Radio România Internațional

Tag: Singapore

  • Radu Oprea: Unul dintre obiectivele României este recucerirea pieţelor tradiţionale cu ţări din Asia

    Radu Oprea: Unul dintre obiectivele României este recucerirea pieţelor tradiţionale cu ţări din Asia

    Unul dintre obiectivele României în perioada următoare este recucerirea pieţelor tradiţionale cu ţări din Asia, precum Singapore, Vietnam şi Japonia, a declarat ministrul Economiei, Ştefan Radu Oprea.

    Recucerirea pieţelor tradiţionale a fost una dintre componentele pe care le-am avut în vedere, inclusiv de a profita industria românească, economia românească de pieţele şi de acordurile comerciale semnate de Uniunea Europeană cu ţările din Asia, vorbim despre Singapore, Vietnam, Japonia. Am pierdut destul de mult timp pentru ca aceste instrumente pe care statul român le are la îndemână în a sprijini antreprenorii români să ajungă pe alte pieţe nu au fost folosite aşa cum ar fi trebuit. (…) Vor urma în octombrie Comisia mixtă cu Coreea şi în noiembrie Comisia mixtă cu Vietnam. Sunt zone unde există potenţial de colaborare foarte mare, atât prin atragere de tehnologie prin investiţiile coreene, de exemplu, în România, dar şi de export în cazul companiilor româneşti. Există însă o stare de confort a antreprenorilor români şi atunci, pentru a-i putea extrage din zona lor de confort, este nevoie şi de implicarea statului român, de creare a acelor oportunităţi în a pune la un loc companiile din Coreea, din Vietnam, companiile din România şi, de ce nu, şi alte pieţe, cum ar fi cea japoneză. Acesta este un efort care va continua, schemele de ajutor de stat sunt o altă componentă.

    Este important, a subliniat ministrul Economiei, ca românii să cumpere produse româneşti.

    Încercăm să sprijinim atât mediul privat, cât şi companiile de stat pentru a avea o competiţie corectă şi firmele româneşti să fie prezente pe piaţă cu produse bune şi de calitate, astfel încât ‘cumpără româneşte’ să nu rămână doar o idee frumoasă, ci să devină realitatea noastră de zi cu zi. Să ştim că atunci când cumpărăm produse româneşti sprijinim locurile de muncă ale celor care lucrează, inclusiv aici în Plafar, a menţionat Ştefan Radu Oprea.

  • March 10, 2023 UPDATE

    March 10, 2023 UPDATE

    ECONOMY Net
    investments in the Romanian economy in 2022 were over EUR 30 bln, up 8.5% since
    the previous year, PM Nicolae Ciucă announced. He says this proves the positive
    impact of the measures taken by his Cabinet on the economy. Investment in
    development, the PM also says in a Facebook post, will preserve jobs and
    generate new ones, and in the long term it will contribute to higher revenues. Other
    data made public by the National Statistics Institute, which the PM says
    confirm the success of the Romanian economy in 2022, are a 4.8% GDP growth, foreign
    direct investments of EUR 11.3 bln, a 73% rate of EU fund absorption and
    exports amounting to EUR 85 bln. On the other hand, Romania’s public debt
    dropped in December 2022 to 47.2% of GDP, from 48.3% in November 2022 and 48.9% in 2021, the finance
    ministry announced. In 2023, expenditure for public investments is expected to
    account for 7.2% of GDP.


    VISIT After his visit to Japan, president Klaus Iohannis travelled
    to Singapore, where he had talks with his counterpart, Halimah Yacob. The Romanian
    president highlighted Romania’s goal to step up bilateral relations with
    Singapore. Additionally, president Iohannis spoke of a set of common goals
    pursued by both presidents, such as inclusion policies, economic and social
    development and green transition. He voiced Romania’s special interest in fully
    tapping the potential of bilateral relations, particularly in the economic and
    investment area, and underscored Bucharest’s objective to attract investment
    from Singapore, especially since Romania is the third-largest EU provider of IT
    services to that country. In turn, the president of Singapore, Halimah Yacob, highlighted
    the importance of the bilateral relation considering Romania’s growing profile
    at EU and NATO levels, particularly in the geopolitical context generated by
    the war in Ukraine. President Yacob also addressed the need to boost investment
    and two-way trade, considering the opportunities provided by such sectors as
    IT&C, cyber security and tourism. The Romanian head of state also had talks
    with Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong, who emphasised the convergence of views and
    interests of the two countries in the current geopolitical context, and the
    importance of respecting the rule-based international order centred on the UN
    Charter.


    BYSTROYE The biodiversity of the Danube Delta is not affected by
    dredging works on the Bystroye Canal, and no significant water flow changes on
    the river Danube have been reported compared to statistics published in recent
    years, says the Environment Minister Tanczos Barna after the first measurements
    conducted by Romanian authorities on the branch of Chilia and Romanian sections
    of the Danube. The Romanian official said Ukrainian authorities must provide a
    written consent before the three ships of the Transport Ministry can finalize
    depth measurements across the entire section of the Chilia branch, run a new
    analysis of water flows and provide their final report. Authorities from
    Romania and Ukraine have agreed to measure the depth of Danube River canals
    after Kyiv started dredging the Bystroye canal. The Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry
    said that, once dredging works were completed, the depth of Bystroye grew from
    3.9 to 6.5 meters. Kyiv has however denied that the works violated any
    agreement. Bucharest wants to make sure Ukraine’s operation does not impact
    ecosystems in the Danube Delta, a protected UNESCO World Heritage site.


    REFUGEES A centre for Ukrainian refugees was opened on Friday within
    the Edmond Nicolau Technical College in Bucharest. The centre is
    the outcome of a partnership between Bucharest’s District 2 Hall, UNICEF and Habitat
    for Humanity. Its 3 floors, totalling 2,000 sq m, can host 100 people. The
    district mayor says refugees may live, cook, socialise here, and that special
    areas are arranged for children to do their homework.


    MOLDOVA The US Administration will provide the Republic of Moldova
    with USD 300 mln in assistance for the energy sector and will share information
    with this country in a move to fight Russia’s attempts to destabilise it, the
    White House announced on Friday. The national security spokesperson John Kirby
    told the media that, although there is no imminent military threat against
    Moldova, the US believes Russia is seeking to weaken this small country and
    bring in a more pro-Russian government. He also said Washington has confidence
    in Moldova’s democratic and economic institutions and in their capacity to
    withstand these threats. We will continue to provide significant support, said Kirby.
    Protests against the government and president Maia Sandu, organised in
    particular by the pro-Russian party Sor, have been a regular occurrence in
    Chişinǎu for several weeks. (AMP)

  • March 9, 2023

    March 9, 2023

    BILLS Government in Bucharest will today hold talks on the final draft laws
    on education to be submitted for Parliament approval. The government believes
    that the laws, which have sparked off heated debates in society, will significantly
    curb school dropout, improve the country’s education system and allow the young
    people to adjust to the labour market requirements. However, the opposition has
    lashed out at the amendments announced by field minister Ligia Deca, describing
    the bills as faulty, superficially made and prone to creating imbalances. The
    bills have also been criticized by all those involved in the educational
    process, students, teachers and parents.










    TALKS Defence Ministers from EU member countries on Wednesday convened in
    Stockholm for talks over a two-billion euro plan of providing howitzer shells to
    Ukraine so that the country will improve its fighting capabilities against Russia.
    A final decision on the aforementioned project is expected during a similar
    conference due on March 20th. According to press agencies, Ukraine
    has cautioned that the quantity is not enough to make the difference in the war
    against Russia. Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov, who also attended
    the conference in Stockholm, says that his country needs at least one million 155mm
    artillery shells, which would cost 4 billion euros, double than the plan
    presented in Stockholm. The total EU support for Ukraine presently stands at 12
    billion euros.








    COVID-19 The number of COVID-19 infections is on the rise in Romania and
    according to the latest reports, the figures doubled last week as compared to
    February. Physicians believe though that the present situation should not
    create concern, whereas experts say that the real number of infections could be
    higher than officially announced. At the same time, the number of respiratory
    infections is dropping under 100 thousand cases confirmed in late February.




    ENERGY Italian electricity and gas provider Enel has today announced the transfer
    of its operations in Romania towards Public Power Corp (PPC) of Greece, in
    exchange for 1.26 billion euros as part of a plan focusing on green energy
    production and cutting debts. Enel has made public its intention to focus on
    countries with growth potential like Italy, Spain, the United States, Brazil,
    Chile and Columbia. The Enel-PPC deal is expected to complete in the third
    quarter of this year. The Italian group has been a major player on Romania’s
    energy market since 2005 and currently boasts 3 million customers in three
    major regions of this country.








    VISIT Presently on a Far East tour, which also took him to Japan, Romanian
    president Klaus Iohannis is today paying a two-day visit to the Republic of
    Singapore. Boosting cooperation in fields such as education, research, food
    safety, fighting climate change and green transition are high on his agenda.
    Romania is the third biggest EU provider of IT services to Singapore and
    Bucharest is interested in boosting this cooperation through fresh bilateral
    projects. Romania’s interest in attracting Singaporean investment will also be
    promoted. President Iohannis is expected to underline Romania’s contribution to
    global food safety and the potential of the Romanian Black Sea and Danube ports
    in connecting to Central Europe.






    (bill)

  • March 8, 2023 UPDATE

    March 8, 2023 UPDATE

    Visit – President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday had meetings with the local authorities of Kyoto. In this context, he said Romania and Japan are closer than ever, and voiced his hope that Kyoto and a city in Romania will soon become twin cities. “It is important that we rely on each other to safeguard the fundamental values that define us-the will for peace and security, freedom, democracy and human rights, and a rule-based international order, the Romanian president said. In turn, the Japanese officials praised Romania as an important partner for Japan, sharing fundamental values like freedom, democracy and the rule of law. The talks were the last stage in the Romanian presidents visit to Japan. The main goal of the Asian tour was to elevate the bilateral relation to a strategic partnership level. A document in this respect, the outcome of 5 years of negotiations and consultations, was signed on Tuesday in Tokyo, during a meeting with the Japanese PM, Fumio Kishida. The Romanian president was also received by Emperor Naruhito. On Thursday and Friday Klaus Iohannis will be on a state visit to Singapore, where he is scheduled to have talks with president Halimah Yacob and the PM Lee Hsien Loong.



    Government – The reforms under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan will be completed, the finance minister Adrian Câciu promised the Senate. Speaking at the Government Hour on Wednesday, he also said economic performance is good and the budget deficit will be narrowed. According to minister Câciu, Romania has a structural deficiency and permanent expenses that require higher financing. As for interest rates, they are becoming more stable as the inflation rate is also coming under control. The ministers presence in Parliament was requested by the opposition Save Romania Union, which asked minister Câciu to explain why Romanias budget deficit has reached record-high levels, and financing costs are among the highest in the EU. The USR Senator Anca Dragu warned that Romania has borrowed huge amounts, at very high interest rates, which Romanians will have to repay for the next 30 years. The Alliance for the Union of Romania Senator Claudiu Târziu said in his turn that in his opinion the finance ministrys forecasts are empty words, and citizens are still overburdened with taxes.



    Women – Women in public life, including journalists, human rights activists and women in politics, are particularly targeted by intimidation, hate speech and sexual harassment, reads a joint statement signed by over 20 embassies in Bucharest and the representative office of the European Commission in Romania. In their message on International Womens Day on March 8, the signatories say these practices require firm and immediate response, and the perpetrators must be held accountable. The text also reiterates commitment to ensuring gender equality and to fully respecting and safeguarding the rights of women as human rights. We call on all states to do the same: gender equality and equity should benefit not only girls and women, but society as a whole, men and boys included, the embassies and the representative office of the European Commission in Romania point out. The signatories include the embassies of Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Republic of Korea and the US.




    Danube – Ukraine will cease all types of dredging on the Danubes Chilia arm and Bystroe Canal, the Romanian transport ministry announced after the trilateral meeting in Ismail, Ukraine, attended by representatives of Romania, Ukraine and the European Commission. Also, on March 15, measurements will begin on Chilia and Bystroe. The EU officials agreed with Romanias requests and emphasized that the top priority is to improve the capacity of the other Danube arm, Sulina, given that over half of the cargo transport from Ukraine via so-called “solidarity corridors” takes place on the Danube. Ukraine has recently conducted dredging described as legal, maintenance operations, but Romania argues that dredging went significantly over the allowed depth of 3.5m, which would have a major impact on the Danube Delta ecosystem, currently a UNESCO world heritage site.



    Eurostat – Greece (1.4%), Malta (1.2%), Cyprus (1.1%) and Romania (1%) had the most significant economic growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2022, as compared to the previous three months – show data published on Wednesday by Eurostat. The economy of the euro zone stagnated, and the gross domestic product of the European Union contracted in the last three months of last year by 0.1% as compared to the previous quarter. Also on Wednesday, Eurostat announced that the number of employed persons increased by 0.3% both in the euro zone and in the EU during the analyzed period. Romania is among the countries where the number of employed people had an increase similar to the EU average, 0.3%.



    Brussels – The European Commission has approved a contribution of over 160 million Euros, from the Cohesion Fund, for better and larger sewerage networks in Iaşi County in eastern Romania. “The project will improve public health and the quality of life of the population, through clean drinking water and the proper collection and treatment of wastewater, leading to fewer pollutants in the soil, groundwater and rivers,” said Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira. The project mentions hundreds of km of main pipes, distribution network for water supply and sewerage. Water treatment plants, storage tanks, pumping stations, and many more will also be built. The investment will contribute to Romanias compliance with the EU directives on drinking water and urban waste water, and all social groups in the region will benefit from it and jobs will be created, shows a press release from Brussels. (AMP, LS)

  • Hăbări ditu bana românească şi internaţională

    Hăbări ditu bana românească şi internaţională

    Vizita. Prezidentulu Româniillei Klaus Iohannis călătoreasti luni tru Japonia tră ună vizită oficială di trei dzăli tru cadrul a curi va s’andămusească cu amirălu a se va trutâlni cu amirălu Naruhito și premierul Fumio Kishida. Scopul principal ali vizită easti ta s’aducă ligătura bilatearală la nivelul di parteneriat strategic, ş’deapoa s’hibă semnată ună diclarație comună tru aestă noimă. După Japonia, prezidentulu Iohannis va s’nkisească tru ună vizită di stat la Singapore, prima la aest nivel tru 20-lli añi ditu soni. Călătoria ari tru scupo inițierea a niscăntoru proiecte di investiții bilatearale, România hiinda tru aestu kiro treilu furnizor di servicii IT ali Uniunii Europene cătră Singapore.



    Delta Dunării. Experțălli români și ucraineni va s’andămusească luni tra s’lucreadză la minutişurli a unui plan di efectuare a misurărloru pe brațul Chilia și canalul Bystroye di pi Dunăre. Aesta easti a doua discuție tehnică anamisa di ateali două părți după aţea di vineri, când Ministerul Transporturilor di la București diclară că Ucraina va s’da izini ali României s’ahurhească misurărli pi 15 di marţu. Activitatea easti di așteptat s’ţănă 10 dzăli și s’limbidzască desi Ucraina feaţi lucrări tră ahăndusearea a canalului Bystroye. Ucraina spusi că feaţi maş lucrări legale di znueari, ama România spuni că ucrainenii dragară ma multu andicra di ahăndusimea permisă di 3,5 metri, neise şi ţi poati s-aibă un impact major ti ecosistemului Deltei Dunării, cari easti un sit a patrimoniului mondial UNESCO.



    Accidint. Nilli di oameni manifestară adză dinintea a sediului Parlamentului di Atena, dupu fănicolu feroviar cari vătămă 57 di persoane. Fură yilipsiti alumti preşcavi anamisa demonstranți și poliție, France Presse remarcânda că demonstranțălli apreasiră căpăki di cuprier și arcară cocktail-uri Molotov, kiro tu cari poliția apăndăsi cu cu gazi lăcrămoasi și grenadi paralizante. Un şingiru di protesti sfeaţiră tu dzălili ditu soni tru Gărţie, iu niifharistusearea a publiclui creasti andicra di purtaticlu haileasu a guvernului, cari easti mutrită ca hiinda la originea a fănicolui. Ma ninti, premierul grec Kyriakos Mitsotakis căftă llirtari di la fumellili a victimilor. Tru aestu kiro, autoritățile continuă cercetările tră s’apufusească cauza ali traghedie. Sâmbătă, Ministerul di Externe ali Românie spusi că anamisa di victimele accidentului fu aflatu şi un cetăţeanu român.



    Autoru: Udălu a hăbărloru


    Armânipsearea: Taşcu Lala


  • Președintele României, Klaus Iohannis, va face o vizită oficială de trei zile în Japonia

    Președintele României, Klaus Iohannis, va face o vizită oficială de trei zile în Japonia

    Președintele României, Klaus Iohannis, va face, începând de luni, o vizită oficială de trei zile în Japonia, unde va avea întrevederi cu Împăratul Naruhito, cu prim-ministrul Fumio Kishida, precum și cu președinții celor două Camere ale Dietei Naționale a Japoniei.

    Obiectivul principal al vizitei este ridicarea relației bilaterale la nivel de Parteneriat Strategic, prin semnarea Declarației Comune de Instituire a Parteneriatului Strategic dintre România și Japonia. Semnarea documentului încheie astfel un amplu proces de consultări și negocieri, la cinci ani de la adoptarea deciziei de lansare a acestui Parteneriat Strategic, în cadrul dialogului dintre Președintele României, Klaus Iohannis, și regretatul premier Shinzō Abe, de la București.

    Instituirea Parteneriatului Strategic cu Japonia va marca, astfel, avansarea cooperării româno-japoneze la cel mai înalt nivel și trecerea la o etapă superioară de valorificare a potențialului bilateral, în baza valorilor și a principiilor împărtășite de cele două țări, pe trei dimensiuni cheie: politica externă și dialogul pe teme de securitate, cooperarea economică și în domeniul asistenței pentru dezvoltare, respectiv cooperarea în domeniile culturii, științei și tehnologiei, inovării, cercetării și dezvoltării.

    După vizita în Japonia, Klaus Iohannis, va merge, tot săptămâna viitoare, în Singapore, prima vizită la nivel de președinte al României în această țară, din ultimii 20 de ani. Şeful statului român va avea convorbiri oficiale cu președintele Halimah Yacob și cu prim-ministrul Lee Hsien Loong.

    Agenda vizitei de stat în Singapore cuprinde intensificarea cooperării în domeniile IT, educație, cercetare, securitate alimentară, conectivitate, securitate cibernetică și înalte tehnologii, combaterea schimbărilor climatice și tranziția verde.

    În materie de cooperare economică și sectorială între România și Singapore, pornind de la dinamica pozitivă a schimburilor comerciale în ultimii ani, inclusiv de la faptul că țara noastră este al treilea mare furnizor din Uniunea Europeană de servicii IT în Singapore, interesul României vizează aprofundarea și amplificarea acestui palier de colaborare, prin inițierea de noi proiecte bilaterale.

    Va fi promovat interesul României pentru atragerea investițiilor singaporeze, inclusiv în ceea ce privește proiectele prioritare de interconectare din cadrul Inițiativei celor Trei Mări, în contextul în care președintele Iohannis găzduiește la București, în acest an, Summitul acestei platforme, alături de Forumul de Afaceri, iar unul dintre obiectivele urmărite este creșterea contribuțiilor la Fondul de Investiții al Inițiativei.

    Președintele României va sublinia, totodată, contribuția țării noastre la securitatea alimentară globală și va prezenta potențialul pe care portul Constanța și Dunărea le au pentru conectarea cu Europa Centrală și nu numai.

  • March 4, 2023

    March 4, 2023

    Earthquake — Today it’s 46 years since the devastating earthquake of March 4, 1977, in Romania. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter scale, was strongly felt throughout the country, especially in the south and east. More than 1,500 people lost their lives then, most of them in Bucharest. Most of the deaths in Bucharest occurred as a result of the total or partial collapse of dozens of buildings. The 1977 earthquake had its epicenter in the Vrancea area (east), the most active in Romania. However, recent earthquakes in the south, where such phenomena are very rare, prompted the authorities to start a national campaign to evaluate the buildings where schools and hospitals are operating, to see if they are vulnerable to earthquakes. If this is the case, they will be refurbished, after previously identifying the funding sources. In Bucharest, the first rapid visual evaluations of buildings ahead of the consolidation process are to begin by September. Among the buildings that will have priority are the blocks of flats with at least three stories built before 1968, as well as the buildings where educational or medical units are operating. The World Bank estimates that there are 20,000 buildings vulnerable to earthquakes in Bucharest.



    Greece — A Romanian citizen was identified among the people who died following the serious railway accident that took place in Greece, on the night of February 28 to March 1, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced today. The Consulate General of Romania in Thessaloniki has informed the family of the deceased person, with whom they are in direct contact. The repatriation of the body will be carried out after the completion, by the Greek authorities, of all the specific procedures in such special situations, shows a Foreign Ministry press release. On Friday, more than 5,000 people demonstrated in Athens and Thessaloniki in memory of the 57 people who lost their lives in the railway accident on the railway line connecting the two cities. Violence was reported between the demonstrators and the police, who resorted to tear gas. The “Hellenic Train” company is accused of negligence that led to this catastrophe. The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis appointed a commission of experts to investigate the causes of the accident.




    Visit – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, will travel to Japan on Monday, where he will pay a three-day official visit, during which he will have meetings with Emperor Naruhito and the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The main aim of the visit is to raise the bilateral relationship to the level of strategic partnership, by signing a joint declaration in this regard. Also next week, after the visit to Japan, president Klaus Iohannis will also pay a state visit to Singapore, the first at this level in the last 20 years. The visit is aimed at initiating bilateral investment projects, given that Romania has become the third largest supplier of IT services to Singapore from the European Union.



    Gaudeamus — In Craiova (south), the first stage of the Gaudeamus Book Fair Caravan, organized by Radio Romania, is taking place, which marks both the beginning of the national book fair season and of the spring season. Opened on March 1, the Fair is waiting for literature lovers until Sunday with almost 14,000 books published by over 50 of the most prestigious publishing houses in Romania and abroad, with games, teaching aid equipment and music, with debates, book launches and presentations and prize contests. For the first time in the history of almost three decades and 133 editions of the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, the honorary president of the Craiova Fair is a very young writer – Jonathan Agostino Ottobrino, a student who, up to the age of 12, has already had many achievements, having published two volumes and having won numerous literary prizes. After Craiova, Radio Romania will also organize Gaudeamus Book Fairs in Cluj-Napoca (north-west) in April, Oradea (west) in May, Sibiu (center) in August and Iasi (east) in September. (LS)

  • March 3, 2023 UPDATE

    March 3, 2023 UPDATE

    Visit — Next week the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis will pay an official visit to Japan and a state visit to the Republic of Singapore, the Presidential Administration announced on Friday. The Romanian official will visit Japan between March 6 and 8 and will have meetings with Emperor Naruhito, the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as well as with other officials. The main target and event of this visit is to raise the bilateral relationship to the level of Strategic Partnership, through the signing of the Joint Declaration by the Romanian President and the Japanese Prime Minister, a declaration establishing the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. The Japanese state is the largest Asian investor in Romania. The state visit of the Romanian head of state to Singapore will take place between March 9 and 10, being the first visit to this country in the last 20 years by a president of Romania. Klaus Iohannis will have official talks with his counterpart Halimah Yacob and with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The main aim of this visit is to boost bilateral relations, especially in the economic and investments fields.



    Mission — A detachment made up of approximately 100 soldiers and four F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the Romanian Air Force will participate in the enhanced air policing mission in the Baltic States, between April and July. According to National Defense Ministry, the main objective of the mission carried out in the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia is to prevent the violation of allied airspace and to provide assistance to military and civilian aircraft in emergency situations emerged during the flight. The enhanced air policing mission in the Baltic countries under NATO command – Baltic Air Policing is carried out on the basis of a system of tasks rotation carried out by the allied countries since 2004.



    Protests — In Iași, in eastern Romania, a series of protests by education trade unions started on Thursday, against the background of salary dissatisfaction of the employees. Similar picketing will take place, in the next period, throughout the country. The trade unionists protest against their low salaries, the lack of salary increments and the problems related to the payment of overtime. The Education Minister, Ligia Deca, says that the complaints concern the current legislation and promises that in the future law, that is being currently drafted, pays will be progressive, based on the average salary.



    Canal — On March 15 Romania will start measurements on the Chilia arm and the Bystroe Canal, in order to clarify the contradictory information on the subject of their dredging by the Ukrainians. The working schedule will be established on Monday, and the action will last approximately 10 days. The announcement was made on Friday by the Romanian Transport Ministry, after a meeting between Romanian and Ukrainian experts, at which it was established that experts from Kyiv as well as third-party institutions will assist in the measurements. The Ukrainian side will ensure the security of the Romanian ships and personnel during these actions. The meeting was the first between specialists from the two countries, after Romania accused Ukraine of carrying out dredging works on the canal, a situation that could have an impact on the Danube Delta ecosystem.



    Drugs — Drug trafficking will be punished in Romania with bigger penalties, according to a law adopted by Parliament and promulgated on Friday. The law provides for a prison sentence of 3 up to 10 years and the prohibition of certain rights for cultivating, producing, manufacturing, experimenting, transporting, buying or selling dangerous drugs. Until now, these acts were punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years. Also, the new regulations establish that, for the import or export of dangerous drugs, the punishment can reach 15 years in prison, and in the case of high-risk substances trafficking, such as cocaine, the punishment can reach up to 20 years. If the death of the victim occurs, the penalties applied can reach 25 years in prison. Over 10% of Romanians between the ages of 15 and 64 have consumed at least one type of illicit drug, and, according to the National Anti-Drug Agency, cannabis continues to be one of the most used prohibited substances, especially among students.



    Working visit — The director of the Romanian Intelligence Service – SRI, Eduard Hellvig, was on a working visit to the USA, where he had meetings with Avril Haines, the director of the US National Intelligence Community and with William J. Burns, the CIA director. According to a SRI press release issued on Friday, the discussions focused on the regional and global security situation in the current context and the dynamics of the operational situation. They highlighted the importance of cooperation and the exchange of information between the SRI and the US intelligence, the results obtained and the ways to continue the strategic partnership in the analyzed fields. The SRI leadership and the heads of the US intelligence structures reconfirmed their firm commitments to continuing working together to prevent and to counter aggressions that threaten national and regional security, including aggressions with a global impact. (LS)

  • Singapore – măsuri pentru verificarea temperaturii corporale la frontiere

    Singapore – măsuri pentru verificarea temperaturii corporale la frontiere

    Ministerul Afacerilor Externe (MAE) informează cetățenii români care se află, tranzitează sau intenționează să călătorească în Singapore că autoritățile locale au identificat, până la data de 28 ianuarie 2020, șapte cazuri de pneumonie virală (coronavirus).


    Pasagerii care sosesc în Singapore vor fi supuși verificării temperaturii corporale la aeroport, la terminalele de feribot și la trecerile de frontieră terestre. Persoanele care prezintă simptome, este posibil să fie duse la spital, iar dacă autoritățile locale de specialitate suspectează că sunt infectate, este posibilă introducerea acestora într-un program de carantină.

    Începând din 29 ianuarie 2020, orele 24:00, tranzitul sau intrarea în Singapore sunt restricționate pentru persoanele care au călătorit înspre/dinspre provincia Hubei, Republica Populară Chineză, în ultimele 14 zile. Se recomandă consultarea paginii de internet a Ministerului Sănătății din R. Singapore, constant actualizată privind evoluția prezenței virusului în această țară: https://www.moh.gov.sg/2019-ncov-wuhan.

    Românii pot solicita asistență consulară la numărul de telefon al Ambasadei României în Singapore: +6567355025, apelurile fiind redirecționate către Centrul de Contact și Suport al Cetățenilor Români din Străinătate (CCSCRS) și preluate de către operatorii Call Center, în regim de permanență.

    În cazul unei situaţii dificile, cu caracter de urgenţă, cetăţenii români au la dispoziție și telefonul de permanență al Ambasadei României în Singapore: +6590668971.

    MAE recomandă consultarea paginilor de internet: http://mae.ro/node/1533, http://singapore.mae.ro și reamintește faptul că cetăţenii români care se deplasează în străinătate au la dispoziţie aplicaţia Călătoreşte în siguranţă (www.mae.ro/app_cs), care oferă informaţii şi sfaturi de călătorie, precum şi serviciul de alertă prin SMS, aferent campaniei de informare Un SMS îţi poate salva viaţa!.

  • Anca Rujoiu, editor şi curator care trăieşte în România şi Singapore

    Anca Rujoiu, editor şi curator care trăieşte în România şi Singapore

    Anca Rujoiu, editor şi curator care trăieşte în România şi Singapore.


  • Laureat al Concursului Internaţional Gustav Mahler, Kahchun Wong (Singapore) dirijează la Sala Radio

    Laureat al Concursului Internaţional Gustav Mahler, Kahchun Wong (Singapore) dirijează la Sala Radio

    Tânărul dirijor de 32 de ani Kahchun Wong, născut în Singapore într-o familie de origine chineză, primul muzician asiatic care a câştigat prestigioasa competiţie internaţională de dirijat Gustav Mahler (Germania, 2016) este invitat să dirijeze vineri, 9 noiembrie (ora 19:00), la Sala Radio! Artistul a debutat în martie 2015, alături de Singapore Symphony Orchestra şi începând de atunci a dirijat pe patru continente ansambluri de prestigiu ca Los Angeles Philharmonic, Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra sau Sankt Petersburg Symphony Orchestra şi, din toamna acestui an, este dirijor principal al Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra.

    La Sala Radio, Kahchun Wong se va afla la pupitrul Orchestrei Naţionale Radio şi alături de alt invitat special: pianistul polonez Paweł Kowalski, care a concertat în săli celebre, precum National Philharmonic – Varşovia, Salle Pleyel – Paris, Tonhalle – Zurich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Palau de la Musica – Valencia ş.a. În concertul de la Bucureşti, Paweł Kowalski va interpreta Chopin – Concertul nr. 2 pentru pian şi orchestră, lucrare creată la 20 de ani de compozitorul polonez. Premiera absolută a avut loc în 1830 la Varşovia, cu Chopin însuşi ca solist!

    Pe afişul serii se regăsesc şi lucrarea compozitorului român Alfred Alessandrescu Amurg de toamnă şi Simfonia nr. 1, creaţie a compozitorului rus Vasili Kalinnikov. Evenimentul este prezentat în colaborare cu Institutul Polonez din Bucureşti.


    Kahchun Wong a fost invitat de celebrul dirijor Gustavo Dudamel să dirijeze Filarmonica din Los Angeles în stagiunea 2016-2017. În Asia a dirijat ansambluri ca China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony sau Tokyo Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, Osaka Symphony, Hiroshima Symphony etc. Pentru anul 2019, agenda sa cuprinde numeroase colaborări cu cele mai prestigioase ansambluri ale lumii: în februarie va dirija Filarmonica din New York şi apoi va colabora cu Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Moscow State Symphony, Hamburger Symphoniker, Orchestre Nationale du Capitole de Toulouse etc.

    Pawel Kowalski a debutat în Varşovia, interpretând un concert de pian abia compus la momentul respectiv de Witold Lutosławski, compozitorul însuşi fiind dirijor al concertului! Pianistul polonez a studiat la Cologne, Varşovia şi Vancouver, cu sprijinul unei burse primite din partea compozitorului Witold Lutosławski. Repertoriul său este foarte larg şi divers şi cuprinde lucrări semnate de Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Paderewski, Ravel, Rachmaninov, Gershwin ş.a., dar şi muzică de cameră sau jazz. Popularitatea sa a fost accentuată de ipostaza de comentator pentru Televiziunea Publică Poloneză în timpul Competiţiei Internaţionale de Pian Chopin – Varşovia, 2015.

    Concertul poate fi ascultat în direct pe toate frecvenţele Radio România Cultural şi Radio România Muzical din ţară şi în streaming live pe Internet, pewww.radioromaniacultural.roşi www.romania-muzical.ro.

    Biletele la concertele Orchestrelor şi Corurilor Radio se pot achiziţiona on-line prin reţeaua www.bilete.ro, în oficiile Poştei Române, în magazinele Inmedio semnalizate bilete.ro şi la Casa de bilete a Sălii Radio.

    Alte informaţii legate de Orchestrele şi Corurile Radio, pe www.orchestreradio.ro.

  • Acorduri comerciale cu Japonia și cu Singapore

    Acorduri comerciale cu Japonia și cu Singapore

    Acordul cu Japonia este cel mai
    important acord de parteneriat comercial bilateral negociat vreodată de Uniunea
    Europeană    . Acesta va crea oportunități uriașe de piață pentru ambele părți, va
    intensifica cooperarea dintre Europa și Japonia în diverse domenii, va reafirma
    angajamentul comun al celor două părți față de dezvoltarea durabilă și va
    include, pentru prima oară, un angajament specific referitor la Acordul de la Paris
    privind schimbările climatice. Pe de altă parte, acesta va elimina marea majoritate a taxelor vamale,
    suprimând astfel costurile de aproximativ 1 miliard EUR pe an suportate de
    întreprinderile din UE care exportă către Japonia. Acordul comercial și acordul
    de investiții cu Singapore sunt primele acorduri bilaterale încheiate de UE cu
    un membru al Asociației Națiunilor din Asia de Sud-Est (ASEAN). În cadrul ei,
    Singapore este de departe principalul partener al UE, valoarea totală a
    comerțului bilateral cu mărfuri ridicându-se la 53,3 miliarde EUR (2017), iar a
    comerțului cu servicii la 44,4 miliarde EUR (2016). Grație acestor acorduri, UE
    a făcut un important pas înainte în promovarea unor standarde ridicate și a
    unor reguli exigente în relațiile sale comerciale cu Asia de Sud-Est, o regiune
    dinamică, cu un ritm rapid de dezvoltare. În plus, acordurile reprezintă primul
    pas în direcția unui viitor acord comercial și de investiții interregional
    între UE și ASEAN.

    Comisarul european pentru comerţ, Cecilia
    Malmström    , a declarat : Acordul economic cu
    Japonia este de fapt cel mai important acord de parteneriat comercial bilateral
    negociat vreodată de Uniunea Europeană. Iar Singapore este o țară mai mică și
    totuși importantă, care reprezintă poarta de acces pentru UE în Asia de sud-est.
    10 000 de companii europene s-au stabilit deja în Singapore, care a devenit o
    platformă de deservire pentru întreaga regiune. Conform celor mai recente
    statistici, schimburile bilaterale de bunuri și servicii au atins deja aproape
    1 million de euro pe an. Astfel că stabilim un punct de referință pentru
    acordurile comerciale în această regiune, iar acordul cu Singapore este primul
    încheiat cu un membru al Asociației Națiunilor din Asia de Sud-Est (ASEAN), o
    piatră de temelie în direcția unui viitor acord comercial și de investiții
    interregional între UE și ASEAN. Ne angajăm prin
    aceste acorduri să sprijinim progresiv o serie de reguli privind drepturile
    forței de muncă și respectarea mediului înconjurător. Ambele acorduri includ
    capitole cuprinzătoare privind comerțul și dezvoltarea durabilă, care
    garantează cele mai ridicate standarde și consolidează acțiunile comune în
    materie de forță de muncă, mediu, schimbări climatice și protecția animalelor,
    domenii importante de reglementat în toate țările.

    Pe lângă oportunitățile economice
    enorme pe care le oferă, acordurile comerciale încheiate includ, de asemenea, capitole
    cuprinzătoare privind comerțul și dezvoltarea durabilă, care stabilesc cele mai
    ridicate standarde în materie de forță de muncă, siguranță, mediu și protecția
    consumatorilor, consolidează acțiunile comune cu privire la dezvoltarea
    durabilă și la schimbările climatice și protejează pe deplin serviciile
    publice.




  • October 27, 2017 UPDATE

    October 27, 2017 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY – Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday received Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union. During the talks, the two officials approached issues related to the future of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), as well as about Romanias process of accession to the Euro zone. Klaus Iohannis expressed his countrys support for further consolidating the EMU and underlined that the future of the Euro zone is of special importance to Romania, considering its strategic objective to switch to the Euro as soon as possible. In turn, the European official briefed the Romanian President on the Commissions intention to come up in December with a package of proposals on the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union. It will also include the proposal to create a new financial assistance instrument for the member states willing to switch to the Euro.



    CATALONIA – Spains Senate on Friday approved the request of PM Mariano Rajoy to impose direct rule over secessionist Catalonia, a decision made just a couple of minutes after the Parliament in Barcelona unilaterally declared the regions independence from Spain. Rajoy will hold a cabinet meeting shortly to decide what measures to take. They could include the firing of the Catalan leaders, and the Spanish government taking control of the region’s finances, police and public media. All regional-political, economic and security structures will be directly subordinated to Madrid. Mariano Rajoy has launched an appeal for calm and warned that the Spanish state will soon restore constitutional order in Catalonia. Earlier, the Parliament in Barcelona adopted a resolution calling for “the beginning of a process of the creation of an independent Catalan state in the form of a republic. Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and other members of the regional government attended the vote.



    COMMEMORATION – On October 30th Bucharest commemorates two years since the devastating fire that ripped through the Colectiv night club in the capital city where 64 people were killed and 100 wounded. The event is marked in Bucharest by the Colectiv Association through a procession called “the March of Guitars and two days of concerts. On October 30th, Radio Romania will broadcast a programme inspired from the tragedy, which is symbolically entitled ‘64. On this occasion, people are expected to voice their discontent for the belated court trial that has been postponed for the month of November, a decision that caused dissatisfaction among the victims families. We recall that the clubs owners and representatives of the company that had provided the pyrotechnic devices for the concert hosted by the club have been sent to court for manslaughter and violation of fire safety regulations. The former district mayor has also been sent to court for abuse of office along with employees from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations for having failed to sanction the club for the absence of a fire safety certificate. We recall the tragedy sparked off large-scale anti-corruption rallies, which forced the Social-Democratic cabinet led by Victor Ponta to step down.



    DAVIS CUP – Israel has a 2-0 lead on Romania, after the first single tennis matches of the Davis Cup tie, with the winning team remaining in Europe/Africa Zone Group I. On Friday, in Ramat Hasharon, Dragos Dima (463 ATP) was defeated by Edan Leshem (285 ATP) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and Dudi Sela (70 ATP) defeated Nicolae Frunză (600 ATP) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. In the doubles, the first match between Israels Dudi Sela/Jonathan Erlich and Romanias Vasile Antonescu /Bogdan Borza will be played on Saturday. On Sunday, in the singles, Sela faces Dima, and Leshem-Frunză. Romania lost both rounds played earlier this year 2-3 to Belarus and 1-4 to Austria, whereas Israel lost 5-0 to Portugal and 5-0 to Ukraine. Israel is trying to avoid relegation from Group I for the first time in the past 16 years, and Romania for the first time since 1993.



    TENNIS – First seeded and no.1 WTA, Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, on Friday failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions Tournament in Singapore. In her last Red Group match, Halep sustained a 6-3, 6-4 defeat from Ukrainian Elina Svitolina. Also on Friday, in the other match of the Group, Frances Caroline Garcia defeated Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 0-6, 6-3, 7-5 and reached the semi-finals, where she will face American Venus Williams. In the other semi-final, the Czech Karolina Pliskova will face Caroline Wozniacki.

  • Sport Club RRI: Tenis de câmp

    Sport Club RRI: Tenis de câmp

    În aceste zile se desfăşoară, în Singapore, Turneul
    Campioanelor la tenis. Jucătoarea română Simona Halep este cotată drept
    favorita numărul doi la câştigarea competiţiei, după Angelique Kerber. Sportiva
    germană ocupă în acest moment locul întâi în clasamentul mondial, iar marţi
    ne-a arătat şi de ce. În a doua etapă a Grupei
    Roşii, Kerber a trecut de Simona în două seturi, cu 6-4, 6-2.


    In primul joc, românca trecuse de jucătoarea
    americană Madison Keys, cu 6-2, 6-4. Keys a revenit, marţi, în lupta pentru
    calificarea în semifinale, după ce s-a impus, în a doua partidă, în faţa
    jucătoarei slovace Dominika Cibulkova, tot în două seturi: 6-1, 6-4.


    Joi sunt programate ultimele jocuri ale
    Grupei Roşii. De la ora 16, ora locală, Simona Halep se întâlneşte cu Dominika
    Cibulkova, iar seara, nu înainte de 19.30, Angelique Kerber se confruntă cu
    Madison Keys.


    Scenariile privind calificarea Simonei sunt
    optimiste doar în situaţia unei victorii a lui Kerber la Madison Keys. În cazul în care jucătoarea americană este cea care se va
    se impune în confruntarea cu Numărul unu mondial, Halep trebuie să nu piardă
    niciun set în faţa Cibulkovei ca să meargă mai departe.


    Statistica întâlnirilor dintre cele două
    jucătoare este favorabilă slovacei, care a câştigat de trei ori, iar Halep,
    doar de două. In ultima confruntare, care a avut loc anul acesta, la Madrid,
    s-a impus însă românca, după doar două seturi, cu 6-2, 6-4.


    Simona Halep joacă, anul acesta, pentru a
    treia oară consecutiv la Turneul Campioanelor de la Singapore. În 2014, la
    prima participare, a obţinut şi cea mai bună performanţă de până acum, şi anume
    calificarea în finală, dar în 2015 nu a ieşit din grupe.

  • October 22, 2016 UPDATE

    October 22, 2016 UPDATE

    CETA – Romania will carry on negotiations with Canada on lifting visa requirements for Romanians, irrespective of the decisions on the EU – Canada free trade agreement. President Klaus Iohannis said, at the end of the European Council meeting in Brussels, that talks on this topic would follow their appointed course and that there was no deadline for completing them. Negotiations on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) were resumed in Brussels on Saturday, after the previous day they were suspended because of the opposition of the Belgian region of Wallonia, which is against a number of provisions in the text. Romania has pinned its hopes on CETA, on which the lifting of visa requirements for its citizens depended. More specifically, Bucharest had reached a deal with Ottawa to allow visa-free entry for its citizens as of December next year, in exchange for Romania giving up its objections to CETA. In fact, President Klaus Iohannis announced on Friday that an agreement had been reached on a gradual elimination of visas. Because of Wallonias veto, the EU-Canada trade agreement is currently suspended, and so is the issue of visa requirements for Romanians.




    RALLY – Some 1,500 people took part on Saturday in Bucharest in a rally supporting the Republic of Moldovas joining Romania. Many participants have come from the neighbouring ex-Soviet republic with a mostly Romanian-speaking population. They believe that, in the current geopolitical context, the union of the two countries is the only solution to ensure that the ethnic Romanians in Moldova will not be the victims of a Russian aggression similar to the one against Ukraine. Already a tradition in Bucharest, the pro-Bessarabia rallies started in 2012, with the commemoration of 200 years since this province was first annexed by Tsarist Russia. Todays Republic of Moldova has been established on part of the territory of Bessarabia, which had re-joined Romania after WWI and was re-annexed by the USSR in 1940.




    NATO – The Black Sea region is a geostrategic region where threats for NATO and for its eastern and southern partners overlap, including migration, terror groups and trafficking, said Gen. Nicolae Ciucă, Chief of general Staff of the Romanian Army. He represented Romania at the Strategic Military Partner Conference organised in Bucharest by NATOs Allied Command Transformation. Attending were representatives of 70 NATO member and partner countries. Columbia and Nigeria took part for the first time in talks in this context. The Strategic Military Partner Conference convenes every year and is the main NATO forum discussing the transformations and future challenges for the Alliance and its partners. The main topic of this years talks was the prospective enlargement of partnerships with the North-Atlantic Alliance.




    CINEMA – The feature film ‘Sieranevada’ by the Romanian director Cristi Puiu won two major awards at the Chicago Film Festival, the official site of the competition reports. ‘Sieranevada’ was awarded the Gold Hugo for the best film and the Silver Hugo for best director. Another Romanian feature film, “Graduation by Cristian Mungiu, won the Silver Plaque for best screenplay and Silver Hugo for best actor – Adrian Titieni. This year the Chicago International Film Festival has reached its 52nd edition.



    TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu (51 WTA) Saturday won the Luxembourg tournament with 250,000 US dollars in prize money, after defeating seed no 1 Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) 6/4, 6/0. This is the third WTA tournament that Niculescu has won, after Florianopolis (Brazil) in 2013, and Guangzhou (China) in 2014. In other news, on Sunday, the Romanian Simona Halep plays against Madison Keys from the US, in her first match at the WTA Finals in Singapore, which has 7 million US dollars in total prize money. Halep, seeded 3rd in the competition, plays in the Red Group, which also includes top seed and world no 1 Angelique Kerber (Germany) and Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia). The White Group includes Polands Agnieszka Radwanska, Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic), Garbine Muguruza (Spain), with the last spot in this group to be filled by either Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova or Britians Johanna Konta. Simona Halep takes part for the third time in the WTA Finals, after having played the 2014 finals against Serena Williams, and leaving the competition last year in the group stage.

    (translated by: Ana Maria Popescu)