Radio România Internațional

Tag: Academy Awards

  • March 11, 2024

    March 11, 2024

    ROȘIA MONTANĂ – The Canadian mining company Gabriel Resources has four months to appeal last week’s ruling issued by the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes in Romania’s favor in the Roșia Montană legal dispute. The miner had sought damages worth 6.7 bln USD after Romanian authorities decided to block exploitation works at the Roșia Montană gold mine, which in the meantime was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Canadian company had plans to extract some 300 tons of gold and some 1,600 tons of silver. The court decided Romania is under no obligation to pay damages, and instead must receive court fees and other arbitration-related costs totaling 9.4 mln EUR. The government in Bucharest hailed the decision and thanked all those who made efforts to protect state interests.

     

    VEHICLE TAX – New regulations took effect today regarding the fares and period of availability for taxed vehicles in Romania. Taxes are now issued for periods of 1 or 10 days, 1, 2 or 12 months. The 1-day tax costs 2.5 EUR, the 10-day tax costs 3.3 EUR, the 2-month tax costs 8.4 EUR, while the cost for the 12-month tax remains the same – 28 EUR for vehicles, 96 EUR for trucks and freight vehicles with a gross weight under 3.5 tons, and 320 EUR for multi-passenger vehicles capable of carrying up to 23 people. The National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration (CNADNR) says text payments are suspended until March 21 pending the introduction of the updated fares and new availability periods.

     

    PROTEST – Health sector employees are today staging a large protest action in Bucharest. The group of protesters will march from the Government building in Victory Square to the buildings to the Health and Labor ministries and then to the Palace Parliament, representatives of the Sanitary Solidarity Trade Federation say. Unionists are disgruntled with low salaries, despite the Government’s decision last week to increase salaries in the health sector by 20% in two equal installments, starting March and June. The increase is hardly enough to cover inflation, Federation members say, arguing the government’s emergency decree contains no provisions regarding bonuses or the hourly rates of on-call work.

     

    CANDIDATE – The executive council of the PSD-PNL ruling coalition is today convening to agree on the final draft of the list of joint candidates enrolled in the European Parliament election, as well as on the joint candidate for the Bucharest City Hall election. Both parties have conducted surveys to identify the best-suited candidate. On the other hand, the United Right Alliance in opposition is expected to notify the Ombudsman today to refer the government’s latest emergency decree on the joint organization of the European Parliament and local elections to the Constitutional Court. Alliance representatives say they identified certain provisions in the said decree in breach of the Constitution and previous Constitutional Court rulings.

     

    OSCARS – The 96th edition of the Academy Awards Gala was held last night in Los Angeles. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” swept the board, winning the awards for best picture, best directing (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy). The story chronicles the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb. Emma Stone won her second Academy Award for best actress for her role in “Poor Things”. The first Oscar in the history of Ukraine was awarded to the documentary “20 Days in Mariupol”. Andrea Bocelli and his son, Matteo, performed the song “Time to Say Goodbye”, in memory of celebrities who passed away last year, including Tina Turner, Matthew Perry and Ryan O’Neal.

     

    TENNIS – After a break of a year and a half, tennis player Simona Halep is expected to return to court. Halep left for Miami on Monday morning, where she will debut at the WTA 1000 tournament hosted here over March 17-31. Halep’s last official match was in August 2022. Outside WTA rankings, Halep was awarded a wildcard from Miami Open organizers, which puts her on the main draw. We recall Simona Halep was allowed to return to court after the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her doping suspension from 4 years to 9 months. Halep’s team of lawyers succeeded in proving she had been unintentionally exposed to a contaminated supplement, which caused her to fail the doping test. (VP)

  • February 10, 2021

    February 10, 2021

    Budget – Romanias state budget bill for 2021 has been completed and will be made public today. According to Prime Minister Florin Cîțu, the budget is based on a deficit of about 7% of GDP. The budget bill aims at resetting the economy, at repairing the anomalies introduced in the legislation in the last 4 years, without overlooking the observance of the budgetary targets. The prime minister has also said that the budget bill is intended to maintain the confidence of the EC, of the foreign investors and of the rating agencies. In order to meet the deficit figure agreed with the EC, the government has to reduce some expenses. It needs to cut or cap employee benefits, subsidies for unprofitable state-owned companies, and to reduce funding for political parties. Child allowances will remain unchanged this year, and public pensions will increase only as of January 1, 2022



    Protests — In Romania continue the protests of the trade unionists against the salary policies of the coalition government. Today, the Cartel Alfa trade unionists are picketing the Liberal Party headquarters in Bucharest, after on Tuesday they protested in front of the Finance Ministry. Sanitas trade unionists have also announced protests as of Thursday, dissatisfied with the announced reduction of employee benefits, the suspension of holiday vouchers for 2021 and the reduction of the food allowance. In turn, the Publisind trade union federation, affiliated to the National Trade Union Bloc, is organizing protests today at the Parliament Palace as well as at the Prefect’s Offices across the country. They have launched protests since December 31, 2020 and have announced they are going to continue the protest actions for an indefinite period of time. The National Federation of Pensioners in Romania is also protesting against the Governments decision not to increase pensions this year.



    Motion — The opposition Social Democrats – PSD, are submitting today, at the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, a simple motion against the health minister Vlad Voiculescu, after having met with representatives of the professional and trade union organizations in the field and of the patients associations. “Within the Health Ministry, it was not action but inaction and an obvious inability to manage this pandemic that dominated during this period”, said the PSD deputy, Alexandru Rafila, Romanias representative at the WHO. The motion on health will be debated next week.



    Vaccine — More than 3 thousand new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were reported in Romania on Wednesday in the past 24 hours. The total number of cases exceeded 752 thousand, with the death toll exceeding 19,100. Almost 1,000 patients are in ICUs. In another development, the first 14,000 doses of Moderna vaccine arrived in Romania. These will be distributed to regional and vaccination centers across the country. Since the beginning of the vaccination campaign in Romania, on December 27, about 140 thousand people have been vaccinated with the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine. The two vaccine types available in the European Union, Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer, are very similar in effectiveness and use messenger RNA-based technology. The coordinator of the anti-COVID vaccination campaign, Dr. Valeriu Gheorghiţă, stated that in the second vaccination stage, which started on January 15, 40-45,000 doses might be administered daily throughout the country.



    colectiv — The documentary film collective, directed by Alexander Nanau, has been shortlisted in the Documentary Feature and International Feature Film categories of the Academy Awards. The film, co-produced by Romania and Luxembourg, is a story that presents the joint efforts of doctors, government officials and investigative journalists, who fight corruption while discovering large-scale fraud in the health system in Bucharest after the fire in the Colectiv club. The fire took place on October 30, 2015 and made 65 victims. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, and the winners will be announced at the Academy Awards Gala on April 25. (tr. L.Simion)

  • October 15, 2020 UPDATE

    October 15, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The
    Government has extended by another 30 days the state of alert in Romania.
    Another 4,013 new infections and 73 fatalities have been reported in the last
    24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 168,490 and the
    national death toll to 5,674. Also there are currently 721 people in intensive
    care. The authorities have also launched the first test allowing for the
    simultaneous detection of COVID-19 and seasonal flu. Health Minister Nelu
    Tătaru announced that based on an emergency decree that is currently being
    drafted, minor and medium cases of SARS-CoV-2 as well as asymptomatic patients
    will be treated at home and the patients will remain under the surveillance of
    family physicians. Serious cases will be hospitalized.




    EUROPEAN COUNCIL – EU leaders
    attending the European Council meeting in Brussels concluded their first round
    of talks regarding upcoming relations with the UK. Attending the meeting,
    President Klaus Iohannis said progress has been insufficient in this respect,
    although negotiators have been encouraged to continue their efforts. The
    President said Romania is in favor of an agreement, which is the best possible
    way to guarantee a partnership between the EU and the UK. President Iohannis
    also pointed out an agreement would also favor the Romanian citizens living in
    Great Britain, but also Romanian businesses in this country. High on the agenda
    of the meeting is also the COVID-19 pandemic and combating climate change.




    TALKS – The Government
    will support the European Commission in its efforts to pass the 2021-2027
    multiannual financial framework and all details related to the Economic
    Recovery program, adopted by the European Council, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
    has said. The Romanian official on Thursday had talks with EU Commissioner for
    Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn, on a visit to Bucharest. The agenda
    for talks also includes the upcoming EU budget, the Recovery and Resilience
    Facility and the rule of law.




    MEETING – Romania’s Foreign
    Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday had a conversation over the telephone with
    his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, about boosting bilateral
    relations, the strategic partnership and cooperation between the two countries
    in the context of the COVID-19 health crisis. According to a Foreign Ministry
    press release, both parties also expressed a willingness to celebrate the
    centennial of bilateral relations in 2021, as well as to sign over the course
    of next year a document in order to establish the Strategic Partnership between
    the two states. Foreign Minister Motegi took the opportunity to underscore the
    fact that Romania is an important partner for Japan. On the other hand,
    Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania’s gratitude to Japan for the
    latter’s decision to donate 12,200 tablets of Avigan (Favipiravir), an
    experimental drug used to treat coronavirus-related conditions.




    SANCTIONS – The European Union
    on Thursday adopted new sanctions against Russian officials close to President
    Vladimir Putin, deemed responsible for the poisoning of Russian opposition
    figure Alexei Navalny. Sanctions were also taken against a state-run research
    facility in Russia. We recall Alexei Navalny passed out during a domestic
    flight in Siberia on August 20. Two days later he was transported to Germany in
    a coma. Army lab results confirmed
    Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok military-grade nerve agent. Russia
    denied any involvement in the matter. On Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister
    Sergey Lavrov warned Russia will respond with sanctions of its own.




    ACADEMY AWARDS – Alexander Nanau’s
    documentary colectiv will be nominated by the National Cinema Center for the
    2021 Academy Awards in the Best international feature section. This is the
    first time Romania will nominate a documentary film for the Oscar Awards. American
    film distributors announced they would enroll colectiv also in the Best
    documentary section, which will increase its chances of being selected.
    colectiv has also been shortlisted at the European Film Academy Awards and
    can be voted in the European documentary section. The film tells the story of
    the Colectiv nightclub fire of October 30, 2015, which killed 64 people.




    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)

  • January 22, 2019 UPDATE

    January 22, 2019 UPDATE

    TREATY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said that the French-German Cooperation and Integration Treaty in Aachen mirrors the commitment of France and Germany to consolidate the European project. According to President Iohannis Romania will continue to be close to the two countries in their efforts to reach this goal. Attending the ceremony in Aachen, along President Iohannis, who represents the country holding the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, were European Council President Donald Tusk and the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The Aachen Treaty is based, from a political and juridical point of view, on the Elysee French-German Treaty of 1963 that set the basis for a historic reconciliation between Germany and France. The Aachen Treaty is aimed at adjusting the relations between the two states to the challenges of the 21st century, laying emphasis on the cohesion of the two countries action at European level.



    EUROPEAN AGENDA -
    Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă will pay a
    two day working visit to Brussels as of Wednesday to present the priorities of
    the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, in a plenary
    session of the European Economic and Social Committee, due on Thursday. According to a communiqué issued by the
    Romanian Government, the Romanian PM will have a bilateral meeting with the
    NATO Secretary General, Jens
    Stoltenberg, to assess the main points on the agenda of the Alliance, laying
    emphasis on the issues of interest for Romania and on Bucharest’s contribution
    to the implementation of the allied policies and decisions. The agenda of the
    visit also includes the participation in the official ceremony devoted to the
    International Holocaust Remembrance Day, organised by the European Jewish Congress,
    under the patronage of the President of the European Parliament, Antonio
    Tajani. Viorica Dancila will also meet with the President of the European Economic
    and Social Committee, Luca Jahier, and will attend a meeting of the European
    Socialists. Alongside high European officials and members of the Romanian
    Government, Viorica Dancila will attend the opening of a photo exhibition and a
    concert devoted to the start of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the
    European Union.


    ECOFIN – The Romanian Finance Minister, Eugen Teodorovici, chaired in Brussels on Tuesday, the first meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) during the mandate of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The European line ministers discussed, among other things, about a prospective programme on supporting investment, innovation and job creation in the EU. Teodorovici expressed confidence that the EU investment program will continue and will have the capacity to support investment and innovation in the member states and most importantly to help those geographic regions and sectors that havent from sufficient strategic European funds so far. The EU Finance Ministers have also discussed a number of important packages, such as the Economic and Monetary Union, the capital markets as well as the modernization of the VAT system.



    BRUSSELS – Most of the Romanian Governments ministers are in Brussels until Wednesday to present the agenda and priorities of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU before expert committees of the European Parliament. On Tuesday, the Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu took the floor and said that the Erasmul Plus Program, that on early education and the high quality care of small children as well as that on foreign language teaching are the three files that Romania has to manage in the field of education, during its 6 month tenure, at the helm of the Council of the European Union. Also on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Petre Daea said before the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety with the EP that the Romanian Presidency will be oriented towards citizens and will pay special heed for the EU policies to be permanently based on the principle of cohesion between the Member States.



    FLU – Romanian medical authorities have warned that immunization is the most effective protection measure against the flu virus, given that the country is facing a flu epidemic. The number of deaths cased by the flu this winter stands at 28. Children are the most affected by the disease. Daily triages have been recommended in schools and kindergartens.



    BREXIT – British PM Theresa May on Monday set out her Brexit plan B to MPs, which she was obliged to do under the EU Withdrawal Act after the defeat of her plan in the House of Commons last week. A change to her initial deal is that the government has scrapped the £65 (€73.69) fee EU citizens were going to pay to secure the right to continue living in the UK after Brexit. Once again, the British prime minister vowed to find a solution to the Irish backstop, which she said was the key issue blocking her deal going through. May once again rejected calls for a second referendum. May’s deal will now be debated in Parliament on January 29. A vote is expected the same day. The prime minister will then take the conclusions back to the EU. The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on Friday, March 29, 2019, at 11 pm UK time.



    ACADEMY AWARDS NOMINATIONS – The Academy Awards nominations were announced on Tuesday. “Best Picture nominations include such films as “Black Panther, “BlacKkKlansman, “Bohemian Rhapsody, “The Favourite, “Green Book, “Roma, “A Star Is Born and “Vice. The films “Capernaum (Lebanon), “Cold War (Poland), “Roma (Mexico), “Never Look Away (Germany) and “Shoplifter (Japan) have got nominations for “Best Foreign Language Film. Running for an Oscar for best actor in a leading role will be Christian Bale (“Vice), Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born), Willem Dafoe (“At Eternitys Gate), Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody), Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book), whereas Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma), Glenn Close (“The Wife), Olivia Colman (“The Favourite), Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born), Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?) have got nominations for best actress in a leading role. The 91st Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 24 in Los Angeles.



    TENNIS – Romanian Filip Jianu, aged 17 and Spains Nicolas Alvarez Varona have qualified to the quarterfinals of the junior mens doubles at the Australian Open, after defeating the all-British pair Jacob Fearnley/Connor Thomson 6-3, 6-7, 10-8. The Romanian-Spanish team will next be up against the Australian pair Tristan Schoolkate/Dane Sweeny. (Translated by E. Enache and D. Vijeu)