Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanians in Rome

  • April 9, 2018 UPDATE

    April 9, 2018 UPDATE

    EASTER — Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians in Romania on Monday celebrated the second day of Easter and a new day in Easter Week, which follows the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. On this day people attend mass while priests’ vestments are white. The first day of this week is believed to be the day when the gates of heaven are open and all sins are forgiven. People who die on this day go straight to Heaven without undergoing the Last Judgment. Psalms are not recited on this day, while funeral services are replaced by Resurrection mass.



    EURO — The National Commission for the switch to the euro will convene on Thursday in its first session. Talks will focus on convergence criteria for adopting the European single currency. Two weeks ago Prime Minister Viorica Dancila announced the setup of the commission, whose role is to prepare the roadmap for Romania joining the Eurozone, as well as the necessary actions to prepare the Romanian economy and society for this move.



    ELECTION — Viktor Orban has secured a new term as Prime Minister after his party Fidesz won the parliamentary elections in Hungary by a landslide. The right-wing nationalist politician says the result will ensure the security of Hungary. Orban’s party grabbed nearly half of the vote and will hold two thirds of the seats in Parliament. The nationalist Jobbik party won 26 seats, while Hungarian socialists won 20 seats. The Democratic Coalition led by former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsnay could win 9 seats, while the ecologist LMP party will get 8 seats. The Together party won one seat while an independent and a representative of the German minority will each get one seat. The final results will be made public at the end of the week. On Monday, the leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, congratulated Viktor Orban on his win.



    MARCH — The “Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi” Institute for Romanians Worldwide, an institution subordinated to the Ministry for Romanians Worldwide, in cooperation with the Lauder-Reut Educational Complex, is organizing “The March of Holocaust Survivors — Let’s Learn Together”, held over April 9-13 in Poland. Taking part in the event are young people from 52 countries. The march has an educational purpose, aimed at familiarizing participants with a tragic chapter in world history. Romania’s delegation is made up of students and teachers from the Lauder-Reut school in Bucharest, but also from the Republic of Moldova. The project is part of the IEH-led program “Caravan of Romanian Identity”, which involves a series of cultural actions, aimed at promoting Romanian culture and consolidating Romania national identity. The project is also part of the Romanian Cultural Space strategic programme devoted to the celebration of one hundred years since the Great Union of 1918.



    AIRPORT — A few dozen Romanians were left stranded on Sunday on Ciampino Airport in Rome, after Ryanair canceled its flight to Bucharest. Some of the passengers were rescheduled for flights on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Those who accepted to change their flight schedule will receive accommodation for just one night. Others bought tickets with other flight operators at double or triple the price. Ryanair has cancelled flights in the past without providing too many explanations.



    RUSSIA — Russian authorities believe the latest US sanctions on Russia have no legal grounds and will entail a response, including regarding ongoing trade agreements, Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev said on Monday. On Friday, Washington announced fresh sanctions against thirty-eight Russian individuals and entities accused mainly of taking part in Russia’s attacks against western democracies, France Press reports. Seven Russian oligarchs and their companies have been targeted as well as 17 senior government officials, a state-owned weapons trader and its subsidiary, a Russian bank. All those targeted will have their assets under US jurisdiction frozen. The US has taken these measures in response to Russia’s malign actions such as the annexation of Crimea, the incitement to violence in eastern Ukraine, the support of the Syrian government and its malicious cyber activities, France Press quoted a US official as saying.



    BOOK FAIR — The 47th edition of the International Book Fair in London will take place over April 10-12. Romania’s participation in the fair is under the aegis of the Romanian Cultural Institute. Under the heading “Writing and Making History: Remembering the Great War Generation”, events organized at Romania’s pavilion are first of all evoking Romania’s participation in the first world war and the Great Union by means of literary and artistic echoes of these two crucial moments in history.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • April 23, 2017 UPDATE

    April 23, 2017 UPDATE

    SPEECH — Romanian Crown Princess Margareta will deliver a speech before Parliament on April 26, marking the anniversary of 100 years since Iasi was named the capital of the Kingdom of Romania between 1916-1918 and the City of the Great Unification”. The event celebrates the adoption 100 years ago of the laws reforming the Romanian modern state, the agrarian law and the election law, both adopted by the Senate and the Deputies’ Assembly. According to a press release issued on Suday, political and legislative measures adopted by the Parliament that fled to Iasi during the Great War, are the expression of a concerted political effort on behalf of all the parties making up the Constituent Assembly, as expressed by King Ferdinand in his opening speech in the Parliament plenary session of December 15, 1917. We recall that after the Great War, all of Romania’s historical provinces were united under one single entity, the Kingdom of Romania.



    AVALANCHE — Saturday’s avalanche in Retezat Mountains killed two teenagers, 13-year-old Dor Geta Popescu and 14-year-old Erik Gulacsi, both professional climbers enrolled in a sports club in Brasov. The local mountain rescue service has warned against imminent avalanche risks. Dor Geta Popescu was the holder of six world titles and a European trophy. At 10 years of age she became the world’s youngest climber to summit Ararat, at an altitude of 5,000 meters. Erik Gulacsi last year was designated the youngest European climber to summit Aconcagua Peak in Argentina, at over 6,900 meters, the highest in America. The police is investigating the tragedy.



    ROMANIANS — Three Romanians from Constanta, eastern Romania, attended festivities marking 2770 years since the city was founded. Disguised as Dacians, the three reenacted battles led by Emperor Trajan in the Dacian-Roman wars on modern-day Romanian territory in 101-102 and 105-106 CE. After their defeat, the Dacians were Romanized, while only a few Dacian words still survive in Romanian, the only neo-Latin language in southeastern Europe. A chronicle of the Dacian-Roman wars is sculpted on the famous Trajan Column in Rome.



    SAINT GEORGE — Over a million Romanians celebrated their name day on Sunday, the feast day of Saint George, the first martyr of early Christianity. Saint George is also the patron saint of the Romanian Land Forces. Ceremonies were held in most barracks across the country, attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defense, local authorities, military on reserve status and war veterans.



    GYMNASTICS — Romanian athlete Catalina Ponor on Sunday grabbed gold in the beam final at the European Gymnastics Championships hosted by Cluj-Napoca, northwestern Romania. In the same event Larisa Iordache won bronze. Also on Sunday, Marian Dragulescu won silver in the men’s vault event, after winning gold in the floor final on Saturday. Cluj hosted the European Gymnastics Championships 60 years after the last edition was held in Romania. A total of 274 athletes from 37 countries took part in the event.



    TENNIS — Romania’s Fedcup team defeated Great Britain on home turf 3-2 in the playoffs for the Second World Group. On Sunday, Simona Halep defeated Johanna Konta of Great Britain, 6-1, 6-3 in the third rubber match while Irina Begu defeated Heather Watson. On Saturday, Halep won against Watson while Konta defeated Sorana Cirstea. We recall that Saturday’s match between Konta and Cirstea was interrupted due to an incident caused by Romanian coach Ilie Nastase, who was sent off after swearing at the umpire and verbally abusing Johanna Konta and the British coach. The ITF has launched an investigation (Translated by V. Palcu)