October 22, 2017 UPDATE
Populist billionaire candidate Andrej Babis and his party have won the general election in the Czech Republic/The prize for best Romanian documentary at the Astra Film Festival in Sibiu went to Radu Judes Dead Country
Mihai Pelin, 22.10.2017, 19:33
THE CZECH ELECTION – Populist billionaire candidate Andrej Babis and his party have won the general election in the Czech Republic. Babis, 63, is the country’s second-richest man and campaigned on an anti-establishment and Euro-sceptic platform. With all votes counted, his centrist movement ANO (Yes) collected a share of almost 30%, nearly three times that of its closest rival. Turnout stood at some 61%. Babis is now set to become prime minister after coalition negotiations. He said he had invited everyone for talks but added he was not prepared to cooperate with either the far-right party or the Communist Party.
ECONOMY – Romanias economy might exceed its potential in 2017 and 2018, a World Bank report shows. Consequently, the Gross Domestic Product might increase by 5.5% this year, due to fiscal measures and the overall improvement of the European economy. The growing consumption will however lead to an increase in the current account deficit, in the inflation rate, which is estimated at 2% at the end of the year. The report also estimates a 4.1% increase in the GDP in 2018 and a 3.6% increase in the following year. The World Bank warns however that the cumulated fiscal pressure and the excessive domestic demand might render the Romanian economy increasingly vulnerable to shocks in the future.
MEASLES EPIDEMIC – The number of deaths caused by measles in Romania has reached 35, data released by the National Public Health Institute show. A total number of 9,670 cases have been confirmed, in 41 counties. Romania is facing the most severe measles epidemic in the past years. The large number of confirmed cases and deaths has prompted the World Health Organisation to include Romania among the five countries which overall, register 80% of the total number of confirmed cases of measles at world level.
FILM – The Astra Film Festival in Sibiu chose its winners on Saturday. The prize for best Romanian documentary went to Radu Judes Dead Country. The film is a hybrid between a documentary and an essay, based on documents kept in the Romanian archives and dating back to the 1930-1940 period. The best international documentary prize went to the Chinese film Another Year, which tells the story of a modest family from China, spanning 13 months. In the Central and Eastern Europe section, the jury awarded the best documentary prize to the Polish Film “First Communion. The Excellency Prize went to director Iosif Demian, settled in Australia. His film “Rainbow Balloons, shot 35 years ago and banned by the Communist censorship, was officially launched at this years edition of the Astra Film Festival.
CATALONIA – Hundreds of thousands of Catalan protesters, together with the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, demonstrated in Barcelona on Saturday against the imposition of direct rule from Madrid. The Catalan society is deeply split over the independence issue. The Council of Ministers which convened on Saturday in an emergency meeting decided to call on the Senate to authorise the sacking of the separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and the dissolution of the Catalan government, whose prerogatives will be taken over by ministers in the central government. Evoking, as a premiere, article 155 in the Spanish Constitution-which allows for suspending a regions autonomy if it does not comply with its obligations to the state- Rajoy also called for the dissolution of the Catalan Parliament and for holding elections in that region in six months time. The measures are expected to be endorsed on October 27 by the Senate, where Mariano Rajoys Peoples Party holds a majority and where he secured the support of the Socialist PSOE, the main opposition party, and of the Ciudadanos centrist party.
TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, top seed and WTA no.1 on Monday will face Frances Caroline Garcia( no. 9 WTA), in her first Red Group match of the Champions Tournament in Singapore. In the second match of the Group, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina( no.4 WTA) will meet the Danish player Caroline Wozniacki ( no. 6 WTA). On Sunday, in the first day of the tournament, in the White Group, Spains Garbine Muguruza (no.2 WTA) defeated Latvias Jelena Ostapenko (no.7 WTA) 6-3, 6-4, whereas the Czech Karolina Pliskova (no. 3 WTA) defeated American Venus Williams (no. 5 WTA).
