Radio România Internațional

Tag: summer time

  • March 28, 2020

    March 28, 2020

    Pandemic measures — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has stated today that Romania is ready to cope with the pandemic after he visited the mobile military hospital set up near Bucharest. He underlined that after this crisis, which is going to last and get worse, the authorities will rigorously assess the situation of the entire hospital system in Romania and will take all the measures needed to equip hospitals so as to be able to face any situation, from epidemics to disasters. The president reiterated his appeal to the citizens to observe the measures adopted by the authorities. In another development, the plane of the Romanian Defense Ministry that made the 2nd transport of medical materials from South Korea has landed today in Bucharest. It brought 100 thousand pieces of protection equipment that was purchased by the Romanian state as part of the effort to combat the effects of the pandemic.



    COVID-19 Romania — Latest figures regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania show 1452 infected people and 29 deaths. 139 people have recovered and have been discharged from hospital. The National Public Health Institute has updated the COVID-19 testing algorithm. Therefore, tests will be made with priority on the people who travelled abroad, close contacts of the confirmed cases who show symptoms, the medical and sanitary staff and the cases of pneumonia without other etiology. All parks in Bucharest have been closed as of Saturday, in a move of the municipality to contain the spreading of the coronavirus pandemic. In Romania, which is in a state of emergency, traffic restrictions are imposed both during the day and night, with a few exceptions.



    Repatriation — 365 Romanian citizens who were temporarily in Italy returned to Romania on Friday evening, the Romanian Foreign Ministry — MAE announced on Saturday. They were transported from Venice in two charter planes operated by a private airline. MAE and the Transport Ministry continue efforts to facilitate the return to Romania of non-resident Romanian citizens who are seasonal workers affected by the closing down of companies in Italy as well as of the Romanian citizens from Italy who are in special situations. Bucharest authorities have renewed appeals to the citizens to avoid trips abroad that are not essential and to the Romanian citizens residing or having their domicile abroad to strictly observe the recommendations of the authorities from those states.



    COVID -19 world — Over 600 thousand cases of COVID-19 infection have so far been reported in the world, with the number of deaths exceeding 27 thousand. 133 thousand of the people diagnosed with the new coronavirus have been cured. The US is the only country of the world where the number of contaminations exceeded 100 thousand. The US is followed by Italy with almost 90 thousand cases and more than 9 thousand deaths, the most numerous at global level. Other European states that have been severely affected by the new virus are Spain, Germany, France, Great Britain and Switzerland.



    Daylight Saving Time – Romania will switch to summer time on Saturday night. 3.00 hours local time will become 4.00 hours and Sunday will be the year’s shortest day. During the daylight saving time period, the difference between Romania’s official time and GMT is 3 hours, as compared to 2 hours at present. Switching to winter time will take place in the last weekend of October 2020 when clocks will be set back one hour. The European Commission has proposed giving up the daylight saving time in Europe, allowing member states the freedom to decide on their own if they want to continue switching to summer or winter time. The states that decide to permanently maintain the summer time will make the last switch in the last Sunday of March 2021, and those that prefer sticking to the winter time (the standard time) will make the final switch on the last Sunday of October 2021. (translation by L. Simion)

  • 25 March 2018

    25 March 2018

    Anniversary. Chisinau, the
    capital of the ex-Soviet, majority-Romanian speaking Republic of Moldova, is
    hosting an assembly to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the union
    of Bassarabia with Romania. A number of Romanian politicians, including the
    former president and current leader of the People’s Movement Party Traian
    Basescu and the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban are due to attend the event. A
    province with a majority ethnic Romanian population that formed part of the
    Tsarist Empire, Bassarabia became united with Romania at the end of the First
    World War, on the 27th of March 1918. The Soviet Union later
    re-annexed Bassarabia in 1940 following an ultimatum, and created today’s
    Republic of Moldova on its territory.




    Summer time. In
    Romania, clocks moved forward from Daylight Saving Time on Saturday night. 3 am
    became 4 am, and Romania is now 3 hours ahead of GMT. Because of the shift, the
    day of the 25th of March only has 23 hours instead of 24. Clocks were
    turned forward at the same time in all European Union countries. Summer time
    lasts from the last Sunday in March until the last Sunday in October. First
    adopted in 1916 in Germany, Daylight Saving Time was introduced in Romania in
    1932 to make the most of natural light and reduce the use of artificial
    lighting.






    France attacks.
    A special church service was held on Sunday in Trebes, in southern France, to
    honour the four people killed on Friday by an Islamist attacker. Paris will
    host a national ceremony in a few days’ time to honour the gendarme who died
    after taking the place of a hostage. Lieutenant-colonel Arnauld Beltrame was hailed a
    hero for saving the lives of several people taken hostage in a supermarket by
    an armed man, a French citizen of Moroccan origin. Investigations are ongoing
    and the police have interviewed two more persons in connection with the attack,
    one of whom is believed to be the attacker’s partner. France, which saw a
    series of attacks in 2015 and 2016 that killed more than 240 people and wounded
    hundreds, is still facing a strong jihadist threat. The Romanian government has
    firmly condemned these terrorist attacks and said it stands by France and the
    other countries in the fight against terrorism and radicalisation.




    US rallies. Hundreds
    of thousands of people took to the streets in many cities across the United
    States to demand tighter gun control laws. The demonstrations, held under the
    motto March for Our Lives, were led by the survivors of a mass shooting at a
    Florida school in February in which 17 people were killed. In Washington, the
    rally, the biggest in recent years, was joined by many celebrities.




    Palm Sunday. Roman-Catholic Christians today celebrate
    Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem commonly known as Palm Sunday, which also marks
    the beginning of the Passion Week, the week preceding Easter. On Palm Sunday,
    the Roman-Catholic Church also celebrates Youth Day. Processions with flowers
    and branches are held to honour Christ’s entry into Jerusalem almost 2,000
    years ago. During Passion Week, all Roman-Catholic believers must forgive and
    reconcile with those with whom they have fallen out, as this is a time of
    penitence and preparation for the biggest Christian holiday, Easter.




    Handball. The Romanian women’s handball side today face
    Russia in Cluj Napoca in a return match as part of the fourth qualifying group
    in the run-up to the European Championships in France. On Wednesday in
    Togliatti, Romania lost to Russia 30-25, their first defeat in this qualifying
    campaign. The two sides now both have 4 points, followed by Austria with 2
    points, but one match behind. If they win today, Romania may win the group.






    Football.
    Romania on Saturday defeated Israel 2-1 in a friendly match held in Netanya.
    They will face Sweden on Tuesday in another friendly to train for the upcoming
    Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. Sweden are currently in the 19th
    place in the UEFA ranking, while Romania is ranked 36th and Israel
    94th. We recall that Romania have not qualified for this year’s
    World Cup hosted by Russia.






    Tennis. The Romanian tennis players Simona Halep and Monica
    Niculescu lost their respective third-round matches in Miami on Saturday. Halep
    was defeated by Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska in
    three sets, while Niculescu withdrew with back pain in the decisive set against
    Sloane Stephens of the US. In the men’s draw, Marius Copil was eliminated in
    the second round by Russia’s Karen Khachanov.



  • March 24, 2017

    March 24, 2017

    THE FUTURE OF THE EU– Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday is attending the EU Summit in Rome, where a Declaration on the future of the EU will be adopted. According to a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration, Romania will plead for a stronger, more consolidated Europe. Early this month, Bucharest sent a document to the EU member states, expressing its stand on the issue. “The fact that there is no alternative to a European solution, which places the stability of our economies and societies and the prosperity of our citizens at the centre of the Union’s actions, should be clearly expressed”, the document also writes. Another stated principle is “no step back.” The document sent to Brussels also states it is essential to preserve and build on the fundamental accomplishments of the EU- the Internal Market, Schengen, Euro, the cohesion policy and enlargement.



    DEATH TOLL — The latest death toll of Wednesday’s terror attack in London, issued by the British Police earlier today, takes the number of fatalities to four. 50 other people, of 12 nationalities have been injured in the attack. Two Romanian tourists, a man and a woman are among those injured. The man has been released from hospital, whereas his partner is still in critical condition in hospital. She fell off the Westminster Bridge into the Thames River, after the attacker rammed the car into people crossing the bridge. According to the British Police, the terrorist, who was shot dead, is Khalid Masood, 52, born in Great Britain and who embraced radical Islam. Actually, the attack has been claimed by the Islamic State group. Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, has firmly condemned the attack and, in a phone conversation with the British PM Theresa May, he expressed full solidarity with the United Kingdom. Klaus Iohannis has also sent a message of condolence to the families of the victims and wished a fast recovery to those injured. In turn, PM Sorin Grindeanu has said the government, through the Romanian Embassy in London, is monitoring the health condition of the two Romanian nationals who sustained injuries. In a message on Twitter, the British ambassador to Bucharest, Paul Brummel, has sent a message to the Romanians, thanking them for their reaction to the attack.




    SUMMER TIME — On March 26, the last Sunday of March, Romania will switch to summertime or daylight saving time (DST). This is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months by one hour so that evening daylight lasts an hour longer. In Romania clocks will be advanced by one hour, from 03.00 to 04.00, local time. Consequently, this will be the shortest day of the year, with only 23 instead of 24 hours. This practice is aimed at saving electricity, using instead sunlight for a longer period of the day. Natural light is also a booster of people’s mental and physical health. DST is currently used by over 100 countries the world over.



    EXERCISES– The French frigate “La Fayette” is today arriving in the Port of Constanta, in south-eastern Romania, to take part in military exercises alongside similar Romanian ships, in the Black Sea. French and Romanian marines will work together to put into practice NATO standard operation practices, according to scenarios of ensuring free navigation and a maritime traffic flow. On Monday, the frigate “La Fayette” will take part in an exercise meant to consolidate interoperability with the Romanian Navy. There will be a busy timetable, including live fire exercises. Becoming militarily operational in 1996, “La Fayette” is equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles and has a self-defence arsenal. A Panther helicopter is also onboard the ship, which increases the frigate’s action range.



    TENNIS — Four Romanian women tennis players are today trying to qualify for the third round of the “Premier Mandatory” in Miami(the US), with 6.8 million dollars in prize money up for grabs. Sorana Carstea (no. 64 WTA) will meet Anastasija Sevastova (of Latvia, no. 25 WTA). Patricia Tig (no. 95 WTA) will play against the French Kristina Mladenovici, no. 18 WTA. No.5 WTA, Simona Halep will face Naomi Osaka( no. 48 WTA), and 28th seeded Irina Begu, will meet Lara Arruabarrena of Spain, no. 48 WTA. (Translated by D. Vijeu)