Tag: Locarno

  • 17.08.2019 (mise à jour)

    17.08.2019 (mise à jour)

    Visite – Le président de la Roumanie, Klaus Iohannis, effectuera une visite à Washington, à linvitation du président américain Donald Trump, les 19 et 20 août. L’entrevue entre les deux chefs d’Etat, prévue le 20 août, sera l’occasion de parler du renforcement et du développement du Partenariat stratégique reliant les deux pays. Klaus Iohannis mettra en avant à cette occasion la position de la Roumanie en tant que partenaire stratégique solide et allié responsable et digne de confiance des Etats-Unis. Le président roumain soulignera, durant sa visite à Washington, qu’une des priorités de la politique étrangère de la Roumanie, c’est de renforcer la relation transatlantique et la sécurité de l’espace euro-atlantique. Le président Iohannis a également affirmé qu’il souhaitait aborder avec son homologue de Washington la question des effectifs militaires américains présents en Roumanie. Dans ce contexte, il a déclaré que le pays peut accueillir des effectifs accrus de miliaires américains. Un autre sujet à l’agenda des discussions sera la levée des visas pour les citoyens roumains souhaitant se rendre aux Etats-Unis.


    Par ailleurs, selon le communiqué de la Maison Blanche, le président Trump sera ravi de célébrer aux côtés de son homologue roumain les 30 ans écoulés depuis la chute du communisme en Roumanie et les 15 ans d’adhésion du pays à l’OTAN. Lors de la première visite du président Klaus Iohannis aux Etats-Unis, en 2017, les deux chefs d’Etat se sont entretenus des perspectives d’approfondissement et d’élargissement du Partenariat stratégique entre la Roumanie et les Etats-Unis.



    Migrants — La Roumanie et plusieurs autres Etats membres de l’UE ont accepté d’accueillir une partie des quelque 150 migrants embarqués sur le navire humanitaire espagnole « Open Arms », qui se trouve au large de lîle italienne de Lampedusa. Selon un communiqué du ministère roumain des Affaires étrangères, il s’agit de la relocalisation de 10 personnes de Malte. « La décision des autorités de Bucarest démontre la disponibilité de la Roumanie à contribuer à l’effort de solidarité envers des personnes vulnérables, qui ont besoin de protection et cette réponse ne met pas la pression sur le système roumain d’asile », précise le document. Selon la même source, cette année, la Roumanie a donné suite à trois autres appels de ce type lancés par la Commission européenne, ayant accueilli 11 personnes.



    Cérémonie — Le ministère roumain de la Défense organisera lundi, à la Base aérienne 57 Mihail Kogălniceanu (sud-est), une cérémonie militaire à l’occasion du départ en mission au Mali du Détachement Carpathian Pumas. Les militaires roumains participeront à la Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations unies pour la stabilisation au Mali. Les quelque 120 membres du détachement roumain, qui seront accompagnés par quatre hélicoptères IAR-330 Puma L-RM, entameront leur mission à la mi-octobre. Ils exerceront des missions d’évacuation médicale, de transport de troupes et de matériel, des missions de transport de passagers, de patrouille aérienne et d’observation. 1.033 militaires roumains sont actuellement déployés à l’étranger.



    Alpinisme — Török Zsolt (45 ans), un des alpinistes roumains les plus connus, a été retrouvé mort, samedi, près du sommet Negoiu des Monts Fagaras (au centre de la Roumanie), ont fait savoir les représentants du centre de sauvetage en montagne de Sibiu. Török Zsolt comptait à son palmarès plusieurs records nationaux et mondiaux. En 2016, il a escaladé cinq pics de l’Himalaya. Trois de ces ascensions, il les a faites en compagnie d’un autre alpiniste roumain chevronné, Vlad Căpuşan. Les deux avaient réalisé alors deux premières nationales et une autre mondiale. Ils ont été les premiers a avoir atteint le Peak 5 de Makalu, une montagne qui culmine à 6.421m d’altitude et dont l’ascension n’était autorisée que depuis 2013. Török Zsolt a réussi, en première nationale, avec son équipe, à escalader le pic du Nanga Parbat, dans l’Himalaya (8.126 m). L’escalade de cette montagne, sur le versant Rupal, est considérée comme la plus importante performance dans l’histoire de l’alpinisme roumain.



    Cinéma — Au Festival du film de Locarno (Suisse), la co-production roumano-serbe « Ivana la terrible », le deuxième long-métrage de la réalisatrice Ivana Mladenovic, a obtenu le prix spécial du jury dans la section « Cinéastes d’aujourd’hui ». Né en 1984, en Serbie, Ivana Mladenovic a étudié le Droit à Belgrade avant de s’établir en Roumanie. Elle a réalisé plusieurs courts-métrages et documentaires, qui ont été sélectionnés et primés à des festivals internationaux. Ivana Mladenovic est surtout connue pour son film de début « Les soldats. Histoire du quartier de Ferentari ».



    Le Cerf dor Dernière ligne droite des préparatifs pour l’édition 2019 du prestigieux festival international de la chanson « Le Cerf dor », qui sera accueilli, du 22 au 25 août, par la ville de Brasov, au centre de la Roumanie. 12 finalistes du concours d’interprétation se disputeront des prix totalisant plus de 55 mille euros. Parmi les stars qui donneront des récitals, mentionnons Emeli Sande et Ronan Keating. Le festival s’achèvera par un spectacle folklorique. Les débuts du festival remontent à 1968. Lors des précédentes éditions, 18 au total, de grands artistes du monde entier sont montés sur la scène de Brasov. Parmi eux: Diana Ross, Julio Iglesias, Dalida, Sheryl Crow, Tom Jones, Juliette Greco, Vaya con Dios, Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin, Kelly Family, Gilbert Becaud, Josephine Baker, Toto Cutugno, Enrico Macias, Boy George, James Brown, Ray Charles ou UB 40.



  • August 17, 2019 UPDATE

    August 17, 2019 UPDATE

    VISIT The head of the Romanian state, Klaus Iohannis, will be on an official visit to Washington D.C. on August 19 and 20, at the invitation of the US president, Donald J. Trump. The 2 leaders will have a meeting on August 20, to discuss ways to strengthen and further develop the strong and dynamic strategic partnership between Romania and the US, in all its components. The Romanian president will emphasise on this occasion that his country will remain a reliable ally and strategic partner of the USA, one of the priorities of Romanias foreign policy being to consolidate the trans-Atlantic relation and Euro-Atlantic security. Klaus Iohannis said he also intended to talk to Donald J. Trump about the American troops in Romania and about the countrys capacity to host more US troops. The issue of US visa requirements for Romanian citizens will also be approached. Meanwhile, according to the White House, the US president looks forward to celebrating the 30th year since the fall of communism and the 15th year of Romanias NATO membership with president Iohannis. Klaus Iohannis and Donald Trump previously met at the White House in 2017, when they discussed the prospects for deepening and broadening the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US.



    CLIMBER One of the best known Romanian climbers, Torok Zsolt, (45) was found dead on Saturday near Negoiu Peak in Fagaras Mountains, central Romania, the Sibiu mountain rescue service announced. Torok Zsolt broke several records in Romanian and world climbing. In 2016, Torok Zsolt climbed 5 Himalayan peaks, 3 of them accompanied by Vlad Căpuşan. They made the first ever ascent of Peak 5, in Makalu region, a 6.421m top that had not been climbed since the opening of the route in 2003. In 2013, Torok Zsolt was the leader of the Romanian team that climbed the 8.126m Nanga Parbat, which is still the most notable achievement in Romanian mountain climbing.



    MIGRANTS The Romanian authorities, alongside several other EU member states, have agreed to receive some of the nearly 150 migrants on board of the Spanish humanitarian vessel Open Arms, off the Italian island of Lampedusa. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the agreement concerns the relocation of 10 people from Malta. The decision proves Romanias willingness to contribute to the solidarity efforts in such situations, and concerns vulnerable people, who need protection. The response poses no pressure on the Romanian asylum system, reads the release. Bucharest says there have been other similar situations this year, and Romania has responded to 3 such calls coming from the European Commission, namely 2 from Italy for 10 people, and one from Malta for 5 people in need of protection. Eleven of these have reached the country so far.



    FILM ‘Ivana the Terrible, Ivana Mladenovics second feature film, has won the special prize of the jury in the Cineasti del Presente section of the Locarno Film Festival, which came to an end on Saturday. The section is devoted to directors at their first, second or third films. ‘Ivana the Terrible, a Romanian-Serbian co-production, is an unconventional story about people and places, based on an event in the directors life. Ivana Mladenovic was born in 1984, in Serbia, she went to law school in Belgrade and then moved to Romania. She made several shorts and documentaries awarded in international festivals, and is best known for her debut feature, ‘Soldiers. A story from Ferentari’.



    ACTOR The American actor Peter Fonda, son of Henry Fonda and brother to Jane Fonda, died at the age of 79, in Los Angeles (USA), after battling lung cancer. He shot to fame after playing in the 1969 cult classic Easy Rider. In 1971 he directed his first film, “The Hired Hand, in which he also played the lead role. He had an Oscar nomination for best actor, in “Ulee’s Gold, 1998, which also won a Golden Globe. His last film, The Last Full Measure, featuring Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman and Laurence Fishburne, is scheduled for release in late October in the US.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 11, 2018 UPDATE

    August 11, 2018 UPDATE

    PROTESTS Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday afternoon, for the second running day, in Victoriei Square in Bucharest, for an anti-government protest. Meanwhile, Romanian military prosecutors have initiated a criminal investigation concerning the intervention of riot police during Friday nights rally. President Klaus Iohannis accused the Government of being irrational and acting against the interests of their own citizens. He condemned the violence occurring on the previous night in Victoriei Square, and asked the Interior Minister, Carmen Dan, to take responsibility for how the situation was handled. In response, the Interior Minister said that what happened was serious and that nobody could accuse the gendarme service for having enforced the law. PM Viorica Dăncilă requested an immediate and comprehensive report from the Romanian Intelligence Service regarding the entities that planned and instigated the violence on Friday night, and regarding the actions of the public institutions in charge with providing data and intelligence on possible intentions to highjack the protests. Some 100,000 people gathered on Friday in front of the Government headquarters in Bucharest, demanding the resignation of the cabinet and early elections. There were violent clashes between the protesters and the gendarmes, and riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The gendarmes moved in after some of their colleagues were attacked. Over 450 people, including 35 gendarmes, received medical treatment further to the clashes, and 70 people were hospitalised, of which 11 gendarmes, including a woman who was beaten and had her gun stolen. More than 30 protesters were arrested, and 8 criminal cases were opened. Also on Friday, in several cities in the country, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to voice their solidarity with the protest in Bucharest, shouting anti-government slogans.



    REACTIONS The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and president of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, said on Saturday that it is unacceptable to have “constitutional order attacked by organised groups, supported by the opposition and the head of state. The vice-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Deputy Andrei Gerea, claims the violent clashes that took place on Friday night are the result of an instigation and misinformation campaign run over the past few days by the opposition and the President of the country. The head of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, urges the President Klaus Iohannis to comply with his constitutional role and to mediate between the various groups within the Romanian society. In Opposition, the leader of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban said the brutal intervention of riot police against peaceful protesters in Victoriei Square was premeditated. Save Romania Union asked for the resignation of the Interior Minister, of the gendarme service chief, and of the Bucharest Prefect, as well as for a parliamentary inquiry and a special government meeting to “clarify the intervention of riot police in the rally. The Peoples Movement Party labels the intervention of riot police as “outrageous, “unjustified, and the gendarmes measures as “unprecedented and out of proportion.



    ECHOES – International media covered Fridays protests in Romania and the violence in Victoriei Square. “Hundreds injured in protests as emigrants return to fight corruption, writes The Guardian, while The New York Times notes that “Violence erupts as tens of thousands protest corruption in Romania. Tear gas and water cannons to disperse diaspora rally, France Presse reports, and Radio Free Europe reports that hundreds were injured during clashes between the police and protesters. Associated Press writes that the Romanian diaspora organised a massive anti-governmental protest in Bucharest and mentions that the rally was marred by violence.



    FILM The Romanian actress Andra Guţi was awarded at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland the Leopard for best actress for her part in “Alice T. directed by Radu Muntean. “Alice T., a Romanian-French-Swedish co-production, had its world premiere on August 4, as part of the international competition for the Golden Leopard of the Locarno Festival. The award went to “A Land Imagined, directed by Yeo Siew Hua, of Singapore.



    TENNIS – The Romanian Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, has qualified into the finals of the WTA tournament in Montreal, which has 2.8 million US dollars in total prize money. On Saturday she defeated the Australian Ashleigh Barty (16 WTA), 6-4, 6-1. Last year, when the tournament took place in Toronto, Halep lost the semi-final to Elina Svitolina. The Romanian won the tournament in 2016, in Montreal, against Madison Keys, after having lost the 2015 final to the Swiss Belinda Bencic.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 11, 2018 UPDATE

    August 11, 2018 UPDATE

    PROTESTS Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday afternoon, for the second running day, in Victoriei Square in Bucharest, for an anti-government protest. Meanwhile, Romanian military prosecutors have initiated a criminal investigation concerning the intervention of riot police during Friday nights rally. President Klaus Iohannis accused the Government of being irrational and acting against the interests of their own citizens. He condemned the violence occurring on the previous night in Victoriei Square, and asked the Interior Minister, Carmen Dan, to take responsibility for how the situation was handled. In response, the Interior Minister said that what happened was serious and that nobody could accuse the gendarme service for having enforced the law. PM Viorica Dăncilă requested an immediate and comprehensive report from the Romanian Intelligence Service regarding the entities that planned and instigated the violence on Friday night, and regarding the actions of the public institutions in charge with providing data and intelligence on possible intentions to highjack the protests. Some 100,000 people gathered on Friday in front of the Government headquarters in Bucharest, demanding the resignation of the cabinet and early elections. There were violent clashes between the protesters and the gendarmes, and riot police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. The gendarmes moved in after some of their colleagues were attacked. Over 450 people, including 35 gendarmes, received medical treatment further to the clashes, and 70 people were hospitalised, of which 11 gendarmes, including a woman who was beaten and had her gun stolen. More than 30 protesters were arrested, and 8 criminal cases were opened. Also on Friday, in several cities in the country, tens of thousands of people took to the streets to voice their solidarity with the protest in Bucharest, shouting anti-government slogans.



    REACTIONS The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and president of the Social Democratic Party, Liviu Dragnea, said on Saturday that it is unacceptable to have “constitutional order attacked by organised groups, supported by the opposition and the head of state. The vice-president of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, Deputy Andrei Gerea, claims the violent clashes that took place on Friday night are the result of an instigation and misinformation campaign run over the past few days by the opposition and the President of the country. The head of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, urges the President Klaus Iohannis to comply with his constitutional role and to mediate between the various groups within the Romanian society. In Opposition, the leader of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban said the brutal intervention of riot police against peaceful protesters in Victoriei Square was premeditated. Save Romania Union asked for the resignation of the Interior Minister, of the gendarme service chief, and of the Bucharest Prefect, as well as for a parliamentary inquiry and a special government meeting to “clarify the intervention of riot police in the rally. The Peoples Movement Party labels the intervention of riot police as “outrageous, “unjustified, and the gendarmes measures as “unprecedented and out of proportion.



    ECHOES – International media covered Fridays protests in Romania and the violence in Victoriei Square. “Hundreds injured in protests as emigrants return to fight corruption, writes The Guardian, while The New York Times notes that “Violence erupts as tens of thousands protest corruption in Romania. Tear gas and water cannons to disperse diaspora rally, France Presse reports, and Radio Free Europe reports that hundreds were injured during clashes between the police and protesters. Associated Press writes that the Romanian diaspora organised a massive anti-governmental protest in Bucharest and mentions that the rally was marred by violence.



    FILM The Romanian actress Andra Guţi was awarded at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland the Leopard for best actress for her part in “Alice T. directed by Radu Muntean. “Alice T., a Romanian-French-Swedish co-production, had its world premiere on August 4, as part of the international competition for the Golden Leopard of the Locarno Festival. The award went to “A Land Imagined, directed by Yeo Siew Hua, of Singapore.



    TENNIS – The Romanian Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, has qualified into the finals of the WTA tournament in Montreal, which has 2.8 million US dollars in total prize money. On Saturday she defeated the Australian Ashleigh Barty (16 WTA), 6-4, 6-1. Last year, when the tournament took place in Toronto, Halep lost the semi-final to Elina Svitolina. The Romanian won the tournament in 2016, in Montreal, against Madison Keys, after having lost the 2015 final to the Swiss Belinda Bencic.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • August 15, 2016 UPDATE

    August 15, 2016 UPDATE

    ASSUMPTION FEAST On Monday,
    Christian believers celebrated the Assumption of Mary, the oldest celebration
    of Virgin Mary. On this day, believers and pilgrims from all over the
    country go to churches and monasteries to pray. In the Christian faith, the
    Mother of God is the most revered after the Holy Trinity. She gave birth to the
    Son of God as a human being, and when she died she was taken up into Heaven.
    August 15th is also the Romanian Navy Day. To celebrate the occasion, Romania’s
    president Klaus Iohannis participated in the events held on the promenade of
    the Black Sea port-town of Constanta. In his speech, the president said that
    what’s happening in the Black Sea Area is no longer a local matter.
    Developments in this area have effects beyond its borders and implications for the Euro-Atlantic
    security, and the Black Sea is important from a strategic point of view. That
    is why Romania’s stand and its main security options are so decisive now, the
    president also said.




    SUMMER UNIVERSITY Representatives
    of the Romanian historical communities and the Diaspora took part on Monday in
    the Feast of the Assumption of Mary at the Monastery in Izvoru Muresului,
    dubbed the monastery of the Romanians around the world. According to the Bishop of Covasna and Harghita Andrei
    Moldovan, this monastery is an oasis of Romanian spirituality. Starting August
    15th, for a week, Harghita county in central Romania is playing host to the
    14th Izvoru Muresului Summer University. There are 100 participants, including
    representatives of the academic environment, of the main political parties, of
    Romanian communities in the country and
    around the borders. The theme of this year’s edition is The Romanian State and
    the Romanians on the Border of the EU and NATO. The participants will talk
    about inter-faith conflicts and xenophobic manifestations in Europe, the fight
    against human trafficking and the law on postal voting.






    LOCARNO The feature film
    Scarred Hearts by the Romanian director Radu Jude won the Special Jury Award at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
    A post on the festival’s web page reads that the film was highly praised by
    international critics. This is Radu Jude’s fourth feature film. Last year he
    won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival with Aferim!.






    DRILLS On Monday, Russia started tactical
    drills in the east of the Mediterranean, to test its military capacity to
    counterattack terrorist threats, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced.
    The participating ships are equipped with long-range Kalibr missiles, which
    were used to hit Jihadist strongholds in Syria in 2015. In the past months, Russia has strengthened its naval capacity in the east of the Mediterranean, as
    part of its intervention in Syria, where it is running an air-strike campaign in
    support for president Bashar al-Assad’s troops.




    VISIT The US Vice President
    Joe Biden is paying a two-day visit to Serbia and Kosovo. The White House has
    not given details about the agenda of talks, but the visit is taking place five
    months after the one paid to the White House by the former president of Kosovo,
    Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga, news agencies report. Back then, Vice President Biden stressed the US’s support for the
    dialogue with Serbia, facilitated by the EU, encouraging the Kosovo government
    to take steps forward in normalizing its relations with Serbia, 16 years after
    the NATO air intervention, which opened the door for the former province’s
    independence. On Thursday, the Serbian Parliament endorsed a new, populist
    government, headed by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who promised to pursue
    Serbia’s EU integration, while at the same time maintaining close ties with
    Russia.






    FOOTBALL The Romanian
    football squad Steaua Bucharest will play against Manchester City on home turf
    on Tuesday, in a match counting for the first leg of the Champions League’s
    play-off. The return game is scheduled for august 24th in Manchester. If it
    manages to defeat Manchester, Steaua will qualify for the Champions League
    groups.








    TENNIS Romanian Simona Halep, ranked 3rd in
    the WTA classification, is taking part in the Cincinnati tournament, in the US,
    with 2.8 million dollars in prize money. She will start straight in the second
    round of the competition. Another Romanian player, Irina Begu, no. 24 in the
    WTA rankings, is also taking part in the tournament, but enters the competition
    in the first round. In 2015, Simona Halep played the Cincinnati final, but was
    defeated by Serena Williams. This tournament is the last before the famous US
    Open, the last Grand Slam of the year.