February 22, 2016

For a roundup of domestic and international events, click here.

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România Internațional, 22.02.2016, 12:00

ADDRESS – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis is today addressing Parliament in Bucharest. The presidents first speech in Parliament this year will focus on internal politics, says Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu. This is the presidents sixth speech in Parliament since the start of his mandate in December 2014.

HOSPITAL CARE – The medical condition of the seven children receiving treatment at Marie Curie hospital in Bucharest has slightly improved. One child remains in intensive care, while two children will be released this week. According to the chief of the nephrology department Mihaela Balgradean, the children right now are eating normally, which signals a positive step in their recovery. An epidemiological investigation is underway. Health Minister Patriciu Achimas Cadariu has paid a new visit to the hospital, calling on the medical team to treat this case with responsibility and respect for regulations and to better communicate with the local authorities. We recall that 3 children died this month to serious digestive disorders.

REFERENDUM – British Prime Minister David Cameron is today presenting in Parliament the new agreement negotiated with the EU ahead of the referendum on the United Kingdom European Union membership, reads Frances Press news agency. After two days of intense negotiations with the its EU partners, London has obtained major concessions from EU leaders in terms of social welfare to jobseekers from other countries and a package of benefits for the City, the financial core of London. Despite facing mounting euroskepticism in the ranks of his own party, David Cameron insisted he will advocate for the UKs EU membership. According to the first pre-agreement survey conducted for Mail on Sunday, 48% of British people dont want their country to leave the EU, 33% are in favour of an exit, while 19% didnt express a point of view.

VISIT – German and French Foreign Ministers Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Jean-Marc Ayrault are on a two-day visit to Kiev, where they will meet with president Petro Poroshenko. The two have urged Ukraine to “keep the spirit of the Maidan alive, referring to the pro-European peoples movement that led to the demise of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Jean-Marc Ayrault have also called for the implementation of the Minsk agreement of February 2015 in the pro-Russian separatist East. Ukraine is again facing a new political deadlock after the pro-European coalition collapsed. Despite the ceasefire in September, clashes continue between separatist rebels and Government forces, while reforms are hard to implement. Several hundreds of people protested on Sunday against president Petro Poroshenko and the Government, whom they accuse for their unwillingness to stand up to Russia and for tolerating corruption.

EUROPOL – The Europol is today opening a new special centre for combating trafficking in human beings. Attending the opening ceremony will be European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos. Headquartered in Hague, the centre will employ experts in counter-terrorism and will seek to assist member states in the identification and eradication of criminal networks trafficking refugees. The opening of the centre will take place on the sidelines of the second Europol-INTERPOL Forum. The two organizations have increased cooperation to identify connections between human trafficking and other crimes, such as illicit gains, corruption and the use of forged travel documents.

ATTACKS – At least 150 people were killed in Sundays bloody jihadist attacks in Syria in areas controlled by the authorities. Most people were killed in a double car bomb attack in Homs, Syrias third largest city. Another four bomb attacks targeted a district on the outskirts of Damascus. Claimed by the Islamic State terrorist organization, the attacks are retaliation to the governments onslaught against rebel groups and jihadists. Over 260 thousand people have been killed in Syria in the last five years.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is today competing alongside Raluca Olaru of Romania in the WTA doubles event at the tournament in Doha, totalling 2,5 million dollars in prize money. The two players will take on Andreja Klepac and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia. Another Romanian tennis player, Monica Niculescu, will pair up with Margarita Gasparian of Russia to play Daniela Natuchova of Slovakia and Ekaterina Makarova of Russia. Ranked 37th in WTA standings, Monica Niculescu is also enrolled in the singles competition. In the first round Niculescu will take on Sabine Lisiki of Germany. The match precedes the clash between Romania and Germany in the Fed Cup in March. Also in the singles, Simona Halep, the competitions second seed, will play either Caroline Garcia of France or Elena Vesnina of Russia in the second round. Simona is 4th ranked in WTA standings. Another three Romanians are in the worlds top 100 players. Irina Begu is ranked 36th, Monica Niculescu 37th and Alexandra Dulgheru is 57th.