Radio România Internațional

Tag: storm

  • Effects of floods in Europe

    Effects of floods in Europe

    The storms that have affected Europe are now heading for Italy, where warnings of heavy rain, strong winds and flooding have been issued for much of the country. The warnings come in the context of rainfalls that have already ravaged parts of Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Austria this week, causing several deaths. Storm Boris brought heavy rain and snow at the weekend, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes, in some cases with the help of helicopters, after taking refuge on rooftops or on top of cars. A state of natural disaster has been declared in all these states, with hundreds of thousands of homes without electricity or water, roads cut off and rail transport disrupted. Although the weather conditions show signs of improvement in several areas, the soil remains saturated and the rivers continue to overflow, which led the authorities to ask the population to be cautious.

     

    In Austria, many villages are still isolated. All in all, more than 33,000 interventions have been carried out since the beginning of the torrential rains and strong winds. In Vienna, four metro lines were partially closed, as were the city’s parks, due to the risk of falling trees. In the Czech Republic, over 60,000 homes do not have electricity, especially in the northeast. The water from the largest retention basin in the country, Rozmberk, located in the south, overflowed its banks. According to experts, these are the worst floods the region has seen since those in 2002 that affected Prague, Dresden and Vienna. The regions in the south-west of Poland were the most affected by the floods, on the border with the Czech Republic. In some localities, entire streets were covered by water. In the small town of Nysa, the waters flooded the district hospital, which had to be completely evacuated.

     

    In Romania, the eastern part was the most seriously affected. More than 6 thousand households were flooded. Numerous teams from the Interior Ministry are in the affected areas with intervention vehicles and high-capacity pumps to remove the water and mud from the flooded houses. Tent camps were set up for the stranded people. Meanwhile, aid started being distributed and the Government allocated the first direct financial support for the affected population. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent a message of solidarity to the people affected by the floods and declared that they would benefit from support from the EU. The frequency of floods associated with heavy rain is expected to increase in Central and Western Europe, in a world facing warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius on average, experts warn. (LS)

  • February 10, 2018 UPDATE

    February 10, 2018 UPDATE

    INFLATION – The National Bank of Romania has revised upward, to 3.5%, the inflation rate forecast for the end of the year, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, has announced. According to an earlier forecast, the inflation rate was estimated at 3.1%. Isarescu explained the main engine of economic growth is consumption, a situation which has had negative effects on the trade deficit which increased by 30% in 2017. Mugur Isărescu has also mentioned some structural problems with a significant impact on the economy, among which tensions on the labour market, the growing difference between the level of imports and exports, the fiscal and income policy which is currently being pursued and whose effects are likely to disappear only as of next year.



    MEDICINES – The process of introducing the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS) has officially been launched in Romania. The system will become operational in all EU member states next year. Consequently, as of February 9, 2019, only the medicines which respect the new security regulations in the field will circulate across the EU. The relevant authorities, representatives of the line industry and pharmacists say the initiative is essential in ensuring the patients safety and health, given that there is a growing risk of fake products entering the commercial chain. According to the new regulations, pharmacists will no longer be allowed to open medicine boxes and to sell only a few tablets, if patients make such a request.



    TOURISM – The most exquisite Romanian tourist project, the ice hotel at Bâlea Lake has been officially inaugurated, in the presence of the Canadian ambassador to Bucharest, Kevin Hamilton. The theme of the ice hotel this year is music. The 14 rooms and igloos are decorated with ice statues featuring such famous artists as Madonna, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Tourists had the opportunity to get accommodation in the ice hotel as early as December 2017. A double room costs 100 Euros. Those who want to only visit the hotel should pay a ticket worth 3 Euros for adults and 2 Euros for children. Tourists can reach Bâlea Lake, at an altitude of over 2,000 m, by cable car, which covers a distance of 3,700m, over Balea Valley. The ice hotel is the only of its kind in Romania.



    JOINT DRILLS – One hundred Romanian troops will take part, as of Monday in joint military exercises alongside some 200 military from the United States, Moldova, Bulgaria and Ukraine. The exercises will be unfolding for five days, at a military base in Babadag, in Tulcea County, south-eastern Romania.



    MALTA – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has confirmed, based on data provided by the representatives of the consular office in Catania (Sicily, Italy) that a Romanian citizen died and another one was injured during a storm which hit Malta on Saturday. Romanias Consulate in Catania is monitoring the situation, is in permanent contact with the local authorities as well as with the Romanian national who has sustained injuries, providing the necessary consular assistance. The two Romanian nationals were travelling by a van which was hit by a falling tree. Gale force wind and torrential rain hit Malta, submerging roads, after months of low-level precipitations.



    WINTER OLYMIC GAMES– The first of the 28 Romanian athletes taking part in the Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, which come to a close on February 25, on Saturday ran in the first competitions. They took part in the cross-country skiing, luge and biathlon events. PyeongChang in the Taebaek Mountains got the right to organise the Winter Olympic Games after having submitted its candidacy three times, in 2010, 2014 and 2018. It is the first edition of the Winter Olympic Games and the second edition of the Olympic Games hosted by South Korea. PyeongChang is also the third Asian city to host the Winter Olympic Games, after Sapporo in 1972 and Nagano in 1998, both in Japan. Over a period of more than two weeks, PyeongChang will host 102 sports events. This edition of the Olympic Games is attended by over 2,900 athletes from 95 countries.

  • September 20, 2017 UPDATE

    September 20, 2017 UPDATE

    WEATHER Two people were killed by lightning in eastern Romania on Wednesday, when 16 hundred consumers were left without electricity by the gale force winds. Code yellow or orange alerts have been issued for almost the entire territory for atmospheric instability, strong winds and heavy downpours. Over 4 thousand firefighters backed by technical equipment are in stand-by ready to intervene in the most affected regions. School classes have been shortened in some of the most affected areas including capital city Bucharest, where people have been recommended to remain indoors during the storm. The authorities fear a storm like the one on Sunday that swept over 15 counties in the country’s west, center and north killing 8 and wounding 140 people. The gale-strong winds felled trees and electricity poles, blew away roofs and billboards and turned vehicles upside down. Water and electricity supplies have been disrupted and so has road and rail traffic in the affected regions. Weather is cooling all over Romania in the following 24 hours with heavy downpours in the west, north, center, east as well as in the hills and mountainous areas. Snowfalls are expected at altitudes above 18 hundred meters. Maximum temperatures are expected to range between 12 and 27 degrees Celsius.



    LAW The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, gathered in a plenary session in Bucharest, have issued a declaration on the new education law in neighbouring Ukraine. The Romanian MPs say they are following with concern and maximum attention the latest developments generated by the recent adoption by Ukraine’s Supreme Rada of this law which drastically infringes upon the rights to education in the native language of the ethnic Romanians in Ukraine. They are launching an appeal for a fast settlement of this situation, by well intended actions and goodwill, in the spirit of cooperation, inclusive dialogue and the strict observance of European standards in the field of national minority protection, abiding by the relevant multilateral and bilateral agreements, that Ukraine is a signatory to. On Tuesday, the Hungarian Parliament adopted a similar resolution, condemning the new law, which –in the opinion of the Hungarian MPs- does not observe the commitments made by the Kiev authorities and infringes upon the rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine. The law drastically limits the access to education in the native language of many ethnic minority communities in Ukraine. This stipulates that Ukrainian should be the only teaching language in high-schools and faculties, and education in the languages of the ethnic minorities is possible only in nursery and primary schools. Almost half a million ethnic Romanians are living in neighbouring Ukraine, most of them in the Romanian territories annexed by the former USSR in 1940, following an ultimatum, and taken over by Ukraine, in 1991, as a successor state.



    BUCHAREST Romania’s capital city, Bucharest on Wednesday celebrated 558 years since it was first mentioned in documents. The name of today’s city was first mentioned in a document issued in 1459, by the then ruler of Wallachia, the famous Vlad the Impaler. In order to mark the event, the city hall has organised over the past few days, open-air parties, concerts, vintage costume parades, fairs and exhibitions. Bucharest became Romania’s capital city in 1862. In the inter-war period, Bucharest was dubbed “Little Paris”, due to its elegant architecture. Romania’s main economic engine, Bucharest is considered to be a city difficult to manage, because of an old and insufficiently developed infrastructure and of heavy traffic.



    MEETING On Wednesday in New York, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis met Pavel Filip, the Prime Minister of the neighboring Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet Romanian-speaking country. Iohannis said that Bucharest must institutionally assist the ex-soviet republic. On Tuesday, the head of the Romanian state, who is currently attending a UN General Assembly session, assured its head, Miroslav Lajcak, of Romania’s support in the efforts of reforming this organisation. The Romanian official has also held bilateral talks with his counterparts from Estonia, Egypt, Serbia, with the president of the European Council with NATO Secretary General as well as with leaders of the main Jewish organisations in the USA.


  • Extreme Weather in Romania

    Extreme Weather in Romania


    Violent storms hit on Sunday the western, northern and central part of Romania, causing death and destruction. Meteorologists have now warned of yet another wave of extreme weather, issuing code yellow and orange warnings for storms and heavy weather from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday night all over the country. Bucharest also preparing for a heavy storm, given the dramatic situation in Timisoara on Sunday, the city worst hit by such events, with the most victims and damage.



    Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea has called on Bucharesters to stay at home unless on urgent business. Classes for students in Bucharest schools have been cut short . Firea has appealed to companies posting advertisement screens and panels of all kinds to check them for safety as well. She has also asked that urban vegetation be trimmed in order to reduce risks to passers by. Emergency teams have been put on alert.



    Local authorities have been assessing the damage done by the extreme weather events on Sunday, in order to establish the bill to the government. PM Mihai Tudose has stated that his government will issue damage payments, especially for schools, hospitals, and other public institutions. He has also consulted with emergency intervention institutions and telephony companies on setting up an emergency mass alert system in case of disaster, similar to other EU countries. A mass advertisement campaign is also in the works should such a system be put in place.



    On Monday, the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Carmen Dan visited the areas affected by the storms. So far, eight people have lost their lives and 140 have been injured throughout the country. Romania is eligible to access European funds in case of disaster, as well as funding for a public disaster alert information system.




  • June 20, 2016

    June 20, 2016

    VISIT President of Germany Joachim Gauck has today started a three-day visit to Romania. High on his talks agenda with the Romanian officials are the bilateral political and economic relations, the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw as well as the latest developments in Europe. After talks in Bucharest with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and with presidents of the two Parliament chambers, Gauck will accompany Iohannis to Sibiu, in central Romania for talks with local officials and representatives of the German minority in the region. Founded by Saxon settlers in the 14th century, Sibiu is president Iohannis native city, where he was mayor for 14 years. Gauck and Iohannis are expected to meet up with German and Romanian business people on Wednesday for talks over ways of developing economic relations and investment. Germany is Romanias first trade partner and the third investor in Romanias economy.




    DECEASED Romanias former Defence Minister between 1990 –1991, gen. Victor Atanasie Stanculescu died at the age of 88 yesterday. He was a key-player of the Romanian anti-communist uprising of 1989, when as a deputy of the then Minister of Defence, was sent to stifle the street protests in Timisoara, western Romania. After dictator Ceausescu and his wife had fled, general Stanculescu ordered the troops to return to their barracks and stop shooting at protesters. However, for the role he played in repressing the revolts in Timisoara, the Supreme Court had Stanculescu condemned to 15 years in prison in 2008. He did five years in prison before being released on medical grounds.




    HOLIDAYS Romanians like to travel a lot and make use of their mobile devices to plan and book holiday tickets. According to a survey by an online travel agency, some of the the Romanians have paid up to 1,500 euros for a holiday. London was the top tourist destination of mobile device users last year. Women also prefer holidays in Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris and Athens, while Athens comes next in the mens preferences followed by Berlin, Rome and Amsterdam. The average age of those booking holiday tickets via mobile devices is 34 years.




    WEATHER Bad weather wreaks havoc on Romania. In the centre of the country a two-year-old girl died when a tree broken by storm smashed into the family car. Gale force winds have destroyed hundreds of roofs, including of two churches, as well as many electricity poles, leaving over 10 thousand households without electricity. Thunders killed a man and wounded another in the west of the country. Meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert for bad weather in 12 counties in the north, northwest, centre, west and southwest, valid until Tuesday. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos will be hosting a videoconference tomorrow with the prefects in the affected areas to discuss measures to reduce the effects of the bad weather. The weather remains unsettled for this period, with showers, thunderstorms, gale-force winds and even hailstorms in some places. The countrys south and centre have been plagued by hot weather, where the discomfort index remains above 80. Highs are ranging between 29 and 35 degrees Celsius with a noon reading in Bucharest of 27 degrees.




    FOOTBALL Romanias national football side last night blew their chances to qualify for the round of 16 of the European Championships in France after conceding a one-nil defeat to Albania. With only one point Romania ended on the last position in Group A. We recall that Romania was outperformed by France two-one in the tournaments first game, ending in a one-all draw their match against Switzerland. Also last night, the game pitching France against Switzerland ended in a goaless draw. The two sides have qualified for the competitions next stage, while Albania has only theoretical chances. Romanias last participation in a European Football Championship was in 2008, when our side was also eliminated in the groups stage.


    AWARDS

    Two Radio Romania productions have been awarded prizes
    at the New York Festivals World’s Best Radio Programmes 2016. These are two
    productions by the National Radio Drama, namely Elise Wilk’s ‘Green Cat’, which
    reaped silver and ‘Over the Rainbow’, which got bronze in the Best Drama
    Special Section. Radio productions from 30 countries were vying for a place in
    the contest, whose jury has selected 296 finalists. Since 1982 New York
    Festivals has been awarding the best productions by radio channels, networks
    and independent producers from all over the world.