Radio România Internațional

Tag: Assumption of the Virgin Mary

  • August 15, 2021

    August 15, 2021

    Covid Romania – On Sunday Romania registered 323 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, a smaller number than in the previous day, but the number of patients in ICUs is on the rise, reaching 112 at present. Six Covid-related deaths have been registered in the last 24 hours. On the other hand, interest in vaccination remains low. All in all, about 5 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated.



    Navy Day — Navy Day was marked on Sunday in Constanta, the largest Black Sea port in Romania, through a restricted ceremony, due to the pandemic. Attending the ceremony, alongside high-ranking state officials, the President Klaus Iohannis congratulated the Romanian seafarers and highlighted that the spirit of sacrifice, devotion and professionalism are their most important qualities. According to President Iohannis, the strategic relevance of the Black Sea area for Euro-Atlantic security is a certainty today. However, the region is still facing security challenges, both military and non-military, conventional, as well as hybrid and cyber, which is why an increased commitment is required to strengthen security and increase national resilience, the President added. A formation of fighter planes consisting of Puma Naval helicopters, a Puma IAR helicopter, Romanian Air Force MIG-21 and F-16 aircraft, British Typhoon aircraft and a US P-8 research aircraft flew over the Military Port at the end of the official ceremony. A parade of military ships took place at sea, which was led by the frigate Marasesti, the largest warship ever built in Romania.



    Assumption of the Virgin Mary — Christians on Sunday celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which commemorates the moment of the Virgin’s departure from this world. The Virgin Mary is the person who enjoys the greatest honor in the Christian religion, after to the persons of the Holy Trinity. The Virgin Mary is the patron saint of most monasteries in Romania, the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin being considered the feast of pilgrimages. Crowds of pilgrims visit the monasteries dedicated to the Virgin, to pray before her miracle-working icons. The religious events will also mark the 150th anniversary of the first gathering of the Romanians abroad and the first Congress of Romanian students, which took place from August 15-16, 1871 at the Putna Monastery (northeast). It was then that the ideals of unity of all Romanians were affirmed. Among the pilgrims present in Putna there are 650 students from the country and abroad, who will participate in a congress on Monday.



    Afghanistan — A peaceful transfer of power to a transitional government will take place in Afghanistan, where the Taliban are close to taking full control of the country, Afghan Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said on Sunday, according to AFP and Reuters. He said there would be no attack on the capital Kabul. Previously, the Taliban said they had been ordered to remain at the city gates and not enter the Afghan capital. In the last ten days, insurgents have taken control of most of Afghanistans provincial capitals. The crisis in Afghanistan and Belarus actions point to the need to reshape EU rules on migration and asylum, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said on Sunday. Many member states fear that events in Afghanistan could lead to a new migrant crisis similar to that which Europe faced in 2015-2016, when the chaotic arrival of more than 500,000 people from the Middle East tested the European countries’ security and social welfare systems.



    Pandemic — Sunday saw the coming into effect of the updated list of countries with an epidemiological risk. As of August 15 inlcuded on the red list are Turkey, Israel and the USA, a list which also includes Spain, Greece, Great Britain and Portugal. Instead, the Netherlands and Malta returned to the yellow zone, following a decrease in the Covid incidence. Bulgaria remains in the green zone. Since August 13, for crossing state borders within the EU, only digital certificates have been recognized as documents proving vaccination, recovery from the disease and a negative Covid test result. The obligation to present the digital certificate is valid only for those countries that require such documents as a vaccination certificate, negative test results or vaccination proof, as well as upon return to Romania from countries on the yellow and red lists. Tourists returning from a country on the green list do not have to present the digital certificate and are not quarantined. (LS)

  • 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)




  • Navy Day and Modernizing the Military

    Navy Day and Modernizing the Military

    The Romanian Navy Day was celebrated in ports on the Romanian Black Seacoast and in cities across the country. The main event was staged in the port of Constanta, where 10,000 people witnessed a spectacular navy show, with 30 warships and vessels, 12 aircraft and over 3,000 military parading. Attending the festivities President Klaus Iohannis was impressed with the high number of people coming to celebrate Navy Day every year, saying that such moments show just how strong the symbols uniting us are.



    The president hoped the centenary of the Great Unification to be celebrated next year would stir a matching public interest. On the other hand, the president insisted on the country having a modern army, capable of dealing with current challenges. Klaus Iohannis went on to say that the political agreement on allotting 2% of GDP to defense spending, as well as adopting the national plan on modernizing the army, are sending a clear message of responsibility to our foreign partners. Klaus Iohannis:



    “We are showing our partners that Romania is a reliable, predictable state, ready to contribute to ensuring collective defense, together with its allies. Observing this commitment on the long term will allow us to purchase state-of-the-art military technology for our army. Additionally, consolidating maritime security and defense remains at the core of our interests”.



    Attending the event in Constanta was also Defense Minister Adrian Tutuianu, who said that the latest developments in the Black Sea concern not only the region itself, but also the broader Euro-Atlantic security. Adrian Tutuianu:



    “As part of the Black Sea Region, Romania wants and continues to be a pillar of stability, democracy and security. It is our duty to combine our efforts and display wisdom, strength and political ability to make Romania a powerful regional player”.



    Navy Day was first introduced in our country’s official calendar 115 years ago, when a religious service was first held onboard the Elisabeta warship in the port of Constanta. Also on August 15 the Christian community in Romania celebrated the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, seen as the patron saint of sailors. Special services were held on this occasion in monasteries and churches across the country. (Translated by V. Palcu)