Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian Language Day

August 31, 2023

CREVEDIA – A new patient who suffered burns in last week’s explosions
in Crevedia has died. According to the Health Ministry, the patient had
sustained burns on 90% of his body. This is the third fatality reported in the
wake of last week’s explosions at an LPG station in Crevedia. 5 people are
still in critical condition: 2 are treated in Romania and 3 abroad. 22 patients
hospitalized in Bucharest are stable while 19 were discharged. In today’s
session, the government is expected to vote the provision of emergency
financial aid to the families and victims of the tragic event. Several houses
were affected by the blasts, of which 8 were destroyed. Intervention teams
remain on-scene until the site is fully secured, whereas prosecutors have
launched a number of criminal investigations.

DEFICIT – Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel CIolacu is today
discussing with European Commission representatives about Romania’s budget
deficit for 2024. The government wants a deficit above 5%, and has prepared a
number of fiscal measures to convince the Commission the target is feasible.
The government thus wants to cut the number of VAT quotas to two and eliminate
certain tax breaks. Marcel Ciolacu believes a deficit above 5% is necessary, in
the context Romania has provided support to neighboring Ukraine. Earlier this
week, the European Commission talked to Romanian ministers but has not yet made
public its conclusions. According to EU sources, the Commission believes the
Romanian government’s measures to increase taxes and cut back on public
spending are not enough to meet the deficit target.

ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Romanian Language Day is celebrated every
year on August 31. Today, a series of cultural events are held on this occasion
in Romania and neighboring Moldova. The Romanian Academy and the Moldovan
Science Academy have organized a mixed scholarly meeting, held in both
Bucharest and Chișinău. In the Moldovan capital-city, the meeting continued
with the 12th edition of the World Conference on the life and works
of Mihai Eminescu. In Bucharest, the Botanical Gardens hosted public reading
sessions, while the city in Iași in northeastern Romania hosted a special event
– The Great Dictation, addressing people who want to test their writing,
grammar and spelling skills. Romanian Language Day is also marked by Romanian
Cultural Institutes abroad by means of conferences, Romanian language, culture
and civilization classes, book launches, concerts or exhibitions.

ITO – The city of Timișoara
(western Romania) is as of today hosting the 7th edition of the International
Meeting of Orthodox Youth (ITO). Attending are clergymen from at home and
abroad, MPs, ministers and academia. The conference will tackle a number of
issues tied to universal history and culture, but also human trafficking and
drug abuse. Religious services will be officiated, whereas a march will
commemorate the young people killed in the 1989 anti-communist revolution. The
International Meeting of the Orthodox Youth is part of the agenda of the Timișoara
– European Capital of Culture in 2023 programme. The next meeting will be held
in Bucharest in 2025, marking 100 years since the establishment of the Romanian
Orthodox Patriarchate.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea on Wednesday advanced
to the third round of the US Open after ousting Ana Kalynskaya of Russia, 6-3,
6-4. The Romanian player thus matched her best performance at Flushing Meadows.
In the next round, Cîrstea will go up against Elena Rybakina, world number 4.
(VP)

31 August 2023
August 30, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 952 new COVID infections have been reported
in Romania in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication
announced on Sunday. 39 people have died, taking the death toll to 3.578. 7.213
people infected with SARS CoV-2 are now hospitalized, 492 people being in
intensive care. 9.132 people are in home isolation while 5.839 are in
institutionalized isolation. 32.955 are in home quarantine while 71 in
institutionalized quarantine. 6.589 Romanians living abroad have tested
positive for COVID-19, of whom 126 have died.

COVID-19 WORLDWIDE – The number of COVID infections has exceeded
25 million worldwide, the official death toll standing at some 840.000. Nearly
40% of the total number of cases have been reported in the United States, where
182.000 people have died, as well as in Brazil, the second-most affected
country, with over 120.000 deaths. This morning, India has confirmed the
biggest daily increase in the number of new infections, over 78.000. In Europe,
Hungary will shut down its borders starting September 1 to limit the spread of
the virus. Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Saturday had a
telephone conversation with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, the
latter saying the transit of Romanian nationals to their home country would not
be affected. In turn, Poland will ban flights to 46 countries, including
Romania, starting September 2. Ukraine too has shut down its borders to foreign
citizens, with some exceptions. People exempted to this ban must present a
medical insurance upon crossing the border, which should cover the costs of a
potential COVID treatment and related quarantine expenses.

ELECTION – The campaign for the local election due on September 27
continues in Romania. The authorities have announced the set of regulations
candidates and their teams must observe to prevent the coronavirus from
spreading. According to the Interior Ministry, face masks are compulsory, while
all people attending election events and meetings will undergo triage and will
have to sanitize their hands. Access rules and individual health safety
measures will be publicly displayed. Participants will also have to observe the
minimum 1-meter distance. A maximum of 50 people are admitted for indoor
activities for a maximum duration of 2 hours. In the case of outdoor events, the
participation is limited to a hundred people. Candidates are vying for one of
the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats, 1.300
county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen. Originally slated for June, the
local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Cultural events will be held on Monday in
Romania, the Republic of Moldova and abroad to mark Romanian Language Day. Set
up on August 31, 2013, the event pays an homage to the national reawakening
movement in the Republic of Moldova. On August 31, 1989, some 750 thousand
people, a sixth of the Republic’s population at the time, protested in front of
the Parliament building in Chisinau, which decided to declare Romanian an
official state language and switch to the Latin alphabet and replace the Cyrillic
alphabet, which had been used since 1940, when the USSR annexed Moldova.

MOTION – Parliament on Monday is debating and voting a
no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government. The Social-Democrats in
opposition are accusing Ludovic Orban’s cabinet of poor management of the corona
crisis. In turn, the Government has referred the motion to the Constitutional
Court, as Parliament is in its summer recess. President Klaus Iohannis has said
the Social-Democrats are trying to generate political instability that would
benefit their election campaign.

STATISTICS – 5% of Romanian students were enrolled in universities
abroad in 2018, the EUROSTAT reports. At European level, 8% of students were
studying abroad. The leader of this ranking is Luxembourg, with a 48% share of
the total number of students, Cyprus with 24%, Austria, the Czech Republic and
the Netherlands. The lowest shares were reported in Croatia and Greece, 3%,
followed by Spain and Poland, 4%, and Lithuania and Romania, 5%. In 2018, some
408 thousand students were officially enrolled in state and private
universities. Of these, 6% were foreigners.

HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team HC Dobrogea Sud
Constanta on Saturday defeated HC Victor Stavropol of Russia 26-18 in the first
leg of the EHF European League first preliminary round. In the same
competition, AHC Potaissa Turda lost 24-26 to HRK Gorica of Croatia at home.
The return leg is scheduled next week. The Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest
will play directly in the European League group phase, to kick off in October.

GEORGE ENESCU – The George Enescu prestigious international music
contest continues in Bucharest. Some 205 young musicians from 39 countries are
enrolled in the competition, 184 in the violin, cello and piano sections and 21
in the composition sections. Total prizes stand at €100.000. The competition is
unfolding mostly online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

30 August 2020
August 30, 2020

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 952 new COVID infections have been reported
in Romania in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication
announced on Sunday. 39 people have died, taking the death toll to 3.578. 7.213
people infected with SARS CoV-2 are now hospitalized, 492 people being in
intensive care. 9.132 people are in home isolation while 5.839 are in
institutionalized isolation. 32.955 are in home quarantine while 71 in
institutionalized quarantine. 6.589 Romanians living abroad have tested
positive for COVID-19, of whom 126 have died.

COVID-19 WORLDWIDE – The number of COVID infections has exceeded
25 million worldwide, the official death toll standing at some 840.000. Nearly
40% of the total number of cases have been reported in the United States, where
182.000 people have died, as well as in Brazil, the second-most affected
country, with over 120.000 deaths. This morning, India has confirmed the
biggest daily increase in the number of new infections, over 78.000. In Europe,
Hungary will shut down its borders starting September 1 to limit the spread of
the virus. Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Saturday had a
telephone conversation with his Hungarian counterpart, Péter Szijjártó, the
latter saying the transit of Romanian nationals to their home country would not
be affected. In turn, Poland will ban flights to 46 countries, including
Romania, starting September 2. Ukraine too has shut down its borders to foreign
citizens, with some exceptions. People exempted to this ban must present a
medical insurance upon crossing the border, which should cover the costs of a
potential COVID treatment and related quarantine expenses.

ELECTION – The campaign for the local election due on September 27
continues in Romania. The authorities have announced the set of regulations
candidates and their teams must observe to prevent the coronavirus from
spreading. According to the Interior Ministry, face masks are compulsory, while
all people attending election events and meetings will undergo triage and will
have to sanitize their hands. Access rules and individual health safety
measures will be publicly displayed. Participants will also have to observe the
minimum 1-meter distance. A maximum of 50 people are admitted for indoor
activities for a maximum duration of 2 hours. In the case of outdoor events, the
participation is limited to a hundred people. Candidates are vying for one of
the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats, 1.300
county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen. Originally slated for June, the
local election was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Cultural events will be held on Monday in
Romania, the Republic of Moldova and abroad to mark Romanian Language Day. Set
up on August 31, 2013, the event pays an homage to the national reawakening
movement in the Republic of Moldova. On August 31, 1989, some 750 thousand
people, a sixth of the Republic’s population at the time, protested in front of
the Parliament building in Chisinau, which decided to declare Romanian an
official state language and switch to the Latin alphabet and replace the Cyrillic
alphabet, which had been used since 1940, when the USSR annexed Moldova.

MOTION – Parliament on Monday is debating and voting a
no-confidence motion against the Liberal Government. The Social-Democrats in
opposition are accusing Ludovic Orban’s cabinet of poor management of the corona
crisis. In turn, the Government has referred the motion to the Constitutional
Court, as Parliament is in its summer recess. President Klaus Iohannis has said
the Social-Democrats are trying to generate political instability that would
benefit their election campaign.

STATISTICS – 5% of Romanian students were enrolled in universities
abroad in 2018, the EUROSTAT reports. At European level, 8% of students were
studying abroad. The leader of this ranking is Luxembourg, with a 48% share of
the total number of students, Cyprus with 24%, Austria, the Czech Republic and
the Netherlands. The lowest shares were reported in Croatia and Greece, 3%,
followed by Spain and Poland, 4%, and Lithuania and Romania, 5%. In 2018, some
408 thousand students were officially enrolled in state and private
universities. Of these, 6% were foreigners.

HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball team HC Dobrogea Sud
Constanta on Saturday defeated HC Victor Stavropol of Russia 26-18 in the first
leg of the EHF European League first preliminary round. In the same
competition, AHC Potaissa Turda lost 24-26 to HRK Gorica of Croatia at home.
The return leg is scheduled next week. The Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest
will play directly in the European League group phase, to kick off in October.

GEORGE ENESCU – The George Enescu prestigious international music
contest continues in Bucharest. Some 205 young musicians from 39 countries are
enrolled in the competition, 184 in the violin, cello and piano sections and 21
in the composition sections. Total prizes stand at €100.000. The competition is
unfolding mostly online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)

30 August 2020
August 31, 2018 UPDATE

ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY– The Romanian Foreign
Ministry in Bucharest has joined many other state institutions in celebrating
Romanian Language Day, on August 31. A press release issued by the line
ministry reads: ‘The celebration dedicated to this fundamental element of the
identity of the Romanian people gains deep symbolism on the year of the
Centennial of the Grand Union, urging us to diversify and enrich our linguistic
heritage for the new generation and the people who love the Romanian language
around the world. This day was celebrated by local authorities and
institutions, by diplomatic institutions around the world, and by Romanian
cultural institutes, with cultural, educational, and scientific programs
dedicated to the Romanian language. This day was also celebrated in the Republic
of Moldova.

AFRICAN SWINE FEVER – New cases of African swine fever have been confirmed in
Romania, where the number of outbreaks stands at 800. The authorities continue
to act to limit the spread of the virus, with pigs getting culled in a quarter of
Romania’s counties. The authorities have imposed restrictions on the sale of
pork, and checkpoints have been set up at the borders of counties with
confirmed cases. The right of centre opposition in Bucharest has filed a
request to the Chamber of Deputies to set up a committee to investigate the way
in which the authorities have managed the epidemic. President Klaus Iohannis
renewed his call on the government to act more effectively to prevent the
spread of the virus and provide relief to the people affected by it.

RESIGNATION – Romanian Minister for Research and Innovation, Nicolae Burnete, has
stepped down, thus being the first minister in the Dancila cabinet to
tender his resignation. In a communiqué posted
on the site of the institution, Nicolae Burnete writes
that his resignation is irrevocable, without however mentioning the reasons
behind his decision. He tenders his
resignation just one day before the session of the National Executive Committee
of the Social Democratic Party, the main party in the ruling coalition. The Committee
is expected to set legislative priorities and to analyse the activity of the ministers
in the Dancila cabinet. Also on Friday, the Prime Minister said the agenda of
talks also includes a potential government reshuffle.

ANNIVERSARY – President Klaus
Iohannis has been invited by Queen Elisabeth II of the UK to a reception at
Buckingham Palace to celebrate Prince Charles’ 70th birthday, on November 14.
The event, followed by a gala dinner, will be attended by numerous heads of
state and government, as well as members of European royal families.
Prince Charles is famously friendly to Romania, a country he visits often,
where he met President Klaus Iohannis on many occasions.

DIPLOMACY– Romanian
foreign minister Teodor Melescanusaid
on Friday in Vienna that the best solution in the Kosovo file is a bilateral understanding
with Serbia. Melescanu also said such an agreement will help the countries that
have not recognized Kosovo’s declaration of independence to make-what he
called-a final decision. The statements were
made at the informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers (Gymnich), organized by the Austrian presidency of the EU Council.
Kosovo, with a majority Albanian population, has unilaterally proclaimed its independence
from Serbia. Although 10 years have elapsed since then, five EU member states
have not recognized its independence- Romania, Spain, Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus.

ENESCU FESTIVAL– Between September 1
and 23, Bucharest is host to the 16th edition of the George Enescu
International Festival, bringing to the public a number of exceptional recitals
with three great musicians, who are going to also be members on the festival’s
jury. Among the guests are Italian violinist Salvatore Accardo, Swedish pianist
Peter Jablonnski, and British cellist Raphael Wallfisch. In total, 270 young
musicians from 39 countries, 22 from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, will
compete in the four sections – Composition, Violin, Cello, and Piano. This is
the 60 year anniversary of the festival dedicated to famous composer,
violinist, pianist and conductor George Enescu. (Translated by C. Cotoiu and D. Vijeu)

31 August 2018
August 31, 2017 UPDATE

DIPLOMACY — Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Thursday said Romania must take on higher responsibilities in European economic diplomacy and fulfill its full potential. Addressing the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy in Bucharest, Minister Melescanu also referred to the need to diversify trade relations by focusing on emerging economies and regaining influence on traditional markets and looking towards others. The theme for this year’s meeting is “A Changing World — The Stakes of Romania’s Foreign Policy”.

APPOINTMENT — The head of the Permanent Election Authority Daniel Barbu on Thursday took over the leadership of the World Election Bodies Association (AWEB) for a two-year tenure. Barbu was sworn in at the third meeting of AWEB hosted by Bucharest. The decision was taken at the AWEB General Assembly of 2016. Romania’s Election Authority joined AWEB as soon as the association was founded in 2013. AWEB currently comprises election authorities from over 100 countries from all over the world.

ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY –The Romanian Language Day was celebrated on Thursday. On this occasion, the Ministry for the Romanian diaspora organized in Bucharest, in a partnership with the Romanian Academy, a conference on “Romanian language revival and renewal in the diaspora,” while the Romanian Cultural Institute organised activities in major cities abroad. Conferences, roundtables, book launches, recitals and exhibitions were held in Istanbul, New York, Madrid, Tel Aviv and Warsaw. The Romanian Language Day was also celebrated in the Republic of Moldova, and according to the ambassador of Romania to Chisinau, Daniel Ioniţă, this is further proof of the profound unity of the people living on the two banks of Prut River.

PARLIAMENT — Parliament will resume its plenary sessions on Friday after the summer recess. High on the MPs’ agenda are several emergency orders, among which one on increasing pensions to reflect inflation and another on capping child-rearing benefits to 1,850 euros per month. The draft law on vaccination and amending the laws on the judiciary are also on Parliament’s agenda.

JUDICIARY — The Romanian Justice Ministry has made public the bill modifying the laws on the judiciary, on which Minister Tudorel Toader has requested the official opinion of the Superior Council of Magistrates. The bill, which is intended to make the management of courts and prosecutor offices more efficient, stipulates changes primarily in terms of the professional assessment, promotion, and appointment to senior positions of staff in the judicial system. Some of the changes announced a while ago by Minister Tudorel Toader concern the appointment of the prosecutor general and of the chief prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism by the Superior Council of Magistrates based on a nomination by the Justice Minister, and the setup of a special directorate to investigate offences committed by magistrates. The measures have been criticized and prompted street protests. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate says this is a form of pressure on the work of prosecutors, while the Prosecutor General, Augustin Lazar, says that if endorsed, the bill would affect the independence of magistrates and the activity of judicial institutions.

EXCISE — Romanian carriers criticize the Government’s decision to increase fuel excises, and predict dark times will come for Romanian transports. The Romanian Federation of Transport Operators says each additional eurocent in the price of petrol and diesel will have a direct impact on the competitiveness of Romanian road carriers and will force many international transport operators to buy fuel from abroad. On Wednesday the Government decided to increase fuel excises in 2 stages, as of September 15 and October 1, respectively. Finance Minister Ionuţ Mişa explained that the measure would be introduced gradually so as not to generate a shock, consisting in higher prices and lower consumption, which would affect the state budget.

BREXIT — EU Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier said no significant progress has been made on the main points of negotiations with Great Britain. Barnier said there are confidence issues between the two camps. In turn, British Secretary for Brexit David Davis urged the EU to be more flexible.

FOOTBALL — Romania’s national football team is preparing for the game against Armenia, to be played on Friday on home turf, and the one against Montenegro away from home on Monday, as part of the preliminary Group E of next year’s World Football Cup hosted by Russia. The unchallenged leader of the group is Poland, with 16 points, followed by Montenegro and Denmark, with 10 points each, Romania and Armenia, 6, and Kazakhstan, with 2 points. In this preliminary campaign, the Romanian team is for the first time in its history managed by a foreign coach, the German Cristoph Daum. (Translated by A.M. Popescu & V. Palcu)

31 August 2017
August 27, 2017

PROTESTS – New anti-government protests have been scheduled for today in Bucharest. The organisers, members of civil society, claim the draft designed by the line minister Tudorel Toader to amend the justice laws is a new attempt to undermine the anti corruption fight. Vehemently criticised by the opposition and the media, the draft stipulates, among others, that the countrys president will no longer nominate the chief-prosecutors of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism, provides for subordinating the judicial inspection unit to the Justice Ministry and increasing the number of years to be promoted as a magistrate. At the start of the year, the governments attempt to amend the criminal codes, by an emergency ordinance, took hundreds of thousands of Romanians, both in Bucharest, in the country or living abroad, to the street. They accused the power of trying to protect and exonerate from criminal liability influential people in politics or the administration.

REP. OF MOLDOVA – The Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet country with a predominantly Romanian speaking population is today celebrating 26 years since it proclaimed its independence. On August 27, 1991, after the failure of the Neo-Bolshevik coup in Moscow, Parliament, picketed by hundreds of thousands of protesters voted the declaration of independence from the Soviet Union of the republic set up on the Romanian territories annexed by Stalin in 1940. On the same day, Romania was the first country in the world to recognise the independence of its new neighbour. Later on, Bucharest was the staunchest and most consistent supporter of the Republic of Moldovas sovereignty, territorial integrity and European integration efforts. After the signing in 2014 of association and free trade agreements between Chishinau and Brussels, Moldovan citizens can travel freely to the EU, and firms can export and sell their products on the community market in advantageous conditions. At present, the coalition government led by PM Pavel Filip continues to be a promoter of Moldovas EU rapprochement, whereas the pro-Russian Socialist president, Igor Dodon, wants the republic to return onto Moscows orbit.

THE ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Preparations for the Romanian Language Day, celebrated on August 31, have started in the communities of Romanians living outside the borders of the country. The main organiser of the event is the Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Institute for the Romanians Around the World, subordinated to the line ministry. The series of events continues until September 6. They are aimed at promoting Romanian language and identity in the historical Romanian communities in neighbouring Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Initiated in 2013 by the Romanian Parliament, the Romanian Language Day overlaps the national holiday of the Republic of Moldova, and is an homage to the national awakening movement in the neighbouring state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population. On August 31, 1989, during the Soviet regime, the Moldovan Parliament, picketed by some 750 thousand people, accounting for one sixth of the republics population, decided to declare Romanian the state language, also adopting Latin script instead of the Cyrillic one, imposed by the occupiers after the armed annexation of 1940.

MIGRANTS – The Romanian border police have stopped six Iraqi citizens while trying to illegally cross Romanias border with Hungary. They were asylum seekers in Romania and declared their intention to reach a country in Western Europe. According to the Border Police Territorial Inspectorate, a surge in the illegal migration attempts has recently been registered along Romanias western border. This week, border police officers found over 100 migrants, of which 42 children, in a guest house in Timisoara. Most of them came from Serbia and tried to cross the border into Hungary and then to continue their way to Western Europe.

27 August 2017
31 August, 2016

Romanian Language Day. A series of cultural and
educational programmes and events are held by the Romanian authorities, public
institutions, diplomatic representations and cultural institutes abroad to
celebrate Romanian Language Day on the 31st of August. Celebrations
include Romanian traditional music shows, theatre performances and poetry
readings both in Romania and abroad, in countries with large ethnic Romanian
communities, such as Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine. The ex-Soviet, majority
Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, where Romanian became the official state
language in 2013, also celebrates Romanian Language Day.

The Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy. Romania must have an active contribution to
the efforts of the international community, the European Union and NATO, that
is the community of values it belongs to, the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis
told the Annual Meeting of Diplomacy in Bucharest. Romania’s interests as a
state located on the external border of this community obliges us to act in
such a way as to ensure the security of the nation and that of the essential
organisations, the EU and NATO, of which we are part of. At the same time,
Romania’s stability and economic growth, its low energy dependence, democratic
predictability and support for the rule of law, as well as its actions in the
areas of foreign policy and security are very important assets, especially in
this region. They must be used wisely and in a visionary way so that Romania
becomes stronger and more efficient, president Iohannis also said. At their annual meeting, Romania’s ambassadors and consuls are looking
at the main challenges, such as the relationship with the country’s main
partners, the development of the international institutions Romania forms part
of, security and economic development. Both prime minister Dacian Ciolos and
the foreign minister Lazar Comanescu said that in the face of the crises
threatening Europe, Romania would continue to urge for a process of reflection
so as not to deepen the already existing rifts between various states and
groups of states.

Italy earthquake. Prime minister Dacian Ciolos
will propose during a government meeting today that September 1st be
declared a day of national mourning in memory of the 11 Romanians who died in
the earthquake in Italy. The prime minister made this announcement after
attending the mass funerals held on Tuesday in Amatrice for 37 of the quake
victims. He also visited the Romanian nationals who lost their homes and said
the government would provide them with financial support and also take care of
the bureaucratic aspect of their predicament. The labour minister Dragos
Pislaru, who also travelled to Italy, said the Romanian families whose homes
were destroyed in the earthquake may benefit from the financial aid made
available by the authorities in Bucharest after submitting a sworn statement to
this effect. The application is available at Romania’s diplomatic missions and
consular offices in Italy and the county agencies for payments and social
inspection in Romania.

Former PM faces disbarring. The Council of the
Bucharest Bar is today discussing a request on the exclusion from the bar of
the former Social Democratic prime minister Victor Ponta. The request was made
by the Conservative euro MP and former justice minister Monica Macovei who
argued that Ponta became a lawyer without sitting the bar exams, based on his
holding a doctoral title in law, a title that was subsequently withdrawn over
plagiarism in his PhD paper. Later, Ponta sent a note to the Bar saying he had
challenged, before the Bucharest Court of Appeal, the order on the withdrawal
of his doctoral title and had requested that the effects of the order be
suspended. Last summer, he became Romania’s first acting prime minister to come
under criminal investigations after the National Anticorruption Directorate
accused him of forgery, complicity to tax evasion and money laundering. Ponta
resigned in November 2015 following massive street protests against widespread
political corruption.

Pakistani
citizen declared undesirable. The Bucharest Court of Appeal declared the
Pakistani citizen Shahzad
Ahmed undesirable in Romania for a period of 10 years. This ruling came after
the intelligence service discovered that he carried out on-line propaganda for
terrorist groups active in Pakistan, supporting the supremacy of extremist
Islamism. Shahzad Ahmed, who is married to a Romanian national, has been placed
under public custody prior to his removal from Romania.

US Open. Monica Niculescu of
Romania (no. 57 WTA) today faces another Romanian player, Ana Bogdan (no. 117
WTA), in the second round at the US Open tennis tournament. World no. 5 Simona
Halep, also of Romania, faces the Czech player Lucie Safarova on Thursday, in
the second round. Three other Romanian players, Irina Begu (no. 23 WTA),
Patricia Tig (no. 128 WTA) and Sorana Cirstea (no. 88 WTA), were eliminated in
the first round. In the men’s doubles, the Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau and
Jean-Julien Rojer today play the German-Austrian pair Florian Mayer and Julien
Knowle. (Translated by: C. Mateescu)

31 August 2016
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.

30 August 2015