would have benefited from the support of state and non-state actors to win. After the decision of the CCR, the Government established that the first round of the Romanian presidential election will be on May 4, and the second round on May 18. Romanians in the diaspora still have three days to vote, but on the last day, Sunday, the polling stations will close at 9 p.m., Romanian time, regardless of the local time zone.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian (83 WTA) was defeated by the German Eva Lys (128 WTA) score 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, on Saturday, in Melbourne, in the third round of the Australian Open tournament. The Romanian reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. In the doubles, the Romanians Gabriela Ruse and Jaqueline Cristian, in different pairs, qualified for the second round, after the victories obtained, on Friday, in Melbourne. Gabriela Ruse and the Ukrainian Marta Kostiuk defeated the Australian pair Destanee Aiuava and Maddison Inglis 6-4, 7-6, and in the second round they will have strong opponents, Elise Mertens (Belgium) and Ellen Perez (Australia), seeded 6th. Jaqueline Cristian and the Italian Camilla Rosatello defeated the pair Cristina Bucşa (Spain)/Iana Sizikova (Russia) 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. The next opponents for Cristian and Rosatello will be Leylah Fernandez (Canada) and Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine), 16th seeds.

     

    Fair – Romania will participate in the largest organic products fair in the world, BioFach 2025, which will take place in Nuremberg (Germany), between February 11-14, announced the Bio-Romania Association, supported by the Romanian Government through the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade. According to the Association, Romania has been present for 20 years at this event dedicated to agriculture and ecological products. Since 1990, BioFach has become the essential meeting point for organic food producers worldwide, offering networking opportunities and a place where ideas can be exchanged between all actors in the value chain of the organic sector.

     

    US – The inauguration ceremony of the US President-Elect, Donald Trump, will be moved indoors, as the weather forecast for Monday in Washington indicates very low temperatures, the American press announces. Therefore, the swearing-in ceremony, which was supposed to take place on the steps of the Capitol, will take place inside the Capitol Rotunda, just as it was done at the ceremony for the second term of the former president Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump has told his supporters that they will be able to see the inauguration ceremony on screens located inside the Capital One Arena, a sports arena in Washington with a capacity of 20,000 people. The transition team announced that, on Monday, Donald Trump would again use his own Bible, and also the “Lincoln Bible”, a copy known by this name because it was the holy book used by the 16th president of the USA , Abraham Lincoln. The Republican leader also used these two copies when taking the oath for his first mandate, in 2017, the EFE agency reports. (LS)

     

  • January 17, 2025

    January 17, 2025

     

    RUSSIA The Romanian ministry of foreign affairs firmly condemns the Russian forces’ irresponsible attacks that violate all the norms of international law, and emphasises that Russia’s illegal and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine generates risks for the entire region. The statement was made as the monitoring and surveillance systems of Romania’s defence ministry Friday morning noted violations of Romanian airspace, in Tulcea county, after Russian forces resumed their drone attacks on civilian targets and port infrastructure in Ukraine. ‘Respect for sovereignty, security and peace are obligations that the Russian Federation violates systematically and without provocation. The persistent aggressive actions, the illegal occupation of some of the neighboring territories and the illegal full-scale war that Russia has been waging for almost 3 years against a sovereign neighbor are a persistent and serious threat not only to Ukraine but to the entire Black Sea region and NATO’s eastern flank,’ the foreign ministry says. The foreign ministry and the defence ministry also mention that they have been informing NATO in real time about the situations caused by these attacks, and remain in permanent contact with it.

     

    PROTESTS Several thousand police officers and employees from defence, public order and national security institutions, as well as reserve officers from all over Romania take part in a protest in Bucharest today. They are unhappy with a government order that has significantly reduced their incomes. The act scraps overtime pay and payments for days worked on weekends or public holidays. The protesters argue that the income of operational police officers will be severely affected, with decreases ranging between EUR 200 and 2,000. The participants are marching towards the ministry of finance, the ministry of justice, the labour ministry, and the interior ministry, with the government headquarters as their final destination.

     

    ELECTIONS The first round of the presidential elections in Romania will take place on May 4, and the second round on May 18, the government has decided. Stricter rules have also been set for the election campaign, especially regulating online campaigns. Failure to comply with them may entail fines for major online platforms of up to 5% of their turnover. Romanians in the diaspora will still have 3 days to vote, but on the last day, that is, on Sunday, polling stations will close at 9:00 p.m. Romanian time, regardless of the local time zone. The new provisions have been criticised by several NGOs. The presidential election was cancelled at the end of last year by the Constitutional Court, on grounds that the election process had been flawed.

     

    FLU Flu vaccination remains the easiest, safest and most effective protection method against seasonal diseases, Romanian doctors reiterate amid increases in the number of respiratory infections. Specialists emphasise that as the percentage of the vaccinated population increased, flu viruses spread less in communities decreases. A National Institute for Public Health report shows that the number of people diagnosed with respiratory infections has doubled, with almost 91,000 cases reported in the last week. There are almost 600 patients diagnosed with clinical flu and over 200 for whom lab tests have confirmed infection with the flu virus, most of them in Bucharest, Cluj, Braşov, Constanţa, Alba and Galaţi. Five more people have died from the flu, bringing the death toll since the beginning of the season up to 9.

     

    MIDDLE EAST Israel and Hamas have officially signed a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza, after overcoming last-minute disputes. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Security Cabinet and the government are meeting later today to ratify the document. The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he expects the implementation of the agreement to begin on Sunday as planned, with the release of the first 3 Israeli hostages. At least one of the far-right Israeli ministers who oppose the agreement has resigned. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Israel, political life in Israel is shaping up to be troubled, with a great potential for surprises and even changes.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis players Gabriela Ruse and Jaqueline Cristian, in separate pairs, qualified for the second round of the women’s doubles event at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after winning their respective matches on Friday in Melbourne. Ruse and Ukraine’s Marta Kostiuk won against the Australians Destanee Aiuava and Maddison Inglis 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), and in the second round they will face strong opponents in Elise Mertens (Belgium) and Ellen Perez (Australia), seeded 6th. Jaqueline Cristian and her Italian partner Camilla Rosatello defeated Cristina Bucşa (Spain) / Iana Sizikova (Russia) 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4. Cristian and Rosatello will next face Leylah Fernandez (Canada) and Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine), seeded 16th. In another first-round match in the women’s doubles, Monica Niculescu and Sofia Kenin (US) were defeated by Miyu Kato (Japan) / Renata Zarazua (Mexico), 6-4, 6-4. In the men’s doubles, the Romanian-Argentine pair Victor Cornea / Mariano Navone were defeated in the second round by Germany’s Kevin Krawietz / Tim Puetz, 4-6, 6-1. (AMP)

  • January 14, 2025 UPDATE

    January 14, 2025 UPDATE

    Meeting – The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Tuesday had talks in Bucharest with the US Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, James O’Brien, about the progress made in deepening the bilateral strategic partnership in the fields of security, economy and the Visa Waiver. During the meeting with the Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, the American official showed confidence in the solidity of the Romania – US Strategic Partnership and in its capacity for further development based on ongoing bilateral projects. In turn, the Romanian minister appreciated the US contribution to the security and defense of NATO’s Eastern Flank, as well as to the development of the strategic approach regarding the Black Sea region. The Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, also highlighted, during the meeting with the US official, the crucial role of the Black Sea region in ensuring European and transatlantic security, in the context of the continuation of the Russian Federation’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Angel Tîlvăr emphasized Romania’s firm commitment to NATO’s collective security and appreciated the substantial contribution of the US in ensuring the security of the Alliance’s Eastern Flank. On Monday, James O’Brien was in Chisinau, where he declared that the development of the transport infrastructure in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine will create a new opportunity for the economic development of the three states.

     

    Energy – Romania has no problems in terms of energy supply for the entire cold season, the energy minister Sebastian Burduja gave assurances again, on Tuesday, after the Winter Energy Command meeting. He specified that the measures established to increase domestic production, including coal-based production, were applied. According to him, energy production from gas is still the main source of electricity production during the cold season, except for days when the wind blows and wind power plants are the first source of production in Romania.  The Energy Minister also emphasized that the domestic demand for natural gas is not affected by daily exports to the Republic of Moldova.

     

    Gas – Half of the electricity consumed in the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), on the right bank of the Dniester River, comes from internal sources, including renewable energy, and the other half comes from imports from Romania, the Moldovan president, Maia Sandu said on Tuesday, in a press conference. She convened a meeting of the Supreme Security Council which tackled the situation in the energy sector and assistance measures for the population. On the other hand, Maia Sandu says, the energy and humanitarian crisis in the separatist region of Transdniester is caused by the Russian Federation with the aim of destabilizing the political situation in the Republic of Moldova. We remind you that since January 1, the Transdniester region has no longer received natural gas from Russia.

     

    Inflation – The annual inflation rate went up to 5.14% in December 2024 from 5.11% the previous month, amidst a 5.09% increase in the price of foodstuffs, 4.38% in the price for non-foods and 7.10% in the cost of services, according to National Statistics Institute data made public on Tuesday. Compared to 2023, the annual inflation rate in December last year stood at 5.5%. The National Bank of Romania upgraded its inflation forecast for the end of 2024, from 4% previously to 4.9%, and estimates the inflation rate will go down to 3.5% at the end of 2025.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse, coming from the qualifications, defeated another Romanian player, Irina Begu, 6-4, 6-0 in the opening round at the Australian Open tennis tournament on Tuesday. In the next round, Ruse will take on Madison Keys of the United States, who knocked out Ann Li of the USA in the first round. This is the second time Gabriela Ruse reaches the main draw in Melbourne after in 2022 she reached the second round. Another Romanian player, Jaqueline Cristian, is playing Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in the second round. (LS)