Radio România Internațional

Tag: Colectiv case

  • September 18, 2020

    September 18, 2020


    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 1,527 new
    SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, the Group
    for Strategic Communication has announced. 48 people have died during this
    interval, taking the death toll to 4,360. Overall, 110,217 cases of COVID-19
    have been reported at national level since the start of the pandemic. 88,235
    patients have recovered. 447 people are now in intensive care. 6,599 Romanian
    citizens have tested positive for COVID-19 abroad. 126 of them have died. Most
    of these cases were reported in Germany, Italy and Spain.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The global number of infections has exceeded 30 million, with an
    alarming contamination rate reported in Europe. Unlike other European states
    introducing regional measures, Israel has today reintroduced nation-wide
    restrictions to prevent the spread of the pandemic. Under an Israeli Government
    decision, only food and drug stores and other key services will remain
    operational. People are allowed to move within 1 km of their homes. The Police
    has set up roadblocks all over the country, as traffic remains limited to
    emergencies only.




    COLECTIV – The Bucharest
    Court of Appeal has today set the appeal ruling in the Colectiv case for
    September 30. The case investigated the fire at the Colectiv nightclub in
    Bucharest, where 64 lost their lives. The then mayor and employees of the
    Bucharest District 4 City Hall, the club owners, two firefighters,
    pyrotechnicians and representatives of a fireworks company were awarded prison
    sentences of up to 13 years in the court of first instance. Issued by the Bucharest
    Tribunal, the rulings were appealed by both the defendants and prosecutors. In
    its motivation, the Tribunal claims the tragedy at the Colectiv nightclub is
    the result of a chain of crimes, while the defendants’ attitude does not
    reside in their lack of judicial education, but in greed, irresponsibility and
    ignorance towards the law.




    RESOLUTION – The European
    Parliament has passed a resolution whereby it no longer recognizes Alexander
    Lukashenko as President of Belarus. Voted by a landslide majority, the
    resolution does not recognize the presidential election of August 9, won by
    Lukashenko with 80% of the vote. Parliament believes the election was rigged, and
    that international standards in the matter were breached. In addition, MEPs
    have called for the introduction of sanctions against Belarus. Member States of
    the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have assigned a
    team of independent experts to investigate possible human rights violations and
    election fraud in Belarus. In power for the last 26 years, Lukashenko is often
    labeled as Europe’s last dictator.




    FOOTBALL – Romanian Cup title
    holders FCSB on Thursday qualified to the Europa League third preliminary round
    after defeating FK TSC Backa Topola 5-4 at the end of the penalty shootout. The
    score was 6-all at the end of regular time, which marked a new record for a
    European inter-club match. Struggling to assemble a first team lineup after
    multiple COVID-19 cases were reported at the club, FCSB was rated
    second-favorite to win. In the third round, FCSB will play Slovan Liberec of
    the Czech Republic at home. Also on Thursday, FC Botosani was knocked out after
    losing nil-1 to KF Skhendija of North Macedonia at home. Eliminated from the
    Champions League preliminary rounds, Romania’s champions CFR Cluj will play
    Djurgaarden of Sweden in the third preliminary round of Europa League. All the
    round’s matches are scheduled for next week and consist of only one leg.




    TENNIS – Romania’s tennis
    player Simona Halep, world no. 2, is today playing Dayan Yastremska of Ukraine
    (29 WTA) in the round of 16 at the WTA tournament in Rome. Another Romanian,
    Irina Begu (77 WTA) was knocked out on Thursday by Britain’s Johanna Konta (13
    WTA). The Romanian pair Simona Halep – Monica Niculescu was knocked out in the
    round of 16 in the doubles, after losing to Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara of
    Japan. Another pair, made up of Raluca Olaru of Romania and Anna-Lena Friedsam
    of Germany, qualified to the quarterfinals. They are today playing Magda
    Linette of Poland and Bernarda Pera of the United States. The competition is
    unfolding without public attendance to prevent COVID-19 infections. Total
    prizes stand at some €1.7 million.




    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)




  • The Week in Review 24-30.04.2016

    The Week in Review 24-30.04.2016

    Local Elections in Romania

    May 1 is the deadline for challenging the candidacies for the June 5 local elections in Romania. Political parties, election alliances, ethnic minority organisations and independent runners had until Tuesday to submit their candidacies. After May 4 the lists of candidates will remain final, and the election campaign is scheduled to start on May 6 and end on June 4. This is for the third time in post-communist Romania that elections are organised by a Cabinet of non-affiliated experts, after the governments headed by Theodor Stolojan in 1991-1992 and Mugur Isarescu in 1999-2000.

    Augustin Lazar – the New Prosecutor General of Romania


    President Klaus Iohannis approved the appointment of Augustin Lazar as Prosecutor General of Romania. Previously endorsed by the Higher Council of Magistrates, the nomination had been sent to the head of state by the Justice Minister, Raluca Pruna. Augustin Lazar said his priorities included fighting crime in vulnerable fields, curbing corruption in local administration, furthering investigations into money laundering, tax evasion and crimes against humanity, as well as the investigation into the circumstances of the anti-communist Revolution of 1989.

    Talks at the Labour Ministry


    The Romanian Labour Ministry this week had talks with trade union representatives regarding a new government order on salaries in the public sector. The new line minister, Dragos Pislaru, said the authorities were working on several versions of the document, whose core principle is to do away with imbalances in the system. The representatives of major union federations demanded that all public sector salaries be raised, instead of only the smaller ones, as the Government intends, and warned that otherwise protests would be organised. According to Pislaru, the order might be finalised by May 15. The text will be subject to public debate for two weeks, and might be passed by the Government on June 1. Six months before general elections is the deadline by which any government order can be endorsed in Romania.

    US Fighters in Bucharest


    US F-22 Raptor fighter jets, considered the most advanced in the world and invincible in air-to-air combat missions, have landed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base close to the city of Constanta, in South- Eastern Romania, for the first time in South-Eastern Europe, as part of the Operation Atlantic Resolve. The operation was drawn up by the USA after the conflict had broken out in Ukraine in 2014, with a view to protecting the states on NATOs Eastern flank. F22 Raptor aircraft are fifth-generation, all-weather stealth aircraft, with a speed that can reach two times the speed of sound. Such an aircraft costs 143 million dollars, has a range of 3,000 km and the capacity of fighting even anti-aircraft defence systems. On a visit to Bucharest, where he met with president Klaus Iohannis and Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc, the NATO deputy secretary general Alexander Vershbow commended Romanias active role within the Alliance, pinpointing the significant participation of the Romanian armed forces in the efforts to prevent and combat security risks and challenges. On the day when the two American F-22 Raptor fighter jets landed in Romania, US president Barrack Obama insisted in Hanover on the need for NATO to support its front-line allies, namely Poland, Romania, and the Baltic countries, which are the most exposed to the tensions generated by Russia.




    6 months since the Colectiv tragedy



    Half a year since the devastating fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, the case has finally reached the court. 139 people, 11 hospitals and 5 institutions have claimed damages in the case. The owners of the club and representatives of the company that organised the fire show, more precisely the owner, the manager and the employee who set up the fireworks show, are charged with manslaughter and bodily harm arising out of negligence. They are also accused of failing to take the necessary health and safety measures. Also on trial are two legal entities, the firm that owns the club and the fireworks company. According to prosecutors, the fire extinguishers had long expired and the materials used to renovate the club were not fireproof. The fire burnt at temperatures of up to 900 degrees centigrade and reached the ceiling in 33 seconds. 64 people died in the fire, and over 100 were injured.