Radio România Internațional

Tag: military exercise

  • April 20, 2017 UPDATE

    April 20, 2017 UPDATE

    VISIT — Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu on Thursday said his objective is to lift the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in the field of the judiciary before Romania takes over the rotating presidency of the European Council in 2019. This means Romania should get a final positive report, Sorin Grindeanu said, adding that the Government will continue to guarantee the fairness and independence of the judiciary. The declaration was made during his meeting with European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans, who is on an official visit to Bucharest. The EU official said each citizen deserves to live in a rule of law, and that good results have been obtained under the CVM. According to Frans Timmermans, right now Bucharest is at the end of a very long marathon, and it needs to observe the recommendations of the European Commission regarding its justice system.



    ECONOMIC FIGURES— Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu on Thursday announced Romania reported a budget surplus of 360 million euros, accounting for 0.2% of the GDP, in the first three months of the year. The Prime Minister said the VAT collection rate went up by 2.5% in February as compared to the same month last year, and by 8.9% in March as compared to the same period in 2016. Sorin Grindeanu said a total of 62,000 new jobs were made available in the first quarter of the year.



    COOPERATION — Austria and Romania will cooperate to have successful mandates at the helm of the European Council in the second half of 2018 and the first half of 2019 respectively, the Minister Delegate for European Affairs Ana Birchall said on Thursday. According to a Foreign Ministry press release, Ana Birchall met with Austrian Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, Sebastian Kurz, during her official visit to Vienna. Talks focused on hot topics on the European agenda and of mutual interest to both states, with a focus on furthering cooperation in the field of European affairs. The Danube Strategy, the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership were also on the agenda of the meeting.



    MILITARY — Chief of General Staff General Nicolae Ciuca on Thursday said Romania will be purchasing US Patriot missiles, as part of a national program to purchase military equipment. Patriot is an advanced ground to air missile that can target fighter jets. The announcement was made at a press conference in Smardan, eastern Romania, currently hosting a joint US-Romanian military exercise. Taking part were Romanian officials from the government and the armed forces as well as representatives of the US Embassy.



    ALARMS — Romania continues its widest ranging exercise to test alarm system at a national level. Emergency sirens were tested between 10 AM and 3 PM in 11 counties and Bucharest. The sirens are supposed to announce chemical accidents, air attacks, or severe flooding, and can be heard on a radius of around 500 meters. 7,700 such sirens are distributed around the country for civil protection. The exercise, concluding Friday, is supposed to measure speed of reaction in case of emergency, as well as coverage of alarms, in addition to response measure awareness.



    MEETING — European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said his meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday was positive, underlining the mutual interest of observing the rights of EU citizens after Brexit. President Tajani said they agreed on the need to solve the issue of the rights of EU citizens living in Great Britain, as well as of Brits living in other EU states. In turn, a British Government spokesman said May and Tajani agreed on the need to maintain close ties between London and Brussels after Brexit and to offer ‘security’ to EU citizens as regards their legal status after Brexit.



    GYMNASTICS — Romanian athlete Marian Dragulescu qualified to the floor event finals and the vault finals in the European Gymnastics Championships. The event is hosted by the Romanian city of Cluj, which wraps up on April 23. This edition is attended by 274 athletes from 37 countries. Romanian gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci is ambassador for the European Championships. The last edition of this event hosted by Romania took place in 1957.



    TENNIS — Romanias womens tennis team plays at home this weekend, taking on the UKs team, in a bid to hold on to their place in the world group in the Fed Cup. The games are scheduled for April 22 and 23, in the resort of Mamaia, on the Black Sea coast. Romanias team is made up of Simona Halep, 5th ranked, Irina Begu, 33rd ranked, Monica Niculescu, 47th WTA, and Sorana Cirstea, 61st WTA. The UK brings into play two top 100 players, Johanna Konta, 10th ranked, and Heather Watson, 72nd ranked. Romania and the UK have faced off five times so far in the Fed Cup, with the Romanians winning four times.



    WEATHER — Bad weather will continue to afflict Romania over the next couple of days. Rain, snow, gales and low temperatures have caused the authorities to extend a code yellow until Friday at noon, taking into consideration the snow in the mountains as well. A code orange alert is in place until noon on Friday in the eastern and southern Carpathians as well, with wind expected to reach speeds of up to 80 to 90 km/h. The worsening of the weather has affected road traffic. Several flights have been delayed by the weather on Cluj International Airport. A few localities in the north and southeast were left without power. Bad weather is affecting several countries in Europe as well, with closed highways in Austria, strong wind in Italy and heavy snowfalls in eastern Ukraine. The Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia and Hungary are also hit by a wave of bad weather.

  • March 18, 2017 UPDATE

    March 18, 2017 UPDATE

    TERRORISM – A man was shot dead on Saturday morning by security forces after grabbing the weapon of a soldier on Orly International Airport in Paris in what seems to be a terrorist attack. No one got hurt in the incident. Air traffic was brought to a halt and thousands of people were evacuated from the two terminals, which were both shut down. The authorities have launched a large-scale security operation involving bomb disposal experts. Counterterrorist prosecutors are conducting an investigation. Sources with the French Interior Ministry say the man was a radicalized Muslim who had been on the watchlist of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Prior to the incident on Orly Airport, the man had opened fire on a roadblock checkpoint in northern Paris, injuring a policeman, then headed to Orly. Since January 2015, Paris saw one of the highest number of terrorist attacks, which killed numerous victims.



    MILTARY EXERCISE – 1,200 Romanian and US military are taking part in the Spring Storm 17 joint military exercise, consisting of complex defence tactics carried out on the Romanian Black Sea coast and urban areas, with naval, ground and air support. Today the military are scheduled to carry out a drill for the debarkation of Romanian and American marines from the USS Carter Hall landing ship. During the drill the forces will be attacked by battleships on sea while the Romanian Air Force will provide air support with two MIG 21 Lancer fighter jets. In another development, diplomatic and military sources in the Russian media say the Russian Federation is closely monitoring the French warship La Fayette, which will be anchored in the port of Constanta over March 24-27 as part of a joint military exercise carried out with the Romanian navy.



    MOLDOVA – Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Moldovan counterpart, Igor Dodon, met in Moscow to discuss the terms of the agreement of their previous meeting, held less than three months ago. Igor Dodon said difficulties in terms of bilateral relations have been overcome due to this agreement and suggested the organization of consultations for the conclusion of a Strategic Partnership. The agenda of Igor Dodons visit to Moscow is mostly focused on the economy, and included the Moldovan officials participation in a Russian-Moldovan business forum. On this occasion, Igor Dodon called on Russian business people to invest in the Republic of Moldova. Any investor with an investment capital exceeding one hundred thousand dollars may apply for Moldovan citizenship and thus benefit from Moldovas Association Agreement with the European Union. At the same time, the Moldovan President said on April 3, Moldova will sign a cooperation agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.



    TRUMP – US President Donald Trump on Friday talked to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about migration, which he sees as a privilege, not a right, underlining that citizen safety should come first. The two officials also discussed the NATO budget, with the White House leader insisting on the need for member states to make contributions to the NATO budget. Donald Trump said there are states currently owing large sums of money, and they have to pay their debts. In turn, Chancellor Merkel argued in favour of resuming negotiations between the European Union and the United States on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Angela Merkel also expressed their willingness to improve relations with Russia, provided a positive solution is found to the crisis in Ukraine.



    GYMNASTICS – Gymnast Catalina Ponor on Friday qualified to the vault and floor final events at the World Gymnastics Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is the only Romanian athlete qualified to the finals, scheduled to take place on Sunday. 120 gymnasts from 21 states are taking part in the World Championships, an important event ahead of the European Championships to be hosted in April by Cluj Napoca, central Romania. (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • March 18, 2017

    March 18, 2017

    TERRORISM — A man was shot dead on Saturday morning by security forces after grabbing the weapon of a soldier on Orly International Airport in Paris in what seems to be a terrorist attack. No one got hurt in the incident. Air traffic was brought to a halt and thousands of people were evacuated from the two terminals, which were both shut down. The authorities have launched a large-scale security operation involving bomb disposal experts. Counterterrorist prosecutors are conducting an investigation. Sources with the French Interior Ministry say the man was on the watchlist of law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Prior to the incident on Orly Airport, the man had opened fire on a roadblock checkpoint in northern Paris, injuring a policeman, then headed to Orly. Since January 2015, Paris saw one of the highest number of terrorist attacks, which killed numerous victims.



    MILTARY EXERCISE — 1,200 Romanian and US military are taking part in the Spring Storm 17 joint military exercise, consisting of complex defence tactics carried out on the Romanian Black Sea coast and urban areas, with naval, ground and air support. Today the military are scheduled to carry out a drill for the debarkation of Romanian and American marines from the USS Carter Hall landing ship. During the drill the forces will be attacked by battleships on sea while the Romanian Air Force will provide air support with two MIG 21 Lancer fighter jets. In another development, diplomatic and military sources in the Russian media say the Russian Federation is closely monitoring the French warship La Fayette, which will be anchored in the port of Constanta over March 24-27 as part of a joint military exercise carried out with the Romanian navy.



    MOLDOVA — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Moldovan counterpart, Igor Dodon, met in Moscow to discuss the terms of the agreement of their previous meeting, held less than three months ago. Igor Dodon said difficulties in terms of bilateral relations have been overcome due to this agreement and suggested the organization of consultations for the conclusion of a Strategic Partnership. The agenda of Igor Dodon’s visit to Moscow is mostly focused on the economy, and included the Moldovan official’s participation in a Russian-Moldovan business forum. On this occasion, Igor Dodon called on Russian business people to invest in the Republic of Moldova. Any investor with an investment capital exceeding one hundred thousand dollars may apply for Moldovan citizenship and thus benefit from Moldova’s Association Agreement with the European Union. At the same time, the Moldovan President said on April 3, Moldova will sign a cooperation agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union.



    TRUMP — US President Donald Trump on Friday talked to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about migration, which he sees as a privilege, not a right, underlining that citizen safety should come first. The two officials also discussed the NATO budget, with the White House leader insisting on the need for member states to make contributions to the NATO budget. Donald Trump said there are states currently owing large sums of money, and they have to pay their debts. In turn, Chancellor Merkel argued in favour of resuming negotiations between the European Union and the United States on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Angela Merkel also expressed their willingness to improve relations with Russia, provided a positive solution is found to the crisis in Ukraine.



    GYMNASTICS — Gymnast Catalina Ponor on Friday qualified to the vault and floor final events at the World Gymnastics Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. It is the only Romanian athlete qualified to the finals, scheduled to take place on Sunday. 120 gymnasts from 21 states are taking part in the World Championships, an important event ahead of the European Championships to be hosted in April by Cluj Napoca, central Romania. (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • August 4, 2016 UPDATE

    August 4, 2016 UPDATE

    MILITARY DRILLS –Exercise “Saber Guardian-2016 is proof of the consolidated relations between the NATO member states and the partner countries, Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Thursday, upon attending a multi-national military exercise in Cincu, central Romania. The exercise is organised jointly by the Romanian Army and the United States Army Europe (USAREUR). President Iohannis said this is the first major exercise hosted by Romania after the NATO Summit in Warsaw and is held ahead of a very busy program scheduled for next year. The exercise, which is to conclude on August 7, brings together more than 2,700 troops from five NATO member states – Bulgaria, Canada, Poland, Romania and the US – and five Partnership for Peace nations – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The exercise is part of U.S. European Command’s Joint Exercise Program designed to enhance joint combined interoperability between the aforementioned NATO members and Partnership for Peace nations.



    IT PLATFORM – Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos announced on Thursday that the Government of Romania will offer ten grants worth 2,000 Euros each, for six months, to IT experts who are expected to bring IT innovation into the public administration, which is lagging far behind in this domain. The cabinet has also launched the GovITHub platform, which is developed jointly with the private business sector, in an effort to improve the quality of public services by means of technology. The program is part of a campaign intended to reduce red tape in central and local administration and to bring state institutions closer to citizens.



    VOTING LEGISLATION – In the absence of amendments to the current electoral law, a significantly lower number of polling stations will be opened for the Romanian Diaspora, during this autumns parliamentary elections in Romania than in the previous ballots, since 2008. The statement was made in Bucharest on Thursday by the Romanian minister for the Diaspora, Maria Ligor, who has held talks, over the past few days, with representatives of the parliamentary parties on the legislative elections due in autumn. The co-president of the National Liberal Party, Vasile Blaga, announced that an emergency ordinance, intended to facilitate the presence in polling stations of as many Romanians living abroad as possible, will be publicly debated as of August 15, and will be adopted by the Government shortly before the start of the parliamentary session. We recall that in the presidential election of 2014, because of an improper organisation of the ballot, many Romanians living abroad queued for hours in order to cast their vote, with no success.



    ROYALTY FUNERAL – Romanians on Thursday continued to leave messages and sign the book of condolences at the Royal Palace in Bucharest, one of the three books opened in memory of Queen Anne, the wife of King Michael I. Candles were lit and floral tributes were paid in front of the Palace. Queen Anne died on Monday in a hospital in Switzerland, at the age of 92. Her body will be repatriated on August 9 and the funeral is scheduled for Saturday, August 13, when a day of national mourning is decreed. On that day, the national flag will fly at half-mast and radio and television stations will adjust their broadcast accordingly. Queen Anne will be buried at the Curtea de Arges Monastery, the final resting place of Romanian Royalties.



    EUROBAROMETER – Romanians are optimistic about the future of the European Union. According to the latest Eurobarometer issued by the European Commission, 70% of the Romanian respondents have a positive opinion on the future of the EU, whereas only 26% are pessimistic. Asked which the main issues facing the European Union are, half of the Romanians say terrorism and over 40% of them-immigration. As regards problems of utmost importance in Romania, that need to be addressed, 37% of the Romanians point to the healthcare system and 25% to unemployment. The major problems that Romanians are faced with at personal level include the cost of living-29%, health issues-24% and small pensions – 22%.



    FESTIVAL – Over 350,000 people are expected to attend the largest music festival in Romania, Untold, which unfolds in the central Romanian city of Cluj Napoca, between August 4 and 7. Over 150 international artists and five of the worlds best DJs will perform in this second edition of the festival.


    (Translated by Diana Vijeu)

  • August 4, 2016

    August 4, 2016

    ELECTIONS – An emergency order on voting in the diaspora will be discussed by the Government as of August 15, the co-president of the National Liberal Party, Vasile Blaga, announced after a meeting with the minister delegate for the relations with the Romanian diaspora, Maria Ligor. The emergency order is intended to facilitate the presence in polling stations of as many Romanians living abroad as possible. It will allow for online registration to the Voter Registry for all those who intend to cast their ballots abroad. Another amendment to the current legislative framework has to do with the additional voter lists, to the effect that Romanian citizens will be able to vote in any polling stations abroad, instead of just at the Romanian diplomatic missions, as the current legislation stipulates.



    MILITARY EXERCISE – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis and Chief of the General Staff, general Nicolae Ciucă, are taking part today in Saber Guardian – 16, a multi-national military exercise held in Cincu, Brasov County. The exercise, which is to conclude on August 7, brings together more than 2,700 troops from five NATO member states – Bulgaria, Canada, Poland, Romania and the US, and five Partnership for Peace countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Rep. of Moldova and Ukraine.



    QUEEN ANNE FUNERAL – A brief religious service in memory of Queen Anne of Romania was held on Wednesday in the presence of Crown Princess Margareta, Prince Radu, Princess Sofia and Princess Maria, at Beausobre Chapel in Morges, Switzerland. Also on Wednesday, the Government of Romania announced a day of national mourning on August 13, when Queen Anne, the wife of King Michael I, will be buried. On that day, the national flag will fly at half-mast and radio and television stations will adjust their broadcast accordingly. Queen Anne died on Monday in a hospital in Switzerland, at the age of 92. Her body will be repatriated on August 9. The casket will be taken to the Peles Castle in Sinaia and then brought to the former Royal Palace in Bucharest, which currently hosts the National Art Museum of Romania. The funeral is scheduled for August 13, at the new Orthodox Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş.



    ADMINISTRATION – The Government of Romania has today launched the GovITHub platform, in a move to bring Romanias IT innovation capacity into the public administration. The launch of GovITHub is intended to bring together experts able to give a helping hand in administration, said the Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș. He explained the platform is based on successful IT experiences.



    HEALTCARE – One-third of the blood transfusion centres in Romanias hospitals do not have proper operation permits. A Healthcare Ministry investigation has revealed that there are 142 such cases, mostly in Bucharest and other major cities, of which 108 public and 34 private hospitals. Officials with the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Centre say the main causes are bureaucracy and under-funding. The Healthcare Ministry announced that each hospital would receive a conformity plan and would have a maximum 3 months to comply, otherwise it would no longer receive blood and therefore would no longer be able to perform surgeries and other interventions requiring blood transfusion.



    UNTOLD – More than 350,000 people are expected to attend the largest music festival in Romania, Untold, which begins today in Cluj Napoca. Over 150 artists and five of the worlds best DJs will perform in this second edition of the festival. Gigs by Tiesto, Faithless and the no.1 DJ in the world, Dimitri Las Vegas & Like Mike, are scheduled for tonight.



    FOOTBALL – Romanias football vice-champions Steaua Bucharest Wednesday qualified into the Champions League play-offs, after defeating Sparta Prague from the Czech Republic on home turf. The first leg had ended in a draw. On the other hand, national champions Astra Giurgiu failed to qualify, after losing, 0-3, to FC Copenhagen away from home and drawing at home. Astra will nonetheless take part in the play-offs of Europa League, and in the same competition Pandurii Târgu-Jiu and Viitorul Constanta are to play the second leg of the third preliminary round. Pandurii will face Maccabi in Tel Aviv, after losing the first leg 1-3 at home, while Viitorul will play at home against Gent from Belgium, after having lost 0-5 in the first leg. Another Romanian team, CSMS Iasi, was kicked out by the Croatian team Hajduk Split in the second preliminary round of Europa League.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 2, 2016 UPDATE

    May 2, 2016 UPDATE

    Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians, which make up the religious majority in Romania, celebrate as of Monday the Bright Week, the first week after Easter, when light is seen as the symbol of the Resurrection of Christ. In churches, on the second day of Easter, the same religious service was celebrated as the one on Resurrection night.



    More than 35,000 tourists were in Romanian seaside resorts for the first two days of the summer season, which started officially on May 1. Hotel had attractive offers during this period, with prices including various facilities. As a result, for instance, the resort of Mamaia was almost fully booked. High occupancy rates were also reported in the resorts of Vama Veche, Eforie and Costineşti. During the Easter holiday, tourists also had access to the new beach sections on the Romanian sea coast. The beaches on the south of the Romanian Black Sea coast were extended by several tens of hectares, as part of EU-funded projects with a combined budget of 170 million Euros.



    The Prime Minister of Romania, Dacian Cioloş, will submit to President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday a request to discharge Vlad Alexandrescu as Culture Minister and a nomination for his replacement. The dismissal comes against the backdrop of a scandal at the Romanian Opera House in Bucharest, triggered by discontent with the successive appointments for the director post as well as with the substantial imbalances between the salaries paid to the Romanian and the foreign dancers. Protests led to the cancellation of three shows, and PM Ciolos asked for Vlad Alexandrescu’s resignation. In messages posted on Facebook or published in the media, Vlad Alexandrescu says he was forced out because he upset various interest groups. The head of government said he had not been informed of the problems Vlad Alexandrescu claimed to have been facing and promised he would urge the new minister to carry on the reforms initiated by Alexandrescu.



    Some 200 US troops will reach the Republic of Moldova from Romania, for joint military exercises, between May 3 and 20, signalling a stronger American military presence in the region, Associated Press reports. According to the Defence Ministry in Chisinau, the US troops are accompanied by armoured vehicles. Taking part in the drills are 165 troops from the former Soviet republic. The US Embassy in Chisinău has announced that the exercises, which illustrate the on-going cooperation between Moldova and the USA, will include first aid and evacuation training, with a view to providing on-site maintenance and demolition assistance. The Republic of Moldova joined the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994.



    The Romanian tennis player Patricia Ţig (134 WTA), Monday scored a surprising win against American Sloane Stephens (16 WTA), whom she defeated 6-2, 6-3, in the second round of the WTA Premier tournament in Madrid, which has 4.7 million US dollars in prize money. In the eighth-finals, Ţig will be facing the winner of the match between Madison Keys and Barbora Strycova. Also qualified in the second round of the Madrid tournament are two other Romanians, Simona Halep, seed no. 6, and Sorana Carstea. Halep played the final of the Madrid tournament in 2014, when she lost to Russia’s Maria Sharapova.

  • March 21, 2016

    March 21, 2016

    FARMING – Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos is today in Alba Iulia, central Romania, to launch a support program for farmers. The Government wants farmers to be able to support their families using the income they get from farming activities. The program contains such measures as hiring members of the family, promoting farmers associations, selling or processing production and better access to development loans or co-financed projects. At present of Romanias 3 million farmers nearly a third live off self-sufficiency farming, and only 1% are part of associations.



    BUDGET DEFICIT – Romania risks exceeding its target budget deficit of 3% of the GDP, alongside other 8 EU member states, Bloomberg reports. The EU has asked Governments to reduce their budget deficit below 3% of the GDP and cut their debts below 60% of the GDP. Failure to do so will entail fines, even if the EU has never resorted to such measures, despite the many infringements. Since the Stability and Growth Treaty was signed in 1998, 25 of the EUs 28 Member States have exceeded their target deficits. Sweden, Estonia and Luxemburg are the only states that have always observed the set norms.



    EXERCISE – Some 350 Romanian, Bulgarian, Slovenian and US military are as of today taking part in the Black Sea Rotational Force exercise under NATO auspices carried out in Babadag, southeast Romania. Held every year for a week in the Black Sea area, the Balkans and the Caucasus region, the exercise is supervised by the US Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa. The exercise is aimed at boosting the cooperation and combat power of NATO states with a view to responding to any crisis anywhere in the world.



    STRIKE ACTION – A large part of Romanias medical staff today went on a work-in pre-emptive strike, the last in a series of protests announced by trade unions in the healthcare sector. Protesters want the provisions of the single salary law to be applied in the healthcare sector as well, so as to reposition all staff with the national minimum gross salary of 280 euros. Doctors also want their benefits to be calculated based on their total salaries, as well as their working and rest hours to be observed. Their list of demands also includes free-of-charge access to healthcare services for all the employees in the system. On Sunday, Health Minister Patriciu Achimas Cadariu said he supported the 25% salary increase for healthcare employees in 2016, after a similar increase enforced last year. The Minister will submit a new memorandum to the Government in an attempt to make more jobs available in this sector.



    ACCIDENT – A Romanian student was killed in Sundays coach crash in the Catalonia region in Spain, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced. At least 13 girls were killed in the accident, while another 30 wounded were taken to nearby hospitals. The coach was carrying 60 Erasmus students from 19 countries. The driver lost control of the wheel, crossing the median strip and colliding with an oncoming car, causing the coach to capsize. The University of Barcelona and regional authorities have declared two days of mourning.



    ATHLETICS – Romanias 4×400-m womens relay team won the bronze medal at the World Indoor Championships in Athletics hosted by Portland, USA. Made up of Adelina Pastor, Mirela Lavric, Andrea Mijlos and Bianca Razor, Romania finished the race in third place, after the USA and Poland. Andrei Gag also grabbed silver in the shot put final. Romanias previous medal in a World Indoor Championship was in 2004.



    HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball team on Sunday drew 23-all against Montenegro in the final match in the pre-Olympic tournament in Aarhus, Denmark, thus qualifying to the Rio Olympics. In the first two games, Romania defeated the host country Denmark 32-25 and Uruguay, 36-19. Last years bronze medallist at the World Championships, Romania will take part in the Olympic Games for the fourth time, being the only team to represent Romania.



    ONE WORLD – The 9th edition of the One World Romania Documentary Film and Human Rights Festival is kicking off today in Bucharest. Over 60 films will be screened as part of this years edition, dedicated to the global refugee crisis. Environmental NGOs will stage a debate on the Chernobyl disaster and the nuclear threats.



    VISIT TO CUBA – US President Barack Obama is on a historic visit to Cuba, the first visit of a US acting president to this country after 1928. The visit comes after nearly a century of hostilities between Washington and the communist regime in Havana. The agenda of the visit includes talks with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro and an address on the public television station. Political pundits see Obamas visit to Cuba as an attempt to normalize relations with Cuba, particularly at economic level, and to persuade communist leaders to give more liberties to the people. According to Radio Romanias Washington correspondent, Barack Obama will also meet with Cuban dissidents, some of whom are outraged by Obamas affability towards a regime whose practices and values go against American fundamental principles.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • October 12, 2015

    October 12, 2015

    The National Executive Committee of the largest party in the ruling coalition in Romania, the Social Democratic Party, is analysing today the results of yesterdays vote in which Liviu Dragnea was elected party president. This is for the first time that the Social Democrats have not elected their leader in a congress, but through an internal vote in which all the roughly 530,000 party members were invited to take part. The Committee will also decide today on the partys leadership structure, whose members will be elected in a special congress scheduled for Sunday, October 18. Also today, registrations begin for executive president, vice-president, secretary general and other positions in the party.



    The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in Luxemburg in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the participants will exchange opinions on a political agreement concerning the formation of a national union government in Libya and its implications for the future of that country, and will analyse the situation in Syria. The topic of migration will also be approached, ahead of the Summit in Valletta (Malta), which will take place in November 2015.



    A technical mission of the International Monetary Fund is expected to arrive this week in Romania. Next years public budgets as well as a possible new agreement with the Fund will be the main topics on the agenda of talks. The visit comes after the IMF recently upgraded its estimates on the Romanian economy. The GDP is expected to go up 3.4% this year and 3.9% in 2016. Last month, Romanias fourth consecutive agreement with the IMF came to an end. The stand-by loan deal amounted to 2 billion euros, but Bucharest has not used the funds. The Finance Minister Eugen Teordorovici said recently that Romania will officially apply for a new loan agreement with the IMF.



    Romanian, American, Bulgarian and Ukrainian troops are taking part, between October 12 and 15, in military exercises in the Black Sea international waters. Romania takes part with a frigate, a corvette and two MiG 21 LanceR aircraft. The American forces consist in the USS Porter destroyer and a maritime patrol aircraft, while Ukraine and Bulgaria contributed one frigate each. The troops will practice anti-submarine warfare strategies, to test the joint operation capacity at the Black Sea. According to American officials, participation in exercises together with NATO allies, Romania included, is a permanent mission of the US Sixth Fleet.



    The Nobel in Economic Sciences, to be awarded today in Stockholm, concludes this years award ceremonies. The main highlights were the granting of the Nobel Prize in Literature to the Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich and of the Nobel Prize for Peace to several organisations having facilitated the democratic transition in Tunisia. Unlike in previous years, none of the economists on the list of nominees is seen as having bigger chances to win than the others. Last year Jean Tirole of France was awarded the Nobel for his analysis on market power and regulation.



    The twin blasts in Ankara, the bloodiest attack ever committed in Turkey, killed at least 97 people, according to a new report released by the authorities and quoted by France Presse. The blasts took place near the central railway station in the Turkish capital city, where people had gathered for a protest against the clashes between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The two suicide attackers were men, and identification operations are underway. The attack came 3 weeks ahead of the early legislative elections of November 1. On Saturday and Sunday, demonstrations were held in several Turkish cities against violence and terrorism. The participants criticised the government for flawed security measures.



    Most of Romanias eastern part is subject to a code yellow alert for heavy rainfalls and strong wind, valid until tonight. The bad weather has already caused problems in the north-east of the country, where snowfalls have been reported and several towns and villages experienced power outings. Hydrologists warn that floods may be reported in several counties in the south and east. Meanwhile in Bucharest, the noon reading was 7 degrees Celsius.



    Romanias football team has qualified in the final tournament of the European Championship, due next year in France. In their last game in preliminary Group F, the Romanians beat the Faroe Islands 3-0, away from home, on Sunday night. The last time Romania took part in a European final tournament was in 2008. Group F also included Northern Ireland, which won the group stage and also qualified for the final tournament, Finland, Greece and Faroe Islands. So far 16 out of the 24 participants in the final tournament are known.