Radio România Internațional

Tag: Golden Stag

  • August 22, 2019

    August 22, 2019

    Coalition — The representatives of the governing coalition in Romania (made up of the Social Democratic Party-PSD and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats-ALDE) met on Wednesday to discuss the situation of the coalition. A PSD communiqué shows that the talks tackled the issue of vacancies in the government as well as the extraordinary parliamentary session. They decided on rejecting the draft law on amnesty and pardon during the extraordinary session. The coalition will meet again next week, to look into an ample set of measures related to governing, the PSD release also shows. An ALDE communiqué writes that the party considers necessary the working out of a package of measures aimed at largely restructuring the executive. They say early next month the party leadership will analyze the results of the coalition governing, the prospects and future options. Last week the Romanian PM and leader of the PSD Viorica Dancila announced a government reshuffle and the adjustment of the governing program.



    Corruption — The former chief of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration – ANAF Sorin Blejnar was arraigned by the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in a case in which he is accused of bribe taking together with the former vice-president of ANAF, Viorel Comăniță, the former deputy general inspector of the Fraud Squad, Sorin Florea, and his wife Andreea Blejnar. According to a DNA communiqué Blejnar, Comăniță and Florea allegedly received money from a businessman through intermediaries in order to protect the illegal activity of his company. The money destined for Sorin Blejnar was received by his wife through two intermediaries of the businessman. Anticorruption prosecutors claim that, between May 2011 and April 2012, Blejnar received 1.2 million Euros, Comanita 960,000 Euros and Florea 300,000 Euros. The money was a sort of ‘protection fee’ cashed by the 3 public servant with decision-making power who thus pretended not to see the illegal activity of that businessman’s company.



    GfK – The annual net revenue per capita in Romania grew by 18% last year up to 5,083 Euros — shows a recent study made by GfK Romania. Bucharest and the counties of Cluj (northwest), Timis (west) and Ilfov (south) are the most developed areas. At the other end of annual net revenue scale are the counties with the lowest purchasing power, namely Botosani (northeast), Vaslui (east), Calarasi (southeast) and Giurgiu (south). The study also shows a rise in living standards in the counties of Brasov and Sibiu, regions where a new industrial zone of Romania is being set up, which attracts massive investments. The purchasing power index measured by GfK represents the annual net revenue available per capita from salaries, pensions, unemployment benefit and child allowances after deducting taxes and social contributions.



    Golden Stag – The Golden Stag International Festival kicks off in the central Romanian city of Brasov today. The 19th edition of the festival is going to be very attractive featuring such artists as Ştefan Bănică, Irina Rimes and the Irish Ronan Keating. The first two evenings will be devoted to the singing contest in which 12 artists from 10 countries, two of them from Romania, will be competing for the Big Trophy. Continuing a tradition of more than 50 years, the competitors will also sing a Romanian song besides the song from their repertoire. Saturday will see the Awards Gala when the winners will be announced and the prizes granted. Sunday is devoted to traditional music and also to fiddlers’ music. The festival will also include recitals by Romanian and international artists. The Golden Stag International Festival started in 1968 and had 18 editions, the latest one being held in 2018, when 50 years were marked since its launch.



    5G — The memorandum signed by Romania and the US in Washington on August 20 on the occasion of the Romanian president’s official visit to the US recommends a rigorous assessment of 5G technology providers in order to ensure full security in implementing this technology, shows a release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry. The document highlights the importance of protecting electronic communications networks against unauthorized access or interference, the quoted source also shows. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on Tuesday, fresh from the meeting with US President Donald Trump, that a bilateral memorandum on 5G technologies was signed. He pointed out that the document did not refer to one single company, but that it clarified the criteria of transparency and compatibility with the rule of law. Romania is preparing for a public procedure for implementing the 5G technology.



    Football — Romania’s football vice-champions FCSB are playing today at home against the Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes in the first leg of the Europa League playoffs. The Portuguese side has not met any Romanian team so far in an official match. The return match is scheduled in one week’s time. Romania’s champions CFR Cluj were defeated by the Czech side Slavia Prague 1-0, on Tuesday, on home turf, in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. The return match between Slavia and CFR is scheduled for August 28 in Prague. The winner will play in the Champions League groups and the loser in the Europa League groups. (translation by L. Simion)

  • The Golden Stag turns 50

    The Golden Stag turns 50

    After a 9-year break, the city of Brasov, in central Romania, is once again hosting the “Golden Stag” International Festival, between August 29th and September 2nd. The festival started out in 1968 and ran for 17 years, featuring guest performers such as Diana Ross, Amalia Rodrigues, Julio Iglesias, Dalida, Sheryl Crow, Tom Jones, Juliette Greco, Vaya con Dios, Coolio, Christina Aguilera, Cliff Richard, Kenny Rogers, Ricky Martin, The Kelly Family, Patricia Kaas, Gilbert Becaud, Josephine Baker, Toto Cutugno, Enrico Macias, Boy George, James Brown, Ray Charles, Pink, UB40, Scorpions and many other major names of the international music industry.



    This year, to mark the Union Centennial and the 50 years of the “Golden Stag” festival, the event will have a special format, the organisers say, including an anniversary gala, 2 days of competition, a festival gala, a special show entitled “Centenary Romania” and other events. Apart from the Grand Trophy, worth 25,000 euros, and the 3 competition prizes, the competitors can also win the Award for the best performance of a Romanian song, the Brasov Award, the audience award, the Festival Media Award and the Public Broadcasters Award.



    Here is the director of the Festival, Smaranda Vornicu: “This is a special edition for us, one of great importance for the Romanian Television — the celebration of 50 years since the first edition of the Golden Stag Festival. We hope music and the joy of being together and of celebrating beauty, will be the defining elements of this year’s festival, obviously apart from the presence of great Romanian and international artists in Brasov.”



    Screenings of excerpts from previous editions, taken from the archive of the Romanian Television, which is the main organiser of the event, will accompany this year’s competition, which brings to Romania 18 competitors from 15 countries: Kelly Joyce (France), Antonia Gigovska (Macedonia), Karl William Lund (Great Britain), Amalia Margaryan (Armenia), Tiziana Camelin and Damiano Borgi (Italy), John Karayiannis (Cyprus), Inis Neziri (Albania), Basti (San Marino), Olivier Kaye (Belgium), Omer Netzer (Israel), Lidia Isac (the Republic of Moldova), Jorge Gonzalez (Spain), Ryan O’Shaughnessy (Ireland), Dinaya (Kazakhstan), and 3 Romanian singers: Ovidiu Anton, Dora Gaitanovici and Raluca Blejusca. So far, Romania’s representatives have won the Golden Stag Trophy 5 times: Luminita Dobrescu in 1969, Monica Anghel in 1996, Proconsul in 2001, Paula Seling in 2002 and Razvan Crivaci in 2008.

  • August 27, 2018

    August 27, 2018

    DIPLOMACY – The annual meeting of Romanian diplomats begins today in the capital city Bucharest, under the motto “Diplomacy – A Pillar of Centennial Romania. The annual meeting of Romanian diplomats is a broad platform for the discussion of topics of major interest to Romania, such as the rotating presidency of the EU Council, to be taken over by Romania early next year, bilateral as well as strategic relations. The national priorities on the agenda of the meeting also include regional cooperation, the eastern neighbourhood and economic diplomacy. Attending the event are the Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu, the Minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, heads of Romanian embassies and consular offices abroad, and Romanian and foreign guests. A special guest in this years meeting is the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who will join his Romanian counterpart in a special session entitled “Bucharest – Berlin – Brussels, together for a strong Europe.




    SWINE FEVER – Scheduled to begin on Monday, the slaughtering of around 140,000 animals at Romanias largest pig farm, in Braila County in the south-east, where the African swine fever virus has been confirmed, was postponed at the request of the owners. They requested the setup of a special assessment committee, given the extensive damages to be incurred. A swine fever hotbed has been recently confirmed in another farm in Braila County, which was breeding some 35,000 pigs, and where the slaughtering process has already been initiated. One-quarter of Romanias counties are affected by the African swine fever epidemics, with over 700 hotbeds identified by the authorities in the south-east and north-west of the country. The Pro Agro National Federation has requested the Government to have the situation discussed in the Supreme Defence Council.




    POLITICS – The Romanian parliamentary parties have scheduled meetings to outline their strategies ahead of the autumn parliamentary sitting. Liviu Dragnea, the president of the main ruling party in Romania, the Social Democratic Party, announced that next weekend the partys National Executive Committee and parliamentary groups will convene in the Black Sea resort of Neptun, in order to set out the partys priorities. The meeting will also tackle the activity of the Dancila Cabinet ministers. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the Social Democrats ruling coalition partners, will also have a meeting of its Executive Political Bureau early next week, to discuss the partys priorities and the selection criteria for the ensuing elections for the European Parliament. The main opposition party, the National Liberal Party, will also plan its moves for the autumn parliamentary session. The Liberals have tried and failed to have a special session convened this summer, in order to set up an investigation committee focusing on the violent clashes during the August 10 anti-government protest of Romanian expats. The Liberals also seek to have the Interior Minister Carmen Dan removed from office by Parliament.




    FESTIVAL – The Golden Stag music festival celebrates 50 years of existence in 2018. After a 9-year break, the international pop music competition held in Brasov, central Romania, will be resumed on Wednesday with a special gala devoted to the Union Centennial. Romanian and international artists will hold concerts, including James Blunt, Amy Macdonald, Andra, Delia, Loredana, Carlas Dreams and Horia Brenciu. The Festival, to be held between August 29 and September 2, will bring together 18 competitors from 15 countries. During the same period, book lovers are invited to the Gaudeamus Caravan, an event organised by Radio Romania.




    MOLDOVA – The Republic of Moldova citizens and expats took part on Sunday in a protest organised by ACUM Resistence Movement, created after the elections for the Chisinau city hall, won by the pro-Europeans, were cancelled. The participants criticised the corruption of the current ruling class, the invalidation of the elections in Chisinau and the new mixed election system. The protest took place ahead of todays celebration of 27 years since the small ex-Soviet state proclaimed its independence from Moscow.




    TENNIS – Three of the 6 Romanian players taking part in the US Open are playing their first matches today. Number 1 in the world Simona Halep is facing Kaia Kanepi (Estonia), Irina Begu takes on the American Jennifer Brady, and Ana Bogdan plays against the Czech Marie Bouzkova. The other Romanians are Mihaela Buzărnescu, who is to play against the Czech Marketa Vondrousova, Sorana Cîrstea, scheduled to play against the American Alison Riske, and Monica Niculescu, who will take on the Israeli player Julia Glushko. The only Romanian in the mens competition is Marius Copil, who takes on the Croatian Marin Cilic, number 7 in the world.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)