Radio România Internațional

Tag: Salisbury

  • March 16, 2017 UPDATE

    March 16, 2017 UPDATE

    ARCTIC ULTRA – The Romanian Tiberiu Useriu, aged 44, last night won, for the third time in a row, the 6633 Arctic Ultra, the most difficult marathon in the world, organized in the polar circle area. The race started on March 8th, and Tiberiu Useriu managed to conclude it after 7 days and 5 hours. Another three Romanians participated in the marathon: Avram Iancu, the first Romanian to swim the English Channel, and also Florentina Iofcea and Polgar Levente. Unfortunately, all three of them had to pull out before the end of the race.




    IMF – Jaewoo Lee, the head of the IMF Mission for Romania, together with Alejandro Hajdenberg, the Resident Representative for Romania, Friday presented the findings of the visit the IMF experts paid to Romania for a week. The IMF says without a change in the current policies, Romanias economic growth will be increasingly fragile, and recommends a balanced mix of monetary and fiscal policies. The institution also recommends increased efficiency in spending by prioritising major investment projects, increasing EU fund absorption and enforcing the fiscal responsibility law. During the meetings with Romanian officials, the IMF experts emphasised the importance of improving budget collection and of keeping public spending within sustainable limits. Bucharest does not have a financing agreement at present, but the international financial institution assesses the state of the Romanian economy on an annual basis, and its experts have come to Romania for the annual consultations, an exercise that all member states must undergo.




    EDUCATION – Over 100 universities and education institutions in 18 countries will be represented on Saturday and Sunday in Bucharest in the 22nd Romanian International University Fair (RIUF). According to the organisers, attending will be institutions from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Romania, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the USA, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Greece, and Bulgaria. Visitors will be able to get information on tuition-free education options in Scandinavian countries, as well as on a 3,000,000 euro grant fund for BA and MA programmes offered by institutions in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany. The fairs YouForum section comprises over 30 workshops, panel discussions and presentations. The topics approached during the 2 days will include online marketing, branding, gaming, IT, architecture, non-formal education and technology.




    ARTEFACTS – The office of the Prosecutor General of Romania Friday announced that 164 ancient coins, of which 20 Koson-type Dacian coins stolen from the Orastie archaeology site, were recovered following searches conducted in Austria and Germania. According to a news release issued on Friday, the criminal justice division with the Prosecutors Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice is investigating a case of money laundering and aiding and abetting aggravated theft, involving items from the Romanian national cultural heritage: bracelets, coins, shields and other artefacts stolen from the Orastie Mountains sites and illegally sold in the international market. With support from Eurojust, Romanian officers from the Cultural Heritage Protection Service worked together with relevant judicial authorities from Austria and Germany a large-scale international operation conducted in February – March this year.




    SALISBURY ATTACK – British police Friday announced opening an investigation into the murder of Russian Nikholai Glushkov, a close friend of oligarch Boris Berezovsky, found dead earlier this week at his home in London. Previously, authorities announced that, in the wake of the poisoning of the Russian former double agent Sergey Skripal and of his daughter in Salisbury, police would resume inquiries into a number of deaths that have occurred in Britain over the past few years. The UK, Germany, France and the US issued a joint statement arguing that Russias involvement was the only plausible explanation for the incident. On the other hand, Moscow dismissed the allegations as groundless. The Salisbury attack will be the main topic of a meeting between the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in Brussels on Monday. Stoltenberg says the incident is evidence of Moscows years-long reckless conduct.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 16, 2017 UPDATE

    March 16, 2017 UPDATE

    ARCTIC ULTRA – The Romanian Tiberiu Useriu, aged 44, last night won, for the third time in a row, the 6633 Arctic Ultra, the most difficult marathon in the world, organized in the polar circle area. The race started on March 8th, and Tiberiu Useriu managed to conclude it after 7 days and 5 hours. Another three Romanians participated in the marathon: Avram Iancu, the first Romanian to swim the English Channel, and also Florentina Iofcea and Polgar Levente. Unfortunately, all three of them had to pull out before the end of the race.




    IMF – Jaewoo Lee, the head of the IMF Mission for Romania, together with Alejandro Hajdenberg, the Resident Representative for Romania, Friday presented the findings of the visit the IMF experts paid to Romania for a week. The IMF says without a change in the current policies, Romanias economic growth will be increasingly fragile, and recommends a balanced mix of monetary and fiscal policies. The institution also recommends increased efficiency in spending by prioritising major investment projects, increasing EU fund absorption and enforcing the fiscal responsibility law. During the meetings with Romanian officials, the IMF experts emphasised the importance of improving budget collection and of keeping public spending within sustainable limits. Bucharest does not have a financing agreement at present, but the international financial institution assesses the state of the Romanian economy on an annual basis, and its experts have come to Romania for the annual consultations, an exercise that all member states must undergo.




    EDUCATION – Over 100 universities and education institutions in 18 countries will be represented on Saturday and Sunday in Bucharest in the 22nd Romanian International University Fair (RIUF). According to the organisers, attending will be institutions from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Romania, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the USA, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Greece, and Bulgaria. Visitors will be able to get information on tuition-free education options in Scandinavian countries, as well as on a 3,000,000 euro grant fund for BA and MA programmes offered by institutions in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany. The fairs YouForum section comprises over 30 workshops, panel discussions and presentations. The topics approached during the 2 days will include online marketing, branding, gaming, IT, architecture, non-formal education and technology.




    ARTEFACTS – The office of the Prosecutor General of Romania Friday announced that 164 ancient coins, of which 20 Koson-type Dacian coins stolen from the Orastie archaeology site, were recovered following searches conducted in Austria and Germania. According to a news release issued on Friday, the criminal justice division with the Prosecutors Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice is investigating a case of money laundering and aiding and abetting aggravated theft, involving items from the Romanian national cultural heritage: bracelets, coins, shields and other artefacts stolen from the Orastie Mountains sites and illegally sold in the international market. With support from Eurojust, Romanian officers from the Cultural Heritage Protection Service worked together with relevant judicial authorities from Austria and Germany a large-scale international operation conducted in February – March this year.




    SALISBURY ATTACK – British police Friday announced opening an investigation into the murder of Russian Nikholai Glushkov, a close friend of oligarch Boris Berezovsky, found dead earlier this week at his home in London. Previously, authorities announced that, in the wake of the poisoning of the Russian former double agent Sergey Skripal and of his daughter in Salisbury, police would resume inquiries into a number of deaths that have occurred in Britain over the past few years. The UK, Germany, France and the US issued a joint statement arguing that Russias involvement was the only plausible explanation for the incident. On the other hand, Moscow dismissed the allegations as groundless. The Salisbury attack will be the main topic of a meeting between the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, in Brussels on Monday. Stoltenberg says the incident is evidence of Moscows years-long reckless conduct.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 14, 2018 UPDATE

    March 14, 2018 UPDATE

    THE USE OF NERVE AGENT IN SALISBURY– The Romanian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed Romanias solidarity with Great Britain, after the poisoning of the former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, and of his daughter, in Salisbury. British PM Theresa May on Wednesday announced that London severs its bilateral ties with Moscow and will expel 23 Russian diplomats. May also said Moscow is responsible for the incident. Great Britain had given an ultimatum to Russia, until Tuesday midnight, to provide explanations regarding the case. In turn, Russian Foreign Minister, Serghei Lavrov, said Moscow is “not guilty and “ready to cooperate during the investigation, on condition it has access to the incriminated chemical substance, a nerve agent. NATO has deemed the incident as a clear breach of international norms and agreements on chemical weapons and called on Russia to address the UKs questions. In another move, the EU leaders will hold talks next week on Skripals poisoning, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk announced on Wednesday.



    CONFLICT OF INTEREST – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Wednesday called on the Romanian Parliament to re-examine a bill which brings modifications, among others, to the juridical regime of the conflict of interest, applicable to MPs in the 2007-2013 time-span. The president claimed the overall public interest does not justify such as regulation, given that integrity standards are affected and doubts are cast on Romanias compliance with the commitments it has made as a EU member state. In December 2017, the Romanian Senate, as a decision making body, adopted a draft to amend the Law on the National Integrity Agency. In the adopted form, interdictions imposed on MPs for not observing legal provisions relative to the conflict of interest, in the 2007-2013 period, cease to exist.



    CVM – European Commission representatives on Wednesday started their evaluation mission as part of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, scheduling meetings with members of the judiciary, Parliament and the Government. Their mission ends on March 16. The Ministry of Justice says that talks will focus on proposed changes to the Romanian judicial system, including the Criminal Codes and the Civil Code, along with analysing the strategy to develop the judicial system. The Cooperation and Verification Mechanism was introduced in January 2007, when Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU, in order to help the two countries overcome their drawbacks in the justice system and in terms of corruption. The authorities in Bucharest would like the Mechanism to be lifted in 2019.



    JUSTICE – The special commission for the justice laws with the Romanian Parliament resumed its activity on Wednesday, starting debates on proposed changes to legislation on the status of prosecutors and judges, the laws regulating judicial organization, and the law regulating the Higher Council of Magistracy, following a negative ruling on the changes issued by the Constitutional Court. The commission is slated to bring a number of changes to the Criminal Codes. The situation of the Romanian justice system was the main topic for discussion in talks held in Bucharest early in March with the authorities by European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans. The controversy regarding proposed justice reform in Romania brought to the streets thousands of protesters in Romania and abroad, who demanded the judicial system preserve its independence.



    FLU SEASON – In Romania, the number of flu-related deaths reached 100, according to the National Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control. Since the start of the flu season, some 1,200 flu-related cases have been confirmed. The total number of acute respiratory infections registered last week exceeded 140,000, that is 67% more than in the same week of 2017.



    MOURNING – People across the world and the scientific and academic community mourn British visionary scientist Stephen Hawking, who passed away at the age of 76. Born on January 8, 1942, Stephen William Hawking has been compared to Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. His research attempted to align relativity theory with quantum theory, in an attempt to explain the creation of the universe and its inner workings. Hawking was diagnosed with a degenerative disease at the age of 21.



    TENNIS – Romanian tennis star Simona Halep, leading the standings worldwide, qualified on Tuesday to the quarter finals of the Indian Wells, with 8 million USD in prize money up fro grabs, after she defeated Qiang Wang of China 7-5, 6-1. She will be facing against Croatian player Petra Martic, no.51 WTA. Halep won the Indian Wells tournament in 2015.(Translated by C. Cotoiu and D. Vijeu)