Radio România Internațional

Tag: Navy

  • August 16, 2024

    August 16, 2024

    MEDAL Romanian gymnast Ana Maria Barbosu will today receive the bronze medal she won in the floor finals of the Olympic Games in Paris. Barbosu will receive the medal from Octavian Morariu, member of the International Olympic Committee for Romania and Mihai Covaliu president of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee. We recall the Romanian won the medal on August 5th in Paris, but the US gymnast Jordan Chiles challenged the decision and got a higher mark, which allowed her to end up in the third position. Romania challenged the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), which ruled that the Romanian ended the competition on the third position, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea came fourth and Jordan Chiles fifth. The highest court of arbitration in sports, the CAS, has ruled down the US application to reopen the case.

     

    PENSIONS 4.6 million Romanian pensioners are to receive higher pensions by the end of the month. According to the Minister of Labour and Social Solidarity, Simona Bucura-Oprescu, over 80% of the pensioners are to benefit from recalculated pensions. Roughly two million are to get their pensions higher by 100 Euros. For more than one million the rises will range between 500 and 1000 RON but 7,700 of them will see more than 3 thousand RON added to their initial pensions. Significant raises will see the people who worked over 40 years and didn’t benefit the correction index of the past years. According to Minister Bucura-Oprescu, no pension cuts will be operated, and people will enjoy their recalculated pensions in September.

     

    DAY ‘Romania has been acknowledged and appreciated by its allies as a solid pillar of regional security and a major contributor to the process of strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture on its eastern flank’ Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said in Constanta, on the Romanian Black Sea coast where he participated in the events dedicated to Navy Day celebrated on Thursday. According to Iohannis, although we are living in times marked by multiple security challenges, in the context of the war Russia is waging on Ukraine, Romania is today a sure and stable country and its citizens are defended and protected against any potential threat. Thousands of tourists and citizens of Constanta gathered to watch the biggest naval show of the year, which involved the participation of over two thousand sailors and servicemen from Romania and the armed forces deployed here. The event was also attended by 15 military vessels, coast guard patrol boats, F-16 fighters, surveillance aircraft belonging to the USA and France, Puma Naval helicopters and paratroopers.

     

    WEATHER The National Administration of Meteorology has today issued fresh red, yellow and orange code alerts for hot weather in the entire Romanian territory except for two counties in the east. The extremely hot weather has been chiefly affecting the regions in the country’s west and south-west, where the Temperature-Humidity Index (THI) has exceeded the critical threshold of 80 units. The highs of the day are generally ranging between 30 and 38 degrees Celsius but higher values, between 39 and 41 degrees are being expected in the west, south-west and south. Thunderstorms are expected in the mountainous and hilly regions of Romania. According to meteorologists, the heat wave is going to last for the next couple of days engulfing the entire country, including its capital city whose inhabitants are bracing themselves for more hot days and tropical nights.

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  • August 15, 2024 UPDATE

    August 15, 2024 UPDATE

    DAY Speaking in Constanta (the biggest Romanian sea port) during the festivities staged on Navy Day, the country’s president Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is acknowledged and appreciated by allies as a solid pillar of regional security and a major contributor to the process of consolidating NATO’s deterrence posture on the eastern flank. Here on the Black Sea coast, close to the aggression war, Russia is waging on Ukraine, we are clearly seeing more than ever the political, diplomatic and military efforts of Bucharest in the past years, the president went on to say. Thanks to these, Romania is today benefitting from the most solid guarantees of security, and its citizens are defended and protected against any potential threats. Iohannis told the sailors that the devotion, tenacity and the spirit of sacrifice, which define them, are an example of excellence, and the Romanian Naval Forces are a symbol of the national strength and resilience. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu also congratulated and thanked the sailors. ‘Many happy returns’ on this holy day of August 15th the day of St. Mary, the protector of sailors all over the world, Ciolacu wrote on a social network. On Thursday, 122 years since the first celebration of Navy Day, Romania’s Naval Forces staged a series of events, such as demonstrative exercises, exhibitions of armament and military equipment, interactive workshops, cultural activities and concerts of military music in the major cities on the Black Sea coast, on the Danube and even in capital city Bucharest.

     

    St. MARY Orthodox believers, who are a majority in Romania, and Catholics, on Thursday celebrated the Assumption of Mary, or St. Mary, an event which marks the Assumption into Heaven of Mary, the Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. St. Mary is the most appreciated human being by Christians after the Holy Trinity, whom they frequently invoke in their prayers. St. Mary is the patron saint of the largest number of monasteries in Romania and pilgrims, in large numbers, took to these monasteries, which are renowned for their miracle-working icons and relics.

     

    WEATHER Romania’s Administration of Meteorology on Thursday issued a series of code red, yellow and orange alerts for extremely hot weather in most of the Romanian territory. Temperatures are expected to range between 39 and 41 degrees Celsius in seven counties in the west and south-west. Another orange alert has been issued for the counties in the north-west, center and south with a temperature-humidity index over 80 units. The lows of the day will not go below 18 degrees Celsius in most regions and  Bucharest is in for more hot days and tropical nights, with soaring temperatures up to 39 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists say that the heat wave presently affecting the country is going to be felt for the next several days in most of its territory.

     

    TALKS The Romanian Defence Minister, Angel Tîvăr, on Thursday held talks with Admiral Ercument Ratlioglu, commander of the Turkish Navy, during the latter’s visit in Romania. High on the talks agenda were security in the Black Sea region and opportunities of bilateral, regional and allied cooperation. According to a communiqué by Romania’s Ministry of Defence, Minister Tîlvăr appreciated the good cooperation between the Turkish and Romanian armed forces materialized in large-scale joint drills, air policing missions, naval operations and military presence in the multinational structures deployed on the territories of the two countries. The ‘Operative Group for Combating Mines in the Black Sea represents the outcome of the two countries’ joint efforts being also proof of the cohesion and solidarity of riparian countries: Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. It’s imperative that we work in coordination for strengthening security at the Black Sea and the naval field is one of the main interest points,’ Minister Tîlvăr says.

     

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  • August 16, 2023 UPDATE

    August 16, 2023 UPDATE


    SECURITY Romanias security has been consolidated and the efforts to strengthen NATO structures on national territory, especially the NATO battle group established in 2022, will carry on, said President Klaus Iohannis, who attended the Navy Day ceremonies in Constanta on Tuesday. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu promised that the government would earmark the resources required for equipping and modernising the Romanian Naval Forces. Security at the Black Sea ensures the stability of the entire region and turns Romania into an important security provider, the speaker of the Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, also said.



    ECONOMY The EU economy grew 0.5% and the Eurozone economy went up 0.6% in Q2 2023, compared to the corresponding period in 2022, with Ireland and Romania reporting the most significant growth rates, according to preliminary data released on Wednesday by the European Statistics Office (Eurostat). Among the EU member countries for which data are available, the highest growth rates in April-June 2023 are reported in Ireland (2.8%), Romania (2.7%), Cyprus and Portugal (2.3%), while the most important negative rates were in Estonia (-3%), Sweden (-2.4%), Hungary (-2.3%) and Poland (-1.3%). Across the ocean, the US GDP went up 0.6% compared to the previous 3 months and 2.6% against the corresponding quarter last year.



    BACCALAUREATE Nearly 34,000 high school graduates in Romania, sitting the second session of this years Baccalaureate exam, Wednesday had the Romanian language and literature test, with papers graded digitally for the first time. The tests are scanned and uploaded on a platform, where they are assigned for grading to teachers in any part of the country except for the county where the student went to high school. The two tests in students major subjects are scheduled for August 17th and 18th. In order to pass the exam, candidates need an overall grade of at least 6 in their written tests. In the first Baccalaureate session, 75% of the candidates passed the exam.



    TRAFFIC Over 2.2 million Romanians and foreigners crossed Romanias borders during the Assumption of Mary holiday period, up 24% compared to the corresponding period of last year, the Romanian Border Police announced. The most crowded checkpoints were those on the Hungarian and Bulgarian borders, and those in airports. During the same period, border police issued fines totalling over EUR 60,000 and seized assets of over EUR 600,000. More than 100 Romanian nationals were denied exit and 90 foreign nationals were not allowed to enter the country for various reasons.



    UKRAINE The Romanian Defence Ministry strongly condemns the repeated strikes by Russian armed forces targeting critical infrastructure in Ukraine and regions inhabited by civilians in that country. The statement comes after on Wednesday morning the Danube River ports in Izmail and Reni, near the border with Romania, were hit by drone strikes. The war of aggression started by Russia against Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law, says the Defence Ministry, also adding that it has enhanced the monitoring of Romanias national territory and its maritime and airspace, jointly with NATO forces, to strengthen defence on the entire eastern flank and to deter possible aggressions against NATO member countries. (AMP)


  • August 14, 2023

    August 14, 2023

    DRILL Roughly 250 French and
    Luxembourgish servicemen and 65 pieces of military equipment from the NATO
    Battle Group stationed in Romania are involved from today until August 18th in
    a military drill entitled DEPLOYEX, which is taking place in the shooting
    ground at Babadag, south-eastern Romania, the Defence Ministry in Bucharest has
    announced. The exercise is meant to test the rapid deployment of troops and
    military gear and contributes to improving the level of interoperability of the
    forces part of the NATO Battle Group being a sequel of the training programmes
    earlier staged in Cincu, central Romania. The NATO battle group contributes to
    increasing Romania’s military cooperation with the rotating participant
    countries, France, The Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg and implicitly to
    strengthening the security of the Euro-Atlantic space on the Eastern Flank, a
    Defence Ministry communique says. Cooperation with the strategic partners and
    the existence on the national territory of relevant war structures contribute
    to raising the capabilities of defence and deterrence in the context of the war
    in Ukraine and the crisis in the Black Sea region, says the ministry.






    HOLIDAY
    This
    is the busiest period for the seaside resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast this
    summer as many Romanians are on a mini-holiday occasioned by the Christian
    celebration of the Dormition of the Mother of God, also known as St. Mary. Over
    120 thousand tourists are estimated to be spending this mini-holiday in Romania’s
    seaside resorts. From the resort of Mamaia to Vama Veche, musical events, theatre
    performances and open-air recitals are attracting tourists as well as the
    demonstrative military drills due on August 15th, the Navy Day here
    in Romania. After a break of four years, people will be able to witness from
    the shores of the cities of Constanta and Mangalia a series of military
    exercises involving the participation of Romania’s naval forces followed by a
    parade of its warships. The Romanian seamen will participate in a series of games
    and contests, which will be followed by fireworks at night. Numerous events are
    already underway on the Romanian Black Sea coast, and are likely to continue for
    the entire week. Among them, the Festival of the ancient cities of Dobrogea at
    Tropaeum Traiani in Adamclisi, southern Romania, is taking pride of place.




    TENNIS Two Romanian tennis
    players, Sorana Cirstea and Irina Begu are on the main draw of the 1000 WTA tournament
    in Cincinnati, Ohio, the United States and will meet their opponents in the
    first round on Tuesday. Cirstea will be up against Russian Ekaterina
    Alexandrova and Begu will be taking on Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic. In
    another development, the double Grand Slam winner Simona Halep has come out of
    the top 500 of the WTA ranking as she was unable to participate in competitions
    due to her suspension amid doping allegations a year ago.






    WEATHER The weather is hot in
    most of the Romanian regions with a variable sky in the country’s southern
    territory where showers have been reported on isolated areas. The wind is mild
    and low and the highs of the day are ranging from 28 to 33 degrees with a noon
    reading in Bucharest of 33 degrees centigrade.


    (bill)

  • August 13, 2023

    August 13, 2023

    DAY Naval forces are these days
    staging a series of activities devoted to Navy Day here in Romania, which will
    culminate on August 15, when Romanians are celebrating the Christian holiday of
    the Dormition of the Mother of God, St. Mary, who is also the protector of
    sailors. Various events and activities are being staged on this occasion in
    Bucharest and the Romanian port-cities on the Danube – Braila, Tulcea and
    Galati. The most important event will take place on Tuesday, August 15th
    when, after a pause of four years, the seamen are expected to be presenting a
    demonstrative exercise entitled ‘Romanian Naval Forces 2023’. Helicopters and
    speed boats carrying the flags of Romania, NATO and the EU will be opening the
    exercise, which is to be followed by a parade of the school-vessel ‘Mircea’,
    Romania’s honorary ambassador on the world’s seas and oceans.






    DRILL Roughly 250 servicemen from France and Luxembourg and 65
    pieces of technical equipment of NATO battle group in Romania are going to
    participate starting Monday until August 18th in a joint exercise in
    the shooting range of Babadag, south-eastern Romania. The drill’s main aim is
    to test the rapid deployment of troops and gear as well as to increase
    interoperability among the forces of the NATO battle group. According to
    sources with the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, the drill contributes to
    raising military cooperation between Romania and the participant countries,
    France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg as well as to strengthening
    NATO security on its Eastern Flank.








    HOLIDAY The
    Romanians are enjoying a four-day mini-holiday, after Monday, August 14th
    has been declared a bank holiday here in Romania right ahead of the St. Mary
    holiday on August 15th. Various events are being staged all over the
    country and tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Nicula Monastery,
    in Cluj county, north-western Romania. Concerts are also taking place, such as
    the Summer Well festival, in Buftea, close to Bucharest, while the days of the
    city of Braila are also being celebrated. Many Romanians are celebrating these
    days in the mountain resorts of the Prahova Valley, in southern Romania, while
    the seaside resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast are preparing for the busiest
    weekend this summer. According to hotel owners here the tourists’ number is to
    reach 110 thousand. The Romanian Interior Ministry has deployed over 8 thousand
    police and 6 thousand gendarme troops to prevent any criminal activity during
    the aforementioned holiday. The border check points at Romania’s border with
    Hungary and Bulgaria are also benefiting from additional personnel.






    GAUDEAMUS The Radio Romania Gaudeamus book fair is waiting for its
    visitors in downtown Sibiu, central Romania with numerous titles, sales and
    events. The organizers have prepared book launches and round-table talks for
    all ages. The little ones have been invited to attend the launch of a collection
    entitled ‘Children Readings from Grandma’, while adults can participate in
    various events focusing on self-development. The event, which remains open
    until Tuesday, has brought together over 40 participants, including some of the
    best known publishing houses, the main suppliers of books, games, music and
    educational materials.

    (bill)

  • August 12, 2023

    August 12, 2023

    VACATION
    Romanians are in a four-day mini-holiday as August 14th is a bank
    holiday in Romania where St. Mary is being celebrated a day later on August 15th.
    Various events have been staged on this occasion all over the country and tens
    of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Nicula Monastery in Cluj,
    north-western Romania. The Summer Well festival is underway until August the 13th
    in Buftea close to Bucharest and the days of the Braila city are being
    celebrated in this town in south-eastern Romania. Numerous tourists are being
    expected in the mountains resorts in the Prahova Valley, southern Romania these
    days, as well as on the Romanian Black Sea coast, which will be seeing its
    busiest weekend. Hotel owners in the seaside resorts are expecting to provide
    accommodation to over 100 thousand tourists. Over 8 thousand police troops and
    6 thousand gendarmes have been deployed to ensure safety and order during this
    mini-holiday.






    NAVY Romania’s naval forces are these
    day staging a series of activities devoted to Romania’s Navy Day culminating on
    August 15th when the Romanians are celebrating the Dormition of the
    Mother of God, St. Mary, who is the protector of sailors. Events are underway
    in the capital city and the port-cities on the Black Sea, Constanta and
    Mangalia as well as on the Danube at Braila, Tulcea and Galati. These events
    will reach the climax on august 15th in Constanta, where the sailors
    will be presenting after a four-year recess the demonstrative exercise
    ‘Romanian Naval Forces 2023’. After the opening ceremony involving helicopters
    and fast boats carrying the flags of Romania, NATO and the EU, the school-frigate
    Mircea will be sailing in front of the participants. The aforementioned vintage
    vessel has for decades been Romania’s honorary ambassador on the world’s seas
    and oceans.






    GRAIN Romania will be
    taking additional measures aimed at doubling the Ukrainian grain transit
    through its facilities. The Romanian authorities want to supplement the number
    of pilots guiding the Ukrainian vessels carrying grain on the Danube to the
    Black Sea. Upon a meeting held in Galati, eastern Romania, on Friday, an event
    that brought together representatives of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, the
    United States and the European Commission, the Romanian transport minister
    Sorin Grindeanu spoke about the possibility for Ukraine to use other ports on
    the Danube besides Braila and Galati. According to him the number of pilots
    guiding the aforementioned grain shipments is to increase to 60 until the end
    of August. The United States has pledged financial assistance to the neighbours
    of Ukraine helping them to buy pilot boats to support regional efforts in this
    respect, the US embassy has announced. According to the same sources, the
    United States remains committed to the partnership with the Ukraine’s
    government and people – including by providing financial support and supplies
    by expanding alternative transport routes and streamlining the border crossing
    points.




    (bill)

  • August 11, 2023

    August 11, 2023

    Inflation.
    Romania’s annual inflation rate dropped to 9.4% in July from 10.3% in June,
    while the price of food products went up by over 16%, that of non-food products
    by 4.25% and services by almost 12%, according to data published today by the
    National Institute of Statistics. The National Bank of Romania revised its
    inflation forecast for the end of year up to 7.5% from 7.1% and to 4.4% for the
    end of 2024, the bank’s governor Mugur Isărescu said on Wednesday. The
    projection is based on the legislation in force and does not take into account
    the impact of the fiscal consolidation measures recently proposed by the
    authorities.






    Grain
    exports.     Representatives of the United States, the European Union, Ukraine, the
    Republic of Moldova and Romania are today having talks in Galaţi, in
    south-eastern Romania, about alternative routes for the transport of Ukrainian
    grain, said the US embassy in Bucharest. In a crucial meeting,
    which will take place in Galati, Romania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, the European Commission and
    the United States will join forces, following Russia’s harsh exit from the
    Black Sea Grain Initiative, said the US Embassy, denouncing Russia for turning
    food into a weapon and endangering global food security. The
    United States stands firmly by Ukraine, promising continued support and
    assistance to help Ukraine overcome challenges and promote prosperity in the
    region, the US Embassy added.








    Navy. The Romanian Naval
    Forces are carrying out activities dedicated to the Romanian Navy Day in the run-up
    to 15th August, the Christian holiday of the Assumption, the Virgin
    Mary being considered the patron of sailors. Various events are scheduled in
    the capital city, in the Romanian Black Sea ports of Constanţa and Mangalia and
    the Danube ports of Brăila, Tulcea and Galaţi. On 15th August, Constanţa
    will play host to a demonstration exercise entitled The Romanian Naval Forces
    2023 on the maritime stage in from the Fleet Command. The opening ceremony
    involving helicopters and speed boats flying the flags of Romania and NATO, will
    be followed by a parade by Romania’s flagship vessel, Mircea.




    Football.
    Romania’s football champions Farul Constanța defeated Flora Tallinn of Estonia
    3-nil on Thursday evening at home in the first leg of the third preliminary
    round of the UEFA Conference
    League. In the same leg, the vice-champions FCSB drew nil-all against FC
    Nordsjaelland of Denmark in a match in Bucharest, while the winner of the
    Romanian Cup, Sepsi OSK Sfântu
    Gheorghe, drew 1-all at home against FC Aktobe of Kazakhstan. The
    decisive matches will be held next week.






    Rugby.
    The Romanian national rugby side will be playing Georgia on Saturday in a test
    match in Tbilisi. Last week, Romania lost 31-17 to the United States in
    Bucharest. In their final test match ahead of the Rugby World Cup hosted by
    France, Romania will face Italy on 19th August in an away match. At
    the World Cup, Romania are in Group B and will play Ireland in their opening
    match on 9th September in Bordeaux, followed by world champions
    South Africa on 17th September, again in Bordeaux, then Scotland on
    30th September in Lille and Tonga on 8th October in
    Lille. (CM)

  • August 1, 2022 UPDATE

    August 1, 2022 UPDATE

    Tax — Part of the amendments made to the Fiscal Code, which were approved in mid-July by the Romanian Government, came into force on Monday. Among them – the increase in excise duties for cigarettes and tobacco, as well as for alcohol and alcoholic products, higher taxes on gambling winnings and lower ceilings for granting tax exemptions for salaries in constructions, agriculture and the food industry. Other changes to the Fiscal Code, most of which have already been adopted, will be applied as of January 1, 2023.



    Exercise — The city port of Constanţa (south-east) is hosting as of Monday a multinational exercise organized by the Romanian Naval Forces. The exercise takes place in maritime districts off the Romanian Black Sea Coast and in the military port of Constanţa. 240 Romanian soldiers and 60 foreign soldiers from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, the United States and Turkey are participating in the exercise. The exercise contributes to increasing the level of training in the combat against makeshift bombs and against mines, as well as to strengthening interoperability between the participating forces.



    Statistics – In Romania, the unemployment rate in the month of June slightly decreased as compared to the previous month, from 5.4% to 5.3%. The National Institute of Statistics – INS estimates that the number of unemployed people was almost 440,000, down both from May 2022 and from June 2021. The unemployment rate for men slightly exceeded that of women, and many young people do not have a job – almost 23 % – the INS also announced. On the other hand, according to Eurostat, the unemployment rate in the European Union countries remained stable at the level of 6% as recorded in May, which was a historic low. The labor market is benefiting from the relaunch of the European economy, which is recovering from the recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The member states with the lowest unemployment rates are the Czech Republic and Poland. At the opposite pole are Spain and Greece, the only EU countries with a double-digit unemployment rate.



    Covid – More than 5,200 new cases of SARS-CoV—2 infection were registered in the last 24 hours in Romania, out of 14,900 tests, the authorities announced on Monday. At the same time, 12 deaths were reported. Currently, in specialized health units, the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is over 4,150. Also, about 260 patients are in Intensive Care.



    Chişinău — The Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliţa on Monday met with the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), Cristian-Leon Ţurcanu, in the context of the start of his mission in Chişinău. According to a press release of the Moldovan government, Natalia Gavriliţa thanked the Romanian Government for supporting Moldova’s European integration and for the constant support offered in overcoming multiple crises. During the talks, the Romanian official reiterated Romania’s support for strengthening national energy security and its readiness to provide the necessary assistance in overcoming logistical challenges. Cristian-Leon Ţurcanu has recently ended his mandate as Ambassador of Romania to Kyiv.




    Cereals – The European Union and NATO welcomed, on Monday, the departure of the first ship carrying cereals from Ukraine and demanded the “full application” of the agreement concluded in Istanbul for the resumption of Ukrainian exports — AFP reports. A first ship left the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Monday with 26,000 tons of corn on board, heading for Lebanon. Before arriving there, however, it is to be inspected in Istanbul, under the authority of the Joint Coordination Center (CCC), inaugurated last Wednesday. The agreement was signed on July 22 by Russia and Ukraine, with the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations. Turkey and the UN allow the resumption of Ukrainian exports under international supervision. In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky estimated that, following the Russian invasion, this years cereal crops in Ukraine could be diminished by half. Before the launch of the Russian invasion on February 24, Ukraine held 46% of the worlds sunflower exports, 9% of the wheat exports, 17% of the barley exports and 12% of the corn exports, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.



    Census – 18.15 million people, i.e. more than 95% of the estimated targeted resident population of Romania on December 1, 2021, were counted, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) informed on Monday. Sunday was the last day, after the INS had already extended twice the review period, to give additional time to those who could not do it for various reasons. The capital and the big cities had the lowest review percentages. The final data of the census will be made public at the end of next year. This was the first census in Romania organized entirely in digital format, the 13th census in history and the 4th after the 1989 Revolution.



    Airport — Băneasa Airport, in the north of Bucharest, reopened on Monday. For nine years, the airport was closed to commercial flights and underwent a program of modernization of buildings and equipment. On Băneasa airport, the time required for the formalities will be less than an hour, unlike Otopeni Airport, where passengers must go at least two hours before boarding. Băneasa Airport was inaugurated in 1920, but its history begins on August 1, 1912, when the Romanian Aviation League, led by Prince George Valentin Bibescu, establishes, in Băneasa, a flight school for military pilots.



  • July 14, 2022 UPDATE

    July 14, 2022 UPDATE

    PARADE The National Day parade in France was marked this year by the
    war in Ukraine. Troops from 9 countries on NATO’s eastern flank, including 12
    from Romania, paraded jointly with French military as a token of the unity of
    NATO Allies and of solidarity with Ukraine, Radio Romania’s correspondent in
    Paris reports. According to her, this year’s celebrations unfolded under the
    motto ‘Partager la flame’ (Divide the Flame), with a dual meaning: to pay
    homage to Hubert Germain, the last member of the French resistance against the
    Nazi occupation, who died this year, and to hail the Olympic flame ahead the
    Olympic Games Paris is due to stage in 2024. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis Thursday
    sent president Macron a letter of congratulations and wishes of prosperity for
    the French people. Iohannis highlighted the solidity and consistency of the
    Strategic Partnership between Romania and France, built on common values and
    excellent cooperation both at bilateral level and within the EU and other
    international bodies. Bucharest celebrated France’s national day with a
    reception at the French Embassy, attended by Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae
    Ciuca and by senior French officials.


    ECONOMY Thanks to a
    surprising 5.2% growth rate in Q1, the European Commission decided to update
    its estimates on Romania’s economic growth this year, from 2.6% forecast in
    March to 3.9% in its summer economic forecast made public on Thursday. The Commission
    also operated a downward adjustment of its forecast for 2023, from 3.6% to 2.9%,
    given that the growth trend is expected to slow down both globally and at EU
    level. Private consumption and investments are expected to be the main growth
    engines both this year and the next, whereas net exports will lead to a deeper
    trade deficit, the Commission says.


    VISIT Germany’s
    foreign minister Annalena Baerbock will be on an official visit to Bucharest
    and Constanţa on Friday, the German embassy in Bucharest announced. Annalena
    Baerbock will co-chair the second ministerial conference of the Support
    Platform for the Republic of Moldova together with her Romanian counterpart,
    Bogdan Aurescu and the French state secretary for development, Francophonie, and international partnerships Chrysoula
    Zacharopoulou. Also on Friday Annalena Baerbock will have meetings with PM Nicolae
    Ciucă and foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu, focusing on bilateral and European
    policy topics. In the Black Sea port of Constanţa the German official will
    discuss with local officials and representatives of German companies about
    Ukraine’s grain exports via Constanţa.

    CENSUS The deadline for finalising the national population
    and housing census has been extended by a week, from July 17 to 24, as the
    current completion rate is below 90%. The organisers are hoping to bring the
    rate up to 100% using fixed census locations and door-to-door operators. For the
    first time in Romania, a first stage of the national census was conducted
    online, with 11 million respondents registered, which is little under half of
    the estimated resident population of Romania.


    DRILL Over July 14 and 25 three Romanian warships take part in the
    international exercise ‘Breeze 22’ staged and coordinated by the Bulgarian Navy
    in the country’s territorial and the international waters of the Black Sea and
    the Bulgarian port of Burgas. This year’s edition of the exercise has brought
    together navy and air forces from Albania, Belgium, France, Georgia, Italy,
    Latvia, Poland, Turkey and the USA. The drill is aimed at strengthening
    tactical interoperability between the navy personnel and participating units
    and at practicing conventional and non-conventional war procedures.


    UKRAINE Addressing an international conference on the war crimes in
    Ukraine held in The Hague, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
    Thursday requested the creation of a special tribunal to investigate Russia’s
    invasion of Ukraine. The country’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba also asked
    for a special court trying the crime of aggression, defined as an attack by one
    state against another. All we want is for the crime of aggression to not go
    unpunished, Dmytro Kuleba said during the same conference. Political,
    diplomatic and judicial leaders from around the world convened on Thursday for
    a conference on the crimes committed in Ukraine since February 24. The European
    Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders mentioned that 20,000 investigations
    concerning war crimes in Ukraine have been opened. Around 14 European countries
    are investigating these crimes, and a European Joint Investigation Team has
    been set up, he added. Russia denies the abuses of which its troops are being
    accused, which include shelling civilians, executions, and rapes, and in
    exchange accuses Ukraine of crime wars. Meanwhile, scores of civilians were
    killed or wounded on Thursday in a Russian missile attack on the town of Vinnytsia,
    in central Ukraine. (AMP)

  • Romanian 20th century writers and their popularity

    Romanian 20th century writers and their popularity


    Prose writer Radu Tudoran is the author of the most popular and the most widely-read adventure novel in Romanian literature, All Sails Up !, Toate panzele sus!, in Romanian. Radu Tudoran was born almost 112 years ago, on March 8th, 1910, in the locality of Blejoi, Prahova County.



    All Sails Up! enjoyed a tremendous success; it was even turned into a TV series in the 1970s and, because of its popularity, critics and readership alike ignored the rest of his literary output, despite Radu Tudorans being a very prolific writer. Moreover, in terms of personal life, Radu Tudoran kept himself to himself and succeeded to stay away from the propagandistic tendencies of the communist-controlled literature, back in the day. So Radu Tudorans apparently unassuming personal life comes in stark contrast with the fame acquired by All Sails Up!. The novel is deprived of any ideological reference; surprisingly enough, it was published at a time when Romanian culture was under the strict influence of socialist realism. The author pursued his own path, which was rather neutral, and was not influenced by anybody, not even by his brother, Geo Bogza, an accomplished avant-garde poet and an author of literary reportages, who at one point was among the beneficiaries of the communist system. Literary historian and critic Paul Cernat gave us further details on Radu Tudorans biography.



    “He was born into the family of a seaman, actually a naval contractor. He was the youngest child in his family. His real name was Nicolae Bogza. He followed in his fathers footsteps as he chose his profession and went on to become a navy officer. Politically, Nicolae Bogza, the future Radu Tudoran, did not take to the radical left, which lured Geo Bogza, but he did not embrace the far-right either, a path which, for a while, his elder brothers, who were writers themselves, Alexandru and Ovidiu Bogza, took. Their sister, Elena, wrote literature as well. It was a family where books were written.”



    His passion for writing, as well as his passion for travelling, especially for the seafaring journeys, remained constant traits in the life of Radu Tudoran, who made his debut in 1939, the very year when World War Two broke out.



    Literary critic Paul Cernat:



    “His maiden volume was a collection of literary reportages, a book about Hitlers Germany, which caused a lot for dissatisfaction with everybody, irrespective of their political leanings, since it was being perceived as much too neutral. In the subsequent years, in his capacity as a navy officer, he contributed to the official press of the time and even had a stint in Bugeac, southern Bessarabia, where he was sent as a war correspondent. It was there that he drew his inspiration from, A Port in the East, arguably one of Radu Tudorans best novels, a wonderful book, which has remained a good read even to this day. At that time, he had already published a collection of short stories, The Town with Poor Girls (…) The writer would contribute a very interesting volume, in 1943, Seasons, a book that had already earned Tudoran the status of neo-Romantic and sentimental writer in the best sense of the word. That novel would be followed, in 1945, by a social novel, inspired from the extraction of crude oil, a world he was quite familiar with, since he was born nearby Ploiesti, in an area of oil refineries. The novel was entitled Flames and was reprinted several times. “



    Nevertheless, Tudoran did not take kindly the instatement of communism in Romania, so he tried to smuggle himself out of the country in the early 1950s on board a makeshift schooner. The attempt was thwarted, obviously, and most of the crew were arrested. Save for Radu Tudoran, thanks to the intervention of his brother, Geo Bogza, who was well-placed, politically. However, the adventure did have its literary follow-up, since in 1954 All Sails Up! was brought out, a novel also revolving around a schooner which was full of adventurers. However, this time, fate takes them from the cosmopolitan world of Sulina harbour in the late 19th century, where river Danube flows into the Black Sea, to South America. But how was that book spared by then the tough censorship, being reprinted several times and even being turned into a film?



    Literary critic Paul Cernat:



    “Ive got two explanations. One has to do with the support provided by his brother Geo. A second explanation has to do with the refuge he took in a province which was safer from ideologies than other such zones, even though the intrusion there was very strong as well. However, it came in handiest to write a book of adventures, set in the 19th century, rather than writing about more recent times. So that particular kind of refuge he took, on one hand, in history and on the other hand, in the adventure children and youth fiction, turned out to be providential. Radu Tudoran travelled extensively after the Stalinist period, when the tribute he paid to the regime was rather modest as compared to other writers, for instance, he did that by simply writing the novel River Danube Bursting its Banks, a social novel in line with the ideology oh that time. After that, he would travel a lot and write books inspired by his journeys. He was a man who really enjoyed travelling, he was also very nice and even charming. After 1961, when River Danube Bursting its Banks was published, he also wrote quality literature for children, a mix of travel literature and fantasy. In the last two decades of his life, he also had a very consistent epic project, which sadly did not enjoy that much coverage. Im speaking about The End of the Millenium, a cycle of novels made of seven volumes, brought out between 1978 and 1994, with the last novel being published posthumously. It is a sort of historical fresco of the 20th century. “



    A fresco the completion of which Radu Tudoran had the chance to witness, once the communist regime collapsed, since he died in 1992. To this day, All Sails Up! has been reprinted at least once. Radu Tudoran s other novels truly deserve to be reprinted, since they are really worth discovering by todays generations of readers.


    (EN)


  • September 23, 2021 UPDATE

    September 23, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 The COVID-19 epidemic stays on an upward
    trend in Romania. Thursday was the second consecutive day with more than 7,000 new
    cases in 24 hours (7,095 new cases out of nearly 54,000 tests). The largest
    number of infections is reported in the capital Bucharest. The number of Covid
    patients in intensive care is now over 1,000, a situation last seen in early
    May in Romania, and the number of coronavirus-related deaths was 113. Over
    300 towns and villages in the country are now on the red list of places where
    the infection rate is over 3 per thousand. Meanwhile, the total number of vaccine doses
    administered to Romanians went over 10 million on Thursday.


    MEASURES The COVID digital certificate remains a requirement for
    access to indoor events in places with infection rates of over 3 per thousand, and
    it will be compulsory for children over 12, instead of over 6 as originally
    stipulated. Another measure allows businesses to stay open after 6pm, in places
    with infection rates between 3 and 6 per thousand. A night curfew will be in
    place over weekends wherever the infection rate is over 6 per thousand, and
    throughout the week in places with infection rates above 7.5 per thousand. PM
    Florin Cîţu also announced today that vaccinated people will be allowed to
    leave their homes without a sworn statement in places under curfew or lockdown.
    Meanwhile, an emergency order on the COVID
    digital certificate has been endorsed by the Senate and is next to be discussed
    in the Chamber of Deputies. The digital certificate was created at EU level to
    facilitate free travel during the pandemic. The document, which includes a QR
    code, certifies that the holder has been vaccinated, recovered from the disease
    or tested negative for COVID.


    AMBASSADOR
    Romania has been a candidate for accession to the Visa Waiver programme for
    almost 15 years, said the new Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru,
    who mentioned that there are only three EU member states whose citizens need a
    short-stay visa on US territory. According to Andrei Muraru, the visa rejection
    rate is currently at a fairly high level, around 10%, but he pointed out that
    Romanian and US authorities are working to bring it down to the maximum 3% allowed
    for the Visa Waiver. The Romanian ambassador to the US also said that an
    information campaign will be organized in Bucharest for citizens to find out
    how they can apply for a visa, why their applications are turned down and why
    they should not apply if they do not meet the criteria set by the American
    side.


    NAVY The
    Romanian Navy’s Vice-admiral Constantin Bălescu Minelayer will take part in
    the EUNAVFOR MED operation Irini, in the Mediterranean Sea, between
    the 1st of October and the end of this year. Romanian marines will
    ensure compliance with the arms embargo enforced by the UN on Libya. The
    mission also targets illegal trafficking in oil products, drugs and people, by
    monitoring sea traffic and inspections of suspicious vessels in the
    Mediterranean. A combat diver unit is on board, and the 85 crew members have
    been tested, vaccinated against COVID-19 and isolated in Romanian Navy
    facilities prior to the operation.


    INSURANCE The government passed an emergency order enabling drivers who need to
    have their cars repaired under an insurance policy issued by City Insurance to
    receive their claims more quickly under the Insurance Guarantee Fund. They will
    no longer have to wait for a court to declare the company bankrupt. When its
    license was cancelled, City Insurance had 3 million civil liability policies
    issued to car owners. The Prosecutor General’s Office Thursday had documents
    seized from the company headquarters, as part of a criminal investigation
    following a complaint filed by the Financial Supervising Authority.


    INFRINGEMENT The European Commission Thursday sent Romania and Poland letters of
    formal notice for not correctly incorporating certain aspects of the Offshore
    Safety Directive into their legal systems. These letters of formal notice are
    actually the official start of the infringement procedure. Romania and Poland
    have two months to address the shortcomings, otherwise the Commission may decide to
    send a reasoned opinion. Also on Thursday, the
    Commission took measures against 19 member states, Romania included, for
    failing to take the necessary steps to ensure their citizens benefit from the
    EU audio-visual mass media and telecoms legislation. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • September 23, 2021

    September 23, 2021

    Covid — The COVID-19 epidemic in Romania continues on an upward trend. On Wednesday a new, unprecedented threshold for this year was exceeded. 7,045 new cases of coronavirus infection have been reported out of almost 54,000 tests. Most new cases have been reported in Bucharest, where the contamination rate is maintained at over 1,000 new cases in 24 hours. 130 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours. The number of COVID patients in ICUs exceeded 1,000, a situation that has not been recorded since the first half of May. More than 300 localities across Romania, including the capital, are in the red scenario, after the infection rates exceeded the threshold of 3 per thousand.




    Ambassador – Romania has been a candidate for accession to the Visa Waiver program for almost 15 years, said the new Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, who recalled that there are only three EU member states whose citizens need a short – stay visa on the territory of the US. According to Andrei Muraru, the visa rejection rate is currently at a fairly high level, around 10%, but he pointed out that the Romanian authorities are working with the American side so that a maximum rejection rate of 3% can be reached, which is necessary for accessing to the Visa Waiver program. The Romanian ambassador to the US also said that an information campaign will be organized in Bucharest for citizens to find out how they can apply for a visa, what the reasons are for the rejection of their application and why they should not apply, since they do not meet the criteria that the American side considers fundamental.




    Exercise — A ship of the Romanian Navy, the “Vice Admiral Constantin Bălescu” minesweeper leaves, today, from the Military Port of Constanţa (southeast), to participate in the operation EUNAVFOR MED “Irini”, in the Mediterranean Sea, from October 1 to December 31. The Romanian military sailors will ensure the observance of the arms embargo imposed on Libya by the United Nations. Their mission also aims to combat illicit trafficking in oil products, drugs and people by monitoring maritime traffic and carrying out inspections of suspicious vessels in the Mediterranean basin. A detachment of navy combat divers is on board the ship. The 85 crew members were vaccinated against COVID, tested and quarantined in the accommodation facilities of the Romanian Navy before departure.




    Covid certificate — The COVID green certificate remains in force in those localities where the infection rate is or exceeds 3 per thousand inhabitants, for access to restaurants, bars, shows or private events, and in the case of children the certificate will be mandatory for those over 12 years, according to the decision made today by the Romanian authorities. Until now, the certificate was necessary for children aged over 6. Another measure allows businesses to also operate after 6 p.m. if the infection rate is between 3 and 6 per thousand inhabitants. The night quarantine will be established on weekends in those localities where the infection rate exceeds 6 per thousand and throughout the week in areas where the COVID-19 incidence is over 7.5 per thousand. The PM Florin Cîţu has today announced that the vaccinated people will be allowed to leave the house without a self-declaration in the localities where the quarantine was imposed. On the other hand, the emergency ordinance regarding the COVID digital certificate was adopted by the Senate, as the first legislative chamber notified, and will be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, as a decision-making body in this case. The COVID digital certificate was created in the European Union to facilitate free movement during the pandemic. The document – which can only be verified by scanning the QR code – certifies vaccination, the existence of a negative test or the recovery from the disease.




    Ordinance – The Romanian government has approved an emergency ordinance under which drivers who have to repair their cars based on a car insurance policy issued by the City Insurance company will be compensated faster through the Insured Guarantee Fund. They will not have to wait until the court finally declares the bankruptcy of the former leader on the insurance market, a procedure that can last more than a year. At the time of the recent withdrawal of the operating license, City Insurance had 3 million insurance policies issued. (LS)

  • Ceremonies and pilgrimages in Romania

    Ceremonies and pilgrimages in Romania

    In Romania, which has an Orthodox
    majority, pilgrimages to various monasteries around the country are commonplace
    on this occasion. Numerous Orthodox believers gathered around the Nicula
    Monastery in Cluj, north-western Romania, while Greek-Catholics attended the
    religious service at the St. Mary’s Sisters Church in Cluj-Napoca.




    Thousands of believers of various
    denominations gathered at the Maria Radna Basilica in Arad, western Romania,
    where the religious service was offered in several languages, Hungarian,
    Romanian, German and Croatian. And because St. Mary is also known as the patron
    saint of sailors, on August 15th Romania also celebrates its Navy
    Day, with a series of religious and military ceremonies in its ports and cities
    at the Black Sea and the Danube. The Navy Day was marked on Sunday in the
    Military Port of Constanta, on the Black Sea coast through an anniversary
    ceremony, which was also attended by the country’s president Klaus Iohannis.






    Due to the Covid-19 pandemic this
    year the public wasn’t allowed to attend the ceremonies, which were limited to
    a military parade of the war vessels, which the locals and tourists could watch
    from the coast. The parade this year, which was headed by the Marasesti
    Frigate, the biggest warship ever built in Romania, was attended by vessels
    belonging to Romania’s Armed Forces and to its Interior Ministry and by a
    frigate from Turkey. On this occasion, President Iohannis reviewed the Guard of
    Honour, made up of Romanian, British and US troops and offered medals to Fleet
    56 and the Maritime Hydrographic Direction for their activity.






    The president thanked the Romanian
    sailors and their families for their daily efforts and sacrifices and mentioned
    the strategic role played by the Romanian Navy in our present time, when the Black
    Sea region’s geo-strategic role had been increased as the foreign border of the
    EU and by its NATO membership.






    The National Security and the
    security of the Romanian citizens are the main vectors guiding our strategic
    positioning as well as the efforts of the Romanian Armed Forces’, Iohannis went
    on to say. According to the Romanian official, ‘significant progress has been
    made in recent years in the process of fitting the Romanian Navy with the
    necessary equipment, including through a programme aimed at streamlining the
    coastal defence system. As part of this process, Iohannis recalled that the
    documents of an inter-governmental procurement agreement between the United
    States and Romania were signed in April.




    (bill)



  • August 13, 2021

    August 13, 2021

    Covid-19 Romania. Romania moved
    Turkey, Israel and the US on the red list of countries with high
    epidemiological risk which comes into effect in two days’ time. Spain, Greece
    and the UK are already on this list. Following a drop in incidence rates, The
    Netherlands, Malta, Kuwait and Panama were moved from the red to the yellow
    list. Bulgaria stays on the green list. Romania reported 383
    new infections from over 32,000 tests today, as well as 3 new deaths. According to the National Public Health
    Institute, 81% of confirmed Covid cases in the first week of August were among
    unvaccinated people. Almost 5 million people are fully vaccinated in Romania to
    date.






    Certificate. From
    today, only the digital certificates will be recognised when crossing EU state
    borders as proof that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has
    received a negative test result or has recovered from the infection. The
    certificates contain a QR code guaranteeing the authenticity of vaccines and
    tests to prevent forgery. The obligation to present the digital certificates only
    applies to the countries that require documents such as proof of vaccination,
    testing or immunisation resulting from recovery from infection, as well as to
    the return to Romania from yellow and red list countries. Travellers entering
    Romania from a green list country are not required to present the digital
    certificate or to isolate.










    Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the Taliban made new advances in their
    offensive against government forces, taking the country’s second biggest city,
    Kandahar, as well as Herat, a key economic and cultural centre. Western powers,
    who are pulling out completely from this country by the end of the month after
    20 years of war, are taking measures to protect their citizens. The conquest of
    Kandahar is a symbolic victory for the Taliban, owing to its location in the
    south of the country, where they began their insurgency in 1990 and from where
    they led the country for five years. From September last year, when the
    negotiations with the Afghan government began, the insurgents have shown no
    sign that they are willing to compromise. The US, the European Union, Russia,
    China and other world powers have warned that they will not recognise a
    government imposed in Afghanistan by use of military force.






    Navy. Romanian Navy forces are holding an event on
    Sunday in Constanţa’s military port to celebrate
    Romanian Navy Day. For the second year in a row, the public will not have
    access to this venue because of the epidemiological situation. Spectators will,
    however, be able to watch the ceremony online or on tv. The guard of honour
    will include military from the Romanian,






    Potatoes. Romania is the European Union’s
    seventh biggest potato producer, according to figures published by Eurostat
    today. The top producers are Germany, Poland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium
    and Denmark. According to Eurostat, 55.3 million tonnes of potatoes were
    harvested in the EU last year, 2.68 million of which in Romania. Six countries,
    namely Germany, Poland, France, Romania, The Netherlands and Belgium, account
    for almost three quarters of the total surface area cultivated with potatoes in
    the EU last year.






    Paralympics. Seven Romanian athletes are taking part
    in the Tokyo Paralympic Games held between 24th August and 5th
    September. They are competing in table tennis, judo, athletics, cycling and
    archery and their goal is to win three medals. Under the rules in place, the
    Paralympic athletes cannot be accompanied by medical staff or carers. Romania
    has four medals in the history of Paralympic Games: a bronze won by Alex Bologa in Rio in judo and three won by the current minister for sports Eduard Novak in
    cycling, namely gold in London and two silver in Beijing and London. Eduard
    Novak will also compete in the Tokyo Paralympics, where he is confident he can
    win a medal.






    Handball. The Romanian women’s handball side will be playing in Group C,
    alongside Norway and two sides from Asia at the 2021 World Championship hosted
    by Spain, following a draw on Thursday night in Castellon. Norway are defending
    European champions and the bronze medallists at the Tokyo Olympic Games. Asia
    will have six sides at the World Championship, to be decided at the Asian
    Championship taking place in Jordan between the 15th and the 25th
    of September. Romania are the only side to have taken part in every edition of
    the Women’s World Championship, winning the title in 1962, silver in 1973 and
    bronze in 2015. At the latest edition hosted by Japan in 2019, they finished in
    the 12th place. (CM)



  • August 4, 2020

    August 4, 2020

    COVID-19 The total number of COVID-19 cases in Romania since the start of the pandemic 5 months ago is now over 55,000, and the authorities announced 1,232 new cases in the last 24 hours. The death toll stands at 2,480, with a record-high number of deaths reported on Tuesday—48. More than 7,771 people are hospitalised, 436 of them in intensive care. Of the Romanians living abroad, 5,571 have tested positive for COVID-19, most of them in Germany and Italy, but the number of deaths stays at 123. The health minister Nelu Tătaru warns that Romania is at a stage of extensive community spread of the novel coronavirus, and says that unless protection rules are observed, intensive care units will be overwhelmed, and what happened in Italy and Spain in March and April may well happen in Romania now. Nelu Tătaru added that public healthcare directorates, which are at the frontline of epidemiological triage, have enough staff after the posting of school doctors and nurses.



    PANDEMIC Meanwhile, the total number of Covid-19 cases worldwide has reached 18.5 million, and the number of deaths is over 697,000, according to ”Johns Hopkins” University. Figures are also on the rise as regards the number of patients having recovered since the start of the pandemic—nearly 11.7 million. At present Latin America and the Caribbean are reporting more than 5 million cases and 200,000 deaths. Columbia now comes before the UK to 10th place in the world in terms of the number of infections. The US, Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa are the hardest hit countries. In Europe, Spain and France are introducing compulsory face covering outdoors as well, in a move to avoid complete lockdown. Tourists traveling to Greece have to wear protection masks both inside, and on the decks of the ferries taking them to the islands. World Health Organisation officials warn that a miraculous solution for the novel coronavirus may never be found, although research for a vaccine is beginning to yield results.



    CORRUPTION The former head of the National Water Management Agency Victor Sandu has been taken into custody by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate for bribe-taking. He is probed into for reportedly receiving one million euros in bribes for earmarking the funds required for the provision of services by a specific private company. A businessman is also being detained in the same investigation, under charges of bribe-giving, while the managers of 2 private companies are under court supervision. Specifically, the former agency director received the money for a number of river management contracts in Bihor County. Two companies controlled by an associate of Victor Sandu issued invoices for goods and services that were never actually provided. Prosecutors are today requesting the Bacau County Court to approve a 30-day pre-trial arrest warrant against Victor Sandu and the businessman.



    TRAINING Until August 7, around 200 navy troops from Romania, Bulgaria and the US are training as part of the 11th Eurasian Partnership Mine Countermeasure Dive 2020, hosted by the Romanian Navy. The main focus of the exercise is on countering underwater threats, by means of mine search and destruction scenarios. Eurasian Partnership Mine Countermeasure Dive 2020 is the only annual multinational exercise organized in the Black Sea Waters in order to consolidate the training of NATO military divers.



    FOOTBALL CFR Cluj won their 3rd consecutive national football championship, after defeating Universitatea Craiova away from home on Monday night, 3-1, in a decisive match for the League I trophy. CFR are now 6 times champions, whereas Universitatea Craiova missed the chance of winning the title after a 29 year wait. Still, this is the best run for Craiova since their comeback to Romanias top football league.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)