A new anti-government protest was held in Bucharest on Monday night./ Three Romanian players have qualified for the last 16 of the Shenzhen tournament.
Protests Bucharest. A new anti-government protest was held on Monday night in Bucharest. The initiators are non-governmental organisations that accuse the government and the parliamentary majority of trying to control the judiciary by amending the legislation in the field. Last Wednesday, talks on this subject between prime minister Mihai Tudose and the representatives of civic organisations ended without a breakthrough. The civic activists had requested the prime minister to notify the Venice Commission about the new justice laws and the changes to the criminal codes, to postpone their application through emergency order and to sack the justice minister Tudorel Toader. In a joint letter, the Bucharest embassies of France, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden called on all parties involved in the justice reform process to avoid any action that may weaken the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. In response, the foreign ministry said strengthening the rule of law and the fight against corruption form part of the government's priorities.
Republic of Moldova. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova is today discussing a request to temporarily suspend president Igor Dodon from office. Dodon refused for the second time to appoint the seven new ministers proposed by the government, so a group of Moldovan MPs asked the Constitutional Court to note that the president has violated the Constitution and can thus be temporarily suspended. Radio Chisinau explains that with Dodon suspended, an interim president would be able to sign the decrees on the appointment of the new minister. A similar solution was used in October for the appointment of the country's defence minister.
Protests Iran. The European Union has expressed hope that people's right to demonstrate will be respected in Iran, which has been the site of anti-government protests, some violent, for the last six days. The US president Donald Trump said on Monday that the "time for change" has arrived in Iran. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in a number of cities across Iran to protest against the government's economic policies, the living standard and corruption. 13 people have been killed and several hundred arrested since demonstrations began last Thursday in Mashhad, Iran's second largest city, before spreading to the rest of the country.
Cultural heritage. 2018 will be the European Year of Cultural Heritage, following a decision by the European Parliament and the European Council. The programme runs under the motto "Our heritage: where the past meets the future" and is an excellent opportunity to discover the richness of European heritage and foster a sense of European identity. 8 million euros is allocated to this programme, which features events and information, education and awareness raising campaigns encouraging citizens to get involved in the protection of cultural heritage. With 453, Europe accounts for about a half of UNESCO's world heritage sites.
Tennis. The all-Romanian pair Irina Begu and Simona Halep on Tuesday reached the doubles semifinals in a WTA tournament in Shenzhen, in China, worth around 630,000 dollars in prize money. Halep and Begu played a dramatic match against another all-Romanian pair, Mihaela Buzarnescu and Irina Bara, which they won in super-tiebreak, 13-11. Also on Tuesday, Romania's Ana Bogdan defeated Italy's Camila Georgi in the singles to reach the last 16. Bogdan will next face the Czech player Kristyna Pliskova. Two other Romanian players have reached this round in the singles competition, namely Simona Halep and Irina Begu. Halep, who is world no. 1 and is seeded first, will face the Chinese player Ying-Ying Duan, while Irina Begu, who is seeded fourth in this tournament, will play against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Handball. The Romanian men's handball side have begun training for the Carpati Trophy which begins on the 5th of January. Portugal, Tunisia and Bahrain are also taking part. Romania, who are managed by the Spanish coach Xavi Pascual, are also preparing for the first round of the 2019 World Championships preliminary games to be held between the 11th and the 13th of January in Bolzano, Italy, and where they will face Ukraine and the Faeroe Islands, as well as the host country. Only the winners of the six preliminary groups qualify for the World Championships play-offs in June 2018. Last Saturday, Romania won the third place at the Yellow Cup tournament in Winterthur, in Switzerland, after defeating Serbia in the third-place play-off.
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