January 5, 2020 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Roxana Vasile, 05.01.2020, 19:59
BUSHFIRE – Tennis player Ash Barty has pledged support for firefighting efforts across Australia, promising to donate any prize money she earns from next weeks Brisbane International. Actress Nicole Kidman has donated $500,000 to the rural fire services and posted links to various bushfire organizations for donations. American pop star Pink, who regularly tours Australia, also donated $500,000. Over 20 people died, dozens are reported missing, more than 15 hundred homes were turned to ashes and around 500 million animals died in the huge bushfire in Australia.
CONFLICT – The US-led coalition against the Islamic State group on Sunday halted training and support operations in Iraq amid concerns over security. US President Donald Trump said on Saturday evening that the United States would hit back if Americans or US assets were targeted by Iran. On Sunday hundreds of thousands of Iranians paid their respects to General Qassim Soleimani while Iraqs parliament voted to expel US forces from the country over his assassination in Baghdad. Iraqi MPs voted in favour of a resolution calling for an end to the presence of foreign forces in the country, paving the way to remove about 5000 US troops deployed there. The US military mission is in Iraq on the basis of a letter of request from the Iraqi government in 2014 to help fight Islamic State as part of the international coalition, but there is no formal status of forces agreement.
EXPENDITURE – Romanians spent almost 44 million euros in the domestic resorts during the winter holidays. The number of tourists exceeded 170 thousand, by only 2.5% more than the previous year, but they spent by 10% more. Adding to these was the additional week off the Romanians have had and the holiday vouchers, which they also used during the winter holidays.
VOTE – Spain’s Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez failed on Sunday in a first attempt to get parliament’s backing to form a government, leaving him two days to secure support to end an eight-month political gridlock. Pedro Sanchez has been acting prime minister since a first inconclusive election in April and November did not produce a conclusive result. On Tuesday, Sanchez will only need a simple majority – more “yes” than “no” votes. He is likely to get that after securing a commitment from the 13 lawmakers of Catalonia’s largest separatist party, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), to abstain. Earlier this week, Socialist Party leader Sanchez and Pablo Iglesias, head of the far-left party Unidas Podemos, restated their intention to form the first coalition government in Spain’s recent history.
VISIT – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis will be paying a working visit to Bavaria, in southern Germany for talks with Markus Soder, Minister President and leader of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria. The Romanian president will be attending a session of Bavarias government and will be having talks with members of this institution on the bilateral relations and the latest European developments. President Iohannis will also be meeting the CSU group in Bundestag, where he is expected to present Romanias vision on the future of Europe. In his turn, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban will travel to Brussels on Tuesday to meet with the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and with the European Council President Charles Michel.
HANDBALL – Romanias national handball side is continuing its training campaign for the qualification for the World Mens 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 Romanias qualification for the final tournament, the first with 32 sides attending. The Romanian womens handball side made it to the group stage of the Womens World Handball Championship held in Japan last month.
YO – 35 athletes will be representing Romania at 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 Romanias 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.
