Radio România Internațional

Tag: snowfalls

  • January 21, 2024

    January 21, 2024

    Protest — A protest by Romanian transporters and farmers was approved by the general mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, for three days, starting on Sunday, in the center of Bucharest. In this action, the local administration admitted the participation of no more than 5 thousand people, 100 tractors and 100 truck heads. The Bucharest Prefect, Rareş Hopincă, announced that, until Saturday, when the organizers had the obligation to notify the state institutions regarding the participating vehicles, the presence of only one vehicle had been communicated, but the Gendarmerie can extend this deadline. According to Radio Romania’s correspondents, on Saturday, a new protest took place in Sibiu (center), and dozens of tractors and trucks crossed the main roads of the city. A similar action took place on the southern belt of Craiova (south-west), and on the Jiului Gorge (south-west) tens of vehicles hampered road traffic, driving at low speed. Previously, the protesters also temporarily blocked Siret and Halmeu towns on the border with Ukraine, also dissatisfied with the drop in cereal prices generated by imports from the neighboring country. The European Commission is working on measures to solve to the problems caused by the export of cheap Ukrainian grains to the states bordering Ukraine – Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. The representatives of the EC confirmed that they received a letter from the five countries, one of the requests being aimed at the introduction of import taxes for Ukrainian grains. These are cheaper and do not have to meet the same quality standards as those produced in the EU.



    Parliament — The Romanian Senate was convened, on Monday, in an extraordinary session, to adopt the emergency ordinances recently issued by the government in the context of the farmers and transporters protests. There are several laws – one of them refers to the excise duty on diesel fuel, while other modifies regulations in the field of road transport. The government adopted the ordinances on Thursday as an urgent response to the requests of farmers and transporters who have been protesting throughout the country for more than 11 days. The emergency ordinances were proposed after negotiations from the Ministries of Agriculture and Transport. One of them modifies road transport regulations. The new provisions will allow category B license holders to also drive agricultural or forestry tractors with a maximum speed of 40 km/h on public roads. Another amendment eliminates the obligation to carry out the periodic technical inspection of slow vehicles, respectively of those whose maximum designed speed is up to 25 km/h. Regarding the diesel fuel excise duty, the Government decided to postpone until June 1 the application of a European directive by which diesel and kerosene must have the same tax mark. The ordinances were adopted to respond to an emergency situation, but during the parliament recess, so, according to the Constitution, the Parliament must be convened to turn them into laws. In this case, the Senate is the first chamber notified.



    Weather — The bad weather affected several areas in Romania. In Bucharest, more than 20 cars were damaged by fallen trees as a result of the heavy snowfalls. On some sections of national roads, road traffic was temporarily blocked due to the layer of snow and ice formed on the road. Currently, traffic unfolds in winter conditions, and the Traffic Police called on drivers not to travel if their cars are not equipped with winter tires. Railway traffic was also affected. On some sections of the railway trains are running at low speed. Other trains are delayed due to broken rails due to the low temperatures. Also, the air traffic at Bucharest’s airports takes place in winter conditions. Delays are reported for some flights due to aircraft de-icing actions, which are carried out after the boarding of passengers.



    Heavy snows — At least 50 people have died this week due to severe winter weather affecting the United States, the authorities have announced. Freezing, snow and ice made roads extremely dangerous, disrupted air travel, closed schools and left thousands of homes without electric power. More than 1,100 US flights were canceled and another 8,000 were delayed because of the weather, while the cold persisted in some regions, such as the center of the country. The wave of cold and heavy snow falls also hit Europe. In the west and north, hundreds of flights have been canceled in recent days. Most were at the Frankfurt airport. In Sweden, the snowstorm brought chaos to the roads and school buses, buses and commuter trains stopped running. Low temperatures and snow were also recorded in Great Britain, Scotland and France.



    Sculptor – The sculptor Vlad Ciobanu, one of the most valuable fine artists in Romania, passed away at the age of 75. Since 1990 he had taught at the Bucharest National University of Arts. Throughout his career he received numerous awards, including the Prize of the Union of Fine Artists for Sculpture, in 2005. Vlad Ciobanu was the coordinator and curator of several editions of the International Sculpture Symposium ” Brâncusi Workshops” from Târgu Jiu, southwest Romania , in the period 2005-2021. He wrote numerous articles, papers and essays about the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi. He had numerous solo or group exhibitions in the country and abroad, in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, France. Important monuments signed by Vlad Ciobanu can be found, among others, in Alexandria (south) – “Unknown Hero”, Alba Iulia (centre) – “King Ferdinand”, Onești (east) – “Dimitrie Cantemir”. The Artoteca Gallery, in Bucharest, hosted the last solo exhibition by Vlad Ciobanu called “Pilgrim” between December 4, 2023 and January 8, 2024. At the end of the exhibition, Maestro Vlad Ciobanu gave an interview, possibly his last interview, for our radio station, which you can listen to in one of the future editions of World of Culture. (LS)

  • November 27, 2023 UPDATE

    November 27, 2023 UPDATE

    WEATHER Severe weather caused
    fresh problems in Romania, where heavy snowfalls and snowstorms affected 177 localities in 22 counties, according to the National Inspectorate for Emergencies. More than 660 vehicles were snowed under and over 540 trees were
    brought down by the wind. The most affected region was the east of the country,
    where roads were closed, railway traffic was disrupted and electricity and
    water supply discontinued. The Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport
    (south-east) was closed, and so were the Black Sea ports on the Romanian coast.
    Schools were also closed down in 5 counties in the south-east.


    BUDGET The government will continue this week to work
    on the state budget for 2024. The main challenges are related to pension
    increases and large-scale investments. PM Marcel Ciolacu says the new pension
    law is sustainable and that next year’s budget will be able to increase
    pensions twice, on January 1st by 13.8 percent and then until September 1st.
    Carrying on large investment projects is the priority of the government for 2024
    as well, the finance minister Marcel Boloş said. According to him, the budget
    of the education ministry will be increased significantly next year, especially
    in order to fund the investment projects included in the National Recovery and Resilience
    Plan. This budget must also cover the salary increase that the government
    promised in order to end an all-out strike in June.


    RECYCLING The first regional sorting centre for packaging was opened
    in Bonţida, north-western Romania, as part of the Packaging Guarantee and
    Return System to become operational as of November 30. A total of 17 such
    centres will be opened across the country in the forthcoming period. The
    environment minister Mircea Fechet explained that around 7 bln glass and
    plastic bottles as well as aluminium cans will reach recycling facilities, and
    promised that Romania will switch from storing to recycling.


    INVESTIGATION President Klaus Iohannis submitted prosecution
    requests concerning 2 former health ministers, Vlad Voiculescu and Ioana
    Mihăilă (USR party), to the justice ministry. The two are probed into for abuse
    of office with respect to the procurement of vaccines during the COVID-19
    pandemic, in a case in which the former PM Florin Cîţu is also facing charges
    of complicity to abuse of office. The latter, accompanied by his lawyers, appeared
    before the Senate’s judicial committee to review the case file against him. Cîţu,
    currently a senator with the National Liberal Party, said he would request
    Senate to suspend his parliamentary immunity. A decision in this respect will
    be made on Wednesday.


    GAUDEAMUS In Bucharest, almost 100,000 people visited the 30th
    edition of the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, which ended on Sunday evening
    with the awarding of trophies. The most coveted book of the Gaudeamus Fair was
    designated More than the past, by Ana Blandiana, from the Humanitas
    Publishing House. Also by public vote, Humanitas, Litera and Polirom were
    designated the best publishing houses of this year’s fair. The prize for
    translation from Romanian into a foreign language was won by Şerban Foarţă for
    the volume of bilingual Romanian-German poems Schlimmericks, and
    the prize for translation from a foreign language into Romanian was awarded to
    Alexandra Coliban for the translation from English of the novel
    Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen. The Book Fair hosted over 500
    publishing events over five days. The honorary president of the edition was the
    writer and literary critic Ion Bogdan Lefter.

  • Bad weather hits Romania

    Bad weather hits Romania

    This past weekend Romania was affected by severe weather. In the mountain areas in the centre and north-east, massive snowfalls were reported, resulting in a significant layer of snow; in the south-east however, especially in Dobrogea and on the seacoast, mixed precipitation was reported, while the wind reached speeds as high as 100 km per hour.



    A total 52 localities in 16 counties were affected by the bad weather, the General Inspectorate for Emergencies Announced. In the counties of Neamţ, Suceava and Vaslui, in the north-east of the country, snowfalls and snowstorms led to the closing of several roads, and the blizzards caused blackouts in several towns and villages.



    In the south-east, the wind was the main problem. On Saturday, Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant got automatically disconnected from the national power system, and a number of wind turbines stopped working. The Nuclearelectrica National Corporation announced that, as a result of disruptions, the plant produced nearly 1,700 MW less than under usual circumstances.



    The lower electricity output and the damage caused by the wind led to blackouts in scores of places. On Sunday afternoon, around 40,000 consumers in 80 localities in Dobrogea were left without electricity, according to the supplier. Meanwhile, power has been restored for close to 93% of the affected users. The Cernavodă Unit 1 was also re-synched with the national power grid, and has been operating at maximum capacity since Monday morning.



    A special situation was reported in the city of Constanţa. Romanias largest Black Sea port was hit by a serious storm on Saturday night. The wind, blowing at over 100 km/h, tore down roofs, trees, street light posts and electricity poles, and damaged tens of vehicles. In the Tomis Marina, several boats were also damaged, and some of them sank at the pier.



    After this weekends severe weather spell, the National Meteorology Agency forecasts rising temperatures in most of the country, and especially in the south-west and the south, where they would go above the average for this period. Clouds will linger in the northern half of the country, with rainfalls expected in Maramureş, Moldavia, Transylvania, and in small parts of Crișana and Banat. In the mountains, mixed precipitation is forecast. The wind has slowed down, with occasional gusts at high altitudes. (AMP)

  • January 28, 2023

    January 28, 2023

    COOPERATION
    France and the Netherlands are eagerly waiting
    for Romania’s Schengen accession as soon as possible. This is one of the main
    elements in a joint statement on security cooperation signed in Bucharest on
    Friday by the foreign ministers of the 3 countries. The message was also
    highlighted by the Dutch diplomacy chief, Wopke Hoekstra, in the bilateral
    talks with his Romanian counterpart, Bogdan Aurescu. The 2 officials, together
    with the French foreign minister, Catherine
    Colonna,Friday visited the Getica National Joint Training Centre in
    Cincu, where French and Dutch troops are deployed as part of the NATO Battle
    Group created in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In fact, after the
    trilateral talks concerning Moscow’s armed aggression, Catherine Colonna said
    Ukraine must be helped to defend itself, to regain its independence and
    sovereignty. In Bucharest, the foreign officials were also received by
    president Klaus Iohannis and PM
    Nicolae Ciucă.


    CINEMA Two
    Romanian films, ‘Metronome’ by Alexandru Belc and ‘M.R.I.’ by Cristian Mungiu, are
    in the competition of the Gothenburg International Film Festival in Sweden, which
    started on Friday. According to the Romanian Cultural Institute in Stockholm,
    the event brings together around 400 works from around the world every year,
    with 160,000 viewers attending. ‘Metronome’, the debut feature of the director Alexandru
    Belc, is a love story in 1972 communist Romania, and critics describe it as a
    social and historical analysis of a generation forced to live in a society
    marred by suspicion and distrust. Cristian Mungiu’s ‘R.M.N.’ is set in a
    Transylvanian village, where a small factory hires new workers, troubling the
    apparent peace of the locals. The over 40-year old
    film festival in Gothenburg is the most important such event in the
    region.


    SURVEY As many as 80% of Romanian consumers allow the use of their
    personal data for advertising purposes, according to a survey conducted on the
    European Data Protection Day. The latest data in the Survey on the usage of ITC
    in households and by individuals indicate that 1 of 2 Europeans aged between 16
    and 74 do not allow the use of their personal data for advertising purposes
    when using the internet. As many as 46% reported having allowed only restricted
    access to their location or having denied access to their data altogether. The
    countries where the use of personal data for advertising is mostly denied by
    users include the Netherlands (73%), Finland (70%), Denmark and Germany (63%
    each), Spain (62%). At the opposite pole, the lowest rates were reported in
    Bulgaria (10%), Romania (20%), Greece (29%), Slovakia (30%) and Latvia (32%).


    ELECTION
    Petr Pavel looks set
    to win the runoff of the presidential elections in the Czech Republic, ahead of
    ex-PM Andrej Babis, AFP reports. Polling
    stations opened on Friday and close today. Petr
    Pavel, 61, a retired general who held a senior NATO post, is running as an
    independent candidate and has the support of the right-of-centre government. Billionaire
    Andrej Babis, 68, who was the country’s PM between 2017 and 2021, promised to
    force the government to help citizens handle the rising inflation. The winner
    of the vote will replace the controversial Milos Zeman, who had had close ties
    with Moscow before changing course during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.


    WEATHER In Romania, weather experts issued code orange and yellow alerts
    for heavy snowfalls, snowstorms and rainfalls in over 20 counties in the east
    and centre of the country. The bad weather left thousands of households without
    electricity, road, railway and air traffic was disrupted and several national
    and county roads were closed. (AMP)

  • December 28, 2019

    December 28, 2019

    GOVERNMENT – The Liberal Government in
    Bucharest on Friday adopted a memorandum of the Justice Ministry calling for
    the shutdown of the Special Unit investigating magistrates. Justice Minister
    Catalin Predoiu said the unit was set up by the previous Social-Democrat
    Government without any public consultations, against the backdrop of negative
    reactions from several magistrates’ associations, European partners, GRECO and
    the Venice Commission. Minister Predoiu said the law regulating the unit is
    flawed, rendering the special section inoperable. At present, the
    Social-Democrats say it is outrageous even discussing the possibility of
    disbanding the special unit, claiming abuses are a daily reality in the justice
    system. Recalling that Romanians voted in the May referendum against any
    emergency decrees being passed in the justice field, interim Social-Democrat
    leader Marcel Ciolacu suggested a debate in Parliament on this matter and the
    consultation of all associations and stakeholders in the justice field.




    SURVEY – The labor force crisis, the high inflation rate and the
    potential negative evolution of the exchange rate are the biggest challenges
    facing the business sector in Romania next year, reads a survey titled Survey
    on the state of the economy, published by a consultancy company. According to
    the survey, the labor force crisis deepened in 2019, while the import of
    foreign workers offset under 10% of the needed workforce. Moreover, business
    people believe that, beyond boosting consumption, the salary increases in the
    public sector have spiked imbalances on the labor market. Asked what measures
    would be needed to develop a stable economic framework, companies mentioned
    fiscal predictability, the digitization of public administration, investment in
    infrastructure or a national plan for vocational requalification. The survey
    was conducted over December 1-15 on a sample of 450 companies from various
    fields of activity, from trade to financial services, agriculture, energy,
    textiles and IT.




    NEW YEAR’S EVE – Successful bands from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s
    will perform live in Bucharest as part of the 2020 New Year’s Eve Party dubbed
    Disco Night Fever. 11 bands and artists from Romania, the Republic of Moldova,
    Germany and the United States will electrify the crowds with live concerts. The
    list of performers includes the band O-Zone, which has reunited for this
    special occasion, the famous duo Milli Vanilli, Haddaway or Turbo B, the
    soloist of the band Snap! The New Year’s Eve Party will end in Bucharest with a
    spectacular fireworks show.


    WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued
    two alerts against extreme weather conditions, in place until Sunday evening. A
    code yellow alert against heavy snowfalls and blizzard was issued for six
    counties in the east and northeast, as well as for mountainous regions.
    Additional snowfalls and strong wind are expected in the center, east and
    southeast. Meteorologists have also announced a drop in temperatures
    nationwide. On Sunday and Monday temperatures are expected to drop below 0 down
    to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Highs will predominantly be negative in the
    northern half of the country during the interval, while temperatures in the
    south will go as high as 4 degrees Celsius, which is normal for this time of the
    year.


    (Translated by
    V. Palcu)

  • Spring is far to come

    Spring is far to come

    After a short spell of spring-like weather, winter is
    coming back in Romania. The National Meteorology Administration has issued a
    code yellow alert for heavy snowfalls and storms valid until Wednesday morning
    in the mountainous regions from 23 counties. Another bad weather alert has been
    issued forecasting rainfalls in most regions, with the amount of rain being
    expected to reach 10 up to 20 liters per square meter locally. Snowfalls and
    sleet are expected in the center, northeast and north of Romania while in the
    south, after a period of rain, it will start to snow. Given the weather
    conditions, the Mountain Rescue Service is in for a lot of work. Recently the
    media has presented the case of two French tourists who were saved by the
    mountain rescuers after a spectacular 11-hour operation during the night. The
    two had got lost while they were climbing down from Cozia chalet in
    Calimanesti, in the Southern Carpathian area, in Valcea County. Another case
    presented by the media was that of 6 Dutch young people who got lost in the
    Arieseni resort area, between the Vârtop and Piatra Grăitoare ski slopes, on
    the border between the Alba and Bihor counties. They were rescued by the teams
    from Alba and Bihor, who were joined by the mountain rescuers from Alba.


    There have also been tragic accidents reported this
    winter, many people having died or having been injured as they were caught by
    avalanches. Other people got hurt on the ski slopes or fell into precipices.
    Mountain rescuers recommend people who love the mountains to be cautious and
    wear appropriate equipment, and to always check the weather reports. Tourists
    are advised to download, free of charge, the Mountain Rescuers official app,
    which provides the most comprehensive information and orientation guide in Romania.
    Another piece of useful advice for those willing to climb the mountains is to
    ask for information dialing 0SALVAMONT or calling the emergency number 112. In
    the past week alone, mountain rescuers have had to intervene in almost 700
    cases. Now, given the code yellow alert for snowfalls and storms, the rescue
    teams are on the alert. The Mountain Rescuers Service has 42 units across the
    country and an emergency dispatcher available round the clock, all week long.
    In the past 10 years they have responded to over 260 thousand calls and have
    saved more than 55 thousand people.

  • January 12, 2019

    January 12, 2019

    EU Romanias PM Viorica Dancila will be on a visit to Strasbourg on Monday and Tuesday. She will present to the European Parliament the priorities of the first Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union and have meetings with EU officials. On Friday, during talks with the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and with members of the College of EU Commissioners in Bucharest, Viorica Dancila emphasised that the Romanian presidency will seek to achieve consensus among Member States over the multi-annual financial framework, and is looking for “small, but reliable steps in this respect. According to the Romanian PM, the talks held on Friday between members of the Romanian Government and of the College of Commissioners were structured into 3 thematic sections and focused on EU priorities like the single market, the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union, migration, security and justice.




    CHURCH Pope Francis, who will make a visit to mostly-Orthodox Romania between May 31st and June 2nd, will have a meeting with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, a Romanian Patriarchy spokesman announced. He emphasised that the good relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church translate, among others, in the hospitality with which Romanian communities have been received in many countries, especially in Italy, where many Romanian parishes hold religious services in locations made available by the local Catholic communities. On Friday the Vatican and the Romanian Presidency confirmed the Popes visit to Romania. He will visit the capital city Bucharest, the cities of Iaşi (in the north-east) and Blaj (centre), as well as the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc (centre). Pope Francis is the second Pope to visit Romania, after John Paul II who was in 1999 the first head of the Catholic Church to visit a mostly Orthodox country since the East-West Schism of 1054.




    MEASLES 36 new measles cases have been confirmed in 8 counties in Romania over the past week, according to data from the National Centre for Infectious Disease Monitoring and Control, posted on the website of the National Institute for Public Health. Most cases have been reported in counties Teleorman (south), Sălaj (north), Maramureş (north), Neamţ (east) and Prahova (south). The total number of measles cases confirmed in Romania so far is 15,600, with 59 deaths also reported. The most frequently affected are non-vaccinated children.




    DEFENCE The Romanian Defence Ministry has suspended the procurement procedure for 4 multirole corvettes worth 1.6 billion euro. The head of the Armaments Department, Andrei Ignat, has notified the Military Prosecutors Office with respect to the corvette procurement operation, based on reasonable suspicions regarding the lawfulness of the procedure, likely to affect national security interests. The bid, which should have been completed last year, has been postponed several times. Competing for the contract are 3 major international companies: Damen, from the Netherlands, Fincantieri of Italy and Naval Group from France.




    PASSPORTS The new Romanian electronic passports, to be issued as of this week, will be virtually impossible to forge, said the head of the Directorate General for Passports Mirel Toancă on Saturday. He said each page of the new documents includes a stylised image of a well-known Romanian historic or tourist site, such as the Danube Delta, the Scărişoara Cave or Sighişoara medieval citadel. The fees for the issue of the new passports remain unchanged, and the ones valid at present will remain in use. Simple electronic passports are valid for 10 years, and temporary ones are valid 1 year.




    WEATHER Europe continues to be ravaged by massive snowfalls and freezing temperatures. In the south-east of Germany, 4 regions initiated emergency plans after several days of continuing snowfalls. Several flights have been cancelled in Munich and Frankfurt, and traffic was disrupted on several roads. Schools have been closed. Major problems are also reported in Austria, where Innsbruck authorities advised people to stay indoors to avoid prospective avalanches. In Hungary, authorities have issued a code yellow alert for snow storms in the north-east of the country and a code red warning for freezing temperatures. Around 20 people have died in Europe in the past week because of the extreme weather conditions.





    MACEDONIA Greeces PM Alexis Tsipras congratulated his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, after a historic vote in Skopje to rename the country “The Republic of North Macedonia. Zoran Zaev won by a narrow margin the 2-thirds of the parliamentary votes needed for this goal, with the nationalists in Opposition boycotting the meeting. This is the last but one major obstacle to the settlement of a decade-long dispute with Greece over the name “Macedonia, which Athens claims for the north of Greece. According to the BBC, the next step is the ratification of the agreement by the Greek Parliament, paving the way for Macedonias prospective accession to the EU and NATO.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romania hit by a wave of polar air

    Romania hit by a wave of polar air

    Autumn officially arrived in Romania precisely on Sunday at 4:54 hours local time. The equinox marked the arrival of the astronomical autumn in the northern hemisphere, where days will continue to get shorter and nights longer, right up to the winter solstice on December 21st. These longer nights are expected to usher in lower temperatures, which during the day will rise only until 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., unlike in summer, when we saw them rising until evening. Romania has made the transition to autumn more abruptly than expected by many.



    A wave of cold air has engulfed the entire country in only 2-3 days. After on Saturday and Sunday temperatures soared to 30-31 degrees Celsius in certain areas, they shortly plummeted to values by 10 and 15 degrees lower than usual for this time of the year. Romania actually had two seasons on Monday: in its central regions people switched on their heating systems, whereas on the Black Sea coast others were having a great time basking in the sun and swimming in the warm sea water.



    On Monday night, the wave of cold air swept over all the territory and temperatures plunged below zero in the mountainous regions on Tuesday. Minus 8 degrees C were reported at the Omu Peak in the Carpathians and minus 5 degrees in the Fagaras Mountains. Snow removal operations commenced on Romania’s highest and most spectacular motorway the Transfagarasan, where the snow layer reached up to 10 centimeters. So, temperatures sharply dropped all throughout Romania on Tuesday with intensified wind and local showers in the country’s northern and central regions as well as with snowfalls in the mountains.



    According to the latest weather forecasts, the bad weather will continue to keep Romania in its grip until Friday, when temperatures are expected to rise again. However, experts believe that in spite of these cold days, Romania will see genuine autumn days only in October though temperatures are expected to be higher than usual for this time of the year, with scarce rain. Experts have also agreed that seasons are no longer what they used to be, as global warming has a significant impact in the northern hemisphere as well.

  • Winter is back in Romania

    Winter is back in Romania

    Although were in the middle of spring, winter has returned with a vengeance to Romania. Nearly three quarters of the countrys regions were under code orange or yellow alerts against heavy snowfall or rainfall, strong wind and unseasonably cold temperatures. Meteorologists explained that the cold snap is the effect of a trans-Balkan cyclone crossing Romania these days. The cyclone amassed in Central Europe, shifted down towards the Mediterranean, crossed the Balkans and reached the Black Sea basin.



    Besides, a cold front of Arctic origin sweeping across Europe from the north has changed its trajectory towards the southeast. Average temperatures during this period range from 3 to 12 degrees, whereas normal temperatures for April would stand between 14 and 21 degrees Celsius. Forecasters say Saturday night will be extremely cold, with temperatures expected to drop to negative levels in Romanias northern half, as well as in the south. The lowest temperatures will stand at minus 8 degrees in depression areas.



    Bucharest too was under a code yellow alert against heavy rainfall and extreme cold. This weekend, temperatures will drop below zero. As a result, the citys heating service was forced to resume supplying district heating, within only a week of its shutdown. On the other hand, dozens of villages in the east and southeast were cut off from the power grid after strong wind shattered several high-tension wires. Snowdrifts have blocked traffic on several national roads, especially in the east, south and centre, also seriously disrupting traffic on other county and village roads.



    Taken aback by the surprising bad weather, snow removal companies took out their snow-clearing machines and sprayed ice-melting salt brine on roads to avoid accidents, since many drivers had already switched to summer tires.



    The bad weather has also disrupted rail traffic. Several trains reported big delays of up to two hours due to the blizzard, strong wind and extreme cold. Ports on the Romanian Black Seacoast were also temporarily shut down because of the strong wind. Air traffic on some of the countrys airports was also affected by rain, several international flights being cancelled.



    Meteorologists expect the weather to slightly improve this weekend in Romania, first in terms of the amount of rainfall. Next week temperatures will increase steadily. The bad weather these days has affected other European countries as well.


    (translated by: Vlad Palcu)

  • January 7, 2017 UPDATE

    January 7, 2017 UPDATE

    WEATHER IN ROMANIA – Romania will continue to be affected by extremely cold weather in the next 24 hours as well. The sky will be mostly overcast and snow will be present in a number of regions. Meteorologists have extended the yellow code alert for blizzard until Sunday night, for half of Romanias counties. In the east, southeast and the mountain areas the wind may reach 75 km/hour. Also, a yellow code alert for severe cold is in force until Monday for the entire country, with temperatures expected to drop to minus 16 degrees Celsius during the day and to minus 25 degrees Celsius during the night. Kindergartens, schools and several universities will be closed on Monday and Tuesday in the capital Bucharest and three counties. Two people died in the south-east of the country due to the bad weather. The heavy snowfall left several localities without electricity and the road, rail and air traffic have been disrupted. Tens of national roads have been closed, a number of trains have been cancelled with many others having reported delays. All Black Sea ports have been closed because of the strong wind. The Board of Bucharests Public Transport Authority has been dismissed because of the improper manner in which they have handled the situation.



    WEATHER IN EUROPE – The severe winter weather is affecting a number of European countries, including the south of the continent. In only ten days, the extreme cold killed 10 people in Poland, where temperatures plunged below minus 20 degrees Celsius. In Moscow, minus 30 degrees Celsius were registered on Friday night. A snowstorm paralyzed the Turkish city of Istanbul, while in Bulgaria road and rail traffic was seriously disrupted because of the heavy snowfalls. Ukraine is also in the grip of severe cold and blizzard while Moldova, Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia face weather-related problems as well. Things dont stand better in Western Europe either. A cold front from Scandinavia sent the mercury plummeting in France. In Italy, strong winds are reported in most of the country. In Sicily, a Romanian homeless, aged 45, died in an abandoned building due to winter weather.



    ST. JOHN – Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians in Romania on Saturday celebrated St. John the Baptists feast day. Called by the Church the Forerunner, St. John foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ, whom he later baptized in the waters of Jordan. St. John died a martyr, beheaded for having the courage to scold the Jewish King Herod in public for his debauched marriage to his brothers ex-wife. Nearly 2 million Romanians celebrated their name day on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian and Serbian nationals observing the old Julian calendar celebrated Christmas, 13 days later compared to the modern Gregorian calendar.


    NATO – The United States has started to strengthen its military capabilities in Eastern Europe and is transporting military equipment to Romania, Poland and the Baltic states via Germany, Der Spiegel reports. The first military transport has reached the German port of Bremerhaven on Friday. We remind you that in July 2016 NATO decided to consolidate its presence in Eastern Europe with the deployment of thousands of military in Poland and the Baltic states. A multinational allied structure is to be dispatched in Romania. Moreover, NATO has taken over the defensive anti-missile shield that has interception elements in Deveselu, southern Romania.


    GOVERNMENT – The Romanian Government on Friday approved an increase in the national minimum wage from about 280 euros to 320 euro as of February 1. The Government also raised public pensions, with the minimum guaranteed social pensions set to reach 115 euros as of March 1. However, representatives of the Committee for social dialogue have said that the Governments social measures should be doubled by economic measures. The opposition in Parliament and the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, have asked for explanations over how the 3% budget deficit will be maintained, while the Central Bank Governor, Mugur Isarescu, is waiting to see how the 2017 state budget is shaped up.



    TENNIS – The team made up of the Romanian Raluca Olaru and the Ukrainian Olga Savciuk was defeated on Saturday in two sets, 6-1, 7-5 by the Czech Andrea Hlavackova and Shuai Peng of China, in the doubles final of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China, with 625,000 dollars in prize money. This is the second WTA final for Olaru and Savciuk after the one in Tashkent in 2008, when they won the title. In Shenzhen, back in 2014, Romanian tennis player Monica Niculescu won the titled together with Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic, while in 2016 she won the same tournament alongside the American Vania King. Romanias best-ranked tennis player, Simona Halep, number 4 in the world, won the singles tournament in Shenzhen in 2015. (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • January 7, 2017

    January 7, 2017

    WEATHER IN ROMANIA



    Heavy snowfalls and blizzard have been taking Romania in their grip as of Friday. Half of Romanias counties are under a yellow code alert for blizzard, valid until Sunday night. Strong wind is reported in the mountain areas and a new layer of snow is expected to form on Saturday night. Also, a yellow code alert for extremely cold weather is in force until Monday for the entire country, with temperatures expected to drop to minus 16 degrees Celsius during the day and minus 25 degrees Celsius during the night. Kindergartens and schools will be closed on Monday and Tuesday in the capital Bucharest and the neighboring Ilfov county due to the low temperatures. The heavy snowfall left several localities without electricity and the road, rail and air traffic have been disrupted. All Black Sea ports have been closed because of the strong wind. However, air traffic on the Bucharest airports unfolds under normal winter conditions, with no flights being cancelled but with several delays of up to 30 minutes being reported.



    WEATHER IN EUROPE



    Europe is in the middle of a bitter winter blast bringing blizzards and severe cold even in the south of the continent, where the weather is usually milder. In north-eastern Bulgaria the heavy snowfall and strong wind disrupted road and rail traffic. Hungary is also in the grip of a cold wave. In the Republic of Moldova, snowstorms created havoc on the roads. 10 people were killed by the severe cold in Poland, where temperatures stood at minus 20 degrees Celsius. In Moscow, temperatures plummeted to minus 30 degrees. A snowstorm was even reported in Istanbul, Turkey. Things dont stand any better in Western Europe either. A cold front from Scandinavia sent the mercury plummeting in France. In Sicily, a Romanian homeless died because of the cold in an abandoned building. Authorities in all European states have taken measures to accommodate homeless people in order to keep the safe. Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia are also fighting the heavy winter.



    ST. JOHN



    Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians in Romania are today celebrating St. Johns the Baptists feast day. Called by the Church the Forerunner, St. John foretold the coming of the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ, whom he later baptized in the waters of Jordan. St. John died a martyr, beheaded for having the courage to scold the Jewish King Herod in public for his debauched marriage to his brothers ex-wife. Nearly 2 million Romanians celebrate their name day today. Also today, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian and Serbian nationals observing the old Julian calendar celebrate Christmas, 13 days later compared to the modern Gregorian calendar.



    NATO



    The United States has started to strengthen its military capabilities in Eastern Europe and is transporting military equipment to Romania, Poland and the Baltic states via Germany, Der Spiegel reports. The first military transport has reached the German port of Bremerhaven on Friday. We remind you that in July 2016 NATO decided to consolidate its presence in Eastern Europe with the deployment of thousands of military in Poland and the Baltic states. A multinational allied structure is to be dispatched in Romania. Moreover, NATO has taken over the defensive anti-missile shield that has interception elements in Deveselu, southern Romania.



    GOVERNMENT



    The Government of Romania Friday approved an increase in the national minimum wage from about 280 euros to 320 euro as of February 1. According to a news release issued by the Government, the measure will raise the economic growth rate by a rough 0.2% and will encourage employment. At the same time, the document reads, the increase will have a notable social impact, helping to raise living standards and bridging social gaps. The Government also raised public pensions, with the minimum guaranteed social pensions set to reach 115 euros as of March 1. However, representatives of the Committee for social dialogue have said that the Governments social measures should be doubled by economic measures. The opposition in Parliament and the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, have asked for explanations over how the 3% budget deficit will be maintained, while the Central Bank Governor, Mugur Isarescu, is waiting to see how the state budget for 2017 looks like.



    TENNIS



    The team made up of the Romanian tennis player Raluca Olaru and the Ukrainian Olga Savciuk are today playing against the Czech Andrea Hlavackova and Shuai Peng of China in the doubles final of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China, with 625,000 dollars in prize money. This is the second WTA final for Olaru and Savciuk after the one in Tashkent in 2008, when they won the title.

  • January 19, 2016 UPDATE

    January 19, 2016 UPDATE

    WEATHER– After snowstorms at the weekend, Romania is facing a cold snap until Thursday, meteorologists say. On Wednesday, temperatures will drop to minus 25 degrees Celsius, whereas the highs of the day will not exceed plus 2 degrees Celsius. In another move, railroad traffic is further disrupted in the south and southeast of the country, the areas the most affected by heavy snowfalls and blizzard at the weekend. Several villages have been left without electricity.



    DIPLOMACY – Romanian Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, will pay a two-day official visit to Paris, as of Wednesday. He is due to meet President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, and the speakers of the two Chambers of the French Parliament, Gérard Larcher and Claude Bartolone, respectively. The talks will focus on the privileged relations between Romania and France, on stepping up the projects in the roadmap of the bilateral strategic partnership, on improving economic relations and strengthening contacts between the business communities, as well as important topics on the European and international agenda, such as terrorism, migration and the EU security policy. Other focal points of the talks will include Romanias Schengen accession, the forthcoming report of the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, as well as cooperation as part of Bucharests preparations to take over the presidency of the EU Council. Ciolos will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community in France and with CEOs and managers of important French companies. France is the fifth largest foreign investor in Romania.



    SPECIAL PENSIONS – Romanias Constitutional Court on Wednesday will debate the notification submitted by the technocratic cabinet in Bucharest on the special pensions law for elected local officials. According to the government, the law adopted in December would run counter to several articles in the Constitution, by instating a special regime of privileges for certain elected local officials. Furthermore, the government contests the retroactive granting of special rights and draws attention to the lack of budget resources. Over 16,000 potential beneficiaries, mayors, deputy mayors, presidents and vice-presidents of County Councils, are to receive special pensions ranging from 350 to1,500 Euros.



    ECONOMY– Romania is the third EU member state to register, in November 2015, the most significant increase in the volume of construction works, as compared to the same period of 2014. According to the data released on Tuesday by the European Statistics Office, Eurostat, Romania registered an increase of 6.8%, being outclassed only by Slovakia and Sweden. In November 2015, the volume of construction works at EU level increased by 1.9%, on an average, Eurostat also shows.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Alexandra Dulgheru (no. 61 WTA) has qualified to the second round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after defeating the Australian Storm Sanders (no. 355 WTA) 6-4, 6-2. Three other Romanian players lost their games in the first round. World no. 2 Simona Halep was surprisingly defeated by Chinas Shuai Zhang (133 WTA), Irina Begu (31 WTA) was outperformed by the Swedish Johanna Larsson (50 WTA), and Andreea Mitu (96 WTA) was defeated by the German Julia Gorges (45 WTA). Another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu (no 40 WTA), qualified on Monday to the second round of the tournament, and is to play against the Russian Elizaveta Kulicikova (no 109 WTA).


    (Translated and edited by Diana Vijeu)

  • January 19, 2016

    January 19, 2016

    WEATHER – After snowstorms over the weekend, Romania is facing a cold stint until Thursday. Last night temperatures dropped to minus 21 degrees in the centre and south of the country, while in the capital city Bucharest they reached minus 17 degrees. Temperatures will fall even more in the days to come in most parts of the country. On the other hand, road and railway transport is still disrupted in the south and south east, the areas the most affected by the heavy snowfalls and the blizzards of the past weekend. Several roads are still closed, including part of the motorway connecting the capital city to the Black Sea. Eight villages have reported power outings, and schools and kindergartens in several counties in the south-east remain closed down today.



    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian PM, Dacian Cioloş, will be on an official visit to Paris on Wednesday and Thursday. He will have meetings with President François Hollande, with PM Manuel Valls and with the speakers of the two Chambers of the French Parliament, Gérard Larcher and Claude Bartolone. The talks will focus on the privileged relations between Romania and France, on stepping up the projects in the Roadmap of the bilateral strategic partnership, on improving economic relations and strengthening contacts between the business communities, as well as important topics on the European and international agenda, such as terrorism, migration and the EU security policy. Other topics will also be approached, such as Romanias Schengen accession, the forthcoming report of the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification mechanism, as well as cooperation as part of Bucharests preparations to take over the presidency of the EU Council. Ciolos will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community and with managers of important French companies. France is the fifth largest foreign investor in Romania.



    EU – The PM of Poland, Beata Szydlo, will be in Strasbourg today for talks in the European Parliament regarding Warsaws observance of the rule of law. The controversial measures of the ruling Conservative Party, which strengthened its control over the judiciary and the mass media, generated tensions between Poland and the EU. The European Commission initiated an unprecedented inquiry to establish whether Poland still complies with the European democracy standards. Yesterday in Brussels, the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, discussed the matter with the head of the European Council, his former political opponent, Donald Tusk, and with the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, in an attempt to ease tensions. Whereas Donald Tusk said an aggressive tone in the dialogue between Brussels and Warsaw should be avoided, the head of the Polish State said his country would never turn its back on Poland, but emphasised that the EU must respect Poland in its turn.



    ECONOMY – The growth rate of the Chinese economy in 2015 slowed down to 6.9%, the lowest since the 3.9% rate of 1990, Beijing announced today. China confirmed the slow-down of the worlds second-largest economy in spite of the growth in services, which last year, for the first time, accounted for more than a half of Chinas GDP of nearly 10,300 billion US dollars. The figures announced by the National Statistics Bureau in China for last year are significantly below the 7.3% reported for 2014. The authorities emphasized that the growth rate in 2015 was a “hard-won one, and added that the structural adjustment of the economy has reached a critical stage. Most indicators dropped in 2015, from the industrial output, undermined by over-capacities, to the real estate sector and to foreign trade, previously a traditional growth engine for the Chinese economy.



    SPORTS – The Romanian player Alexandra Dulgheru (no. 61 WTA) has qualified in Melbourne today to the second round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after defeating the Australian Storm Sanders (no. 355 WTA) 6-4, 6-2. Also today, three other Romanian players lost their games in the first round. World no. 2 Simona Halep was surprisingly defeated by Chinas Shuai Zhang (133 WTA), Irina Begu (31 WTA) was outperformed by the Swedish Johanna Larsson (50 WTA), and Andreea Mitu (96 WTA) was defeated by the German Julia Gorges (45 WTA). Another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu (no 40 WTA), qualified on Monday to the second round of the tournament, and is to play against the Russian Elizaveta Kulicikova (no 109 WTA).

  • January 17, 2016 UPDATE

    January 17, 2016 UPDATE

    The area of snowfalls will diminish but the weather is to remain frosty in most of Romanias territory. Minimum temperatures will be ranging between minus 13 and minus 3 degrees Celsius, while the highs will stay between minus 8 and plus 1 degree Celsius. The heavy snowfalling and blizzards have caused power cuts in tens of towns and villages across Romania, while many roads are blocked presently. Over 130 vehicles have been damaged by the trees that fell under the heavy snow. Air traffic on Bucharests Henri Coanda airport has been disrupted, with many flights grounded or delayed. Railroad traffic has also been affected with trains cancelled and delayed. Gale-force winds have prevented operations on the Romanian Black Sea ports, while traffic on the Danube-Black Sea canal has been suspended. Schools and kindergartens in several counties in southern Romania will be closed down.



    Romanian president Klaus Iohannis will be receiving Victoria Nuland, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs on Monday. Also on Monday, Mrs. Nuland will be seeing Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc. On Sunday night the US official had an informal meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, who briefed her on the top priorities of his technocratic cabinet. Also high on the agenda were ways of improving Romanias business environment, the situation in the region particularly in the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet country with a Romanian-speaking population, as well as Bucharests relations with Ukraine and Russia.



    Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet country with a Romanian-speaking majority will on Monday be seeing a new round of talks for the formation of a government after the countrys president Nicolae Timofti on Friday designated Pavel Filip for the position of Prime Minister. While the Liberal-Democratic Party has announced its joining the opposition and its refusal to endorse Filips candidacy, the Democrats and the Liberals as well as 14 MPs who defected from the Communists Party have said they will participate in the talks for the future government. Unless Parliament endorses the new executive until January 29th, the Legislature will be dissolved and snap election staged.



    The worlds number two tennis player Simona Halep of Romania will be playing Chinese Shuai Zhang in the first round of Australian Open. Also in the first round, Romanian Irina Begu will be up against Swedish Johanna Larsson, while Monica Niculescu will be taking on Teliana Pereira of Brazil. Another two tennis players from Romania, Alexandra Dulgheru and Andreea Mitu will be taking part in the same competition. In the mens doubles, Romanian-Dutch pair, Horia Tecau – Jean Julien Rojer starts as the odds-on favourite, while Romanian-Indian pair Florin Mergea-Rohan Bopana is fourth-seeded. In the womens contest, Alexandra Dulgheru teams up with Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain, while Raluca Olaru will be playing Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium.



    Romanias national water polo side will be taking on Greece in the eighth finals of the European Championships in Belgrade. On Friday Romania secured a 14-13 win against Germany coming third in group C. Romania has also obtained a victory against Georgia, but lost to Italy.