Radio România Internațional

Tag: CONDOLENCES

  • March 23, 2024 UPDATE

    March 23, 2024 UPDATE

    CONDOLENCES Romania’s Foreign Ministry has conveyed condolences to the victims of the recent terror attack that left hundreds of dead and wounded in Moscow. In a post on the X network formerly known as Twitter, the diplomacy in Bucharest has underlined that Romania firmly condemns any form of terrorism or attacks against civilians. The Kremlin announced on Saturday the arrest of 11 people, including four perpetrators of the attack on a packed concert venue on Moscow’s outskirts, claimed by a Jihadist group known as the Islamic State. Gunmen donning camouflage suits opened fire with automatic rifles against the people attending a concert on Friday. According to AFP and Reuters, the death toll stands at 150 and is expected to rise. Health Ministry sources have announced that 115 people have been admitted to hospitals, including five children. Parliament sources have announced on Telegram, that two suspects have been apprehended in the region of Briansk after a car chase. Other suspects have taken refuge in a forest nearby.

     

    BORDER According to the Border Police General Inspectorate over 190 thousand people, Romanian and foreign citizens, as well as 57 thousand vehicles crossed Romania’s borders on 22nd of March. 96,119 people entered Romania yesterday, including 8,489 Ukrainian nationals. Since 10 February 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion, 7,600,853 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. According to the same sources, procedures at Romania’s border checkpoints are done under the national and community legislation.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side ended in a one-all draw their friendly against Northern Ireland in Bucharest on Friday. Romania will next play Columbia on neutral ground in Madrid on Tuesday. These are the first two training matches of our squad before EURO 2024 in Germany in summer. In June, Romania will be playing also in friendlies against the selections of Bulgaria and Lichtenstein. At the final continental tournament, our side is part of Group E where it will be playing Belgium, Slovakia and the winner of the tie game on Tuesday pitching Ukraine against Iceland. On Thursday night in the tie semis, Iceland secured a 4-1 win against Israel and Ukraine clinched a 2-1 win in Bosnia.

     

    SCHENGEN Romania’s entry into the border-free area of Schengen is a feasible objective by the end of the year, Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu has said. According to him, the Romanian side has already completed the preparations for the country’s accession with its air and maritime borders approved by the EU Council and scheduled for the end of this year. Predoiu explains that Romania and Austria are cooperating very well in the field of border security, combating the illegal migration and cross-border crime and says that he has proposed his Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, to extend this collaboration beyond the Schengen issue with emphasis on fighting drugs and human trafficking. On March 31st, the Romanian and Bulgarian citizens will be able to travel to Schengen countries without border controls in ports and airports. According to statistics, 70% of the Romanians who travel by plane abroad have as their destination countries within Europe’s border-free area.

     

    SHORTAGE Romania is presently witnessing a shortage of trained physicians and nurses, according to data released by the Healthcare Ministry. Over 86 hundred jobs are available in this field while the small towns and villages are bearing the brunt of the present crisis. Over 300 communes across the country lack family physicians while over half of towns and villages have reported a shortage in medical personnel. In the county of Salaj, in north-western Romania, the issue has been partially solved by hiring retired doctors and setting up secondary working units. In order to attract the young doctors, who aren’t interested nowadays in getting a job in rural areas in Romania, the communes affected by the shortage have invested in upgrading their clinics, as well as the other facilities that may benefit the medical personnel such as dwelling places or transport networks.

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  • January 2, 2024 UPDATE

    January 2, 2024 UPDATE

    QUAKE Romania stands
    by Japan in these difficult moments, the country’s president, Klaus Iohannis,
    said in a message which he conveyed on Tuesday along with condolences for the
    victims’ families. We recall that authorities in that country are in a
    battle against time in their attempt to find survivors after the 7.6 magnitude
    earthquake on Monday, which was followed by many aftershocks. According to
    provisional tolls, scores have been killed and hundreds of buildings destroyed.
    Numerous fires caused by broken pipelines have been reported in the north of
    the Noto peninsula, close to the quake’s epicenter. With sub-zero temperatures
    at night, rescuers are making great efforts to find survivors.






    WEATHER
    According to sources with the Environment Ministry, 2023 was the hottest year
    in the history of Romania’s weather forecasts. The average temperature stood at
    12.5 degrees centigrade, two degrees above the average of the period between
    1981 and 2010. At the same time, the 2012-2023 interval becomes the hottest
    period in the country’s history of weather forecasts. Last Christmas also
    proved to be the hottest since the beginning of weather monitoring in Romania
    with 21 degrees centigrade at Calafat, in the south. And according to
    Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2023 was also the hottest in Europe, where
    experts have again been cautioning against the ongoing global warming, as the
    greenhouse gas emissions are growing. According to Romania’s Environment
    Minister, Mircea Fechet, this means that the extreme weather phenomena will
    increase in frequency and intensity causing more damage and killing more
    people.




    PRICE HIKES The new year has brought a
    series of fiscal amendments to Romanians, ranging from new VAT rises to other
    majored excises and taxes. Fines have also been raised, and companies reporting
    over 50 million euros in turnover will be paying taxes of at least one percent
    of their turnover. Tobacco excises have been raised and so has the VAT, which
    stands between 9 and 19 % in certain products and services. A special tax has
    been introduced for expensive goods, such as houses or cars, and authorities
    have also raised excises for sweet products. Fuel excises are also getting
    higher while experts believe the new fiscal measures will translate into a
    higher inflation rate and a local currency that depreciates against the Euro.
    Romania’s budget deficit this year has been estimated at 5% of the GDP with an
    economic growth of 3.4%. 7% of the country’s GDP has been earmarked for
    investment.






    GAZA Israel has pulled out its
    tanks from some parts of the Gaza city announcing a new stage in its war
    against the terrorist group Hamas. The new change in Israel’s tactics involves
    the partial pull out of its troops from the Gaza Strip and an increased focus
    on smaller-scale targeted operations. Israel says one of the key objectives is
    the complete elimination of the Hamas threat and the release of the hostages
    still kept by the famous terrorist group. According to Radio Romania
    correspondent in Israel, the attempts to release the Israeli hostages, which
    seemed to be compromised at a certain point, have these days been given a fresh
    impetus thanks to the mediation efforts of Qatar and Egypt. The war in Gaza,
    which broke out after the attack on Israel masterminded and conducted by the
    terrorist group Hamas on October 7, when 12 hundred people were killed and 240
    kidnapped, has so far caused the death of roughly 22 thousand Palestinians in
    the Gaza Strip. At the same time, most of the region’s 2.3 million people
    residents has been displaced.




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  • Reactions to the Queen’s Death

    Reactions to the Queen’s Death

    The news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96 and at the end of a 70-year reign, has saddened the entire world. “The end of an era” – this is how the passing of the longest-serving monarch of Great Britain is described. Elisabeth became Queen in 1952, aged 25, following the death of her father, King George VI. The Prime Minister of Great Britain at the time was Winston Churchill, and the Soviet Union was still led by Joseph Stalin. During her reign – one of the longest in European history – the Queen met 13 of the 14 American presidents who were her contemporaries and witnessed events that marked the history of her country and of mankind, from the moment of the moon landing and the end of the Cold War, to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the exit of Great Britain from the EU.



    “Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign” said the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, who was sworn in by the former sovereign just a few days ago. Heads of state and government and personalities from around the world mourned the Queens death and evoked her personality. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, showed that the Queen was extremely admired for the grace, dignity and devotion shown to the world.



    Reactions also came from the United States, Britains closest partner. The White House said that “the thoughts and prayers of people all across the United States are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief.” Also, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, wrote that “our thoughts are with the royal family and all those who mourn Queen Elizabeth II in the UK and worldwide”.



    Romania joins the British people and the British Royal Family in mourning the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the authorities in Bucharest say. In his message of condolences, President Klaus Iohannis emphasized that the reign of Queen Elizabeth II represents an exceptional symbol of loyalty and commitment to the public service. And the press office of the Custodian of the Crown of Romania said that that Her Majesty, Margareta, and His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, together with the entire royal family, learned with great pain the news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.



    The special connection between the kings of Romania and those of Great Britain began almost a century ago, the grandmother of Queen Marie of Romania being Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the former sovereign of Romania, Mihai I were third-degree cousins. At the same time, King Mihai of Romania and the Prince Consort Philip, who was married to Queen Elizabeth for 74 years, were cousins, born on the same day.



    The Queens eldest son, who has now automatically become King Charles III, fell in love with Transylvania on his first visit to Romania in 1998. Since then, he has constantly returned to Romania, where he owns around 10 properties, the most famous being at Viscri, the Transylvanian village that has become famous throughout Europe thanks to him. The area has acquired a fantastic tourist potential, especially after the release, in 2011, of the documentary Wild Carpathia, in which, the then Crown Prince Charles is a true ambassador of Romania. (LS)

  • September 27, 2019 UPDATE

    September 27, 2019 UPDATE

    ELECTION The Central Electoral Bureau Friday announced the final list of candidates in Novembers presidential election in Romania, which comprises 14 people. On Saturday the Bureau will draw lots to set the order of the candidates on ballots. October 12 is the first day of the campaign, the first round of the election is scheduled for November 10, and the decisive round on November 24. According to a government resolution, the Romanians living abroad will be able to vote between November 8 and 10 in the first round, and between November 22 and 24 for the runoff.




    BREXIT As many as 433,000 Romanian nationals are officially residing in Britain, but the number is very likely higher, the head of the Office for Brexit with the Romanian Foreign Ministry Adina Bădescu said on Friday at a roundtable on the impact of Brexit, organised by the European Parliament office in Romania. She explained that at present Romanians make up the second largest foreign community in the UK. So far, the Romanian official added, 187,000 Romanian citizens have applied for post Brexit status. The British government has repeatedly promised that the rights of European citizens will be protected after the country leaves the EU.




    VISAS Romanian citizens may be granted multiple-entry tourist visas for Saudi Arabia, valid for one year, the Ambassador of this country to Bucharest, Abdulaziz Al Aifan said on Friday. He explained that Romania is one of the 38 European countries, out of a total of 49 states worldwide, included in a first stage of Saudi Arabias opening up to foreign tourists. According to AFP, Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it would issue tourist visas for the first time, in an attempt to diversify its sources of revenue, which rely exclusively on oil extraction at present.




    MOURNING The Embassy of France in Romania will open an online book of condolences on its home page, for those who wish to pay tribute to the former president Jacques Chirac, who died on Thursday aged 86. President Emmanuel Macron declared national mourning on Monday, when the flags of the French Embassy in Bucharest will also fly at half-mast. France is mourning Jacques Chirac, a statesman, a great European and friend of Romania, a country that he visited several times, especially for the Francophonie Summit of 2006, reads a Facebook post of the French Embassy in Romania.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 30, 2018 UPDATE

    March 30, 2018 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY – The Prime Minister of Romania Viorica Dăncilă Friday took part in a meeting of the heads of EU diplomatic missions in Bucharest. The Prime Minister presented the priorities of her Cabinet in 2018, including the modernisation of the national economy, the introduction of measures to prepare the Eurozone accession and the preparations for the presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. Of the topics currently on the EU agenda, the participants discussed the future of the Union, the security of the bloc and the EU multi-annual budget. The meeting was organised by the Embassy of Bulgaria, the country that is holding the EU presidency at the moment.




    TENSIONS – The Romanian Foreign Ministry Friday confirmed that a Romanian diplomat accredited in Russia was declared a persona non grata, after Romania adopted a similar measure in solidarity with the UK. Previously, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu had said the decision was a means for Romania to express its solidarity in the wake of the grave incidents in Britain. Meanwhile, the expulsion of 60 US diplomats and the closing down of a consulate in Russia marks a further deterioration of the US-Russia relations, the White House said after Russias move on Thursday. The Kremlins decision was a tit-for-tat response to Washingtons measures against Russia, in a show of solidarity with Britain after a former Russian double agent and his daughter had been poisoned. The US expelled 60 Russian diplomats and ordered the closing of Russias consulate in Seattle. The spokesperson for the US State Department Heather Nauert said Washington is now reviewing all its options.




    CONDOLENCES – Russias Embassy in Bucharest has thanked all the Romanian citizens who expressed their condolences and sympathy for the families of the victims of the tragic incident in Kemerovo. On Thursday and Friday a condolences book was opened at Russias diplomatic office, to honour the 64 victims, including 41 children. On Wednesday, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, sent a message of condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 28, 2018

    March 28, 2018

    STATISTICS – The unemployment rate in Romania in the last quarter of 2017 stood at 4.7%, just like in the same period of 2016. Data released by the National Institute of Statistics, INS, on Wednesday show the highest unemployment rate of over 21% was registered among youngsters. In the same time-span, Romanias active population accounted for some nine million people, of which 8.5 million were employed, the rest being jobless. In another move, the average number of pensioners in Romania exceeded five million last year, that is lower than in the previous year. The average pension increased by some 13%, exceeding 1,000 lei (215 Euros), data issued by INS also show.



    IMMUNOGLOBULIN CRISIS – Romanian health minister, Sorina Pintea, has announced that 1,000 immunoglobulin doses arrive in Romania today. She made clear that these doses are not part of the package purchased under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, but they are bought from foreign producers by the medicine supplier of the Romanian Health Ministry. Three weeks ago, Romania requested international aid, as it had run out of immunoglobulin doses. Romania has also resorted to the NATO Mechanism for imunoglobulin. The discontinuous supply of immunoglobulin has been caused by the withdrawal from the market of producers who provided over 80% of the necessary doses in Romania. Immunoglobulin contains antibodies, which are proteins made by the immune system to fight antigens, such as bacteria, viruses, and toxins. They are used to help people who are having treatment for certain diseases or certain types of cancer, such as leukaemia.



    CONDOLENCES – The “Colectiv GTG 3010 Association pays homage, at the Russian Embassy in Bucharest, to the victims of Wednesdays fire in Siberia. “Colectiv GTG 3010 was set up after a devastating fire ripped through the Bucharest-based Colectiv club, on the night of October 30, 2015, which took 64 lives, and brings together close friends and families of the victims as well as survivors of the disaster. A day of national mourning has been declared today in Russia, in memory of the victims of Sundays fire in Kemerovo. Sources with the local authorities say 64 people died in the fire, of which 41 children. President Vladimir Putin has pledged that all those proven guilty will be punished, irrespective of the positions they hold and he urged people not to believe rumours propagated on social networks, according to which people died in their hundreds in the fire.



    PROTESTS – Romanian policemen who are members of SNPPC Trade Union on Wednesday picketed the headquarters of the Interior Ministry. They are discontent about labour conditions and the level of salaries in the sector. The aforementioned trade union had previously got a one-week approval from the Interior Ministry to picket key buildings. On Saturday, some 10,000 policemen protested before the headquarters of the Interior Ministry and the Government, respectively.



    CINEMATOGRAPHY – One Step Behind the Seraphim by first time director Daniel Sandu is the big winner of the Gopo Awards Galla, which acknowledges the best achievements of Romanian cinematography in the previous year. The film won, among others, the prize for best picture, best direction, best script – Daniel Sandu – and best actor in a leading role – Vlad Ivanov. The prize for best actress in a leading role went to Diana Cavaliotti, for her role in “Ana, mon amour, by Călin Netzer, and the prize for best short- reel was grabbed by Adrian Silişteanu for Written/ Unwritten. The prize for lifetime achievement went to actors George Mihăiţă and Vladimir Găitan. The festival bears the name of and pays homage to the outstanding Romanian film-maker Ion Popescu-Gopo, who, decades ago, won the Palme dOr, at Cannes, for best animated short film.



    FOOTBALL – Romanias national football team on Tuesday defeated Sweden, 1-0, in a friendly match played on home turf, in Craiova, southern Romania. This was the first match between the two national squads since 1994, when the Romanians lost to the Swedes, in penalty-kick shootout, in the quarterfinals of the World Cup hosted by the United States- the best performance in the history of the national football team. On Saturday, Romania defeated Israel, 2-1, in a friendly match played away from home. In another move, Romanias Under 19 team has failed to qualify for the European Championships due in Finland in July, after losing to Ukraine, 1-2, on home soil. After two wins secured in the first two matches, with Serbia, 4-0, and Sweden, 2-1, Romania needed only a draw to win the preliminary group.

  • 10 August, 2016

    10 August, 2016

    CONDOLENCES — Romanian and foreign officials offered condolences at Peles Castle in Sinaia for the demise of Queen Anne of Romania, consort to the last king of Romania, Michael I. She is laying in state in the grand hall of the royal mansion, attended by members of the Royal House. In the evening the coffin will be taken to the throne room of the Royal Palace in Bucharest, where a prayer ceremony will be held. Queen Annes funeral is scheduled for Saturday. It will be held in Curtea de Arges, place of rest for Romanian royalty. King Michael is unable to attend the funerals due to failing health. Queen Anne passed away on August 1 in Switzerland.



    BUDGET — The government in Bucharest are discussing the draft executive order to adjust the current budget, in addition to the one on adjusting the social insurance budget for 2016. The project aims at increasing revenue and spending by 2.92 billion lei, about 655 million Euro. The highest amounts go to the ministries of labor, interior, health, and education, while the highest budget slashes are aimed at transportaion. This adjustment, the highest this year, was initiated by the Ministry of Public Finance, which justified it by the fact that the GDP for 2016 is growing, from 746.6 billion lei, around 167 billion Euro, to 757 billion lei, about 170 billion Euro.



    OLYMPICS — Today is yet another competition day for Romanian athletes at the Summer Olympics, underway in Rio de Janeiro. Romania’s women’s national handball team takes on Montenegro, and is in dire need of a win if they want to retain their place in the tournament, having sustained defeats in the two previous fixtures against Angola and Brazil, respectively. In rowing, the women’s coxed eight crew competes in the second qualifying round. Also in the women’s competitions, Romania’s double scull and light double oars crews are still in contention for a medal. In women’s fencing, competing for Romania are athletes in the individual foil event, while in the men’s version of the same competition trying to prove their mettle are fencers in the individual epee event. In swimming, competing for Romania are athletes in women’s 100m freestyle event, while in men’s weightlifting Romanian athletes will make an attempt to lift 69 and 77 kilograms, respectively. In the mixed doubles event in tennis, Florin Mergea and Monica Niculescu face the all-Spanish pair made up of David Ferrer and Carla Suarez Navarro. In the men’s doubles, Flori Mergea and Horia Tecau, as an absolute first, got through to the semifinals, where they take on the all-American pair made of Jack Sock and Steve Johnson. Mergea and Tecau rank as favorites and are highly likely to win the first medal for the Romanian delegation in Rio.



    ORGANIZED CRIME — Organized crime prosecutors went on a raid today in northern Romania as a result of a report broadcast by Sky News, in a weapon smuggling case. British journalists alleged that, after two months of negotiations, they were pointed to an isolated area of Romania where they met weapon smugglers. The weapons were brought in from Ukraine, going to Western Europe and the Middle East. The prosecutors found that some of the weapons were legally held with hunting permits. The go-between in the journalistic investigation is said to be a Romanian freelancer who has been living in Britain for the last seven years, and is currently being investigated. Judicial sources indicate that the investigators believe that the report was staged by Sky News, whose reporters wrote lines for the Romanians that were interviewed, asking them to wear military style clothes. Previously, the Romanian Embassy in London pointed to flaws in the report, which projects a negative image of Romania.



    INVESTITURE — The new Romanian minister for communications, Delia Popescu, who is 38 years old, will be sworn in today by President Klaus Iohannis. PM Dacian Ciolos made the appointment, which was endorsed by the head of state. Delia Popescu has been working since 2003 in development and IT systems for public services and businesses. Since 2014, she has been heading the Romanian Agency for the Digital Agenda, coordinated by the Prime Ministers office. The former Minister of Communications was removed in early July.



    INAUGURATION — US Ambassador Hans Klemm inaugurated today the seventh American Shelf at Panait Istrati County Library Braila. The Ambassador presented the gift to Library Director Dragos Neagu. The book collection includes 136 titles offering access to reference books, classic and contemporary US literature, English language teaching methodology and English language learning, as well as childrens books. This gift continues the initiative that resulted in similar shelves in Botosani, Galati, Brasov, Sibiu, Drobeta Turnu-Severin and Arad, strengthening the strategic partnership betwee the United States and Romania.

  • Compassion and Mobilisation after Paris Attacks

    Compassion and Mobilisation after Paris Attacks

    Friday night’s attacks in Paris, which left over 130 people dead and more than 300 wounded, including Romanians, sent shockwaves across the world. The international community condemned the attacks, claimed by the jihadist Islamic State group, as cowardly and barbaric. World leaders have expressed solidarity with France at this difficult time, as well as support for the war against terrorism. In a letter to his French counterpart Francois Hollande, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis emphasised that these attacks must be a wake-up call for the entire community to show more determination in fighting terrorism and defending the values of humanity.



    Romanians expressed their solidarity with the mourning families and showed up at the Embassy of France in Bucharest carrying flowers and candles. The participants sang the French national anthem and observed a moment of silence. A condolences book was opened, already signed by Romanian political and cultural personalities. One of them was the PM designate of Romania, Dacian Ciolos, who said France needed support and would find it in the EU.



    Dacian Ciolos: “I believe Europe has proved that terror and hatred can never build anything. And this is precisely why they cannot last. These are hard times for the French people, and I believe we in Romania can very well understand this, given that just days ago we went through a tragedy ourselves. Of course, the two situations are different in nature, but it is hard to lose such large numbers of people that we love, of innocent people. But whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”



    In Paris, in solidarity with the French people, the Romanian flag is flown half-mast at the Embassy of Romania. After the terrorist attacks in Paris, many European countries announced they would tighten border security. In all European countries, Romania included, security measures around French institutions have also been strengthened. Several countries have advised their citizens either to avoid traveling to France, or to be very careful when in public places.



    The Romanian Foreign Ministry activated a task force, and the Romanian Intelligence Service announced that Romania’s terror alert level remained unchanged. At the request of France, the Luxembourg presidency of the EU called for an emergency meeting of the justice and home affairs ministers, to be held on November 20 in Brussels. The meeting is intended to strengthen the EU counter-terrorism measures.



    (Translated by: A. Popescu / Edited by: E. Enache)