Radio România Internațional

Tag: Christmas Eve

  • December 24, 2022

    December 24, 2022


    ACCIDENT – All patients injured in Fridays accident in Bucharest are now stable and conscious, with the single exception of a patient who is still in intensive care. We recall one person died and another 20 were injured on Friday after a coach carrying Greek tourists crashed into a height restriction barrier at the entrance of a tunnel. All passengers had come to Romania on a Christmas holiday.




    MILITARY – Romanias Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr and chief of General Staff Daniel Petrescu on Saturday spoke to the commanding officers of Romanian Army units deployed in Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Poland. COs briefed Minister Tîlvăr regarding the security developments in the area of operation and progress in accomplishing their mission. The two officials thanked the nearly 500 Romanian servicemen engaged in theatres of operation for the way they accomplished their missions and for collaborating with peers from allied and partner states.



    VISIT – Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Marcel Ciolacu, and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă ended their three-day visit to South Korea with a round table with South-Korean businessmen. Talks with the multinational giant Samsung focused on developing projects in a plethora of fields, such as nuclear energy, semi-conductors and electronics, IT and communications, as well as national transport infrastructure. Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciucă said Romania wants South-Korean business people to invest in Romania in such fields as green energy and digital technologies. On Friday, the two Romanian officials also visited the demilitarized zone separating South Korea from North Korea. Romania supports, alongside South Korea, the prospect of achieving long-lasting peace, the two officials said. During their meeting with the president of the National Assembly, Kim Jin-pyo and with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the Romanian officials also tackled topics related to the development of Romanias defense industry and exchanged views regarding ways of coping with the effects of Russias aggression in Ukraine, as well as NATO-South Korea cooperation at all levels.




    BLACK SEA – For the first time, the US administration will devise a working strategy with its Allies devoted to the Black Sea region, the US Congress has decided. The law stipulating this provision has been submitted for ratification, a press release issued by the Romanian Embassy in the USA reads. US Congress adopted the Omnibus Law on budget allocations for the 2023 fiscal year. One of its provisions requires the Secretary of State and the heads of the relevant federal agencies to present before Congress within six months of the law being ratified, a working strategy with NATO allies in the Black Sea region, designed to further economic relations, consolidate economic and security assistance to states in the region, as well as to support efforts to boost democratic resilience. A US strategy for the Black Sea region will be a substantial move Romania will firmly back. The USA consolidating its foreign policy with respect to the Black Sea region is a welcome decision designed to increase the USAs commitment for this region, in such strategic fields as defense, economy, democratic resilience, a direction Romania has constantly supported.




    SCHOLARSHIPS – The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched its annual scholarship program, addressing foreign citizens from non-EU states. Applications for the academic year 2023-2024 can now be submitted by accessing the online platform, or by accessing the website of the Study in Romania program run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the ministrys website. The deadline for applications is March 1, 2023. The Romanian MFA will announce the results by July 15, 2023.




    CHRISTMAS EVE – Christians in Romania on Saturday made their last preparations before the Nativity of Jesus, celebrated on December 25. On Christmas Eve, children in various areas of the country went caroling. The Nativity of Jesus is the day when earth and heaven are one, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said in his Christmas address. The Patriarch told Christians to pray also for Romanians living abroad, for those in the borderlands and in the Romanian Diaspora, in order to preserve the unity of faith and national identity. Despite all hardships, Christians have discovered solace and hope in Messiah, following the true light, Roman-Catholic Archbishop Aurel Percă also said in his Christmas sermon, urging Christians to come closer to the Church, so that Gods love should make our world better, bringing hope, peace and joy. In turn, Eastern-Catholic Archbishop Lucian urged faithful to pray for peace in our families and peace in crisis-ravaged Europe and peace to nations at war and the whole world. (VP)

  • December 24, 2019

    December 24, 2019

    BUDGET – The Constitutional Court of
    Romania announced it has received the notification filed by the
    Social-Democratic Party regarding the manner in which the Government adopted
    the state budget for 2020 and the modifications operated to the emergency
    decree no. 114. The Court expects opinions by January 10 from all parties, and
    will issue a date for the subsequent debate. The Government has passed the
    budget law in Parliament without a debate and a vote, arguing it needed a
    balanced budget that could be adopted by the year’s end. The Government
    accepted several amendments, although none tabled by the Social-Democrats.


    CONVICTIONS – Former Liberal Chamber of
    Deputies Speaker, Bogdan Olteanu was earlier today sentenced by the Bucharest
    Tribunal to seven years in prison for influence peddling, in a case where he
    was charged with receiving 1 million euros from a businessman. The court also
    ordered the seizure of an equivalent in local currency of the peddled sum. In
    another move, former Social-Democrat deputy Viorel Hrebenciuc was sentenced to
    three years in prison in a case where the former head of the National
    Audio-Visual Council, Laura Georgescu, was also sentenced to 4 years and 4 months
    in prison. In the same case, Gheorghe Stefan, the former Liberal mayor of
    Piatra Neamt, and Narcisa Iorga, a former member of the Audio-Visual Council,
    were also handed down prison sentences. The rulings can be appealed.


    RATIFICATION – Romania’s President
    Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday signed the decree ratifying the law on declaring
    November 1 National Radio Day. Central and local authorities can organize
    cultural and scientific events to mark this special day or provide logistic or
    financial support to NGOs and other institutions that organize similar events,
    the law stipulates. The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation and the
    Romanian Television Station can include in their programmes shows and excerpts
    from events dedicated to this day as public broadcasters. In 2019 the Romanian
    Radio Broadcasting Corporation celebrated 91 years of uninterrupted public
    service.


    FUNDS – The European Commission has
    disbursed some 16 million euros to Romania. The funds are non-refundable and
    serve as compensations for the losses incurred this year due to the African
    swine fever virus. The president of the National Sanitary, Veterinary and Food
    Safety Authority, Robert Chioveanu, says the authorities have presented the
    Commission with all the measures taken to combat the virus, as well as the
    challenges the authorities were faced with in their efforts to eradicate it.
    The Romanian official said that, in the last two weeks, some 10,000 checks were
    carried out in traffic in order to limit the circulation of livestock,
    especially pigs. Fines were handed out, dozens of pigs were seized in addition
    to some 2 thousand kg of meat products.


    CHRISTMAS EVE – Orthodox,
    Eastern-Catholic and Roman-Catholic Christians in Romania today celebrate
    Christmas Eve, making all the final preparations ahead of the celebration of
    the Nativity of Christ. On Christmas Eve people go caroling, which involves singing
    ceremonial songs, accompanied by various dances and gestures. Romanian Orthodox
    Church Patriarch Daniel has highlighted the importance of family, which is
    often confronted in present-day society with a series of challenges and crises,
    determined by poverty, migration, depression and alcohol and drug consumption.
    In turn, His Holy Father the Archbishop of the Bucharest Roman-Catholic
    Bishopric Ioan Robu says Jesus is born even in today’s world, such as it is.
    The High Bishop of the Eastern Catholic Church in Romania, Cardinal Lucian,
    also says the blood shed in the name of faith and liberty compels us to take a
    stand whenever the rights and liberties of the underprivileged are being
    discarded. Recalling the words of Pope Francis during his visit to Romania,
    Cardinal Lucian has called for fraternity and dialogue among Christians.


    (Translated by
    V. Palcu)

  • December 24, 2018

    December 24, 2018

    Christmas Eve — Orthodox, Greek-Catholic and Catholic Christians from all over the world on Monday mark Christmas Eve and make the last preparations for the Nativity of Jesus, one of the greatest celebrations of Christianity marked on December 25. A famous tradition in Romania on Christmas Eve is caroling, with carolers symbolizing the angels and shepherds who announced the Birth of Jesus. They make wishes of good health and wealth and receive fruit, bagels, sweets or money. The old rite Christians who form the majority in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Georgia will celebrate Christmas on January 7. These days many pilgrims visit the holy sites from Israel and the Nativity Church in Bethlehem.



    Justice — The Romanian justice minister Tudorel Toader announced he would finalize, on Thursday, December 27, the procedure for the dismissal of Romania’s prosecutor general Augustin Lazar, which was started in October. Toader accused Lazar of professional and managerial errors and Lazar took legal action against the justice ministry. The issue is to be judged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The opponents of the governing coalition claim that the dismissal of Augustin Lazar, which follows that of the former head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, was a form of political vendetta and an attempt to stop the anti-corruption fight. In another development, minister Toader announced he signed the documents for the release from prison of a former Romanian minister Elena Udrea and a former chief of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, Alina Bica, who are in prison in Costa Rica upon the request of the Romanian authorities. The two had received definitive sentences in Romania in cases of high-level corruption. The High Court of Cassation and Justice decided on the suspension of the imprisonment conviction in their case, after the Constitutional Court of Romania ruled as illegal the setting up of the panels of 5 judges at the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The ruling also led to the suspension of the imprisonment convictions in many other cases involving former ministers and incumbent politicians.



    Brexit — Romania supports the Brexit deal as well as the political declaration on the future framework of the post-Brexit relation between the EU and the UK, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu told the BBC on Sunday. He added that, from Romania’s point of view, it was important for the UK to stay as close as possible to the EU. Teodor Melescanu also said that Romania envisaged to start bilateral negotiations with the UK as part of the strategic partnership concluded by the two sides. Minister Melescanu also reminded that at the meeting held with the former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson he received assurances that the more than 400 thousand Romanians who are in the UK would not be affected by Brexit and he gave the example of the Romanian physicians and nurses who went to the UK. Boris Johnson had stated that if these people left the UK the country’s healthcare system would be severely affected.



    Jakarta — The death toll in the aftermath of the tsunami that hit Indonesia following a volcanic eruption has reached 300 dead and more than 1,000 injured, the National Agency for Disaster Management announced on Monday. Scores of people are still reported missing. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the tsunami that, on Saturday, hit the southern coasts of Sumatra and the western side of the Java island.



    Border traffic — More than 250 thousand people, both Romanian and foreign citizens, have crossed Romania’s borders over the past 24 hours in more than 60 thousand cars, the border police announced. Of them as many as 170 thousand entered Romania while almost 83 thousand left the country. In the same period of time, the border police identified 30 cases of crimes and 37 cases of offences perpetrated by both Romanian and foreign citizens. Also, 29 foreign citizens were denied entry to Romania as they did not comply with the legal provisions, and 16 Romanian citizens were prevented from leaving the country from various legal reasons. (translation by L. Simion)

  • December 24, 2015 UPDATE

    December 24, 2015 UPDATE

    Romania’s former sovereign, King Michael I, has sent a Christmas message to all Romanians. In his address, the former sovereign has referred to both the young generation, expressing his confidence in the future, and to the elderly, who are teaching a lesson of courage and dignity, according to King Michael. The former sovereign has conveyed a message of encouragement to and appreciation for those working in hospitals, saving lives, as well as to the teaching staff. He has assured of his compassion all those who are in mourning and those who are worried about the health condition of their loved ones. King Michael has also evoked the professionalism and commitment of Romania’s soldiers, who are serving their country with honour, sometimes at the cost of their lives.




    2016 will not be an austerity year for Romania, marked by redundancies, and the budget deficit in 2016 will be close to estimates, Romanian prime minister Dacian Ciolos told a TV station. Ciolos has however mentioned the need for reforms in several institutions subordinated to or within the government, such as administration, transports, healthcare and education. These reforms are needed in order not to destabilise the country and economy in the long run, considering the social and fiscal relaxation measures taken by the previous government and by Parliament, Dacian Ciolos has underlined. Referring to Romania’s relation with the EU, the prime minister said he would like Bucharest to have a more pro-active role at government level. Dacian Ciolos will pay three official visits to the EU member states in the first months of 2016, the first one, on January 7th, to Germany, at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the following ones, to France and the Netherlands.




    The majority shareholder of the Bucharest nightclub where a deadly fire broke out on October 30 will remain in temporary police custody. This is the final ruling of the Bucharest Tribunal announced on Thursday. In the case of the other two owners of the club, temporary arrest was replaced with house arrest on Monday. The three of them are charged with involuntary manslaughter and bodily injury. As many as 63 people were killed in the fire and some 150 were injured. Dozens of patients continue to be treated in hospitals in Romania and abroad.




    In the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, prime minister designate, Ion Sturza, announced on Thursday that he will ask for the Parliament’s vote of confidence on January 4th. Sturza supports the idea of a technocratic government and says the country’s economic situation is extremely serious. He has also mentioned the possibility for delays in the payment of pensions and salaries to appear as of February. Only one political party, the Liberal Democratic Party, has so far voiced support for the new cabinet that Sturza will propose.




    The European Union has adopted a package of measures worth 112 million Euros, meant to support social and economic reforms and to offer protection to vulnerable groups in Tunisia, Syria and Israel. Financed through the European Neighbourhood Instrument, this package brings the EU’s financial support for its southern vicinity to one billion 600 thousand Euros. 72 million Euros of this package are destined to boost cooperation with Tunisia and Israel, whereas the rest of 40 million Euros are earmarked for Syria, to support vulnerable groups. This financial assistance package supports the implementation of key reforms, will improve living conditions and enhance the local population’s resistance, said the Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn.



    (Translated by Elena Enache)