Radio România Internațional

Tag: George Enescu International Festival

August 26, 2023

BIAS – Bucharest hosts the biggest air show in Romania – Bucharest International Air Show (BIAS), celebrating 100 years since the first nighttime flight operated from Belgrade to Băneasa airport in Bucharest. Taking part are over 100 civilian and military aircraft and 150 pilots and parachute jumpers, which will offer a number of aerobatics and elite flying demonstrations. Guests will also be able to see military pilots flying a number of aircraft including F-16 Fighting Falcon, IAR 99 Eagle, IAR 330 PUMA, IAK 52 C 27J Spartan and the EC 135 gunship. The program also includes air policing and airdrop support drills. The US Air Forces are also participating in the show with Blackhawk and Apache gunships, while Canadian Air Forces will display a McDonnel Douglas CF-18 Hornet aircraft. The Dutch Air Forces will bring two F16 Fighting Falcons, the German Forces a Sikorsky CH-52 Sea Stallion and a Tornado Pa200. The 2023 edition of BIAS will also feature the famous Lithuanian pilot Jurgis Kairys, several-time world aerobatics champion.

WILDFIRES – Romanian firefighters are engaged in interventions abroad, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations reports. In France, Romanian firefighters joined efforts to help stop a wildfire in the southeast from spreading. Military firefighters in Greece intervened to contain and eventually put out a wildfire threatening a settlement in the east and remain on standby for future missions.

ENESCU FESTIVAL – The Palace Concert Hall in Bucharest on Sunday will host the opening concert of the George Enescu International Music Festival, which will feature the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, who is also the Festival’s artistic director. The program includes Concerto in B Minor for cello and orchestra opus 104 by Antonín Dvořák, George Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody no. 2 in D Major opus 11, and the Knight of the Rose suite opus 59 by Johann Strauss. The 26th edition of the George Enescu Festival is themed Generosity through Music. Taking part will be 3,500 of the most renowned artists in the world and over 40 orchestras from 16 countries. Among other things, the festival also includes opera concerts and educational concerts for children. This year a number of great orchestras are taking part, including the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra and Choir, London Symphonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse or the Philharmonic Orchestra of Israel. The George Enescu Festival has been held in Bucharest since 1958, honoring the memory and works of the great Romanian composer, pianist, violinist and conductor George Enescu.

WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued a code orange alert for extreme heat and high thermal discomfort for the west and the south, where temperatures will exceed 37 degrees. The temperature-humidity index will exceed the critical level of 80 units. The rest of the territory is under a code yellow alert against extreme heat. The code orange alert will remain in place for Sunday in 19 counties in the south, west, center and the capital Bucharest, where temperatures will reach 39 degrees. The code yellow alert will also remain in place for most regions, where highs will range between 35 and 37 degrees. On Monday the heat wave will continue to affect most regions, while starting Tuesday only the east will be affected.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse (166 WTA) has qualified to the main draw of the women’s singles at US Open, set to kick off at Flushing Meadows in New York on Monday. In the final preliminary round Ruse ousted Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine. Another four Romanian players will compete in the opening round – Sorana Cîrstea, Irina Begu, Ana Bogdan and Patricia Țig.

ROWING – Romanian athlete Cătălin Chirilă won silver in the 1000m race at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships hosted by Duisburg, Germany, after winning gold in the 500m race the previous day. Chirilă was the defending champion in this event after winning gold at the World Championships in Dartmouth, Canada. The competition counts for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the top six athletes will qualify directly. (VP)

26 August 2023
September 12, 2021 UPDATE

Covid-19RO. Some 2,250 new cases of coronavirus infection were reported in Romania on Sunday, in 33,200 tests, the Strategic Communication Group has announced. 29 Covid-19 related deaths were reported. At least 4,800 infected people are currently hospitalized, of which 600 in intensive care. So far, 5.2 million people have been fully vaccinated in Romania, which accounts for about one third of the eligible population.

School. Almost 3 million pupils and preschoolers return to classes in Romania on Monday. The new school year has 34 weeks, is divided into two semesters and ends on June 11, 2022. The Minister of Education, Sorin Cîmpeanu, has announced that, on the first day of school, festivities will be allowed in which parents can participate, provided they wear a mask and keep a safe distance from other participants. But there are also children who will not be able to go to school physically, as several towns and villages have exceeded the COVID-19 infection rate of 6 cases per one thousand inhabitants. 7000 pupils will not be able to physically participate in ceremonies marking the start of the new school year, due to either a high rate of infection or lack of proper infrastructure in schools, Sorin Cîmpeanu has announced. He has voiced hope that important progress will be made in vaccinating pupils after school starts, as the relevant authorities can organize mobile teams, which will bring immunization closer to schools.

Moldova. The Republic of Moldova is faced with one of the highest rates of new cases of Covid-19 and related deaths, Radio Chisinau reports. Over the past week, the number of new cases has increased by 43 percent and the number of related deaths has doubled. On the other hand, France, which is among the leading European countries in terms of vaccination, with more than 80% of the population over the age of 12 already vaccinated, is preparing to implement new measures to combat the epidemic as of next week. Starting September 13, a new vaccination campaign starts for the administration of a third dose, first in the centers for the elderly, as their residents were the first to be vaccinated at the beginning of the year. Countries around the world are currently considering administering vaccines to children, while pharmaceutical companies, including Moderna, are trying to get the green light for the use of anti-COVID-19 serums in teenagers. Pfizer, whose COVID-19 vaccine is already being administered to teenagers, has started testing the vaccine in younger children. Globally, there have been at least 224 million cases of infection with the new coronavirus and more than 4.6 million related deaths, according to worldometers.

Visit. On Sunday, in Budapest, Pope Francis described the Hungarian nation as faithful to its roots but also urged Hungarians to be open to others. In what observers saw a diplomatic hint at Viktor Orbans anti-migration policies, the Pope said that the symbol of the cross meant we should reach to the others as well. The 84 year-old Pope went to Hungary for the closing service of the International Eucharistic Congress. He had closed-door talks with President Janos Ader and Prime Minister Orban, which were not followed by press statements. The head of the Hungarian government, who disapproves of the Popes call for refugees of all faiths to be received in Europe, wrote on Facebook that he had asked the Sovereign Pontiff not to let Christians in Hungary perish. A Calvinist and married to a Roman Catholic, Orban does not share the Popes tolerance of LGBT people and is often accused of promoting homophobic policies. From Hungary, Pope Francis left for neighboring Slovakia, where he will stay for three days.

Festival. The George Enescu International Festival continues in Romania. Its the 25th edition of the festival and celebrates 140 years since the birth of the great Romanian composer. The Russian conductor Vladimir Jurowski is once again the artistic director of the festival. He has stated that “this anniversary edition gathers the most important musicians of the world and promotes the idea of united European cultures”. In total, 32 orchestras from 14 countries perform at this years edition of the festival. Radio Romania and the Romanian Television are co-producers of the George Enescu International Festival.

Untold. The sixth edition of the largest electronic music festival in Europe, Untold, has ended in Cluj Napoca, north-western Romania. Over 200 DJs and artists participated in the event, after almost two years of break, on the seven stages of the festival. In total, more than 100,000 people attended the events organized during the festival, which began on Thursday. This year, the organizers tried to combine electronic music with traditional tunes. Untold gathers every year the most important DJs in the world. This year, in Cluj-Napoca were present, among others, David Guetta, DJ Snake, Afrojack, Martin Garrix, Nina Kravitz and Paul Kalkbrenner.

Tennis. The British teenager Emma Răducanu (18 years old), won the US Open 2021, after, on Saturday, in the final, she defeated the Canadian Leylah Fernandez (19 years old), 6-4, 6- 3. Emma won the prestigious American tournament without losing a set and coming from qualifications, something that has never happened in the history of tennis. The US Open was Emmas second participation in a Grand Slam tournament, after the one at Wimbledon, where she had to give up in the round of 16, due to medical problems. Emma, born to a Romanian father and an Asian mother, has thus secured a 2.5 million USD check and has jumped from the 150th to the 23rd position in the WTA rankings. (MI)

12 September 2021
July 19, 2021 UPDATE

WEATHER Weather in Romania
will continue to be hot and unstable. Yellow and orange-code alerts for heavy
rainfall are in place across the country, with unstable weather expected until
at least midweek. Temperatures will drop a bit, but the level of thermal
discomfort will remain high. Thunderstorms will first hit the south-west, west,
centre and north of the country, to then cover the south and south-east
beginning on Tuesday. The extreme
weather has caused major damages in the west of the country over the past few
days, with several parts of Alba County affected by flash floods.

FLOODING The death toll of
the disastrous flooding in Western Europe nears 200, as many missing people are
found dead. Germany reports the largest number of victims. Chancellor Angela
Merkel has visited some of the worst hit regions, and promised immediate aid
from the federal government for reconstruction works, while also pledging more
efforts to fight climate change. The EU has announced it would provide aid both
to Germany and to the other countries affected by floods, such as Belgium and
the Netherlands. In Belgium, more than 30 people are dead and others are
missing. Italy also sees heavy rainfalls causing floods in the northern and
southern parts of the country.

COVID-19 The Romanian
health minister Ioana Mihăilă has stated that the 4th wave of the Covid-19
pandemic will affect unvaccinated people, and said less than 1% of those who
have got the vaccine caught the disease. Ioana Mihăilă urged even those who
recovered from the disease to get the vaccine, arguing that this would prevent
a severe form of the Covid-19, even when the Delta variant is involved. In
spite of continuing public campaigns promoting vaccination, the target of 5
million fully vaccinated Romanians is yet to be reached. Meanwhile, 46 new infection cases
were reported on Monday afternoon, out of close to 11,000 tests. 269 Covid-19
patients are currently in hospital, of whom 33 in intensive care.

PANDEMIC Greece
reintroduces COVID-19 restrictions in spite of the tourist season being in full
swing. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Athens, several Greek
islands deemed free of COVID-19 are introducing night curfews and banning the
access of unvaccinated people in restaurants and clubs. The Greek government
will also make vaccination compulsory for several categories of employees.
France tightens access restrictions for travelers from certain countries,
including the UK, Spain, Greece and the Netherlands, who will be required to
get tested 24 hours prior to arriving in the country. On the other hand,
England lifted all restrictions on Monday, in spite of an alarming increse in
the number of Delta variant infections. London argues that containment measures
cannot be kept in place forever, and the vaccines provide protection.

AVIATION DAY. The Romanian
Minister of Defense, Nicolae Ciuca, and the Chief of the Defense Staff,
Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu, will participate, on Tuesday, in the
military ceremony organized on the occasion of the Romanian Aviation and Air
Force Day at the Air Heroes Monument in downtown Bucharest, the Ministry of
Defense has announced. During the ceremony, wreaths will be laid in memory of
the aviator heroes, and the 74th PATRIOT Regiment – the tactical combat unit
established on December 1, 2018, whose mission is to render operational the
PATRIOT surface-to-air missile system – will be handed the Battle Flag .
According to the Ministry of National Defense, this ceremony pays homage to
the memory of the heroes who, on the battlefields or in missions carried out in
theaters of operations or on the national territory, served with devotion the
wings of the homeland and joined the heaven’s squadron. The Day of the
Romanian Aviation and Air Force is celebrated, every year, on July 20, when the
Holy Prophet Elijah, the spiritual protector of the pilots, is also celebrated.

FORESTS. Romania has joined ten other European countries, including Germany, Austria and Hungary, which have called for a debate on Brussels’ new forest management strategy before the document is officially signed by the European Commission. The Romanian Minister of Environment, Tanczos Barna, explained that, until now, the member states could only consult a draft of the strategy and that the final version should take into account the opinions of each country. He also said that on Tuesday he will have a bilateral meeting with Virginijus Sinkevicius, THE European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries and will approach this issue. However, the European Commission has stated that the new strategy for the protection and restoration of EU forests, adopted on 16 July, emerged from a public consultation in all Member States. Austria was the country that first decided to challenge the European forest strategy. In recent years, Romania has faced massive deforestation. Based on the new European strategy, it will be monitored, together with Bulgaria, Finland and Sweden, on the protection of old and primary forests.

FESTIVAL Tickets for the
25th George Enescu International Festival are available as of Monday. The
festival, scheduled to take place between 28 August and 26 September, will
bring to Bucharest 3,500 Romanian and foreign artists. Healthcare measures will
be in place this year, to protect the public, the artists, the organisers and
journalists. Some of the world’s most celebrated orchestras, including the
London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Academy of St
Martin in the Fields, the National Orchestra of France conducted by the
Romanian Cristian Măcelaru, and the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Valery
Gergiev, will take part in this year’s festival, alongside world-famous
soloists like violinists Maxim Vengerov, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Joshua Bell,
cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianists Denis Matsuev, Jean Yves Thibaudet and
Kirill Gerstein. (MI)

19 July 2021
August 31, 2018 UPDATE

ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY– The Romanian Foreign
Ministry in Bucharest has joined many other state institutions in celebrating
Romanian Language Day, on August 31. A press release issued by the line
ministry reads: ‘The celebration dedicated to this fundamental element of the
identity of the Romanian people gains deep symbolism on the year of the
Centennial of the Grand Union, urging us to diversify and enrich our linguistic
heritage for the new generation and the people who love the Romanian language
around the world. This day was celebrated by local authorities and
institutions, by diplomatic institutions around the world, and by Romanian
cultural institutes, with cultural, educational, and scientific programs
dedicated to the Romanian language. This day was also celebrated in the Republic
of Moldova.

AFRICAN SWINE FEVER – New cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in
Romania, where the number of outbreaks stands at 800. The authorities continue
to act to limit the spread of the virus, with pigs getting culled in a quarter of
Romania’s counties. The authorities have imposed restrictions on the sale of
pork, and checkpoints have been set up at the borders of counties with
confirmed cases. The right of centre opposition in Bucharest has filed a
request to the Chamber of Deputies to set up a committee to investigate the way
in which the authorities have managed the epidemic. President Klaus Iohannis
renewed his call on the government to act more effectively to prevent the
spread of the virus and provide relief to the people affected by it.

RESIGNATION – Romanian Minister for Research and Innovation, Nicolae Burnete, has
stepped down, thus being the first minister in the Dancila cabinet to
tender his resignation. In a communiqué posted
on the site of the institution, Nicolae Burnete writes
that his resignation is irrevocable, without however mentioning the reasons
behind his decision. He tenders his
resignation just one day before the session of the National Executive Committee
of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition. The Committee
is expected to set legislative priorities and to analyse the activity of the ministers
in the Dancila cabinet. Also on Friday, the Prime Minister said the agenda of
talks also includes a potential government reshuffle.

ANNIVERSARY – President Klaus
Iohannis has been invited by Queen Elisabeth II of the UK to a reception at
Buckingham Palace to celebrate Prince Charles’ 70th birthday, on November 14.
The event, followed by a gala dinner, will be attended by numerous heads of
state and government, as well as members of European royal families.
Prince Charles is famously friendly to Romania, a country he visits often,
where he met President Klaus Iohannis on many occasions.

DIPLOMACY– Romanian
foreign minister Teodor Melescanusaid
on Friday in Vienna that the best solution in the Kosovo file is a bilateral understanding
with Serbia. Melescanu also said such an agreement will help the countries that
have not recognized Kosovo’s declaration of independence to make-what he
called-a final decision. The statements were
made at the informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers (Gymnich), organized by the Austrian presidency of the EU Council.
Kosovo, with a majority Albanian population, has unilaterally proclaimed its independence
from Serbia. Although 10 years have elapsed since then, five EU member states
have not recognized its independence- Romania, Spain, Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus.

ENESCU FESTIVAL– Between September 1
and 23, Bucharest is host to the 16th edition of the George Enescu
International Festival, bringing to the public a number of exceptional recitals
with three great musicians, who are going to also be members on the festival’s
jury. Among the guests are Italian violinist Salvatore Accardo, Swedish pianist
Peter Jablonnski, and British cellist Raphael Wallfisch. In total, 270 young
musicians from 39 countries, 22 from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, will
compete in the four sections – Composition, Violin, Cello, and Piano. This is
the 60 year anniversary of the festival dedicated to famous composer,
violinist, pianist and conductor George Enescu. (Translated by C. Cotoiu and D. Vijeu)

31 August 2018
New launches by Casa Radio Publishers

During the George Enescu International Festival, Casa Radio Publishers released new music CDs for music lovers, focusing on Romanian composers and performers, with recordings old and new taken from the Radio Romania tape library. One of them is “George Enescu. The Composer,” a double-CD that brings together 4 of Enescu’s works: Symphony no. 3, the poem “Isis” and Symphonies no. 4 and 5. The recordings on this album, made in 1994-1998, feature outstanding performances by conductors Horia Andreescu, Camil Marinescu and Corneliu Dumbraveanu, the tenor Florin Diaconescu, the Radio Romania National Orchestra and Radio Romania Academic Choir.

Another exceptional launch by Casa Radio Publishers was Pascal Bentoiu’s “Enescu’s Work in Brief,” comprising a book and 4 CDs, and offering an overview of Enescu’s work, in an attractive manner, by the most prestigious commentator of George Enescu’s music. Composer and musicologist Pascal Bentoiu wrote these commentaries in 2005, on the commemoration of 50 years since Enescu had passed away.

Music editor Tiberiu Comandasu, from the Casa Radio Publishers, gives us more details: “These are programs aired by Radio Romania Music Channel, providing a look at how Enescu grew as a composer. The commentaries are particularly interesting because, while they are extremely well articulated in terms of music theory, they are expressed in a very accessible manner, so that any music lover without special training in this field can understand them. Another strong point of this release is that it addresses not only the Romanian public, but English speaking readers and listeners as well, which makes it suitable for promotion in the most diverse and large-scale projects promoting the Romanian culture. Buyers will also appreciate not only the commentaries made by Pascal Bentoiu, but also his personal impressions, because Bentoiu attended some of the performances conducted by Enescu himself at the Romanian Athenaeum, and the volume includes these direct testimonials as well.”

An analyst of Enescu’s works, Pascal Bentoiu is also the one who wrote the instrument sheet music for Enescu’s Symphonies 4 and 5, which the author died before finishing. They were presented during the 1998 George Enescu International Festival, performed by the same Radio Romania National Orchestra, conducted by Corneliu Dumbraveanu and Horia Andreescu respectively. That performance of Symphony no. 5, conducted by Horia Andreescu, also features the Radio Women’s Choir, conducted by Aurel Grigoras, with the tenor Florin Diaconescu as a soloist.

Also, he reenacted, based on existing sketches, the vocal-symphonic poem “Isis” by George Enescu. Here is the Casa Radio musical editor Tiberiu Comandasu, speaking about this volume: “The introduction is friendly, made up of concise texts, which manage to highlight several fundamental musical principles, enabling those who love Enescu’s music access to its basic principles and theory. The volume also includes elements that render the specific context and atmosphere of Enescu’s creation. One example would be Oedipe at the 1958 George Enescu Festival. In early October 1958, after several glorious performances at the first edition of the Festival, the opera Oedipe had its official premiere, in the presence of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, headed by the sinister Gheorghe Gheorghiu Dej. I remember, says Pascal Bentoiu, that we, the poor musicians, composers, critics and other strange beings like that, were exiled in the last gallery of the Opera, as all the other galleries and balconies had been taken by members of the communist party and of the political police, the Securitate. While with the previous editions, the atmosphere had been one of celebration, with prestigious guests attending such as Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrach, Nadia Boulanger, this time everything was ice cold. The comrades did not really understand what that was all about, and our applauses, from the second gallery, had no consistency. In brief, they did not like it, they were actually disturbed by it, in particular the reference to deities in the fourth act. But they really hated the final reconciliation, the idea of guilt being erased and forgiveness prevailing. And so, the performance was banned. A bunch of ruthless criminals banned a masterpiece. And it stayed banned for three years, until some changes were brought to the libretto, and so, also thanks to Brediceanu’s persistence, the performance was eventually resumed. This is just one example of the atmosphere at the first performances of Enescu’s Oedipe.”

Another release by the Casa Radio publishing house focusing on Enescu’s creation is a CD titled “Marin Cazacu — Dvorak, Enescu”, which includes Symphonie concertante opus 8 for cello and orchestra, which highlights Enescu’s romantic side. Performing is the famous cellist Marin Cazacu, alongside the National Orchestra, under the baton of Horia Andreescu.

2 December 2017
September 11, 2015

MIGRANT CRISIS — The Vishegrad Group foreign ministers- of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia-are today meeting in Prague with their counterparts from Germany and Luxembourg, for talks on the migrant crisis, which is deepening by the day. The Vishegrad Group member states voiced dissatisfaction with the quota regime set by the EU. In turn, Romania has expressed reticence with the so-called mandatory quotas of immigrants, that the EU member states will give shelter to. In another move, Hungary has today announced it supplemented by 3,800 the number of military deployed on the border with Serbia, to cope with the growing flow of immigrants, which last night registered a record high of 3,600 people. Austria has today announced it closed the Nickelsdorf checkpoint, on the border with Hungary, because of the high number of immigrants, some 8,000, who crossed the border within 24 hours. According to an official with the UN High Commissioner’s Office for Refugees, over 7,600 other refugees, entered Macedonia, coming from Greece, over the last 24 hours.

COMMEMORATION — Romania is further firmly committed to the international effort to fight terrorism and extremism, Romanian deputy prime minister and interior minister Gabriel Oprea said today, in a message delivered in commemoration of 14 years since the 9/11 terror attacks in the US. According to Oprea, the terror attacks in the US as well as in other European countries have shown that terrorism can hit anywhere and anytime and that no country is fully defended against this scourge. The relationship between Romania and US gained a new significance in the wake of the tragedy that struck on September 11, Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said. In a message to US Secretary of State, John Kerry, marking 14 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of 3,000 US citizens, including members of the Romanian-US community, Aurescu reiterated Romania’s determination to carry on, alongside the US and its international partners, the efforts meant to prevent and fight this threat, irrespective of its forms of manifestation. He evoked the significant role of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US in boosting bilateral relations and ensuring common security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.

MOLDOVA — The prime minister of the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, Valeriu Streletz, has said the country’s existence is in jeopardy. Against the backdrop of prolonged, one week long antigovernment protests in downtown Chishinau, the prime minister said the problems that prompted people to take to the street, such as corruption, poverty and the lack of confidence in the political class, are the outcomes of accumulated process which unfolded over many years. Strelets has added that his cabinet, which took office in late July, will resign only after a vote of confidence in Parliament. On Sunday, tens of thousands of people protested near the government building, demanding the resignation of the cabinet and of president Nicolae Timofti and calling for early elections. Hundreds of them decided to stage protests around the clock, placing tents in front of the government building. Declaring itself of pro-Western orientation, the three-party ruling coalition dramatically lost credibility in Moldova, after one million US dollars from the country’s banking system, the equivalent of 15% of Moldova’s GDP, vanished into thin air, in unclear, mysterious circumstances.

FESTIVAL — The “George Enescu” International Festival continues in Bucharest. Performing on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum today will be Konzerthausorchester Berlin, conducted by Horia Andreescu. Another highlight of the day is the concert given by the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, as part of the “Great Orchestras of the World” series. The 13th day of the festival ends with a concert given by the Chamber Orchestra of Paris. Over 3,000 Romanian and foreign artists in the world musical elite will be performing on the stage of the festival, one of the largest events of its kind in Europe, which runs through September 20. Tens of indoor concerts and outdoor events are being held throughout the festival.

TENNIS — Second seeded Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, who has qualified for the first time to the semi-finals of the US Open in New York, is today facing Italian Flavia Pennetta (WTA rank: 26). Playing the other semi-finals will be first seeded American player Serena Williams and Italian Roberta Vinci. The games, initially scheduled for Thursday, have been postponed for today by the organisers of the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, because of rain.

11 September 2015
September 1, 2015

PARLIAMENT – After a two-month vacation, Romanian senators and deputies met on September the 1st in the second common session this year. The agenda of the session includes important draft laws, with a significant social and political impact. One such draft is the new fiscal code bill, which has been sent back to parliament by president Klaus Iohannis, for revision. Last week, political leaders decided by consensus to adopt the draft in its initial form, already approved by parliament two months ago, but some of the measures will be implemented in stages. The first measure stipulated in the new Fiscal Code refers to a gradual reduction of the VAT, in two stages, down to 20% in January 2016, and further to 19% in 2017. The additional tax on fuels and the special constructions tax are kept one more year, except for special constructions in agriculture, because that tax will be eliminated next year. Alongside the fiscal code, the salary law and the “vote by mail law are in the focus of public attention.

HEALTHCARE – The health card is mandatory in Romania, as of today. Thus, it becomes the only instrument that can be used to discount and validate medical services in the public healthcare system for insured people, older than 18. Emergency medical services are not conditioned by the presentation of the card. In exchange, people suffering from chronic illnesses should use it at all providers of medical services, from doctors to pharmacists. Some 15 million cards have already been issued so far, and approximately 600,000 others will be ready by the end of the year.

AIR TRAFFIC – The Romanian air traffic controllers all out strike for an indefinite period of time due to start on September the 1st has been cancelled, after the employees representatives reached an agreement with the employers. The two sides signed a new collective bargaining agreement. The air traffic controllers claims included pay rises, a reduction of the retirement age from 65 to 55 years, better working conditions and the resignation of the companys management. On July the 15th, air traffic controllers went on a two –hour token strike, an unprecedented situation in the Romanian air transport system. According to ROMATSA, which currently has some 1,500 employees, Romanias airspace in transited by 2,500-3,000 aircraft every day.

TOURISM – Some 5.3 million tourists were registered in Romania in the first seven months of the year, data made public by the Romanian hotel industry show. The figure is 17% higher than in the same period of 2014. Over 23% of these tourists, 1.23 million respectively, were foreign nationals, data released by the National Statistics Institute show. Most tourists came from Europe (75%), and 85% of these were EU citizens.

FESTIVAL – Performing in Bucharest on Tuesday, the third day of the George Enescu International Festival is the Israel Philarmonic Orchestra under the baton of world famous conductor Zubin Mehta, alongside the “George Enescu Philharmonic Choir. The concert program includes pieces by Enescu and Mahler. The George Enescu International Music Festival, one of the most outstanding events of its kind in Europe, is unfolding in Bucharest until September the 20th. Over 3,000 prominent foreign and Romanian musicians will perform on the stage of the festival.

TENNIS – Second seeded Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is today facing Marina Erakovic, in the first round of the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. Also today, Irina Begu (WTA ranking: 28) is today facing Olga Govortsova, Alexandra Dulgheru is meeting Angelique Kerber, and Monica Niculescu is facing Alexandra Panova. Another Romanian, Andreea Mitu, was defeated on Monday in the inaugural round by Teresa Smitkova.

WEATHER – Meteorologists have today issued a new Code Orange alert against heat and thermal discomfort, valid on Wednesday for 11 counties in eastern, central and south-western Romania. The thermal discomfort index will further be high, and maximum temperatures will reach 37-38 degrees C. In the rest of the territory, it continues to be hot in most regions of the country, where the highs of the day stand at 35-36 degrees C. A Code Orange alert is valid today for the counties situated in the west and east of the country, but the heat wave also affects the rest of the territory, where temperatures stand at 35 – 37 degrees C. The noon reading in Bucharest was 31 degrees.

1 September 2015
August 30, 2015 UPDATE

MUSICAL FEAST – In the following three weeks, Bucharest
is hosting Romania’s most important cultural event, the George Enescu
International Festival, which has reached its 22nd edition. Nearly
3,000 foreign and Romanian artists will take part in this year’s edition of the
Festival. The participating orchestras include the San Francisco Symphony,
Israel Philharmonic, conducted by the world famous Zubin Mehta, the Vienna
Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London
Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. According to the organisers, the 2015
edition of the world’s leading promoter of the works of the great Romanian
composer George Enescu, will consist in 58 indoor concerts and many other
outdoor events. Radio Romania will broadcast 36 live transmissions. The rest of
the concerts will be recorded and broadcast in the following days. Furthermore,
the Casa Radio Publishers launches five albums to mark this edition of the
festival.

LANGUAGE -
The Romanian language is a core value of the Romanian people’s identity and
the language of an important culture in Europe, the minister delegate for the relation
with the Romanians abroad, Angel Talvar, said during the celebrations held in
Spain to mark the Romanian Language Day, on August the 31st. It is the language of the Romanians who
work, study, make research and do business. The Romanian language is an element
of identity and helps people get closer to one another and form a community.
The Romanian Language Day is equally a feast for Romania and the Romanians
around the world, for those who feel like Romanians do and for those who love and
appreciate the beauty of the Romanian people.

KIDNAPPING -
The Romanian authorities confirm the information on the existence of a video
footage featuring a Romanian citizen who claims to have been kidnapped by a
Jihadist group in Burkina Faso and asks to be saved. The
Foreign Ministry has announced that a crisis sell is currently investigating
the authenticity of the video recording and is also analysing all possible ways
to solve the situation of the Romanian national taken hostage in Burkino Faso.
According to media sources, the mining company the Romanian was working for
announced his being kidnapped in April, but the first images showing proofs of
life were released on Saturday. The crisis cell is made up of representatives
of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries, respectively, of the intelligence
services and of the Presidential Administration.

RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION– Fresh from an emergency meeting held in
Paris, French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has made a thorough
presentation of the measures agreed upon by the EU member states in an effort
to improve railway transport safety and security, in the wake of last week’s
attack on a high speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris. He referred to a
thorough control of the passengers’ identity, with visual checks being likely
to be introduced again. Furthermore, luggage will be verified both in stations
and on board the train. Joint patrols, made up of security officers from
various countries will be set up to assure transport security, the French
minister has underlined. The perpetrator of the attack on the Thalys train,
Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, was charged with attempted murder last week.
Carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol
and a cutter, the 26 year old Moroccan bought a ticket for the Thalys train
without problems. Later on, he opened fire on board the train, being
immobilised by passengers.

JAPAN – Tens
of thousands of people protested in front of the Parliament building in Tokyo
against some draft security laws which are meant to extend the Japanese army’s
prerogatives and which have been described by critics as infringing the
pacifist fundamental law of the country. The rally is proof of a greater
mobilisation in Japan, in the context in which conservative Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe hopes these draft laws will be passed by Parliament in the current
session, which comes to an end in late September. The draft laws would allow
the Japanese army to get involved in fighting operations abroad, if need be, to
protect the interests of the country, which would be a first since the end of
WWII.

ARREST -Three Romanian nationals were taken into custody in Hungary on Saturday, on suspicion of human trafficking. They are detained by the Budapest police, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced. The ministry also says that 26 Romanian citizens have been arrested in Hungary, on human trafficking charges, since August the 26th. None of them has requested consular assistance so far.

BOOK FAIR – Romania has recently participated for the first time in the Beijing International Book Fair, having its own stand organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute. According to the organisers, the Romanian Cultural Institute designed the events so as to cast light on the Romanian literary heritage and to provide a fresh perspective on the current literary and editorial developments in Romania. Now, in its 22nd edition, the International Book Fair in Beijing is the largest event of its kind organised by China. According to the Director General of the General Department of Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad, Ioana Dragan, on August 31st, the Foreign Language University in Beijing will host two much awaited events, a conference devoted to the Romanian Language Day and the announcement on the official opening of the Beijing-based Library of the Romanian Cultural Institute.

WEATHER – The counties of Satu Mare, Bihor, Arad, Timis, Caras-Severin, Mehedinti, Botosani, Iasi, Bacau and Vaslui will further be under code orange alert on Monday and Tuesday. The heat wave will also sweep all the regions of the country placed under code yellow alert, where temperatures will range between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists warn temperatures in the ten counties placed under code orange alert will range between 37 and 38 degrees, with a high temperature- humidity index.

30 August 2015
August 30, 2015

KIDNAPPING – The Romanian authorities confirm the information on the existence of a video footage featuring a Romanian citizen who claims to have been kidnapped by a Jihadist group in Burkina Faso and asks to be saved. The Foreign Ministry has announced that a crisis sell is currently investigating the authenticity of the video recording and is also analysing all possible ways to solve the situation of the Romanian national taken hostage in Burkino Faso. According to media sources, the mining company the Romanian was working for announced his being kidnapped in April, but the first images showing proofs of life were released on Saturday. The crisis cell is made up of representatives of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries, respectively, of the intelligence services and of the Presidential Administration.

RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION – Fresh from an emergency meeting held in Paris, French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has made a thorough presentation of the measures agreed upon by the EU member states in an effort to improve railway transport safety and security, in the wake of last weeks attack on a high speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris. He referred to a thorough control of the passengers identity, with visual checks being likely to be introduced again. Furthermore, luggage will be verified both in stations and on board the train. Joint patrols, made up of security officers from various countries will be set up to assure transport security, the French minister has underlined. The perpetrator of the attack on the Thalys train, Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, was charged with attempted murder last week. Carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol and a cutter, the 26 year old Moroccan bought a ticket for the Thalys train without problems. Later on, he opened fire on board the train, being immobilised by passengers.

DEMOGRAPHY – The total population residing in Romania remains under 20 million people, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute. On January 1, 19,861,000 people were residing in Romania, down 85,900 since the beginning of the previous year. The urban and female population account, respectively, for 53.8%, and 51.1% of the total, and the ageing phenomenon is deepening, the difference between the population over 65 and the young population of up to 14 years of age having widened to more than 300,000 people. The survey also indicates that Romania remains an emigration country, with a number of emigrants 42,000 higher than the number of immigrants last year.

MUSICAL FEAST – In the following three weeks, Bucharest is hosting Romanias most important cultural event, the “George Enescu International Festival, which has reached its 22nd edition. Nearly 3,000 foreign and Romanian artists will take part in this years edition of the Festival. The participating orchestras include the San Francisco Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, conducted by the world famous Zubin Mehta, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. According to the organisers, the 2015 edition of the worlds leading promoter of the works of the great Romanian composer George Enescu, will consist in 58 indoor concerts and many other outdoor events. Radio Romania will broadcast 36 live transmissions. The rest of the concerts will be recorded and broadcast in the following days. Furthermore, the Casa Radio Publishers launches five albums to mark this edition of the festival.

BEIJING BOOK FAIR – Romania has recently participated for the first time in the Beijing International Book Fair, having its own stand organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute. According to the organisers, the Romanian Cultural Institute designed the events so as to cast light on the Romanian literary heritage and to provide a fresh perspective on the current literary and editorial developments in Romania. Now, in its 22nd edition, the International Book Fair in Beijing is the largest event of its kind organised by China. According to the Director General of the General Department of Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad, Ioana Dragan, on August 31st, the Foreign Language University in Beijing will host two much awaited events, a conference devoted to the Romanian Language Day and the announcement on the official opening of the Beijing-based Library of the Romanian Cultural Institute.

WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert against heat valid today for 12 counties in the west, south-west and the east of the Romanian territory, where the temperature- humidity index exceeds the 80 unit critical threshold. An orange code warning valid for Monday and Tuesday has been issued for 10 counties in the west. The rest of the territory will further be under code yellow alert. The highs of the day range between 29 and 36 degrees C. The noon reading in Bucharest was 32 degrees.

30 August 2015