Radio România Internațional

Tag: mini-holiday

  • August 13, 2024

    August 13, 2024

    Drought – The Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, requested the European Commission to grant urgent compensation to Romanian farmers, affected by the prolonged drought that Romania has been facing. According to him, over two million hectares of corn and sunflower crops have been compromised, the average loss being estimated at 200 – 230 Euros per hectare. He requested that the total budget of over 75 million Euros, intended for crops cultivated in the fall of 2023, be reimbursed to farmers through a single community legal act, which should include technical rules and sources of financing, both from the European Union, and additional national aids. The loss of income of agricultural producers endangers the viability of farms and Romania’s security interests, the minister Florin Barbu also said.

     

    Fires – On Tuesday Romania sent a second contingent of firefighters to support the efforts to fight the vegetation and forest fires affecting Greece’s Attica region. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, 40 firefighters and two special extinguishing and rapid intervention vehicles were supplied to Greece by air and two other 3,000-liter forest fire extinguishing machines and 4 rescuers, by land. On Monday, the Inspectorate announced that a Romanian firefighter, who participated in putting out a fire in Greece, suffered superficial injuries to his face, but did not require specialized treatment. Emergency services in Greece are battling the biggest fire this year, with multiple outbreaks, spread over an area of ​​200 square kilometers of vegetation and forest northeast of Athens. Entire towns have been evacuated. Meteorologists have warned that almost half of the country will be under a code red alert for fire, due to high temperatures that will reach 40 degrees Celsius in many regions of the country, and to the strong winds. EU states, as well as Turkey and Serbia, sent firefighters, planes and intervention trucks to Greece, after the Greek government activated the European Mutual Civil Protection Mechanism.

     

    Mini-holiday – Romanians will have a new mini-holiday this week on the occasion of the Christian feast of the Dormition and the Day of the Romanian Navy, celebrated on August 15. The coast will be the favorite destination, the Black Sea resorts expecting one of the busiest weekends of this summer season, with an estimated number of over 140,000 tourists. According to statistics, the occupancy rate in the seaside hotels will be over 90%. 122 years after the first anniversary, the Romanian Naval Forces announce that the Day of the Romanian Navy will be celebrated in the Black Sea and the Danube cities as well as in Bucharest through various events that include demonstration exercises, technical and armament exhibitions, interactive workshops, cultural activities with maritime specificity as well as military music concerts.

     

    Tarom – The Romanian airline TAROM maintains the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until August 16, the national airline operator announced in a press release. The company suspended, as of August 6, flights to these destinations following the travel alerts issued by the authorities, the recent developments in the Middle East area and the deterioration of the security context in the region. “TAROM advises all passengers to follow the official communications for the latest updates and to contact the company to reschedule their trip to a later date. Passengers may also request a refund of the cost of the plane ticket”, the press release states.

     

    Baccalaureate – The autumn session of the Baccalaureate continues today and tomorrow with the assessment of language skills in an internationally spoken language. The written exams will start on August 19 with the Romanian language and literature. On August 20, the obligatory written test of the profile is scheduled, and on August 21, the optional written test of the profile and specialization. The first results will be published on August 26, and the final results will be issued on August 30. Almost 34,000 high school graduates registered for the autumn session of the Baccalaureate this year. In the summer session, the exam pass rate was a little over 78%.

     

    Barometer – Young people in Romania want to be supported in relation to the labor market, housing and access to education, as well as to guidance and career counseling, show the conclusions of an opinion barometer regarding the situation of youth and their expectations, carried out at the order of the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equality of Chance. Another conclusion is that, for young people, high incomes and job security are the most important aspects. Young people considered the quality of life problematic and in terms of mobility and emigration, the barometer shows that going abroad is still a desire for many young Romanians. (LS)

  • May 5, 2024 UPDATE

    May 5, 2024 UPDATE

    EASTER – The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the greatest holiday in the Christian calendar, was marked on Sunday by Orthodox and Eastern-Catholic Christians around the world, including in Romania. In his Easter sermon, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said that healing the world of passing illnesses was not the ultimate design of Jesus Christ, but rather saving mankind from sin and death. The Patriarch urged Romanians to pursue good deeds. “During these days of celebration, light and joy for our Christian way of life, let us pray for global peace, let us convey a message of brotherly love to all Romanians living abroad”, the Patriarch went on to say. “The Resurrection of Christ recalls the Christian appeal to love thy neighbor and live in peace and understanding”, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis also said in his Easter message.

     

     

    MINI-HOLIDAY – Some 150,00 people are these days attending hundreds of events across the country for the Easter mini-holiday. The Interior Ministry has deployed additional forces to ensure public order. Gendarme patrols are on standby in mountain resorts and are mobilized in the main seacoast resorts, with the mission of combating drug abuse, particularly in Mamaia and Vama Veche. The Sunwaves electronic music festival is underway in Mamaia until May 7. Dozens of DJs will be mixing music day and night. No major incidents were reported during Saturday’s Easter Vigil, the Interior Ministry reports. On the other hand, the National Directorate for Cyber-Security warns that people are less vigilant around the holidays in terms of online shopping and are exposed to online scams.

     

     

    WAR IN UKRAINE – Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressed the nation on Easter, saying the Ukrainian people will get down on its knees only to pray. He said Ukrainians are holding a common prayer for the servicemen celebrating Easter in the trenches and on the frontline. Russia on Saturday night launched 24 Shahed drones, of which 23 were shot down, the Ukrainian Air Forces announced on Sunday. The attack followed Russian attacks on Saturday on the Kharkiv and Dnipro regions and the port of Odesa, which killed at least two civilians, destroyed a food factory and damaged other civilian infrastructure targets, residential and commercial buildings, regional officials say. President Zelenskyy said Russia used eight different types of missiles and nearly 70 guided missiles to strike settlements and positions on the frontline. In turn, Moscow persuaded Cuban citizens to join the Russian army, offering monthly wages of approximately 2,000 USD plus Russian passports, to be delivered within months of signing up.

     

     

    EXERCISE – Romania hosts the Swift Response 24 multinational exercise over May 5-24. According to the Defense Ministry, the exercise will comprise one of the biggest airdrop exercise ever held in Europe after WWII, with units from France, Germany, Romania, Spain, the USA and the Netherlands taking part. Thousands of servicemen and technical equipment from seven NATO and partner states will be involved in the exercise, organized by the United States Command Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF). Romania will deploy 2,300 military and 220 technical equipment and will prep several airbases and shooting ranges. The exercise is coordinated by the German Air Forces, in partnership with the Romanian Land Forces command and the Romanian Air Forces.

     

     

    LIFE EXPECTANCY – Spain has the highest life expectancy rate at EU level – 84 years, above the EU average of 81.5 years. According to a Eurostat report, Romania has the third-lowest life expectancy in the EU, 76.6 years, followed only by Latvia with 75.9 years and Bulgaria with 75.8 years. However, the biggest increase in life expectancy rates across the EU over 2019-2023 was reported in Romania. 15 of the 27 EU Member States exceed the EU life expectancy average. Countries with lower rates are those in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, whereas countries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Central Europe have higher life expectancy rates.

     

     

    GYMNASTSTICS – The Romanian women’s gymnastics team ranked 4th in the team event at the European Gymnastics Championships hosted by Rimini, Italy. Italy ranked first, followed by the UK and France. Sabrina Maneca Voinea grabbed both silver medals for Romania in the beam and floor events. (VP)

  • April 30, 2024 UPDATE

    April 30, 2024 UPDATE

    MIGRATION – Romania is ready to implement the pact on migration and asylum and has already taken steps in that direction, Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu said on Tuesday at the end of a migration conference hosted by Gent, Belgium. Romania launched an initiative to consolidate regional cooperation to combat illegal migration and cross-border crime, jointly with the European Commission and regional states such as Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. Ahead of this reform, Romania implemented a pilot program on the border with Serbia, showing that pre-emptive actions led to a 97% reduction in illegal migration flows.

     

     

    COOPERATION – Romania’s Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, says the significant presence of US troops in Romania is evidence of the United States’ determination to help consolidate security in the region. The Romanian official joined US Ambassador in Romania, Kathleen Kavalec, in attending the change of command ceremony at the Naval Support Facility in Deveselu (south). Minister Tîlvăr highlighted the major role of the US anti-ballistic missile system hosted by Romania for the NATO defense architecture, also marking a joint contribution of the United States and Romania to NATO defense efforts and facilitating protection against threats coming from outside Euro-Atlantic space.

     

     

    MINI-HOLIDAY – The Interior Ministry has taken additional measures to ensure public order and safety for Labor Day, when the summer season starts officially, and Orthodox Easter, celebrated on May 5th. Security forces will be primarily dispatched to the main roads, accompanied by air support, and in the proximity of churches. Measures were also taken together with the Bulgarian police to reduce waiting times on border checkpoints. Over 80,000 people are expected to spend their holidays at the seaside, where concerts and an electronic music festival are scheduled.

     

     

    TAROM – The European Commission on Monday approved Romania’s plans to provide restructuring aid for the Romanian state-owned airline TAROM to the amount of 95 million EUR, in keeping with EU norms on state aid, the Commission said in a statement. The measure is expected to help the company restore its feasibility in the long term. After the announcement, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said TAROM can become in the next two years an airline that can support its development on its own and that as the country’s prime minister, he has the duty to support “a Romanian national company with tradition”.

     

     

    FILM – Freedom by Tudor Giurgiu won the Gopo Trophy for best Romanian feature film at the Gopo Awards ceremony held on Monday in Bucharest. The film is inspired by true events that took place in Sibiu, in the center, during the anti-communist revolution of December 1989. The film also won the award for best director, best actor, which went to Alex Calangiu, best supporting role, which went to Iulian Postelnicu, and best script, which went to Cecilia Ştefănescu and Tudor Giurgiu, the latter to be shared with Radu Jude for Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, which he also directed. Ilinca Manolache won the best actor award for her role in Jude’s film. Vlad Petri won the best documentary award for Between Revolutions, while the prize for best European production went to Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. (VP)

  • April 29, 2021

    April 29, 2021

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA -
    1.850 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported on Thursday in Romania
    after some 35,000 tests, the Group for Strategic Communication announced.
    Another 138 related fatalities were also reported, while 1,295 people are
    currently in intensive care. Over 1,050,000 people have tested positive for
    COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and 27,971 people have died to the
    virus. The infection rate continues to exceed 3 per thousand inhabitants in the
    capital city Bucharest and in Ilfov and Cluj counties, although the numbers are
    dropping steadily. On the other hand, the Government’s special committee for
    relaxing measures starting June 1 convened again to highlight the need for
    adapting relaxation measures depending on the specificity of each field of
    activity. Representatives of associations and employers’ associations made
    clear-cut proposals for the organization of cultural events with the observance
    of health safety regulations. The committee also discussed the gradual
    reopening of hotels and restaurants as more and more people get vaccinated. All
    proposals will be analyzed, starting today, by think-tanks that will address
    each specific field. Meanwhile, the authorities are accelerating the
    vaccination campaign. New vaccination centers will open this week. Some 84
    thousand people got immunized yesterday.


    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD -
    The international community is rallying to support India, a week after this
    country was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with daily record-high numbers
    of infections and fatalities and a health system under duress. The biggest
    concern is the so-called Indian strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which spreads
    rapidly and could be even more contagious and vaccine- and treatment-resistant
    than other strains, the WHO has warned. With a population of nearly 1.4 billion
    people, India has reported 200 thousand deaths and over 18 million infections
    since the start of the outbreak. Some experts believe numbers could be even
    higher. Great Britain has been sending oxygen concentrators and other medical
    equipment, while the United States will be shipping 60 million doses of the
    AstraZeneca vaccine. Romania has joined this international effort and delivered
    200 oxygen concentrators via a Romanian Air Force Spartan aircraft.


    HOLIDAY -Before the May 1st mini-holiday,
    which this year coincides with the Orthodox Easter holiday, Prime Minister
    Florin Cîţu calls on the population to keep observing anti-coronavirus sanitary
    rules, even if Romania is now on a descending slope of the third wave of the
    pandemic. He has urged the prefects and the police to take all measures to
    ensure compliance with the health rules in place. In the Romanian resorts on
    the Black Sea, over 30 thousand tourists are expected during the mini-holiday
    of May 1 and Easter. About 100 hotels will be opened, many of them already occupied
    at 70% capacity, the maximum allowed by the authorities. Tourists are not
    allowed to party on the beach, and wearing a mask is mandatory.




    PNNR -
    The leaders of the center-right ruling coalition in Bucharest have adopted the
    National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNNR) worth 29 billion Euro. The plan
    will be presented in Brussels starting May 10, when the final negotiations with
    European Commission representatives are due to take place. Prime Minister
    Florin Cîţu said none of the proposed projects will be discarded. In turn,
    Minister for Investment and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, said funding
    for certain investment has been reduced, while budget appropriations have been
    readjusted to reflect the Commission’s recommendations.




    PASSION
    WEEK – Orthodox and Eastern-Orthodox Christians in Romania today
    mark Maundy Thursday, the fourth day of Passion Week when they recall the
    Lord’s Supper, the arrest and trial of Jesus. Passion Week precedes the Resurrection of
    Jesus Christ and marks a time of humbleness and spiritual cleansing ahead of
    the biggest celebration in the Christian calendar. Tonight, Orthodox believers
    will attend a special mass where the 12 Gospels will be read, covering the last
    moments in the life of Jesus, from the Lord’s Supper to his crucifixion. In his
    last supper, Jesus Christ laid the foundations for the Holy Eucharist, offering
    Christians the possibility to partake in the Body and Blood of the Lord. On the
    same day, according to Gospel of John, Jesus withdrew to Gethsemane Garden to
    pray. Betrayed by Judas, he was arrested and tried by the Sanhedrin and
    sentenced to death for blasphemy.




    UNEMPLOYMENT -
    The unemployment rate stood at 5.5% in March, down by 0.2% compared to
    February, a National Statistics Institute report reads. The number of
    unemployed aged 15-74 stood at 464 thousand in March, compared to 478 thousand
    the previous month. Broken down in terms of gender, unemployed men account for
    5.7%, compared to 5.2% for women. The number of unemployed aged 24-74 account for
    75.1% of the estimated number of unemployed in March.




    SURVEY -
    Romanians fear the economic crisis or corruption more than the COVID-19
    pandemic or the outbreak of an armed conflict. It’s one of the findings of the
    Security Survey published by the Romanian Academy’s Center for Sociological
    Research. According to the survey, 43% of respondents believe Romania has been
    a safe country after its NATO accession, while 37% said they felt safe during
    the communist period. As regards public confidence in state institutions, 72%
    of Romanians put their trust in the Army, followed by the Church with a 57%
    share and the Foreign Ministry with 50%.




    US -
    The United States’ return to the international stage, the response to the
    COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recovery plan, as well as firm warnings against
    Russia and China, were some of the highlights of US president Joe Biden’s first
    address to the joint session of Congress. Now, after just 100 days, I can
    report to the nation: America is on the move again. Turning peril into
    possibility. Crisis into opportunity. Setback into strength, the White House
    leader said. According to Radio Romania’s Washington correspondent, Joe Biden
    also addressed a message to Russian president Vladimir Putin, insisting that
    Russia’s actions will have consequences. (V.P.)

  • April 28, 2021 UPDATE

    April 28, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA -Over 2,200 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported in Romania on
    Wednesday. The number of hospitalized patients is around 10,000. Of these, more
    than 1,300 are in intensive care. The total toll, since the beginning of the
    pandemic in February last year, has exceeded 1,050,000 cases of infection and
    27,800 deaths. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has once again called
    on the population to get vaccinated, stating that this is the only way to end
    the pandemic. The authorities want to accelerate the vaccination process by
    opening new vaccination centers over the coming days. On Thursday, the first
    drive-through center will be opened in Bucharest, where people will be able to
    get the jab without prior appointment. Moreover, between May 7-9, a marathon of
    anti-Covid vaccination will be organized in the Capital. Currently, about a
    thousand vaccination centers are active, with a capacity of over 120,000
    immunized people / day. So far, about 3.2 million Romanians have been
    vaccinated.




    HOLIDAY -Before the May 1st mini-holiday, which this year coincides with the
    Orthodox Easter holiday, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu calls on the population to
    keep observing anti-coronavirus sanitary rules, even if Romania is now on a
    descending slope of the third wave of the pandemic. He has urged the prefects
    and the police to take all measures to ensure compliance with the health rules
    in place. In the Romanian resorts on the Black Sea, over 30 thousand tourists
    are expected during the mini-holiday of May 1 and Easter. About 100 hotels will
    be opened, many of them already occupied at 70% capacity, the maximum allowed
    by the authorities. Tourists are not allowed to party on the beach, and wearing
    a mask is mandatory.




    GOVERNMENT -The Government in
    Bucharest on Wednesday approved two projects for the repair and modernization
    of the Romanian railways as well as a loan worth 150 million Euro from the
    International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which will be used to reform
    the health-care system. Also on Wednesday the Government adopted an emergency
    decree for the protection of Romanian workers abroad, which will also help combat
    illegal employment more effectively. The decree also aims to prevent and reduce
    the possible effects caused by the existence of situations of force majeure or
    health crisis.




    VISIT – Romania’s Foreign Minister,
    Bogdan Aurescu, on Wednesday met his Hungarian counterpart, Péter
    Szijjártó, in Gyula, Hungary, home to an important community of Romanians. The
    two officials signed a cooperation protocol focusing on national minorities and
    two agreements modifying the bilateral judicial framework with a view to
    creating two border crossing points, in Variaşu Mic/Dombegyhaza and
    Grăniceri/Elek. Minister Aurescu said Bucharest expects Hungary to provide
    financial support to Romanian-language teaching, develop the network of schools
    and high schools and provide the Romanian Orthodox Bishopric in Budapest with a
    property. The Romanian official also discussed with his Hungarian counterpart
    about employing Romanian speakers in public institutions in those towns and
    villages with Romanian minorities, restoring Romanian churches and the
    financing and encouragement of Romanian-language print press and audiovisual
    media. Also on Wednesday, Bogdan Aurescu met with representatives of the
    Romanian community in Hungary, discussing the protection and promotion of
    ethnic, linguistic, cultural and religious rights.




    MOLDOVA – The
    pro-European president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, on Wednesday
    announced she signed the decree for the dissolution of Parliament and the
    organization of early parliamentary elections on July 11. The decision followed
    a Constitutional Court ruling invalidating Parliament’s decision to declare a
    state of emergency for 60 days until May 30, during which time Parliament
    cannot be dissolved and early election cannot be held.




    BREXIT – The European Parliament on
    Wednesday ratified the post-Brexit trade agreement between the EU and the UK,
    after MEPs debated and voted the agreement on Tuesday. Parliament explained
    that, although it’s not ideal, the agreement is the best option to curb some of
    the serious effects of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU and securing the
    integrity of the single market. The document instates new preferential clauses,
    including trading in goods and services, digital trade, copyright, public
    procurement, aviation and rail transport, energy or fishing. Wednesday’s vote
    thus puts an end a period of four years of difficult negotiations and debates.




    TENNIS -
    Romanian tennis players Simona Halep and Sorana Cîrstea on Thursday will play in the first round of the WTA
    1000 tournament in Madrid, totaling 2.5 million Euro in prizes. Halep (3 WTA)
    has won the tournament twice, in 2016 and 2017. She will play Sara Sorribes
    Tormo (46 WTA) of Spain. Cîrstea (58 WTA) will take on Jessica Pegula (33 WTA)
    of the United States, a week after winning the title in Istanbul. On Wednesday,
    another two Romanians entered the main draw. Ana Bogdan (102 WTA) defeated
    Japan’s Nao Hibino (82 WTA), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. In turn, Irina Begu (75 WTA) won
    6-3, 6-3 against Stefanie Voegele (127 WTA) of Switzerland. (V.P.)