Radio România Internațional

Tag: ban

6 September 2019

Commemoration. Tribute is paid today
in all military units in Romania and the theatres of operation to the Romanian
military killed in an attack in Kabul on Thursday and claimed by the Taliban.
On Monday night, another Romanian national, who was part of the security staff
of the Romanian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, was killed in a terrorist
attack that targeted a compound hosting embassy headquarters, including that of
Romania. Another Romanian was wounded in this attack, also claimed by the
Taliban, and later transferred to Europe for medical assistance. The building hosting the embassy was severely damaged, its
staff being for the time being hosted by a NATO military base. In Bucharest,
president Klaus Iohannis and prime minister Viorica Dancila have sent their
condolences in the aftermath of the two attacks and have reiterated Romania’s
support for the fight against terrorism. A crisis cell was established at the
foreign ministry. Almost 30 Romanian soldiers have died since 2003 in
Afghanistan, where Romania has deployed 762 military as part of the NATO
Resolute Support mission.

Diaspora. The
forum of Romanians abroad is under way in Bucharest until Sunday, bringing
together 120 representatives of the Romanian diaspora and of historical ethnic
Romanian communities. The participants are taking part in working sessions,
workshops and debates alongside representatives of state institutions. The
agenda includes issues such as education in the Romanian language, investments
and opportunities to return to Romania and the voting process abroad. On
Thursday in the opening of the forum, the Romanian prime minister Viorica
Dancila said she had requested the Standing Election Authority to extend the
deadline for Romanians abroad registering to vote, in order to increase the
number of those voting by post in the upcoming presidential elections in
November.

Ban. The former leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party Liviu
Dragnea has been banned from entering the United States for involvement in
significant corruption, the US State Department said in a statement. The ban
also applies to Dragnea’s two children. The statement explains that under an official
act, in cases where officials of foreign governments have been involved in acts
of significant corruption, those individuals and their immediate family members
are ineligible for entry into the United States. The move sends a strong
message that the US is committed to fighting corruption and supporting the rule
of law in Romania, the press release notes. Dragnea, who also served as speaker
of the Chamber of Deputies, was sent to prison in May after receiving a 3 and a
6 month sentence for corruption. Earlier, he had received a suspended sentence
for election fraud in a 2012 referendum on the impeachment of the former
president Traian Basescu.

Festival. Today is another busy day
at the George Enescu International Festival. The highlights include the
performance of the National Orchestra of France featuring the pianist Evgeny
Kissin, while in another performance, the La Scala Chamber Orchestra will
include a work by George Enescu in their programme. Radio Romania has been a
co-producer of the festival ever since its first edition in 1958. This year,
Radio Romania’s music channel is broadcasting most concerts in the festival,
while the Radio Concert Hall is playing host to a series of concerts. Radio
Romania’s Children’s Choir, Academic Choir and National Orchestra are also
themselves giving performances as part of the festival.

Football. Romania
lost to former world and European champions Spain 1-2 in Bucharest on Thursday
in a qualifier Group F match ahead of next year’s European Championships. In
the same group, Sweden defeated the Faroe Islands 4-nil and Norway defeated
Malta 2-nil. Spain top the group with 15 points followed by Sweden with 10,
Norway with 8, Romania with 7, Malta with 3 and the Faroe Islands with no
points. Romania will face Malta in their next match on Sunday in Ploiesti. The
two best ranked sides in the group will qualify for the final tournament. The
drawing of lots ceremony for the European Championships will be hosted by
Bucharest on the 30th of November. The Romanian capital will also
play host to four championship matches, three from the group stage and a
quarterfinal.

Tennis. The 19-year-old Canadian player of Romanian origin Bianca
Andreescu will be facing Serena Williams in the women’s final at the US Open.
Andreescu, who was yet to go past the second round in a Grand Slam, on Thursday
defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, while Serena Williams made it to her
tenth US Open final after defeating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

6 September 2019
November 4, 2017

UNIONS – The “Solidaritatea Sanitara union federation announces its opposition to the Governments plan to transfer the payment of social security contributions from employers to employees, and says it will join the all-out strike planned by the countrys main union confederations. Previously, trade union federations Frăţia, Cartel Alfa and National Union Bloc had voiced fears that this transfer would entail a drop in salaries and the loss of jobs. In turn, employer associations say that should this measure be implemented, they will have to lay off employees, while the National Liberal Party in opposition announced it would notify the Constitutional Court unless the Government gave up these plans. President Klaus Iohannis described the Governments initiative as fiscal confusion through which average gross salaries would only go up by a rough 70 eurocents. In response, PM Mihai Tudose and his Social Democratic Party chief, Liviu Dragnea, say they do not understand the opposition to the measures announced for next year, given that in fact both employers and employees would stand to gain. The Cabinet postponed to Monday the meeting in which the new provisions were to be discussed, on grounds that some of the bills on the agenda had not received all the required approvals.

BY-ELECTIONS – The town of Deva, in western Romania, as well as 16 villages in 12 counties are preparing for Sundays by-elections. 16 localities will elect their mayors tomorrow, and a village will elect its local council. In Deva, the mayor position has been vacant since the former mayor, Mircia Muntean, re-elected to office last summer, was sentenced to six months in prison for abuse of office and DUI.

HEALTHCARE – The Romanian healthcare and tourism ministries will work together to come up with medical tourism packages. The announcement was made by the Healthcare Minister Florian Bodog at a medical tourism conference in Bucharest. The healthcare services in the highest demand from foreign patients in Romania are dental treatments, spa treatments, and plastic surgery, Bodog explained. He added that the Government is working to adopt the public-private partnership bill, which will allow foreign partners to invest in Romania, including in the healthcare sector. The Romanian official added that he had already received offers from foreign investors interested in setting up hospitals and cardiovascular surgery and recovery centres.

CAMPAIGN – MEP Cătălin Ivan has announced he intends to start a signature campaign to ban bearer shares in Romania. Such shares, which are not registered, may be transferred from one holder to another without tax and accounting records. Ivan argues that this enables civil servants to own stock in companies that are awarded public procurement or service contracts, without any means of combating corruption. According to official data there are around 400 companies in Romania having issued bearer shares, and most of their have been awarded government contracts worth hundreds of millions of euros. Bearer shares have already been banned in countries like the UK, Belgium, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Malta and Cyprus.

PUIGDEMONT – Belgian authorities announced having received the international arrest warrant issued by Spain against the ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and 4 members of his secessionist cabinet. The source added that prosecutors would study the documents before submitting them to a judge. The five Catalan ministers arrived in Brussels this week, after Spain issued an arrest warrant for sedition. Puigdemont insists that he is not in Belgium to escape justice, and that he is facing a potential 30-year prison sentence for keeping his promise to his voters. A Spanish court approved the arrest after the five failed to appear in court on Thursday to respond to accusations regarding the Catalan independence declaration. Before the arrest warrants were issued, the European Commission said the trial of the Catalan separatists was for the judiciary to settle.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball team CSM Bucharest is playing this afternoon at home against the Danish side Nykobing, in the 4th round of Champions League Group A. Two weeks ago, CSM lost surprisingly in Denmark, 22-25. In the first 2 games in Group A, the Romanians defeated Krim Ljubljana of Slovenia and Vistal Gdynia of Poland. The top 2 teams in each of the 4 groups will qualify into the main group stage. Romanias target in the current competition season is to reach the Champions League Final Four. Also today, in mens handball, Romanias champions Dinamo Bucharest play away from home against Ademar Leon of Spain. Dinamo ranks last in Group C, and is left with next to no chances to move on in the competition.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

4 November 2017
Ban on Wild Animal Shows

Last months incident at the Globus Circus in Bucharest, when 11 animals died in a fire, generated a debate regarding a possible ban on the use of wild animals in circus shows. Some people argue in favour of banning shows where animals are used for entertainment, claiming that such shows are detrimental to animal dignity and welfare, and that animals belong in the wild. Other people however say the shows have an educational component, and banning them will seriously affect the circus industry.

Animal rights organisations in particular have taken a stand on this matter, calling on Romania to join other civilised nations that for years now have stopped using wild animals in circus performances. According to Magor Csibi of World Wild Fund Romania, animals bred in captivity are sentenced to a life of suffering, due to being forced to live in confinement and ill-treated while being tamed. For instance, in the wild a lion has over 400 square kilometres to roam freely, while in confinement this area is reduced to a few square meters.

Magor Csibi: “Given that animals need a place to move about freely, vegetation, and so on, they cannot be kept captive. There are few cases where zoos can cater for these needs, but certainly not a circus. For instance, a tiger cannot be put in the same cage with other tigers, because it can become aggressive and hurt itself. Besides, tigers need lots of water, something that a circus cannot provide. Circus animals spend 94% of their time sitting in cages, while the remaining 6% is spent training for live performances. So it is obvious that these animals hurt most of the time.

No one knows the exact number of wild animals in Romanias circuses, because most of these are traveling circuses. What we know is that these animals come from special farms or from the wild. Magor Csibi says that as long as it is legal to train tigers and make a profit out of it, there will be demand on the market, which is another element that adds up to the pressure already exerted on wild animals:

Magor Csibi: “At present, there are about 2,000 tigers in the wild, but the number of captive tigers is three times bigger. The circus shows also use various species of monkeys. The main threat to these species, apart from deforestation, is that they are subject to trafficking. All these things contribute to the extinction of species. For instance, 6 years ago our team managed to capture a transport of 12 tiger cubs in Thailand. This happens because of the circuses, of the zoos, and of those people who want to have a tiger on their private property. Absolutely all the tiger subspecies are threatened by extinction, and as long as there is demand for tigers on the market, the pressure on these animals will grow.

Animal protection organisations say that the wild animals running and hunting instincts are completely repressed in captivity. Instead, they are forced to do all sorts of tricks that run counter to their nature.

Magor Csibi: “Since felines are instinctively afraid of the fire, a reward system is not enough to motivate them to go through a circle of fire. Wild animals are often forced into submission, in order to be able to overcome their instincts. They are often subjected to physical and other forms of abuse. Children can learn about animals in a different way. Technological development is in full swing, we have very good documentaries and 3D films showing the life of wild animals and soon well have virtual reality systems, in which children who want to see wild animals in their habitats will be able to put a helmet on and watch these animals almost like in real life. If we want to see wild animals, we dont need to see them afflicted in cages. They behave differently when caged, and we dont want to promote the idea that animals at the circus are our friends, that we are safe near them. Because this is not true. You cannot put your head into the mouth of a lion or tiger, neither can you sit next to a bear, because they are wild animals and are not familiar with humans. You will certainly not see a bear riding a bike or a tiger jumping through the fire in the woods. Wild animals dont do these things naturally.

Animal welfare groups are asking for a law that bans the use of wild animals in Romanias circuses. Magor Csibi is back at the microphone:

Magor Csibi: “The General Council of Bucharest amended the regulations of the Globus Circus, which will no longer include animal acts in shows. The General Council is considering another decision, forbidding all circus shows using wild animals in Bucharest. In turn, Romanias Parliament already tabled a bill, in the previous legislature, regarding a ban on these shows on Romanian territory. Amendments have been made to this bill and, with some luck, parliament will vote on this bill by spring. If that does not happen, then well look for MPs willing to submit a new bill in this respect. We will not give up until we see these practices disappear from Romania. There are already 14 EU countries that have totally banned these shows and 19 that have put a partial ban on them.

WWF Romania has initiated an online petition against the use of animals in circuses, which so far has been signed by more than 30,000 people. Globus Circus in Bucharest held the last show featuring wild animals on February 18th.

24 February 2017
Povestea leului, moneda românilor

În 1835, în ziua de 16 septembrie, domnitorul Munteniei, prinţul Alexandru Ghica, a oficializat leul ca monedă a principatului său. Este un moment de pionierat, principatele româneşti erau încă separate, aşa cum voiau marile puteri. În acest context, domnul muntean a ales leul să fie moneda ţării sale, unde circulau o multitudine de monede străine, care din Occident, care din Orientul turcilor.

Dintre toate aceste monede, talerul olandez, loventhaler pe numele său, era cea mai populară. Era o monedă frumoasă, cu un leu rampant pe avers, de unde şi-a primit şi numele taler-leu. Era o monedă larg utilizată în această parte a Europei, concurând paraua otomană. De altfel, şi albanezii şi bulgarii şi-au numit moneda naţională, în funcţiune şi astăzi, după talerul-leu al olandezilor.

Şi în Republica Moldova, moneda naţională se numeşte leu, dar aici explicaţia este diferită. Nu este vorba de o alegere istorică, precum în Albania şi Bulgaria, ci de numele istoric purtat de moneda ţării, România, din care Republica Moldova a fost ruptă de Stalin, în 1940. Leul românilor a înflorit” după 1859, când dubla alegere a domnitorului Alexandru Ioan Cuza, la Iaşi şi la Bucureşti, a înfăptuit unirea Moldovei cu Muntenia.

Este începutul făuririi şi consolidării statului român, cu crearea instituţiilor sale esenţiale. Leul din sistemul monetar al lui Cuza avea 100 de subdiviziuni, aşa cum funcţionează şi astăzi. Cuza, totuşi, nu a putut introduce moneda naţională pentru că însăşi unirea principatelor era vulnerabilă şi nerecunoscută oficial de marile puteri care îşi impuneau voinţa în această parte a lumii. Tot pentru a salva unirea, acceptată cât trăia Cuza, el a fost obligat să abdice şi a fost adus un prinţ german, Carol.

La mai puţin de un an de la urcarea pe tron, în 1867, domnitorul Carol l stabileşte moneda naţională cu numele leu, ca o monedă bimetalică cu etalonul la 5 grame de argint sau 0,3226 grame de aur şi având ca subdiviziune banul, în număr de 100. Primele monede româneşti emise, cu grijă, au fost cele divizionare din bronz, de 1 ban, 2 bani, 5 bani şi 10 bani, care au fost bătute la Londra.

Anul următor, 1868, a fost pusă în circulaţie prima monedă românească de aur, în valoare de 20 de lei. Este celebrul pol, derivat din francezul napoleon de aur. Moneda românească, semn puternic al suveranităţii, s-a consolidat treptat, odată cu ţara condusă de Carol l. La 3 martie 1870 este înfiinţată şi Monetăria Statului, care bate leul românesc de aur şi argint şi banii divizionari din bronz.

Primele bancnote româneşti au fost biletele ipotecare din 1877 care îşi propuneau să susţină România în Războiul său de independenţă faţă de Imperiul otoman. După acest moment istoric, România se proclamă regat, iar în acelaşi an, 1880, este înfiinţată şi Banca Naţională a României, singura abilitată, de atunci, să emită monedă de metal şi hârtie. De-a lungul timpului şi a zbuciumatei istorii, mai ales a secolului XX, leul românesc a cunoscut tot felul de schimbări, denominări şi evoluţii, inclusiv în forma preferată de numismaţi.

În 2005, moneda românească a fost denominată, adică i s-au tăiat 4 zerouri din coadă, pentru a fi mai uşor de comparat cu euro, moneda unică a Uniunii Europene. Atunci se ştia că România va adopta euro în 2019, dar această dată a fost clar infirmată, fără a fi oferit un alt moment al dispariţiei leului şi transformarea sa în euro. La denominare i s-a dat un nume nou, RON, în loc de ROL, ceea ce voia să sublinieze faptul că este vorba de un leu nou. Acum, ne-am obişnuit, deja, cu noul leu şi preţurile fără multe zerouri la coadă, astfel că vorbim tot de un singur leu, cel pe care îl vom mai folosi ceva ani, care pare a se fi stabilizat la un curs simetric de 4,4 lei pentru un euro.

18 September 2016
Initiatives and Measures against Smoking

Romania was one of the last countries in the EU to ban indoor smoking. It was only this spring that Parliament endorsed a very strict law in this respect, stirring mixed feelings among the Romanians. While some welcomed the measure, smokers obviously criticized it, including even some MPs, who said they have to walk the long corridors of the worlds second-largest administrative building, the Parliament Palace, in order to get to the special outdoor smoking areas.

Consequently, the Senates Healthcare Committee tabled a number of amendments to the anti-smoking law, which will be discussed in the current parliamentary session. In short, if the amendments were adopted, smoking would be allowed in any indoor location, on condition that proper signs were placed in the designated areas.

Meanwhile, 42,000 people die every year in Romania because of smoking-related problems, such as heart and circulatory diseases, malignant tumours and respiratory complications. More than half of the teenagers over 16 years of age have smoked at least once, and one-third of them are regular smokers. In this context, authorities intend to reduce significantly the number of smokers in the next two decades. At an international conference on “2035 – Romanias first smoke-free generation, President Klaus Iohannis pleaded for prevention, as a priority in healthcare policies.

Klaus Iohannis: “We can save lives by means of prevention. By focusing today on education in view of prevention, including awareness of the risks entailed by smoking, we can give future generations a chance to live a healthier life and make informed lifestyle choices.

In turn, Healthcare Minister Vlad Voiculescu urged Deputies to dismiss the Healthcare Committees proposed amendments to the anti-smoking law:

Vlad Voiculescu: “This is an attack against the lives of all citizens, whether employers or employees, clients or staff, children or adults. This is why I am confident that the Chamber of Deputies will address this mistake. Relaxing this law cannot lead to any positive results, in terms of public healthcare.

In 2004 Ireland was the first European country to ban smoking in enclosed areas. All the neighbouring states wondered how the Irish were going to succeed in keeping smoking out of their lively pubs. The Irish accepted the measure and adapted to it. So did the citizens of other European countries. Why would Romania be an exception? The experience of the other countries has proved that the economic effects of such a drastic law are not unbeatable, whereas the benefits for citizens health are undisputable.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

9 September 2016
Romania Has New Anti-Smoking Law

Alarming data about the number of deaths caused by smoking in Romania prompted Parliament to pass a Law against smoking, initiated in 2011 and backed by a number of NGOs. The public debate on this project has been inspired from the best practice of European states. Smoking is completely banned in 17 out of the 28 EU countries in enclosed public spaces, on public transport and at the workplace.

Nevertheless, Romanian MPs are divided over this law. 33 parliament members from all parties challenged the definition of “enclosed space where smoking is forbidden, which they see as discriminatory, and took the matter to the Constitutional Court. The Court dismissed the appeal on Wednesday, and ruled that the Law against smoking was constitutional. The head of state is now to sign it into law, and the act will take effect 45 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Under the new law, smoking is banned in clubs, bars, restaurants, taxis, education institutions, hospitals and also in both indoor and outdoor childrens playgrounds. However, smoking restrictions will not apply to maximum-security prison cells and designated smoking areas in international airports. People who break this law will be fined up to 500 lei, while in the case of clubs, bars and restaurants the fine can go up to as much as 15,000 lei or the respective units can be closed down. There are several MPs however who disagree with the Courts decision. Cristiana Anghel, a Conservative Senator, is one of them:

Cristiana Anghel: “In my opinion this law is ridiculous, in that it violates smokers rights. Germany, for instance, has reconsidered its decision and has allowed, among other things, those special smoking areas at the workplace, because labor productivity had decreased dramatically. But where there is a law there is no room for negotiation.

Other MPs approve of the no-smoking law, which brings Romania in line with the other European states. Horia Cristian, a Liberal MP, argues in favour of the new legislation:

Horia Cristian: “The Courts ruling came as no surprise, because it is not at all discriminatory. On the contrary, I believe that non-smokers have been discriminated against for a long time now. This is an important step forward for Romania and for its disease prevention strategy.

The law against smoking has been appreciated by almost 80% of the participants in an opinion poll conducted this month in Romania. Three quarters of those questioned have said they dont smoke, four out of ten have tried to quit smoking, while one-fifth of them are planning to do that in the following month.

28 January 2016
Michel Beine (Belgique) – la monnaie nationale roumaine, le leu

La monnaie nationale roumaine est le leu dont le nom signifie lion. En fait, l’histoire du leu commence il y a 146 ans, plus précisément le 22 avril 1867 après la promulgation par le roi Carol I de Roumanie de la nouvelle loi monétaire. Avant cette date, quelques 80 monnaies étrangères circulaient sur le territoire des Principautés Roumaines dont les plus importantes étaient le napoléon, le franc ou le ducat hollandais. Au moment de sa mise en circulation, le leu pesait 5 grammes d’argent. Pourtant, avant de vous présenter l’histoire du leu en terre roumaine, une petite précision s’impose. Les premières négociations pour frapper une monnaie nationale remontent à 1859. A l’époque, Victor Place, consul français à Iasi, a négocié au nom du gouvernement roumain la frappe d’une monnaie nationale d’une valeur similaire à celle du franc français.

Une question pourtant a soulevé de nombreuses controverses : comment appeler la future monnaie ? On a proposé le Roumain, d’après le modèle français du Franc et l’Etat roumain est arrivé à obtenir l’autorisation d’une banque française pour créditer la première émission. Pourtant, pour éviter une réaction hostile de la part de l’Empire Ottoman, l’empereur Napoléon III a décidé d’abandonner le projet et donc, les Principautés roumaines doivent encore attendre avant d’avoir leur propre monnaie nationale. En fait, les négociations ont été reprises pendant le règne du roi Carol I qui, comme je viens de le dire, a promu la nouvelle loi monétaire des Principautés. Et maintenant, petite question très intéressante : d’où le nom de leu, lion en roumain ? Le nom a été choisi sur fond d’une grande popularité du thaler hollandais qui portait au revers le lion de Bohême.

Il était très fréquent de voir le thaler circuler sur le territoire des Principautés roumaines en raison des échanges commerciaux entre l’Empire Ottoman et l’Europe occidentale. Plus que cela, vers la moitié du XVIIème siècle, la notoriété du thaler était tellement grande que celui-ci était souvent pris pour la monnaie nationale. Bien que mis hors circulation vers 1750, le thaler d’argent est resté tellement à la mode en terre roumaine que les Roumains continuaient à calculer les prix en cette monnaie. D’où l’idée de nommer leu la nouvelle monnaie nationale, à la mémoire du Lion de Bohème.

Mais, puisque les Principautés roumaines étaient fortement soumises à l’Empire ottoman et comme celui-ci a protesté contre cette marque dindépendance roumaine, le gouvernement roumain a décidé de lancer au début seulement le « ban », sous-division du leu (des pièces de 1, 2, 5 et 10 « bani », en cuivre, frappées à Birmingham). En 1868, le roi ordonne lémission symbolique de 200 pièces de 20 « lei », en or, frappées de linscription « Carol, roi des Roumains ». Une décision qui a provoqué une vague de protestations aussi bien de la part des Ottomans que de la part de lEmpire de l’Autriche-Hongrie (qui occupait la Transylvanie) et de la Russie (qui occupait la Bessarabie). Ce fut le 3 mars 1870 que la Monnaie dEtat voit le jour en Roumanie. La même année, elle frappe les monnaies de 1 « leu » dargent et de 20 « lei » dor. Les monnaies frappées sous le règne du roi Carol Ier seront gravées par des artistes célèbres allemands et français (Kullrich, Scharff, Tasset). En or ou en argent, le « leu » roumain restera une monnaie européenne stable jusquà la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Les premiers billets de banque en « lei » ont été émis par la Banque nationale de Roumanie (BNR) entre 1877-1881.

L’actuel siège de la BNR a été dressé entre 1884-1889, selon les plans des architectes français Albert Galleron et Joseph Cassien-Bernard. Et maintenant, je vous propose de revenir au présent pour vous dire que la nouvelle monnaie a été officiellement inaugurée le 30 juin 2005, à minuit, par un retrait dargent devant les caméras par le président roumain Traian Băsescu, le Premier ministre de l’époque Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu et par le gouverneur de la BNR. C’est en fait en 2005 que la Banque centrale roumaine a décidé denlever quatre zéros afin de donner naissance au nouveau leu roumain (leu nou). Les nouveaux billets sont les mêmes que les anciens, à lexception des quatre zéros enlevés et les nouvelles coupures ont la même taille que les billets en euros, afin de faciliter la future transition. Je voudrais préciser que pour répondre à cette question sur l’histoire de la Monnaie roumaine, j’ai recueilli des informations sur Wikipedia en roumain et en français.

22 July 2013