Radio România Internațional

Tag: Aleksei Navalny

  • January 18, 2021 UPDATE

    January 18, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 Romania – Almost 235,000 Romanians have been vaccinated against the new coronavirus so far, with minor and common side effects having been reported in several hundred patients. Sunday was also the first day when the second dose of vaccine was given to the medical staff from infectious disease hospitals who opened the national vaccination campaign on December 27th. The second stage of the campaign continues for people over the age of 65, those with chronic diseases, as well as for the staff working in key areas. On Monday, about 1,500 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Romania, bringing the total number of cases to 700,000. More than 17,000 Romanians have died from COVID-19 infection, and about 1,000 are in intensive care.



    Unions — Cartel Alfa, one of the largest trade union confederations in Romania, has called on the Presidential Administration to mediate the social conflict between government and unionists, so that their demands should be covered by the 2021 national budget. The unions are asking for a decent minimum salary, reasonable pensions, fair taxation and quality public services. Cartel Alfa picketed the presidential headquarters on Monday and will continue protest actions across the country further into January and February, in an attempt to put pressure on the authorities. The Bucharest Government moves on with the drafting of this year’s budget, which is based on a deficit target of 7% of the GDP.



    Eurostat – On average in the EU, public and private expenditure on preventive care accounted for 2.8% of total health expenditure in 2018, with highest shares recorded in Italy (4.4%) and Finland (4.0%), according to data made public by Eurostat on Monday. The lowest share of preventive care expenditure was recorded in Slovakia (0.8% of total health expenditure), followed by Greece, Cyprus and Malta (all 1.3%) as well as Romania (1.4%). Relative to population size, preventive care expenditure was highest among the EU Member States in Sweden, Finland, Germany and the Netherlands in 2018, while it was lowest in Romania and Slovakia. Preventive care aims to avoid or reduce the number or the severity of injuries and diseases, their consequences and complications.



    Arrest – The German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Monday called on Russia to immediately release the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, who was arrested on Sunday upon his arrival to Moscow, France Press reports. Navalny returned from Berlin, where he had been hospitalized since August last year after being poisoned with the nerve agent Noviciok. Maas also called for a thorough investigation into Navalnys poisoning and for bringing the perpetrators to justice. In turn, the British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab called on Russia to release Navalny immediately and said that Moscow had to explain how he was attacked with a chemical weapon. European Council President Charles Michel and the team of the US President-elect Joe Biden have called for Navalnys immediate release. In Bucharest, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, condemned the arrest of the Russian opponent, and described the repression of the opposition as a purely undemocratic gesture. Navalny is accused by Russian authorities that by going to Germany, he violated the terms of a suspended sentence in a case which Navalny says was fabricated. The latter called on Russians on Monday to take to the streets against the power, in a video posted shortly after a judge decided his detainment for 30 days.



    Moldova – The President of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet country with a majority Romanian-speaking), pro-Western Maia Sandu, is paying a two-day visit to Brussels to re-establish ties with the European Union, ties which were affected by the policy of his pro-Russian predecessor, Igor Dodon. Sandu met with the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, who told her that she can count on the EU’s support in the reform process and the battle against corruption. On Sunday, before the official visit, Maia Sandu already had a discussion with the head of the European Public Prosecutors Office, the Romanian Laura Codruţa Kovesi, with whom she agreed on joint actions to combat smuggling and money laundering. The first high-level visit that Maia Sandu received after taking office was on December 29, when her Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, went to Chsinau where they adopted a Joint Declaration, meant to strengthen the strategic partnership of the two neighboring countries. (Translated by E. Enache)



  • 18.01.2021 (mise à jour)

    18.01.2021 (mise à jour)

    Covid — Plus de 235 mille Roumains se sont fait vacciner jusqu’à présent contre le nouveau coronavirus. Des centaines d’effets secondaires ont été rapportés, tous mineurs et communs. Dimanche a été le premier jour où les soignants ayant déjà bénéficié d’une première dose de vaccin ont pu recevoir la dose de rappel. Parallèlement, la deuxième étape de la campagne d’immunisation se poursuit en Roumanie. Elle concerne les personnes de plus de 65 ans, celles souffrant de maladies chroniques et le personnel travaillant dans des domaines clé de la société. Lundi, en Roumanie, quelque 1 500 nouveaux cas de Covid-19 ont été enregistrés et un millier de malades sont hospitalisés dans les unités de soins intensifs. Le bilan total en Roumanie est de presque 700 mille cas d’infection et plus de 17 000 décès.



    Syndicats — Les représentants de Cartel Alfa, une des grandes centrales syndicales de Roumanie, demandent à l’Administration présidentielle d’assurer la médiation du conflit social entre le gouvernement net les syndicats, de manière à ce que le budget 2021 reflète leurs demandes. Les syndicats demandent un salaire minimum décent, des retraites équitables, une imposition juste, des services publics de qualité et l’application correcte de la législation pour tout le monde. Cartel Alfa a organisé un piquet de grève ce lundi au Palais de Cotroceni, siège de la Présidence. Les syndicalistes affirment que les protestations se poursuivront sur l’ensemble du pays en janvier et février, dans une tentative de mettre de la pression sur les gouvernants. Le cabinet de Bucarest continue d’élaborer le budget de l’Etat pour l’année en cours, avec une cible de déficit de 7% du PIB.



    Distinction — Le président Klaus Iohannis a déclaré lundi que la Roumanie demeurait un allié puissant et un ami auquel les Etats-Unis peuvent faire confiance, à l’occasion de la décoration de l’ambassadeur américain à Bucarest, Adrian Zuckerman, par l’Ordre national « L’Etoile de la Roumanie ». Le diplomate s’est déclaré convaincu que la Roumanie continuera, avec la nouvelle Administration de Washington, à développer le Partenariat stratégique et les relations solides, fondées sur la confiance, en vertu des valeurs et des intérêts communs. M Iohannis a réitéré l’intérêt croissant pour une présence militaire américaine plus étoffée en Roumanie. Adrian Zuckerman, qui est né en Roumanie, a souligné que c’est un pays étonnant, avec un potentiel illimité. La Roumanie n’a pas de meilleur ami que les Etats-Unis, a-t-il poursuivi. Nous sommes et nous serons toujours vos partenaires, a conclu l’ambassadeur américain.



    Statistique — Les dépenses les plus fournies pour les soins médicaux préventifs de l’UE, par rapport au nombre d’habitants, ont été enregistrées en 2018 en Suède (165 euros par habitant), en Finlande (152 euros), en Allemagne (148 euros) et aux Pays-Bas (146 euros). A l’opposé, on retrouve la Roumanie et la Slovaquie, les deux avec 8 euros par habitant, indiquent les données publiées ce lundi par l’Office statistique de l’Union européenne (Eurostat). Au niveau de l’UE, les dépenses publiques et privées pour les soins médicaux de prévention ont représenté 2,8% de l’ensemble des dépenses de santé en 2018. Les données rendues publiques le mois dernier par Eurostat indiquent que la Roumanie n’a alloué en 2018 que 580 euros par habitant pour la santé, soit le montant le moindre de toute l’UE.



    Diplomatie — Le ministre allemand des Affaires Etrangères, Heiko Maas, a appelé la Russie à libérer immédiatement Alexeï Navalny, retenu dimanche par les autorités au moment de son arrivée à Moscou. Par ailleurs, le chef de la diplomatie britannique, Dominic Raab, a demandé à la Russie de remettre Navalny en liberté et d’offrir des explications sur la façon dont il a été victime d’une attaque à l’arme chimique. Navalny rentrait de Berlin, où il a été en convalescence après son empoisonnement en août à l’agent neurotoxique Novitchok. Maas a également exigé une enquête approfondie sur l’empoisonnement de Navalny et que les auteurs soient traduits en justice. A son tour, le ministre britannique des Affaires étrangères, Dominic Raab, a demandé à la Russie la libération immédiate d’Alekseï Navalny et a souligné que Moscou devait fournir des explications sur la manière dont il a été attaqué à l’arme chimique. Le président du Conseil européen, Charles Michel, et l’équipe du président américain élu, Joe Biden, ont demandé à la Russie la libération immédiate d’Alekseï Navalny. A Bucarest, le ministre roumain des Affaires étrangères, Bogdan Aurescu, a condamné l’arrestation de l’opposant russe, et a qualifié la répression de l’opposition de geste purement non démocratique. Navalny este accusé par les autorités de Moscou que, par son départ en Allemagne, il a violé les conditions d’une condamnation avec sursis, dans un dossier dont le leader de l’opposition dit qu’il a été fabriqué. Il a demandé lundi aux Russes de sortir dans les rues pour protester contre le pouvoir, dans un vidéoclip lancé peu de temps après qu’un juge eût ordonné sa détention provisoire pour 30 jours.


  • June 13, 2017 UPDATE

    June 13, 2017 UPDATE

    GRINDEANU CABINET — The fate of the Grindeanu Cabinet will be decided on Wednesday’s meeting of the Social Democratic Party’s Executive committee, which will assess each minister and discuss potential reshuffles. At the end of last week the party leader Liviu Dragnea, who is also the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, expressed his discontent regarding the activity of certain ministers. Dragnea said he rules out changing the entire structure of the cabinet. In turn, Prime Minister Sorin Grideanu said he is conducting his own analysis and said he was pleased with his Cabinet’s overall performance. In another development, the presidency announced it was monitoring political moves aimed at changing the Government’s structure.



    IOHANNIS — Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis will pay an official visit to Berlin over June 19-21. The president will meet his German counterpart, Frank Walter Steinmeir and Chancellor Angela Merkel. Talks will focus on boosting bilateral relations and hot topics on the international and European agenda. On June 20 the President will be guest of honor in a ceremony commemorating the victims of refuge and expulsion at the German History Museum, where he will also deliver a speech. According to the presidency, 2017 marks 50 years since the launch of Romanian-German relations, 25 years since the cooperation and partnership agreement was signed between the two countries and 10 years since Romania joined the EU. Over June 22-23, president Iohannis will attend the European Summer Council, with migration, defense policy and Brexit as the main topics on its agenda. On the sidelines of the Council meeting Klaus Iohannis will also meet with the new French president, Emmanuel Macron.



    PROSECUTION – Romanian prosecutors re-started the criminal prosecution of the former president of Romania Traian Basescu, for abuse of office in the so called ‘Flora’ case, after judges with the High Court of Cassation and Justice admitted the request filed by the Prosecutor’s Office. The case was re-opened after a businessman filed a complaint, accusing Traian Basescu of having illegally returned, back in 2003, when he was the mayor of Bucharest, a 40,000 square meter piece of land. The commercial complex ‘Flora’ was later built on that ground. The businessman claims that Basescu abused his office by endorsing the return of the property, and the damage is estimated at more than 100 million Euros.



    STATISTICS – According to the National Statistics Institute, the average income in Romania went up by 1% in April, reaching the equivalent of 520 Euro, which is a historic record. The most significant increases were reported in relation to financial transactions and auxiliary activities, while decreases were recorded in the oil and natural gas extraction industry and in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. In another development, the number of pensioners dropped to under 5.2 million, and the average pension went up by 8.1%, reaching some 220 Euro. The pensioners/employees ratio is still 9 to10, which means that 10 employees support 9 pensioners.



    COMMEMORATION — The first president in post-communist Romania, Ion Iliescu, the then Prime Minister Petre Roman and Intelligence chief Virgil Magureanu were indicted and accused of crimes against humanity on Tuesday in the case investigating the miners’ raids of June 13-15, 1990, which put an end to a large-scale rally against the left wing power instated after the fall of the communist dictatorship in December 1989. Against the background of violent clashes in the capital, which the army had already managed to stifle, the then president of the country Ion Iliescu claimed the right wing had planned a coup and called on the population to defend the democratic institutions. As a result of the call, miners from Jiu Valley came to Bucharest and attacked the University, the headquarters of the main opposition parties and the offices of independent publications. Their raids ended in four deaths, hundreds of people wounded and more than one thousand people arrested abusively. Romania’s image abroad was also affected by the violent raid of June 1990.



    RUSSIA — The Kremlin on Tuesday said the unauthorized anticorruption protests organized by opposition leader Aleksei Navalny are a threat to public opinion. Navalny was sentenced to 30 days in prison. In turn, Russian officials said they will not respond to Washington’s plea to release the protesters from arrest. Large protests were staged in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the Russian riot police launching an assault on the crowd after protests started voicing anti-regime slogans. Some 2,000 people were arrested, including scores of students and young people. (Translated by V. Palcu)