Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian Cultural Institute

  • March 14, 2025

    March 14, 2025

    FAIR Over March 13-16 the Belgian capital is hosting the international book fair Brussels Book Fair 2025, one of the most important events of this kind in Europe. Romania is attending this fair with over five hundred titles on view at the stand of the Romanian Cultural Institute also known as ICR. There are books and albums translated in several languages, predominantly in French, some of which have been funded through the ICR programmes with a view to promoting the Romanian authors at international level. Besides Romanian authors, the ICR stand is also promoting authors from the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet Romanian-speaking country. The ICR is expected to stage several events, during which authors are going to have a dialogue with foreign authors or with the Belgian readership. The Brussels Book Fair is one of the most important cultural events in the Belgian capital, which is also the EU capital, and brings together several thousand authors, illustrators, publishers, critics as well as readers annually.

     

    EBRD The president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EBRD, Odile Renaud-Basso, will be visiting Bulgaria and Romania next week, the aforementioned financial institution has announced in a communiqué. The visit of the EBRD president comes at a time when the institution is preparing fresh five-year strategies for both countries, which will be subjected for public consultations at the end of this year. The EBRD investment in Romania rose from 658 million Euros up to 707 million last year. The EBRD official will be seeing Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Finance Minister, Tanczos Barna, Energy Minister, Sebastian Burduja, as well as representatives of the business environment, diplomats and representatives of civil society.

     

    ELECTION Candidates for the presidential election in May have two more days to register with the Central Election Bureau, the deadline being March 15 at midnight. So far, only two candidates are officially enrolled in the race, their candidacies having been validated by the Constitutional Court: Crin Antonescu, supported by the PSD-PNL-UDMR ruling coalition, and the Bucharest Mayor General, Nicuşor Dan, who runs as an independent candidate. Deputy Victor Ponta also registered his candidacy as an independent candidate, for which he was excluded from the Social-Democratic Party. On the other hand, the Constitutional Court’s decision to definitively reject the candidacy of independent candidate Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian extremist who unexpectedly won the first round of last year’s presidential election, has prompted the parties that supported him, AUR and POT, to prepare a new electoral strategy. Thus, the leaders of the two parties, George Simion and Ana-Maria Gavrilă, announced they would both submit their candidacies for the presidential election, and one of them will withdraw once their candidacies are validated. The leader of USR, Elena Lasconi, who advanced to the second round last year, Diana Şoşoacă (from SOS Romania), who expressed confidence her candidacy would be upheld this time, as well as and MEP Cristian Terheş from the Romanian National Conservative Party, also submitted their candidacies.

     

    TRADE DEFICIT – Romania’s trade deficit increased by 38% in January, compared to the same period last year, the National Statistics Institute reports. In 2024, Romania exported goods worth €92.6 billion, while its imports stood at €133.4 billion. Romania’s deficit remains significant, especially in relations with China, Germany and Poland, while recording surpluses with the UK, the Republic of Moldova and the USA, although in smaller volumes. Trade in agricultural products and foodstuffs remains vulnerable, as Romania mainly exports raw materials and imports end products. To reduce the €5 billion trade deficit in this area, experts recommend a strategy focused on the export of value-added products and more efficient use of statistical data for better-founded economic decisions.

    (bill)

  • Happening in Romania

    Happening in Romania

    In the lineup: February 19 marked the National Constantin Brâncusi Day; visual artist M.C. Donici proposed the one-hour exhibition on Brâncusi Day; the Romanian Cultural Institute representations abroad marked Brâncusi Day; on February 23, the Radio Hall hosts a gala evening dedicated to one of the world’s great opera composers: GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858-1924)

  • Romania, guest of honor at EUROPALIA 2019

    Romania, guest of honor at EUROPALIA 2019

    An exhibition devoted to the great
    Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi will mark the opening of the
    EUROPALIA International Arts Festival in Brussels, in the presence of President
    Klaus Iohannis and the members of the Royal House of Belgium. Brancusi – The
    Transcendence of Form is the most important event devoted to Brancusi held in
    the last few decades, and the first retrospective exhibition organized in
    Belgium. The exhibition comprises nearly two hundred of his works, including
    The Wisdom of the Earth, Prayer or the first work in The Kiss series.
    According to organizers, the public has already expressed an interest in the
    exhibits, and the bookings already exceed expectations. EUROPALIA Romania is
    the most important cultural promotion project carried out by the Romanian
    Cultural Institute. The director of the Brussels branch, Liliana Turoiu, who
    coordinated the program, said the festival will also help promote the works of
    other contemporary artists.


    It is a living and vibrant
    project. The messages of contemporary art resonate at European level. There
    will be exchanges between young artists who have created new works, it will
    be a starting point for many Romanian young artists. The festival will mark
    their European debut, because from here, in Brussels, their voice will be heard
    worldwide.


    The EUROPALIA Romania program will
    also bring about the biggest film review ever made in the 21st
    century. Over 100 films will be screened as part of a program titled The
    videos of a nation, aimed at introducing the Belgian audience to Romania’s
    recent history via film. Apart from film screenings, many other cultural events
    will he held. Here is the President of the Romanian Cultural Institute, Horia
    Barna:


    We like to believe EUROPALIA Romania
    is the biggest cultural promotion project ever organized by the Romanian
    Cultural Institute. Over the course of four eventful months, Romania will be
    organizing some 250 important events, presenting some of its best cultural
    projects right now.


    The agenda of the festival will
    include events in the fields of visual arts, performing arts, music, film,
    literature and cultural education, to be held in Belgium, France, the
    Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and Great Britain. EUROPALIA is one of the
    biggest arts festivals in the world, this year reaching its 50th
    edition. Its most successful edition gathered some 1.5 million visitors.
    Romania also took part in the 2007 edition.



    (translated by V. Palcu)

  • Romanian Cultural Diplomacy

    Romanian Cultural Diplomacy

    Currently, France is ground zero of Romanian cultural diplomacy. Since late November the Hexagon has been hosting the Romania — France Season. Cities such as Paris, Avignon, Bordeaux, Brest, Grenoble, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse have been hosting lots of events aimed at highlighting Romania’s cultural, scientific and sports assets.



    The Romania — France Season, which in April will move to Romania, a francophone and Francophile country, was born out of a common political will, and has been unfolding in parallel with the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU this year, and, last year, with the celebration of two centennials: the Great Union of 1918, by means of which modern Romania was created, and the end of WWI. Therefore, all eyes are now set on France, thanks to the many events taking place there, but the Romanian Cultural Institute has not ignored the other cities where it has branches.



    On Thursday, for instance, the new headquarters of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Spain was inaugurated. According to the Romanian ambassador to Spain, Gabriela Dancau, the cultural dimension of the relationship with Spain cannon be ignored, as it is a major pillar of cooperation. The new headquarters will allow the Romanian Cultural Institute in Madrid to take a quality jump by promoting large-scale cultural projects, against a competitive cultural background.



    The Romanian Cultural Institute is located in Plaza del Cordon, in the vicinity of the Spanish capital’s historical, political and cultural center, just minutes from the Royal Palace, the National Theatre and Opera, Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol and also close to other cultural institutes, such as the Italian one. It is hosted by a historic building and has an exhibition hall, a library boasting 3,000 titles and classrooms. Romanian officials believe this is the best of locations, in the very heart of classical Madrid, making it easy for the Spanish and international visitors to discover Romanian culture and arts.



    Moving on from Madrid, we should also mention that over February 14-17, Romania is taking part in the Brussels book fair, the most important literary event of the city. The fair celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and is visited by some 70,000 people every year.



    Also, on February 19th, the Hague will host an extraordinary concert given by the Young European String Camerata and the Romanian violinist Vlad Maistorovici. Then, on February 23rd, for the third year in a row, the Romanian Embassy in Portugal and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Lisbon will be hosting a reading marathon titled “Portugal Reads in Romanian”, this year devoted to the great Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi.



    These are just some of the events organized by the 19 branches of the Romanian Cultural Institute across the world, as special means of building cultural bridges between Romania and other countries.

  • Musician Vladimir Cosma

    Musician Vladimir Cosma

    Born on 13th April 1940 in Bucharest into a family of musicians, Vladimir Cosma is a violinist, composer and conductor living in Paris. His father, Theodor, was a pianist and conductor, his mother, Carola, an author and composer, and his uncle, Edgar, a composer and conductor. One of his grandmothers was a pianist, a pupil of the famous Feruccio Busoni. A documentary film on a French television channel recently showed Vladimir Cosma walking, a smile on his face, on the street in Bucharest where he spent his childhood and youth. He was smiling because he was remembering events from his childhood, things that happened on that very street and the people who used to live there.



    After winning a number of prizes at the National Conservatory in Bucharest, Vladimir Cosma moved to Paris 1963 and continued his studies under the well-known Nadia Boulanger at the National Conservatory. Since then, he has won two César Awards for best film soundtrack, for “Diva” in 1982 and “Le Bal” in 1984; two 7 d’Or awards for best TV soundtrack in 1986 and 1991; and scores of other awards and prizes in France and around the world. Vladimir Cosma has received the Order of the Legion of Honour, class of Chevalier, the Romanian Cultural Merit in rank of Grand Officer and Order of the Arts and Letters in rank of Commander. He has won numerous Gold and Platinum Discs around the world, in France, Germany, Japan, Britain, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Holland, the Scandinavian countries, etc.



    On the 26th and 27th of January, the Romanian Cultural Institute held a number of events in collaboration with Vladimir Cosma under the aegis of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union and to which the Romanian Embassy in Paris also contributed.



    Doina Marian, the Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris tells us more: “We have been preparing this event for almost a year together with maestro Vladimir Cosma and his society, Larghetto Music. We have a partnership with this society and have taken part in the production of the two performances. The first one, held on the 26th of January, was naturally very important and symbolic, being dedicated to the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. It lasted more than 3 hours and afterwards the maestro gave autographs on CDs containing his music. The concert on the 27th was equally impressive. Vladimir Cosma gave a master-class, which is something he doesn’t normally do. He spoke about various moments in his life, how he composed certain soundtracks and played the music in question.”



    From 1968, Vladimir Cosma has composed more than 300 scores for feature films and TV films. He has worked with important names in world cinematography, such as Yves Robert, Claude Zidi, Ettore Scola, Pascal Thomas and Pierre Richard. He has been involved in the creation of important productions for the French and American television. He has been interested in jazz music, having written pieces for the likes of Toots Thielmans, Chet Baker, Don Byas, Stephane Grappelli, Jean-Luc Ponty, Tony Coe and Pepper Adams. He has also written music for singers Nana Mouskouri, Marie Laforet and Lara Fabian, as well as folk music, including for the panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir and the flute and panpipe player Cezar Cazanoi, who took part, in fact, in the performance on the 26th of January.



    Classical music was a constant attraction for Vladimir Cosma. The list of compositions includes the opera “Marius and Fanny” based on Marcel Pugnol, which opened at the Marseilles Opera House and featured big names such as Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna and Jean-Philippe Lafont. Vladimir Cosma also composed the musical comedy “The Adventures of Rabbi Jacob”, which opened at the Palais des Congrès de Paris in 2008.



    Back to the concerts held on the 26th and 27th of January with the Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris, Doina Marian: “The music was played against the backdrop of screenings of French films for which Vladimir Cosma wrote the soundtrack. He is a legend. It’s impressive how he is a role model in France for entire generations. It’s a coincidence that 27th January was also Mozart’s birthday, given that Vladimir Cosma is referred to as the Mozart of the seventh art”.



    Let us just say that the performance given on the 26th of January featured, alongside an orchestra and choir, two French DJs, DJ Polo and DJ Pain.

  • June 11, 2016

    June 11, 2016

    OFFICIAL VISIT – French President Francois Hollande will come to Romania in September, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has announced. Ciolos, who paid a visit to Paris, attended, together with President François Hollande, the opening ceremony of the European Football Championship and the opening game, between the host country and Romania. Earlier on Friday the Romanian PM and his French counterpart Manuel Valls signed an updated roadmap for the strategic partnership between Romania and France. A day before Dacian Ciolos had taken part in a special meeting of the Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which Romania intends to join.




    MILITARY DRILL – Romanian and American Navy Forces will carry out, as of Monday, joint military drills in the Black Sea, to practice standard procedures, with a view to developing interoperability between the two countries’ fleets. The Romanian side participates in the drill with the frigate Queen Mary, one corvette, two minesweepers and a Puma Naval helicopter, while the American partner will participate with the USS Porter destroyer.




    COMMEMORATION – The Romanian Cultural Institute commemorates, in the Cernauti region in Western Ukraine, at the border with Romania, 75 years since the first deportations carried out by the Soviets in the eastern Romanian territories annexed by Moscow in 1940 following an ultimatum. To mark this event, the play “20 Years in Siberia”, will be performed on Saturday and Sunday at the National Theatre in Bucharest. The play was written after a book by Anita Nandris-Cudla, a Romanian peasant from Bukovina who described the terrible years she had spent in the Soviet Gulag. Once Bessarabia, northern Bukovina and the Herta region annexed by the Soviets, the Romanian population was subjected to deportations, arrests and forced relocations, which lasted until 1956. The first wave of deportations took place on the night of June 12, 1941 and affected over 32 thousand people, among whom personalities of the political, cultural and economic life of that time.




    STRIKE – Air France pilots are on a 4-day strike as of today, which may disrupt plans for thousands of football fans on the second day of the Euro 2016 competition. Air France has already cancelled around 30% of the flights, but has announced it would prioritise journeys to cities that were hosting tournament matches. The pilots union wants the government to scrap new labour laws that will make it easier to hire and fire people. Also, rubbish will not be collected in Paris until Wednesday, while train services have only recently resumed after a nine-day strike. Strikes have also been announced in neighbouring Belgium.




    THEATER FESTIVAL – The Romanian city of Sibiu is hosting, as of Friday, the International Theatre Festival, one of the biggest events in the world devoted to performing arts. The 23rd edition of the festival has brought together over 2800 artists from 70 countries, who will participate in some 450 shows and cultural events. The manager of the theatre in Sibiu and also the festival’s director, Constantin Chiriac, has announced that nine million euros have been made available for this year’s edition. The Grand Square in Sibiu has turned into a huge stage for acrobats, performing on platforms suspended above the square by means of a huge crane. The theatre marathon starts with actors from England, Spain, Poland, the Republic of Moldova and Romania, while street performances are the attraction of the pedestrian area in the citys historical centre.




    EURO 2016 – On Friday night, in Paris, Romanias national football squad was defeated by the French side 1-2, in the opening of the 2016 European Championship. Encouraged by more than 20,000 Romanians who watched the game from the stands of Stade de France, the Romanian players started in force and on 3rd minutes were about to score. For the next hour they managed to keep up with the aggressive game of the host team, who are the first seeds at the championship. Giroud scored the first goal in the 57th minute. After eight minutes, Stancu stroke the balance through a penalty shootout, but Payet scored the winning goal in the 89th minute. Euro 2016 continues today with the match between Switzerland and Albania. The next leg of the group will pit Romania against Switzerland and France against Albania on Wednesday. On Saturday, in group B, England takes on Russia, and Wales plays against Slovakia.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • June 11, 2016

    June 11, 2016

    OFFICIAL VISIT – French President Francois Hollande will come to Romania in September, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has announced. Ciolos, who paid a visit to Paris, attended, together with President François Hollande, the opening ceremony of the European Football Championship and the opening game, between the host country and Romania. Earlier on Friday the Romanian PM and his French counterpart Manuel Valls signed an updated roadmap for the strategic partnership between Romania and France. A day before Dacian Ciolos had taken part in a special meeting of the Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which Romania intends to join.




    MILITARY DRILL – Romanian and American Navy Forces will carry out, as of Monday, joint military drills in the Black Sea, to practice standard procedures, with a view to developing interoperability between the two countries’ fleets. The Romanian side participates in the drill with the frigate Queen Mary, one corvette, two minesweepers and a Puma Naval helicopter, while the American partner will participate with the USS Porter destroyer.




    COMMEMORATION – The Romanian Cultural Institute commemorates, in the Cernauti region in Western Ukraine, at the border with Romania, 75 years since the first deportations carried out by the Soviets in the eastern Romanian territories annexed by Moscow in 1940 following an ultimatum. To mark this event, the play “20 Years in Siberia”, will be performed on Saturday and Sunday at the National Theatre in Bucharest. The play was written after a book by Anita Nandris-Cudla, a Romanian peasant from Bukovina who described the terrible years she had spent in the Soviet Gulag. Once Bessarabia, northern Bukovina and the Herta region annexed by the Soviets, the Romanian population was subjected to deportations, arrests and forced relocations, which lasted until 1956. The first wave of deportations took place on the night of June 12, 1941 and affected over 32 thousand people, among whom personalities of the political, cultural and economic life of that time.




    STRIKE – Air France pilots are on a 4-day strike as of today, which may disrupt plans for thousands of football fans on the second day of the Euro 2016 competition. Air France has already cancelled around 30% of the flights, but has announced it would prioritise journeys to cities that were hosting tournament matches. The pilots union wants the government to scrap new labour laws that will make it easier to hire and fire people. Also, rubbish will not be collected in Paris until Wednesday, while train services have only recently resumed after a nine-day strike. Strikes have also been announced in neighbouring Belgium.




    THEATER FESTIVAL – The Romanian city of Sibiu is hosting, as of Friday, the International Theatre Festival, one of the biggest events in the world devoted to performing arts. The 23rd edition of the festival has brought together over 2800 artists from 70 countries, who will participate in some 450 shows and cultural events. The manager of the theatre in Sibiu and also the festival’s director, Constantin Chiriac, has announced that nine million euros have been made available for this year’s edition. The Grand Square in Sibiu has turned into a huge stage for acrobats, performing on platforms suspended above the square by means of a huge crane. The theatre marathon starts with actors from England, Spain, Poland, the Republic of Moldova and Romania, while street performances are the attraction of the pedestrian area in the citys historical centre.




    EURO 2016 – On Friday night, in Paris, Romanias national football squad was defeated by the French side 1-2, in the opening of the 2016 European Championship. Encouraged by more than 20,000 Romanians who watched the game from the stands of Stade de France, the Romanian players started in force and on 3rd minutes were about to score. For the next hour they managed to keep up with the aggressive game of the host team, who are the first seeds at the championship. Giroud scored the first goal in the 57th minute. After eight minutes, Stancu stroke the balance through a penalty shootout, but Payet scored the winning goal in the 89th minute. Euro 2016 continues today with the match between Switzerland and Albania. The next leg of the group will pit Romania against Switzerland and France against Albania on Wednesday. On Saturday, in group B, England takes on Russia, and Wales plays against Slovakia.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • August 30, 2015 UPDATE

    August 30, 2015 UPDATE

    MUSICAL FEAST – In the following three weeks, Bucharest
    is hosting Romania’s most important cultural event, the George Enescu
    International Festival, which has reached its 22nd edition. Nearly
    3,000 foreign and Romanian artists will take part in this year’s edition of the
    Festival. The participating orchestras include the San Francisco Symphony,
    Israel Philharmonic, conducted by the world famous Zubin Mehta, the Vienna
    Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London
    Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Royal
    Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. According to the organisers, the 2015
    edition of the world’s leading promoter of the works of the great Romanian
    composer George Enescu, will consist in 58 indoor concerts and many other
    outdoor events. Radio Romania will broadcast 36 live transmissions. The rest of
    the concerts will be recorded and broadcast in the following days. Furthermore,
    the Casa Radio Publishers launches five albums to mark this edition of the
    festival.





    LANGUAGE -
    The Romanian language is a core value of the Romanian people’s identity and
    the language of an important culture in Europe, the minister delegate for the relation
    with the Romanians abroad, Angel Talvar, said during the celebrations held in
    Spain to mark the Romanian Language Day, on August the 31st. It is the language of the Romanians who
    work, study, make research and do business. The Romanian language is an element
    of identity and helps people get closer to one another and form a community.
    The Romanian Language Day is equally a feast for Romania and the Romanians
    around the world, for those who feel like Romanians do and for those who love and
    appreciate the beauty of the Romanian people.





    KIDNAPPING -
    The Romanian authorities confirm the information on the existence of a video
    footage featuring a Romanian citizen who claims to have been kidnapped by a
    Jihadist group in Burkina Faso and asks to be saved. The
    Foreign Ministry has announced that a crisis sell is currently investigating
    the authenticity of the video recording and is also analysing all possible ways
    to solve the situation of the Romanian national taken hostage in Burkino Faso.
    According to media sources, the mining company the Romanian was working for
    announced his being kidnapped in April, but the first images showing proofs of
    life were released on Saturday. The crisis cell is made up of representatives
    of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries, respectively, of the intelligence
    services and of the Presidential Administration.



    RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION– Fresh from an emergency meeting held in
    Paris, French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has made a thorough
    presentation of the measures agreed upon by the EU member states in an effort
    to improve railway transport safety and security, in the wake of last week’s
    attack on a high speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris. He referred to a
    thorough control of the passengers’ identity, with visual checks being likely
    to be introduced again. Furthermore, luggage will be verified both in stations
    and on board the train. Joint patrols, made up of security officers from
    various countries will be set up to assure transport security, the French
    minister has underlined. The perpetrator of the attack on the Thalys train,
    Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, was charged with attempted murder last week.
    Carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol
    and a cutter, the 26 year old Moroccan bought a ticket for the Thalys train
    without problems. Later on, he opened fire on board the train, being
    immobilised by passengers.





    JAPAN – Tens
    of thousands of people protested in front of the Parliament building in Tokyo
    against some draft security laws which are meant to extend the Japanese army’s
    prerogatives and which have been described by critics as infringing the
    pacifist fundamental law of the country. The rally is proof of a greater
    mobilisation in Japan, in the context in which conservative Prime Minister
    Shinzo Abe hopes these draft laws will be passed by Parliament in the current
    session, which comes to an end in late September. The draft laws would allow
    the Japanese army to get involved in fighting operations abroad, if need be, to
    protect the interests of the country, which would be a first since the end of
    WWII.


    ARREST -Three Romanian nationals were taken into custody in Hungary on Saturday, on suspicion of human trafficking. They are detained by the Budapest police, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced. The ministry also says that 26 Romanian citizens have been arrested in Hungary, on human trafficking charges, since August the 26th. None of them has requested consular assistance so far.


    BOOK FAIR – Romania has recently participated for the first time in the Beijing International Book Fair, having its own stand organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute. According to the organisers, the Romanian Cultural Institute designed the events so as to cast light on the Romanian literary heritage and to provide a fresh perspective on the current literary and editorial developments in Romania. Now, in its 22nd edition, the International Book Fair in Beijing is the largest event of its kind organised by China. According to the Director General of the General Department of Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad, Ioana Dragan, on August 31st, the Foreign Language University in Beijing will host two much awaited events, a conference devoted to the Romanian Language Day and the announcement on the official opening of the Beijing-based Library of the Romanian Cultural Institute.

    WEATHER – The counties of Satu Mare, Bihor, Arad, Timis, Caras-Severin, Mehedinti, Botosani, Iasi, Bacau and Vaslui will further be under code orange alert on Monday and Tuesday. The heat wave will also sweep all the regions of the country placed under code yellow alert, where temperatures will range between 35 and 37 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists warn temperatures in the ten counties placed under code orange alert will range between 37 and 38 degrees, with a high temperature- humidity index.

  • August 30, 2015

    August 30, 2015

    KIDNAPPING – The Romanian authorities confirm the information on the existence of a video footage featuring a Romanian citizen who claims to have been kidnapped by a Jihadist group in Burkina Faso and asks to be saved. The Foreign Ministry has announced that a crisis sell is currently investigating the authenticity of the video recording and is also analysing all possible ways to solve the situation of the Romanian national taken hostage in Burkino Faso. According to media sources, the mining company the Romanian was working for announced his being kidnapped in April, but the first images showing proofs of life were released on Saturday. The crisis cell is made up of representatives of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministries, respectively, of the intelligence services and of the Presidential Administration.



    RAILWAY TRANSPORTATION – Fresh from an emergency meeting held in Paris, French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has made a thorough presentation of the measures agreed upon by the EU member states in an effort to improve railway transport safety and security, in the wake of last weeks attack on a high speed train running from Amsterdam to Paris. He referred to a thorough control of the passengers identity, with visual checks being likely to be introduced again. Furthermore, luggage will be verified both in stations and on board the train. Joint patrols, made up of security officers from various countries will be set up to assure transport security, the French minister has underlined. The perpetrator of the attack on the Thalys train, Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, was charged with attempted murder last week. Carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol and a cutter, the 26 year old Moroccan bought a ticket for the Thalys train without problems. Later on, he opened fire on board the train, being immobilised by passengers.



    DEMOGRAPHY – The total population residing in Romania remains under 20 million people, according to preliminary data from the National Statistics Institute. On January 1, 19,861,000 people were residing in Romania, down 85,900 since the beginning of the previous year. The urban and female population account, respectively, for 53.8%, and 51.1% of the total, and the ageing phenomenon is deepening, the difference between the population over 65 and the young population of up to 14 years of age having widened to more than 300,000 people. The survey also indicates that Romania remains an emigration country, with a number of emigrants 42,000 higher than the number of immigrants last year.



    MUSICAL FEAST – In the following three weeks, Bucharest is hosting Romanias most important cultural event, the “George Enescu International Festival, which has reached its 22nd edition. Nearly 3,000 foreign and Romanian artists will take part in this years edition of the Festival. The participating orchestras include the San Francisco Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, conducted by the world famous Zubin Mehta, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bavarian State Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Symphony Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Orchestra, Monte Carlo Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. According to the organisers, the 2015 edition of the worlds leading promoter of the works of the great Romanian composer George Enescu, will consist in 58 indoor concerts and many other outdoor events. Radio Romania will broadcast 36 live transmissions. The rest of the concerts will be recorded and broadcast in the following days. Furthermore, the Casa Radio Publishers launches five albums to mark this edition of the festival.



    BEIJING BOOK FAIR – Romania has recently participated for the first time in the Beijing International Book Fair, having its own stand organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute. According to the organisers, the Romanian Cultural Institute designed the events so as to cast light on the Romanian literary heritage and to provide a fresh perspective on the current literary and editorial developments in Romania. Now, in its 22nd edition, the International Book Fair in Beijing is the largest event of its kind organised by China. According to the Director General of the General Department of Romanian Cultural Institutes Abroad, Ioana Dragan, on August 31st, the Foreign Language University in Beijing will host two much awaited events, a conference devoted to the Romanian Language Day and the announcement on the official opening of the Beijing-based Library of the Romanian Cultural Institute.



    WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert against heat valid today for 12 counties in the west, south-west and the east of the Romanian territory, where the temperature- humidity index exceeds the 80 unit critical threshold. An orange code warning valid for Monday and Tuesday has been issued for 10 counties in the west. The rest of the territory will further be under code yellow alert. The highs of the day range between 29 and 36 degrees C. The noon reading in Bucharest was 32 degrees.