Radio România Internațional

Tag: death

  • January 25, 2020 UPDATE

    January 25, 2020 UPDATE

    PARLIAMENT The 2 chambers of Romanias Parliament will convene on January 28 for a special session focusing on a bill scrapping the so-called special pensions paid to magistrates, which are not based on the principle of previous contributions. The Judicial Inspection Division says the bill tramples on the principles of judge independence and immovability, and comes against provisions in the Constitution and regulations by the European Court for Human Rights. On January 29, Parliament also convenes in a joint session to discuss the bill reintroducing the 2-round voting system in local elections, for which the Government takes responsibility before Parliament. The Orban Cabinet says the bill is intended to strengthen democratic standards at local community level. President Klaus Iohannis had previously requested a special Parliamentary session to this end. The Social Democrats, in opposition, reiterated that jointly with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, they will table a no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government.




    HOLOCAUST The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban takes part on Monday in an official ceremony celebrating 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, organised by the Polish authorities on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to a news release issued on Saturday by the Romanian Government, officials from several countries, Holocaust survivors and members of Jewish associations will be attending the ceremony, held under the patronage of the president of Poland Andrzej Duda. The Government of Romania, the release also reads, reconfirms its pledge to carry on Holocaust education and research efforts, to commemorate the Holocaust victims and to take responsibility for the countrys history.




    CORONAVIRUS China has announced extending the lockdown and introducing several other measures, such as suspending tour services abroad, in order to contain the newly discovered coronavirus, initially identified in Wuhan. In Hubei, a province in central China, bus, underground and ferry services have been suspended, and outbound planes and trains cancelled. The Chinese army has sent medical teams to the outbreak region, as the total number of cases is now over 1,300. Hong Kong has declared the highest state of emergency. The virus has reached Europe as well, with 3 cases confirmed in France. The European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides will have a meeting on Monday with relevant officials from member countries, to discuss ways to respond to the spread of the new virus.




    EARTHQUAKE At least 22 people died, more than 1,200 were injured n a major earthquake that hit eastern Turkey on Friday night, Turkish authorities have announced. 2,000 rescuers are searching for survivors in the collapsed buildings. The 6.8 magnitude quake was followed by scores of aftershocks. The earthquake, centred 550 km east of the capital city Ankara, in Elazig province, was also felt in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Turkey is frequently affected by major tremors. In 1999, 17,000 people died and half a million lost their homes in a 7.6 earthquake in the north-west of the country, while another one hit the eastern province of Van in 2011, killing more than 500.




    FILM “Home, Romanian director Radu Ciorniciucs first film, premieres on Sunday in the international documentary competition of the most important American independent film festival, Sundance. “Home is the first Romanian documentary selected into this festivals competition, next to 11 other documentaries from around the world, in the World Cinema Documentary category. The film documents the life of a family who lived for 20 years in the Văcărești Delta, up until the place was declared a protected area and was renamed Văcărești Nature Park, the first urban nature park in Romania. Another Romanian film, Colectiv, by Alexander Nanau, will be screened in the festivals Spotlight section. This is a documentary on the events taking place in the first year after the fire in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, in which 64 young people died.




    IMPEACHMENT Donald Trumps lawyers Saturday began to present their opening arguments in Senate, in the impeachment trial. They argued that removing the US president from office would set a very dangerous precedent in an election year. You will find that the President has done absolutely nothing illegal, the White House counsel Pat Cipollone, Trumps lead impeachment lawyer, has said. The Democrats accuse Trump of abusing his powers and obstructing Congress. The President will likely be cleared in the Senate, where the Republicans have a majority, but the impact of the trial on the public opinion remains to be seen.




    TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, has moved up into the 4th round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, after defeating the Kazakh Iulia Putintseva (38 WTA) 6-1, 6-4, on Saturday in Melbourne. On Sunday Halep is to take on Belgian Elise Mertens (17 WTA), who beat CiCi (Catherine) Bellis (600 WTA) 6-1, 6-7, 6-0 in the 3rd round. Last year in Melbourne Halep lost in the 4th round, and in 2018 she reached the Australian Open final. Also on Saturday Monica Niculescu (Romania) / Misaki Doi (Japan) moved up into the next round of the doubles tournament, having defeated the Japanese Nao Hibino/Makoto Ninomiya 6-2, 7-5. Niculescu and Doi are to play next against Hao-ching Chan and Latisha Chan (Taiwan).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 25, 2020

    January 25, 2020

    PARLIAMENT The 2 chambers of Romanias Parliament will convene on January 28 for a special session focusing on a bill scrapping the so-called special pensions paid to magistrates, which are not based on the principle of previous contributions. The Judicial Inspection Division says the bill tramples on the principles of judge independence and immovability, and comes against provisions in the Constitution and regulations by the European Court for Human Rights. On January 29, Parliament also convenes in a joint session to discuss the bill reintroducing the 2-round voting system in local elections, for which the Government takes responsibility before Parliament. The Orban Cabinet says the bill is intended to strengthen democratic standards at local community level. President Klaus Iohannis had previously requested a special Parliamentary session to this end. The Social Democrats, in opposition, reiterated that jointly with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, they will table a no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government.




    HOLOCAUST The Romanian PM Ludovic Orban takes part on Monday in an official ceremony celebrating 75 years since the liberation of the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, organised by the Polish authorities on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. According to a news release issued on Saturday by the Romanian Government, officials from several countries, Holocaust survivors and members of Jewish associations will be attending the ceremony, held under the patronage of the president of Poland Andrzej Duda. The Government of Romania, the release also reads, reconfirms its pledge to carry on Holocaust education and research efforts, to commemorate the Holocaust victims and to take responsibility for the countrys history.




    IMMIGRANTS Romanian border police caught 9 citizens of Egypt, Iraq and Somalia attempting to cross the border into Hungary illegally, with the help of 2 Romanian citizens, the Romanian Border Police announced on Saturday. The investigations revealed that the 7 men and 2 women, aged between 21 and 52, had applied for asylum in Romania. They are currently probed into for attempted illegal border crossing, while the Romanian citizens are facing human trafficking charges.




    CORONAVIRUS China has today announced extending the lockdown introduced in order to contain the newly discovered coronavirus, initially identified in Wuhan. Five cities in Hubei, a province in central China, have been added to the 13 where all bus, underground and ferry services have been suspended, and all outbound planes and trains cancelled. The Chinese army has sent medical teams to the outbreak region, after the death toll has reached 41, out of a total of over 1,300 cases. The virus has reached Europe as well, with 2 cases confirmed in France. The World Health Organisation has decided not to class the virus as an international emergency.




    EARTHQUAKE At least 21 people died, more than 1,000 were injured and several buildings collapsed in a major earthquake that hit eastern Turkey on Friday night, Turkish authorities have announced. The 6.8 magnitude quake was followed by scores of aftershocks. The earthquake, centred 550 km east of the capital city Ankara, in Elazig province, was also felt in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Turkey is frequently affected by major tremors. In 1999, 17,000 people died and half a million lost their homes in a 7.6 earthquake in the north-west of the country, while another one hit the eastern province of Van in 2011, killing more than 500.




    FILM “Home, Romanian director Radu Ciorniciucs first film, premieres on Sunday in the international documentary competition of the most important American independent film festival, Sundance. “Home is the first Romanian documentary selected into this festivals competition, next to 11 other documentaries from around the world, in the World Cinema Documentary category. The film documents the life of a family who lived for 20 years in the Văcărești Delta, up until the place was declared a protected area and was renamed Văcărești Nature Park, the first urban nature park in Romania. Another Romanian film, Colectiv, by Alexander Nanau, will be screened in the festivals Spotlight section. This is a documentary on the events taking place in the first year after the fire in the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, in which 64 young people died.




    TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, has moved up into the 4th round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, after defeating the Kazakh Iulia Putintseva (38 WTA) 6-1, 6-4, on Saturday in Melbourne. On Sunday Halep is to take on Belgian Elise Mertens (17 WTA), who beat CiCi (Catherine) Bellis (600 WTA) 6-1, 6-7, 6-0 in the 3rd round. Last year in Melbourne Halep lost in the 4th round, and in 2018 she reached the Australian Open final. Also on Saturday Monica Niculescu (Romania) / Misaki Doi (Japan) moved up into the next round of the doubles tournament, having defeated the Japanese Nao Hibino/Makoto Ninomiya 6-2, 7-5. Niculescu and Doi are to play next against Hao-ching Chan and Latisha Chan (Taiwan).


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 31, 2019

    December 31, 2019

    MESSAGE “2019 brought the victory of democracy and civil participation, when we proved that we are a nation that stands by shared values and ideals, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, says in his New Years message. The head of state voices confidence that in 2020 Romanians will stay motivated by their dream of a better country. He called for the building of a normal Romania, a country that is truly the home of Romanians, wherever they may be. “We are entering a new year and a new decade, which I would also like to be the beginning of a period of normality and true democracy for Romania, PM Ludovic Orban said in his own New Years message. He urges Romanians to view what they have left behind as a lesson about what needs to be done in order to make true the dream of freedom, democracy and prosperity that mobilised people 30 years ago to fight against totalitarianism.




    INVESTIGATION Romanian authorities carry on inquiries and checks regarding the incident at the Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest, the largest emergency unit in the country. The National Healthcare Quality Management Authority Monday suspended the accreditation of the hospital, which failed to report within 24 hours an incident in which a 66-year old patient was burnt on the operating room table. The woman died, and the Bucharest Police is currently investigating suspicions of manslaughter. The Board of Physicians and the Healthcare Ministry are running separate investigations, with the conclusions due to be presented early next week. Meanwhile, the hospital has to address the deficiencies that have led to the unfortunate event. Although the accreditation has been suspended, Floreasca Emergency Hospital in Bucharest operates as usual.




    NEW YEARS EVE In Romania, New Year traditions are still preserved in many regions. Children go carolling in the first part of the day, with songs and dances that usually describe the successive stages of farm work. The custom also includes folk performances by groups of youth or adults, where each member has a part, a role and various stage props. On the other hand, the hits of the 1980s and 1990s will be played live at the biggest outdoor New Years party in Bucharest, ‘Disco Night. This years concert has been inspired by the energy and exuberance of the disco movement. During the 6-hour party, songs that have defined entire generations will be played by international and Romanian musicians, including O-Zone, Haddaway, and the American rapper Turbo B., and Milli Vanilli Experience. The night will end with a spectacular fireworks show.




    SAFETY Over 21,000 Interior Ministry employees are on duty every day in Romania to ensure citizen safety during the winter holidays. Special attention is paid to preventing serious accidents and to streamlining road traffic to the most popular tourist resorts. Up to 1,400 road police are on duty on the most circulated thoroughfares, with around 300 radar speed guns, to safeguard the lives of drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Nearly 9,600 police and gendarmes are also patrolling the busiest areas, especially fairs and shopping centres, and the sites of large outdoor public events.




    TOURISM Over 1.7 million tourist arrivals were reported in Bucharest in the first 10 months of the year, according to the National Statistics Institute. The largest number, 196,410, was reported in September. Most tourists (94.7% of the total, accounting for 1.63 million people), checked in in hotels. The number of overnight stays in Bucharest was 2.99 million, with the biggest number reported for October. According to the National Statistics Institute, arrivals in accommodation facilities at national level totalled 11.531 million in the first 10 months of this year, up 4.1% compared to the corresponding period of last year.




    AVALANCHE A record 200 mountain accidents have been reported over the past 10 days in Romania, with avalanche risks still high in many parts of the country, particularly in the southern massifs of Făgăraş and Bucegi. Last month 2 people were caught under an avalanche in Făgăraş. Mountain rescue teams urge tourists not to attempt routes that have been closed for safety, and to be very careful in planning their hikes so as to be indoors by nightfall.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • November 20, 2019 UPDATE

    November 20, 2019 UPDATE

    ELECTIONS The campaign ahead of the second round of Romania’s presidential elections on Sunday continues until Saturday morning at 7 am local time. The incumbent president Klaus Iohannis, who is endorsed by the National Liberal Party, now in power, is facing the former Social Democrat prime minister Viorica Dancila. The Standing Electoral Authority has announced that the electoral register has been updated and the total number of voters in the lists is 18,217,411. The total number of citizens residing abroad and entitled to vote in this election is 715,064. In the first round, which included 14 candidates, Iohannis won almost 38% of the votes and Dancila a little over 22%. Voter turnout stood at 51.19%. In the diaspora, where voting took place over three days, a record turnout was reported, with 675,000 people casting their ballots. The second round of voting is also taking place over three days abroad: on Friday between 12 am and 9 pm and on Saturday and Sunday between 7 am and 9 pm, with the possibility for the voting to be extended until midnight. The foreign ministry has already distributed the materials needed for the voting process abroad. 4 million, six hundred and eight thousand and 175 ballots were distributed among the 835 polling stations set up abroad, 100,000 more ballots than was requested in the first round.




    FINANCE The European Commission Wednesday recommended that Romania should implement an annual structural adjustment of 1% of the GDP in 2020, to ensure that the nominal increase in net primary government expenditure will not exceed 4.4%. Romania is also advised to use any exceptional revenues in order to reduce the deficit, with budget consolidation measures aimed at ensuring sustainable improvement of the government structural balance, able to encourage growth. Bucharest is also requested to present the Council with a report on the measures taken in this respect, no later than April 15, 2020.



    MEETING The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting on Wednesday with the US State Secretary Michael Pompeo, on the side-lines of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. The Romanian minister appreciated the US constant support for strengthening NATOs defence and deterrence posture on the eastern flank and pleaded for enhanced American military presence in Romania, given the volatile security context in the Black Sea region. He also reiterated the firm commitment of the new government in Bucharest for a fair sharing of responsibilities within NATO, confirming that Romania will continue to earmark 2% of its GDP to defence and to take part in foreign military missions. Also on Wednesday, Bogdan Aurescu had talks with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, on which occasion he mentioned the Common Declaration on the Strategic Partnership signed in 2018 by the presidents Klaus Iohannis and Emmanuel Macron, which re-launched the bilateral relation.



    ARREST The owner of the Romanian company that provided pest extermination services to 2 apartment buildings in Timişoara, western Romania, was taken in pre-trial custody for 30 days, under accusations of manslaughter, bodily harm and trafficking in controlled substances. Three people died, including a 9-day baby, over 40 others, mostly children, are hospitalized, and the buildings have been evacuated. The tragedy caused panic among the locals, with scores of people requesting medical check-ups. Investigations have revealed that the substances used for pest extermination had been purchased on the black market and contained a highly toxic compound. Concurrently with the criminal investigation, new decontamination operations were conducted on Wednesday, and a Health Ministry team is running on-site tests.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Death and Imagery in Romanian Art

    Death and Imagery in Romanian Art

    Death is ubiquitous in the imagery of every human culture. In Romanian culture, death is mostly represented in church imagery, usually with a moralizing message. The representation of death as a symbol of the awareness of the fleeting nature of life appears in artifacts, religious books, as well as popular print. Romanian researchers of art depicting death in the Romanian space have generally focused on imagery, and based their studies on existing Western research. Most people who dealt with the topic agree that death and imagery are closely linked because death, taken as absence, needs an image to fill the emptiness it evokes.



    Cristina Bogdan is a lecturer with the University of Bucharest Faculty of Letters, and specializes in representations of death in 18th and 19th century Romanian art.



    Cristina Bogdan: “There is a lot to talk about when it comes to the relationship between death and imagery. The ties between the two have to do with the interplay of absence and presence. When something is absent, one feels the need to fill the void with an image. Both image and death are revealed through absence. In fact, we are dealing with an interplay between what death decomposes and image recomposes. We are talking about decomposition through death, about the decaying body, the loss of visual identity of the one who dies.



    Death in imagery is a representation of an extreme experience. It has been so in the collective mind of people since times immemorial, across societies, and it continues to be so.



    Cristina Bogdan: “Death is, first and foremost, an image. In actuality, death is an abstraction, if we think of the way that we know death and we relate to the body of the departed. It is a visible reality that we face, and at some point, we feel the need to fill the void with something, we feel the need to keep the departed one close to us in some way or another. Basically, all that we put in that place speaks of this iconophilic dimension of death. Philippe Aries, in a splendid album dedicated to man facing death, spoke about the various categories of images that we put in the place of the one that is no longer with us. The images are valid nowadays, too, even if today we are no longer as interested as we were in funeral masks, we have other ways of preserving the image of the dead. We have photographs, people make funeral photo albums, there are virtual cemeteries, on-line memorials, there are Facebook pages for the dead, it’s almost scary. It seems that there are 5 million Facebook profiles of people who are no longer with us. And yet these profiles exist and continue to be active.



    The image of death is encountered often in Romanian churches. It had an educational function aimed at the worshiper.



    Cristina Bogdan: “We started from an image that says it all. First and foremost, it speaks of the indoors and outdoors all at once. Most of the images of death in Wallachia, in churches painted between 1750 and 1850 are both indoors and outdoors, but mostly outdoors. In a small village church built out of wood we find an indoor painting, which is a portrait of the church dedicators holding up an ark of the church, and the ark has a depiction that we cannot find in the outdoor painting, but which we can guess was to be found on an outer wall, a scene that should have been on the northern wall of the church in Ciungetu in Valcea County. The church was painted in 1861 by master painter Nicolae Bunescu, erected by the villagers, led by Florea Ionescu, which local legend has it that he lived to 105 years of age. This scene contains an element that gives food for thought: the theme of the hunted hunter. It has a character that hunts a deer, and is a representation of death, scythe in hand, with wild hair and wild eyes. These are images we can find in other representations, too.



    The standard image of death is that of an old woman with a frightening look, with a hooded cloak, carrying a sack of sharp tools used to separate the body from the soul. The sack also carries the bodies it has taken. Death uses sharp tools such as swords, knives, sickles, and scythes, with the latter being the most often encountered:



    Cristina Bogdan: “The scythe is the identifying tool for death. It also appears in the pattern books for painters. It is the same with Radu the Painter’s pattern book, in which Death carries a scythe in four separate images. In miniatures from manuscripts, Picu Patrut presents Death as a figure closer to Western representations, depicting it with a scythe and an hourglass, which is rarely encountered in Romanian imagery. In popular books such as ‘The Brave Man and Death’ we have a mental struggle and the scythe is invoked by Death as a defining element. In folklore books, Death obviously appears as an ugly, undesirable character, a hideous crone, sometimes shown as a skeleton, holding a scythe.



    Representations of Death in the Romanian space has been influenced by religious imagery and the artistic models of other cultures. They were aimed at people of past times, and art in the meantime has come up with new representations.



    (translated by: Elena Enache, Daniel Bilt)

  • Tragedy in the Romanian mountain climbing

    Tragedy in the Romanian mountain climbing

    Zsolt Török, one of the best known Romanian mountain climbers, was found dead last weekend by mountain rescuers. After climbing the highest and most dangerous mountains of the world, from the Andes to the Himalayas, reaching altitudes of more than 7 thousand meters, where man literally meets the sky, Zsolt Török found his death at home, on Negoiu Peak, which is the second highest peak of the Romanian Carpathians measuring 2,535 meters in height. He had gone alone for several days to climb the Făgăraş Mountains.



    On Saturday, his wife reported him missing after a group of mountain climbers had found his things in a mountain shelter. Searches started right away and involved mountain rescuers and gendarmes from the counties of Sibiu and Arges as well as a helicopter of the interior ministry. The man was found dead several hours later. According to mountain rescuers, he seemingly slid down the rocks. The area where he was found was very unstable and generally avoided by mountaineers. Moreover, it had rained heavily in the previous days and the rocks were wet.



    Those who found Zsolt Török in the mountain abyss said he had no chance of survival as he had no equipment except for a climbing helmet. People who knew him say he would have never risked climbing difficult routes without taking safety measures, although danger is lurking around every corner in the mountains.



    Zsolt Török is known for his impressive mountain climbing achievements both in Romania and abroad. He was considered one of the best technicians among climbers in Romania and always talked passionately about his hobby. His last big climbing expedition was in 2018, when Romania celebrated the Union Centennial, and when he managed to place Romania’s flag atop Pumori Peak at 7,165 meters altitude in the Himalayas and to identify a new route towards that peak for the first time.



    Here is what Zsolt Török said at the time about the significance of his success: “I conveyed a short message of encouragement for climbers to think of me when they are in difficulty. It’s something symbolic for them to think of how I’ve overcome and I’m always overcoming obstacles and of how I have been keen on this professional mountain climbing job for 30 years.”



    Mountain peaks and Romanian climbing are now poorer and sadder — shows the message of condolence conveyed by Zsolt Török’s colleagues and friends from the National Mountain Rescuers Dispatching Center. Romania’s interim interior minister Mihai Fifor also posted a message in memory of mountain climber Zsolt Török who would have turned 46 on September 29. (translation by L. Simion)

  • March 5, 2019 UPDATE

    March 5, 2019 UPDATE

    JUDICIARY The Government of Romania Tuesday passed changes to the controversial Emergency Order 7 on the justice laws, which had triggered protests across the country. Under the changes announced by Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, only prosecutors with at least 15 years of seniority may hold top positions in the Public Ministry, and only the prosecutors division of the Higher Council of Magistrates, instead of the entire body, is required to give an advisory opinion on appointments. Also, good reputation will no longer be a criterion in dismissing magistrates, and the salaries of IT experts in the judicial system remain unchanged. Tudorel Toader made no comments on the controversial provisions regarding the new division investigating magistrates, which stay in place. The new changes have been operated despite the negative opinion of the Higher Council of Magistrates. Last Sunday in Bucharest and other major cities nearly 8,000 people protested against Emergency Order 7 modifying the justice laws. The prosecutors and judges in some 80 courts and prosecutors offices in half the country have also protested these days, by suspending work or by picketing court buildings.




    VISIT The Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă announced a working visit to Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, when she will attend 2 events devoted to equal opportunity and promoting womens rights and will have meetings with senior EU officials, including the European Commission first vice-president Frans Timmermans and the Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier. This years edition of the Womens European Council is held in a partnership with the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU, and will focus on better representation of women in politics and on promoting women into leadership positions, Viorica Dăncilă said. The second event will be organised by Romanias permanent representation to the EU, and will also be devoted to gender equality. The Romanian PM also added that on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, the Justice and Home Affairs Council will convene, chaired by Interior Minister Carmen Dan and Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. The agenda includes EU-wide cooperation in the field of the judiciary and border security, the Common European Asylum System and the Unions response to migration and terrorism.




    FLU Two more people died in Romania because of the flu, the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control confirmed on Tuesday. The 2 women were over 80 and also suffered from other, chronic conditions, and only one of them had been immunised against the flu. The total number of deaths caused this season by the flu has reached 165. According to the latest data, over 1.3 million people have been vaccinated so far.




    VOLLEYBALL The Romanian womens volleyball team CSM Alba Blaj Tuesday defeated Ştiinţa Bacău 3-0, in the return leg of the Romanian semi-final of the CEV Cup, the second top official competition in Europe. Alba Blaj had also won the first leg, in Bacau, 3-0, a week ago. Last year, Alba also played the Champions League final, which they lost in Bucharest to the Turkish club VakifBank Istanbul. The other semi-final of the CEV Cup pits Hungarian team Swietelsky Bekescsaba against Yamamay e-work Busto Arsizio of Italy.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • One year since the death of King Mihai

    One year since the death of King Mihai

    Romanians at home, in the Romanian historical communities around the present borders or in the Diaspora, are commemorating their last sovereign, King Mihai I. He died aged 96 at his residence in Switzerland on December 5, 2017. His biography overlaps Romania’s recent history, which was equally heroic and tragic. In 2017 King Mihai I was the last head of state who had experienced World War II. He was also the last of the four sovereigns of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen German dynasty that ascended the throne in Bucharest in 1866, building modern Romania.



    Born on October 25, 1921, Mihai reigned for the first time but only formally, over 1927-1930, when, after the death of his grandfather, King Ferdinand the Unifier, the country was ruled de facto by a regency council, as he was still a minor. Actually, he became a real king in 1940 after his father, the unpopular Carol II, had stepped down. The latter had instituted a corrupt and bloody royal dictatorship and had ceded a large part of the territories that had come under the authority of Romania at the end of World War I: Bessarabia, northern Bukovina, northern Transylvania and southern Dobrudja.



    Considered immature and not prepared to reign, Mihai remained in the shadow of the pro-German marshal Ion Antonescu for a long time. But, on August 23, 1944 when the Red Army had already entered Romania and was threatening to raze Bucharest to the ground, with an incredible courage, King Mihai decided to have the marshal arrested and declared the country’s alliance with the anti-Nazi Allies.



    Historians are almost unanimous in saying that his decision shortened the war in Europe by half a year and saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Three years later, when the country was practically under Soviet military occupation, being ruled by a puppet communist government, the King was forced to step down and go into exile in the West. He backed the actions of the Romanian National Committee, presented as a government in exile, though the Western democracies never recognized its status.



    Until the anticommunist revolution of 1989, he was permanently supervised by the Securitate, the political police of the communist regime in Bucharest. The King could only come back home in 1997, when his Romanian citizenship was restored, citizenship that had been withdrawn by the communists. Several confiscated properties were returned to his family. As special ambassador, in Western countries, King Mihai I lobbied for Romania’s NATO and EU accession in 2004 and 2007 respectively.



    His eldest daughter, Margareta, is now the Custodian of the Crown of Romania thus claiming the headship of the Royal House of Romania. “I don’t regard Romania today as a legacy from our parents, but as a country we borrowed from our children” — the last king of Romania said in a statement considered his real will.

  • Romanians pay tribute to King Michael I

    Romanians pay tribute to King Michael I

    Royal Hose loyalists, tourists and passers-by have stopped in front of the Royal Palace in Bucharest or of Elisabeta Palace, the Royal Familys residence in the capital city, to sign the books of condolences, light candles or lay flowers in memory of King Michael I, who died on Tuesday in Switzerland, aged 96. The Peles Castle in Sinaia, in the Southern Carpathians, the former summer residence of Romanias kings, has also become a focal point for those wishing to pay tribute to King Michael. His death prompted the biggest outpouring of grief seen in Romania in recent times, and the way simple people speak about him mirrors the deep admiration and respect that Romanians have for their king:



    Speaker: “At personal level, I feel Ive lost the last connection with my grandparents, who fought alongside His Majesty. At historical level, the loss is huge. Ive always been impressed with his grace and elegance and with how clear he spoke Romanian after so many years of exile. “


    Speaker: “May God rest his soul, and we hope that he will continue to watch over Romania and its people whom he loved so much.


    Speaker: “We have come to light some candles for the King. He was a good man.


    Speaker: “We thank him for everything that he did for Romania.



    Special religious services are held in churches in Romania and Switzerland until Wednesday, December 13, when King Michaels body will be flown to Romania and placed in the Hall of Honour of the Peles Castle in Sinaia. On the evening of the same day, the coffin will be brought to Bucharest and placed in the Throne Hall of the Royal Palace, to lie in state until the 15th of December.



    The King will be buried on December 16 in Curtea de Arges, in the south, where all of Romania’s kings are interred, including his wife, Anna of Bourbon-Parma. Around 100 personalities from all over the world, including heads of state and government and members of royal families, are expected to attend the funeral. Princess Margareta, the eldest of King Michael’s five daughters and the Custodian of the Crown, vowed to carry on his fathers legacy.



    Princess Margareta: “Throughout his long life, Romanias 4th king relied on faith, hope and patience. In every situation, he answered with justice and, when possible, with forgiveness. I am sure that in the future Romanians will continue to love the Crown, united in thought and action for the national good, as members of NATO and the EU.



    On Monday, December 11, Parliament will convene in plenary sitting to pay homage to the former monarch. December 14, 15 and 16 will be days of national mourning. King Michael of Romania was the countrys longest living monarch, living 96 years of the countrys 151 years of monarchy.



    He was credited with pre-emptively saving thousands of lives in World War II when, at 22, he had the courage to arrest the pro-Nazi leader, Marshal Ion Antonescu, a move that brought Romania on the side of the Allies. Historians say the monarchs action might have shortened the war in Europe by six months. King Michael was forced by the communists to abdicate and leave the country, and his exile lasted almost 50 years.


    (translated by: Elena Enache)

  • December 7, 2017

    December 7, 2017

    KING MICHAEL – Every evening until December 10 religious services will be held at King Michaels residence in Switzerland, where he spent most of his life in exile and where he also died, the Royal House announced. In the country, Romanians continue to bring flowers and candles in front of the former royal palace in Bucharest and at the Elisabeta Palace, the late Kings residence in the capital city. King Michaels body will be flown to the country on Wednesday, December 13, and placed at the Peles Castle in Sinaia, in the southern Carpathians. On the evening of the same day, the coffin will be brought to the Royal Palace in Bucharest. The funeral will take place on Saturday, December 16, in Curtea de Arges, southern Romania, where all Romanias former kings are interred. The Government declared a national mourning on December 14, 15 and 16. On Monday, December 11, the joint chambers of the Romanian Parliament will pay tribute to the former sovereign in a solemn session. The King of Romania between 1940 and 1947, Michael I passed away on Tuesday, at the age of 96.




    PROTESTS – Hundreds of people last night picketed the building of the Romanian Parliament, to protest the changes brought to the law on the status of magistrates, which were subject to a vote in the Chamber of Deputies. Traffic in the area was disrupted and incidents were reported, involving the protesters and the police. Unplanned protests were also held in the cities of Cluj Napoca, in the north-west, and Constanta in the south-east. The participants demanded that the Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea step down as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, given that he has already received a suspended sentence and is prosecuted in two other cases. MPs from Power and Opposition also traded insults and invectives during the meeting.




    BUDGET LAW – Leaders of the Romanian Parliament are to set today a roadmap for the endorsement of the 2018 state budget law. The bill was passed by the Government on Wednesday, and is based on a forecast economic growth rate of 5.5% and a 3.1% annual inflation rate. Prime Minister Mihai Tudose said it was the first time that the countrys GDP exceeded 200 billion euros, which would allow for salary and pension increases.




    DIPLOMACY – The US Ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, accuses Moscow of conducting misinformation campaigns aimed at generating confusion and division among NATO member states. Taking advantage of our democratic societies, Russia seeks to influence public opinion and often to influence elections as well, by disseminating fake news, the American diplomat said at a public debate organised in the north-western city of Cluj. On the other hand, he once again called on Romania to further fight corruption and defend the independence of the judiciary.




    MIDDLE EAST – US President Donald Trumps recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel triggered strong international condemnation. The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on Friday, at the request of 8 members, including the UK and France. The Arab League announced an emergency meeting on Saturday. All Palestinian organisations criticized the move and called for strikes and protests, while many countries in the region warned that the decision would entail religious tensions. Turkey threatened to break ties with Israel. Another US ally, Saudi Arabia, slammed Trumps decision as “irresponsible. Traditional US allies from Europe also voiced opposition to the move, whereas Russia and China have expressed concerns that conflicts in the region will be exacerbated.





    HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball team is playing tonight against Angola, in Group A of the World Championships hosted by Germany. The Romanians have already secured their qualification in the round of 16, after having defeated Paraguay, Slovenia and Spain. On Friday they will play the last match in the group, against France. Romania won the bronze medal in the 2015 championship, and is the only team to have taken part in all the 22 world championship final tournaments so far.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 17, 2017 UPDATE

    June 17, 2017 UPDATE

    GOVERNMENT – The Social Democratic Party, the main member of the ruling coalition in Romania, stepped up the process of dismissing its own Cabinet headed by Sorin Grindeanu. Parliament will convene on Sunday to present a motion to censure, and the document will be discussed and voted on three days later, on Wednesday. The Social Democrats need 233 votes to have the motion passed, and together with their allies, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, they have 247 seats in Parliament. On Friday, ex-PM Victor Ponta was appointed secretary general of the Grindeanu Cabinet, in what analysts see as Grindeanus attempt to secure allies among the influential members of the Social Democratic Party, from which he has been recently expelled. In turn, the Social Democrats claim Sorin Grindeanu and Victor Ponta are trying to highjack the executive power. We remind you that PM Grindeanu will not step down, although the ruling coalition withdrew its political support for the Government and most ministers have resigned. Sorin Grindeanu is criticised for lack of efficiency in implementing the governing programme. In turn, he says the situation will be settled in compliance with the Constitution and the applicable legislation. The head of state, Klaus Iohannis, has called on the coalition to solve its internal crisis.




    POLITICS – Ludovic Orban, a minister of transport in 2007-2008, was elected on Saturday the new president of the National Liberal Party, the largest right-wing party in the Romanian parliamentary opposition. MEP Cristian Buşoi was his challenger in the election. Both candidates promised a revival of the party, after the deafeat in the 2016 general election, when they only got 20% of the votes, as compared to 45% for the Social Democrats. Comentators believe that, against the background of the current acute divergencies among the Social democrats, the Liberals stand good chances to return to the forefront of the domestic political arena. Attending the Liberal Congress was also the secretary general of the European Peoples Party, Antonio Lopez Isturiz White. For a long time affiliated to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe, the National Liberal Party switched to the EPP in 2014. On Sunday, the Liberal Partys National coordination Council convenes to hold elections for 36 leading positions, for which over 100 party members are competing.




    HELMUT KOHL – President Klaus Iohannis sent condolences to his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the death of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. The head of the Romanian state paid tribute to “a great statesman and European leader and a source of inspiration for his handling of the challenges posed by the Cold War and the fall of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Iohannis added that Kohl was a close friend of Romania, having contributed to the success of the current Romanian-German relations. In turn, Emil Constantinescu, president of Romania in 1996 to 2000, said Helmut Kohl would be remembered in the history of Europe for his contribution to the remodelling of NATO and the EU in keeping with the great challenge represented by the end of the Cold War and its ultimate symbol, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Helmut Kohl died on Friday at the age of 87. Politicians from around the world have praised the outstanding European leader.




    CELEBRATION – The PM of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, accompanied by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, took part in Sibiu on Saturday in the celebration of 10 years since this Romanian city and Luxembourg were together European Capitals of Culture. A member of the German community in Romania, the descendants of the Saxon colonists coming to Transylvania in the Middle Ages, President Iohannis was the Mayor of Sibiu in 2007, when Romania joined the EU, and his city was a European capital of Culture together with Luxembourg. The partnership between Sibiu and Luxembourg remains an example of what the European spirit is all about, Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday, and voiced hope that the borders that may build walls between Europeans would be replaced by bridges of culture, freedom and tolerance. Also on Saturday, the two officials attended the opening of an honorary consular office of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Sibiu.




    FRENCH ELECTION – France is holding the second round of legislative elections on Sunday, under the restrictions of the state of emergency following the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015. The newly elected president Emmanuel Macron is seeking to secure a parliamentary majority to support the programme on which he won the presidential ballot last month. With over 32% of the votes in the first round, held last Sunday, Macrons Republique en Marche movement is expected to win between 400 and 445 seats out of the total 577 in the French Parliament.




    FENCING – Romanias womens epee team won the bronze on Saturday in the European Fencing Championships in Tbilisi, Georgia, after beating Estonia 45-38. Romania also won the bronze in last years edition of the competition, held in Torun, Poland. Romanias participation in the Tbilisi championships thus ends with 2 bronze medals, the first of them won on Monday by Bianca Pascu, in the individual sabre event.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 17, 2017

    June 17, 2017

    GOVERNMENT – The Social Democratic Party, the main member of the ruling coalition in Romania, stepped up the process of dismissing its own Cabinet headed by Sorin Grindeanu. Parliament will convene on Sunday to present a motion to censure, and the document will be discussed and voted on three days later, on Wednesday. The Social Democrats need 233 votes to have the motion passed, and together with their allies, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, they have 247 seats in Parliament. On Friday, ex-PM Victor Ponta was appointed secretary general of the Grindeanu Cabinet, in what analysts see as Grindeanus attempt to secure allies among the influential members of the Social Democratic Party, from which he has been recently expelled. In turn, the Social Democrats claim Sorin Grindeanu and Victor Ponta are trying to highjack the executive power. We remind you that PM Grindeanu will not step down, although the ruling coalition withdrew its political support for the Government and most ministers have resigned. Sorin Grindeanu is criticised for lack of efficiency in implementing the governing programme. In turn, he says the situation will be settled in compliance with the Constitution and the applicable legislation. The head of state, Klaus Iohannis, has called on the coalition to solve its internal crisis.




    POLITICS – MEP Cristian Buşoi and the former transportation minister Ludovic Orban are competing in Bucharest today, for the presidency of the National Liberal Party, the largest right-wing party in the Romanian Parliament. Both candidates promise a revival of the party, after the defeat in the 2016 general election, when they only got 20% of the votes, as compared to 45% for the Social Democrats. Commentators believe that, against the background of the current acute divergences among the Social Democrats, the Liberals stand good chances to return to the forefront of the domestic political arena. Attending the Liberal Congress is also the secretary general of the European Peoples Party, Antonio Lopez Isturiz White. For a long time affiliated to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Europe, the National Liberal Party switched to the EPP in 2014. On Sunday, the Liberal Partys National coordination Council will convene, to hold elections for 36 leading positions, for which over 100 party members are competing.




    HELMUT KOHL – President Klaus Iohannis sent condolences to his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier on the death of former Chancellor Helmut Kohl. The head of the Romanian state paid tribute to “a great statesman and European leader and a source of inspiration for his handling of the challenges posed by the Cold War and the fall of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Iohannis added that Kohl was a close friend of Romania, having contributed to the success of the current Romanian-German relations. In turn, Emil Constantinescu, president of Romania in 1996 to 2000, said Helmut Kohl would be remembered in the history of Europe for his contribution to the remodelling of NATO and the EU in keeping with the great challenge represented by the end of the Cold War and its ultimate symbol, the fall of the Berlin Wall. Helmut Kohl died on Friday at the age of 87. Politicians from around the world have praised the outstanding European leader.




    CELEBRATION – The PM of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, accompanied by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, are taking part in Sibiu today in the celebration of 10 years since this Romanian city and Luxembourg were together European Capitals of Culture. A member of the German community in Romania, the descendants of the Saxon colonists coming to Transylvania in the Middle Ages, President Iohannis was the Mayor of Sibiu in 2007, when Romania joined the EU, and his city was a European Capital of Culture together with Luxembourg. Also today, an honorary consular office of the Great Duchy of Luxembourg is opened in Sibiu. On Friday in Bucharest, PM Xavier Bettel and his Romanian counterpart Sorin Grindeanu discussed bilateral cooperation, particularly in fields like IT, communications, tourism and banking.




    SIBIU THEATRE FESTIVAL – Many theatre performances, exhibitions, workshops and conferences are taking place in theatre halls and unconventional venues, as part of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival. Medieval market places and the pedestrian area in the centre of the city have been turned into stages for parades, concerts and circus acts presented by artists from around the world. The Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the greatest performing arts festival in Romania and one of the most important in the world, started on June 9 and comes to a close on Sunday. One of the special guests this year was the famous Russian-born dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, who said he was impressed with the Festival in Sibiu.


    (translated by: Ana Maria Popescu)

  • December 19, 2016

    December 19, 2016

    COMMEMORATION – The western Romanian city of Timişoara commemorates today the fourth day of the anti-communist revolution of December 1989, with a conference organised by the Romanian Academy. Twenty-seven years ago, protesters were killed and wounded, and on December 20, Timişoara became the first Romanian city free from communism. Sparked by the locals opposition to an abusive measure of the city authorities, the protests quickly spread across the country, culminating on December 22nd in Bucharest, when the protesters stormed the headquarters of the central committee of the Romanian communist party. This is when the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife attempted to flee by helicopter. They were caught and executed on December 25, after a summary trial. Over 1,000 people died and nearly 3,400 were wounded in the clashes, and Romania remains the only Eastern Bloc country where the communist regime was brought down through violence and the communist leaders were executed.



    PARLIAMENT – The new MPs elected for the 2016 – 2020 term are expected to start today the procedures for taking office in Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. President Klaus Iohannis has announced that he will convene the new Parliament on Tuesday, and will hold talks with the parliamentary parties on Wednesday and Thursday. This week the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, which together hold 54% of the seats in the new parliament, will announce their proposal for the new prime minister. After the President has appointed the PM, the latter will have 10 days to put together a cabinet and the governing programme, after which he is to request Parliaments vote of confidence.




    REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS – This year 57 journalists have been killed around the world, especially in countries affected by war, according to a report made public by Reporters without Borders, an NGO based in Paris. The largest number of deaths, 19, was reported in Syria, followed by Afghanistan, Mexico, Iraq and Yemen. Most journalists lost their lives in their own countries, and one-third of them were targeted by deliberate attacks. Apart from the 57 journalists, 9 bloggers and 8 media collaborators were assassinated. As for the journalists incarcerated or detained this year, their number has increased particularly because of the situation in Turkey, where more than 100 media workers are currently imprisoned.



    SYRIA – The UN Security Council is to vote today on a draft resolution aimed at immediately deploying observers to monitor the evacuation of civilians and rebels from the Syrian town of Aleppo. The resolution initiated by France was originally scheduled to be put to a vote on Sunday, but Russia opposed it, voicing fears with respect to the deployment of UN officials unprepared to monitor the protection of the thousands of people still trapped in the last rebel-controlled area in the east of this Syrian town. After intensive negotiations, a compromise text was drafted.



    US ELECTION – In the USA, the Electoral College is to vote today on Donald Trumps victory in the presidential race. Whereas in previous years this procedure was a mere formality, the controversial success of the Republican candidate, who lost the popular vote but was supported by presidential electors, is generating a variety of scenarios. Major changes are not expected however after todays vote, although some have requested electors to keep in mind that the businessman does not meet the moral criteria to lead the worlds foremost democracy. Adding to these are disclosures by American intelligence services that Russia contributed to Donald Trumps victory.



    HANDBALL – Norways womens team Sunday won the gold medal at the European Handball Championship in Sweden, after having defeated the Netherlands, 30-29 in the final. Norway thus won the 7th European champion title in 12 editions of this competition. In the match for the 3rd place, France beat Denmark, 25-22. Romania came out 5th in this edition of the European championship. The national team had a good performance overall, but failed to qualify into the semi-finals after losing the match against Denmark. In this competition the Romanian players defeated the Olympic champions Russia, as well as Hungary, Croatia and the Czech Republic, and lost a tightly contested match against the European and world champions, Norway.

  • In Memoriam Radu Beligan

    In Memoriam Radu Beligan

    Throughout his long and outstanding life, Radu Beligan, who died Wednesday at the age of 97, was an epitome of the spirit of theatre, with a remarkably complex outlook on life and art. The honorary president for life of the International Theatre Institute and co-president, together with Yehudi Menuhin, of the international theatre and music festivals organized by UNESCO, Radu Beligan was for a long time the intellectual benchmark of Romanian theatre.



    He performed for 70 years, which brought him a Guinness Book of Records entry as the world’s oldest active professional theatre actor. An honorary member of the Romanian Academy and the director, for several decades, of the National Theatre and Bucharest Comedy Theatre, a director and a professor, Radu Beligan played hundreds of theatre and film parts. One of his most memorable performances was the Rica Venturiano role in I. L. Caragiale’s comedy “A Stormy Night.”



    Vastly educated and devoted to the ideal of excellence in everything he did, Radu Beligan left a legacy revolving around intellectual curiosity and the desire to expand knowledge of human nature. The magic of maestro Radu Beligan will live forever, writes the PM of Romania Dacian Ciolos in a condolence letter, while the head of state Klaus Iohannis describes Radu Beligan as the perfect embodiment of the ideal actor.



    Radu Beligan was always proud to be a Romanian and to make Romanian values known wherever he traveled. He was appreciated by audiences around the world and had longstanding friendships with great world artists like Elia Kazan, Peter Brook, Laurence Olivier, Arthur Miller and Salvador Dali.

  • Emergency Measures in Romanian Health-Care System

    Emergency Measures in Romanian Health-Care System

    The Burn Hospital in Bucharest is known all across the country for its capacity to treat patients that have sustained severe injuries. However, in the past years, the image of this hospital has been marred by a string of scandals: infections causing the death of some patients, the issue of the diluted disinfectants delivered by Hexi Pharma, serious accusations of corruption involving physicians and hospital directors.



    The most recent of these scandals broke out after the media carried shocking photos of a patient in intensive care having larvae-infested wounds, and who eventually died. Another case was that of a woman who got the wrong blood transfusion treatment and died as a result. Following the two deaths, the Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Department as well as the Transfusion Unit have been shut down, and now solutions are being looked for, in order to relocate these facilities. Moreover, the case has triggered an investigation by the Ombudsman and manslaughter charges have been filed.



    The Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu has termed as ‘inadmissible the fact that nobody has learnt anything from the tragedy that occurred at the Colectiv night club in Bucharest in October 2015, when 64 people died and more than 100 were injured. He has also said that the manager of the Burn Hospital has never applied for any investments or staff upsizing.


    Vlad Voiculescu: “The only reasonable measure that I have considered several times in the past few months is to close down the hospital and transfer the activity to another unit. Ive had a meeting with the managers of the hospitals that can take over patients with severe burn injuries, but the conclusion was that we cannot possibly shut down the entire hospital. We are considering intermediary measures, such as inspections, controls, fines and, of course, support for the hospital in the form of investments. A hospital that has no climate control system, where the management has filed no application to the Health Ministry to get money for purchasing such a system, a hospital with flies everywhere, is a major problem.



    Currently there are 47 patients in the Burn Hospital, two of whom cannot be transferred, and authorities say that, if an accident resulting in serious casualties were to occur right now, patients would have to be transferred abroad, because they could not be treated in Romania.



    Many of the people injured in the fire at the Colectiv nightclub were admitted to the Burn Hospital. Even if some of the survivors were transferred abroad, others died because of infections acquired in the Romanian hospitals. And, quite ironically, early this year, the management team of the Burn Hospital in Bucharest got an excellence award for professionalism, abnegation, commitment and heroism.