Radio România Internațional

Tag: rainfalls

  • September 28, 2024

    September 28, 2024

    Weather – Heavy rainfalls and strong winds are announced, starting this weekend, in all regions of Romania. Starting this evening, the north and west of the country will be affected, while, from Sunday, the ​​rainfalls will cover all of Romania. The most severe phenomena are forecast for the south and east of the country and the mountains, where a code orange alert will be in place. For the rest of the territory, meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert. The focus is on the amounts of water that will accumulate. Hydrologists have issued flood alerts for 18 river basins throughout the country. At the same time, sleet and snow are expected in the highest mountain areas on Sunday night to Monday, once the temperatures drop below 0 degrees Celsius. While the specialists carefully monitor the situation, teams from the Romanian Waters National Administration have prepared thousands of sandbags and intervention equipment in the areas where river flow increases are expected. Mountain rescuers in several regions have warned tourists to avoid outdoor activities this weekend. Another recommendation is that people should not spend a lot of time in the valleys, considering that the rains can form torrents. The forecast for severe weather is also valid for Bucharest, where two outdoor events have been cancelled.

     

    Candidacy – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, announced on Friday that he would end his mandate on time, would not resign from office and would not run for parliamentary elections in December. He also said that he did not support and is not supporting the amendment of the electoral legislation in favor of a single person. The announcement came shortly before the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) clarified the situation of his candidacy for the future Parliament. According to BEC, there is no need to amend the law so that the president can run on a party’s list, even if he is not a member, but he will not be considered an independent candidate. Previously, the president of the National Liberal Party had submitted a legislative initiative according to which the Romanian president could run as an independent on the lists of a party or alliance in the parliamentary elections, in the last 3 months of his mandate. We remind you that, in Romania, at the end of this year, both parliamentary and presidential elections will take place, and Klaus Iohannis ends his second and last term as head of state.

     

    Israel – The Israeli army announced on Saturday that it killed the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, in an attack, south of Beirut, on the headquarters of the Lebanese Islamist armed group. Shortly after the announcement of the death of the Hezbollah leader, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, General Herzi Halevi, promised to strike anyone who threatens Israel. The Lebanese Shiite group has not confirmed the death of its leader. At the same time, the group denied that there were weapons in several civilian buildings bombed by Israel at dawn on Saturday. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health has so far confirmed around 100 dead and injured, but warned that the toll would rise as rescue operations continue, amid extensive destruction caused by the bombings.

     

    Photovoltaic power – The more than 274 million lei (almost 55 million Euros) allocated to the northwestern region of Romania were used up, on Friday, in just 2 minutes after the start of a new financing session for individuals within the Photovoltaic Green House Program. On Monday, the people from central Romania will have the possibility to enroll in the Program, and those from the other regions of the country can do that in the next 6 working days. This year, the Environmental Fund Administration allocated a record budget of 2 billion lei (about 400 million Euros), which will help 67,000 households to have reduced bills for ecologically produced electricity.

     

    Wind energy – Romania has an onshore wind capacity of 3 Giga Watts and an offshore wind resource large enough to produce more energy than it would ever need, say the World Bank representatives. According to them, Romania has the potential for a capacity of offshore wind platforms of up to 7 Giga Watts, located at least 50 km from the coast and, for the most part, in relatively shallow waters. They could be built starting in 2030, using Romania’s port facilities and a supply chain based on local products, the World Bank representatives also say.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian on Saturday qualified for the third round of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Beijing, which has total prizes up for grabs worth almost 9 million dollars, after defeating the Czech Barbora Krejcikova, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5. Jaqueline Cristian needed almost three hours of play to pass the 7th seeded player. In the next round, the Romanian will face another representative of the Czech Republic – Karolina Muchova. Also on Saturday, in Beijing, Irina Begu plays in the second round against the Russian Mirra Andreeva.

     

    Car industry – The French car parts manufacturer FORVIA has revised for the second time in three months its annual sales and profit estimates amid challenges on the European and North American markets. In Europe, the company, the world’s seventh largest producer of car components, with activities in Romania as well, stated that it would accelerate plans to reduce the workforce. Thus, 2,800 posts will be eliminated by the end of this year, and 5,800 will be eliminated by the end of next year. In Romania, the company has, among others, five factories and five design and development centers. (LS)

  • September 17, 2024

    September 17, 2024

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION The EC president Ursula von der Leyen today unveiled the new college of commissioners. Romania’s nominee for one of the 27 European Commissioner posts, the former minister for EU funding and incumbent MEP Roxana Mînzatu, was appointed Executive Vice-President for People, Skills and Preparedness and will also be the new Commissioner for Skills, Education, Quality Jobs and Social Rights. The team proposed by Ursula von der Leyen will next be interviewed by the European Parliament. Given the length of the procedures, the new commission might begin their term in office later than scheduled, possibly as late as December.

     

     

    FLOODS The government of Romania approved direct financial aid for the victims of the recent floods in the east of the country, which left 7 people dead and nearly 6,500 homes damaged. Hydrologists warn that the risk of flash floods is not over, and have issued code red, orange and yellow alerts for the counties already affected by heavy rainfalls and floods. People are still accommodated in the temporary sites arranged by the local authorities, and interior ministry personnel are helped by emergency inspectorate staff from other counties, who have brought over intervention vehicles and large capacity pumps to take out the water and mud from the flooded houses. Meanwhile, water and food supplies are being distributed to the victims, both from the state reserve and from private citizens and companies that have donated clothes, footwear, blankets and mattresses. The Red Cross also dispatched trucks with water and food to the area.

     

     

    LAW The Constitutional Court of Romania is to review today, after several postponements, a notification lodged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice with respect to the so-called Fugitives Act. The law endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies in November 2023 stipulates that citizens subject to a final court sentence who fail to turn themselves in within 7 days to be incarcerated are to be declared fugitives and receive a further 6 month to 3 year sentence. The supreme court believes the law comes against the right to fair trial and individual freedom. Sorin Oprescu, a former mayor of Bucharest, and Alina Bica, a former chief of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism Offences, are some of the high-profile officials who managed to leave the country in order to escape a prison sentence. Italy and Greece are the countries preferred by the fugitives.

     

     

    CLIMATE Romania plans to be carbon neutral by 2045, as opposed to its previous target, 2050, according to a new version of the National Integrated Plan on Energy and Climate Change. Bucharest also intends to cover 38% of the country’s total energy demand from renewable sources by 2030. The energy ministry announced on Tuesday additional policies and measures to increase the share of renewable energy, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially and to implement innovating solutions in all economic sectors. The revised plan includes measures to cut emissions in essential sectors such as energy, transport, housing and industry, and aims to implement advanced technologies such as the use of renewable hydrogen.

     

     

    ENESCU The 19th edition of the “George Enescu” International Classical Music Competition takes place in Bucharest until September 27, under the high patronage of the Romanian Presidency. Enrolled in this year’s competition are a record 667 musicians aged 13 to 35. The “George Enescu” International Competition, initiated in 1958, is one of the most important events of this kind in the world, providing a platform for rising musicians to prove their skills. Over the years, the competition has consolidated Romania’s standing in the global cultural arena, and is the only competition in the country affiliated to the World Federation of International Music Competitions. The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation is one of the co-producers of the event.

     

     

    FESTIVAL The 12th edition of Bucharest Music Film Festival continues until September 22nd. The event has been redesigned to include concerts in a variety of music genres, from classical to jazz, film music and pop fusion, and it brings together hundreds of celebrated artists and orchestras. The festival is organised by the Bucharest City Hall’s cultural centre ARCUB, and is part of the Days of Bucharest series that marks 565 years since Bucharest was first mentioned in official documents. (AMP)

  • Severe flooding in eastern Romania

    Severe flooding in eastern Romania

     

    Romania is on alert, relief camps have been set up and rescue operations launched after the flash floods of the past few days killed at least 6 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the east of the country. The authorities have used boats and military aircraft to evacuate people.

     

    In this context, president Klaus Iohannis sent a message of solidarity with the disaster-hit families, and promised that the authorities and rescue teams mobilised all resources available in order to ensure a quick and efficient intervention.

     

    In turn, PM Marcel Ciolacu, who travelled to the affected areas together with several Cabinet members, said the top priority at present is to prevent further loss of human lives. A task force was set up within the health ministry to ensure medical assistance for the locals of Galaţi and Vaslui, the most affected counties in the region. Task force members stay in touch with the local authorities and with the public health directorates in the 2 counties.

     

    The interior and the defence ministries have mobilised hundreds of fire-fighters, gendarmes, military personnel and equipment to help evacuate the victims and rebuild the infrastructure destroyed by waters.

     

    Local authorities also stepped in, to arrange temporary camps for hundreds of displaced victims. The government announced funds would be earmarked to help rebuild their homes, and approved the use of water, food and lightweight building structures from the state reserve.

     

    On Sunday, an energy task force was convened by the line minister, Sebastian Burduja. He says all intervention teams are mobilised in the affected counties. The number of people left without electricity was over 24,000 on Saturday, when the situation was at its worst.

     

    On Sunday, several segments of national and county roads in Galaţi and Vaslui were still closed because of the flooding. Railway traffic in the east and the south of the country was also affected by the heavy rainfalls.

     

    Meanwhile, in Galaţi County, the hardest hit by flash floods, scores of schools have been closed down for Monday and Tuesday, the education ministry announced.

     

    The situation remains critical, with closed roads, flooded homes and displaced people. Weather experts warn that in the forthcoming period as well rainfall and flooding are likely, and the weather will remain unstable.

     

    Romania is not the only country hit by severe weather. Several other countries in central and eastern Europe have also reported substantial damage, victims and missing persons. Tens of railway routes in Austria, Czechia and Poland have been suspended, disrupting connections with the neighbouring states. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, voiced solidarity with all the victims and said the EU was ready to provide assistance. (AMP)

  • Extreme heat and storms in Romania

    Extreme heat and storms in Romania




    The
    week begins with scorching temperatures in Romania, where the heat wave and
    storms have been making the headlines in recent days. Meteorologists announced
    weather will remain erratic for the next few days as well, and issued code
    orange and yellow alerts for extreme heat for the west of the country and some counties
    in the south and centre.


    In the
    west of Romania, temperatures of 38-39 degrees
    Celsius are expected, while in the
    rest of the country highs are likely to reach 34-37 degrees. Afternoons will
    see summer storms with electrical discharges, especially in the mountains, with
    such phenomena also likely to be reported in the rest of the country.


    For the past few days, weather experts have been issuing tens of alerts for
    storms and heavy rainfalls, and the effects of some of them are still visible. In
    Dolj County, in the south, where several localities were under a code red alert
    on Saturday, the storms wreaked havoc. The most dramatic situation was reported
    in the county capital Craiova, where it rained heavily, the wind blew roofs
    away and brought hundreds of trees down, some of which fell on streets and on
    vehicles.


    Local
    authorities are still working to address the damages caused by Saturday’s
    storm, when in less than one hour extreme weather led to cars being taken away
    by water and on some streets the water infiltrating under the asphalt caused it
    to swallow and break. In some parts of the city, the water reached above
    vehicle wheels. It rained more than 60 litres per square meter, and we have to
    keep mind that all the sewage networks in Europe, not only in Romania, are
    designed to carry 25 litres per square metre, the Mayor of Craiova said.


    More
    than 100 calls to the emergency number 112 were received, and authorities
    suspended tram traffic in the city. Emergency teams worked at full capacity.


    In Miercurea
    Ciuc, in central Romania, trees fell on electricity cables, leaving 2,000
    households in the dark. Here as well, emergency teams had to work to drain the
    water from the streets and squares flooded by the heavy rainfall.


    The
    weather caused problems in Mehedinţi County in the south-west as well, where
    the wind tore trees down, and blew away the roof of an apartment building in
    the town of Drobeta Turnu Severin.


    In Vâlcea
    County, also in the south, the roof of a church steeple fell over electricity
    cables, while in the city of Râmnicu Vâlcea the wind brought down a utility
    pole. (AMP)

  • July 19, 2021

    July 19, 2021

    WEATHER Yellow and orange-code alerts for heavy rainfall are in place in Romania, with unstable weather expected until at least midweek. Thunderstorms will first hit the south-west, west, centre and north of the country, and spread to the south and south-east beginning on Tuesday. The extreme weather has caused major damages in the west of the country over the past few days, with several parts of Alba County affected by flash floods.




    FLOODING The death toll of the disastrous flooding in Western Europe is over 190, as many missing people are found dead. Germany reports the largest number of victims. Chancellor Angela Merkel visited some of the worst hit regions, and promised immediate aid from the federal government for reconstruction works, while also pledging more efforts will be made to fight climate change. The EU has announced it would provide aid both to Germany and to the other countries affected by floods, such as Belgium and the Netherlands. In Belgium, more than 30 people are dead and others are missing. Italy also sees heavy rainfalls causing floods in the northern and southern parts of the country.




    COVID-19 The Romanian health minister Ioana Mihăilă said the 4th wave of the Covid-19 pandemic will affect unvaccinated people, and said less than 1% of those who have got the vaccine caught the disease. Ioana Mihăilă urged even those who recovered from the disease to get the vaccine, arguing that this would prevent a severe form of the Covid-19, even when the Delta variant is involved. In spite of continuing public campaigns promoting vaccination, the target of 5 million fully vaccinated Romanians is yet to be reached, over one and a half months after the deadline set by authorities. Meanwhile, 44 new infection cases were reported on Sunday in Romania, out of close to 19,000 tests. One new COVID-related death has also been reported, and 30 patients are in intensive care out of the 255 currently in hospital.




    GALA The UNITER Awards Gala, rewarding the best Romanian theatre performances, is hosted by the National Theatre in Bucharest tonight. This is the 29th edition of the event, held annually since 1991. A jury makes the nominations for each category, while a separate jury votes the winner of each award.




    FESTIVAL Tickets for the 25th George Enescu International Festival are available as of today. The festival, scheduled to take place between 28 August and 26 September, brings to Bucharest 3,500 Romanian and foreign artists. Healthcare measures will be in place this year, to protect the public, the artists, the organisers and journalists. Some of the worlds most celebrated orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the National Orchestra of France conducted by the Romanian Cristian Măcelaru, and the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Valery Gergiev, will take part in this years festival, alongside world-famous soloists like violinists Maxim Vengerov, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Joshua Bell, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianists Denis Matsuev, Jean Yves Thibaudet and Kirill Gerstein.




    AGRICULTURE The Romanian agriculture minister Adrian Oros takes part today in the first meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held under Slovenian presidency. One of the main topics on the agenda is the action plan for the development of organic agriculture. The European Commissions “Farm to Fork Strategy presented in 2020 aims at earmarking at least 25% of the blocs farmland for organic agriculture by 2030.




    PANDEMIC Greece reintroduces COVID-19 restrictions in spite of the tourist season being in full swing. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Athens, several Greek islands deemed free of COVID-19 are introducing night curfews and banning the access of unvaccinated people in restaurants and clubs. The Greek government will also make vaccination compulsory for several categories of employees. France tightens access restrictions for travelers from certain countries, including the UK, Spain, Greece and the Netherlands, who will be required to get tested 24 hours prior to arriving in the country. On the other hand, England lifted all restrictions today, in spite of alarming increases in the number of Delta variant infections. London argues that containment measures cannot be kept in place forever, and the vaccines provide protection. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • July 16, 2021

    July 16, 2021

    BLACK HAWK
    Authorities in Romania and the United States have launched an investigation
    into the recent incident involving a Black Hawk helicopter, which made a forced
    landing in downtown Bucharest on Thursday. The crew had initially reported
    technical issues during a training flight for the military ceremonies due on
    July 20th and 21st to mark Romania’s Aviation Day and the end of the Romanian
    contingent’s mission in Afghanistan. The helicopter crash-landed in a Bucharest
    square bringing down two lampposts and damaging two vehicles.






    EDUCATION Students from all over the world can enlist with the first
    interactive online high school of an international profile in Romania due to
    start activity in Cluj Napoca this autumn. Upon graduation, students are to receive
    Cambridge-accredited diplomas. The aforementioned British-styled high-school is
    going to function in a hybrid system. Students are going to attend online
    courses and interact with each other in camps. The idea to set up such a school
    came during the pandemic, when the organizers realized the importance of such
    an institution in Romania. Cambridge-accredited diplomas are recognized in over
    150 countries, Romania included, so students can easily opt for university
    studies in numerous countries around the world.






    WEATHER Almost 100 people have lost their lives while
    hundreds are reported missing after the heavy rainfalls and flooding that have
    recently affected Western Europe. In Germany, the most affected country, Chancellor
    Angela Merkel has described the situation as a ‘tragedy’ and pledged full
    support for the victims. Numerous towns and villages have been isolated and
    roads have been completely covered by waters, which disrupted electricity in
    more than 135 thousand households. Belgium has also reported fatalities and
    many people unaccounted for. Extreme weather phenomena have also caused
    material damage in the Netherlands where many people had to leave their homes.
    Experts are blaming the latest weather phenomena on human-induced climate
    change.






    COVID-19 Authorities in Romania have included Spain, Portugal and the
    Netherlands among the red-zone countries with a high infection risk, whereas
    Greece, one of the most sought-after tourist destinations this summer is
    presently in the yellow zone. Tourists who have been fully vaccinated do not
    have to stay in quarantine upon their return to Romania irrespective of the
    region they come from. Those unvaccinated coming from the red zone must stay in
    quarantine for 14 days, whereas those coming from the yellow zone must produce
    a negative PCR test made in the past 72 hours in order to avoid quarantine. The
    National Committee for Emergency Situations has approved a pilot project
    involving the use of trained dogs for detecting those infected. 62 new
    infections were reported in Romania on Thursday, out of 25 thousand tests, as
    well as three fatalities. 50 persons are being treated in ICUs. Since the
    beginning of Romania’s vaccine rollout on December 27th last year, 4.7 million people
    have been fully vaccinated in Romania, while authorities are trying to step up
    the vaccination campaign in this country.






    COMMISSIONER Romania must double its vaccination efforts this summer as only
    30% of its adult population has been vaccinated says the European Commissioner
    for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides who is paying a formal visit to
    Romania on Friday. According to this EU official, the highly-contagious Delta
    variant, which has been identified in Europe, represents a major risk for
    people who haven’t got the jab. Vaccination is the most powerful weapon against
    virus variants, the European Commissioner went on to say. According to a
    communiqué issued by the European Commission Representation in Bucharest, EU
    Commissioner Kyriakides will be meeting Health Minister Ioana Mihaila and pay a
    visit to the vaccination center in Petresti, southern Romania. The talks will
    be focusing on the EU’s vaccine strategy, Romania’s vaccine rollout as well as
    the guidelines provided by the European Health Union.






    (bill)

  • June 19, 2021 UPDATE

    June 19, 2021 UPDATE

    RAINFALLS New code orange and code yellow alerts for heavy rainfalls, storms and flash floods have been issued in Romania for most of the Romanian territory, except for the north-west. Hydrologists have also warned against possible flooding along 11 rivers until Monday night. Thousands of households were flooded or left without electricity following recent heavy rainfalls in Romania. According to the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations, 49 towns and villages and the capital city were affected, with firefighters moving in to pump out the water in several households, over 100 yards and scores of streets in Bucharest alone. The wind caused several trees to fall over parked vehicles, and road traffic was also disrupted.



    COVID-19 The number of new Covid-19 cases
    in Romania
    continues to drop, with 63 new infection cases reported on Saturday, and 164 patients
    in intensive care. Hospitals are gradually resuming their regular activity and,
    according to some managers, they are better prepared for a possible surge in
    cases. Meanwhile, experts warn against the risk of a 4th wave of the
    coronavirus pandemic in Romania. The health minister Ioana Mihăilă said the Indian
    strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus may come to prevail in Romania as well, which is
    why it is all the more important that as many people be immunised. According to Romania’s representative in the World Health
    Organisation Alexandru Rafila, with the current vaccination trend, only 7
    million people at most will have been immunized by autumn, which is below the
    authorities’ target. Some 25,500 people received the vaccine in the past 24
    hours. So far over 8.7 million Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in
    Romania, with nearly 4.35 million people having received both doses of vaccine.



    DEFICIT The EUs Economic and Financial Council extended to 2024 the deadline for Romania to put an end to the excessive deficit situation. The Council said that an extension to the original deadline for Romania to correct its public deficit would be important in order not to compromise the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendation also says that, in order to meet the new deadline, Romania would need to achieve a general government deficit target of 6.2% of GDP next year, 4.4% of GDP in 2023, and 2.9% of GDP in 2024. Romania is expected to present the European Council with a report on its strategy regarding these targets by 15 October, the Romanian Finance Ministry announced.



    ACCIDENT At least 3 workers, one of them from Romania, died when a school under construction partly collapsed in Antwerp, Belgium, AFP reports. Nine others were injured in the incident on Friday afternoon. The school was still under construction, so no students were present.



    OECD The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu reconfirmed Romanias commitment to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development as soon as possible. Aurescu had a meeting on Saturday with the organisations new secretary general, Mathias Cormann, on the sidelines of the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya (Turkey). On the same occasion, the Romanian diplomat discussed the Black Sea security situation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.



    IRAN Hardliner Seyyed Ebrahim Rais al-Sadati won Fridays presidential election in Iran from the first round, with over 62% of the votes, according to preliminary results made public on Saturday. A former magistrate, the Conservative al-Sadati is close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters comments. The new president will have to resume the negotiations started in Vienna for the restart of the 2015 deal regulating the countrys nuclear activities.



    TENNIS Horia Tecău (Romania) / Kevin Krawietz (Germany) qualified into the doubles final of the tennis tournament in Halle (Germany), ATP 500, after defeating the Belgians Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen, 7-6, 7-5. Tecău and Krawietz are playing their 3rd final this season, after having lost the ones in Rotterdam and Barcelona. Also in tennis, the Romanians Monica Niculescu and Elena Gabriela Ruse Friday qualified into the doubles final of the ITF tournament in Nottingham (UK). They will play against the Australians Priscilla Hon and Storm Sanders. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • June 19, 2021

    June 19, 2021

    RAINFALLS A person died and another one went missing, thousands of households were flooded or left without electricity following recent heavy rainfall in Romania. According to the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations, 49 towns and villages and the capital city Bucharest were affected by last nights rainfalls. An orange-code alert for further precipitation remains in place in most of the country until Sunday night, and flood warnings have also been issued in some regions.



    COVID-19 The number of new Covid-19 cases
    in Romania
    continues to drop, with 63 new infection cases reported on Saturday, and 164 patients
    in intensive care. Hospitals are gradually resuming their regular activity and,
    according to some managers, they are better prepared for a possible surge in
    cases. Meanwhile, experts warn against the risk of a 4th wave of the
    coronavisur pandemic in Romania. These experts include Romania’s representative
    in the World Health Organisation Alexandru Rafila, who says that with the
    current vaccination trend, only 7 million people at most will have been
    immunized by autumn, which is below the authorities’ target. So far some 4.6
    million people have received at least one dose of anti-Covid vaccine.



    DEFICIT The EUs Economic and Financial Council extended to 2024 the deadline for Romania to put an end to the excessive deficit situation. The Council said that an extension to the original deadline for Romania to correct its public deficit would be important in order not to compromise the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendation also says that, in order to meet the new deadline, Romania would need to achieve a general government deficit target of 6.2% of GDP next year, 4.4% of GDP in 2023, and 2.9% of GDP in 2024. Romania is expected to present the European Council with a report on its strategy regarding these targets by 15 October, the Romanian Finance Ministry announced.



    OECD The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu reconfirmed Romanias commitment to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development as soon as possible. Aurescu had a meeting on Saturday with the organisations new secretary general, Mathias Cormann, on the sidelines of the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya (Turkey). On the same occasion, the Romanian diplomat discussed the Black Sea security situation with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.



    IRAN Hardliner Seyyed Ebrahim Rais al-Sadati won Fridays presidential election in Iran from the first round, with over 62% of the votes, according to preliminary results made public today. A former magistrate, the Conservative al-Sadati is close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters comments. The new president will have to resume the negotiations started in Vienna for the restart of the 2015 deal regulating the countrys nuclear activities.



    TENNIS Horia Tecău (Romania) / Kevin Krawietz (Germany) qualified into the doubles final of the tennis tournament in Halle (Germany), ATP 500, after defeating the Belgians Sander Gille / Joran Vliegen, 7-6, 7-5. Tecău and Krawietz are playing their 3rd final this season, after having lost the ones in Rotterdam and Barcelona. Also in tennis, the Romanians Monica Niculescu and Elena Gabriela Ruse Friday qualified into the doubles final of the ITF tournament in Nottingham (UK). They will play against the Australians Priscilla Hon and Storm Sanders.



    FOOTBALL The European Football Championship continues. Today, Hungary is scheduled to play against France in Budapest, in Group F, Portugal takes on Germany in Munich, in the same group, and Spain plays against Poland in Seville, in Group E. on Friday, Sweden defeated Slovakia 1-0, in Sankt Petersburg, in Group E; Croatia and the Czech Republic drew 1-1, in Glasgow, in Group D, while in London, also in Group D, the match between England and Scotland ended in a blank draw. The Czech Patrik Schick is currently the championships top scorer. The Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen was discharged from hospital, after successful surgery, 6 days after collapsing on the pitch 43 minutes into the match against Finland. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • January 6, 2021

    January 6, 2021

    VACCINE The third batch of 15 thousand doses of
    Covid-19 vaccine has arrived in Romania on the airports in Bucharest, Cluj
    Napoca and Timisoara. The immunization campaign in Romania kicked off on
    December 27th and over 41 medical workers have been immunized so
    far. The campaign’s second stage is to commence at the end of next week and
    will be addressing vulnerable people and the workers in the country’s key
    sectors. Authorities estimate that the third stage of the campaign, which is
    targeting the entire population is due to begin in April. Since the onset of
    the pandemic, roughly 650 thousand people have been infected on Romania’s
    territory and over 16 thousand died.










    ALERTS Hydrologists have issued yellow and orange alerts for
    flooding on several rivers in northern, central and southern Romania. Scores of
    towns and villages in 11 counties across Romania have been affected by flooding
    in the past days. Heavy rainfalls have caused damage and temporarily disrupted
    traffic on several national and county roads. Rail traffic has also been
    disrupted and special teams have intervened to pump water out of households and
    unblock roads and railways in several regions. Rescue teams in southern
    Carpathians have issued warnings for potential avalanche risks at altitudes
    between 14 hundred and 20 hundred meters where some ski slopes have been closed
    down.












    HOLY DAY January 6th is a major date for the Orthodox and
    Catholic believers in Romania, a country with an Orthodox majority, which today
    celebrates Epiphany or the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Jordan
    River. Priests are giving sermons in front of the churches with holy water,
    which is subsequently distributed among the believers. Because this holiday
    involves the participation of numerous people, in all the churches across
    Romania, measures have been taken to contain the spread of the novel
    coronavirus. Winter holidays in Romania are due to end tomorrow with a
    festivity celebrating the nativity of St. John the Baptist.










    STATISTICS The number
    of tourists looking for accommodation in Romania’s tourist infrastructure
    diminished by half in the first eleven months of the year as compared to the
    same period last year, shows data published by the National Institute for Statistics.
    93% of the tourists applying for these services were from Romania and only
    slightly above 7% from abroad. Most of the foreign tourists who chose to visit
    Romania in 2020 came from Germany, Italy, Israel, France and Britain. The
    number of Romanians who went abroad in the same period dropped by 60% as
    compared to the same period of 2019.




    (bill)

  • July 21, 2018

    July 21, 2018

    MODERNIZATION Checkpoints at Romania’s
    border with the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Serbia will be modernized and
    fitted with fixed and mobile scanners for a better monitoring of the goods
    shipped into Romania, the country’s Public Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici
    has announced. According to him, the measure is meant to keep smuggling at bay and
    curb losses in the state budget. The minister has also added that a series of
    government accords are to be signed to allow for the purchase of the proper
    equipment by the end of the year and the authorities in Bucharest have already
    held talks with the big producers of scanners from China, the USA and Switzerland.










    TALKS The Romanian Minister for the
    Romanians abroad, Natalia Intotero has held talks with members of the Romanian
    communities in the Spanish region of Andalusia about opportunities to fund the
    Romanian communities abroad through non-reimbursable funds as well as about
    projects aimed at supplying these communities with the proper teaching
    equipment, books in Romanian as well as traditional folk costumes, a communiqué
    issued by the Ministry on Friday says. The Romanian minister has thanked the
    Spanish authorities for the support granted to the Romanians in Andalusia and
    has underlined the good cooperation concerning aspects related to the fields of
    labour and social security. The Romanian official has also presented the
    ministry’s projects aimed at providing support for the Romanian communities
    with regard to the preservation of their identity as well as their involvement
    in the life of the local communities. One of the priorities is focusing on
    education and on the preservation of the national identity. Natalia-Elena
    Intotero has hailed the courses of Romanian language, culture and civilization taught
    in Spain, which are presently contributing to the education of 8000 children. ‘I
    have requested support from the Spanish authorities for these courses to be
    taught in schools attended by Romanian children in the province’, Minister
    Intotero has also said.




    TENNIS The second-seeded Romanian tennis player
    Mihaela Buzarnescu will today be up against Petra Martic of Croatia in the
    semifinals of the BRD Bucharest Open, a tennis tournament with more than 226
    thousand dollars in prize money. Romania will also have a pair in the finals of
    the women’s doubles: Mihaela Buzarnescu and Raluca Olaru are taking on Danka
    Kovinic of Montenegro and Maryna Zanevska of Belgium. In the other semi-finals
    game Irina Begu and Andreea Mitu of Romania will be up against Jaqueline
    Cristian and Gabriela Ruse.










    WEATHER The weather in Romania remains
    generally unsettled. Rainfalls and thunderstorms have been reported in the
    mountainous areas and in certain regions across the country. The discomfort
    index is expected to reach the critical 80 units in southern and southeastern
    Romania. The highs range between 25 and 34 degrees Celsius with a noon reading
    in Bucharest of 28 degrees.





  • June 28, 2018

    June 28, 2018

    European Council — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is participating for two days in the European Council meeting in Brussels. Talks will focus, among others, on the European defense policy, economic growth and competitiveness, digitalization, innovation and trade and the post-2020 EU budget. The main topic of the summit is migration. According to a communiqué of the presidential administration, Klaus Iohannis will reiterate the need to continue the consolidation of the EU’s external border protection and will highlight the need for a collective effort of member states to intensify dialogue with the migrants’ countries of origin or of transit. In a letter conveyed to the heads of state and government of the 28 EU members, the president of the European Council Donald Tusk points to the very high stakes involved, and to the growingly heated debates over migrants. He underscored that the EU’s target should be to dismantle the bootleg-type of business, this being the most efficient way to stop the migrants’ flow and to put an end to loss of human lives at sea.



    Brussels — The Speaker of the Romanian Senate Calin Popescu Tariceanu is having talks today in Brussels with the First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, about observance of human rights and freedoms in Romania and about the institutional relations in a rule of law state. A press release issued in Bucharest writes that the talks will tackle the stage of monitoring of the Romanian judiciary by the EC through the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (CMV) and bilateral issues. The meeting is taking place in the context in which the EU officials are closely monitoring the amendments brought to the justice laws by the ruling coalition in Romania made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats, amendments that are being contested by the opposition parties, civil society and part of the magistrates and that triggered off street protests. In Bucharest, the US Embassy issued a release stating that important partner states have called on Romania to consider the potentially negative impact of the amendments to be brought to the criminal laws and have asked the authorities to avoid changes that might undermine the rule of law or Bucharest’s capacity to fight crime and corruption.



    Weather — Romania’s eastern half will be under a code yellow alert for rain until Thursday night. The highs of the day will range between 23 and 29 degrees C, with a 20 degree reading in Bucharest at noon. Meteorologists warn that it will continue to rain in most regions of Romania until Saturday. Hydrologists have also issued a code orange alert for flooding for 8 drainage basins in the south, center and east valid until Thursday afternoon. For other rivers in the south, east and center of the country a code yellow alert has been issued, valid until midnight. According to the Interior Ministry rainfalls have affected 60 localities in 14 counties. The Ministry officials have mobilized at national level, around 16 thousand employees and more than 6,600 technical means.



    Government — The Romanian government is today discussing a bill on granting state aid to those companies who make large-scale investments, mainly in less developed regions. According to the finance minister Eugen Teodorovici the government decision submitted for analysis is a follow-up of the state aid scheme that was successfully implemented between 2014-2017. Minister Teodorovici said that resuming this scheme would boost economic growth, bridge the gaps between regions and help produce innovative products.



    DIICOT — The prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest started the investigation in rem in the case of the criminal complaint made by the opposition National Liberal Party president Ludovic Orban against the Social Democratic prime minister Viorica Dancila, a case in which he accuses her of high treason and disclosure of secret information that undermines national security. The complaint is related to a memorandum discussed in the government meeting that analyzed the adequacy of relocating the Romanian Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Ludovic Orban accused Viorica Dancila of revealing confidential information and of having presented the Romanian President with false information in relation to the respective memorandum. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • The effects of rain showers and storms

    The effects of rain showers and storms

    Antarctica is heading for disaster at high speed. This is the conclusion of an international expert team that has conducted a study whose worrying results have been made public recently. The document is launching an alarm signal as to the future of planet Earth. According to the scientists, the white continent situated at the South Pole has lost some three trillions tons of ice since 1992, which is enough to raise the level of oceans by some eight millimetres, and this tendency has increased dramatically over the past five years. Furthermore, if the phenomenon is not contained in due time, hundreds of millions of people leaving in low coastal areas are in danger. This is not the only effect produced by global warming, unfortunately considered to be a futile issue even by some top-level decision-makers.



    To the Romanians, Antarctica is geographically situated at the far end of the globe, and alarming information coming from there fades away, in keeping with the distance which separates the two areas. However, when the Romanians are facing extreme weather phenomena, atypical for Romania’s temperature continental climate, they become increasingly aware of the situation and start asking questions on the dangers looming ahead. For some time now, spring and autumn are almost non-existent, summers are unusually hot, in winter snow has almost vanished in some regions of the country and tornadoes have also been spotted in Romania.



    Right now, against the backdrop of temperatures exceeding normal values for this time of the year, Romania is facing extreme weather phenomena, such as rainfalls, thunderstorms, gusty wind and hailstorms. Heavy rainfalls and gusty wind have severely affected several regions of the country. Basements, cellars, streets and parking lots in several towns have been submerged. Tens of trees have fallen on cars and electricity lines, roofs have been swept away by the wind and many fires have been started by lightning strikes. Many households in the countryside have been flooded. Electricity has also been disrupted in places. In the field, hailstorms have destroyed maize, wheat and sunflower cultures on hectares. Egg-sized hail has produced extensive damage in several towns and communes in the west of the territory, where roofs and cars have been severely affected. Heavy railroad traffic was reported in places.



    Code red, orange and yellow alerts have been issued for hydrographical basins in almost three quarters of the country. The Interior Ministry has announced that over 3,300 firelighters have been mobilised to intervene in the affected areas. In brief, the weather picture is not one of the best at the moment, with fickle weather still gripping the whole country until Saturday.


  • January 9, 2015 UPDATE

    January 9, 2015 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY – Romanias relationship with Germany is strategic, and the visit made to Berlin on Thursday by the Romanian delegation headed by PM Dacian Cioloş proves the importance and attention that Bucharest pays to this country, said the Foreign Minister Lazăr Comănescu in an interview to Radio Romania News and Current Affairs. The Romanian official added that next week he would once again travel to Berlin, for a bilateral visit. Lazar Comanescu highlighted the importance of Germany as the economic engine of Europe, and as a partner of Romania. According to the Foreign Minister, over 20% of Romanias foreign trade involves Germany. He also explained that more than 20,000 companies running on German capital operate in Romania and have created more than 300,000 jobs here.



    PROTESTS – In several cities in Romania, protests took place on Saturday to express support for the Bodnariu family, whose children were taken in November 2015 by child protection authorities in Norway. Solidarity marches were also organised in Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium. On Friday, Romanian and Norwegian officials discussed this topic in Bucharest, and agreed to work together to settle the issue. The Ambassador of Romania to Oslo will have a meeting on January 13 with representatives of Norways Ministry for Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. A parliamentary delegation made up of members of the Committee on Romanian communities abroad will make a visit to Norway between January 18 and 22, to discuss the case. The Norwegian social services took the 5 Bodnariu children from their parents, after the principal of the school attended by the older daughters reported that the children were subjected to physical punishment by their parents.



    BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced support, at the end of a political meeting on Saturday, for tougher legislation on deporting asylum seekers who commit crimes and receive sentences in German courts, France Presse reports. The move comes after the attacks on New Years Eve in the city of Cologne, which involved immigrants having applied for asylum in Germany. At present, under German law, asylum seekers can only be sent back if they are sentenced to at least three years in prison, but on condition that their life and health are not threatened in their country of origin. As many as 1.1 million asylum seekers reached Germany in 2015. The attacks on the New Year night sparked outrage in Germany and fuelled criticism against Chancellor Merkels open-door policy towards migrants, AFP also says. Several hundreds of supporters of the far-right Pegida movement Saturday staged a protest against the immigrants in Cologne, concurrently with a left-wing counter-demonstration.



    WEATHER – The Romanian Meteorology Agency issued a notice warning of substantial rainfalls in the west, north and centre of the country, valid until Tuesday morning. In the mountains, rains will turn into sleet and snow. In the northern part of the country, rainfalls will amount to 25-30 litres per square metre.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Monica Niculescu Saturday won the first title for Romanian tennis in 2016. Jointly with the American Vania King, she won the doubles final of the tournament in Shenzhen (China), which has 430,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, Niculescu/King won 6-1, 6-4, the match against the Chinese Yi-Fan Xu / Saisai Zheng, seeded no. 1. Monica Niculescu also won the doubles tournament in Shenzhen, in 2014, together with Klara Koukalova (the Czech Republic).

  • January 9, 2015 UPDATE

    January 9, 2015 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY – Romanias relationship with Germany is strategic, and the visit made to Berlin on Thursday by the Romanian delegation headed by PM Dacian Cioloş proves the importance and attention that Bucharest pays to this country, said the Foreign Minister Lazăr Comănescu in an interview to Radio Romania News and Current Affairs. The Romanian official added that next week he would once again travel to Berlin, for a bilateral visit. Lazar Comanescu highlighted the importance of Germany as the economic engine of Europe, and as a partner of Romania. According to the Foreign Minister, over 20% of Romanias foreign trade involves Germany. He also explained that more than 20,000 companies running on German capital operate in Romania and have created more than 300,000 jobs here.



    PROTESTS – In several cities in Romania, protests took place on Saturday to express support for the Bodnariu family, whose children were taken in November 2015 by child protection authorities in Norway. Solidarity marches were also organised in Italy, Netherlands, and Belgium. On Friday, Romanian and Norwegian officials discussed this topic in Bucharest, and agreed to work together to settle the issue. The Ambassador of Romania to Oslo will have a meeting on January 13 with representatives of Norways Ministry for Children, Equality and Social Inclusion. A parliamentary delegation made up of members of the Committee on Romanian communities abroad will make a visit to Norway between January 18 and 22, to discuss the case. The Norwegian social services took the 5 Bodnariu children from their parents, after the principal of the school attended by the older daughters reported that the children were subjected to physical punishment by their parents.



    BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced support, at the end of a political meeting on Saturday, for tougher legislation on deporting asylum seekers who commit crimes and receive sentences in German courts, France Presse reports. The move comes after the attacks on New Years Eve in the city of Cologne, which involved immigrants having applied for asylum in Germany. At present, under German law, asylum seekers can only be sent back if they are sentenced to at least three years in prison, but on condition that their life and health are not threatened in their country of origin. As many as 1.1 million asylum seekers reached Germany in 2015. The attacks on the New Year night sparked outrage in Germany and fuelled criticism against Chancellor Merkels open-door policy towards migrants, AFP also says. Several hundreds of supporters of the far-right Pegida movement Saturday staged a protest against the immigrants in Cologne, concurrently with a left-wing counter-demonstration.



    WEATHER – The Romanian Meteorology Agency issued a notice warning of substantial rainfalls in the west, north and centre of the country, valid until Tuesday morning. In the mountains, rains will turn into sleet and snow. In the northern part of the country, rainfalls will amount to 25-30 litres per square metre.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Monica Niculescu Saturday won the first title for Romanian tennis in 2016. Jointly with the American Vania King, she won the doubles final of the tournament in Shenzhen (China), which has 430,000 US dollars in prize money. In the final, Niculescu/King won 6-1, 6-4, the match against the Chinese Yi-Fan Xu / Saisai Zheng, seeded no. 1. Monica Niculescu also won the doubles tournament in Shenzhen, in 2014, together with Klara Koukalova (the Czech Republic).