February 4, 2023

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 04.02.2023, 13:55

Romania-Egypt. Romanian prime minister Nicolae
Ciucă, who is on a trip to Egypt this weekend, today had one-on-one talks with
his counterpart Mostafa Madbouly, followed by a meeting of the two official
delegations. Also today, Ciucă is meeting representatives of the Romanian
community in Egypt and Egyptian citizens who studied in Romania. On Sunday, he
is due to meet the president of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and the minister for
oil and mineral resources Tarek El Molla, for talks on energy projects. The
Romanian and Egyptian prime ministers will also attend an Egypt-Romania
business forum and the signing of a number of bilateral agreements.

Oil. The G7 countries and Australia
will also implement the European Union’s decision to cap prices of Russian oil
products transported by sea in order to limit Russia’s ability to finance its
war in Ukraine and to prevent disruptions of global supply. The European Union
said the cap is 100 dollars per barrel on premium products and 45 dollars per
barrel for products that sell at a discount, such as fuel oil. The cap becomes
effective on Sunday. The European Union and the G7 had earlier also placed a
cap on seaborne crude oil.

Ukraine. Ukraine will receive rockets capable to hit targets at 150 km
away, enabling it to strike Russian targets across most of Russian-held
territory. Known as GLSDB, these rockets are part of the latest package of
military equipment for Ukraine worth almost 2.2 billion dollars announced on
Friday by the United States. The new package was announced as Kyiv was playing
host to the Ukraine-EU summit, which focused on two main subjects: support for
Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and Ukraine’s prospects of joining
the European Union. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Ukraine,
president Volodymyr Zelensky called on the European Union to make sure the
sanctions against Russia will prevent the latter from rebuilding its military
capability. Speaking about Ukraine’s potential EU accession, Zelensky called
for accession talks to begin this year. European Commission president Ursula
von der Leyen said that while further reforms were needed, Ukraine was
advancing towards its goal to join the EU and that she was impressed with the
reforms president Zelensky achieved in such a short time.

Cancer. Dozens of buildings across
Romania will be lit in orange this evening to mark World Cancer Day. Cancer is
the second-leading cause of death worldwide and the main cause of death among
children and teenagers. 10 million people die of cancer each year, more than of
HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis together. 300,000 new cases are recorded
each year among children under 19. The World Health Organisation expects a
doubling of cancer cases by 2023 and estimates that around 40% of the world
population will face cancer at some point in their lives. 3.7 million lives,
both children and adults, could be saved every year through early detection and
treatment. The cancer death rate in Romania is 48% higher than the European
Union average among people aged between 15 and 64, warns the Federation of
Cancer Patients Associations in a statement.

Tennis. Romania defeated Thailand 3-2 in Nonthaburi
in the first round of the Davis Cup World Group I play-offs, with Filip Cristian Jianu winning 6-0, 6-2
against Yuttana Charoenphon. In the doubles, the pair Marius Copil and Victor
Vlad Cornea lost to Pruchya Isaro and Thantub Suksumrarn in three sets. This is
the first time Romania and Thailand meet. Romania will be playing in World
Group 1 in September this year. (CM)