Radio România Internațional

Tag: Day

  • May 9, 2020 UPDATE

    May 9, 2020 UPDATE

    EUROPE DAY Europe is experiencing the most difficult period since WW2, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis says in a message released on Europe Day, May 9. He says that this is a time that tests our resilience, unity and humanity, and that, faced with the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Romania has once again proved to be a trustworthy partner. The president mentioned that teams of Romanian doctors and nurses went to Italy and the Republic of Moldova to support the efforts to fight the epidemic. Romania is also the first EU member state to manage a strategic stock of medical equipment for the entire Union, and under this mechanism vital equipment has already been delivered to the worst hit areas. May 9 marks the 1945 victory of the Allies against Nazi Germany in WW2, as well as the historic 1950 declaration of the French foreign minister Robert Schuman, proposing an economic cooperation plan between France and Germany, to do away with deep-rooted rivalries. On the same day, Romania celebrated its independence from the Ottoman Empire, proclaimed during the Russo-Turkish war in 1877.




    COVID-19 The National Public Health Institute Saturday presented a draft list of measures to be implemented as of May 15, when the state of emergency introduced 2 months ago to contain the coronavirus outbreak ends. The list includes field specific measures and refers to the resumption of the activities suspended in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Among other things, appointments to dentist practices and beauty salons will be mandatory, and a distance of at least one and a half metres between clients will be secured. End-of-cycle students will only attend classes of 10 children at most, and will not spend more than 3 hours a day together. In open-plan offices and public transport, face masks will be compulsory. This set of measures is currently subject to public debate. The interior minister Marcel Vela urged companies with more than 50 employees to organise shifts so as to reduce pressure on public transportation. He added that the committee drafting the rules for lifting restrictions are still discussing whether the sworn statement required at present for those who leave their home should be maintained after May 15. According to the authorities, the total number of deaths in Romania is 929. The total number of cases so far is over 15,100. Of these, over 6,400 have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, 2,756 have tested positive for the virus, most of them in Italy and Spain, and 99 have died since the start of the pandemic.




    NATO The Romanian Chief of Defence Staff, lieutenant general Daniel Petrescu, Friday discussed in a conference call with the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Sir Stuart Peach. According to a news release issued on Saturday, talks focused on the management of the COVID-19 crisis at Allied level, NATOs operations, missions and commitments and the impact of the current context on the security environment. The NATO official emphasised the important role of the Allied solidarity in fighting the pandemic, the concentration of efforts for the mutual support of member states and the medium and long term repercussions of the current health crisis on the Alliance and its partners. In turn lieutenant general Petrescu highlighted the national commitment in theatres of operations and the efforts to consolidate a coherent deterrence and defence posture for NATO. The Romanian Armys experience in supporting local and central public authorities to fight the coronavirus outbreak was also presented and discussed.




    TRANSPORT Airlines are bound to refund the price of tickets for cancelled flights, according to the EU legislation, the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean announced. She said citizens must contact the relevant member states, because many countries have provided state aid to airlines precisely in order to help them cover their cash shortages. Adina Vălean also announced that next week she will make public a list of safety rules for various transport means, as cross-border traffic is being gradually resumed and the EU seeks to help the tourism industry recover. She also said the so-called green corridors for commodities will be preserved in the foreseeable future.




    PANDEMIC The European Commission has called on all Schengen member and associate states to extend the temporary ban on non-essential travel in the EU until June 15. Although some member countries are already lifting the restrictions aimed at fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is still fragile both in Europe and in the rest of the world, the Commission argues. This is why external border restrictions are still needed, in order to reduce the risk of the disease spreading through travel into EU countries. The number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases worldwide is around 3.9 million, and the death toll stands at over 274,000. In the US, over 1.2 million people have tested positive, and in Spain, Italy and the UK the number of cases is over 200,000.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 9, 2020

    May 9, 2020

    EUROPE DAY Europe is experiencing the most difficult period since WW2, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis says in a message released today, on Europe Day. He says that this is a time that tests our resilience, unity and humanity, and that, faced with the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Romania has once again proved to be a trustworthy partner. The president mentioned that teams of Romanian doctors and nurses went to Italy and the Republic of Moldova to support the efforts to fight the epidemic. Romania is also the first EU member state to manage a strategic stock of medical equipment for the entire Union, and under this mechanism vital equipment has already been delivered to the worst hit areas. May 9 marks the 1945 victory of the Allies against Nazi Germany in WW2, as well as the historic 1950 declaration of the French foreign minister Robert Schuman, proposing an economic cooperation plan between France and Germany, to do away with deep-rooted rivalries. On the same day, Romania celebrates its independence from the Ottoman Empire, proclaimed during the Russo-Turkish war in 1877.




    COVID-19 The Strategic Communication Group in the Government of Romania is to make public today a list of measures to be implemented by business operators and public institutions as of May 15, when the state of emergency introduced 2 months ago over the coronavirus epidemic ends. The interior minister Marcel Vela urged companies with more than 50 employees to organise shifts so as to reduce pressure on public transportation. He added that the committee drafting the rules for lifting restrictions are still discussing whether the sworn statement required at present for those who leave their home should be maintained after May 15. The SCG also announced today that the total number of deaths in Romania is 926. The total number of cases so far is over 15,100. Of these, 6,400 have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, 2,444 have tested positive for the virus, most of them in Italy and Spain, and 96 have died since the start of the pandemic.




    TRANSPORT Airlines are bound to refund the price of tickets for cancelled flights, according to the EU legislation, the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean announced. She said citizens must contact the relevant member states, because many countries have provided state aid to airlines precisely in order to help them cover their cash shortages. Adina Vălean also announced that next week she will make public a list of safety rules for various transport means, as cross-border traffic is being gradually resumed and the EU seeks to help the tourism industry recover. She also said the so-called green corridors for commodities will be preserved in the foreseeable future.




    PANDEMIC The European Commission has called on all Schengen member and associate states to extend the temporary ban on non-essential travel in the EU until June 15. Although some member countries are already lifting the restrictions aimed at fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is still fragile both in Europe and in the rest of the world, the Commission argues. This is why external border restrictions are still needed, in order to reduce the risk of the disease spreading through travel into EU countries. The number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases worldwide is around 3.8 million, and the death toll stands at over 264,000. In the US, over 1.2 million people have tested positive, and in Spain, Italy and the UK the number of cases is over 200,000.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 29, 2020

    February 29, 2020

    COVID19 Romania has 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, with the patients current state reported as good. Another 52 people are quarantined across the country, and 8,796 under home monitoring. The healthcare authorities in the counties Timiş in the west and Maramureş in the north-west are running investigations to establish the people who were in contact with the 2 persons who tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. Both of them had travelled to Italy recently. The first patient in Romania, a 25 year old man from Gorj County, in the south, is feeling well, and Fridays tests came out negative, doctors say. If the next test is also negative, the patient will be discharged. In Europe, Italy remains the most affected country. As the epidemic spread, stock exchanges across the world reported total losses of over 5 trillion US dollars. The BBC says the US financial markets have not been hit so hard since the 2008 financial crisis. Investors fear that the growing number of coronavirus cases outside China may turn the disease into a pandemic.



    ARREST The former healthcare minister in the Social Democratic government Sorina Pintea, currently the manager of the Baia Mare Emergency Hospital in the north-west of the country, was detained on Saturday by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for continuing bribe taking. According to the DNA, between December 2019 and February 28, this year, Pintea received 10,000 euros and 25,000 euros from a business operator, in 2 instalments, accounting for 7% of the value of a public procurement contract concerning the design and building of a cardiovascular and thoracic surgery unit. The contract was signed in 2019 by the hospital with the company in question. Pintea allegedly received the money in exchange for completing some of her duties as a manager and authorising officer, anti-corruption prosecutors say. They requested the Bucharest Court to approve a 30-day pre-trial arrest order against Pintea. Sorina Pintea was a healthcare minister in Viorica Dancilas left-wing government dismissed last October.



    DISEASE Romania has too few doctors able to diagnose rare diseases, experts warn today, the International Rare Disease Day. They say investments in medical equipment in the field of genetics, which are vital for accurate diagnoses, are scarce. Physicians also warn that rare disease patients and their families face severe challenges in terms of access to care. So far more than 6,000 different rare diseases have been identified, most of which are without treatment across the world. In Romania, such diseases are underdiagnosed.



    MIGRANTS Greece prevented 4,000 migrants to enter its territory “illegally from Turkey, a spokesman for the Greek government announced on Saturday after an emergency meeting chaired by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, AFP and Reuters report. On Friday, the country faced a mass, organised and illegal border crossing attempt, but it managed to overcome it, the government spokesperson explained. He added that Greece protected its borders and the borders of the EU. Also on Saturday, in an address in Istanbul, Turkeys president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will open its borders to enable migrants to leave, and criticised the EU for not helping Ankara enough. Turkey says it was forced to ease border controls for the refugees trying to reach the EU from Turkey, because of the pressure of the refugees coming from Syria amid clashes in the rebel stronghold of Idlib.



    SLOVAKIA Slovakia is voting on Saturday for a new Parliament, hoping to fight corruption, frequently linked to the populist, left-of-centre ruling party Smer-SD. The vote may be crucial for the history of the country, which is still outraged by the murder of anti-corruption journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee in 2018, AFP reports. His killing, ordered by a businessman with political connections, mobilised the public, and polls suggest that the ruling party Smer-SD is running shoulder to shoulder with the centre-right opposition party OLaNO, which turned the fight against corruption into its rallying call. The double murder in 2018 triggered massive street protests against the government, and prime minister Robert Fico had to resign.



    RUSSIA Hundreds of Russian opposition supporters gathered in Moscow on Saturday to protest the constitutional reforms initiated by president Vladimir Putin and to pay tribute to opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, murdered 5 years ago near Kremlin, AFP reports. In Sankt-Petersburg, nearly 2,000 people rallied in the centre of the city. The authorised march is the first important public gathering since Putin announced a Constitution review set to strengthen the role of the president and of the State Council. The killing of Boris Nemtsov in February 2015 had huge echoes in Russia and abroad. Nemtsov was in the middle of an investigation into the involvement of the Russian Army in the east Ukraine war.



    HANDBALL Romanias womens handball champions, CSM Ramnicu Valcea, play today at home against the Swedish side Savehof, in the Champions League Main Group 2. In Main Group 1 in the same competition, vice-champions CSM Bucharest play away from home on Sunday against the French team Metz. The Romanian teams are ranking 4th in their respective groups and CSM is the only one having secured a place in the quarter-finals. In mens handball, champions Dinamo Bucharest take on Sporting Lisbon, on Sunday night, after a 26-25 win away from home. If they go past the Portuguese team, Dinamo move into the Champions League round of 16.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 1, 2019 UPDATE

    December 1, 2019 UPDATE

    National Day — Romania’s national day is the most emotional celebration of the Romanian nation and a symbol of freedom, being equally a celebration of democracy, of our fundamental rights and liberties, said Sunday the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis at the reception organized at the Cotroceni Palace. On December 1 Romania marked 101 years since the creation of the Romanian unitary nation state. As many as 4 thousand military and experts and around 200 vehicles participated in Bucharest in a traditional military parade. The event, which was attended by President Klaus Iohannis, also involved the participation of 500 military from 21 allied countries. Various events took place in other cities of Romania. Another military parade was held Sunday in Alba Iulia, in the center, the place of the Great Union of December 1, 1918, in the presence of the PM Ludovic Orban. The Romanian military on mission in the theaters of operations in Afghanistan, the western Balkans, Mali, Iraq and Poland also participated in military ceremonies to mark the national day.



    Washington — The American president Donald Trump conveyed a message to his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis on the occasion of the 101st anniversary of Romania’s national day. Romania is a precious ally for the US and NATO, shows the message of the White House. Also the American president hailed Romania’s firm commitment in relation to sharing responsibilities and trans-Atlantic security. Donald Trump also expressed appreciation for Romania’s commitment to consolidate the common values of democracy, the rule of law and the free market economy.



    EU – The new European Commission headed by Ursula von der Leyen takes office on December 1. The EU members have decided that the new Commission will have only 27 commissioners, after Great Britain refused to appoint a commissioner in the context of Brexit. The Romanian Adina Valean with the European Peoples Party has been appointed Transport Commissioner. The first official meeting of the College of Commissioners takes place on December 4, when several administrative decisions will be made.



    Albania — Romania on Sunday sent humanitarian aid to Albania, which was hit by a powerful earthquake on Tuesday. Two C-130 Hercules planes of the Romanian Air Forces carried the humanitarian aid and brought back to Romania the 52 firefighters and their equipment, as they participated alongside other countries in the search and rescue operations undertaken there. These operations officially came to an end on Sunday. The Albanian PM Edi Rama announced that 51 people died in the 6.4 magnitude quake, several hundreds were wounded and thousands were left homeless. The most affected cities are Thumane in the north, Durres on the Adriatic Sea coast and the capital Tirana.



    Handball – Romania’s national women’s handball team obtained its first victory at the world championship hosted by Japan, defeating the team of Senegal 29-24 on Sunday, in Kumamoto, in the championship’s Group C. On Saturday, in their first match, the Romanian handballers were defeated by Spain 31-16. In the other matches of the group, Montenegro defeated Kazakhstan 30-21 and Spain defeated Hungary 29-25. Romania’s next match is scheduled for December 3, against Kazakhstan. As of 1957 until 2017 Romania’s women’s team has never missed a world final tournament. They got silver in 2005 in Russia and bronze in 2015 in Denmark.



    Football — Romania’s national football team will play in Group C alongside the Netherlands, Ukraine and Austria, if they manage to qualify to EURO 2020, according to the drawing of lots that took place Saturday in Bucharest. Romania’s capital will host 4 matches of the Euro 2020 final, three in the group stage and one in the round of 16. The Romanian footballers have not managed to pass the preliminary stage but they still have chances to qualify after the Nations League playoffs, following which 4 national teams will go to Euro 2020. Romania will take on Iceland on March 26 and if they wins they will play on March 31 with the winner of the match pitting Bulgaria against Hungary. According to UEFA, the total costs for the organization of the European championship in the summer of 2020 stand at 680 million Euros, while revenues exceed 2 billion Euros. One million tickets will be put up for sale between December 4th and 18th for the supporters of the 20 qualified national teams, the Romanian Football Federation announced. If Romania’s national team qualifies, they will play at least 2 matches in Bucharest. (translation by L. Simion)

  • October 25, 2019 UPDATE

    October 25, 2019 UPDATE

    ARMY DAY President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday that the regional and global security environment is continually changing, and Romania needs a strong and well trained army, able to further contribute to promoting security and stability in the region, to the fulfilment of its NATO commitments and to implementing the Common Defence and Security Policy in Europe. The statement was occasioned by the Romanian Army Day, celebrated with special events at military units and memorial sites across the country. Military ceremonies and cultural and educational activities were also organised in the theatres of operations abroad where Romanian troops are deployed. Flowers were also laid at memorial sites celebrating Romanian soldiers in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Moldova and Hungary. On the 25th of October 1944, the Romanian Army freed northern Transylvania from Horthy occupation and continued to fight on the territories of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria alongside the Allied troops, contributing to the great victory of May 9th 1945 that marked the end of WWII in Europe.



    NATO Defence ministers from NATO member countries discussed in Brussels on Thursday and Friday about Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, the training mission in Iraq, and Operation KFOR. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry, participants analysed the implementation of the NATO initiative to enhance the Allied forces interoperability, response and generation capacities. They also exchanged opinions on the fair sharing of responsibilities within the organisation. Representing Romania, the state secretary for defence policy Doru Frunzulică talked about the need for a stronger NATO presence in Romania, to counter the threats and volatile security situation at the Black Sea.



    BREXIT The ambassadors of the 27 EU member states had not made a decision on Friday as regards the postponed date of Britains exit from the Union. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, attending the meeting of EU ambassadors was also the blocs chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, who described the talks as excellent. The diplomats agreed that a deferral is called for, but are still trying to reach a consensus on its exact duration. The UK has officially requested a postponement to the end of January. A new meeting of the EU ambassadors will take place early next week.



    TENNIS The Romanian Simona Halep was drawn in the Purple Group of the WTA Finals in Shenzhen (China), scheduled to take place between October 27 and November 3. She plays in the same group with the Romanian-born Canadian Bianca Andreescu, the Czech Karolina Pliskova and the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, according to Fridays draw release. The Red Group includes world no. 1 Ashleigh Barty, of Australia, Japans Naomi Osaka, the Czeck Petra Kvitova and the Swiss Belinda Bencic. Halep, no 5 in the world and winner of this years Wimbledon trophy, takes part in the tournament of the worlds elite eight for the sixth time in her career. This years edition offers record-high prizes, 14 million US dollars, twice as much as last year.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 3, 2016

    May 3, 2016

    The Prime Minister of Romania, Dacian Cioloş, is to submit to President Klaus Iohannis today a request to discharge Vlad Alexandrescu as Culture Minister and a nomination for his replacement. According to political sources, one of the favourites for this appointment is Corina Şuteu, former head of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, and currently a state secretary in the Culture Ministry. The dismissal comes against the backdrop of a scandal at the Romanian Opera House in Bucharest, triggered by discontent with the successive appointments for the director post as well as with the substantial imbalances between the salaries paid to the Romanian and the foreign dancers. Protests led to the cancellation of three shows, and PM Ciolos asked for Vlad Alexandrescus resignation. In messages posted on Facebook or published in the media, Vlad Alexandrescu says he was forced out because he upset various interest groups. The head of government said he had not been informed of the problems Vlad Alexandrescu claimed to have been facing and promised he would urge the new minister to carry on the reforms initiated by Alexandrescu.



    The second International Light Festival, Spotlight 2016, will take place in Bucharest between May 5 and 8. Apart from captivating shows, including 15 art installations, building lighting and video-mapping sessions prepared by the guest artists will transform representative buildings in Bucharest, such as the CEC Building, the National History Museum building and the National Military Society buildings. This year, Spotlight is part of the events supporting the candidacy of Bucharest for European Capital of Culture in 2021.



    May 3 is the World Press Freedom Day. On this occasion, the Council of Europe Secretary General, Thorbjorn Jagland, called on the 47 member countries to make sure that their national legislation on defamation does not silence the media and does not weaken public debate. The Council of Europe says it is critical for democracy that the media carry on its monitoring and criticising of those in power. In Romania, some people continue to abuse the journalist profession in order to intimidate, blackmail or trade influence, and some public authorities have attempted to block the access to information on major topics in the recent history of Romania – the 1989 Revolution, the miners riots of June ’90 or the Colectiv tragedy, reads the latest FreeEx report released by ActiveWatch. The document also reveals that the global Press Freedom Index worked out by Reporters without Borders puts Romania in the 49th place in the world, up three positions since the previous year.



    In Romania, companies that pay less than roughly 280 euros per month, the new national minimum wage for full-time employees, will be fined. Under a government resolution endorsed late last year, more than 1.1 million employees benefit from this increase, which took effect on May 1. The raise is intended to bring national minimum wages up to nearly 60% of the national average salary. Still, salaries in Romania remain some of the lowest in the EU, only higher than in Bulgaria, but below those in other former communist states. At the opposite pole, the highest national minimum wages are paid in Luxemburg, 1,923 euro/month, followed by Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Ireland, where national minimum wages are around 1,500 euro per month.



    The European Commission has warned Turkey that the prospective lift of visa requirements for Turkish citizens may be quickly suspended in case Ankara fails to meet the criteria set by the European bloc. Turkey, which wants its citizens to be able to travel freely in the EU in exchange for enforcing the migrant deal, must meet 72 criteria set by Brussels. The European Commission will decide on Wednesday whether these criteria are complied with, and should the report be positive, it will draft a legislative proposal to be endorsed by the European Parliament and the EU member states.



    Norway, as part of a US-headed international coalition with operations in Syria and Iraq, will deploy 60 troops to train Syrian rebels fighting against the terrorist groups in that country, the Norwegian PM, Erna Solberg announced, according to Le Figaro. The Norwegian troops selected into this special task force will be sent to Jordan, and the name of the groups they will train has not been disclosed. Norway is already present in areas where the international coalition is fighting against the IS group, particularly in Erbil (Iraq), where soldiers are training peshmerga fighters for countering terrorist groups.



    The Romanian Irina Begu (no. 34 WTA) managed a surprising win against Spains Garbine Muguruza (4 WTA), 5-7, 7-6, 6-3, in the second round of the WTA tournament in Madrid, with 4.7 million USD in prize money. In the eighth-finals, Irina will be facing the American Christina McHale (59 WTA). Also qualified in the eighth-finals is another Romanian player, Patricia Ţig (134 WTA). Two other Romanians have qualified into the second round of the Madrid tournament, Simona Halep, no. 7 WTA, and Sorana Carstea (no. 127 WTA). Halep played the final of the Madrid tournament in 2014, when she lost to Russias Maria Sharapova.