Radio România Internațional

Tag: STRIKES

  • October 26, 2024 UPDATE

    October 26, 2024 UPDATE

     

    NATURAL GAS Romania has become the EU’s largest natural gas producer, with an output of 2.3 billion cubic metres in Q2, the energy minister Sebastian Burduja announced. According to him, Romania has outperformed the Netherlands, which reported 2.2 billion cubic metres, and compared to last year Romania’s natural gas output was 1% higher. The energy minister also mentioned that during the same period Romanians benefited from the fourth-lowest gas price in Europe, according to Eurostat. As of 2027, Burduja added, Romania will practically double its gas output thanks to the deep-water natural gas drilled in the Black Sea. “We will see even better gas prices, we will attract even more investments in our economy and will help the entire region reduce its dependence on Russian gas,” he said.

     

     

    MIDDLE EAST The European Union Saturday called on all parties to exercise utmost restraint to avoid an uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, after Israel’s retaliatory attack against Iran, AFP reports. “The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliations risks causing a further expansion of the regional conflict,” the EU warned. Gulf countries have condemned the recent Israeli strikes on Iranian military targets, and warned against possible ripple effects in the region. In turn, Washington called on Iran not to retaliate. Should Tehran choose to strike back, we will be prepared and there will be consequences, the US Administration said. Israel announced that its operations in Iran were over, after 3 rounds of attacks on military targets, particularly the defence system and arms production facilities. Iran says the strike was countered and that damages were limited. The international community had been anticipating this operation for about a month, as a response to Iran’s missile attack on October 1.

     

     

    WINTER TIME Sunday is the longest day of the year in Romania, after switching to winter time on Saturday night, with clocks set one hour behind. The switch is aimed to save energy by aligning work hours with natural light hours. A public poll conducted by the European Commission a few years ago indicates that most Europeans are against the change. The EC considered eliminating the shift, but member states failed to agree on which of the times should be kept. A number of states have given up switches between winter and summer time, such as Mexico in 2022 and Turkey in 2016. Ukraine also decided that as of 2025 it will no longer switch to Daylight Saving Time.

     

     

    AWARD The Romanian writer Ana Blandiana received the 2024 Princess of Asturias Award for Literature, in a ceremony hosted by Spain’s Royal Family at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo, the Romanian Cultural Institute announced on Saturday. The jury presented the award to Ana Blandiana, whose work reflects profound knowledge of the Romanian spirit during a historic period of oppression, while establishing hope and defeat as the guidelines of her literary undertaking. Ana Blandiana, the first Romanian writer to receive the award, said this was a confirmation of how her books were received in Spain and the result of the many reviews they had received, because in Spain more than in other countries, poetry is in the spotlight. Ana Blandiana, also a Doctor Honoris Causa of the University of Salamanca, saw as many as 11 of her books translated into Spanish. She has so far authored more than 30 works, translated into 25 languages, and has received many international awards.

     

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep takes on seed no. 6 Yue Yuan (China), in the first round of the WTA 250 tournament in Hong Kong. Apart from Halep, a former world leader and a wildcard in the Hong Kong tournament, Romania is also represented in the competition by Ana Bogdan, set to face Australia’s Kimberly Birrell in the first round. (AMP)

  • November 18, 2023 UPDATE

    November 18, 2023 UPDATE

    VISIT President Klaus Iohannis is in Tanzania, the second stage of
    his African tour which also included Kenya and will take him to the Republic of
    Cabo Verde and Senegal. During talks with top level officials, president Iohannis
    presents Romania’s outlook on reviving its relations with African countries,
    based on the recently adopted national strategy for Africa. On the other hand, the
    Romanian official also set out to present Bucharest’s views on regional and
    international security, given the country’s proximity to Ukraine. We discussed
    ways to manage the multiple consequences of the war, including in terms of
    ensuring the food security of countries in Africa, Mr. Iohannis said after the
    talks with the president of Tanzania, Samia Hassan. I have presented the
    comprehensive political, diplomatic, logistical and administrative measures
    taken by Romania to facilitate Ukrainian grain exports, including to the
    countries in Africa, he added. Klaus Iohannis is to travel on Monday to Cabo
    Verde, to meet with his counterpart José Maria Neves.


    ISRAEL We agree on the principle of
    no forced displacement of Palestinians and a political horizon based on a
    two-state solution, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen
    said at the end of a meeting with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
    in Cairo on Saturday. In turn, the EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said in a
    conference at Manama on Saturday that the Palestinian Authority is the only one
    that could govern Gaza after the war between Israel and Hamas. News agencies
    mention that a week ago the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu raised fresh concerns
    with respect to the future of Gaza, stating that the Palestinian Authority in
    its current form should not be taking control of the enclave. The German
    chancellor Olaf Scholz and Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meeting in
    Berlin, voiced their strong disagreement with the war in Gaza. Both Germany and
    Turkey are worried about the suffering of the Palestinian people, but while Scholz
    spoke about the need for humanitarian pauses in order to provide aid, Erdogan called
    for a ceasefire, an option rejected by Israel. On site, Palestinian medical
    sources announced that scores of people were killed or wounded on Saturday in Khan
    Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip, following Israeli air strikes. On Friday
    Israel had announced it would expand military operations in the south, after handing
    out fliers in Khan Yunis the previous day asking civilians to head for the tent
    camps on the sea coast in order to avoid the massive shelling planned by the
    army. Israel’s ex-PM Ehud Olmert told Euronews that the Hamas underground
    command centre was in Khan Yunis, and not at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.


    TERRORISM A young Romanian national
    from Braşov (central Romania) has been taken into custody for promoting
    terrorist propaganda materials, the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime
    and Terrorism Offences announced. The young man praised terrorist organisations
    from the Middle East on his social media account, and posted instructions for
    the production and use of firearms and explosives.


    CHRISTMAS In the city of Craiova, southern
    Romania, hundreds of people witnessed the nearly 2 million lights of the local
    Christmas Fair being turned on Friday night. This year’s fair is themed around
    the Andersen’s fairy tale The Snow Queen, and all the decorations are white
    and turquoise. A giant Christmas tree, a 40m tall merry-go-round and a skating
    rink are the main attractions. Concerts and creative workshops will also be
    held here until the 2nd of January. Sibiu, in central Romania, also
    opened its Christmas Fair in the city’s main square. For the first time this
    year, the Fair includes the courtyard of the Brukenthal Palace, a historical
    monument built between 1778 and 1788.



    AMBASSADOR The foreign minister Luminiţa
    Odobescu Friday received the new British Ambassador to Romania, Giles Portman. On
    this occasion, Mrs. Odobescu highlighted the important role of bilateral
    cooperation in defence and security and the significant potential in the field
    of trade and investments, as well as the substantial contribution of the 1.2
    million Romanians living in UK to strengthening the ties between the two
    countries. In 2024 Romania will host the second Romania-UK Bilateral Forum,
    after the first edition of the event held this March in London. (AMP)

  • November 18, 2023

    November 18, 2023

    WEATHER The National Meteorology Agency issued code yellow and
    orange alerts for wind, heavy snow fall and snow storms valid in most of
    Romania. A code yellow alert is in place until Sunday morning in the eastern
    half of the country and in the mountains. A code orange alert for heavy mixed
    precipitation is also issued for the south-east and the south. Several flood alerts concern rivers in most of
    the country. The highs range between 2 and 11 degrees Celsius today, with 8
    degrees Celsius reported in Bucharest at noon.

    TERRORISM A young Romanian
    national from Braşov (central Romania) has been taken into custody for
    promoting terrorist propaganda materials, the Directorate Investigating
    Organised Crime and Terrorism Offences announced. The young man praised
    terrorist organisations from the Middle East on his social media account, and
    posted instructions for the production and use of firearms and explosives.


    ISRAEL Palestinian medical sources announced that scores of people
    were killed or wounded today in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip,
    following Israeli air strikes. On Friday Israel had announced it would expand
    military operations in the south, after handing out fliers in Khan Yunis the
    previous day asking civilians to head for the tent camps on the sea coast in
    order to avoid the massive shelling planned by the army. Israel’s ex-PM Ehud
    Olmert told Euronews that the Hamas underground command centre was in Khan
    Yunis, and not at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. In related news, Pope
    Francis will have separate meetings on Wednesday with the families of the
    Israeli hostages in Gaza and with relatives of the Palestinians living there,
    the Vatican announced. The Pope previously said that Every human being, of any
    people or religion, every human being is sacred, is precious in the eyes of God
    and has the right to live in peace.


    CHRISTMAS In the city of Craiova, southern Romania, hundreds of
    people witnessed the nearly 2 million lights of the local Christmas Fair being
    turned on Friday night. This year’s fair is themed around Andersen’s fairy
    tale The Snow Queen, and all the decorations are white and turquoise. A giant
    Christmas tree, a 40m tall merry-go-round and a skating rink are the main
    attractions. Concerts and creative workshops will also be held here until the 2nd
    of January. Sibiu, in central Romania, also opened its Christmas Fair in the
    city’s main square. For the first time this year, the Fair includes the courtyard
    of the Brukenthal Palace, a historical monument built between 1778 and 1788.


    AMBASSADOR The foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu Friday received
    the new British Ambassador to Romania, Giles Portman. On this occasion, Mrs.
    Odobescu highlighted the important role of bilateral cooperation in defence and
    security and the significant potential in the field of trade and investments,
    as well as the substantial contribution of the 1.2 million Romanians living in
    UK to strengthening the ties between the two countries. In 2024 Romania will
    host the second Romania-UK Bilateral Forum, after the first edition of the
    event held this March in London.


    SPORTS Romania’s national football team takes on Israel tonight in Felcsut (Hungary), in
    Preliminary Group I of the EURO 2024. In women’s handball, CSM Bucharest plays
    against the Hungarian side DVSC Schaeffler, away from home, in the Champions’
    League Group A, while CS Rapid Bucharest are up against Vipers Kristiansand (Norway)
    in the competition’s Group B. In the first leg of the 3rd
    preliminary round of the EHF European League, CSM Târgu Jiu play at home
    against the Swedish side Onnereds HK. (AMP)

  • September 30, 2023 UPDATE

    September 30, 2023 UPDATE

    SEARCH The search
    operations of any possible drone debris the Romanian authorities kicked off in the
    outskirts of the city of Galati, in south-eastern Romania ended on Saturday.
    The operations commenced after a citizen had called the 112 emergency service
    to report a strong explosion in the area but the teams have found no debris
    fallen from the sky. We recall that last night the locals received a series of Ro-alert
    messages about the fall of dangerous objects from the sky and were advised to
    take cover. On Friday night the Defence Ministry alerted the Air Policing
    Service after having detected a group of drones flying towards the Ukrainian
    territory close to the Romanian border and notified the General Inspectorate
    for Emergency Situations over instating the alert measures for the population
    in the counties of Tulcea and Galati. According to the Defence Ministry on the
    night of September 29th the Russian forces launched a new series of strikes
    against targets in Ukraine. The same sources say that the army radars detected
    a possible breach of the national airspace. No objects fallen from the sky have
    been identified yet. The ministry has been informing the allied structures on
    situations like these, keeping a permanent contact with them.




    ART Almost 100
    works of art by Romania’s famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi are on display as
    of Saturday in Timisoara, western Romania, in the most important exhibition
    dedicated to this major artist in the past half a century. The exhibition
    includes sculptures, photos, archive documents and film footages on display at
    the local National Art Museum until late January. The exhibits’ total insured
    value stays around half a billion euros. Under the suggestive title, Brancusi,
    Romanian sources and universal prospects the exhibition invites the public to
    explore the way in which Brancusi managed to cross all geographic, historical,
    formal and gender borders in order to ensure that special place unattached to
    any artistic current. The exhibition has on view a series of artefacts borrowed
    from the National Museum of Modern Art, Pompidou Center, in Paris, the Tate
    Gallery in London, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Art Museum in
    Bucharest, the Art Museum in Craiova and some private collections. Among the famous
    artefacts visitors can admire in Timisoara, there is the Bird in Space, the
    Kiss, Mademoiselle Pogany or Sleeping Muse. The aforementioned exhibition is
    part of the programme Timisoara – European Capital of Culture.




    WEATHER The
    weather is incredibly warm for this time of the year especially in the
    country’s southern and southeastern regions. In the rest of the territory the
    weather is going to get cooler though with temperatures within the average range
    registered in early October. The highs of the day in the next 24 hours will stay
    between 19 and 30 degrees with a noon reading in Bucharest of 30 degrees
    centigrade.

    FAIR Romania participates in the 28th
    edition of the International Book Fair in Budapest, Hungary, an event due to
    end on Sunday. On this occasion the Culture Ministry in Bucharest has prepared
    a series of events to be attended by Romanian writers Alina Nelega, Mihai Radu,
    Florin Irimia and Horia Garbea as well as translators Andras Orsolya, Szocs
    Imre, Szonda Szabolcs and Lajos Nagy. Saturday saw the launch of As if nothing happened, by Alina Nelega, a
    double UNITER award recipient and the winner of the ‘European Author’ award at
    the Heidelberger Stuckemarkt Festival. The aforementioned participation in this
    edition of the Book Fair in Budapest has been made jointly with the Romanian
    Cultural Institute in Budapest.

    (bill)

  • September 30, 2023

    September 30, 2023

    ALERT Teams of the
    Emmergency Situations Inspectorate, police, gendarme, army and border police units
    have conducted a series of searching operations in a district on the outskirts
    of the city of Galati, south-eastern Romania, after on Friday night a citizen
    called the emergency number 112 to report the sound of a big explosion in the
    area. The residents last night received alert messages announcing the fall of
    dangerous objects from the sky advising them to take cover. The Defence
    Ministry on Friday night alerted the Air Policing Service after having detected
    a group of drones flying towards the Ukrainian territory close to the Romanian
    border and notified the General Inspectorate for Emmergency Situations to
    instate the alert measures for the population in the counties of Tulcea and
    Galati. According to the Defence Ministry on the night of September 29th the
    Russian forces launched a new series of strikes against targets in Ukraine. The
    same sources say that the army radars detected a possible breach of the national
    airspace. No objects fallen from the sky have been identified yet. The ministry
    has been informing the allied structures on situations like these, keeping a
    permanent contact with them.




    ART Almost 100
    works of art by Romania’s famous sculptor Constantin Brancusi are on display as
    of today in Timisoara, western Romania, in the most important exhibition
    dedicated to this major artist in the past half a century. The exhibition
    includes sculptures, photos, archive documents and film footages on display at
    the local National Art Museum until late January. The exhibits’ total insured
    value stays around half a billion euros. Under the suggestive title, Brancusi,
    Romanian sources and universal prospects the exhibition invites the public to
    explore the way in which Brancusi managed to cross all geographic, historical,
    formal and gender borders in order to ensure that special place unattached to
    any artistic current. The exhibition has on view a series of artefacts borrowed
    from the National Museum of Modern Art, Pompidou Center, in Paris, the Tate
    Gallery in London, the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Art Museum in
    Bucharest, the Art Museum in Craiova and some private collections. Among the famous
    artefacts visitors can admire in Timisoara, there is the Bird in Space, the
    Kiss, Mademoiselle Pogany or Sleeping Muse. The aforementioned exhibition is
    part of the programme Timisoara – European Capital of Culture.




    RUGBY Romania’s rugby
    selection will today meet Scotland in their third World Cup match in France.
    Romania has so far lost to world leader, Ireland, and the en-titre champion,
    South Africa. Scotland has also lost to South Africa but outperformed Toga and
    still stands chances to qualify for the competition’s quarter-finals. Scotland
    is presently ranking third in the competition with 5 points, while Romania is
    on the last position with no points. However, our players are hoping to outperform
    Tonga on October 8th and avoid ending the competition in the last position.


    (bill)

  • August 16, 2023 UPDATE

    August 16, 2023 UPDATE


    SECURITY Romanias security has been consolidated and the efforts to strengthen NATO structures on national territory, especially the NATO battle group established in 2022, will carry on, said President Klaus Iohannis, who attended the Navy Day ceremonies in Constanta on Tuesday. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu promised that the government would earmark the resources required for equipping and modernising the Romanian Naval Forces. Security at the Black Sea ensures the stability of the entire region and turns Romania into an important security provider, the speaker of the Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, also said.



    ECONOMY The EU economy grew 0.5% and the Eurozone economy went up 0.6% in Q2 2023, compared to the corresponding period in 2022, with Ireland and Romania reporting the most significant growth rates, according to preliminary data released on Wednesday by the European Statistics Office (Eurostat). Among the EU member countries for which data are available, the highest growth rates in April-June 2023 are reported in Ireland (2.8%), Romania (2.7%), Cyprus and Portugal (2.3%), while the most important negative rates were in Estonia (-3%), Sweden (-2.4%), Hungary (-2.3%) and Poland (-1.3%). Across the ocean, the US GDP went up 0.6% compared to the previous 3 months and 2.6% against the corresponding quarter last year.



    BACCALAUREATE Nearly 34,000 high school graduates in Romania, sitting the second session of this years Baccalaureate exam, Wednesday had the Romanian language and literature test, with papers graded digitally for the first time. The tests are scanned and uploaded on a platform, where they are assigned for grading to teachers in any part of the country except for the county where the student went to high school. The two tests in students major subjects are scheduled for August 17th and 18th. In order to pass the exam, candidates need an overall grade of at least 6 in their written tests. In the first Baccalaureate session, 75% of the candidates passed the exam.



    TRAFFIC Over 2.2 million Romanians and foreigners crossed Romanias borders during the Assumption of Mary holiday period, up 24% compared to the corresponding period of last year, the Romanian Border Police announced. The most crowded checkpoints were those on the Hungarian and Bulgarian borders, and those in airports. During the same period, border police issued fines totalling over EUR 60,000 and seized assets of over EUR 600,000. More than 100 Romanian nationals were denied exit and 90 foreign nationals were not allowed to enter the country for various reasons.



    UKRAINE The Romanian Defence Ministry strongly condemns the repeated strikes by Russian armed forces targeting critical infrastructure in Ukraine and regions inhabited by civilians in that country. The statement comes after on Wednesday morning the Danube River ports in Izmail and Reni, near the border with Romania, were hit by drone strikes. The war of aggression started by Russia against Ukraine is a blatant violation of international law, says the Defence Ministry, also adding that it has enhanced the monitoring of Romanias national territory and its maritime and airspace, jointly with NATO forces, to strengthen defence on the entire eastern flank and to deter possible aggressions against NATO member countries. (AMP)


  • June 7, 2023

    June 7, 2023

    STRIKES – 10,000 teachers
    have resumed classes, although over half of teachers in the system continue the
    strike action, Education Minister Ligia Deca has said. Trade unions say the
    authorities are mistaken, arguing some 87% of teachers and auxiliary staff are
    currently on strike. In the meantime, representatives of pupils, parents and
    trade unions on Tuesday met with Education Ministry officials, in an attempt to
    find solutions. Minister Ligia Deca says there are no plans yet for
    rescheduling exams or extending the school year. On the other hand, employees
    in the public healthcare system have launched a work-in strike today, calling
    for higher wages and the application of the salary law for all categories of
    workers and the payment of base salaries stipulated in the wage grid. Health
    workers also demand the authorities change the way bonuses are provided,
    on-call work is remunerated and meal allowances are paid. The Labor Ministry
    has published a draft emergency decree which raises the salaries of certain
    categories of health workers to the maximum allowed by the law, including
    nurses, orderlies and patient care assistants. The same provision will also
    apply to social workers and employees in the defense, law enforcement and
    national security sectors. According to the Labor Ministry, the measure will
    not entail huge budget costs so as to impair the fiscal targets for 2023, and
    will do away with salary inequities in the healthcare system, helping reward
    workers in line with their training and seniority.




    B9 – Russia remains the biggest
    threat to European and Euro-Atlantic security, the president of Romania, Klaus
    Iohannis, said on the sidelines of the Bucharest 9 Summit hosted by Bratislava.
    The president called for the consolidation of national defense, underlining the
    need to create a consistent, united, reliable and robust Forward Defense
    structure on NATO’s eastern flank. Klaus Iohannis also argued that Romania will
    continue to provide support for Ukraine as long as it is necessary, reasserting
    Bucharest’s support for Kyiv’s Euro-Atlantic accession aspirations. Klaus
    Iohannis and other B9 leaders firmly condemned Russia’s brutal, unjustified and
    illegal war against Ukraine, calling on Moscow to unconditionally withdraw its
    troops from Ukraine’s territory.




    EXERCISE – The city of
    Constanţa in eastern Romania is as of today hosting the VALHALA 23 exercise
    organized by the Romanian Border Police Inspectorate. The exercise is designed
    to test the capacity of the Border Police to manage high flows of refugees and
    will comprise three phases. The first phase will be held onboard the 0201
    Ştefan cel Mare ship and will consist in a simulation: Border Police crews
    will detect watercraft carrying migrants and escort them to the port of
    Constanţa. In the next phase, the migrants will disembark in the port and undergo
    specific procedures. The last phase is scheduled to take place at the Coast
    Guard headquarters and will consist of an epidemiological triage, body-searches,
    identifying vulnerable people, border inspections, finger-printing and
    registering. Each migrant will then undergo specific criminal procedures, a
    second triage, will be given an opportunity to lodge asylum requests, will give
    interviews and finally be given access to Romania’s territory or taken into
    public custody, if necessary.




    DAM – The European Union
    will provide the necessary assistance to Ukraine after the partial destruction
    of the Kakhovka dam, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said after a
    telephone conversation with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs,
    Josep Borrell. Both Kyiv and Moscow have denied responsibility for the attack.
    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that the Zaporizhzhia
    Nuclear Power Plant, located upstream, has sufficient alternative cooling
    systems to keep the plant safe and operational. In the meantime, mass
    evacuations continued on Wednesday in southern Ukraine after the water
    discharge flooded numerous settlements along the Dnieper. (VP)

  • 16 August, 2016

    16 August, 2016

    HUMAN RIGHTS — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, in a message sent to participants in the Summer University in a central Romanian town, said: A consolidated democracy is based on mutual respect, tolerance, and inter-cultural and inter-ethnic dialog, as cultural diversity is a source of creativity. From this point of view, Romania is a model recognized as such in Europe, and beyond, as the rights of minorities are fully protected. The Summer University in Izvorul Muresului is attended by students from Romanian communities from countries neighboring Romania, as well as from mixed ethnic and religious communities from across the country, members of civil society who debated the issues of Romanians living abroad, and those of Romanians living in the majority ethnic Hungarian regions of Harghita and Covasna. The theme this year is The Romanian State and Romanians on the Border of the EU and NATO.



    TRANSPORTERS — Romanian road transporters have resumed today protests against the raising of mandatory insurance rates. They announced that would initiate a month long campaign of sounding horns daily in front of the government headquarters and the Financial Supervision Authority. At the same time, they said that each beginning of the week, for two hours early in the morning, freight vehicles would run at slow speed on beltways across the country, but without blocking traffic completely. Protesters are also angry at the fact that the executive did not intervene to slow down the rise in prices. They warned that a failure to meet their demands would trigger a national protest on September 14 and 15.



    FOOTBALL — Romanias soccer vice-champions, Steaua Bucharest, play at home against English team Manchester City, in the first leg of the Champions League play-offs. Even if eliminated, Steaua is still going to the Europa League groups. Romanias champions, Astra, play on Thursday, also at home, against another famous English team, West Ham United, in the play-offs to qualify in the groups of the second continental competition. Three other Romanian teams, CSMS Iasi, Viitorul Constanta, and Pandurii Targu Jiu, have been eliminated in the preliminaries of the European cups.



    OLYMPICS — Romanian athletes compete in Greco-Roman wrestling, gymnastics and athletics on the 11th day of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In wrestling, Ion Panait is pitted against Russian Islambek Albiev in the 66 kg category in the qualifiers, while Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu fights to qualify to the quarter finals against Egyptian Hamdy Abdelwadah, in the 98 kg category. Athlete Alina Rotaru will attempt to qualify in the long jump event. In gymnastics, Andrei Muntean will try for a medal in the parallel bars event, after yesterday Marian Dragulescu narrowly missed getting the bronze in the vault event. He came in fourth, matched evenly against the bronze medalist, Japanese Kenzo Shirai. Romanian gymnast Catalina Ponor came in seventh in the beam finals. In terms of medals, Romania right now ranks 35th. Romanian athletes have so far secured four medals. The womens epee team won a gold medal, the tennis pair Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau got the silver in the mens doubles, while Gabriel Sincraian won a bronze medal in weightlifting. The other bronze was won by the womens coxed eight team in rowing.



    BIDEN — US Vice-president Joe Biden meets today in Belgrade Serb President Tomislav Nikolich and PM Aleksandar Vuchich. The visit shows the willingness of the administration in Washington to maintain their influence in the Balkans, in the contexts in which Russia is trying to draw Serbia into its sphere of influence, according to press agencies. The visit shows Washingtons wish for a reconciliation between Belgrade and Pristina, 17 years after the NATO military intervention that allowed the former Serb province of Kosovo to gain independence. Joe Biden is next going to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, where he will recommend the implementation of the 2015 agreement, mediated by the European Union, aimed at normalizing relations with Belgrade.