PRESIDENCY – Romania’s Presidency of the EU Council on Wednesday
\nconcluded the first file on the protection of personal data. The new
\nregulations penalize the abusive use by political parties of personal data in
\norder to influence voters’ behavior. The text must be adopted quickly by the
\nEuropean Parliament and the European Union Council over the next weeks in order
\nto serve as reference for the European election in May. The proposal is part of
\na wider package of measures launched by the European Commission and aimed at
\nensuring free and fair elections.<\/p>\n
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STRIKE – Energy Minister Anton Anton and State Secretary Doru Visan
\nare today meeting with trade unions representing the Oltenia Energy Complex in
\nsouthern Romania, who are on strike. The company leaders are willing to come up
\nwith a new offer, General Director Sorin Boza has said. He has given assurances
\nthat, while part of the Rovinari thermal power plant shut down last night due
\nto low coal stocks, the company’s production capacity remains unaffected. The
\nmixed negotiation committee has approved holiday vouchers and a 150-euro gross
\nsalary increase. Miners demand a raise of at least 340 euros. On Wednesday, the
\nGorj Tribunal passed a ruling establishing the illegality of the strike and
\ncalling its immediate end. The management says losses stand at around 3.2
\nmillion euros per day. The strike at the Oltenia Energy Complex started on
\nFriday evening in the Jilt Nord quarry and eventually spread to all the
\ncompany’s quarries. Miners report in every day but refuse to work. <\/p>\n
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VIRUS – The number of deaths caused
\nby the cold virus this season reached 10. The last victim is a 82-year-old man
\nfrom Arad County with a medical history who hadn’t taken the anti-influenza
\nvaccine. The list of dead also includes a 10-month baby and a 17-year-old man.
\nHealth Minister Sorina Pintea has dismissed the possibility of a flu epidemic,
\nsaying the virus is simply more widely circulated. She said some 1,3 million
\nanti-flu shots were procured, with some 100,000 shots still remaining. The
\nHealth Ministry recalls the anti-influenza vaccine is the safest and most
\neffective way to stay healthy. <\/p>\n
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EUROSTAT – Romania is one of the EU member states with the lower
\nnumber of physicians in 2016, a Eurostat report reads. Most member states had
\nbetween 60 and 120 physicians per a hundred thousand inhabitants in 2016. Two
\ncountries fared above this mark, namely Portugal (253) and Ireland (179).
\nAustria, the Netherlands and France followed, with as many as 160 physicians
\nper a hundred thousand inhabitants. At the opposite pole, the lowest numbers of
\nphysicians were reported in Greece (42), Bulgaria (64), Slovenia (68), Latvia
\n(72), Spain (75), Great Britain (76) and Romania (77).<\/p>\n
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ELECTION – The United States has urged Moldovan authorities to take
\nall necessary action to ensure a free and fair ballot ahead of the legislative
\nelection scheduled for February 24, as well as transparent results that should
\nobserve the voters’ choice. In a declaration of the US State Department, all
\ncandidates must be allowed to enroll and be able to carry out their campaign
\nwithout any fear of physical aggression or harassment. The vote will be mixed,
\nnamely 50 MPs will be elected based on party lists, while another 51 from the
\nconstituencies they represent, in a single ballot. According to preliminary
\npolls, pro-Russian Socialists are favorite to win, followed by a pro-European
\nright-wing coalition and the Democratic Party in power. At the same time a
\nreferendum will be held regarding the reduction of the number of deputies from
\n101 to 61, as well as the possibility of them being revoked by citizens. <\/p>\n
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VISIT – Russian President Vladimir Putin is today paying an
\nofficial visit to Serbia aimed at strengthening cooperation with this country
\nthat wants to join the EU. In an interview to Serbian media, Vladimir Putin
\ndenied the accusations of Western powers claiming that Moscow wants to destabilize
\nthe Balkans. On the contrary, Putin argued, the destabilizing factor is the
\npolicy of America and other Western states who want to consolidate their
\ndomination in the region, including by supporting breakaway Kosovo and
\nattracting Montenegro and Macedonia into NATO. President Putin pointed out
\nRussia would continue to support Serbia by helping it strengthen its defense
\ncapabilities. The Russian official’s presence in Belgrade triggered increased
\nsecurity measures, after the latest protests targeting President Aleksandar
\nVucic and his Government party, accused of blocking freedom of the press and
\nattacking the opposition.<\/p>\n
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BREXIT – The British Conservative Party on Wednesday survived a
\nvote of no-confidence the Labor Party has launched against Theresa May after
\nher Cabinet sustained a historic defeat in the House of Communes the other day
\non her plan for leaving the European Union. Prime Minister May announced she
\nwould immediately start consultations with parliamentary parties in order to
\ncome up with solutions that would lead to getting the deal voted. The Prime
\nMinister, who is expected to present a new agreement proposal in Parliament
\nover the coming days, has invited MPs to work together and ruled out the
\npossibility of another Brexit referendum. In Bucharest, President Klaus
\nIohannis said Wednesday’s vote in the British Parliament is regrettable, saying
\nthere is no reason to worry however given that European leaders have contingencies
\nin place.<\/p>\n
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TENNIS – Romanian tennis
\nplayer world number one Simona Halep earlier today defeated Sofia Kenin (37
\nWTA) of the United States in the second round at the Australian Open, score
\n6-3, 6-7, 6-4. In the men’s singles draw, Marius Copil was ousted by Belgium’s
\nDavid Goffin, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4. Also today in the women’s doubles, Sorana
\nCirstea of Romania and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia advanced to the second round
\nafter knocking out Ying-Ying Duan of China and Vera Lapko of Belarus, 6-2, 6-7,
\n7-6. In the next round they will be taking on fifth-seeds Andreja Klepac of
\nSlovenia and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain. Another Romanian pair, Irina
\nBegu – Mihaela Buzarnescu, made headway into the competition after winning 7-5,
\n3-6, 6-4 against Lizette Cabrera and Jaimee Fourlis of Australia. They will
\nnext play Alize Cornet of France and Petra Martic of Croatia. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
(Translated by V. Palcu)<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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