January 3, 2020

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

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Newsroom, 03.01.2020, 13:55

MARKET The Romanian authorities are to be ceasing their control over the
domestic gas market. The measure comes after a year when, under an emergency
ordinance, the gas price for household consumers had been kept under the market
price, a move that caused price hikes in gas deliveries for industrial
consumers. Gas prices in Romania are presently higher than in the region both
for industrial and household consumers. Deregulation in electricity prices is
due to begin next year.

SUV The
new PUMA, an SUV American giant Ford produces in Craiova, southern Romania, is
to be launched this month after its production commenced last October. The
first PUMA cars were already sold in the Netherlands in early December and
these vehicles produced in Romania are to be made available to the EU market
shortly. A state-of-the art vehicle, the new Ford Puma is the first hybrid car
produced in Romania. The company has invested over 200 million Euros in this
vehicle whose production also requires 17 hundred fresh jobs. Ford Craiova has
nearly 62 hundred employees and the total investment since the plant was taken
over in 2008 stands around 1.5 billion Euros.

GENERAL Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on
Friday said that a harsh retaliation is
waiting for the US after an American airstrike on a couple of cars at
Baghdad’s airport killed Qassem Soleimani, the powerful head of Iran’s
elite forces. Khamenei has also decreed three days of national mourning for
Iran. The country’s president, Hasan Rouhani said Iran and the free nations of
the region would take revenge on the United States for the killing. At least 8
people were killed in the raid over a convoy at the Baghdad airport three days
after the US embassy had been attacked by pro-Iranian protesters. The Pentagon
has confirmed the US
President Donald Trump ordered an airstrike at Baghdad International Airport
that killed Qasem Soleimani, a key military commander, in a decisive defensive action
to protect US personnel abroad that was intended to deter future
Iranian attack plans.

SPORT Romania will participate with 35 athletes in the 2020 Youth
Olympics due in Lausanne, Switzerland over January 9 and 22. According to a
communiqué issued by the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee the Romanian
athletes will be competing in several disciplines, such as biathlon,
bob-sleigh, ice hockey, speed skating, sledge, ski-jumping, alpine skiing,
cross-country skiing and snowboarding. At the previous edition in Lillehammer,
Norway, the first medals in the history of Romania’s participation in such an
event went to Eduard Casaneanu, who walked away with gold from the ice-hockey
event and Mihaela Hogas, who won bronze in the speed skating race.

HANDBALL Romania’s national handball side is continuing its training campaign
for the qualification for the World Men’s Handball Championships in 2021 in
Egypt. Over January 10th and 12th the Romanians will be
playing Italy, Georgia and Kosovo. Selector Rares Fortuneanu, who is also
coaching French side Saint Raphael has voiced hope for Romania’s qualification for the final
tournament, the first with 32 sides attending.

(translated by bill)