Radio România Internațional

Tag: Friday

  • May 3, 2024

    May 3, 2024

     

    EASTER        Orthodox and Eastern-Catholic Christians mark Great and Holy Friday, when they commemorate the Crucifixion and burial of Christ. Tonight believers attend the Vespers of the Taking-Down from the Cross, when an epitaphios is carried in procession to a low table in the church nave which represents the Tomb of Christ, with the epitaphios itself representing the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud. The holy light from Jerusalem is to be brought to Romania on Saturday night and distributed to all parishes. The light is believed to be an Orthodox miracle, taking place every year on Holy Saturday in Jerusalem, at the end of Holy Week, a period of prayer when the faithful revisit the events of the last day in the life of Jesus Christ.

     

    GAZA Negotiations continue for a ceasefire and a new prisoner exchange in Gaza. The talks take place amid threats that Israel would strike the border town of Rafah, where the last Hamas units are located. But Rafah also hosts half of the population of the Gaza Strip, and the international community has warned that a land offensive there would cause a humanitarian disaster. A high-level UN official said the funds for the reconstruction of war-hit Gaza may reach as much as USD 40 bln. The UN Assistant Secretary-General Abdallah al-Dardari told a press conference that the scope of the destruction is unprecedented. Meanwhile, Gaza-related protests carry on in universities in the US. The police cleared a pro-Palestinian protest camp at UCLA in Los Angeles, with at least 200 people arrested. In Washington, president Joe Biden said that while he would always uphold the right to free speech, order must prevail.

     

    FARMERS The European Commission has extended the temporary framework enabling member states to provide state aid more easily to the farmers affected by the impact of the war in Ukraine. The mechanism was introduced in March 2022, after Russia attacked Ukraine, which triggered skyrocketing energy and fertilizer costs. The temporary crisis framework allowed member states to earmark up to EUR 280,000 in aid to affected farms until June 2024, and up to EUR 335,000 to fishery and aquaculture enterprises, as a derogation from the EU’s strict state aid rules. The agriculture ministers in 15 member countries also demanded an increase from EUR 20,000 to EUR 50,000 of the ceiling for the aid granted to an enterprise without consulting Brussels, but the request was dismissed.

     

    DISTINCTION Romanians have received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Second of May from the Community of Madrid, for their integration and for representing a cultural and economic asset for the region. “Apart from being hard-working, Romanians with their effort and courage help us create jobs and opportunities for others,” said the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuos. “The Romanian community in Madrid is not only the largest foreign community here, but also the one that contributes the most to the social and economic development of the local society,” the charge d’affaires with the Romanian embassy in Madrid, Raluca Mihăilă, said in turn. More than one million Romanians are currently living in Spain.

     

    SPORTS Romania came out 4th at the qualifiers for the European artistic gymnastics championships in Rimini (Italy), with Sabrina Voinea ranking 4th at the all-around event. Romania’s team, comprising Sabrina Voinea, Ana Maria Bărbosu, Lilia Cosman, and Amalia Ghigoarţă, was outperformed by Italy, the UK and France. On Sunday the Romanians take part in 4 apparatus finals—Ana Bărbosu in the vault final, Lilia Cosman in the beam final and Sabrina Voinea in the beam and floor finals. Maria Ceplinschi did not attend the qualifiers for health-related reasons. (AMP)

  • March 7-14, 2021

    March 7-14, 2021


    The evolution of coronavirus in Romania


    The government in Bucharest decided to extend the state of alert by 30 more days, coming into effect on March 14, as the number of COVID-19 infections rises. According to PM Florin Citu, all restrictions already in place are here to stay. In addition, night circulation is forbidden between 22:00 and 5:00, one hour earlier than before. Another decision limits occupation in tourist accommodation to up to 70% of capacity. This measure is mostly aimed at accommodation in areas with skiing or winter sports facilities. At the same time, in order to speed up the vaccination campaign and contain the pandemic, on Thursday the third stage opened for people in localities with a rate of infection of over 4.5 to a thousand inhabitants. This stage will be applied nationally starting Monday, in which anyone who wishes to vaccinate can do so as well. Romania has immunized over 1.3 million people since the start of the vaccination campaign, on December 27, and over half have had the follow-up. On Thursday, the authorities in Bucharest have decided to temporarily suspend the use of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine up until the end of the evaluation run by the European Medicines Agency. The decision comes after several European countries registered severe reactions, even deaths, after the administration of these vaccines, part of a certain allotment.



    Conclusions in the fire at the Matei Bals hospital


    The Romanian government will file a case with the National Anti-Corruption Directorate following the conclusion of the Control Body in relation to the fire at the Matei Bals Institute in Bucharest. Inspectors who investigated the area after the 29 January reached the conclusion that the fire was caused by the poor and antiquated infrastructure, the undersized wiring, and the poor supervision of the patients. We recall that over 20 people have died in the fire in one pavilion of the hospital, causing over 100 COVID patients to be relocated.



    The 2021 budget passes


    President Klaus Iohannis endorsed this week the state budget and social insurance law for 2021. According to the Presidency, investment, reforms, and economic growth are the pillars of the 2021 budget, observing all the principles of fiscal responsibility and sustainability of public finance. The budget deficit target of 7.16% of the GDP indicates a considerable effort towards budget consolidation, without unduly burdening citizens with new taxes, the release also indicates. Considerable amounts of money are earmarked for the transportation infrastructure, schools and hospitals, but also for managing the vaccination campaign, as well as the risks associated with the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Major investments are aimed at supporting businesses, new opportunities for development, and creating better paying jobs, the document states. Last week, Parliament passed the budget bill in the form issued by the government, without accepting amendments. This year, the budget is based on an economic growth of 4.31%.



    Romania reports record economic growth for 2020 4th quarter


    Romania had the highest GDP growth of any EU country in the fourth quarter of the past year compared to the previous quarter. According to data published on Tuesday by Eurostat, the Romanian economy grew by 4.8% during that period. Previously, the Romanian National Institute of Statistics reviewed downwards its expectation for growth from 5.3% to 4.8% for the GDP in the last quarter of last year. It did not, however, adjust its estimate for 2020, according to which the Romanian economy shrank by 3.9% in real terms. The shrinkage in the GDP was caused by industry, trade, agriculture, and entertainment related activities.



    The authorities in Bucharest want to eliminate cumulative pensions


    Romania has launched a public debate on a bill to ban cumulative pensions with state wages. Minister of Labor Raluca Turcan announced that around 35,000 tax payers are receiving both a pension and a salary. There will be exceptions to this, however, such as teachers, members of the Romanian Academy, and elected officials. The bill also provides for the possibility of continuing work up until 70 years of age, applying to both state and private employees. Another bill was submitted for public debate, along with an emergency executive order, allowing for parents who return to work earlier than their parental leave allows to receive a higher bonus for returning.



    The Green Friday campaign is launched


    The Romanian Ministry of the Environment launched on March 12 the Green Friday initiative, encouraging the use of alternative transportation for going to and from work in order to reduce pollution, especially in the big cities. The campaign provides that every Friday people should not use their personal vehicles and go to and from work using public transport, bicycles, or just on foot. Minister of the Environment Tánczos Barna announced he would launch an invitation to everyone to take part, while town halls were extended a proposal to offer free public transportation on Fridays. (tr. C. Cotoiu)

  • March 12, 2021

    March 12, 2021

    PENSIONS Public and private sector employees may continue working until the age of 70 if they choose to, the Romanian labour minister Raluca Turcan announced. She explained that unlike private sector staff, in the public sector the employees reaching retirement age who continue working cannot receive both public pensions and salaries. Another bill drafted by the labour ministry concerns an increase of the bonuses paid to new parents who stay on parental leave for less than 6 months, from 130 euros to around 300 euros.



    VACCINE Romania temporarily suspends the use of an AstraZeneca vaccine batch, until the European Medicines Agency completes its assessment. The National Vaccine Coordination Committee decided however to continue using the doses from batches where problems have not been reported. The decision comes after other European countries reported severe side effects and even deaths among people having received AstraZeneca doses from a particular batch. Romania received 81,600 doses from the AstraZeneca batch no. ABV 2856, and has used over 77,000 of them. The remaining shots are temporarily suspended, until the European Medicines Agency completes its assessment. Today, over 100,000 doses of Moderna vaccine reach Romania. Also, in order to step up the vaccine rollout and contain the pandemic, on Thursday the last stage of the vaccination programme was launched in places with more than 4.5 infections per 1,000 people. On Monday the 3rd vaccination phase, targeting the general public, begins across the country. On Friday Romania reported over 5,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours. 108 COVID-related deaths were also reported, and 1,166 patients are in intensive care.



    PANDEMIC The European Medicines Agency has approved the use of a 4th COVID-19 vaccine in the EU—the single-shot Johnson & Johnson. Meanwhile, as a precaution, 9 countries have suspended the use of AstraZeneca vaccines over blood clot fears. These countries are Austria, Italy, Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. The first to do so was Austria, following the death of a person from multiple thrombosis. Other countries using this vaccine, including Spain, Sweden and the UK, say they had no problems of this kind. 17 EU member states have received doses from the batch in question. The European Commission urges member states to follow the advice of the European Medicines Agency, which says that at this point nothing points to higher blood clot risks in people having received the Covid-19 vaccine. Astrazeneca insists that its vaccine has been tested extensively and is well tolerated. On Thursday night, in the US, the worst-hit country in the world, president Joe Biden gave his first prime-time address, marking 1 year since the pandemic was declared officially. Biden announced that his goal of having 100 million Americans immunised in the first 100 days of his term in office will be reached sooner than planned. According to worldometers updates, over 119 million people have caught the coronavirus so far. Of them, around 94.7 million have recovered and at least 2.6 million people died.



    ENVIRONMENT The environment ministry has today launched a campaign called Green Friday, calling on Romanians to switch from automobiles to walking, cycling or using public transport every Friday. The point is primarily to reduce pollution in big cities. Minister Barna Tanczos explained that 60% of urban pollution is caused by automobiles.




    ECONOMY In Romania, the trade balance deficit in January was nearly 1.2 billion euros, down since last January, with imports dropping 5.8% and exports 4.9%. According to data made public on Friday by the National Statistics Institute, exports amounted to 5.4 billion euro, and imports to 6.6 billion euro. In related news, the INS announced on Friday that in January the average net salary in Romania was nearly 700 euro, down 6.2% since the previous month. The highest salaries in Romania are paid in IT&C, and the smallest in the hospitality industry. (tr. A.M. Popescu)