Radio România Internațional

Tag: accident in Genoa

  • Concerns over road infrastructure

    Concerns over road infrastructure

    This Tuesday a
    motorway bridge close to the Italian city of Genoa collapsed, killing dozens of
    people, including two Romanians. The Government in Rome has launched an
    investigation into the activity of the company charged with the maintenance of
    the bridge. The company is now facing a 150-million-euro fine as well as having
    its concession agreement revoked.

    The tragedy in Italy has prompted authorities
    in other countries, such as Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine, to review the status
    of their bridges. The National Road Company in Romania said all bridges are in
    good condition. Of the country’s 4,250 bridges, only 37 have been flagged for
    some technical problems, yet most of these are on secondary roads, the company
    reports. No bridge poses any immediate risk of collapsing. The company is
    constantly monitoring bridges, and where risks are detected, bridges are shut
    down and traffic is diverted to other roads. Under the legislation in force,
    bridges are inspected every six months or sooner, where needed.

    The National
    Road Company says maintenance works can take from 10 up to 15 years, while the
    total period of rehabilitating or rebuilding a bridge segment spans from 35 to
    50 years, depending on a technical analysis. According to a company release, a
    public tender will soon be organized for awarding contracts to rehabilitate
    bridges crossing the Romanian section of the Danube on A2 motorway. In turn,
    Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov ordered that all bridges be verified,
    renovated and consolidated. Bulgarian Minister of Public Works said over 200
    bridges, built over 35 years ago, are in bad shape. Road infrastructure in
    Romania is a delicate subject.

    Romania ranks at the bottom of the list of EU
    member states in terms of highways. In August 2018, Romania had only 774
    kilometers of highway. The budget allotted to road infrastructure this year
    provides for insufficient funds to finish ongoing motorway construction works,
    although the deadline for some of these projects is 2019. Besides, several projects
    are at a standstill as no funds have been allotted for next year. The
    Sibiu-Pitesti motorway, the Pitesti-Craiova express road, the Romania-Moldova
    highway, the southern beltline in Bucharest or the bridge over the Danube in
    Braila are all projects that started in 2017, but whose funding has been
    severely diminished in 2018.

  • August 15, 2018 UPDATE

    August 15, 2018 UPDATE

    PROTESTS – The head prosecutor with the Military Prosecutor’s
    Office in Bucharest, Ionel Corbu, said that the gendarmes’ intervention during
    Friday’s anti-Government protest was by no means justified, as long as there
    were several alternatives to quell the violent protesters. Ionel Corbu said the
    Military Prosecutor’s Office has received from the Romanian Gendarmes Service
    part of the documents it has requested, namely the action plan, the
    intervention plan and the operation log, adding however that no documents were
    received regarding the amount of tear gas used in the protests. The Bucharest
    Gendarme service said the tear gas used by the riot police was purchased from
    licensed manufacturers and that it is currently being used all over Europe. Military
    prosecutors continue to investigate the forceful intervention of the riot
    police on August 10 and are now looking into possible charges of abuse of
    office and actionable negligence. So far 200 people have filed criminal complaints.




    FEAST DAY – Orthodox and Eastern Catholic
    Christians in Romania on Wednesday celebrated the Assumption of Mary, the
    bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life.
    Churches and monasteries in Romania held special services on this occasion
    while thousands of Christians went on pilgrimage. Some 2.2 million Romanians
    celebrated their name day on Wednesday.




    NAVY DAY – August 15 is also Romanian
    Navy Day, as Saint Mary is also the patron saint of sailors. This year
    ceremonies were held in Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Tulcea, Braila, Bucuresti
    and Cernavoda on this occasion. Attending the events were thousands of navy
    military, scores of warships and numerous aircraft. The largest naval show was
    held in Constanta, the largest Romanian port on the Black Sea. The guard of
    honor and brigades of Romanian military, alongside peers from Great Britain,
    the United States and Ukraine paraded on the waterfront before the fleet
    command. Attending the ceremonies, President Klaus Iohannis said Romania cannot
    truly be a powerful player in the region without a powerful army, which should
    include a well-equipped, well-trained and modern navy, capable to successfully
    withstand any challenge. The President went on to say that, as a sign of
    appreciation for the activity and special achievements of the Naval Forces, he
    has decorated the war flag of the Romanian Naval Forces with the Maritime
    Virtue Order in rank of Officer, as a sign of military peace. Defense Minister
    Mihai Fifor told the navy military that their responsibilities are key to
    securing the eastern flank of NATO and the EU. Fifor recalled that 2018, the
    year marking 100 years since the Great Union, will be a landmark for the
    military navy by means of the modernization program carried out to strengthen
    the immediate response capacity of the Romanian Naval Forces and to consolidate
    Romania’s position in the Black Sea region.




    ACCIDENT – President Klaus Iohannis has expressed his condolences
    for the families of the victims of Tuesday’s collapse of a motorway bridge
    close to Genoa, which killed dozens of people, including two Romanian
    nationals, a Presidency report reads. The President also conveyed his
    condolences to his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella and to the Italian
    authorities. According to the Foreign Ministry, operations to extract the
    victims from the rubble are ongoing. A mobile consular team is on scene. Some
    250 firefighters and scores of search and rescue teams continue to look for
    survivors. According to our correspondent in Rome, 440 people were evacuated
    from 11 apartment buildings in the vicinity. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe
    Conte also visited the crash site, ensuring citizens the whole road
    infrastructure in Italy will be inspected to prevent such tragedies from
    happening.




    CAMPAIGN – The signature-gathering campaign entitled
    No criminally-prosecuted people in public office has so far raised over 800
    thousand signatures and is bound to continue until the end of the month, the
    president of Save Romania Union Dan Barna told the press on Wednesday. The set
    target is to gather 1 million signatures. This citizen initiative aimed at
    revising the Constitutions so that no person with a final criminal sentence can
    hold public office.




    MEETING – National Defense Minister Mihai Fifor on
    Wednesday met with his Moldovan counterpart, Eugeniu Sturza, on the sidelines
    of the Romanian Navy Day ceremonies held in Constanta. The two officials
    highlighted the good bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, also
    agreeing on enhanced cooperation as regards military medicine and education. As
    regards cooperation within NATO, Minister Fifor told Minister Sturza that
    Romania would continue to support Moldova’s efforts to join NATO.




    RAF – Six Russian bombers were intercepted over the Black Sea by British
    fighter jets deployed to Romania, charged with the security of NATO airspace, a
    Royal Air Force press release reads. Eurofighter Typhoon jets took off on
    Monday from Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in southeastern Romania, after six
    Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer bombers were detected in NATO airspace over the Black Sea.
    The Russian aircraft were headed to Crimea. The operation was part of NATO air
    policing operations with support from the Royal Air Force, aimed at deterring
    Russian aggression and enforcing Great Britain’s commitment to NATO collective
    defense. Romania’s Defense Minister Mihai Fifor last month said such challenges
    from Moscow are quite frequent.




    FOOTBALL – Three Romanian football teams are on
    Thursday competing in the second round of the Champions League third
    preliminary round. All matches are played on home turf. CFR Cluj is playing
    Alashkert of Armenia and is sitting on a 2-nil away win in the first leg. FCSB
    will take on Croatia’s Hajduk Split, after drawing nil-all in the first leg,
    while Romanian Cup winner CSU Craiova is playing RB Leipzig. Craiova lost 1-3
    in the first leg.






    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • August 15, 2018

    August 15, 2018


    PROTESTS – Hundreds protested on Tuesday in Bucharest for the fifth day in a row against the Government. The Military Prosecutors Department with the Prosecutor Generals Office has taken over the investigation into the events on August 10. Tuesday the last protesters who were injured in the August 10 protest in Bucharest filed criminal investigations. So far 100 people have filed complaints. Military prosecutors meanwhile continue to investigate the forceful intervention of the riot police and are now looking into possible charges of abuse of office and actionable negligence. The interim head of the Romanian Gendarme Service, Colonel Sebastian Cucos, whose mandate has expired, was replaced by Colonel Catalin Sindile, the former Deputy General Inspector of the Romanian Gendarme Service.



    ACCIDENT – Two Romanian citizens were killed in Tuesdays collapse of a motorway bridge close to Genoa, reads a Foreign Ministry release. Operations to extract the victims from the rubble are ongoing. A mobile consular team is on scene. The provisional toll shows 38 died and 16 were wounded, of whom 12 in critical condition. Some 35 vehicles and 3 trucks were crossing the motorway as Morandi Bridge collapsed. The bridge linked the city to the main airport in Liguria. Some 250 firefighters and scores of search and rescue teams continue to look for survivors. All households in the area have been evacuated. 400 people were relocated by the Italian Civil Protection service. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also visited the crash site, ensuring citizens the whole road infrastructure in Italy will be inspected to prevent such tragedies from happening.



    FEAST DAY – Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians in Romania on Wednesday celebrated the Assumption of Mary, the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. Churches and monasteries in Romania held special services on this occasion while thousands of Christians went on pilgrimage. A mini-holiday has been instated by the state on this occasion and scores of Romanians are on the Romanian Black Seacoast, as well as in mountain and spa resorts. Some 2.2 million Romanians celebrated their name day on Wednesday.



    NAVY DAY – August 15 is also Romanian Navy Day, as Saint Mary is also the patron saint of sailors. This year ceremonies were held in Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Tulcea, Braila, Bucuresti and Cernavoda on this occasion. Attending the events were thousands of navy military, scores of warships and numerous aircraft. The largest naval show was held in Constanta, the largest Romanian port on the Black Sea. The guard of honor and brigades of Romanian military, alongside peers from Great Britain, the United States and Ukraine paraded on the waterfront before the fleet command. Attending the ceremonies, President Klaus Iohannis said Romania cannot truly be a powerful player in the region without a powerful army, which should include a well-equipped, well-trained and modern navy, capable to successfully withstand any challenge. The President went on to say that, as a sign of appreciation for the activity and special achievements of the Naval Forces, he has decorated the war flag of the Romanian Naval Forces with the Maritime Virtue Order in rank of Officer, as a sign of military peace. Defense Minister Mihai Fifor told the navy military that their responsibilities are key to securing the eastern flank of NATO and the EU. Fifor recalled that 2018, the year marking 100 years since the Great Union, will be a landmark for the military navy by means of the modernization program carried out to strengthen the immediate response capacity of the Romanian Naval Forces and to consolidate Romanias position in the Black Sea region.



    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 1 and seeded first in the Cincinnati tournament, is tomorrow playing Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia, 58 WTA, in the second round. Halep is the only Romanian left at Cincinnati, a tournament with over 2.8 million dollars up for grabs. This will be the third match Tomljanovic is playing a Romanian in the womens singles, as she ousted Sorana Cirstea in the qualifying round and Irina Begu in the first round. In the doubles competition, the pair made up of Raluca Olaru and Vera Zvonareva of Russia lost to Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, the first-seeded pair. Also Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu lost to Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria of the United States.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)