Radio România Internațional

Tag: invictus

February 8, 2025 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

SIE – The Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) has significantly contributed to meeting the national strategic objectives and honoring the commitments made by Romania within allied and European formats, President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday, in his message on the 35th anniversary of SIE. According to the President, the information supplied by SIE on national security matters has been critical in making decisions for the Romanian state and in handling the increasingly complex security challenges, as part of the efforts to turn Romania into a resilient state, able to face diffuse and unpredictable challenges. Among others, Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine and its subversive hybrid actions in Romania and across Europe, the persistence of classic security risks, such as cyber, terrorism and hostile information activities, have continued to generate national and international security challenges and to shape the activity of the SIE, along with that of other institutions part of the National Security System, the President explained. He also said it is vital to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation and the one with external partners, in order to increase the Romanian state’s capacity to respond effectively to multiple security challenges, with an emphasis on hybrid threats.

IMF- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Bucharest concluded talks with representatives of the main institutions responsible for Romania’s monetary and fiscal policies. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told the IMF experts that the Romanian Government is committed to comply with the budget deficit of 7% of the Gross Domestic Product and to implement the reforms assumed under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Last fall, the IMF published its latest forecast on the Romanian economy, estimating a deficit at the same level as the one set by the government, 7%, for the end of 2025. The IMF estimates are more optimistic both in terms of economic growth, 3.3%, compared to only 2.5% expected by the authorities in Bucharest, and inflation, calculated at 3.6%, below the 4.4% target set by the government.

WAGES – Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Poland, from January 2015 to January 2025, had the highest average annual rate of increase in the minimum wage in the EU, Euronews reports. They reported increases between 10% and 14%, according to Eurostat data. On the other hand, the lowest average annual rate of increase in the minimum wage in the EU was in France (2.1%) and Malta (2.9%). 22 of the 27 EU member states have established a national minimum wage, the exceptions being Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland and Sweden. The monthly minimum wage varies significantly across EU member states. Thus, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France are the countries where the minimum wage exceeds 1,500 euros per month, while Croatia, Greece, Malta, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Hungary and Bulgaria have the lowest minimum wage, below 1,000 euros per month.

INVICTUS – A team of soldiers will represent Romania at this year’s Invictus Games Vancouver and Whistler 2025. The Invictus Games is an international sports competition that was first held in 2014 and aims to raise awareness about the gratitude we owe to the wounded soldiers. This year’s event will take place from February 8-16 in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, and will bring together over 500 competitors from 23 nations around the world. The delegation that will accompany the Romanian team to Canada will be led by the Director of the Defence Staff, Major General Valentin Brînzei.

DISCONNECTION – More than three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have begun to disconnect from Russia’s electricity grid and join the EU’s grid. The two-day process began on Saturday morning, with residents told to charge their devices, stock up on food and water and prepare for severe weather, Reuters reports. A giant, specially built clock will count down the final seconds before the transition, at a landmark ceremony in the Lithuanian capital on Sunday, attended by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. The three Baltic nations will then officially disconnect from the grid that has connected them to Russia since the years after World War II.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse suceeded to reach the main singles draw of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Doha (Qatar) after defeating Australian Daria Saville 6-3, 6-4, on Saturday, in the final round of the qualifiers. Ruse (aged 27, 112 WTA), who in the first round defeated the American Taylor Townsend (28 years old, 81 WTA), with 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, also defeated Saville in 2022, in the first round at the US Open. Gabriela Ruse will be the only Romanian representative on the main draw of the competition in Qatar, held on February 9 to 15. In Cluj-Napoca (north-west Romania), Russian Anastasia Potapova and Italian Lucia Bronzetti qualified on Saturday for the final of the Transylvania Open (WTA 250). Potapova, the main favorite, defeated Belarusian Aleksandra Sasnovici, 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinal. In the other semifinal, Bronzetti took advantage of the withdrawal of Czech Katerina Siniakova.

8 February 2025
February 8, 2025

A roundup of local and international news.

SIE – The Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) has significantly contributed to meeting the national strategic objectives and honoring the commitments made by Romania within allied and European formats, President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday, in his message on the 35th anniversary of SIE. According to the President, the information supplied by SIE on national security matters has been critical in making decisions for the Romanian state and in handling the increasingly complex security challenges, as part of the efforts to turn Romania into a resilient state, able to face diffuse and unpredictable challenges. Among others, Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine and its subversive hybrid actions in Romania and across Europe, the persistence of classic security risks, such as cyber, terrorism and hostile information activities, have continued to generate national and international security challenges and to shape the activity of the SIE, along with that of other institutions part of the National Security System, the President explained. He also said it is vital to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation and the one with external partners, in order to increase the Romanian state’s capacity to respond effectively to multiple security challenges, with an emphasis on hybrid threats.

IMF- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission in Bucharest concluded talks with representatives of the main institutions responsible for Romania’s monetary and fiscal policies. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu told the IMF experts that the Romanian Government is committed to comply with the budget deficit of 7% of the Gross Domestic Product and to implement the reforms assumed under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Last fall, the IMF published its latest forecast on the Romanian economy, estimating a deficit at the same level as the one set by the government, 7%, for the end of 2025. The IMF estimates are more optimistic both in terms of economic growth, 3.3%, compared to only 2.5% expected by the authorities in Bucharest, and inflation, calculated at 3.6%, below the 4.4% target set by the government.

WAGES – Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Poland, from January 2015 to January 2025, had the highest average annual rate of increase in the minimum wage in the EU, Euronews reports. They reported increases between 10% and 14%, according to Eurostat data. On the other hand, the lowest average annual rate of increase in the minimum wage in the EU was in France (2.1%) and Malta (2.9%). 22 of the 27 EU member states have established a national minimum wage, the exceptions being Denmark, Italy, Austria, Finland and Sweden. The monthly minimum wage varies significantly across EU member states. Thus, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France are the countries where the minimum wage exceeds 1,500 euros per month, while Croatia, Greece, Malta, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, Hungary and Bulgaria have the lowest minimum wage, below 1,000 euros per month.

INVICTUS – A team of soldiers will represent Romania at this year’s Invictus Games Vancouver and Whistler 2025. The Invictus Games is an international sports competition that was first held in 2014 and aims to raise awareness about the gratitude we owe to the wounded soldiers. This year’s event will take place from February 8-16 in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, and will bring together over 500 competitors from 23 nations around the world. The delegation that will accompany the Romanian team to Canada will be led by the Director of the Defence Staff, Major General Valentin Brînzei.

DISCONNECTION – More than three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have begun to disconnect from Russia’s electricity grid and join the EU’s grid. The two-day process began on Saturday morning, with residents told to charge their devices, stock up on food and water and prepare for severe weather, Reuters reports. A giant, specially built clock will count down the final seconds before the transition, at a landmark ceremony in the Lithuanian capital on Sunday, attended by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. The three Baltic nations will then officially disconnect from the grid that has connected them to Russia since the years after World War II.

TENNIS – Italian Lucia Bronzetti qualified for the semifinals of the Transylvania Open (WTA 250) tennis tournament, hosted by Cluj-Napoca (northwestern Romania) after defeating her fellow Italian, Elisabetta Cocciaretto, in straight sets on Friday. Bronzetti, who previously defeated Simona Halep and American Peyton Stearns, is today up against Katerina Siniakova (the Czech Republic) in the semifinal. The other semifinal will see Russian Anastasia Potapova, the main favorite, against Belarusian Aleksandra Sasnovici. We recall that, after the defeat suffered in the match with Bronzetti, Simona Halep, the most famous tennis player in Romanian history, announced her retirement from the sport.

8 February 2025
April 17, 2022 UPDATE

EASTER Catholic and
Protestant Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. At the Vatican,
Pope Francis once again called for peace, describing Easter as the gift of hope
during the Mass held in a basilica with thousands of believers. On Sunday, the
service took place in San Pietro Square after 2 years of Covid-related
restrictions. For Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers, who celebrate Easter
next weekend, it was Palm Sunday, commemorating the moment when Jesus Christ
entered Jerusalem. In Romania, a mostly Orthodox country, nearly one and a half
million people celebrated their name day on Sunday. President Klaus Iohannis
wished happy and peaceful holidays to all those who celebrate Easter or Palm
Sunday.

UKRAINE As of midnight
Russian vessels are no longer allowed to enter EU ports, Romanian ports
included. The ban also covers ships that replaced the Russian flag with the
colours of another state after February 24 when the war in Ukraine started, but
not those which need assistance or shelter for safety reasons or those which
have saved lives at the sea. In an interview to Sunday’s issue of the German
magazine Bild am Sonntag, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der
Leyen said the next stage of EU sanctions will target Russia’s oil and banking
sectors, particularly the country’s largest bank, Sberbank. She added that
Brussels was working on smart mechanisms to include Russian oil in the new list
of sanctions, so as to reduce the financing for Vladimir Putin’s invasion army.
EU member states are currently paying for Russian gas and oil via Sberbank and
Gazprombank, which have so far been exempt from Europe’s sanctions, Reuters
explains. The EU announced on Sunday that EUR 50 million would be earmarked for
humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Some EUR 45
million will go into humanitarian programmes in Ukraine, while the Republic of
Moldova, where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have taken refuge since the
start of the war, is set to receive EUR 5 million.

REFUGEES The number of Ukrainian nationals who reached
Romania on Saturday was 12.4% higher than on the previous days, the Romanian
border police announced. Since the start of the crisis, over 730,000 Ukrainian
citizens have entered the country, most of them leaving Romania for other
destinations.

POLL The Church ranks first in a public confidence
poll in Romania. The survey conducted by CURS at the end of March indicates
that 67% of the respondents trust the Church, up 4% since January. The Army, on
the other hand, has lost 8% in the same survey. The most significant increase
in public confidence was reported for the National Bank of Romania, with 42% of
the respondents saying they trust the central bank, as opposed to half this
figure in January. The poll was commissioned by the National Liberal Party and
has a +/- 1.9% margin of error.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian Foreign Ministry celebrates 25 years
since the Joint Statement on the Romania-Italy Strategic Partnership was
signed. The genuine friendship between the 2 countries is facilitated by the
presence of over 1 million Romanians in Italy, making up the largest foreign
community in that country and also the largest Romanian community abroad, reads
a news release issued by the institution.

NORTH KOREA North Korea announced
the successful test firing of a new type of tactical guided weapon aimed at boosting
the country’s nuclear capabilities, which may indicate that Pyongyang is ready
to resume nuclear testing. North Korea suspended nuclear testing in 2017, and
the following year it blew up the tunnels in its underground nuclear test site,
but recent satellite imagery indicates digging and construction activities have
been resumed.

INVICTUS A
group of 20 Romanian military wounded in battle fields are taking part in the
one-week long Invictus Games, hosted his year by The Hague in the Netherlands.
They will compete in 7 sports, 6 of them individual competitions (hand archery,
athletics, rowing, powerlifting, cycling
and swimming) and a team sport (sitting volleyball). The
Invictus Games promote respect and empathy for the sacrifice and traumas of
wounded military, whose involvement in these activities is an opportunity for
social reintegration and for regaining self-confidence, the Romanian Defence
Ministry says. For Romanian troops, this year’s Invictus participation is the
third, after the ones in Toronto, in 2017, and Sydney, one year later. (AMP)

17 April 2022
Nachrichten 17.04.2022

Papst Franziskus hat am katholischen Ostersonntag zum Frieden aufgerufen und Ostern als Geschenk der Hoffnung bezeichnet. Am Sonntag fand der Gottesdienst zum ersten Mal seit Ausbruch der Pandemie auf dem San-Pietro-Platz statt. Orthodoxe und griechisch-katholische Gläubige feiern Palmsonntag, der an den Einzug Jesus Christi in Jerusalem erinnert. In Rumänien, einem überwiegend orthodoxen Land, feiern fast eineinhalb Millionen Menschen ihren Namenstag. Präsident Klaus Iohannis wünschte allen, die heute Ostern oder Palmsonntag feiern, frohe und friedliche Feiertage.

Ab Mitternacht dürfen russische Schiffe nicht mehr in EU-Häfen einlaufen, auch nicht in rumänische Häfen. Das Verbot gilt auch für Schiffe, die nach dem 24. Februar, als der Krieg in der Ukraine begann, die russische Flagge durch die Farben eines anderen Staates ersetzt haben, nicht aber für Schiffe, die aus Sicherheitsgründen Hilfe oder Schutz benötigen. In einem Interview mit Bild am Sonntag sagte die Chefin der Europäischen Kommission Ursula von der Leyen, dass die nächste Stufe der EU-Sanktionen den russischen Öl- und Bankensektor betreffen werde, insbesondere die grö‎ßte russische Bank, die Sberbank. Ferner sagte von der Leyen, dass Brüssel an intelligenten Mechanismen arbeite, um das russische Öl in die neue Liste der Sanktionen aufzunehmen, um die Finanzierung von Wladimir Putins Invasionsarmee zu reduzieren. Die EU-Mitgliedstaaten zahlen derzeit für russisches Gas und Öl über die Sberbank und die Gazprombank, die bisher von den europäischen Sanktionen ausgenommen waren, erklärt Reuters. Unterdessen führt Russland als Reaktion auf die Versenkung seines Flaggschiffs “Moskwa” Angriffe auf mehrere ukrainische Städte, darunter die Hauptstadt Kiew, durch. Nach Angaben des Korrespondenten von Radio Rumänien in der Ukraine haben die russischen Streitkräfte mehrere Städte im Süden der Ukraine unter Beschuss genommen, während in Herson ukrainische Truppen weiterhin die russischen Besatzungstruppen angreifen.

Die Zahl der ukrainischen Staatsangehörigen, die am Samstag Rumänien erreichten, war um 12,4 % höher als an den vorangegangenen Tagen, teilt die rumänische Grenzpolizei mit. Seit Beginn der Krise sind mehr als 730.000 ukrainische Staatsangehörige ins Land gekommen.

Eine Gruppe von 20 rumänischen Militärs, die auf dem Schlachtfeld verwundet wurden, nimmt an den einwöchigen Invictus Spielen teil, die in diesem Jahr in Den Haag stattfinden. Sie werden in 7 Sportarten antreten, davon 6 Einzelwettbewerbe (Bogenschie‎ßen, Leichtathletik, Rudern, Kraftdreikampf, Radfahren und Schwimmen) und eine Mannschaftssportart (Sitzvolleyball). Die Invictus Spiele fördern den Respekt und die Empathie für die Opfer und Traumata der verwundeten Soldaten, deren Teilnahme an diesen Aktivitäten eine Gelegenheit zur sozialen Wiedereingliederung und zum Wiedererlangen des Selbstbewusstseins darstellt, so das rumänische Verteidigungsministerium. Für Rumänien handelt es sich um die dritte Teilnahme nach Toronto (2017) und Sydney (ein Jahr später).

Nordkorea gab den erfolgreichen Testabschuss eines neuen Typs taktischer Lenkwaffen bekannt, der die nuklearen Fähigkeiten des Landes verbessern soll, was darauf hindeuten könnte, dass Pjöngjang bereit ist, die Atomtests wieder aufzunehmen. Nordkorea hatte 2017 seine Atomtests ausgesetzt und im darauffolgenden Jahr die Tunnel seines unterirdischen Atomtestgeländes gesprengt, doch jüngste Satellitenbilder deuten darauf hin, dass die Ausgrabungs- und Bauarbeiten wieder aufgenommen worden sind.

17 April 2022
April 17, 2022

EASTER Catholic and
Protestant Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. At the
Vatican, Pope Francis once again called for peace, describing Easter as the
gift of hope during the Mass held in a basilica with thousands of believers.
Today, the service takes place in San Pietro Square after 2 years of
Covid-related restrictions. For Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers, who
celebrate Easter next weekend, today is Palm Sunday, commemorating the moment
when Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem. In Romania, a mostly Orthodox country,
nearly one and a half million people are celebrating their name day. President
Klaus Iohannis wished happy and peaceful holidays to all those who celebrate
Easter or Palm Sunday today.

UKRAINE As of midnight
Russian vessels are no longer allowed to enter EU ports, Romanian ports
included. The ban also covers ships that replaced the Russian flag with the
colours of another state after February 24 when the war in Ukraine started, but
not those which need assistance or shelter for safety reasons or those which
have saved lives at the sea. In an interview to Sunday’s issue of the German
magazine Bild am Sonntag, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der
Leyen said the next stage of EU sanctions will target Russia’s oil and banking
sectors, particularly the country’s largest bank, Sberbank. She added that
Brussels was working on smart mechanisms to include Russian oil in the new list
of sanctions, so as to reduce the financing for Vladimir Putin’s invasion army.
EU member states are currently paying for Russian gas and oil via Sberbank and
Gazprombank, which have so far been exempt from Europe’s sanctions, Reuters
explains. Meanwhile, Russia carries on attacks on several cities in Ukraine,
including the capital Kyiv, in response to the sinking of its Black Sea
flagship, the Moskva. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in
Ukraine, Russian forces shelled several cities in the south of Ukraine, whereas
in Herson Ukrainian troops continue to attack the occupying Russian forces.

REFUGEES The number of Ukrainian nationals who reached
Romania on Saturday was 12.4% higher than on the previous days, the Romanian
border police announced. Since the start of the crisis, over 730,000 Ukrainian
citizens have entered the country, most of them leaving Romania for other
destinations.

INVICTUS A group of 20 Romanian military wounded in battle
fields are taking part in the one-week long Invictus Games, hosted his year by
The Hague in the Netherlands. They will compete in 7 sports, 6 of them
individual competitions (hand archery, athletics,
rowing, powerlifting, cycling and swimming) and a team sport (sitting volleyball). The Invictus Games promote respect
and empathy for the sacrifice and traumas of wounded military, whose
involvement in these activities is an opportunity for social reintegration and
for regaining self-confidence, the Romanian Defence Ministry says. For Romanian
troops, this year’s Invictus participation is the third, after the ones in Toronto,
in 2017, and Sydney, one year later.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian Foreign Ministry celebrates 25 years
since the Joint Statement on the Romania-Italy Strategic Partnership was
signed. The genuine friendship between the 2 countries is facilitated by the
presence of over 1 million Romanians in Italy, making up the largest foreign
community in that country and also the largest Romanian community abroad, reads
a news release issued by the institution.

NORTH KOREA North Korea announced
the successful test firing of a new type of tactical guided weapon aimed at
boosting the country’s nuclear capabilities, which may indicate that Pyongyang
is ready to resume nuclear testing. North Korea suspended nuclear testing in 2017,
and the following year it blew up the tunnels in its underground nuclear test
site, but recent satellite imagery indicates digging and construction
activities have been resumed.(AMP)

17 April 2022
April 16, 2022 UPDATE

DAY
Roman-Catholics and protestant believers are this Sunday celebrating Easter, whereas
the Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers are celebrating Palm Sunday. Orthodox
believers on Saturday attended various religious processions dedicated to Jesus
Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which also marks the beginning of the last
week of Lent, also known as the Passion Week, before Easter, which they
celebrate on April 24th. Saturday was also the first day of Jewish
Holiday of Passover, which celebrates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery
in Egypt.

RATING The trust signal conveyed by the Romanian government to foreign
investors was also confirmed by the rating agencies Standard & Poor’s and
Fitch, the Executive in Bucharest announced on Saturday. Growth prospects are
underpinned by the unprecedented volume of national and EU funds, which are to
be pumped into the main areas of the Romanian economy, such as industry,
agriculture, energy, environment, digitization and also by the government
development policies, the Executive went on to say. Romania’s Finance Minister Adrian
Câciu hailed a recent decision by the financial rating agency Standard &
Poor’s to reconfirm Romania’s Sovereign credit rating to ‘BBB minus’ with
stable outlook. ‘This is another proof that the national policies of funding
the economy were right’ Câciu says. According to Standard & Poor’s, Romania’s
rating is underpinned by EU membership and international capital flows. At the
same time the risks posed by the war in Ukraine are diminished by the prospects
of absorbing a major volume of EU funds as well as by the low energy dependence
on imports of natural gas and oil from Russia. However, the agency has significantly
dropped the country’s growth estimates down to 2.1% and has increased estimates
regarding the inflation rate, which in 2022 is expected to go up to 9% as
compared to 6% forecast in December. Another major rating agency Fitch last
week confirmed Romania’s rating at ‘BBB minus’, with negative outlook, the last
notch in the investment-grade category.

BNR Romania’s
Central Bank (BNR) expects the country’s inflation rate to increase in the
following months against the intitial forecasts. So, Romania’s inflation rate is
going to exceed the level of 11.2% forecast in June. The phenomenon was caused
by the latest price hikes in fuel and processed food against the war in Ukraine
and the international sanctions imposed on Russia. In another development,
although pressure for pay rises might be felt, at least in the sectors facing a
shortage of qualified personnel, substantial pay rises are very unlikely to
happen in the near future. We recall the annual inflation rate went up to
10.15% in March from 8.5% in February reaching the highest level in the past 18
years.

INVICTUS A team made up of 20
servicemen of the Romanian army, who got wounded in various operation theatres
around the world are for a week participating in the Invictus Games underway
this year in the Hague. They are competing in six sporting events, such as
archery, athletics, rowing, powerlifting, cycling, swimming and sitting
volleyball. According to the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, these games are
designed to promote the respect and empathy for the sacrifice and trauma
suffered by the wounded soldiers whose involvement in these activities is an
opportunity for social re-integration and regaining self-confidence. This has
been the Romanians’ third participation in the Invictus Games after those in
Toronto, in 2017 and Sydney, a year later. The opening ceremonies in the Hague
have also been attended by Romania’s Defence Minister Vasile Dincu.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Irina Bara on Friday qualified for the
semifinals of the ITF tournament in Palm Harbor, Florida after a 6-3, 6-4 win
against Grace Min of the USA. Bara has also qualified for the doubles finals
together with Italian Lucrezia Stefanini after a 6-3, 6-1 win against Kayla Day
and Ellie Douglas of the USA.

(bill)

16 April 2022
April 13, 2022

NATO. “We will continue our efforts to ensure the prompt, determined and robust response of the North Atlantic Alliance to any possible challenge or threat”, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said today, also thanking all NATO allies for their presence in Romania. The head of state has visited the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57 (southeast), together with the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. NATO is the strongest and most concrete security guarantee for the member states, Nicolae Ciuca has said. The Romanian PM has also said that an effective deterrence and defense posture must be developed on the eastern flank of the Alliance. Alexander De Croo had a meeting with the head of state on Tuesday. On this occasion, Klaus Iohannis stated that, this spring, the Allied Battle Group on the territory of Romania would be “negotiated and finalized”. Iohannis A Belgian military contingent is present in Romania, deployed within the NATO Response Force, and President Klaus Iohannis thanked Prime Minister De Croo for their support.

Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are strengthening their military presence in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, which has become Moscows main target. In the south, the Ukrainian army announces a counter-offensive, with the liberation of several localities. Near Odessa, Ukrainian defense forces pushed the Russian military away from the northern borders of the Kherson region, so that the artillery attack on the city stopped. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in neighboring Ukraine, the Ukrainian Army General Staff says the threat of missiles fired from the Black Sea remains high across the country. In the Black Sea and Azov waters, Russian naval groups are isolating the area and are conducting reconnaissance operations.

Refugees. The Romanian Border Police announced that, on Tuesday, within 24 hours, 9,429 Ukrainian citizens crossed Romanians borders, an increase of 12.9% compared to the previous day. Since the onset of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, nearly 695,000 refugees have entered Romania, most of them transiting towards Western Europe. Control on border crossing points is carried out in keeping with the national and EU legislation and measures have been taken strengthen border surveillance .

Invictus. Soldiers from the Invictus Team Romania will be received today, in Bucharest, by the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Margareta, and her husband, prince Radu. The event will also be attended by the Defense Minister Vasile Dincu. On Tuesday, the Invictus soldiers were received by president Klaus Iohannis. “Thanks to our soldiers heroism and their belief in the national values, the Romanian citizens feel protected and live in a safe society”, the Romanian head of state said on the occasion. The Romanian solders will be leaving for the Hague on Thursday, to represent the Romanian Army at the Invictus games, which will take place between April 16th – 22nd. The team is made up of 20 wounded soldiers, with 2nd and 3rd degree disabilities. This is the Romanian teams third participation in the Invictus Games.

Chess. Romanias two best chess players, Bogdan-Daniel Deac (world number 59) and Constantin Lupulescu (151), received wildcards for the first stages of the 2022 Grand Chess Tour, founded by the famous Garry Kasparov. Deac will perform in the Bucharest stage: Superbet Chess Classic Romania, May 4-15), and Lupulescu in the Warsaw stage (Superbet Rapid&Blitz Poland, May 17-24). Grand Chess Tour has 350,000 in prize money for the classic chess stage and 175,000 for the rapid and blitz one. The other stages Saint Louis Rapid & Bliz and Sinquefield Cup, hosted by Saint Louis, Missouri/US and SuperUnitedRapid&Blitz Croatia. (MI)

13 April 2022
February 20, 2022

COVID-19 Most of the indicators used to assess the Covid-19 pandemic in Romania have lately been on a downward trend. Authorities announced over 76 hundred new cases on Sunday as well as 68 related fatalities. The largest number of infected persons since the onset of the pandemic in Romania was registered on February 1st, 40,018. Doctors in this country have pointed out that the pandemic isnt over yet and it is important that safety measures be respected and the vaccine rollout carried on. According to them, the other countries have resorted to lifting some restrictions thanks to the higher vaccination rates, unmatched in Romania. Authorities are presently considering a series of relaxation measures to be gradually applied, but have announced that a decision is to be made depending on the situation in hospitals across the country. According to Health Minister Alexandru Rafila, it is important that people protect themselves against SARS-CoV-2 and recommended that face covering be maintained. Experts have sounded the alarm against a fresh Omicron variant, which is more transmissible than the one dominant at present being also immune to some anti-viral treatment.

TALKS US president Joe Biden is today meeting the National Security Council for talks on the situation in Ukraine. For the first time since the beginning of the crisis, Biden is convinced that Russian president Vladimir Putin has made a decision to invade Ukraine and a possible attack is only a matter of time. On Saturday at the security conference in Munich, the USA had again cautioned that an invasion in Ukraine would entail unprecedented sanctions for Moscow. Vice president of the United States Kamala Harris says that besides economic measures, the USA will continue to strengthen NATOs eastern flank. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told the Munich conference that Ukraine would not respond to provocations but defend itself against a Russian aggression. Ukraine is Europes shield against Russia, Zelensky also said. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the Munich conference that there is no sign on the pullout of Russian troops from the border with Ukraine. Also attending the conference in Munich, the head of the Romanian diplomacy, Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romanias stand that the present security crises in the Black Sea is not a regional crisis but affects the entire Euro Atlantic security. Aurescu has underlined the importance for the countries in the region to be pro-active and cooperate in order to overcome the challenges.

DAY 166 years were celebrated on Sunday since Romania abolished slavery among its Roma minority after more than five centuries. Under a law promulgated in 2011, this day has been celebrated in Romania ever since so that it may shed light on a history page not enough known in this country. The abolition process kicked off by political leader Mihail Kogalniceanu in 1837 was completed on February 20th 1856 through a decree issued by ruler Barbu Stirbei. Setting the Roma free has laid the foundation for the process of recovering the identity and memory of a community heavily tried by history, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said in a message conveyed on Sunday.

INVICTUS An invictus team made up of Romanian servicemen wounded in various operation theatres around the world is going to represent Romania at the Invictus Games due to kick off in the Hague in April, says a communique issued by the countrys Defence Ministry. This would be the third participation of this army team in the aforementioned international competition, after the editions in Toronto 2017 and Sydney 2018. 20 wounded servicemen are to compete in 7 sporting disciplines in the Invictus competition.

SPORT The Romanian womens water polo selection conceded defeat to Germany 11-4 in Bucharest on Sunday in their last game in the European Championship qualifiers. Both sides had already been qualified for the prestigious competition. In the other game of the qualifiers, Slovakia secured a 22-9 win against Ireland. Germany ranks first in the group with 12 points, followed by Romania with 9, Slovakia with 6, Ukraine and Ireland each with one point. This qualification has been a first for our womens side.

(bill)

20 February 2022
February 19, 2022 UPDATE

NATO. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stressed the
importance of continuing consultations and maintaining a close collaboration
and the unity of the Alliance against the background of the current critical
moments, a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration reads.
According to the same release, on Friday, the head of state participated, at
the invitation of the US president Joe Biden, in a new round of consultations
on the recent security developments, triggered by Russia’s actions, doubled by
an active campaign of disinformation and intimidation. At the meeting,
President Iohannis highlighted the need for a complete package of sanctions
that should be used in case the situation deteriorates further. He also
stressed the need for strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture, in a
unitary and coherent manner, along the entire Eastern Flank, from the Baltic
Sea to the Black Sea, as this is the only means to maintain regional stability
and defend the security of the Alliance as a whole. Iohannis also reiterated
Romania’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for
its right to freely decide upon its own foreign policy. Also, the Romanian
president said, Romania is ready to manage all the implications of the current
crisis.

Ukraine. The US President Joe Biden has voiced his conviction
that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has made the decision to invade
Ukraine, France Presse reports. We believe they will target Ukraine’s capital
Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people, the head of the US administration
said. He added, though, that since the invasion has not started yet, there is
still time for diplomacy, recalling that the Secretary of State Antony Blinken
is to meet in Europe with his Russian counterpart Serghey Lavrov.

Security.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia on
Saturday at the Munich Security Conference to stop the preparations for an
attack on Ukraine, otherwise it would have to suffer severe consequences. It is
never too late for Russia to back down, stop preparations for war and start
engaging in diplomatic negotiations with NATO and for the NATO allies to find a
political solution, Stoltenberg said. In
turn, the US Vice President Kamala Harris warned that North Atlantic Alliance
forces in Eastern Europe would be further strengthened if Russia attacked
Ukraine. Kamala Harris recalled that the United States had already deployed
about 6,000 additional troops in Romania, Poland and Germany. (…) Romania is
represented at the conference by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan
Aurescu, and by the Minister of Defense, Vasile Dincu. In his speech, Minister
Aurescu reiterated Romania’s position, stating that the current Black Sea security crisis is
not just a regional crisis, but one that affects Euro-Atlantic security as a
whole. He referred both to the acts of aggression and destabilization that the
region has faced in recent years, of a conventional or hybrid nature, and to
repeated violations of fundamental principles of international law, such as
sovereignty, territorial integrity and freedom of navigation, with negative
impact on the development opportunities of the region. The Romanian Foreign
Minister stressed the importance of the states in the region acting
proactively, constructively and in full cooperation, in order to overcome the challenges.

Covid.19Ro. 12,319 new cases of coronavirus infection were
reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, as well as 148 related fatalities, of
which 2 from a previous reporting period. The largest number of infections
since the start of the pandemic – 40,018 – was registered on February 1st. There
are 1,117 patients in intensive care, most of them unvaccinated. The vaccination pace has been slowing down
considerably, though specialists recommend it in order to avoid severe
manifestations of the disease.

Brancusi. On Saturday, Romania
celebrated the Constantin Brancusi National Day, 146 years since the birth of
the great sculptor. Events have been organized by the Romanian Cultural
Institutes around the world. According to the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca, the
Constantin Brancusi National Day is a tribute to the exceptional talent of a
Romanian who, through the mastery of his chisel, radically influenced world
sculpture. Though a genius, Brancusi lived simply and modestly, which are
characteristics of the Romanian peasant. Romanian nature, spiritually and
folklore were his inspiration and turned his workshop in Paris into a little
corner of Rural Romania, the PM’s message also reads.

Invictus. The Invictus team, made up of Romanian soldiers
wounded in theaters of operations, will represent the country at this year’s
Invictus Games, hosted by the Hague in April, according to a statement from the
Ministry of National Defense. It will be the Romanian Army’s third
participation in this international sports competition, which support the
physical and psychological recovery of the military wounded in war zones. 20
injured soldiers will participate in seven sports. (MI)

19 February 2022
February 19, 2022

NATO. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stressed the
importance of continuing consultations and maintaining a close collaboration and
the unity of the Alliance against the background of the current critical
moments, a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration reads. According
to the same release, on Friday, the head of state participated, at the
invitation of the US president Joe Biden, in a new round of consultations on
the recent security developments, triggered by Russia’s provocative actions,
doubled by an active campaign of disinformation and intimidation. At the
meeting, President Iohannis highlighted the need for a complete package of
sanctions that should be used in case the situation deteriorates further. He
also stressed the need for strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense posture,
in a unitary and coherent manner, along the entire Eastern Flank, from the
Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, as this is the only means to maintain regional
stability and defend the security of the Alliance as a whole. Iohannis also
reiterated Romania’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity and for its right to freely decide upon its own foreign policy. Also,
the Romanian president said, Romania is ready to manage all the implications of
the current crisis.

Ukraine. The US President Joe Biden has voiced his conviction
that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, has made the decision to invade
Ukraine, France Presse reports. We believe they will target Ukraine’s capital
Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people, the head of the US administration
said. He added, though, that since the invasion has not started yet, there is
still time for diplomacy, recalling that the Secretary of State Antony Blinken
is to meet in Europe with his Russian counterpart Serghey Lavrov.

Security. Leaders from around the world have gathered in Germany this weekend for the Munich Security Conference, focusing on the Ukrainian crisis, amid Western fears of a Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Romania is represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, and by the Minister of Defense, Vasile Dincu. Minister Aurescu has reiterated Romania’s stand, saying that the current security crisis is not just regional, but one that is affecting the Euro-Atlantic security as a whole. He referred to both the acts of aggression and destabilization that the region has faced in recent years, of a conventional or hybrid nature, and to repeated violations of fundamental principles of international law, such as sovereignty, territorial integrity and freedom of navigation, with negative impact. on the development opportunities of the region. The Romanian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of the states in the region to act proactively, constructively and to cooperate in order to overcome the challenges, including in established formats, such as Bucharest 9 and the Three Seas Initiative, each with essential security roles, interconnection and cohesion respectively.

Covid.19Ro. 12,319 new cases of coronavirus infection were
reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, as well as 148 related fatalities, of
which 2 from a previous reporting period. The largest number of infections
since the start of the pandemic – 40,018 – was registered on February 1st. The pandemic
seems to be following a downward trend. Against this background, the vaccination
pace is also slowing down significantly, though specialists recommend it in
order to avoid severe manifestations of the disease.

Brancusi. Today Romania
celebrates the Constantin Brancusi National Day, 146 years since the birth of
the great sculptor. Events have been organized by the Romanian Cultural
Institutes around the world. According to the Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca, the
Constantin Brancusi National Day is a tribute to the exceptional talent of a
Romanian who, through the mastery of his chisel, radically influenced world
sculpture. Though a genius, Brancusi lived simply and modestly, which are
characteristics of the Romanian peasant. Romanian nature, spiritually and folklore
were his inspiration and turned his workshop in Paris into a little corner of
Rural Romania, the PM’s message also reads.

Invictus. The Invictus team, made up of Romanian soldiers wounded
in theaters of operations, will represent the country at this year’s Invictus
Games, hosted by the Hague in April, according to a statement from the Ministry
of National Defense. It will be the Romanian Army’s third participation in this
international sports competition, which support the physical and psychological
recovery of the military wounded in war zones. 20 injured soldiers will
participate in seven sports. (MI)

19 February 2022
Un militar român rănit în Afganistan va reprezenta România la Jocurile Paralimpice de la Tokyo

Un militar român rănit în Afganistan s-a calificat la Jocurile Paralimpice de la Tokyo.

Caporalul Eugen Pătru va reprezenta, în premieră, România la proba de arc olimpic. Militarul a fost rănit grav la ambele picioare în Afganistan, în urmă cu 4 ani. Acum el face parte din Invictus, echipa paralimpică a armatei.

Eugen are 31 de ani şi este caporal în armată. În urmă cu câteva zile, la un concurs din Cehia, tânărul a reuşit să se califice în premieră pentru România la Jocurile Paralimpice din Japonia.

Mi-am dorit foarte mult, am muncit doi ani pentru acest rezultat. Îmi doresc și în viitor să câștig o medalie la Tokyo, pentru asta m-am antrenat, spune bărbatul.

În 2018, Eugen Pătru a câştigat aurul la jocurile Invictus din Australia şi a luat aurul la Campionatul mondial militar. Acum tânărul are şanse reale să urce pe podium la Jocurile Paralimpice de la Tokyo.

A devenit sportiv al Clubului sportiv al Armatei Steaua București și an de an a reușit să urce pe podium la majoritatea competițiilor la care a participat:

– dublu medaliat cu aur (individual și echipă) la Campionatul Mondial Militar desfășurat în Fontainebleau, Franța, (17 Iul. – 22 Iul. 2017);

– medaliat cu aur (individual) și medaliat cu argint (echipa) la Invictus Games Sydney 2018 desfășurat în Sydney, Australia (20 Oct. – 27 Oct. 2018);

– dublu medaliat cu aur (individual și echipă) la Campionatul European Militar desfășurat în Thermopylae – Lamia, Grecia (27 Aug. – 2 Sept. 2019);

– medaliat cu bronz (individual) la cea de-a 7-a ediție a Jocurilor Mondiale Militare desfășurate în orașul Wuhan, China (18 Oct. – 27 Oct. 2019)

Sursa: Facebook / Invictus Romania

15 July 2021
October 26, 2018

JUDICIARY – Hundreds protested in Bucharest and Cluj against the move by the Justice Minister to revoke Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar. The report submitted by the minister includes 20 charges, similar to the report last summer that resulted in the dismissal of head anti-corruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi. President Klaus Iohannis, the right of center opposition, as well as many magistrates, are against the move. The EC said it would evaluate all the recent developments in Romania as part of their next report under the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification, due on November 13.

HARVEST — Romania is expected this year to harvest between 14.5 and 15 tons of maize, compared to 11.8 tons expected to be harvested by France, which would make Romania the biggest corn producer in Europe, according to the association of corn producers in France, quoted by the daily Le Monde. Romanian Minister of Agriculture Petre Daea confirmed the news, saying that Romania would once again be the top maize producer in the EU, due to its propitious climate and soil. In 2017, Romania reported a grain harvest of almost 27 million tons, 1.4 tons per capita, with record harvests for wheat, barley, green peas, sunflower, soy, maize, potatoes, and grapes.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil, 93rd seeded in the ATP, plays against 57th seeded Taylor Fritz of the US in the finals of the Swiss tournament in Basel, with almost 2 million dollars prize money at stake. In the eighth finals, Copil won his most important victory, that against Croat Marin Cilic, ranked sixth in the world. That was the first victory won by the Romanian athlete against a top 10 adversary.

SPORTS — Romanian military athletes won in Sydney, Australia, two gold medals and one silver medal in various events in archery, as well as two bronze medals in indoor rowing and archery. The competition was the Invictus games, for veterans wounded in action. Romanian vets came in fourth twice in the 1,500 meter track event. 15 soldiers represent Romania at the games, their second showing in the Invictus event, after the 2017 games in Toronto, where 15 wounded soldiers took part in six individual events. They managed to get four medals, one gold in the team archery event, one silver in the individual archery event, in rowing, and in the 1,500 meter track event. The competition, dubbed the wounded soldier Olympics, was initiated by Prince Harry of the UK.

LABOR — In Romania, the head of the labor union representing metro train workers, Ion Radoi, said that the collective labor contract for his members expires on October 27. This announcement was made in order for him to announce that a general strike will be declared in mid-November if labor negotiations fail. According to the labor leader, one of the demands made by employees was a 42% rise in wages. Radoi spoke of the gap between earnings for metro employees in Bucharest and in Brussels. Gross wages for Romanian workers are around 700 Euro right now, as opposed to earnings by their counterparts in Brussels, who make around seven times more. He also said that the metro system is understaffed, with 4,560 employees, as opposed to the 5,000 that he said was the minimum figure.

OSLO — NATO continues large scale military maneuvers in Norway, simulating defense against an invasion of an allied country. The Trident Juncture exercise is attended by 50,000 troops from 31 allied and partner countries, with 250 aircraft, 65 warships, and 10,000 vehicles. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance has informed Russia of the deployment early this year. The Russian embassy in Norway said that this was an anti-Russian provocation. Analysts say that Trident Juncture is NATOs way to show solidarity to Russia, after statements made by President Vladimir Putin, who warned European countries that they risk being attacked by Russia if they accept to host American medium range missiles.

EUROSTAT — The European statistics authority Eurostat published a report according to which the life expectancy of a newborn in the EU in 2016 was 81, while the lowest figure was registered in Romania, ranging between 74.4 and 74.6 years of age. Among member states, Spain had the highest life expectancy, 83.4, followed by Italy, France, Luxembourg, Cyprus, and Malta.

26 October 2018
October 22, 2018 UPDATE

MEETING Romania will organize in February 2019 in Bucharest an informal Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, Romanian Interior Minister Carmen Dan has said. The announcement was made after the meeting that she had in Bucharest with the European Commissioner for the Security Union, Julian King. In his turn, the European official has said that Romania will take over the EU Council presidency in the first six months of 2019, at a time of great challenges for the community bloc, such as terrorism, cyber attacks and organized crime. The two officials also talked about Romania’s joining the Schengen area and the EU’s external borders.

STRASBOURG President of Romania Klaus Iohannis will take part on Tuesday in Strasbourg in a debate organised by the European Parliament with respect to the future of the European Union. The head of state will present Romania’s views on the topic. It is for the first time that the President of Romania will address the European Parliament, and his participation in the event takes place in the context of a series of debates on the future of the European bloc, in which the leaders of the EU member states are invited to take part. In the plenary session that begins on Tuesday, the MEPs will also discuss the 2019 budget of the Union, ways to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, and the taxes to be charged for the use of certain infrastructure segments by heavy duty vehicles.

LAW The Parliament of Romania is re-examining the Offshore Bill, after the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats reached an agreement last week. In early August, President Klaus Johannis did not sign the bill into law and sent it back to Parliament for a review. What is at stake is, first and foremost, the profit that Romania will make from natural gas extraction in the Black Sea. The Deputies in the specialised committees are to decide on the final text of the bill to be subject to the vote in a plenary sitting.

JUSTICE LAWS The European Commission called on the Romanian Government on Monday to take into consideration the recommendations made by the Venice Commission, the advisory body of the Council of Europe, regarding the amendments the ruling coalition in Romania has brought to the criminal codes and the justice laws. The Commission recommends Bucharest authorities to take steps so as to radically reevaluate these modifications, by means of complex and efficient consultations, with a view to obtaining a robust and coherent legislative proposal that should enjoy the wide support of Romanian society. In light of the latest opinion issued by the Venice Commission, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis invited political parties to hold consultations on the justice laws. Hundreds of people protested on Sunday in Bucharest and several other cities against the government policies in the field of justice and the main opposition parties on Monday filed a censure motion against Justice Minister Tudorel Toader.

INVICTUS Romanian troops won the first medal in the 2018 Invictus Palarympics in Sydney, Australia, in the indoor rowing event. In the 4-minute endurance event Dumitru Paraschiva won the 3rd place, and his colleague Ciprian Iriciuc, the 4th place out of 21 competitors. At the Paralympic Games held in October 20-27, Romania is represented by 15 soldiers wounded in theatres of war. Romanian athletes, who take part in the competition for the second time, compete in the archery, cycling, Paralympic athletics, rowing, swimming, and volleyball events.

DECORATION Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed on Monday the post-mortem decoration decree of Romanian football player Ilie Balaci, who died on Sunday aged 62. According to the Presidential administration, the “Faithful Service” National Order in Rank of Knight was offered in sign of appreciation and admiration for his remarkable career, for the talent with which he promoted, for many decades, the value of the football and the fair play spirit among the young generations of athletes.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

22 October 2018
October 21, 2018

MOURNING – Ilie Balaci, one of Romania’s best known football players, has died today, aged 62. Balaci made his debut at Universitatea Craiova football team, in 1973 and contributed to the team’s winning its first champion title. He was designated Romania’s footballer of the year twice, in 1981 and 1982. He won three national champion titles and four cups with Universitatea Craiova, a team that he played for most of his career, before his withdrawal from football in 1988. He then became a head coach and he had great success in the Arab countries, having won numerous titles in Tunisia, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

INVICTUS – The Romanians who are participating in Sydney in the Invictus Games, the international adaptive multi-sport event, in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part, will are today starting the team competitions, said on Radio Romania Colonel Augustin Pegulescu, himself an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. The Romanian team is made up of 15 wounded soldiers, most of them participating for the second time in the Invictus Games. More than 500 soldiers from across the world have come to Sydeny to take part in the games, created by Prince Harry four years ago.

SALARIES – The Romanian Government is considering freezing salaries in the public sector in 2019. A letter sent recently by the Finance Ministry to Brussels reads that this is one of the measures envisaged for next year, for Romania to observe the deficit target of 2.58% of the GDP and subsequently to correct the deviation from the medium term objectives by reducing the structured balance which will exceed 3% of the GDP this year. According to the document posted on the European Commissions website, the Romanian Government intends to maintain the value of holiday tickets to approximately 300 Euro, and also the number of employees in the public sector.

MARCH — A march for the prevention and fighting of all forms of violence against women took place in the capital Bucharest on Saturday. Alongside the several hundreds participants, were also foreign ambassadors to Bucharest, such as the American ambassador. Organizers signaled the fact that last year alone 26% of the total number of murders were due to domestic violence, and of the 40 thousand violence cases signaled to the police only 4% were brought to Court. A similar march took place on Saturday in the town of Focsani in eastern Romania.

PROCESSION — In Bucharest, thousands of Roman and Greek Catholic believers and priests are today taking parte in a procession with relic and icon of Pope John Paul II. The relic consists in several drops of the Popes blood, a gift to the Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest from Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the former personal secretary of the Pope, currently Archbishop Emeritus of Krakow. Born on May 18th, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Wojtyla was elected pope in October 1978 and died on April 2nd, 2005, at the Vatican. Pope Francis declared him a saint in April 2014, so John Paul II was included in the calendar of the Catholic Church, and his liturgical commemoration was set for October 22nd of each year. In 1999, Pope John Paul II came to Romania, on the first visit to a predominantly orthodox country by a head of the Catholic Church.

FESTIVAL – Bucharest is hosting the 28th National Theater Festival. For 11 days, theater lovers have the opportunity to participate in some 100 artistic events: shows, performances, exhibitions, book launches and meetings with special guests. The director of the festival, Marina Constantinescu, has stated that the money collected during the festival will be donated to the Daruieste viata (Give Life) Association, for the building of the first hospital of pediatric oncology and radiotherapy in Romania. Bucharest is also playing host to the event titled Cannes Films in Bucharest, an opportunity for film goers to watch films awarded at the prestigious festival, but also films signed by Romanian directors.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball champions CSM Bucharest on Saturday, away from home, beat the Norwegian squad Vipers Kristiansand, 29-27 in the Champions Leagues Group D. In the first two matches, the Romanian team defeated Ferencvaros of Hungary on home turf, and was defeated by Bietighem of Germany. On Thursday, CSM Bucharest got a new head coach, the Serb Dragan Djukic. He replaced the Swedish Magnus Johansson. Djukic, aged 56, has trained clubs such as Pick Szeged of Hungary, Vardar Skopje of Macedonia and Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel, as well as the national teams of Montenegro, Israel, Great Britain, Switzerland, Macedonia and Jordan. (Translated by Elena Enache)

21 October 2018
October 20, 2018

JUSTICE – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis intends to summon all political parties represented in Parliament for talks on the justice laws, following yesterdays report of the Venice Commission on the changes brought to these laws in Romania. The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law, believes that the changes brought to the Criminal Code, the Code of Criminal Proceeding and the justice laws will weaken the fight against corruption and organized crime. The Commission recommends large-scale public consultations, aimed at achieving a solid and coherent legislative change, supported by citizens and in compliance with the rulings of the Constitutional Court. Following the critical opinion of the Venice Commission, president Klaus Iohannis has stated that the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, himself a member of the Commission, has definitely compromised his credibility and should resign.

INTERCEPTION – Russian military aircraft, flying near the Romanian air space, was intercepted by Canadian fighters, in collaboration with the Romanian Air Forces. According to information made public today, the Russian jet was a SU 27-Flanker and was flying above the Black Sea. As soon as the Russian plane was detected by the Command and Control Center of the Romanian Air Forces, Canadian Hornet fighters were sent on mission. They watched the Russian plane from a short distance, until the latter left the area.

PROCESSION – On Sunday in Bucharest, thousands of Roman and Greek Catholic believers and priests will take parte in a procession with relic and icon of Pope John Paul II. The relic consists in several drops of the Popes blood, a gift to the Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest from Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the former personal secretary of the Pope, currently Archbishop Emeritus of Krakow. Born on May 18th, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Wojtyla was elected pope in October 1978 and died on April 2nd, 2005, at the Vatican. Pope Francis declared him a saint in April 2014, so John Paul II was included in the calendar of the Catholic Church, and his liturgical commemoration was set for October 22nd of each year. In 1999, Pope John Paul II came to Romania, on the first visit to a predominantly orthodox country by a head of the Catholic Church.

FESTIVAL – Bucharest is hosting the 28th National Theater Festival. For 11 days, theater lovers will have the opportunity to participate in some 100 artistic events: shows, performances, exhibitions, book launches and meetings with special guest. The director of the festival, Marina Constantinescu, has stated that the money collected during the festival will be donated to the Daruieste viata (Give Life) Association, for the building of the first hospital of pediatric oncology and radiotherapy in Romania. Bucharest is also playing host to the event titled Cannes Films in Bucharest, an opportunity for film goers to watch films awarded at the prestigious festival, but also films signed by Romanian directors.

INVICTUS – The Romanians who are participating in Sydney in the Invictus Games, the international adaptive multi-sport event, in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part, will start tomorrow the team competitions, said on Radio Romania Colonel Augustin Pegulescu, himself an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. The Romanian team is made up of 15 wounded soldiers, most of them participating for the second time in the Invictus Games. More than 500 soldiers from across the world have come to Sydeny to take part in the games, created by Prince Harry four years ago.

HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball champions CSM Bucharest are this evening playing, away from home, against the Norwegian squad Vipers Kristiansand, in the Champions Leagues Group D. In the first two matches, the Romanian team defeated Ferencvaros of Hungary on home turf, and was defeated by Bietighem of Germany. On Thursday, CSM Bucharest got a new head coach, the Serb Dragan Djukic. He replaced the Swedish Magnus Johansson. Djukic, aged 56, has trained clubs such as Pick Szeged of Hungary, Vardar Skopje of Macedonia and Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel, as well as the national teams of Montenegro, Israel, Great Britain, Switzerland, Macedonia and Jordan.

20 October 2018