Radio România Internațional

Tag: Summer University

July 22, 2023 UPDATE

Weather. 16 hydrographic basins in the western half of Romania are subject to hydrological warnings until Sunday noon. Yellow warnings for flooding have been issued for the Someşul Mic, Crişuri, Mureş, Miraj, Aries, Târnava Mică and Târnava Mare basins. Exceeding flows and rising levels may occur, possibly above the attention quotas, also on the rivers Bega, Timiş, Bârzava, Caraş, Nera, Cerna, Jiu, Motru, Râul Negru, Olt, but also on Ialomiţa, Prahova, Buzău, Putna and Râmnicu Sărat. The western half of the country is under a yellow code of atmospheric instability, for gales and hail. Water quantities exceed 30-40 liters per square meter and, in some areas, over 50 liters per square meter.

Travel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest informs Romanian citizens who are transiting or want to travel to Portugal that the local authorities are re-introducing random border controls until August 7, during the World Youth Day activities. The measure concerns the check points at the land border with Spain, as well as airport check points. During the event, for Lisbon and the metropolitan area, the Portuguese authorities established a package of measures, which includes, among other things, traffic restrictions. Also, between August 1 and 6, public transport in Lisbon and the metropolitan area will operate according to a modified route and schedule.

Insurance House. The IT system of the National Health Insurance House in Romania (CNAS), on which consultations and the issuing of prescriptions are based, is to be modernized with funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The project, worth 70 million euros, would become fully functional only in 2025. Until then, it is expected that the current system will operate more in emergency mode, as it is happening now and as it happened in the last weeks. The spokesperson for the institution, Larisa Mezinu Bălan, has stated that one of the reasons is that the system has already been operating for two decades, and the IT specialists needed to ensure its maintenance are not interested in the job because the salaries offered are not so attractive. She specified that by April 30, 2025, CNAS is considering expanding the storage space of the current system, so as to improve operational times. At the same time, the institution calls on the health service providers and doctors not to postpone the necessary treatments to the insured due to the problems of the IT system, since the medical services can also be provided offline and will be reimbursed.

Ukraine. The spokeswoman for the Defense Forces of southern Ukraine, Natalia Humeniuk, has stated that, most likely, the Russian invasion army has taken a break in terms of bombing Ukrainian territory. However, she stressed, the enemy has intensified its reconnaissance operations. Humeniuk added that the activation of Russian reconnaissance drones indicates that the occupiers are trying to gather information, in particular, about Ukraines port infrastructure. According to her, the activity of enemy drones is registered in the coastal area of the Black Sea.

Summer University. The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, once again used the context of his presence at the Summer University of Băile Tuşnad, in central Romania, to launch provocative statements. The leader from Budapest commented ironically on the recommendations he said hed received from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the topics he could address in his speech. He stated that he was told what he could and could not talk about. The head of the Hungarian government suggested in this context that he could influence Romanias accession to the Schengen area, referring to the fact that, in the middle of next year, Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. He wished success to the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, at the beginning of his mandate, but commented ironically that since he had been in charge of the executive in Budapest, Romania had 20 prime ministers. Before participating in the event in Băile Tuşnad, Viktor Orbán met with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

Eurobarometer. Romania ranks last in the European Union in terms of financial knowledge, according to the results of a Eurobarometer. The survey, carried out at the request of the European Commission, shows that more than half of Romanians belive that they know a lot about money, but only 13% can prove, through correct answers, that they understand what inflation is, what interest rates are and how investments are made. The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland or Estonia are the best in this regard. The survey also has a section dedicated to the so-called digital financial literacy, where Romania is in the middle of the European ranking. 80% of Romanians, a percentage above the EU average, say that they feel comfortable with digitized banking services, with online payments or with the help of the phone. However, Romanians are positioned at the bottom of the ranking regarding the ability to support themselves financially in case they suddenly lose their main source of income: a quarter of Romanians say that they have no money set aside for such extreme situations and only 23% estimate that they could support themselves from savings for at least half a year.

Elections. 35 million Spaniards are expected, on Sunday, at the polls for the parliamentary elections. The Radio Romania correspondent in Madrid notes that the head of the government and the leader of the Socialist Party, Pedro Sanchez, is counting on what he calls the well-being of the Spaniards during his mandate. The leader of the Peoples Party (right, in opposition), Alberto Feijóo, promises reparations for the things Sanchez did wrong. Yolanda Díaz, the creator of the extreme left platform Sumar announces the coming to power of the people and the oppressed classes, and Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far- right party VOX, promises almost the same thing, only with the nuance that the people coming to power must be exclusively Spanish. Opinion polls have varied in the last month and have led to changes in strategy. If 30 days ago the Peoples Party looked like it would win easily without needing an alliance with VOX to govern, in the last week the figures show that everything has reversed, and the Socialists will lead, together with Sumar, for another four years.

Timisoara. The famous American actor John Malkovich played, on Friday evening, the last of the two performances of the “Infernal Comedy” show, part of the “Timişoara – European Capital of Culture” Program. The performances were sold-out. The actor plays in “Infernal Comedy” the role of a serial killer, in an original directorial concept, based on a script written especially for John Malkovich.

Tennis. Romanians Ana Bogdan and Irina Begu will play in the finals of the BCR Iasi Open tournament in Romania, with 100,000 euros in prize money. Bogdan, number 49 WTA, the reigning champion and the second favorite of the tournament in Iasi (north-east), qualified for the last round after defeating Raluka Şerban, a Romanian player representing Cyprus, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. For her part, Begu, ranked 31st in the world ranking and the competitions first seed, has defeated the Slovenian Tamara Zidansek 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. The Begu-Bogdan final will take place on Sunday in the central arena of the Iasi complex. (MI)

22 July 2023
August 13, 2019

Government — The Romanian PM and leader of the Social Democratic Party – PSD Viorica Dancila announced a government reshuffle and an adjustment of the governing program in the wake of Monday’s meeting of the party’s executive committee. PM Dancila said the Social Democrats could not accept ultimatums from their governing partners, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats – ALDE that had pushed forward August 20 as a deadline for the PSD to prepare measures to reform the state institutions, to come up with a new governing program and a restructured government team based on efficiency. ALDE criticized the budget adjustment passed Monday by the government, claiming that this year’s budget was drafted unrealistically.

Summer University — The 17th edition of the Summer University hosted by Izvoru Mureşului, in Harghita county, in the center, continues. On Monday, at the official opening, Sandra Pralong, a state advisor with the presidential administration, said that the Romanian state should pay more attention to the needs of the Romanians living abroad. Alexandru Pugna, a secretary of state with the Ministry of Culture and National Identity reminded that, starting this year, the government decided, through an emergency decree, to allot each year 4 million Euros to the churches in the Diaspora to support the Romanian communities in preserving their national identity outside Romania’s borders. Other topics to be approached at the Summer University are preserving the identity of the Romanians in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the parliamentary parties’ and the state institutions’ policy towards the Romanians abroad and the Romanians from multi-ethnic and multi-denomination areas from Romania. The proceedings of the Summer University are being attended by people from Romania, the Rep of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, by lecturers from the main university centers from Romania and from abroad, as well as by civil society and mass media representatives.

Investments — Direct foreign investments in Romania rose, in the first half of the year, by almost 30% as against the same period of last year, up to more than 2.3 billion Euros, show data made public on Tuesday by Romania’s national bank. On June 31, there were over 224 thousand companies with foreign capital in Romania, of which most with Italian capital, but the Dutch companies report the largest amount of share capital. In another development, according to the central bank, Romania’s current account deficit rose by 38% in the first 6 months of the year as compared to the same period of last year, up to 5.1 billion Euros.

Romanian Navy — The Romanian Navy have been training on the Black Sea Coast for the show devoted to Romania’s Navy Day to be marked on August 15. The focus of the events will be the training ship Mircea whose flag will be decorated on Thursday by President Klaus Iohannis to mark 80 years since the ship started being used by the Romanian Navy. Ships, combat divers, Puma Naval helicopters and MIG-21, F-16 and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft simulated fighting scenarios at sea, prefacing the biggest naval exercise of the year to be presented to the public on the Navy Day. The naval and air forces of Ukraine, Italy and the US will contribute military detachments to the exercise on the Romanian Navy Day and to the festivity to be held on the sea front of the Navy Command on the occasion of the Navy Day.

Football – Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj are taking on, today, in Glasgow, the famous Scottish eleven Celtic, in the 2nd leg of the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League. One week ago, the two teams ended the match in a 1-all draw. The winner of today’s match will play with Slavia Prague in the playoffs. Another two Romanian football teams are playing on Thursday, away from home, in the 2nd leg of the Champions League’s 3rd preliminary round. Vice-champions FCSB (formerly Steaua Bucharest) are playing against FK Mlada Boleslav from the Czech Republic after a nil-draw in the previous match and Universitatea Craiova will take on AEK Athens after they were defeated 2-0 in the first leg. (translation by L. Simion)

13 August 2019
August 18, 2017

BARCELONA ATTACK – Spanish authorities have today informed the Romanian General Consulate in Barcelona that there are three Romanians among those wounded in Thursdays terrorist attack. 14 people have died and more than 100 have been wounded in the most popular area of Barcelona, Las Ramblas, where on Thursday evening a van rammed into pedestrians. The victims are of 20 nationalities from Europe, South America, Australia and Africa. The attack has been claimed by the Islamic State. Just a few hours after the attack in Barcelona, in the resort of Cambrils, also in Catalonia, five alleged terrorists were shot dead by the police while they were just about to launch an attack. Three days of national mourning have been declared in Spain. Romania, just like the rest of the international community, has firmly condemned the attack. More on this after the news.

SUMMER UNIVERSITY – Friday is the last day of the Summer University in Izvoru Muresului, central Romania. Representatives of the Romanian historical communities around the countrys borders have drawn attention to the danger of assimilation. The situation is dramatic in the Timoc province, in eastern Serbia, where the 300,000 ethnic Romanians living there cannot benefit from any fundamental rights, said Daniel Magdu, the president of the Romanian Community in Serbia. Also, representatives of ethnic Romanians in Ukraine have warned that they too are subject to an aggressive process of assimilation, as schools in Romanian have been dismantled and Romanian children are discouraged to speak their mother tongue. All representatives have stressed the fact that, without support from the Romanian state, they will no longer be able to preserve their national identity. The Director of the Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi centre in Cernauti, academician Vasile Tărâţeanu, has stated that the number of schools in Romanian has dropped in northern Bucovina from 114 to 62, of which some are mixed, Romanian – Ukrainian.

STATE VISIT – On August 24th, the French president Emmanuel Macron will pay a formal visit to Romania, at the invitation of his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis. The talks will focus on means of boosting bilateral relations under the Strategic Partnership and also the main issues on the European and international agenda. The visit was decided on the sidelines of the European Council of June 23rd, when Macron accepted president Iohanniss invitation to continue their dialogue in Bucharest.

EXTREME WEATHER – The Romanian National Meteorology Administration has issued a warning for extreme heat and thermal discomfort, affecting the entire country on Friday and Saturday. According to weather experts, the weather will be rather hot in all regions, with highs reaching 34-36 degrees Celsius, and even 37 in the south. The temperature – humidity ratio will exceed the critical 80 unit threshold. On Sunday, the weather will grow unsettled in the west, and temperatures will start dropping there. The noon reading in Bucharest today was 34 degrees Celsius.

FOOTBALL – Romanias football champion FC Viitorul has lost 3-1, on home turf, the match against the Austrians from Red Bull Salzburg, in the playoffs for the Europa League main group phase. The return game will be played next Thursday in Austria. We recall that Romanias vice-champion FCSB (formerly known as Steaua Bucharest), has secured a place in the groups of the second continental competition. FCSB hopes, however, to get access to the Champions Leagues groups. On Tuesday, the Bucharest squad ended in a draw the match against Sporting Lisbon, nil-nil, away from home, in the playoffs for the main group phase of the most important European football competition. The return game is scheduled for August 23rd, in Bucharest.

TENNIS – The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranking 2nd in the WTA classification, will play against the British Johanna Konta (no. 7 WTA) in the quarter finals of the tournament in Cincinnati, the US, with 2.5 million dollars in prize money. Halep defeated on Thursday the Latvian player Anastasija Sevastova (16 WTA). In 2015, Halep lost the final in Cincinnati to Serena Williams, and last year she stopped in the semi-finals, as she was defeated by Angelique Kerber. Also in the current tournament in Cinncinati, in the mens doubles, the pair made up of the Romanian Horia Tecau and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer has qualified for the quarter finals, after defeating Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Rajeev Ram of the US. Tecau and his partner will compete for a place in the semi-finals against the British – Brazilian pair Jamie Murray / Bruno Soares.

18 August 2017
August 17, 2017 UPDATE

BARCELONA ATTACK – The
Spanish police have announced multiple casualties in Thursday’s terrorist
attack in Barcelona. A van mounted a pavement on Las Ramblas and struck several
people. The area is extremely popular with tourists. The Romanian Consulate in Barcelona
is trying to find out whether there were Romanian citizens among the victims.
Also, a crisis team has been set up at the Romanian Embassy in Madrid.

SUMMER UNIVERSITY– Attending on Thursday the Summer University in Izvorul
Muresului, central Romania, Romanians living in historical communities around
the country’s borders drew attention to their extremely serious situation.
According to their representatives at the meeting, people living in these
communities are subject to a continuous and aggressive process of assimilation
and without support from the Romanian state they will no longer be able to
preserve their national identity. Also on Thursday, the participants decided to
set up the Federation of Romanian Organisations in the Historical Communities
in Central and South-Eastern Europe, headquartered in Bucharest and with
external representation with the European institutions. The Secretary of the
Federation and President of the ‘Rasaritul Romanesc’ Association in Chisinau
Vlad Cubreacov has stated that this body will be a dialogue partner to both the
Romanian authorities and authorities from other European countries where there
are Romanian communities, on matters relating to their language, cultural and
religious rights.

PROETNICA– The 15th’Proetnica’
Intercultural Festival started on Thursday in the Romanian town of Sighisoara.
For four days, the festival is playing host to 700 participants, representing
20 ethnic minorities. The festival’s agenda includes conference on minority
protection, the situation of the Rroma in Europe, interfaith dialogue and
multiculturalism. The event is also hosting an arts and crafts fair, a fine
arts exhibition, film screenings and workshops. The programme includes some 50
shows in which ethnic minorities in Romania are presenting their traditional
costumes, music and dances.

LONDON– The number of EU citizens working in the UK
is at a record level, partially because of a significant increase in the number
of Romanians and Bulgarians finding jobs there, reads the Financial
Times. According to official data, around 2.37 million EU workers were in the
UK in April-June this year, 126,000 more compared to the same period of 2016.
The number of Romanian and Bulgarian workers went up over 25% in the last 12
months, reaching 337,000. Around one third of citizens from the ten Central and
East European countries working in Great Britain work in home care,
construction and food sales.

START UP NATION– The Romanian Ministry for the Business Environment has
announced the first 20 winners of the funds granted under the governmental
programme Start Up Nation, aimed at creating new jobs in Romania. In all, they
will get some 890,000 Euro and are supposed to create 155 new jobs. Also,
small and medium-sized enterprises can register until 29 August to take part in
the ‘Trade and Services ‘ programme, under which they can get state funding up
to 55.000 Euro to extend their activities. Another micro-industrialisation
programme is to be launched next week, with an allocated budget of some 17
million Euros this year.

INFLATION– The annual rate of inflation in the EU was stable in
July as compared to June, standing at 1.5%. According to data published
by Eurostat, the lowest annual rates were recorded in Ireland (minus -0.2%),
Cyprus (minus 0.1%), Bulgaria and Finland (0.6%), France (0.8%) and Romania
(0.9%). As compared to June 2017, the annual inflation rate has dropped in four
member states, has grown in 16 countries and has remained stable in eight
countries. The Romanian National Bank issued a revision of its forecast for the
end of this year, from 1.6 to 1.9%. The National Bank expects a rate of
inflation of 3.2% for the end of 2018.

NATO– Some 135 soldiers and 4 fighters of the Royal Canadian
Air Force will be deployed to Constanta, in south eastern Romania, to take part
in NATO air police activities. According to a communiqué issued by the Canadian
Embassy in Bucharest, the activities will be carried out
over September – December. The mission is part of the NATO OperationReassuranceand represents Canada’s contribution
to the NATO assurance and deterrence measures. These measures aim to reinforce
NATO’s collective defence and its commitment to protecting the member
countries’ populations and territories.

TENNIS– The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranking 2nd in
the WTA classification, on Thursday qualified for the quarter finals of the WTA
tournament in Cincinnati, the US, with 2.5 million dollars in prize money.
Halep defeated the Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, no. 16 WTA. In 2015, Halep
lost the final in Cincinnati to Serena Williams, and last year she was defeated
in the semi-finals by Angelique Kerber of Germany. Also in Cincinnati this
year, in the doubles, the pair mad up of Monica Niculescu (Romania) and
Su-Wei Hsieh (Taiwan), has qualified for the quarter finals, winning
against the French-Russian team Kristina Mladenovic- Anastasia Pavliuchenkova.

17 August 2017
August 17, 2017 UPDATE

BARCELONA ATTACK – The
Spanish police have announced multiple casualties in Thursday’s terrorist
attack in Barcelona. A van mounted a pavement on Las Ramblas and struck several
people. The area is extremely popular with tourists. The Romanian Consulate in Barcelona
is trying to find out whether there were Romanian citizens among the victims.
Also, a crisis team has been set up at the Romanian Embassy in Madrid.

SUMMER UNIVERSITY– Attending on Thursday the Summer University in Izvorul
Muresului, central Romania, Romanians living in historical communities around
the country’s borders drew attention to their extremely serious situation.
According to their representatives at the meeting, people living in these
communities are subject to a continuous and aggressive process of assimilation
and without support from the Romanian state they will no longer be able to
preserve their national identity. Also on Thursday, the participants decided to
set up the Federation of Romanian Organisations in the Historical Communities
in Central and South-Eastern Europe, headquartered in Bucharest and with
external representation with the European institutions. The Secretary of the
Federation and President of the ‘Rasaritul Romanesc’ Association in Chisinau
Vlad Cubreacov has stated that this body will be a dialogue partner to both the
Romanian authorities and authorities from other European countries where there
are Romanian communities, on matters relating to their language, cultural and
religious rights.

PROETNICA– The 15th’Proetnica’
Intercultural Festival started on Thursday in the Romanian town of Sighisoara.
For four days, the festival is playing host to 700 participants, representing
20 ethnic minorities. The festival’s agenda includes conference on minority
protection, the situation of the Rroma in Europe, interfaith dialogue and
multiculturalism. The event is also hosting an arts and crafts fair, a fine
arts exhibition, film screenings and workshops. The programme includes some 50
shows in which ethnic minorities in Romania are presenting their traditional
costumes, music and dances.

LONDON– The number of EU citizens working in the UK
is at a record level, partially because of a significant increase in the number
of Romanians and Bulgarians finding jobs there, reads the Financial
Times. According to official data, around 2.37 million EU workers were in the
UK in April-June this year, 126,000 more compared to the same period of 2016.
The number of Romanian and Bulgarian workers went up over 25% in the last 12
months, reaching 337,000. Around one third of citizens from the ten Central and
East European countries working in Great Britain work in home care,
construction and food sales.

START UP NATION– The Romanian Ministry for the Business Environment has
announced the first 20 winners of the funds granted under the governmental
programme Start Up Nation, aimed at creating new jobs in Romania. In all, they
will get some 890,000 Euro and are supposed to create 155 new jobs. Also,
small and medium-sized enterprises can register until 29 August to take part in
the ‘Trade and Services ‘ programme, under which they can get state funding up
to 55.000 Euro to extend their activities. Another micro-industrialisation
programme is to be launched next week, with an allocated budget of some 17
million Euros this year.

INFLATION– The annual rate of inflation in the EU was stable in
July as compared to June, standing at 1.5%. According to data published
by Eurostat, the lowest annual rates were recorded in Ireland (minus -0.2%),
Cyprus (minus 0.1%), Bulgaria and Finland (0.6%), France (0.8%) and Romania
(0.9%). As compared to June 2017, the annual inflation rate has dropped in four
member states, has grown in 16 countries and has remained stable in eight
countries. The Romanian National Bank issued a revision of its forecast for the
end of this year, from 1.6 to 1.9%. The National Bank expects a rate of
inflation of 3.2% for the end of 2018.

NATO– Some 135 soldiers and 4 fighters of the Royal Canadian
Air Force will be deployed to Constanta, in south eastern Romania, to take part
in NATO air police activities. According to a communiqué issued by the Canadian
Embassy in Bucharest, the activities will be carried out
over September – December. The mission is part of the NATO OperationReassuranceand represents Canada’s contribution
to the NATO assurance and deterrence measures. These measures aim to reinforce
NATO’s collective defence and its commitment to protecting the member
countries’ populations and territories.

TENNIS– The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranking 2nd in
the WTA classification, on Thursday qualified for the quarter finals of the WTA
tournament in Cincinnati, the US, with 2.5 million dollars in prize money.
Halep defeated the Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, no. 16 WTA. In 2015, Halep
lost the final in Cincinnati to Serena Williams, and last year she was defeated
in the semi-finals by Angelique Kerber of Germany. Also in Cincinnati this
year, in the doubles, the pair mad up of Monica Niculescu (Romania) and
Su-Wei Hsieh (Taiwan), has qualified for the quarter finals, winning
against the French-Russian team Kristina Mladenovic- Anastasia Pavliuchenkova.

17 August 2017
August 15, 2017 UPDATE

NAVY DAY – August 15, the feast day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, was marked across Romania. Special services were held in monasteries and churches in Romania. Over 2,2 million people celebrated their name day. August 15 is also Navy Day in Romania. On this occasion, a grand public show was hosted in Constanta, with over 30 ships and vessels, 12 aircraft and 3,000 military. Attending were President Klaus Iohannis and Defense Minister Adrian Tutuianu. The president said Romania is taking on a more active role as an important and powerful regional player. Consolidating security and maritime defense is a core interest of Romania, Klaus Iohannis also pointed out.

GAUDEAMUS – The 100th anniversary edition of the Gaudeamus Fair is being held in Mamaia, a major resort on the Black Sea. Representatives of the European Commission in Romania are holding a debate on the future of the European Union. At the event, an exhibition marks the 60th anniversary of the signing the Rome Treaty, the foundation of the Union. The Gaudeamus book fair, organized by Radio Romania, is open until Wednesday. Also this year, the national radio station celebrates 50 years since Radio Holiday started broadcasting for seaside resorts.

SUMMER UNIVERSITY – In Izvoru Muresului, in the central Romanian county of Harghita, the 15th edition of the summer university for Romanians around the world is underway. On Monday in his opening address Peoples Movement Partys MP Eugen Tomac called for dialogue between all political factions to solve the issue of Romanian communities on the countrys borders, facing a thorough denationalization process. The Romanian official said the state needs to take a more active role to organize actions devoted to the memory and identity of Romanians living in the countrys vicinity. The reunification with the Republic of Moldova as a national objective for 2018 was another topic for the talks. Participants highlighted the fact that our country should make it a point in committing to fulfill this goal. The agenda of the event also includes book launches, discussion panels and folk shows. Attending are young people from at home and the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia. The topic for this years edition is “From the first Unification to the Great Unification: Romania and Romanians Worldwide.

UN REPORT – A report of the United Nations Court of Human Rights (UNCHR) has called on the United States to end its detention regime applied to potential immigrants and asylum seekers. The document shows that the practice of unlawfully detaining asylum seekers has expanded exponentially and is in breach of international regulations. The measure is often punitive, irrationally long, useless and costly, the report also reads. An annual estimated 350,000 people are detained in the United States, pending immigration procedures. The cost of detention is approximately 2 billion dollars every year. The report was carried out in October 2016 and is the result of 280 interviews conducted in nine prisons in Texas, California and Illinois.

AVRAM IANCU – Avram Iancu, a 41-year-old librarian who wants to cross the Danube swimming, on Tuesday reached Romania. Iancu wants to cross the rivers entire length within 60 days without a neoprene suit. The man set out on June 20 in Donauschingen, Germany, and is set to reach the end of his journey in Sulina, where the Danube flows into the Black Sea. If successful, Avram Iancu will be the first to swim the Danubes course wearing nothing but his swimming costume and cap. Before him another two swimmers from Slovenia and Canada swam the entire distance although wearing neoprene suits and flippers. In August 2016 Iancu became the first Romanian to cross the English channel wearing only his costume and cap at the end of an 18-hour swim. (Translated by V. Palcu)

15 August 2017
August 15, 2017

NAVY DAY – August 15, marking the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, is also Navy Day in Romania. On this occasion, a grand public show is hosted in Constanta, with a plethora of events open to the public. Attending will be President Klaus Iohannis and Defense Minister Adrian Tutuianu. The president said Romania is taking on a more active role as an important and powerful regional player. Consolidating security and maritime defense is a core interest of Romania, Klaus Iohannis pointed out. Military music, the guard of honor and a navy parade were held on this occasion, along with a joint exercise of the Romanian Naval Forces. Navy Day was also marked in Mangalia, Braila, Galati, Tulcea, Giurgiu, Calarasi, Orsova and in Bucharest.

GAUDEAMUS – The 100th anniversary edition of the Gaudeamus Fair is being held in Mamaia, a major resort on the Black Sea. Representatives of the European Commission in Romania are holding a debate on the future of the European Union. At the event, an exhibition marks the 60th anniversary of the signing the Rome Treaty, the foundation of the Union. The Gaudeamus book fair, organized by Radio Romania, is open until Wednesday. Also this year, the national radio station celebrates 50 years since Radio Holiday started broadcasting for seaside resorts.

SUMMER UNIVERSITY – In Izvoru Muresului, in the central Romanian county of Harghita, the 15th edition of the summer university for Romanians around the world is underway. On Monday in his opening address Peoples Movement Partys MP Eugen Tomac called for dialogue between all political factions to solve the issue of Romanian communities on the countrys borders, facing a thorough denationalization process. The Romanian official said the state needs to take a more active role to organize actions devoted to the memory and identity of Romanians living in the countrys vicinity. The reunification with the Republic of Moldova as a national objective for 2018 was another topic for the talks. Participants highlighted the fact that our country should make it a point in committing to fulfill this goal. The agenda of the event also includes book launches, discussion panels and folk shows. Attending are young people from at home and the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia. The topic for this years edition is “From the first Unification to the Great Unification: Romania and Romanians Worldwide.

UN REPORT – A report of the United Nations Court of Human Rights (UNCHR) has called on the United States to end its detention regime applied to potential immigrants and asylum seekers. The document shows that the practice of unlawfully detaining asylum seekers has expanded exponentially and is in breach of international regulations. The measure is often punitive, irrationally long, useless and costly, the report also reads. An annual estimated 350,000 people are detained in the United States, pending immigration procedures. The cost of detention is approximately 2 billion dollars every year. The report was carried out in October 2016 and is the result of 280 interviews conducted in nine prisons in Texas, California and Illinois.

FOOTBALL – Romanias vice-champions FCSB is today taking on Sporting Lisbon away from home in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs for the main group phase. The return leg is scheduled for next week in Bucharest. Failure to qualify will nevertheless earn FCSB a place in the Europa League main group phase. The defending champions FC Viitorul is on Thursday playing Red Bull Salzburg of Austria in the first leg of the Europa League playoffs.

TENNIS – Simona Halep, WTA no. 2 is today playing Taylor Townsend of the US in the second round of the WTA tournament in Cincinnati, United States, totaling 2,5 million dollars in prize money. In the womens doubles, the pair made up of Irina Begu and Raluca Olaru has qualified to the round of 16 after defeating Abigail Spears of the US and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, 3-6, 7-5, 10-6. Also in the round of 16 another Romanian, Monica Niculescu has reached this stage after defeating, together with her teammate, Su-Wei Hsieh of Taiwan, Johanna Konta of Great Britain and Christina McHale of the United States, 6-2, 6-2. In the mens doubles, Horia Tecau of Romania and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlads eased past Jared Donaldson and Stefan Kozlov of the United States, 6-3, 6-4, and moved on to the round of 16. Tecau and Rojer played the 2016 Cincinnati finals, and in 2012 Tecau won the trophy alongside Robert Lindstedt of Sweden. (Translated by V. Palcu)

15 August 2017
August 19, 2016 UPDATE

EUROBAROMETER Romanians’ confidence in justice and the legal system in general has dropped by 13 % as
compared to 2015, the Eurobarometer issued by the European Commission shows. 60% of the respondents say they do not really trust the judiciary in Romania, which is a 12% increase as compared to
2015. 72% of the respondents say they have confidence in the Army, 4% less than
in 2015. Some 50% of the respondents trust the police, 1% more than in the fall of 2015. Higher percentages are also registered in the case of political parties, amounting to 13%, one percent more than in the fall of 2015. The poll was conducted between May 21 and
31, 2016.

ROAD CARRIERS Romanian
road freight carriers have decided to go on a token strike and run every day at
a speed of 30 km/hour anywhere in Romania, until the car insurance premiums are
reduced to 4,907 lei per year, that is 1,100 Euro, reads a communiqué
issued by the National Union of Road Carriers in Romania and made public by the
AGREPRES news agency on Friday. Apart from the token strike, the Union,
together with the other employers’ associations in the field of road
transportation will organise a big protest movement, at national level, on
September 15, 2016. Most commercial carriers are on the brink of bankruptcy
after insurance premiums for commercial freight and passenger transportation
have increased by over 300% as compared to the previous year and by over 500%
as compared to 2014. The union also believes that insurance companies are not
interested in reducing risks, but in concealing their inefficiency and placing
the burden on carriers.

DROUGHT Prolonged
drought in Romania has affected over 350,000 ha of farm land, but it is only at
the end of the year that the relevant authorities can made public the exact
surface of the affected area, as they are still receiving notifications from
the field, agriculture minister Achim Irimescu has said. He has added that the
ministry he runs has taken into consideration an assistance plan to compensate
the debts accumulated by farmers who no longer afford to pay electricity and
water bills. In another move, farmers protested again on Thursday in front of
the Government headquarters, unhappy with the delayed payment of subsidies in
agriculture. Some of them went on hunger strike and said they would continue
this extreme form of protest until the government made all the payments. They
have rejected any invitation to negotiations extended by the agriculture minister,
whom they blame for failing to comply with the commitments he has made.

BORDER SECURITY The
Romanian Interior Ministry has increased the number of border police and gendarmes deployed along the border with Serbia, after two illegal border
crossing attempts by small groups of migrants have been registered this week, a
communiqué issued by the Romanian Interior Ministry reads. Furthermore, the
troops already deployed are now accompanied by thermo-vision cars, canine
border patrols and additional ground troops. These ground missions will be
backed by a helicopter. These actions are aimed at maintaining public order and
fighting cross-border crime on Romania’s south-western border.

HUMAN RIGHTS The Romanian
Foreign Ministry firmly condemns the attacks and threats against humanitarian
aid workers and calls for the unconditional observance of international human
rights, including with regard to ensuring civilians’ protection. The
announcement was made on Friday, which was World Humanitarian Day. The Romanian
Foreign Ministry honours all those who take risks and make personal sacrifices
to reduce suffering and help the victims of conflicts, violence and natural
disasters. According to a communiqué issued by the Ministry, last year 109
humanitarian aid workers died in crisis areas and, this year in June, the tall
stood at 24 people. According to the UN, there are some 130 million people
currently affected by conflicts and disasters, in more than 40 countries across
the world.

INTELLIGENCE More than
8,000 Romanians were the object of police exchanges of information at
international level, in the first half of the year. According to a communiqué
issued by the Romanian General Police Inspectorate, as a result of the exchange of messages through INTERPOL, 623 people were arrested
and 46 were located abroad to be subsequently extradited. The International
Police Cooperation Centre of the Romanian Police processed over 200,000
operative messages in the first half of the year, with the aim of combating crime at global level. 32 operations concerning serious crimes were run through Europol, in partnership with law
enforcement agencies in Romania.

SUMMER UNIVERSITY The 14th
Summer University in Izvorul Muresului ended with the participants adopting a
resolution, which will be submitted to the Presidential Administration,
Parliament, Government and political parties in Romania. Representatives of the
historical communities around the borders and the Diaspora formulated requests
regarding Romanian citizenship and the setting up of cultural institutes. Also, they
stressed in the resolution the fact that Romanians in the historical
communities around Romania’s borders in the Balkans are subject to an
aggressive assimilation process, without them benefiting from the European
rights for national minorities. The participants ask for the setting up of a
Ministry of Romanians Around the World, the passing of the law on the status,
role and functions of Romanian language as official language, and the Romanian
political parties on both sides of the River Prut making a re-union pact with a view to completely
integrating the Republic of Moldova into Romania by 2018.

19 August 2016
Statements regarding the Republic of Moldova

An already customary meeting, the Summer University of the Romanians in the Diaspora held each year in Izvoru Mureşului is a forum of discussion between the representatives of the Romanian communities abroad and the Romanian politicians. On behalf of the unionist platform called ‘Action 2012’, the leader of this association of NGOs, George Simion, has called for the setting up of an Office for the Republic of Moldova in Bucharest, to be subordinated directly to the prime minister, as well as for the organization of a visit to Chisinau of the entire Romanian government.

A consistent supporter of the rapprochement between Romania and Moldova, the former Romanian president, Traian Băsescu, who is now the leader of the People’s Movement Party, has reiterated his ideas in favor of the union. He said that over the past two years, namely after the end of his presidential terms in office, no progress was reported in this regard. The former president added that Bucharest should give up the old-type diplomacy and go beyond its excessive caution in relation to Moscow.

Traian Băsescu: “The only political solution in the process of the Republic of Moldova’s efforts to join the EU is its union with Romania. There is no other solution, at least for the coming 20 years”.

President Băsescu underlined that the union should be the result of a referendum or a vote in Parliament. For the union to be achieved, the president went on to say, the two countries need to take concrete action, establish cultural exchanges, increase the number of scholarships for students and grant the Romanian citizenship to a greater number of Moldovan citizens.

Many commentators in Bucharest share Traian Băsescu’s hopes but they are not as enthusiastic as he is. Some commented that these statements are a preamble to the legislative elections due in autumn, given that Traian Băsescu has always been popular among the citizens of the Republic of Moldova. Others say that there are still many sensitive cases shadowing the relations between the two states.

Gaining its independence in 1991, the Republic of Moldova was created on part of the eastern Romanian territories annexed by Stalin’s Soviet Union in 1940 following an ultimatum. Hundreds of thousands of people then took refuge in Romania, which had been deprived of a part of its territory. Other tens of thousands, real or imaginary enemies of the Soviet regime, were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan. They were replaced with settlers from all corners of the Soviet Union.

For decades on end, the artificial Moldovan- Romanian border was the tightest in the entire Socialist camp and the virulent anti-Romanian propaganda was fueled continuously. Therefore, despite a real rapprochement obtained in the past 25 years, prejudice and suspicion have not disappeared, and the supporters of the union, although more and more numerous, remain a minority among the Moldovan citizens.

17 August 2016
August 15, 2016

ASSUMPTION OF MARY Today Christian
believers celebrate the Assumption of Mary, the oldest celebration devoted to
Virgin Mary. On this day, believers and pilgrims from all over the country go
to churches and monasteries to pray. In the Christian faith, the Mother of God
is the most revered after the Holy Trinity. She gave birth to the Son of God as
a human being, and whe she died she was taken up into Heaven. August 15th is
also the day of the Romanian navy. To celebrate the occasion, Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis has participated in the events held on the promenade of
the Black Sea port-town of Constanta. In his speech,
the president said that what’s happening in the Black Sea Area is no longer a
local matter. Developments in this area have effects beyond its borders and implications for the Euro-Atlantic
security, and the Black Sea is important from a strategic point of view. That
is why Romania’s stand and its main security options are so decisive now, the
president also said.

LOCARNO The feature film
Scarred Hearts by the Romanian director Radu Jude won the Special Jury Award at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
A post on the festival’s web page reads that the film was highly praised by international
critics. This is Radu Jude’s fourth feature film. Last year he won the Golden
Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival with Aferim!.

SUMMER UNIVERSITY The County
of Harghita, in central Romania, is hosting the 14th Izvoru
Muresului Summer University. The theme this year is The Romanian State and
Romanians on the border of the EU and NATO. There are 100 participants,
including representatives of the academic environment, of the main political
parties, of Romanian community associations and foundations.

VISIT The US Vice President
Joe Biden is paying a two-day visit to Serbia and Kosovo. The White House has
not given details about the agenda of talks, but the visit is taking place five
months after the one paid to the White House by the former president of Kosovo,
Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga, news agencies report. Back then, Vice President Biden stressed the US’s support for the
dialogue with Serbia, facilitated by the EU, encouraging the Kosovo government
to take steps forward in normalizing its relations with Serbia, 16 years after
the NATO air intervention, which opened the door for the former province’s
independence. On Thursday, the Serbian Parliament endorsed a new, populist government,
headed by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who promised to pursue Serbia’s EU
integration, while at the same time maintaining close ties with Russia.

RIO The
Olympic Games continue in Rio, with Romanian athletes competing in artistic gymnastics and athletics. Marian
Oprea, Olympic vice-champion in Athens in 2004, will attempt qualification for
the men’s triple jump final. Catalina Ponor is fighting for gold in women’s
beam event and Marian Dragulescu in men’s vault. On Sunday, Romania’s national
women’s handball team lost to Norway 28-27, thus failing to qualify for the
quarter finals. So far, Romania has won four medals at the Olympic Games in Rio. The epee team made up of Ana Maria
Popescu, Simona Gherman, Simona Pop and Loredana Dinu won gold, tennis players
Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau won silver in the men’s doubles, Gabriel
Sincraian got bronze in weight lifting and
so did the women’s coxed eight.

TENNIS Romanian Simona Halep, ranked 3rd in
the WTA classification, is taking part in the Cincinnati tournament, in the US,
with 2.8 million dollars in prize money. She will start straight in the second
round of the competition. Another Romanian player, Irina Begu, no. 24 in the
WTA rankings, is also taking part in the tournament, but enters the competition
in the first round. In 2015, Simona Halep played the Cincinnati final, but was
defeated by Serena Williams. This tournament is the last before the famous US
Open, the last Grand Slam of the year.

15 August 2016
August 14, 2016 UPDATE

ROYAL FUNERAL Queen Anne, the
consort of Romania’s last sovereign Michael I, was buried on Saturday in Curtea
de Arges, southern Romania, the necropolis of Romanian Royalty. A burial
service was celebrated in the Orthodox rite, the faith of the Romanian Royal
House and of most Romanians. Among those attending the funeral were Romanian
high officials as well as members of the Imperial Families of Russia, Austria
and Germany, of the Royal Houses of the Netherlands and Belgium, of Luxembourg,
Baden, Württemberg and Bourbon-Parma. Aged 94, and himself severely ill, King
Michael could not attend the funeral of his wife, whom he visited every day in
the Swiss hospital where she died on August 1.

FDI Foreign
direct investments in Romania reached 2 billion Euros at the end of the first
semester, up by 22.7% as compared to the same period last year, the National
Bank has recently announced. On the other hand, the number of foreign capital
companies newly established in the first six months of 2016 dropped by 12%. According
to data provided by the National Statistics Institute, there are only 2,687
such companies now.

NAVY DAY
Sunday was open gates day in the Danube ports of Braila and Tulcea, on the
eve of Romanian Navy’s Day, which for
115 years has been celebrated on August 15th. August 15th is also
the day when Christian believers celebrate the Assumption of Virgin Mary.
Several events have been organized to mark the day, such as interactive
workshops, a technique and armament exhibition, brass brand shows and open air
concerts, contests and tours of navy ships. Military and religions
ceremonies were held in garrisons, in memory of the navy heroes who died in
battle.

ANONIMUL The Land of the
Enlightened by Pieter-Jan De Pue won the big trophy of the 13th ‘Anonimul’
International Independent Film Festival. The event, which ended on Saturday
night, was held in Sfantu Gheorghe in the Danube Delta for a week. The Land of
the Enlightened, a Belgium-Ireland-Netherlands-Germany- Afghanistan co-production
tells the story of a group of Afghan children from the Kuchi tribe, who dig for
old Soviet mines and sell the explosive materials to other children. The
audience’s award for best Romanian short reel went to One Night in Tokoriki
by Roxana Stroe. The special guest of the 2016 edition was director Park
Chan-wook, who got the ‘Anonimul’ Trophy for his contribution to enriching
world cinematography.

SUMMER UNIVERSITY The 14th
Summer University in Izvorul Muresului, Harghita County, is taking place over August
15th – 21st. The theme of this year’s edition is The
Romanian State and the Romanians on the Borders of the EU and NATO. There are
over 100 participants, including representatives of the academic environment,
of the main political parties in Romania, of various Romanian community
associations and foundations.

ATTACK A woman who was in
a serious condition, following Saturday’s attack on a passenger train in
north-eastern Switzerland, has died. The attacker has died too, because of the
many injuries he sustained. Another three people are in a critical
condition. A 27 year old Swiss citizen
set a train car on fire and attacked passengers with a knife, near the Salez
station in Saint-Gall. The police have stated that there are no indications
that the attack was terrorist or politically motivated. In the past few months,
Europe has been faced with several attacks, many of which claimed by the
Islamic State terrorist organization.

TENNIS Between the 15th
and the 21st of August,
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, ranked 3rd in the WTA
classification, will play at the Cincinnati tournament in the US, with 2.8
million dollars in prize money. She goes straight into the second round.
Another Romanian player, Irina Begu, number 24 in the WTA rankings, will also
take part in the tournament, but she will start in the first round. In 2015,
Simona Halep played the final in Cincinnati, but she was defeated by Serena
Williams. This tournament is the last before the famous US Open, which is the
last grand slam competition of the year.

14 August 2016
August 10, 2015

Romanians abroad must benefit from fundamental rights related to the preservation of their national identity, reads a message sent by the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu to the participants in the Summer University in Izvoru Mureşului, which began on Monday. He emphasised that the measures promoted by Romania with respect to the national minorities on its territory, designed to help protect their ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identity, ought to be adopted by the countries that host Romanian communities as well. For one week, Izvoru Muresului is hosting representatives of the Romanian communities in the diaspora, MPs from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, as well as professors from the main universities in the country. The Romanian Cultural Institute, through the Directorate for Romanians Abroad, supports the participation in the event of 80 leaders of Romanian associations, notable personalities of the Romanian communities living abroad. The theme of this years edition is “Romania and the Romanians on the EU and NATO borders.

In Romania, weather experts forecast another week with extreme heat. Until Wednesday, three counties in the west of the country are under a code orange alert for extreme temperatures, which may reach as much as 38 degrees Celsius. Scarce rainfall is expected this week as well. In most of the country farming areas have been affected by the lack of precipitations, and navigation on River Danube is hindered, although not completely stuck in any of the Romanian sectors of the river.

Romanias trade balance deficit reached 3.3 billion euros in the first 6 months of the year, up 441 million since the corresponding period of 2014, according to data released on Monday by the National Statistics Institute. Between January and June this year, Romanias exports grew by 5.9% and the imports by 6.9%, compared to the same period last year. According to the National Statistics Institute, in the first six months of the year vehicles and transport equipment, as well as other manufactured goods, accounted for the largest part of both imports and exports.

The Interior Ministry in Sofia denied the allegations published by Bulgarian media on Sunday, according to which the authorities were searching two presumed terrorists, a Romanian citizen and an Iranian-born French woman, who allegedly have connections with the Islamic State group. The Bulgarian Interior Ministry states in a news release that the individuals in question are searched for forging identity documents, and not for terrorist ties. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced in turn that the information on the two suspects was false. The Ministry says the Bulgarian authorities temporarily introduced additional security measures on all border check points, and warns the Romanian citizens transiting this country that waiting times in Bulgarian check points may be extended.

In Athens negotiations carry on between the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and IMF and the Greek authorities over a third bailout programme worth up to 86 billion euros. One of the delicate points has to do with the recapitalisation of Greek banks and the management of bad debts. Greece needs 10 billion euro to inject in its banks, another 7 billion euros to pay off a bridge loan taken out in July and more than 3 billion euros to pay off a loan from the European Central Bank on August the 20th.

Four Turkish police and a military officer were killed on Monday in 2 attacks in the south-east of the country and blamed on Kurdish rebels. They came just hours after 2 attacks perpetrated in Istanbul and targeting the US consular office and a police station, and in which 3 people were killed and several others wounded. Turkish police have arrested one of the two perpetrators of Monday mornings attack on the American consular office in Istanbul. Meanwhile, the USA deployed six F-16 fighter planes and 300 US troops to the strategic base in Incirlik, in southern Turkey, to strike Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria. A NATO member, Turkey last month launched a “synchronised war on terror, which includes air strikes against the jihadists in Syria and against the Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

10 August 2015
August 9, 2015 UPDATE

Three counties in western Romania are under a code orange alert for extreme heat until Wednesday, with temperatures expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius. A code yellow alert will be valid in another eight counties and will gradually extend to cover the entire country, while drought will continue to be reported next week as well, according to weather forecasts. Farming areas in most of the country are affected by the lack of rainfalls. Navigation on the Danube is hindered, although not completely stuck. In the Danube Delta, a UNESCO world heritage site, access by boat on several tens of canals is impossible because of the low water level.

Representatives of the Romanian communities in the diaspora, MPs from Romania and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, as well as professors from the countrys main universities are attending, as of Monday, a new edition of the Summer University in Izvoru Mureşului. The Romanian Cultural Institute, through the Directorate for Romanians Abroad, supports the participation in this one-week event of 80 leaders of Romanian associations, major personalities of the diaspora. This years theme is “Romania and the Romanians on the EU and NATO borders. The topics include the rights of the Romanian minorities in the border regions and in the Balkans, as well as the stronger ties between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, PM Victor Ponta and cabinet members are among the guests of the event.

Romanian police are considering several possible causes of Saturday nights incident on the A2 Motorway connecting Bucharest to Constanta, involving a coach carrying 53 Ukrainian citizens. Two people died and 48 were injured. One of the assumptions is that the Bulgarian driver fell asleep while driving. The passengers included a group of children returning from summer camp, two families and other people coming back from a holiday in Bulgaria. The State Secretary with the Romanian Interior Ministry Raed Arafat said the victims were taken to hospitals in Bucharest.

Bulgarias security services have started the search of two foreign citizens, a man and a woman, who have allegedly joined the Islamic State group, the Bulgarian public television announced, quoting the site SofiaGlobe.com. According to the source, the man produced a Romanian identity document, while the woman is an Iranian-born French citizen. The Radio Romania correspondent in Sofia says the authorities strengthened security in public areas and raised the alert levels in major transit areas—airports, train and bus stations in the capital and other important cities in the country. In Bucharest, the Foreign Ministry subsequently announced that, for security reasons, the Bulgarian authorities temporarily introduced additional border checks.

Japan commemorated on Sunday 70 years since the launch, during World War II, of the atomic bomb over the city of Nagasaki, in the west, which killed some 74,000 people. The blast came 3 days after the one in Hiroshima, in which 140,000 people died. The two strikes forced Japan to surrender and ended the war in the Pacific, three months after the conclusion of the one in Europe. The supporters of the decision say that this way an American land invasion was avoided, which would have left millions of people dead. In December 1967, Tokyo undertook to never produce, possess or allow nuclear weapons on Japanese territory.

9 August 2015
August 9, 2015

Three counties in western Romania are under a code orange alert for extreme heat, with temperatures expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius. Another eight counties will be under a code yellow alert, while drought will continue to be reported next week as well, according to weather forecasts. Farming areas in most of the country are affected by the lack of rainfalls. Navigation on the Danube is hindered, although not completely stuck. In the Danube Delta, a UNESCO world heritage site, access by boat on several tens of canals is impossible because of the low water level.

Representatives of the Romanian communities in the diaspora, MPs from Romania and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, as well as professors from the countrys main universities are attending, as of Monday, a new edition of the Summer University in Izvoru Mureşului. The Romanian Cultural Institute, through the Directorate for Romanians Abroad, supports the participation in this one-week event of 80 leaders of Romanian associations, major personalities of the diaspora. This years theme is “Romania and the Romanians on the EU and NATO borders. The topics include the right of the Romanian minorities in the border regions and in the Balkans, as well as the stronger ties between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, PM Victor Ponta and cabinet members are among the guests of the event.

Russia will always try to control the neighbouring ex-Soviet countries, said the Ambassador of Georgia to Bucharest, Ilya Georgadze. In an interview to a Romanian television channel, he added that Russia did not want Georgia to be a democratic, prosperous, Western-leaning country, because the more fragile this republic was, the easier it was to control. The Georgian diplomat also said the Russian offensive in Ukraine is designed to help keep Kiev in Moscows orbit. Georgadze made these statements seven years after the Russian invasion of Georgia, in August 2008, under the pretext of protecting the pro-Russian secessionist rebels in Abkhazia and South Osetia.

Traffic on A2 Motorway connecting Bucharest to the Black Sea port of Constanta was stopped this morning after a coach crash last night, which killed at least 2 Ukrainian tourists and left tens of others injured. According to the Romanian traffic police, the driver must have fallen asleep while driving. The tourists were returning from a seaside holiday, most likely in neighbouring Bulgaria. Many of the passengers were children, and one of them is in a critical condition. The State Secretary with the Romanian Interior Ministry Raed Arafat announced that the victims were taken to six hospitals in Bucharest.

Japan commemorates today 70 years since the launch, during World War II, of the atomic bomb over the city of Nagasaki, in the west, which killed some 74,000 people. The blast came 3 days after the one in Hiroshima, in which 140,000 people died. The two strikes forced Japan to surrender and ended the war in the Pacific, three months after the conclusion of the one in Europe. The supporters of the decision say that this way an American land invasion was avoided, which would have left millions of people dead. In December 1967, Tokyo undertook to never produce, possess or allow nuclear weapons on Japanese territory.

9 August 2015