Radio România Internațional

Tag: tennis

  • Sports Update

    Sports Update

    In the US Open qualifiers, Elena Gabriela Ruse has entered the third round. In the second round, on Wednesday, she defeated the Chinese Ye-Xin Ma 6-3, 6-3, after an hour and ten minutes of play. The other Romanian player who reached the second round of the qualifications, Irina Bara, was defeated by the Australian Arina Rodionova 6-4, 6-4. The game was balanced and lasted one hour and 27 minutes. At the US Open, Jaqueline Cristian and Ana Bogdan go directly to the main draw. The latter is still in Cleveland, in the state of Ohio, where a WTA 250 tournament with prizes worth 267 thousand dollars is under way, and where the Romanian qualified for the quarterfinals. On Wednesday, in the round of 16, Ana defeated Greet Minnen, from Belgium, 7-6, 6-3.

     

    Now news from rowing. At the end of this week, the Romanian canoeists Cătălin Chirilă, Ilie Sprîncean and Oleg Nuţă will perform in the 2024 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships for non-olympic events, hosted by Uzbekistan, in Samarkand. Chirilă will participate in the 200 and 500 meters singles, whose finals will take place on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Sprîncean and Nuță will compete in the 1000-meter doubles event, with the final taking place on Saturday. The three also represented Romania at the Olympic Games in Paris. Cătălin Chirilă ranked 9th in the men’s canoe single on the distance of 1000 meters, and the Sprîncean / Nuţă pair also ranked 9th in the canoe double on the distance of 500 meters.

     

    Marius Şumudică is the new coach of the Rapid Bucharest football team. The team terminated the contract of Neil Lennon of Northern Ireland, after six stages of the new season, in which the Giulești-based team did not obtain a single victory. Şumudica, a 53-year-old technician, played for Rapid between 1997 and 1999, then in the 2001-2002 season. He won, in the cherry-red and white shirt of Rapid club, the championship of the first Romanian league in 1999 and the Romanian Cup in 1998 and 2002. As a coach, in the 2010-2011 season, he led the Giulești team for 29 stages. He also coached Astra Giurgiu, with whom he won the champion trophy, as well as Farul Constanţa, FC Braşov, FC Vaslui, Universitatea Cluj and CFR Cluj. Among the foreign teams he coached are the Saudi groups Al Shabab and Al Raed, as well as the Turkish teams Kayserispor, Rizespor, Malatyaspor and Gaziantep. (LS)

  • July 21, 2024

    July 21, 2024

    Mission – The Romanian Air Forces have reached the end of their mission in North Macedonia, and on Saturday a Spartan type aircraft performed five missions to limit and extinguish fires in this country. According to the Defense Ministry, the aircraft crew operated in difficult conditions, with multiple outbreaks and strong wind, which made the extinguishing operations more difficult. In support of the aerial missions, ground teams provided real-time images and data about the situation on the ground. All in all, the aircraft of the Romanian Air Forces performed 21 firefighting missions in North Macedonia.

     

    Energy – Coal production and import are estimate to decrease, in Romania, in the period 2024-2027, as other energy production capacities will be put into operation, show estimates published by the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis. The Commission mentions that the year 2023 was marked by the continuation of the downward trend in coal production, after the drop of more than 7% in 2022, with a higher contraction of 16.2% estimated. In terms of import, it is estimated that it registered significant reductions, namely -28% for coal and -11.8% for coke. Most of the coal resources were used for the production of electricity and thermal energy. The Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, said that he would do everything possible to extend the operating terms of coal-fired power plants, a process started in Brussels since last year.

     

    Olympiad – Six high school students from Romania won medals at the International Mathematical Olympiad, according to an Education Ministry press release. They won one gold medal, four silver and one bronze medal. All six students are from Bucharest. The 65th edition of the Olympiad took place in Bath, Great Britain.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu was defeated by Karolina Muchova 6-1, 6-1, on Saturday evening, in the semifinals of the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo (Italy), which has total prizes up for grabs worth over 230,000 Euros. Irina Begu (142 WTA), the 2022 champion, and Muchova (35 WTA), seed no.2 in Sicily, are now tied, 2-2. The Romanian player defeated her in the second round at Roland Garros in 2019, and in the second round in Madrid, in 2023. Muchova won, in 2023, in the third round at Roland Garros.

     

    Organized crime – The Director of the Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime within the Romanian Police, Cătălin Şerban, said, on Saturday, in a press conference, that in the first semester of this year the police officers and prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) organized almost 900 operative actions, of which a third were large-scale operations, increasing by 2.5% compared to the first six months of 2023. About 3,400 people were investigated and 1,275 people were detained for 24 hours. More than 1,000 people were remanded in custody, 8.9% more compared to the same period of last year, said Cătălin Şerban. The Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime participated in the EUROPOL policy cycle, assuming coordinating roles and carrying out activities in the areas of human trafficking, migrant trafficking, cyber crime and drug trafficking.

     

    Israel – Israel bombed the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, controlled by the Houthi rebels on the Red Sea, after the drone attack in Tel Aviv, claimed by the Yemeni group and left one dead and 10 wounded. The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that anyone who attacks Israel will pay dearly. According to the Yemeni media, controlled by the rebels, three people died and more than 80 were injured in the Israeli attacks. It is Israel’s first direct response to the Houthi drone and missile attacks that have targeted its territory in recent months. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Jerusalem, the Israelis targeted oil, gas, ammunition and weapons depots, and after the attack, fires could be seen from all parts of the city. The Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said that that image was captured throughout the Middle East and that every enemy of Israel can now understand that the arm of the Israeli army is long. The Houthi rebels have promised a painful response in retaliation to the Israeli attack. (LS)

     

  • July 18, 2024

    July 18, 2024

    Meeting – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is participating, today, in the fourth meeting of the European Political Community, which is taking place in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at the Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. According to a Presidential Administration press release, the program of the meeting includes a plenary session and working groups, and the discussions focus on topics such as security in Europe, support for Ukraine, challenges related to migration, protecting democracy and promoting energy security. During the debates, President Iohannis will address current issues regarding the continuation of support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in the context of Russia’s war of aggression. On the sidelines of the plenary session, an informal meeting of the Coordination Group for the Republic of Moldova is scheduled. The members of the group, which includes the leaders from Romania, France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, the EU, alongside the Republic of Moldova, will discuss aspects related to Chişinău’s resilience in dealing with multiple current threats.

     

    EP – Today, the European Parliament is voting on a proposal for Ursula von der Leyen to obtain a new mandate as President of the European Commission. To be re-elected, Ursula von der Leyen (65) needs the votes of at least 361 of the 720 MEPs. On Wednesday, the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) announced that it found irregularities related to the transparency of the contracts concluded by the European Commission for the purchase of anti-COVID-19 vaccines, a case that directly targets Ursula von der Leyen. Also on Wednesday, the new European Parliament voted its first resolution, aimed at financial, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine, to help it repel Russia’s attacks.

     

    Football – The winner of the Romanian Football Cup, Corvinul Hunedoara (from center-western Romania), plays, today, in Sibiu (center) against the Hungarian team Paksi FC in the decisive leg of the first preliminary round of the Europa League. In the first match, Corvinul, returning to the European cups after a break of 42 years, won, away from home, 4-0 against the vice-champion Hungary. If it passes Paksi FC, Corvinul Hunedoara will play in the second preliminary round of the Europa League with the Croatian team HNK Rijeka. The other Romanian teams participating in the European competitions are the Romanian football champions, FCSB (Bucharest), CFR Cluj (from north-western Romania) and Universitatea Craiova (south-western Romania).

     

    Campaign – The Romanian government has today launched the campaign “We qualify Romania”, whose objective, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said, is to allow Romanians access to the “Visa Waiver” program. The PM claims that there is “a huge opportunity” and urged all Romanians who have valid B1 or B2 visas and those who had such a visa to apply for its renewal. The Romanian government has committed to meeting the accession criteria by the end of the American fiscal year, which ends on September 30. The renewal of the visa for the United States costs the same as a normal visa, i.e. 185 dollars (approx. 840 lei). Romania can enter the “Visa Waiver” program in 2025 if the visa refusal rate is below 3%. Over the past three years, it has fallen from 17% in 2021 to 8% last year. The “Visa Waiver” is a US government program that allows citizens of certain countries to travel to the United States for up to 90 days for tourism, business, or transit through the US territory without a visa.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian plays, today, against the Italian Lucia Bronzetti, in the round of 16 of the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo (Italy), with total prizes up for grabs worth over 230,000 Euros. Jaqueline Cristian has qualified for the round of 16 after defeating the Argentinean Julia Riera in two sets, 6-3, 6-2, on Tuesday. The Romanian Irina Begu has also qualified for the quarter-finals of the Palermo tournament, after defeating the Dutch Arantxa Rus, seed no. 5, score 6-2, 7-5. (LS)

     

  • July 16, 2024 UPDATE

    July 16, 2024 UPDATE

    Weather – Romania is under a code red alert for extreme heat, extended in almost the entire country until Thursday, except for 11 counties in the northern half that are under a code orange alert for extreme heat. Highs of 42 degrees C are announced, and the lows will not drop below 22 degrees Celsius. Thermal discomfort will be particularly intensified, and the temperature-humidity index (ITU) will exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. The sky will be variable. There will be periods of atmospheric instability, at first in the mountainous areas, then locally and in the northern half, and only in isolated areas possibly in the rest of the territory. There will be temporary, increased cloudiness, showers that will turn into torrential rains, frequent electrical discharges and wind gusts of 50…70 km/h.

     

    EP – The new European Parliament started its activity on Tuesday. The first plenary session takes place in Strasbourg and, according to the agenda, MEPs have three days to choose their president, vice-presidents and the makeup of the specialized committees. On Thursday, the MEPs will vote on the renewal of Ursula von der Leyen’s mandate as president of the European Commission. To be re-elected, Ursula von der Leyen, who already has the support of the heads of state and government from the EU member countries, needs the votes of at least 361 MEPs. The European People’s Party, which she is a member of, is still the first political force in the European Parliament, having 188 elected members after the June elections. The Social Democrats obtained 136 seats, and the liberals from Renew, 77 seats. The grand coalition that traditionally brings together these three parties would thus provide enough votes to ensure Ursula von der Leyen’s re-election, but, as in the case of the 2019 vote, it is not certain that all the MPs of the majority coalition will vote for her, so she is also looking for support from the Greens. On Tuesday, Roberta Metsola secured, with broad support, a new mandate as president of the European Parliament, thus leading the EP for another two and a half years. Ms Metsola’s appointment was approved by a large majority of MEPs. The Romanian MEPs, Victor Negrescu, from the Social Democrats and Nicolae Ştefănuţă, supported by the Greens were elected vice-presidents of the EP. There is a total number of 14 vice-president posts.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu qualified for the round of 16 of the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo (Italy), with total prizes up for grabs worth 232,244 Euros, after defeating the Spanish Marina Bassols Ribera 6-0, 6-0. Begu won in just 58 minutes. In the second round, she will meet the Italian Martina Trevisan or the Dutch Arantxa Rus, seed no. 5. The Romanian Jaqueline Cristian is also on the singles table from Sicily, seed no. 7, and she will play in the first round against the Argentinean Julia Riera.

     

    IMF – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has maintained its estimates that the world economy will register an advance of 3.2% this year, amid improved growth forecasts for China and India, according to the latest update of the “World Economic Outlook” report, published on Tuesday. At the same time, the IMF slightly improved its growth estimates for 2025, when the world economy is expected to register an advance of 3.3%, 0.1% more than the previous forecast. The forecasts for emerging Europe (a region where Romania is included) were also improved by 0.1%, up to an advance of 3.2% this year. The most recent forecasts of the IMF for Romania date back to April, when the international financial institution estimated that the Romanian economy would grow at 2.8% this year, accelerating to 3.6% in 2025.

     

    Chişinău – The acting president of the Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian speaking population), Maia Sandu, is the favorite in the presidential election due in October, shows a new opinion survey published in Chişinău. Maia Sandu – of pro-European orientation – would obtain 34% of the votes, while her political rival, the former president of the state, the socialist Igor Dodon, of pro-Russian orientation, would gather 18% of the votes, according to the survey. Regarding the EU accession referendum, which will take place on the same day as the presidential election, 53% of the respondents plan to vote “Yes”. (LS)

  • Sports Roundup

    The Romanian athlete of Kenyan origin Joan Chelimo Melly got the silver medal in the women’s half-marathon contest of the European Championships in Rome. She ended the race in one hour, 8 minutes and 55 seconds right after the winner, Norwegian Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal, who beat Melly by 46 seconds. Calli Hauger-Thackery of Britain came third in one hour, 8 minutes and 58 seconds.

    Delvine Meringor, another Romanian athlete of Kenyan origin, came fourth in the race in one hour, nine minutes and 25 seconds. Romania’s both representatives are qualified for the Olympics in Paris.

    Stella Rutto, another Romanian runner of Kenyan descent, came fourth in the finals of the 3 thousand meters hurdles race, which she ended in 9 minutes, 22 seconds and 36 hundredths, a performance, which is also a personal record.

    Unfortunately Romanian hammer thrower, Bianca Ghelber, gold medalist in the latest edition of the European Championship, failed to qualify for the finals in Rome, after ranking only 20th in the preliminary groups.

    Now let’s have a look at the tennis competitions. Romanian tennis player Anca Todoni on Sunday won the most important title in her career so far at the WTA 125 tournament in Bari with 100 thousand Euros in prize money. The 19 years old athlete outperformed in the finals the Hungarian player Panna Udvardy 6-4, 6-0. The Romanian got 13,040 Euros and 125 WTA points.

    Among the other Romanian tennis performances of the week, was the qualification of Gabriela Ruse for the doubles semifinals of the tennis tournament in Roland Garros together with Ukrainian, Marta Kostiuk. The two athletes were stopped in their tracks by the all-Italian pair Sara Errani / Jasmine Paolini, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1. That was their second presence in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament after the Australian Open in 2023.

    Romania’s minifootball side failed to win the European Championship in Sarajevo. The Romanians were outperformed by Serbia in the finals 10-9 in the penalty shootout.

    At the end of the game the score was one-all. The en-titre champions, Romania, have so far won the title six times, but lost three finals 1-4 against the Czech Republic in Kyiv şin 2018, 0-1 against Azerbaijan in 2022 and now in Sarajevo 9-10 to Serbia.

    (bill)

  • June 6, 2024 UPDATE

    June 6, 2024 UPDATE

     

    STATEMENT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is one of the 17 heads of state to sign a joint statement pleading for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It is time for the war to end and this deal is the necessary starting point, the statement reads. The signatories call on both parties to agree to the US president Joe Biden’s plan, which provides for a 6-week ceasefire in a first stage, accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from the densely populated areas of Gaza, and a hostage-prisoner exchange. In a second stage, whose details are yet to be set, a permanent end of hostilities and the release of all hostages would take place.

     

    WAGES The government of Romania Thursday approved an increase of national minimum wages to roughly EUR 740 as of July 1. Over 1.8 million employees are estimated to benefit from this measure. The EUR 40 tax deduction for minimum wages has also been raised to EUR 60. The government also passed a bill amending the Romanian Citizenship Act. According to the justice ministry, the measure was required in order to modernize the current legislative framework, to facilitate Romania’s participation in the US Visa Waiver programme, and to help complete benchmarks in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The new provisions concern the digitization of procedures, so that the application stages may be followed online, the introduction of a citizenship card, and the use of biometric identifiers such as face and fingerprints.

     

    D-DAY Scores of heads of state and government celebrated in Paris on Thursday the 80th anniversary of the Allied Normandy landings, a decisive moment in defeating Nazi Germany in WWII. The US president, Joe Biden, said Ukraine was invaded by a tyrant and promised his country and NATO would stand strong with Kyiv for as long as necessary in this conflict initiated by Russia. He vowed that the free world would not “surrender to bullies.” Attending the ceremonies in France were also King Charles and the French president Emanuel Macron.  They paid tribute to the 73,000 British troops who took part in the landings. Also present were WWII veterans, many of them over 100 years of age. Locals as well as lots of tourists were in attendance. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, was not invited to take part because of his role in the invasion of Ukraine.

     

    VOTE Polling stations opened on Thursday in the Netherlands, the first country to vote in the elections for the European Parliament due over June 6 and 9. Roughly 370 million people are expected to vote in all the 27 EU member states in the following days. Analysts are forecasting a rise of far-right and Euro-sceptical parties amid frustrations caused by the rising cost of living, migration and green policies that are getting more and more unpopular. Like in most EU countries, in Romania the vote for the European Parliament is due on Sunday, concurrently with the local elections. Romania gets 33 seats in the European Parliament.

     

    BOOK FAIR Until June 16th, Romania will be attending the 83rd edition of the Madrid Book Fair with a national stand and 20 literary events. This has been Romania’s 13th participation in this large-scale event staged by the Romanian Cultural Institute through the National Book Centre and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Madrid, with support from the Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Embassy in Spain. Among the protagonists of the events there are writers Gabriela Adameşteanu, Eugen Barz, Aura Christi, Nichita Danilov, Cristian Fulaş, Miguel Gane, Stejărel Olaru, Radu Paraschivescu, Radmila Popovici, Andreea Răsuceanu and Radio Romania Journalist Corina Sabău.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostyuk qualified without playing in the semis of the doubles contest in Roland Garros as Russians Mirra Andreeva and Vera Zvonareva failed to attend the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Ruse and Kostyuk have won a check of EUR 148,000 and 780 WTA points. This is the second Grand Slam semi-final for Ruse and Kostyuk after the Australian Open last year. In the semis Ruse and her partner will be playing the all-Italian pair, Jasmine Paolini/Sara Errani.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s football team will be up against Lichtenstein in Bucharest on Friday night in their last training game before the European Championship in Germany. In another friendly on Tuesday our footballers managed a goalless draw against neighbouring Bulgaria. In Group E of Euro 2024, Romania will be playing Ukraine on June 17 in Munich, Belgium on June 22 in Cologne and Slovakia in Frankfurt 4 days later. Officials of the football federation in Bucharest say they expect a large number of Romanian football fans to attend, whether residents in Germany or in other Western European countries. Romania’s last participation in a European football tournament was in 2016 and in the World Cup in 1998. (AMP, bill)

  • June 6, 2024

    June 6, 2024

    WAGES The government in Bucharest is today expected to endorse a pay rise aimed at bringing the minimum wages in Romania up to 740 Euros starting July 1st. Over 1.8 million employees are to benefit the new measure. The 200 RON fiscal deduction from the minimum wages will be kept until the end of the year.

    VOTE Polling stations have today opened in the Netherlands, the first country to vote in the elections for the European Parliament due over June 6 and 9. Roughly 370 million people are expected to vote in all the 27 EU member states in the following days. Analysts are forecasting an advance of the far-right and Eurosceptical parties amid the frustrations caused by the rising cost of living, migration and the green policies that are getting more and more unpopular. Like in most EU countries, in Romania the voting for the European Parliament is due on Sunday, concurrently with the local elections. Romania gets 33 MEP mandates.

    TENNIS The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostyuk has qualified without playing in the semis of the doubles contest in Roland Garros as Russians Mirra Andreeva and Vera Zvonareva failed to attend the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Ruse and Kostyuk have won a check of 148 thousand Euros and 780 WTA points. This is the second Grand Slam semifinals for Ruse and Kostyuk after Australian Open last year. In the semifinals Ruse and her partner will be playing the all-Italian pair, Jasmine Paolini/Sara Errani.

    BOOK FAIR Until June 16th Romania will be attending the 83rd edition of the Madrid Book Fair with a national stand and 20 literary events. This has been Romania’s 13th participation in this large-scale event staged by the Romanian Cultural Institute through the National Book Center and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Madrid with support from the Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Embassy in Spain. Among the protagonists of the aforementioned event there are writers Gabriela Adameşteanu, Eugen Barz, Aura Christi, Nichita Danilov, Cristian Fulaş, Miguel Gane, Stejărel Olaru, Radu Paraschivescu, Radmila Popovici, Andreea Răsuceanu and Radio Romania Journalist Corina Sabău.

    FOOTBALL Romania’s football side will be up against the selection of Lichtenstein in Bucharest on Friday night in their last training game before the European Championship in Germany. In another friendly on Tuesday our footballers obtained a goaless draw against the neighbouring Bulgaria. In Group E of Euro 2024, Romania will be playing Ukraine on June 17 in Munich, Belgium on June 22 in Cologne and Solvakia in Frankfurt four days later. Officials of the football federation in Bucharest say they expect the attendance of a large number of Romanian football fans, who are residents in Germany or in other countries in Western Europe. Romania’s last participation in a  European football tournament was in 2016 and in the World Cup in 1998.

    (bill)

     

  • May 26, 2024

    May 26, 2024

    MESSAGE In a message conveyed today on the occasion of the Day of the Romanians all over the World, President Klaus Iohannis has urged the Romanians to keep their identity, language and the Romanian traditions. Iohannis added that he constantly promoted the setting up of professional communities between the Romanians abroad and those at home, thus creating a tighter connection between the business people, scientists, physicians and Romanian artists from the world over, who worked together to accomplish many successful projects. Bucharest is seeing the last day of the 7th edition of a festival known as ‘Here and There’, an event that comprises a series of activities staged by the Department for the Romanians all Over the World jointly with the Union of the Fine Artists in Romania. For three days, the event has brought together Romanian artists from the country and abroad, activating in various fields of creation such as fine arts, design, music, film, etcetera and also members of academia and business environment from the Romanian communities abroad. This year’s edition has been attended by hundreds of Romanians from the Diaspora and the historical communities in 34 countries.

     

    TENNIS Four players from Romania are on the main draw of the Roland Garros tournament, the year’s second Grand Slam tournament, which kicked off in Paris. Today, Jaqueline Cristian will be playing Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the competition’s ninth seed. Sorana Cirstea, Romania’s best tennis player at the moment, has been designated the tournament’s 28th seed. In the first round she will be playing Ana Blinkova of Russia. In turn, Ana Bogdan will be playing the wild car winner Elsa Jacquemot of France. Irina Begu, also of Romania, will be up against Julia Riera of Argentina. We recall that a former world number one, Romanian Simona Halep, won the trophy in 2018. In 1978, Virginia Ruzici became the first Romanian to win this famous French tournament.

     

    AI Romania is going to have an AI Research Institute through which it intends to develop its own technological solutions, cooperate with international partners and train top experts in this field, the country’s Finance Minister, Marcel Bolos, wrote on Facebook. According to Bolos, the Ministry he’s leading has already started to use AI in order to detect anomalies as well as in its anti-fraud operations. The construction of the first center of AI research in Romania kicked off at the Technical University in Cluj Napoca through an investment of 21 million Euros.

     

    FILMS “Anora”, a thriller directed by American Sean Baker, has won the Palme d’Or trophy at the 77th edition of the Film Festival in Cannes. Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light”, a film about sisterhood in Mumbai, has reaped the Grand Prix, the festival’s second-highest honour, while ‘Emilia Perez’ of the French director Jacques Audiard, has won the Jury Prize. Romanian production “Three Kilometers to the End of the World” has reaped the Queer Palm, an alternative award given every year to productions addressing LGBT issues. Another two Romanian productions, NASTY, directed by Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu and Tudor Giurgiu, which portrays the life of Romania’s tennis legend Ilie Nastase, and “Human Violins” by Ioana Mischie have also been screened during this famous international film festival.

    (bill)

  • May 24, 2024

    May 24, 2024

     

    SALARIES Gross minimum wages will be raised to roughly EUR 740 as of July 1, and the facility granted to employers, under which EUR 40 of employees’ salaries are tax free will stay in place until the end of the year, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu announced on Thursday, after a meeting of the three-party council comprising government, employers’ union and trade union officials. On the other hand, the government has increased the financial assistance for people with disabilities. As of July 1, the allowance for an adult with disabilities will be EUR 105, and the one for a child with severe disabilities will be EUR 92. According to official data, some 390,000 people will benefit from the increase. The government has also approved state aid for the national airline, Tarom, which the transport minister Sorin Grindeanu says is a major step for saving the company.

     

    JUDICIARY The former chief of operations for the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), Florian Coldea, was placed by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate under court supervision on bail. The same measure has been ordered with respect to ret. gen. Dumitru Dumbravă, the former head of the Service’s judicial service, and to the lawyer Doru Trăilă. The 3 are charged with influence peddling and money laundering, and are probed into following a complaint filed by the businessman Cătălin Hideg, who was sentenced to 4 years in prison in a European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation into frauds involving EU funds. The businessman claims that Coldea and Dumbravă had asked him to pay EUR 600,000 using the lawyer Doru Trăilă as an go-between, in exchange for a suspended sentence in court.

     

    FESTIVAL Events devoted to the Days of Romanians Abroad begin in Bucharest today. The festival, organized every year on the last Sunday in May, has reached its 7th year. More than 500 Romanians in the diaspora and in communities in 34 countries are expected to attend. The celebrations bring together Romanian artists from the country and from abroad, as well as members of the business and academic communities of Romanians living abroad.

     

    MOLDOVA Romania continues to provide assistance to the Republic of Moldova in areas like electricity, the reconstruction of schools and university campuses and equipment for public order institutions. Under an order passed in Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, Romania will contribute over EUR 2 mln to the reconstruction of a student dorm in Cahul, in the south of Moldova. The decision is based on an agreement signed by the 2 governments in February 2022, concerning non-reimbursable financial aid of EUR 100 mln.

     

    VISIT Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown, and his Royal Highness Prince Radu, Thursday visited the NATO Support and Procurement Agency in Luxembourg and met with Romanians working in that institution. On this occasion, Her Majesty Margareta mentioned that the visit to Luxembourg was intended to help support the Republic of Moldova in its EU accession efforts, while Prince Radu pointed out that the Romanian nation has embraced the values of the Western world. Prince Radu also voiced his satisfaction that the huge effort that Moldova is making “with such scarce means and such great vulnerability, but at the same time with so much dignity,” is acknowledged everywhere. Also on Thursday, the royal couple were received by his Royal Highness Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg for a private luncheon at the Grand Ducal Palace.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis players Sorana Cîrstea, Ana Bogdan, Jaqueline Cristian and Irina Begu Thursday night found out their opponents in the first round of the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam of the year. Sorana Cîrstea, seeded 28, will take on Ana Blinkova (Russia), whom she defeated in 2020 in Dubai. Ana Bogdan plays against Elsa Jacquemot (France) in their first encounter in professional competitions. Jaqueline Cristian has a tough match ahead, against no. 10 in the world Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia). Jaqueline Cristian won her only match so far against the 2016 Roland Garros winner, in the round of 16 of the Sankt Petersburg tournament in 2021. Irina Begu will be facing a winner of the French Open’s qualifying matches. Two other Romanian players have a chance to win a main draw place: Gabriela Ruse and Cristina Dinu are playing in the last round of the qualifying series against Sara Errani (Italy) and Laura Pigossi (Brazil), respectively. (AMP)

  • May 23, 2024

    May 23, 2024

    SECURITY Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday said there is no direct threat for Romania but the heads of the army are ready for al possible situations. The president also said that Romania would not send troops to Ukraine and that the alternative of giving an air-defence system to Ukraine would be discussed in the country’s Higher Defence Council. In turn, chief of staff general Gheorghita Vlad has mentioned the need for increasing Romania’s response capabilities through the employment of new technologies and military gear.

     

    RALLY Several trade unions are today staging a protest meeting in front of the government building in Bucharest. The protesters have denounced a series of inequities and salary discriminations in their fields of activity. The protest involves the participation of the employees of several institutions from the filed of environmental protection, from the Trade Registry, Europol, the national archives and the National Council for Combating Discrimination in sport and among the youth. The Labour Ministry has put up for public debates a draft law on raising the wages of several categories of state employees by 10 percent this year, a move that attracted a lot of heat from trade unions.

     

    BSDA Bucharest is hosting until tomorrow the “Black Sea Defence and Aerospace“, the biggest exhibition of military technique and equipment in the region. The event has brought together over 400 producers of military equipment and technologies from roughly 30 NATO members and partner countries. BSDA showcases the latest military technologies and state-of-the-art equipment, which includes as its main attraction, the multi-role fifth-generation jet fighter, F-35, the US Air Force has for the first time brought to an exhibition in Europe. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who participated in the opening of the aforementioned exhibition, said that against the background of the bloody conflict in Ukraine, revitalizing Romania’s defence industry has become a priority of the Romanian government.

     

    TENNIS Romanian tennis players Gabriela Ruse and Cristina Dinu, last night managed to qualify for the final round of the qualifiers for the singles draw of the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. Cristina Dinu qualified after Japanese Mai Hontama abandoned the game at 5-2 to the Romanian. In turn Gabriela Ruse clinched a two-set win 6-3, 6-4 against Suzan Lamens of the Netherlands. In the other game of the second preliminary round, Romanian player Miriam Bulgaru conceded defeat to US challenger Katie Volynets 6-0, 7-5. Sorana Cirstea, Jaqueline Cristian, Ana Bogdan and Irina Begu are directly qualified on the main draw.

     

    NASTY The Romanian feature film NASTY directed by Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu and Tudor Giurgiu is today being screened in the ‘Special Screenings’ section of the International Film Festival in Cannes. The event will also include a Q&A session hosted by the three directors. The film offers a captivating incursion into the life of Romania’s legendary tennis player Ilie Nastase, who dominated the national and international tennis back in the 70s. Besides his sheer talent, Nastase compelled recognition through an electrifying style, winning the public with his eccentric personality as well as with his volcanic and often controversial temperament. The Cannes festival is due to end on Saturday.

    (bill)

  • May 21, 2024

    May 21, 2024

    goVisit – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying an official visit to Ankara today, at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The PM is accompanied by a delegation of ministers, in the context of which they will sign a series of agreements in the field of tourism, SMEs and urban planning. A joint meeting of the governments of the two states will also take place. Marcel Ciolacu and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will sign the joint declaration regarding the setting up of the high-level Strategic Cooperation Council between the two countries. According to a press release of the Romanian government, the prime minister’s intention is to increase bilateral trade exchanges to 15 billion dollars through future projects in energy, transport, agriculture, agri-food industry and defense. Last year, bilateral trade amounted to over 10 billion dollars, and Turkey is Romania’s main economic partner outside the European Union. In the context of the visit, the Turkish authorities have today published in the Official Gazette a decree under which the Romanian citizens can enter Turkey for transit or for tourism purposes only with the ID. They can stay in Turkey for 90 days at the most.

     

     

    Iran – Iran will hold elections on June 28, after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi. Today, the funeral ceremonies for the former president have begun near the place where he died on Sunday, following the crash of the helicopter he was in. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declared five days of national mourning on Monday after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi and appointed the First Vice President Mohammed Mokhbe as interim president.

     

    Royalty – Her Majesty Margareta, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, and His Royal Highness Prince Radu are paying a visit to Luxembourg these days, in order to emphasize “Romania’s role in the European Union and NATO and to support the European aspirations of the Republic of Moldova”. In the presence of His Royal Highness Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Her Majesty Margareta is giving a speech today at the Pierre Werner Institute on the security of the eastern borders of the EU and NATO. In the following days, the Custodian of the Crown and the Prince Consort will visit the University of Luxembourg and meet with students and staff from Romania. A visit is also scheduled to the Notre-Dame Saint-Sophie School, as well as to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, where they will meet the Romanians who work there. The program also includes a meeting with the members of the Romanian community in Luxembourg, as well as the inauguration of the photography exhibition “Contribution of the Royal Family to the consolidation of Romania’s role in NATO and the EU 2002-2023”.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan was voted the winner of the Heart Award, for her contribution in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, according to the competition’s Instagram page. Ana Bogdan won two of the three matches played in April in the meeting with Ukraine, as the Romanian team came back from 0-2 to 3-2. Thus, Romania qualified for the first time to the final tournament of the competition. The Romanian team will face Japan in the round of 16 of the Billie Jean King Cup, and if they win, they will play in the quarterfinals with Italy. The final tournament will take place between November 12-20, in Seville. On the other hand, in Strasbourg, the pair made up of the Romanian player Monica Niculescu and the Spanish Cristina Bucşa qualified, on Monday, to the quarterfinals of the doubles event of the WTA 500 tournament, after defeating the Czech-Slovak pair Marie Bouzkova/Tereza Mihalikova, 6-1, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, Niculescu and Bucşa will play against the Americans Ashlyn Kruger/Sloane Stephens.

     

    Law – Penalties for trafficking in persons and minors, slavery or child pornography will no longer be suspended, according to a draft law that will receive the final vote in the Bucharest Chamber of Deputies. According to the new regulations, an increase in the penalties for these crimes will be applied. Thus, for slavery, child pornography and human trafficking, the prison sentence can reach up to 12 years, and if minors are involved, the sentence will be up to 20 years. We come back to that after the news.

     

    Moldova – The Republic of Moldova signs, today, a security and defense pact with the European Union. Cooperation in this field is intensifying against the background of the war in Ukraine and in the context in which Chişinău accused Russia of waging a hybrid war against it. The security pact will be signed within the Association Council between the two parties and takes place on the sidelines of the General Affairs Council in Brussels. The collaboration thus extends on several security levels, from the military or cyber security to the fight against manipulation and disinformation, from border management to the fight against corruption. According to the Financial Times publication, the partnership with Brussels in the field of security and defense will allow the Republic of Moldova to exchange information and carry out joint military exercises, as well as to be included in the common arms procurement system of the EU. (LS)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

     

    The Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu and Spain’s Cristina Bucşa Monday qualified into the quarter-finals of the doubles competition of the WTA 500 tournament in Strasbourg, with EUR 800,000 in total prize money. Monica and the Chişinău-born Cristina Bucşa, defeated Marie Bouzkova (Czech Republic) / Tereza Mihalikova (Slovakia) 6-1, 6-3, securing a EUR 7,400 cheque and 108 WTA points.

     

    In the quarter-finals, Niculescu and Bucşa will take on Ashlyn Kruger and Sloane Stephens (US). Last week, Monica and Lin Zhu (China) reached the doubles final of the WTA 125 Trophée Clarins in Paris, which had EUR 100,000 in prize money. For her performance in the French capital, Radio Romania International designated Monica Niculescu Athlete of the Week.

     

    In Paris, Monica Niculescu / Lin Zhu started off with a 6-3, 6-4 win against the Japanese Eri Hoizumi / Makoto Ninomiya. In the semis, they took on Greet Minnen (Belgium) / Heather Watson (UK). After 6-0 in the first set, Monica and her partner lost the second set 5-7, but in the tiebreak they managed a breath-taking 15-13. They lost the final however to Asia Muhammad (US) / Aldila Sutjiadi (Indonesia), 7-6, 4-6, 11-9.

     

    Monica Niculescu was born in Slatina, in the south of Romania, on September 25, 1987. She has been living in Bucharest since the age of 4, and took up tennis at 5 years of age. She has been a professional player since 2002. Her best place in the singles’ world ranking was 28th, in February 2012. She has won 3 WTA singles’ tournaments, in 2013 in Florianopolis, Brazil, in 2014 in Guangzhou, China, and in 2016 in Luxembourg.

     

    Her career in the doubles’ competitions has been a lot more successful, with 10 WTA titles won since 2009 in Budapest together with Alisa Kleybanova (Russia). Her best performance in the doubles’ WTA ranking came in April 2018, when she reached no. 11 in the world. At present she is no. 57 in the world doubles’ ranking.

  • May 19, 2024

    May 19, 2024

     

    OIL Romania’s crude oil output dropped 3.4% in the first quarter of 2024, while imports went down 15.1% compared to the corresponding period in 2023. According to the National Statistics Institute, in Q1 2024 Romania produced over 682,000 tonnes of equivalent oil less than in the corresponding period of 2023, while crude imports exceeded 1.7 mln toe. According to the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, Romania’s crude output will be on a downward trend until 2026, with an average annual drop of 2.2%, as a result of the natural decline in deposits. On the other hand, the Commission predicts an increase in crude imports by an annual 4.1%.

     

    MUSEUMS Around 250 cultural institutions in Romania were opened last night as part of the White Night of Museums, organized concurrently in several European countries. Taking part in the anniversary 20th edition of the event were museums, historic house museums, art galleries, creative studios, theatres, opera houses and philharmonic orchestras in over 70 towns and cities in Romania and several in neighbouring Moldova. Most participating venues were in the capital city Bucharest, and in Sibiu, a former European Capital of Culture in 2007, several museums and other institutions could also be visited free of charge. Exhibitions, interactive tours, performances, street events and concerts were organized on this occasion. The number of participating institutions was nonetheless smaller than usual, because of personnel protests over salary levels. On Saturday, hundreds of museum staff picketed the Ministry of Culture and the Government building. They say they feel abandoned by the government and demand a fair salary structure. PM Marcel Ciolacu has recently announced the culture ministry submitted proposals concerning museum staff pay raises. The finance ministry will analyse the proposals, the PM promised, and next week salary increases may be granted.

     

    NUCLEAR The Cernavodă nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 has been shut down for regular maintenance works today, Nuclearelectrica announced. The company promised the works will be safe for the power plant personnel, for citizens and for the environment. The Cernavodă nuclear power plant, the only one in Romania, has 2 operational units with an installed production capacity of 700 MW. The 2 reactors in Cernavoda cover around 20% of Romania’s energy consumption. The plant uses the Canadian technology CANDU 6 (Canadian Deuterium Uranium), using natural uranium as a fuel.

     

    REFUGEES The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) estimated on Saturday that 800,000 people have fled the clashes in Rafah since May 6, when the Israeli army launched land operations in this town in the south of Gaza, France Presse and Reuters report. According to the Agency director, Philippe Lazzarini, all these people were forced to leave their town without benefiting from safe passage or protection, and are heading for areas where water resources and hygiene conditions are poor. On the other hand, Austria announced it would resume financing for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, suspended following Israeli claims that Agency staff were involved in the Hamas attack on October 7, AFP writes. As a result of Israel’s accusations, around 15 states suspended their contributions to this UN agency. Many of them, including Germany, Sweden, Canada and Japan, have since resumed donations.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse (aged 26, no. 148 WTA) failed to qualify for the Trophee Clarins tournament final in Paris. On Saturday she was defeated by Emma Navarro of the US (aged 22, no. 22 WTA), 6-0, 6-2. In the doubles competition, Monica Niculescu/Lin Zhu (Romania / China) were outperformed in the final by Asia Muhammad (USA)/Aldila Sutjiadi (Indonesia), 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 11-9. Other Romanian players taking part in the Paris tournament were Simona Halep (who retired in the second set of the match against McCartney Kessler of the US) and Ana Bogdan (who also retired in the match against the French Varvara Gracheva). (AMP)

  • May 12, 2024 UPDATE

    May 12, 2024 UPDATE

    Visit – The European commissioner for agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, will visit Romania on Monday and Tuesday. According to the European Commission, he has scheduled meetings with the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, after which he will have a dialogue with farmers’ associations and with representatives of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest. A visit to the port of Constanţa (on the Black Sea Coast), where most of the exports of grain and agricultural products from Ukraine take place, is also planned. According to the European Commissioner, Romania made exceptional efforts to provide vital aid to Ukraine’s economy during its deepest crisis, facilitating the largest alternative export route for grain and other goods outside the Black Sea corridor. We remind you that the EC has recently approved a state aid scheme for Romania worth 126 million Euros, to support the necessary investments in those ports facing increased commercial flows.

     

    Protest – On Monday, the National Trade Union Bloc, together with the 29 affiliated federations, organizes a rally in front of the Romanian Government headquarters in Bucharest, followed by a protest march to the Ministries of Economy, Labor and Finance. The trade unionists demand a reform of the tax system with the aim of reducing inequalities and combating poverty. According to the Trade Union Bloc, Romania currently has one of the highest tax burdens on labor costs in the EU: almost 43%, compared to the European average of around 39%. Also, the Bloc states, Romania is the only country in the world where the contributions of the business environment to the social security system have been shifted to the responsibility of employees since 2018, so that contributions to health and pensions have doubled for employees, while for employers were reduced to zero. And according to Eurostat, the low wages and the high taxation made Romania register the third lowest employment rate in 2023, after Italy and Greece. Only 69% of Romanians aged between 20 and 64 work, which means that almost a third of Romanians do not work, shows the National Trade Union Bloc.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu moved into the last 16 of the Italian Open by defeating Belgian Elise Mertens, the No 27 seed, 6-2, 6-0 at the Foro Italico in Rome on Sunday. This was the fifth meeting between Begu and Mertens. The Romanian won her second consecutive victory, after the Belgian won the first three matches. On Saturday, Sorana Cîrstea qualified for the round of 16 in Rome, after beating Czech Marketa Vondrousova, no. 6 seed, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3. Also in the third round of the tournament, Jaqueline Cristian was defeated by Coco Gauff (USA), world number three, 6-1, 0-6, 6-3, on Saturday evening. The Italian competition founded in 1930 was won three times by Romanian athletes: Ilie Năstase, the 1970 and 1973 editions, and Simona Halep the 2020 edition.

     

    Birth rate – The Romanian Ministry of the Family has put up for public debate until May 20, a bill to modify the National Program for the Support of Couples and Single Persons in order to increase the birth rate. One of the proposals is that only one member of the couple should be a Romanian citizen, as, currently, it is necessary that both partners have Romanian citizenship, and another proposal is that the registration documents can be submitted in electronic format. According to official data, 9,300 contracts were signed last year, 2,200 pregnancies were confirmed and 156 children were born. The support offered by the Romanian state is 15,000 lei (about 3 thousand Euros).

     

    Epidemic – The Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, stated that there is still an epidemic of measles in Romania, and the disease is reported mainly in counties with a low degree of vaccination coverage. He encourages parents to immunize their children because measles is an infectious disease that is easily transmitted. According to the health ministry, vaccination coverage with the first dose at the national level is 78%, and 62% with the second dose.

     

    Gaza – Israel should not launch an offensive on the city of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, in the absence of a clear plan to protect the population – said, on Sunday, the head of British diplomacy, David Cameron. We haven’t seen such a plan, that’s why we don’t support an offensive in Rafah, Cameron added. In turn, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, launched a call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, for the release of hostages held by the Islamist movement Hamas and for an increase in aid for the Palestinian enclave under Israeli siege. Earlier, France also urged Israel to end without delay its military operation in Rafah, where about 1.4 million Palestinians live, most of them displaced by the war. The conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out after the October 7 terrorist attack, when Palestinian militants entered Israel and killed at least 1,170 people, and around 250 were taken hostage and taken to Gaza. The Israeli army retaliated, its military actions resulting, so far, in over 35,000 dead and almost 79,000 wounded in the Gaza Strip. (LS)

     

  • May 12, 2024

    May 12, 2024

    Visit – The European commissioner for agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, will visit Romania on Monday and Tuesday. According to the European Commission, he has scheduled meetings with the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, after which he will have a dialogue with farmers’ associations and with representatives of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in Bucharest. A visit to the port of Constanţa (on the Black Sea Coast), where most of the exports of grain and agricultural products from Ukraine take place, is also planned. According to the European Commissioner, Romania made exceptional efforts to provide vital aid to Ukraine’s economy during its deepest crisis, facilitating the largest alternative export route for grain and other goods outside the Black Sea corridor. We remind you that the EC has recently approved a state aid scheme for Romania worth 126 million Euros, to support the necessary investments in those ports facing increased commercial flows.

     

    Protest – On Monday, the National Trade Union Bloc, together with the 29 affiliated federations, organizes a rally in front of the Romanian Government headquarters in Bucharest, followed by a protest march to the Ministries of Economy, Labor and Finance. The trade unionists demand a reform of the tax system with the aim of reducing inequalities and combating poverty. According to the Trade Union Bloc, Romania currently has one of the highest tax burdens on labor costs in the EU: almost 43%, compared to the European average of around 39%. Also, the Bloc states, Romania is the only country in the world where the contributions of the business environment to the social security system have been shifted to the responsibility of employees since 2018, so that contributions to health and pensions have doubled for employees, while for employers were reduced to zero. And according to Eurostat, the low wages and the high taxation made Romania register the third lowest employment rate in 2023, after Italy and Greece. Only 69% of Romanians aged between 20 and 64 work, which means that almost a third of Romanians do not work, shows the National Trade Union Bloc.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (34 years old, 32 WTA) qualified, on Saturday, in the round of 16 of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Rome, with total prizes up for grabs worth around 5 million Euros, after defeating the Czech Marketa Vondrousova, 6th seed, with the score 7-6 (7/1), 6-3. In the round of 16, Cîrstea will face the American Madison Keys. Also in the third round of the tournament, Jaqueline Cristian (25 years old, 68 WTA) was defeated by Coco Gauff (USA), world number three, 6-1, 0-6, 6-3, on Saturday evening. Romania is also represented in Rome by Irina Begu (161 WTA), who meets, today, in the third round, the Belgian Elise Mertens (seed no. 27). The Italian competition founded in 1930 was won three times by Romanian athletes: Ilie Năstase, the 1970 and 1973 editions, and Simona Halep the 2020 edition.

     

    Birth rate – The Romanian Ministry of the Family has put up for public debate until May 20, a bill to modify the National Program for the Support of Couples and Single Persons in order to increase the birth rate. One of the proposals is that only one member of the couple should be a Romanian citizen, as, currently, it is necessary that both partners have Romanian citizenship, and another proposal is that the registration documents can be submitted in electronic format. According to official data, 9,300 contracts were signed last year, 2,200 pregnancies were confirmed and 156 children were born. The support offered by the Romanian state is 15,000 lei (about 3 thousand Euros).

     

    Epidemic – The Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, stated that there is still an epidemic of measles in Romania, and the disease is reported mainly in counties with a low degree of vaccination coverage. He encourages parents to immunize their children because measles is an infectious disease that is easily transmitted. According to the health ministry, vaccination coverage with the first dose at the national level is 78%, and 62% with the second dose.

     

    Gaza – The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, on Sunday launched a call for an “immediate” ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, for the release of hostages and for an increase in aid for the Palestinian enclave under Israeli siege, AFP reports. Previously, he had warned of a “colossal humanitarian catastrophe” in the event of a large-scale Israeli assault on Rafah, a city in the south of the Gaza Strip. On Saturday, US President Joe Biden estimated that a ceasefire is possible “tomorrow” in the war between Israel and Hamas, if the Palestinian group releases the hostages. Meanwhile, Israel carried out airstrikes in several areas of the Gaza Strip after issuing new mass evacuation orders for the Palestinians there. Israel says that the city of Rafah, where it continued its bombing last night, is the last stronghold of the Hamas group. Tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees have already left the city out of the more than one million who took refuge in Rafah, fleeing other war-torn areas. (LS)