February 7, 2023

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 07.02.2023, 13:55

Earthquake. The powerful earthquakes that shook Syria and Turkey on
Monday have killed more than 5,000, according to the latest toll made public
today. Rescue teams are making efforts to save as many lives as possible. There
are also dozens of thousands of people injured. According to estimates in
Ankara, 13 million people have been affected in Turkey by the earthquake
measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, which was followed by lots of aftershocks. Romania
joined the international support effort for Turkey and sent to Andana 3
military aircraft with 60 Romanian professional rescuers, doctors and nurses, and
specialized rescue equipment.

Protest. The Sanitas Federation continues its protests against the
Salary Law and the underfunding of medical care and welfare in Romania. The
list of demands includes higher incomes for all the employees in the healthcare
and welfare system by at least 15%, to cover inflation, negotiations between
the Government and stakeholders on the new bill regarding the remuneration of
personnel paid from public funds, and the provision of a sufficient and correct
funding system for medical and welfare institutions. A delegation of the Sanitas Federation was
received at the Government headquarters on Monday, the first day of the
protest.

Bill. In Bucharest, senators voted unanimously in favor of a
legislative proposal to be added to the Criminal Code, under which drivers
found drunk or under the influence of prohibited substances while driving, as
well as those who drive without a license, will go directly to prison in the
situation in which they cause a road accident resulting in casualties. In
Romania, 100 people die annually in road accidents caused by drivers in such
situations, said the initiator of the legislative proposal, PSD senator Robert
Cazanciuc. Every year, approximately 20,000 people are prosecuted for driving
without a license, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and after the
adoption of the legislative proposal, judges will no longer be able to suspend
the execution of prison sentences. The document will now to the Chamber of
Deputies, which is the decision-making body in this matter.

Moldova. A new meeting of the European Union-Republic of Moldova
Association Council is taking place in Brussels today, chaired by the head of
European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţa. This
is the most important format of dialogue in the Chisinau-Brussels relationship,
analysts in Chisinau say. Today’s meeting is the first meeting of this kind
after the Republic of Moldova (with a predominantly Romanian-speaking
population), together with Ukraine, obtained the status of a candidate country
for EU accession in June last year. Cooperation in overcoming the challenges triggered
by the war in Ukraine, including the energy crisis, the expansion of export
quotas on the European market for Moldovan producers, and border security are
just some of the topics that will be addressed in the bilateral discussions in
Brussels.

Strike. A general strike and demonstrations are taking place
again today in France, for the third time in a month, against the increase in
the retirement age provided for in the new pension law, which has been under
debate in Parliament since Monday. The Radio Romania correspondent in Paris
reports that public transport will, however, be less disrupted than in the
past, so that those who travel will encounter fewer problems. In Paris, there
are no completely closed metro lines, but some will only run during peak hours.
As for air traffic, at Paris Orly airport, in the south of the French capital,
20% of the flights have been canceled due to the strike of the control tower
employees. At Roissy Charles de Gaulle, in the north, where most flights from
Romania arrive, activities are expected to run as usual. Important strike mobilizations are announced
in education, energy, ports, refineries and in the private industrial sector.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian plays, today, against Camila Giorgi from
Italy, in the first round of the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Linz (Austria),
with more than 225,000 euros in prize money. On Monday, the Romanian-Spanish
pair Jaqueline Cristian/Marina Bassols Ribera was defeated by Dalma Galfi
(Hungary)/Oksana Kalaşnikova (Georgia), 7-6, 6-4, in the first round of the
doubles event. Also today, in Abu Dhabi, the Romanian Gabriela Ruse takes on
the Czech Barbora Krejcikova, in the first round of the WTA 500 tournament, with
prizes worth around 780,000 dollars. (MI)