January 7, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 07.01.2023, 19:15

Flu. School begins on Monday in
Romania after the winter holidays, with prevention measures in place amid a
rising number of respiratory infections. The authorities recommend schools to
make daily screenings of children and parents not to send their children to
school if they show flu-like symptoms. Health minister Alexandru
Rafila has given assurances that pharmacies and hospitals would not run out of
flu medication. He said solutions were found together with medicine producers
and distributors after complaints that some drugs, especially those used in
paediatric treatment, could no longer be found on the market.

Culture.
The western Romanian city of Timişoara is this year holding the title of
European Capital of Culture together with Elefsina in Greece and Veszprém in
Hungary. According to a statement from the European Commission, the three
cities join 60 others that held the title in previous years, both in the European
Union and outside the bloc. Throughout this year, the three cities will be
hosting special events, exhibitions and performances. The title of European
capital of culture demonstrates the wealth and diversity of European cultures,
encourages sustainable tourism and promotes the development of cities. It has a
positive social and economic impact in the long term both for the cities
themselves and the neighbouring regions. The cities applying for this
prestigious title must come up with a cultural programme with a strong European
dimension that promotes the active involvement of the local inhabitants and
communities.

Tennis. Romania’s Irina Begu lost 6-3, 6-2 to second
seed Arina Sabalenka of Belarus in Saturday’s semifinals in Adelaide, a WTA 500
tournament worth over 800,000 US dollars. Begu will climb to the 28th
place in the WTA ranking. She is also in
the main draw at the Australian Open, together with four other players from
Romania: Sorana Cirstea, Ana Bogdan, Jaqueline Cristian and Patricia Tig. The
first Grand Slam of the year will be taking place between the 16th
and the 29th of January. Temporarily suspended following a positive
drug test at the US Open, Simona Halep cannot play at the Australian Open. (CM)