February 7, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 07.02.2020, 13:55

DESIGNATION
– President Klaus Iohannis has designated Liberal leader Ludovic Orban as Prime
Minister of Romania. Orban must make up a new Government which will need
Parliament’s vote of confidence. Iohannis made the decision after consultations
with parliamentary parties, reiterating early elections is the best option
right now. The previous Orban Cabinet was ousted on Wednesday after the censure
motion filed by the Social-Democrats in opposition and the Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians passed. The motion criticized Orban’s choice to take
responsibility in Parliament over the law reintroducing the two-round voting
system for the local elections. Under the Constitution, the designated
candidate has 10 days to make up a Cabinet and a governing program before
Parliament’s vote of confidence.

MEETING – Romanian President Klaus
Iohannis is today meeting in Brussels with European Council President, Charles
Michel. It is part of a wider series of meetings the EU official is preparing
with leaders of Member States, ahead of the extraordinary European Council
meeting, aimed at negotiating the upcoming multiannual budget, considering the
UK, one of the Union’s largest contributors, has left the community bloc.
Charles Michel has this week held consultations with several heads of
government regarding the 2021-2027 financial framework. Charles Michel wants
the Council meeting, scheduled for February 20, to result in an agreement that
should benefit citizens. Several European states fear the next agreement would
result in major budget cuts, heightened by the end of budget contributions from
Britain starting 2021. The European Commission and the European Parliament have
asked member states to increase their contributions to cover the gap left by
Great Britain. Representatives of the biggest budget contributors have however
argued in favor of shrinking the EU budget by slashing cohesion and agriculture
funds.

CORONAVIRUS – The death toll of the coronavirus epidemic has reached 636 today,
with the number of infected reported in China exceeding 31,000. The Chinese
doctor who warned in December last year against the upcoming epidemic died on
Friday due to the virus, triggering a wave of discontent and criticism in China
targeting the Government. Some 320 cases have been reported in 27 other
countries and regions outside continental China, two people being killed, in
Hong Kong and the Philippines. In Hong Kong, 3,600 passengers and crew members
are kept in quarantine for the third day in a row, after three people onboard
had been confirmed to be carriers of the coronavirus. Another 41 people on
board a cruise ship kept in quarantine in Japan tested positive for coronavirus
on Friday, increasing the number of confirmed cases to 61, while thousands of
passengers have been confined to their cabins while the testing continues. 17
Romanians are on board this ship, two tourists and 15 crew members.

YUKON ARCTIC
ULTRA – 45-year-old Tiberiu Useriu, representing Romania, on Thursday
finished in second place the Yukon Artic Ultramarathon in Canada, close to the
Polar Circle, after covering 500 kilometers in 7 days. Ranking first was a
Swiss. The two were the only ones to reach the finish line, the other 19 competitors
having withdrawn. Yukon Artic Ultra is tougher than the 6633 Artic
ultramarathon, which Useriu won three years in a row. This was the second
participation in the Yukon Artic Ultra for Tiberiu Useriu. In 2019 he dropped
from the race due to frostbite.

FED CUP
– Romania’s Fed Cup team is playing Russia today and tomorrow, matches being
venued in Cluj-Napoca. Today, Elena Gabriela Ruse (166 WTA) is playing
Ekaterina Alexandrova (28 WTA), while Ana Bogdan (90 WTA) will take on Veronika
Kudermetova (38 WTA). Simona Halep, Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu will not be
representing Romania, preferring to focus on WTA tournaments so as to qualify
to the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Fed Cup matches will decide which team qualifies
to the final tournament in Budapest, to be held over April 14-19. Romania has
never played Russia in the Fed Cup, although it did play the USSR twice, in
1978 in the quarterfinals in Melbourne (nil-3), and in 1986 in Prague in the
second round (nil-3).

(translated by V. Palcu)