Radio România Internațional

Tag: rallies

  • October 23, 2023

    October 23, 2023

    FOODSTUFFS The cap on mark-ups for
    basic foodstuffs will be extended by another 90 days, under a draft emergency order posted on the
    home page of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry. Nine other products
    will be added to the list, including tomato broth, margarine, yeast, sour cream.
    On August 1 a government order took effect, under which prices for 14 basic
    foodstuffs were capped, following discussions with processors, distributors and
    retailers. PM Marcel Ciolacu said the cap on basic foodstuffs contributed to
    reducing the inflation rate below 9% last month.


    NATO
    Romania will continue to contribute to improving regional and Euro-Atlantic security,
    including, among others, as a stability pillar at the Black Sea, president
    Klaus Iohannis Monday told the participants to the opening ceremony of the
    fully operational NATO Multinational Corps South-East command centre in Sibiu,
    central Romania. The president mentioned that in 2018, at the NATO Summit in Brussels, he
    communicated Romania’s intention to add a land corps to the Allied command and
    control structure in Romania, in order to strengthen the planning and operation
    of NATO’s forces and structures in Romania-the NATO Force Integration Unit, the
    Multinational Division South-East Command and the Multinational Brigade
    South-East. Mr. Iohannis also said that strengthening NATO’s deterrence and
    defence posture at the Black Sea remains a top long-term objective. The
    Multinational Corps South-East in Sibiu is part
    of the NATO force structure and ensures the command
    and control of Allied land operations in any situation, including crises and
    war, to bolster the NATO deterrence and defence posture in Romania and
    Bulgaria.



    FAC The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu takes
    part today in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Luxembourg. According
    to the Romanian foreign ministry, the agenda includes talks on the situation in
    Israel and the region following the terrorist attacks of Hamas, Russia’s
    aggression against Ukraine and the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The
    EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, will also discuss his visit to China, on October 12 to 14, the Belgrade – Pristina Dialogue, and the Sahel region.
    On the sidelines of the meeting, Luminiţa Odobescu will take part in the
    EU-Central Asia ministerial meeting.


    EDUCATION Public education staff in Romania are to receive
    these days the annual bonus obtained following the strike at the end of the
    previous academic year. Over 326,000 employees in the sector will benefit from
    this annual bonus, amounting to EUR 300 for teaching staff and EUR 100 for
    administrative staff. The government has also decided to extend the deadline
    for the submission of educational voucher applications, through which EUR 100
    vouchers are given once a year to an estimated 410,000 underprivileged children
    for the purchase of clothes and school supplies.


    RALLIES Protesters took to the streets on Sunday as well
    across Europe, to support either the Palestinian or the Israeli cause and the approx.
    200 hostages taken by Hamas. In London, 20,000 people demanded the release of
    the people kidnapped by the Islamists, after the previous day nearly 100,000
    demanded an end to the slaughter in Gaza. In Paris, nearly 15,000 protested
    against Israel’s shelling civilian areas, with similar rallies in Sarajevo and Istanbul,
    while in Geneva the families of the hostages contacted the headquarters of the
    Red Cross and the High UN Commissioner for Human Rights. In Germany, president
    Frank-Walter Steinmaier and PM Olaf Scholz pleaded for the eradication of antisemitism.


    THEATRE Bucharest is hosting the National Theatre
    Festival until October 30th. The theme chosen for this year’s edition is Laboratories
    of the Sensitive. The plays chosen for the festival were selected out of over
    150 performances that premiered in the 2022-2023 season in state and
    independent theatres in Romania. (AMP)

  • Tense situation in Chișinău

    Tense situation in Chișinău

    Part of Moscow’s sphere
    of influence not long ago, the Republic of Moldova is being presently ruled by
    authorities firmly oriented towards the country’s European integration.


    Protest actions, which
    have invoked social aspects such as poverty or the latest price hikes, have
    been directed against these pro-European authorities for months now. However,
    the aforementioned protest actions aren’t large-scale events, involving the
    participation of a large number of people, but according to investigators,
    those involved do not believe in the principles they sustain, but are actually paid.


    The money they get is
    suspected to have been provided by the party of the controversial pro-Russian
    oligarch, Ilan Shor, who in 2017 got a 7 years-and-a-half prison sentence for
    fraud and money-laundering and is allegedly hiding in Israel.


    Several suchlike meetings
    have been staged since last autumn, and the latest took place on Sunday, the
    day when the authorities in Chisinau announced they had dismantled a network
    coordinated from Moscow, whose aim was to destabilize the situation in the
    Republic of Moldova. The network consisted of 10 groups of up to 10 people, who
    were supposed to create chaos during the protest rallies held in Chisinau
    during the weekend. The groups were coordinated by a representative of the
    special services from the Russian Federation and got orders through people with
    double citizenship, Russian and Moldovan. The head of the General Police
    Commissioners’ Office in the Republic, Viorel Cernăuţeanu, presented several
    video and audio recordings as well as fragments of correspondence in an attempt
    to prove the involvement of Russian nationals in the process of destabilizing the
    mass demonstrations in Chişinău. 25 suspects have been questioned and seven
    detained. According to Cernăuţeanu, there is a direct connection between Moscow
    coordinators, the Russian private military company Wagner and the
    recently-dismantled network. Only a day before the Sunday’s protests, the
    anti-corruption prosecutors in Chişinău announced that following the searches
    conducted at the headquarters of Shor’s party, the equivalent in local currency
    of 230 thousand euros have been sized, money for paying the protesters. The
    searches have been conducted in several localities and at the houses of those suspected
    of being involved in actions aimed at destabilizing the political situation in
    the Republic of Moldova and instating of a pro-Russia government.


    During the searches,
    policemen have also discovered handcuffs, marijuana-based substances,
    communication and data-storage devices.


    Those under investigation
    are men with ages between 23 and 50, who had previously served various court
    sentences. Some of these have recently returned from Turkey, where, according
    to the Moldovan secret services, were trained how to oppose the riot police and
    use pyrotechnical materials and weapons during the protest rallies. The
    aforementioned investigations have been carried out amid the latest allegations
    from Washington that Moscow has been trying to destabilize the Republic of
    Moldova with a view to instating a more Russian-friendly administration.


    (bill)

  • February 6, 2023

    February 6, 2023

    TEAM Romanian president Klaus Iohannis
    has conveyed condolences on Romania’s behalf to Turkey, after the earthquake,
    which has recently hit that country and Syria. Romania is solidary with those
    affected by the tragedy, the Romanian president wrote on Twitter. The government
    of Romania decided to dispatch a specialized intervention team to Turkey, a
    country seriously affected by the powerful earthquake last night. The support
    comes after the international assistance request Turkey launched via the EU
    Civil Protection Mechanism. In another development, the Foreign Ministry
    informs that Romania’s embassy in Ankara has been contacted by a group of 10
    Romanian citizens – a professor and 9 Erasmus students – who were in a town
    affected by the earthquake. The 10 announced they are all right and requested
    consular assistance for repatriation. A 7.8 earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria last
    night killing hundreds and wounding thousands. The earthquake had the epicenter
    close to the Turkish city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian border wreaking
    havoc on an infrastructure already affected by the war.








    ENERGY
    The Minister of Energy in
    Romania, Virgil Popescu, says the country has no problems regarding its natural
    gas supplies during the present winter season as it has enough quantities in
    store. At present we have 780 million cubic meters more than last winter -
    Popescu said. The Minister held talks with all the big importers of oil
    products in Romania who had diversified their sources in an attempt to avoid any
    shortages. Minister Popescu recalled that next winter, Romania is going to rely
    on no less than a billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan, under a
    contract signed a couple of days ago.






    DEBATES Romanian MPs are today debating
    upon the simple motion tabled by the opposition USR and the Force of the Right
    against the Liberal Interior Minister, Lucian Bode amid the forgery allegations
    he is presently facing. The signatories of a document entitled ‘Romania
    deserves better than thieves in public positions’, say the purpose of their
    move is to draw attention to the unacceptable long period of time spent in a
    public position by a man who deserves neither his academic title nor the
    respect of the Romania’s honest workers. The USR and the Force of the Right are
    blaming the minister for the humiliating failure Romania experienced in its
    attempt to join Europe’s border-free area, Schengen, as well as for the rigged public
    tenders for the purchase of cars by the clients of government structures. The
    motion will be voted upon on Wednesday.






    PROTESTS The Sanitas Trade
    Federation in Romania on Monday announced fresh protest rallies in Bucharest, aimed
    at denouncing the low salaries in this field of activity. Trade unionists are
    calling for a 15% pay rise and for a series of debates on the salary law and the
    proper funding of medical institutions. The protesters are going to gather in
    front of the government and start a march through the capital city, which will
    symbolically include several big hospitals in Bucharest.






    (bill)

  • February 16, 2019

    February 16, 2019

    PRESIDENCY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday that the international multilateral system is under growing pressure, that the solution in this case is cohesion and that the main objective should be an Enhanced European Engagement. That is why, the President went on to say, this message of unity and cohesion clearly defines Romania’s priorities at the helm of the Council of the EU. President Iohannis, attending the 55th edition of the Munich Security Conference as the guest of honor, has also said that efforts should focus on developing a harmonized approach between NATO and the EU. In his opinion, this could be done by combining NATO’s comprehensive role in collective defense with the EU’s integrated approach to crisis management.




    FLU – In Romania, the number of deaths caused by the flu stands at 128. The most recent victim is a 27-year-old woman who suffered from additional health conditions and had not been vaccinated against the flu. We remind you that Romania is facing a flu epidemic.




    CANDIDACY – The Social Democrat Mircea Draghici on Saturday announced that he decided to withdraw his candidacy for the position of Transport Minister of the Bucharest cabinet. His party colleague, Lia Olguta Vasilescu did the same on Tuesday, when she withdrew her candidacy for the position of Minister of Regional Development and Public Administration. The two had been proposed for these posts by the Social Democratic Party, the main party of the ruling coalition. President Klaus Iohannis had rejected Lia Olguta Vasilescu’s candidacy but had not made any specification as regards Mircea Draghici.




    BUDGET BILL – The government majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, with the support of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, on Friday passed the budget bill proposed by the government without major changes. The budget is based on an economic growth rate of 5.5%, a deficit level of 2.76% and a GDP of over 1,000 billion lei (the equivalent of more than 200 billion euros). The government says healthcare, education and investments are the privileged areas. The Opposition, however, says that the budget is based on unrealistic economic estimates.




    PROTESTS – Rallies were held on Friday in Bucharest and other Romanian cities in support of the former head of the anti-corruption directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi and against the government coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. On Friday, Kovesi went to the Department for the Investigation of Magistrates with the General Prosecutors Office in Bucharest to be briefed upon the accusations leveled against her in a file where she has been charged with abuse of office, bribe-taking and false testimony. After the hearings, Kovesi said she had submitted two recusation applications against both the special prosecutor and the departments chief prosecutor. Kovesi said she wasnt guilty and that there was no coincidence that the subpoena she received came right ahead her upcoming interview with the European Parliament for the position of European chief prosecutor. The local press has credited Kovesi as Romanias right candidate for the job.




    EU – The European Union will soon have a more solid framework for bank regulation and supervision after ambassadors of the member states have approved an accord reached by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Parliament in Strasbourg. The document provides for a series of revised norms aimed at reducing risks in the EU banking sector. The measures agreed on will provide the guarantee that the banking sector has enough capital to grant loans to natural persons and companies under safety conditions, Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has said.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, on Friday qualified for the finals of the WTA tournament in Doha, Qatar, a competition with more than 900 thousand dollars in prize money. The Romanian defeated Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Today Halep will be up against Elise Mertens of Belgium who secured a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win against Angelique Kerber of Germany. (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • June 9, 2018 UPDATE 2

    June 9, 2018 UPDATE 2

    GRAND SLAM TITLE – World No. 1 Simona Halep of Romania on Saturday won the French Open, her first Grand Slam title. After being defeated in three previous Grand Slam finals Halep finally triumphed against US Open champion Sloane Stephens, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 after a nearly two-hour battle on Court Philippe-Chatrier. This is Simona’s third participation in the French Open. She lost the final twice, against Russian Maria Sharapova in 2014 and against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in 2017.Simona Halep is the first Romanian woman in 40 years to win Roland Garros, after Virginia Ruzici in 1978, and marks 10 years since she won the Junior title in Roland Garros in 2008.




    RALLY – Extensive security measures were taken on Saturday in Romania’s capital city Bucharest, where a number of rallies were staged. Also, counter-terrorist teams were dispatched on the central streets. The ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats staged a rally with more than 100 thousand participants, against what the Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea calls the abuse and violation of the rule of law. Dragnea says an illegitimate structure has been set up, able to influence the decisions of the justice system. On Friday, the High Court of Cassation and Justice postponed, for the third time, its ruling in a case in which Dragnea is accused of corruption. Prosecutors are asking for a prison sentence of 7 years and 5 months for abuse of office and a prison sentence of 2 years and 6 months for forgery. In 2016 Liviu Dragnea received a suspended jail sentence of 2 years for attempted electoral fraud.




    MARCHES – Several hundred people participated on Saturday in Bucharest in a rally staged by sexual minorities, in support of civil rights equal for all citizens. The rally ended the Bucharest Pride festival week, previously known as Gay Fest, an annual event dedicated to the LGBT community in Romania. Attending were the British Ambassador to Bucharest, Paul Brummell and the German Ambassador, Cord Meier-Klodt. Previously, around 150 people took part in another rally, staged by Noua Dreapta (The New Right), a non-parliamentary group, in support of the values of traditional family and against the idea of same sex marriage. Participants asked for same sex marriage not to be allowed under the Constitution. Also on Saturday the supporters of Romania’s unification with the neighbouring Republic of Moldova staged rallies in the capital city. All these events unfolded without incidents.




    ASSISTANCE – The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest makes available on its web page and the Facebook page of its consular department “The Guide for the 2018 FIFA World Cup”, for the people who want to travel to the Russian Federation for the matches that will start next week. The Guide presents the rules to be observed while travelling to Russia. The Foreign Ministry has announced that Romanians can also resort to the alert service via SMS and the “Travel safely” application, which offerss information, advice, and the possibility to ask for assistance while in a foreign country.




    VENICE COMMISSION – A delegation of the Venice Commission will travel to Romania for two days of consultations regarding the amendments to the justice laws. The delegation will have meetings with President Klaus Iohannis, and with representatives of Parliament, Justice Ministry, the High Court of Cassations and Justice, the Constitutional Court, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, the Higher Council of Magistracy, associations of prosecutors and judges and civil society. Both President Iohannis and the monitoring committee of the Council of Europes Parliamentary Assembly have asked for the opinion of the Venice Commission, made up of independent experts in constitutional law, with regard to the laws on the judicial organization, the functioning of the Higher Council of Magistracy and the status of judges and prosecutors. The need for consultations emerged against the background of accusations leveled by the right-of-center opposition, the media and civic organizations against the ruling coalition, whom they accuse of trying to put an end to the anti-corruption battle and subordinate magistrates.




    CEREMONY – General Nicolae Ciuca, the Chief of Staff of the Romanian Army, on Saturday attended the ceremony occasioned by the anniversary of the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, at the invitation of Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart William Peach, according to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry. This is recognition of the good cooperation between the two armies and an opportunity to promote at military level the interests of the Romanian Army in the relation with the British Army, one of its most important allies, the communiqué also reads.




    FINANCES – Romanians working abroad are among Romania’s most important investors, Central Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu has said. Isarescu has taken into account the value and destination of the money they send to the country. The Central Bank has said that the money of the Romanians working abroad is more and more used in starting a business. Around 3.5 million Romanians are working abroad, with countries such as Spain, Germany and Britain as their main destination.




    HANDBALL — Romania’s national handball team will be up against Macedonia on Sunday evening, away from home, in the play-offs for the 2019 Men’s World Championship held in Denmark and Germany. Macedonia and Romania will close the first round of play-offs with their match on the Boris Trajkovski Arena in Skopje. Romania has not been at a World Championship since 2011 in Sweden. Romania enjoyed a good start to qualifiers for EHF EURO 2018 but their engine stuttered towards the end of the qualification. The return game with Macedonia will be held on Wednesday, June 13 in Cluj-Napoca, northwestern Romania. (Translated by Elena Enache)


  • October 8, 2017

    October 8, 2017

    NATO – The current session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly continues in Bucharest today, with works in the organisations five committees, covering democratic governance, defence and security, science and technology, and the civil and economic dimensions of security. Among other things, participants will adopt a document on stability and security at the Black Sea, another one on strengthening the NATO – EU cooperation and a report on maintaining the Alliances technological lead. Yesterday in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting, the Romanian Defence Minister, Mihai Fifor, said Romania should be a Schengen country in order for the Allied troops to be more easily deployed in Europe in case of conflict. In turn, the Romanian chief of staff, General Nicolae Ciucă, said Russias moves, the crisis in Ukraine and the trans-national threats posed by terrorism and migration undermine the stability of the region and that all NATO member countries must stay alert.




    ROMANIA-USA – Carrying on the strategic partnership with the USA was one of the topics discussed in Bucharest yesterday by PM Mihai Tudose with members of the US Congress. Tudose said Romania would remain a reliable partner for the US and NATO. The head of the Romanian Government also emphasised that Romania was a pillar of regional stability and security, and mentioned the contribution of the Romanian Army in NATOs missions. In turn, the US Congress members offered support for the energy security projects that Bucharest intends to implement. The Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea also talked with the American delegation. He discussed the importance of including Romania in the Visa Waiver programme and the means to broaden the excellent political and military cooperation into the economic sector as well.




    SPAIN – Large-scale rallies against Catalan independence are scheduled to take place today in Barcelona. The well-known writer Mario Vargas Llosa announced he would take part in the protest, and called Catalan separatism a ‘disease. Yesterday, tens of thousands protested across Spain, calling for unity and dialogue, against the background of Catalan separatist plans to unilaterally declare the regions independence in the coming days. The secession plan comes after a referendum, ruled illegal by Spains supreme court, was held last Sunday, amid violent police actions that left behind some 900 people injured. In spite of Madrids efforts to block the referendum, over 2.2 million out of the regions 5.3 million citizens went to polls, and 90% of them voted for Catalonia to break away from Spain. According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, quoted by Reuters and AFP, PM Mariano Rajoy said the Government might use its constitutional powers to suspend Catalonias autonomy and prevent it from declaring its independence.





    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep was defeated today by Caroline Garcia (France), 6-4, 7-6, in the Beijing tournament final. Yesterday, in the semi-finals, Halep beat Latvias Jelena Ostapenko, a victory thanks to which as of Monday Halep is the new WTA no 1. Her performance was hailed by top personalities in Romanian and world sports, Romanian politicians and tennis fans. Simona Haleps coach, the Australian Darren Cahill, the great gymnast Nadia Comăneci and former tennis player Boris Becker of Germany were among those who congratulated Simona Halep. According to Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase, WTA no 1 in the ‘70s, the hardest is yet to come for Simona Halep, the first Romanian tennis player to have won the top world position in the womens singles.




    WEATHER – Temperatures remain low today in Romania, with substantial rainfalls expected until tonight in the south and south-east, which are under a code yellow alert for bad weather. A code yellow alert for floods is in place for the rivers in this part of the country, where experts warn local flooding, flash floods and landslides may occur. Snowfalls are reported in the mountains. The highs of the day range between 7 and 19 degrees Celsius.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Rallies Carry on in Romania

    Rallies Carry on in Romania

    The fatal fire at Colectiv nightclub in downtown Bucharest on October 30 and the public outrage that followed it have caused an earthquake in central and local public administration, but the resignation of PM Victor Ponta did not appease the people, who continue to protest in many Romanian cities.



    As he had promised, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis came down on Sunday night in Bucharests University Square, the meeting place of those who want a corruption-free country and politicians who focus on the national interest instead of their own gains. The demands expressed openly for the sixth consecutive night included the replacement of the political elite, early parliamentary elections, the appointment of a technocratic cabinet, or even the resignation of the countrys president.



    The presence of Klaus Iohannis in University Square animated the various groups of protesters, who crowded around to talk to the President. Some of them received answers, but most only managed to cry out their disappointment and demands, some of them applauded the President, others booed.



    “I want peace and quiet as soon as possible, and I want things to work, as you promised!


    “For 26 years a lot of laws were passed in Romania but against Romania and its people. We should cancel all of them and replace them with laws that protect our rights.


    “The voices in University Square must be heard, whether they come from the left or the right of the political spectrum. A political solution is needed, and you, as the President, are in a position to make this happen.



    After the President left the Square, some protesters gathered in an unplanned debate group:



    “Fellows, the greatest evil for the Romanian people is, in my opinion, parliamentary immunity. Moreover, I think a technocratic government for one year would give us a chance to elect good people.


    “We must keep in mind that politics works through political parties.



    Meanwhile, back to the Presidency headquarters, the head of state posted a message on his Facebook account, stating that what he saw in University Square was a sense of rebellion, but also hope that things can change. The political consultation process initiated by the President last week is yet to generate solutions, as the main parliamentary parties still hesitate to take responsibility for a new government. For the first time in Romania, civil society members were also invited to take part in the talks. Their message was that the current political class has lost its legitimacy and that the new cabinet must be formed of people having no problems with the judiciary.



    New talks are scheduled for early this week, in view of solving the political crisis, but the President is also expected to come up with suggestions for a solution.