Radio România Internațional

Tag: Beijing Book Fair

  • August 13, 2016 UPDATE

    August 13, 2016 UPDATE

    ROYALTY FUNERAL– Romania and the Republic of Moldova on Saturday observed a day of national mourning in memory of Queen Anne, the consort of Romanias last sovereign, Michael I. The ceremonies started on Saturday morning in front of the Royal Palace in Bucharest, with a burial service in the Catholic rite, as Queen Anne was a Catholic believer. The remains were laid to rest, in Curtea de Arges, Southern Romania, which hosts the final resting places of the Romanian Royalties. A burial service was celebrated in the Orthodox rite, the faith of the Romanian Royal House and of most Romanians. Among those attending the funeral were Romanian high officials as well as members of the Imperial Families of Russia, Austria and Germany, of the Royal Houses of the Netherlands and Belgium, of Luxembourg, Baden, Württemberg and Bourbon-Parma. Aged 94, and himself severely ill, King Michael could not attend the funeral of his wife, whom he visited every day in the Swiss hospital where she died of cancer, on August 1. Born in Paris, in 1923, Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma met King Michael in London, in 1947. The same year, on December 30, at a time when the country was practically under Soviet military occupation and was led by a puppet communist government, King Michael was forced to abdicate and into exile. The Royal Family returned to the country only after the Anti-communist Revolution of 1989 and regained Romanian citizenship, withdrawn by the communists, as well as some of the properties.



    OLYMPIC UPDATE – Romania’s women’s eight rowing crew on Saturday won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Ranking first was the US, followed by Great Britain. This is the fourth medal grabbed by Romania at Rio 2016. On Friday, the Romanian tennis pair, Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau, won a silver medal and weightlifter Gabriel Sincraian got bronze in the 85-kilo category. Earlier, Romanias womens epee team had grabbed a gold medal, after defeating the current champion, China, in the finals, 44 – 38. “Through their talent, their stamina and after thousands of hours of training, Simona Gherman, Ana Maria Popescu, Simona Pop and Loredana Dinu have managed to bring Romania a gold medal, making an entire country proud of their performance, Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, wrote on his Facebook page. In turn, PM Dacian Ciolos congratulated the Romanian athletes who won medals for Romania in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. “Such an extraordinary performance is impressive, unites us and brings us a lot of joy, says Dacian Ciolos.



    BEIJING BOOK FAIR– Romania, alongside other central and east European countries is guest of honour at the International Book Fair in Beijing, which runs between August 24 and 28. Over 1,200 albums and books, brought out by 20 Romanian publishers will be put on show, as well as translations of various Romanian authors into foreign languages, published with the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute. The program of the fair also includes book launches, among which the volume “Step by Step by Romanias President Klaus Iohannis and “The Grammar of the Contemporary Romanian Language, by Dong Xixiao. The presentation of Romanian books will be accompanied by recitals given by the traditional folk vocalist Grigore Lese and violinist Andrei Mihail. A show after Matei Visniecs play “Old Clown Wanted is also performed at the fair, in the attendance of the well-known Romanian playwright settled in France.



    SKY NEWS REPORT – The three men featured in the report broadcast by the British Channel Sky News on alleged gun running in Romania have been taken into temporary custody. Initially, they were taken into custody for setting up an organised criminal group, violating the regime of arms and ammunition and circulating false information. Justice minister, Raluca Pruna, said the Romanian state should react to the issue. Earlier, PM Dacian Ciolos had termed the report as unacceptable and said a country cant be denigrated without proof. According to the Romanian prosecutors, the report was re-broadcast by mass-media institutions in Romania and other countries, and the facts presented in the report generated bad sentiment towards the Romanian state, as well as insecurity among Romanians. The inquiry shows that in reality, the so-called journalistic investigation was not based on real facts and circumstances, but staged by the journalists, who presented false data and information as true. The three alleged smugglers were requested, on July 31st, when the report was filmed, to speak the Romanian language, although their native language is Hungarian.


    (Translated by Diana Vijeu)

  • August 13, 2016

    August 13, 2016

    ROYALTY FUNERAL– Romania and the Republic of Moldova are observing a day of national mourning in memory of Queen Anne, the consort of Romanias last sovereign, Michael I. The ceremonies started on Saturday morning in front of the Royal Palace in Bucharest, with a burial service in the Catholic rite, as Queen Anne was a Catholic believer. The remains were laid to rest at Curtea de Arges, in Southern Romania, which hosts the final resting places of Romanian Royalties. A burial service was celebrated in Curtea de Arges,in the Orthodox rite, the faith of the Romanian Royal House and of most Romanians. Among those attending the funeral were Romanian high officials as well as members of the Imperial Families of Russia, Austria and Germany, of the Royal Houses of the Netherlands and Belgium, of Luxembourg, Baden, Württemberg and Bourbon-Parma. Aged 94, and himself severely ill, King Michael couldn’t attend the funeral of his wife, whom he visited every day in the Swiss hospital where she died of cancer, on August 1. Born in Paris, in 1923, Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma met King Michael in London, in 1947. The same year, on December 30, at a time when the country was practically under Soviet military occupation and was led by a puppet communist government, King Michael was forced to abdicate and leave the country, to live in exile. The Royal Family returned to the country only after the Anti-communist Revolution of 1989 and regained Romanian citizenship, withdrawn by the communists, as well as some of the properties.



    OLYMPIC UPDATE – Romania’s women’s eight rowing crew on Saturday grabbed a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. They were outperformed by the US (gold) and Great Britain (silver). Also, the Romanian tennis pair, Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau, won a silver medal and weightlifter Gabriel Sincraian got bronze in the 85 kilo category on the seventh day of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In the finals, Mergea and Tecau lost to the Spanish pair Rafael Nadal-Marc Lopez 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. Sincraian was outclassed by the Chinese Tiao Tan and Iranian Kianoush Rostani, but his medal is considered an extraordinary performance, given that he was not among the favourites of the event. Earlier, Romanias womens epee team had grabbed a gold medal, after defeating the current champion, China, in the finals, 44 – 38. “Through their talent, their stamina and after thousands of hours of training, Simona Gherman, Ana Maria Popescu, Simona Pop and Loredana Dinu have managed to bring Romania a gold medal, making an entire country proud of their performance, Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, wrote on his Facebook page on Friday. In turn, PM Dacian Ciolos congratulated the Romanian athletes who won medals for Romania in the Olympics in Rio. “Such an extraordinary performance is impressive, unites us and brings us a lot of joy, says Dacian Ciolis. With a gold medal, one silver and one bronze, Romania is currently ranking 23rd in the classification of the 206 countries taking part in the Olympic Games in Rio.



    BEIJING BOOK FAIR– Romania, alongside other central and east European countries is guest of honour at the International Book Fair in Beijing, which runs between August 24 and 28. Over 1,200 albums and books, brought out by 20 Romanian publishers will be put on show, as well as translations of various Romanian authors into foreign languages, published with the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute. The program of the fair also includes book launches, among which the volume “Step by Step by Romanias President Klaus Iohannis and “The Grammar of the Contemporary Romanian Language, by Dong Xixiao. The presentation of Romanian books will be accompanied by recitals given by the traditional folk vocalist Grigore Lese and violinist Andrei Mihail. A show after Matei Visniecs play “Old Clown Wanted is also performed at the fair, in the attendance of the well-known Romanian playwright settled in France.



    SKY NEWS REPORT – The three men featured in the report broadcast by the British Channel Sky News on alleged gun running in Romania have been taken into temporary custody. Initially, they were taken into custody for setting up an organised criminal group, violating of the regime of arms and ammunition and circulating false information. Justice minister, Raluca Pruna, said the Romanian state should react to the issue. Earlier, PM Dacian Ciolos had termed the report as unacceptable and said a country cant be denigrated without proof. According to the Romanian prosecutors, the report was re-broadcast by mass-media institutions in Romania and other countries, and the facts presented in the report generated bad sentiment towards the Romanian state, as well as insecurity among Romanians. The inquiry shows that in reality, the so-called journalistic investigation was not based on real facts and circumstances, but staged by the journalists, who presented false data and information as true. The three alleged smugglers were requested, on July 31st, when the report was filmed, to speak the Romanian language, although their native language is Hungarian.

    (Translated and updated by Diana Vijeu)

  • August 30, 2015 UPDATE

    August 30, 2015 UPDATE

    MUSICAL FEAST – In the following three weeks, Bucharest
    is hosting Romania’s most important cultural event, the George Enescu
    International Festival, which has reached its 22nd edition. Nearly
    3,000 foreign and Romanian artists will take part in this year’s edition of the
    Festival. The participating orchestras include the San Francisco Symphony,
    Israel Philharmonic, conducted by the world famous Zubin Mehta, the Vienna
    Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London
    Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Royal
    Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. According to the organisers, the 2015
    edition of the world’s leading promoter of the works of the great Romanian
    composer George Enescu, will consist in 58 indoor concerts and many other
    outdoor events. Radio Romania will broadcast 36 live transmissions. The rest of
    the concerts will be recorded and broadcast in the following days. Furthermore,
    the Casa Radio Publishers launches five albums to mark this edition of the
    festival.





    LANGUAGE -
    The Romanian language is a core value of the Romanian people’s identity and
    the language of an important culture in Europe, the minister delegate for the relation
    with the Romanians abroad, Angel Talvar, said during the celebrations held in
    Spain to mark the Romanian Language Day, on August the 31st. It is the language of the Romanians who
    work, study, make research and do business. The Romanian language is an element
    of identity and helps people get closer to one another and form a community.
    The Romanian Language Day is equally a feast for Romania and the Romanians
    around the world, for those who feel like Romanians do and for those who love and
    appreciate the beauty of the Romanian people.





    KIDNAPPING -
    The Romanian authorities confirm the information on the existence of a video
    footage featuring a Romanian citizen who claims to have been kidnapped by a
    Jihadist group in Burkina Faso and asks to be saved. The
    Foreign Ministry has announced that a crisis sell is currently investigating
    the authenticity of the video recording and is also analysing all possible ways
    to solve the situation of the Romanian national taken hostage in Burkino Faso.
    According to media sources, the mining company the Romanian was working for
    announced his being kidnapped in April, but the first images showing proofs of
    life were released on Saturday. The crisis cell is made up of representatives
    of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries, respectively, of the intelligence
    services and of the Presidential Administration.



    RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION– Fresh from an emergency meeting held in
    Paris, French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has made a thorough
    presentation of the measures agreed upon by the EU member states in an effort
    to improve railway transport safety and security, in the wake of last week’s
    attack on a high speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris. He referred to a
    thorough control of the passengers’ identity, with visual checks being likely
    to be introduced again. Furthermore, luggage will be verified both in stations
    and on board the train. Joint patrols, made up of security officers from
    various countries will be set up to assure transport security, the French
    minister has underlined. The perpetrator of the attack on the Thalys train,
    Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, was charged with attempted murder last week.
    Carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol
    and a cutter, the 26 year old Moroccan bought a ticket for the Thalys train
    without problems. Later on, he opened fire on board the train, being
    immobilised by passengers.





    JAPAN – Tens
    of thousands of people protested in front of the Parliament building in Tokyo
    against some draft security laws which are meant to extend the Japanese army’s
    prerogatives and which have been described by critics as infringing the
    pacifist fundamental law of the country. The rally is proof of a greater
    mobilisation in Japan, in the context in which conservative Prime Minister
    Shinzo Abe hopes these draft laws will be passed by Parliament in the current
    session, which comes to an end in late September. The draft laws would allow
    the Japanese army to get involved in fighting operations abroad, if need be, to
    protect the interests of the country, which would be a first since the end of
    WWII.


    ARREST -Three Romanian nationals were taken into custody in Hungary on Saturday, on suspicion of human trafficking. They are detained by the Budapest police, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced. The ministry also says that 26 Romanian citizens have been arrested in Hungary, on human trafficking charges, since August the 26th. None of them has requested consular assistance so far.


    BOOK FAIR – Romania has recently participated for the first time in the Beijing International Book Fair, having its own stand organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute. According to the organisers, the Romanian Cultural Institute designed the events so as to cast light on the Romanian literary heritage and to provide a fresh perspective on the current literary and editorial developments in Romania. Now, in its 22nd edition, the International Book Fair in Beijing is the largest event of its kind organised by China. According to the Director General of the General Department of Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad, Ioana Dragan, on August 31st, the Foreign Language University in Beijing will host two much awaited events, a conference devoted to the Romanian Language Day and the announcement on the official opening of the Beijing-based Library of the Romanian Cultural Institute.

    WEATHER – The counties of Satu Mare, Bihor, Arad, Timis, Caras-Severin, Mehedinti, Botosani, Iasi, Bacau and Vaslui will further be under code orange alert on Monday and Tuesday. The heat wave will also sweep all the regions of the country placed under code yellow alert, where temperatures will range between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists warn temperatures in the ten counties placed under code orange alert will range between 37 and 38 degrees, with a high temperature- humidity index.

  • August 30, 2015

    August 30, 2015

    KIDNAPPING – The Romanian authorities confirm the information on the existence of a video footage featuring a Romanian citizen who claims to have been kidnapped by a Jihadist group in Burkina Faso and asks to be saved. The Foreign Ministry has announced that a crisis sell is currently investigating the authenticity of the video recording and is also analysing all possible ways to solve the situation of the Romanian national taken hostage in Burkino Faso. According to media sources, the mining company the Romanian was working for announced his being kidnapped in April, but the first images showing proofs of life were released on Saturday. The crisis cell is made up of representatives of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries, respectively, of the intelligence services and of the Presidential Administration.



    RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION – Fresh from an emergency meeting held in Paris, French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has made a thorough presentation of the measures agreed upon by the EU member states in an effort to improve railway transport safety and security, in the wake of last weeks attack on a high speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris. He referred to a thorough control of the passengers identity, with visual checks being likely to be introduced again. Furthermore, luggage will be verified both in stations and on board the train. Joint patrols, made up of security officers from various countries will be set up to assure transport security, the French minister has underlined. The perpetrator of the attack on the Thalys train, Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, was charged with attempted murder last week. Carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol and a cutter, the 26 year old Moroccan bought a ticket for the Thalys train without problems. Later on, he opened fire on board the train, being immobilised by passengers.



    DEMOGRAPHY – The total population residing in Romania remains under 20 million people, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute. On January 1, 19,861,000 people were residing in Romania, down 85,900 since the beginning of the previous year. The urban and female population account, respectively, for 53.8%, and 51.1% of the total, and the ageing phenomenon is deepening, the difference between the population over 65 and the young population of up to 14 years of age having widened to more than 300,000 people. The survey also indicates that Romania remains an emigration country, with a number of emigrants 42,000 higher than the number of immigrants last year.



    MUSICAL FEAST – In the following three weeks, Bucharest is hosting Romanias most important cultural event, the “George Enescu International Festival, which has reached its 22nd edition. Nearly 3,000 foreign and Romanian artists will take part in this years edition of the Festival. The participating orchestras include the San Francisco Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, conducted by the world famous Zubin Mehta, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. According to the organisers, the 2015 edition of the worlds leading promoter of the works of the great Romanian composer George Enescu, will consist in 58 indoor concerts and many other outdoor events. Radio Romania will broadcast 36 live transmissions. The rest of the concerts will be recorded and broadcast in the following days. Furthermore, the Casa Radio Publishers launches five albums to mark this edition of the festival.



    BEIJING BOOK FAIR – Romania has recently participated for the first time in the Beijing International Book Fair, having its own stand organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute. According to the organisers, the Romanian Cultural Institute designed the events so as to cast light on the Romanian literary heritage and to provide a fresh perspective on the current literary and editorial developments in Romania. Now, in its 22nd edition, the International Book Fair in Beijing is the largest event of its kind organised by China. According to the Director General of the General Department of Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad, Ioana Dragan, on August 31st, the Foreign Language University in Beijing will host two much awaited events, a conference devoted to the Romanian Language Day and the announcement on the official opening of the Beijing-based Library of the Romanian Cultural Institute.



    WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert against heat valid today for 12 counties in the west, south-west and the east of the Romanian territory, where the temperature- humidity index exceeds the 80 unit critical threshold. An orange code warning valid for Monday and Tuesday has been issued for 10 counties in the west. The rest of the territory will further be under code yellow alert. The highs of the day range between 29 and 36 degrees C. The noon reading in Bucharest was 32 degrees.