Radio România Internațional

Tag: terror attack

  • March 25, 2024 UPDATE

    March 25, 2024 UPDATE

     

    MOTION In Bucharest, the Chamber of Deputies discussed on Monday a simple motion against the agriculture minister Florin Barbu (Social Democratic Party), accused of having backed a bill allowing the reed in the Danube Delta to be used for the financial benefit of certain politicians. The simple motion, called “Praising Ceauşescu will not save the Romanian agriculture,” was tabled by Save Romania Union in opposition, after the agriculture minister’s appreciative discourse about the country’s former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. USR also accused Florin Barbu of having treated the protesting farmers with contempt and of having ignored the MPs requests to present his activity. Barbu dismissed the motion as “a complete joke” and a string of “battle cries, propaganda and many untruths.” The Chamber is to vote on the motion on Tuesday.

     

    DRUG TRAFFICKING The Romanian police will be able to monitor and identify drug traffickers more efficiently once a new special register in this field has become operational. The bill regulating the register was signed into law by president Klaus Iohannis on Monday. Depending on the sentence received in court, traffickers will be entered into the registry for 5 to 20 years, during which the police will be aware of the risks of the monitored person selling banned substances again, the justice minister Alina Gorghiu explained. Drug using and trafficking have seen an upward trend in Romania lately. More than one tonne of drugs was seized last year, and also last year Romanian antidrug structures seized the largest amount of Ecstasy so far (230,000 tablets), the justice minister said.

    SCHENGEN Full Schengen accession by the end of this year is achievable, the Romanian interior minister Cătălin Predoiu believes. He says Romania has already completed preparation for lifting checks at the EU internal air and maritime borders, as approved by the EU Council as of the end of this week. Predoiu added that Romania and Austria cooperate very well in fields like border protection and fighting illegal migration and cross-border crime, and said he suggested extending the cooperation between the 2 countries beyond Schengen, with a focus on fighting drug trafficking and human trafficking.

    INVESTIGATION Romanian prosecutors subordinated to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office seized assets worth EUR 2.4 mln from an Italian suspect subject to an investigation in Bologna concerning cross-border fuel trafficking. The total damages in the case amount to EUR 92 mln. In Romania, prosecutors seized 18 properties owned by the suspect, have frozen 14 bank accounts and assets in Romanian companies. Three Italian nationals are probed into for bringing into Italy oil products from refineries in Croatia and Slovenia, in order to resell them for lower prices to Romanian and British companies, and to bill them to Italian shell companies run by members of the crime group, the EPPO explained.

    ALERT The government of France has raised the terror alert warning to its highest level after Friday’s massacre in Moscow. The country’s PM, Gabriel Attal, said in a social media post that “the decision was taken in light of the Islamic State’s claiming responsibility for the attack and the threats weighing on our country.” France has seen some of the bloodiest terror attacks masterminded by Islamist fighters, such as the ones in 2015-2016, which left roughly 300 dead and hundreds wounded. The government in Paris has explained that the Islamist organisation has been recently involved in a series of attempted attacks, which have been thwarted by police forces in several European countries, such as France and Germany, and the PM Monday morning summoned the heads of the services responsible for the country’s security and safety.

    HANDBALL The Romanian women’s handball side Dunarea Braila has qualified for the final tournament of the EHF European League after a 26-25 home win against the Croatian side Podravka Vegeta on Sunday in the second round of the quarter finals. Dunarea, which also won the first game against Podravka, is Romania’s second representative in the EHF Finals Women, due on June 1 and 2 in Graz, Austria, after Gloria Bistrita. Romania’s champions CSM Bucharest have qualified for the quarter finals of the Champions League in women’s handball after a double win against the Slovenian side Krim Mercator Ljubljana and will be playing in the quarters against the French side Metz Handball.

  • June 5, 2017

    June 5, 2017

    HOLIDAY Christians, including from Romania, a country with an Orthodox majority, are today celebrating the second day of Pentecost — the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles of Jesus Christ. The New Testament book of Acts describes the moment, which we celebrate today. The 12 apostles were together in Jerusalim fifty days after the Ressurection and ten days after Jesus’ Ascension. At a certain moment, wind started to blow in the room the apostles were in, a noise was heard after which they began talking in foreign languages, languages they didn’t know before. Small flames of fire were being seen over their heads. Peter explained that it was the Holy Spirit that enabled them to talk in tongues. On that day, following Peter’s sermon, three thousand people came to Christ, making the first Christian community, the nucleus of the future Church.



    AWARD Currently on a visit to the United States, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis will be attending the Global Forum of the prestigious organisation American Jewish Committee. On this occasion AJC is expected to honor Klaus Iohannis with its prestigious Light Unto the Nations Award, the AJC’s highest award given to some heads of state or government in recognition of their international impact in the fields of peace, security, democracy and the promotion of human values. The forum will be attended by 25 hundred participants from 70 countries. President Iohannis is expected to be received by his American counterpart, Donald Trump. According to Radio Romania correspondent in Washington, Klaus Iohannis is the first leader in Central and Eastern Europe to be received by the White House leader since he took office. Deepening bilateral relations and strengthening the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA are high on the agenda. We recall that Romania has been running this Strategic Partnership with the USA for 20 years now. Iohannis’ agenda also includes a meeting with the Romanians living in the USA.



    ECONOMY Romania’s economy will register a growth of 4.4% as compared to the one of 3.7% envisaged in January, the World Bank has today announced in its Global Economy Prospects. The same institution has revised up it prospects for 2018 and 2019 when Romania’s GDP is expected to grow with 3.7% and 3.5% respectively. Although fiscal relaxation has a lower contribution to economic growth it will put pressure on public and external deficits, the document also shows. We recall that in the first quarter of 2017, Romania reported the highest growth rate in the EU of 5.7% thanks to rising consumption. A slight budget surplus was reported in late April.



    ATTACK Jihadi group the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday night in London when 7 were killed and scores wounded. Police have detained several people including women in a sting operation in eastern London. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has extended condolences to the families of the victims, firmly condemning the attack. In turn, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis has joined the Western leaders in firmly condemning the London attack. We recall that on Saturday night three assailants drove their van into pedestrians on London Bridge and started stabbing people randomly before being shot dead by the police. The attack took place five days before the early election in the UK and the election campaign has been suspended for the second time for the same reason. Britain has seen three terror attacks in the past three months; 34 people have been killed and hundreds wounded.



    TIFF The 16th edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival is going on in Cluj Napoca, northwestern Romania. The organizers have for today chosen films addressing cooking issues and visitors will also be given the occasion to taste dishes prepared by famous chefs invited to attend the festival. 12 movies are vying for the first prize during the festival, which is to see the screening of 255 films from 53 countries. Over 12 hundred invitees from Romania and abroad are participating in the screening, the concerts, workshops, debates and film-launching ceremonies at Romania’s most important film festival. We recall that Radio Romania is a partner of this prestigious event, which will also be attended by famous French film star Alain Delon, at his first presence in Romania.




  • Terror Attack on Nice: At Least 84 Dead

    Terror Attack on Nice: At Least 84 Dead

    At least 84 people, including children, have died in the French city of Nice after a terrorist plowed a truck into a large crowd during National Day celebrations Thursday night.



    French President Francois Hollande extended the country’s state of emergency for 3 months and were mobilizing reservists. Hollande also discussed the threat of Islamist terrorism. “The terrorist nature of this attack cannot be denied, he said.



    According to French Interior Minister Bernard Cazaneuve, 84 people have died, and dozens others were injured, including 18 in critical condition.

  • June 29, 2016 UPDATE

    June 29, 2016 UPDATE

    EUROPEAN COUNCIL– It is essential to understand that the EU is the only option to maintain the Romanian citizens prosperity, safety and security, President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday, fresh from the European Council meeting in Brussels. He said the EU leaders reiterated their commitment to maintaining the Unions cohesion. According to Radio Romanias correspondent to Brussels, Iohannis also added that, during the negotiations with Great Britain, Bucharest will take action in the interest of the Romanian citizens. Actually, British PM, David Cameron, assured President Iohannis that the Romanian citizens will be allowed to stay and work in the United Kingdom and expressed regret over the xenophobic incidents which occurred in the wake of the Brexit referendum. President Iohannis also said that during talks on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada, (CETA), he reiterated the importance of waiving mandatory Canadian visas for Romanian nationals.



    ISTANBUL ATTACK– The spokesperson for the Romanian Government, Liviu Iolu, said on Wednesday that the available information shows there are no Romanians among the victims of the Istanbul terror attack. He said the Romanian Government vehemently condemns the terror attack and added that PM Dacian Ciolos has sent a message of condolences to his Turkish counterpart, Binali Yildirim. Earlier, both the Romanian Foreign Ministry and President Klaus Iohannis firmly condemned the triple suicide attack at the Istanbul airport, which left over 41 dead and more than 200 wounded and gave assurances that Romania would remain a staunch and reliable partner in the international anti-terror fight.



    CORRUPTION– Former Romanian agriculture minister, Stelian Fuia, on Wednesday received a final three-year jail sentence for abuse of office. The accusations levelled against him by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, were related to a series of actions he committed in his capacity as the director of an agricultural research institute near Bucharest, before taking over the agriculture portfolio in 2012, for only three months. In turn, the former president of the Constanta County Council, Nicusor Constantinescu, was given a five-year prison sentence for abuse of office. Also on Wednesday, the anti-corruption prosecutors sent to court MP Sebastian Ghita, imposing on him bail conditions and legal restrictions pending trial. He is accused of having committed eight crimes, among which bribe giving, buying influence, money laundering and blackmail. In the same case, people, who were holding leading positions in the Prosecutors Office and the Police at the time of the crimes, were also sent to court.



    FINANCIAL– Romanias budget deficit in the past five months has reached 0.1% of the GDP, standing at roughly 172 million euros, while the National Fiscal Administration Agency has cashed in sums higher by 3% than envisaged by the Romanian Finance Minister Anca Dragu. According to Dragu, public investment has increased by 25% as compared to the same period last year, while additional spending has been reported whipped up by a 5% pension rise, doubled child benefits, accrued wages and related expenses. In another development, the government has adopted a series of fiscal facilities for the field of research and development and decided to cut down the VAT for services in agriculture from 20% to 9%; measures expected to have a major budget impact.



    EXCHANGE RATES– Here are the exchange rates set by the National Bank of Romania on Wednesday: 1 Euro stands at 4.5220 lei, 1 US dollar is being traded for 4.0871 lei, 1 Swiss franc stands at 4.1656 lei, 1 pound sterling is being traded for 5.4693 lei and 1Moldovan leu stands at 0.2053 lei. (Translated by D. Vijeu and D. Bilt)

  • June 9, 2016 UPDATE

    June 9, 2016 UPDATE

    LOCAL ELECTIONS – In last Sundays local elections in Romania, the leftist Social Democratic Party got 34.83% of the overall number of votes cast for mayoral seats. It is followed by the centre-rightist National Liberal Party, with 31.49%. In Bucharest, the Social Democrats won both the general mayors seat and the mayors seats of all the 6 sectors of the capital. The announcement was made by the Central Electoral Bureau, after processing the results from all polling stations in Romania. The final results might be made public on Friday, after the Central Electoral Bureau analyses all notifications it has received.



    VISIT – Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, who is currently on an official visit to Paris, on Thursday attended a special meeting of the Council of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, devoted to Romania. Also, Dacian Ciolos held talks with Angel Gurria, the Secretary General of the OECD, an important intergovernmental body focusing on economic growth and social stability. As early as 2004, Romania expressed its wish to join the 34 OECD member states, this being a strategic objective of the Romanian foreign policy and included in the 2013-2016 governing program. On Friday, Ciolos is due to meet his French counterpart, Manuel Valls, and sign the updated Roadmap of the Romanian-French Strategic Partnership. Also on Friday, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos will meet with the French President Francois Hollande and together they will attend the opening match of the European Football Championship pitting Romania against France.



    SECURITY – Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu attended in Warsaw on Thursday the Poland-Romania-Turkey trilateral ministerial meeting on security issues. The meeting was held in preparation for the NATO Summit due in Warsaw, over July 8 and 9. The Romanian official together with his Polish and Turkish counterparts underlined the importance of strengthening collective defence, as well as the eastern flank of the alliance, also by ensuring a robust and credible allied presence in the region. The Romanian foreign minister also emphasised the strategic importance of the Black Sea for Euro-Atlantic security and stood for boosting cooperation and coordination between NATO and the EU on the one hand, and between NATO and its eastern partners, on the other. The three ministers also decided that the next trilateral meeting be held in the second half of the year, in Romania.



    CORRUPTION– The former president of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration, Sorin Blejnar, on Thursday received a five-year prison sentence in a corruption case, in which he is accused of serving as an accessory to tax evasion and of organising an organised criminal group. The court also ruled that Blejnar has no longer the right to exert several civil rights, five years after he is released from prison .The ruling is not final and can be appealed. Sorin Blejnar was sent to court in July 2014. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, in the 2011-2012 period, he supported in various ways a criminal group, which evaded its tax obligations related to transactions of some 90,000 tons of diesel fuel. The prejudice stands at 56 million Euros.

    CITIZENSHIP– Former Romanian president, Traian Basescu, and
    his wife, Maria, have received the citizenship of the Republic of Moldova (a
    former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population), sources
    in Chishinau have announced. A decree in that respect was signed on Thursday by
    Moldovan president Nicolae Timofti. The Basescu couple requested Moldovan
    citizenship in March. Actually, the former Romanian president announced as
    early as 2013 that he would like to apply for Moldovan citizenship after he
    completed his second term in office as Romania’s president, in token of respect
    and love for the neighbouring state and its people. Traian Basescu last visited
    Chishinau in April 2015, when he received the Stephen the Great Order, the
    highest military distinction in the Republic of Moldova.



    CONDEMNATION OF TERROR ATTACK– The Romanian Foreign Ministry has firmly condemned the terrorist attack perpetrated on Wednesday in Tel Aviv. According to a Foreign Ministry communiqué, such deplorable acts of violence have no justification and need to be fought against by all means. Four Israelis were killed and five were seriously wounded by two Palestinian militants who opened fire, on Wednesday evening, in a café in central Tel Aviv. The two attackers were arrested. Israel, Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories have been faced with a surging wave of violence which since October 1, 2015 have left behind 207 Palestinian and 28 Israelis dead as well as several foreign citizens, a France Press survey shows. In turn, the US and the UN have firmly criticized the attack in Tel Aviv.



    BLASTS – Over 18 people were killed and several scores wounded on Thursday as two car bomb blasts rocked Baghdad and the surroundings, France Presses reports. The attacks have been claimed by the Islamic State terrorist group. In the first attack, a car bomb was detonated on a commercial street in the east of the capital, Baghdad. The second car bomb attack targeted the main military checkpoint in the town of Taji, north of Baghdad. The two explosions occurred in the context in which the Iraqi forces are trying to eliminate the militants of the Islamic State from Fallujah, west of Baghdad.



    FOOTBALL – Romanias national football team are preparing for the opening match of the EURO 2016. On Friday in Paris they will take on the French eleven. The group also includes Switzerland and Albania. Romania will play against the Swiss eleven on June 15 in Paris and against the Albanian side on June 19 in Lyon. The Romanian footballers avowed target is to pass the groups stage. The last time the Romanian national football team participated in a continental football tournament was in 2008.

    (Translated by Diana Vijeu and Lacramioara Simion)

  • October 12, 2015

    October 12, 2015

    The National Executive Committee of the largest party in the ruling coalition in Romania, the Social Democratic Party, is analysing today the results of yesterdays vote in which Liviu Dragnea was elected party president. This is for the first time that the Social Democrats have not elected their leader in a congress, but through an internal vote in which all the roughly 530,000 party members were invited to take part. The Committee will also decide today on the partys leadership structure, whose members will be elected in a special congress scheduled for Sunday, October 18. Also today, registrations begin for executive president, vice-president, secretary general and other positions in the party.



    The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in Luxemburg in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the participants will exchange opinions on a political agreement concerning the formation of a national union government in Libya and its implications for the future of that country, and will analyse the situation in Syria. The topic of migration will also be approached, ahead of the Summit in Valletta (Malta), which will take place in November 2015.



    A technical mission of the International Monetary Fund is expected to arrive this week in Romania. Next years public budgets as well as a possible new agreement with the Fund will be the main topics on the agenda of talks. The visit comes after the IMF recently upgraded its estimates on the Romanian economy. The GDP is expected to go up 3.4% this year and 3.9% in 2016. Last month, Romanias fourth consecutive agreement with the IMF came to an end. The stand-by loan deal amounted to 2 billion euros, but Bucharest has not used the funds. The Finance Minister Eugen Teordorovici said recently that Romania will officially apply for a new loan agreement with the IMF.



    Romanian, American, Bulgarian and Ukrainian troops are taking part, between October 12 and 15, in military exercises in the Black Sea international waters. Romania takes part with a frigate, a corvette and two MiG 21 LanceR aircraft. The American forces consist in the USS Porter destroyer and a maritime patrol aircraft, while Ukraine and Bulgaria contributed one frigate each. The troops will practice anti-submarine warfare strategies, to test the joint operation capacity at the Black Sea. According to American officials, participation in exercises together with NATO allies, Romania included, is a permanent mission of the US Sixth Fleet.



    The Nobel in Economic Sciences, to be awarded today in Stockholm, concludes this years award ceremonies. The main highlights were the granting of the Nobel Prize in Literature to the Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich and of the Nobel Prize for Peace to several organisations having facilitated the democratic transition in Tunisia. Unlike in previous years, none of the economists on the list of nominees is seen as having bigger chances to win than the others. Last year Jean Tirole of France was awarded the Nobel for his analysis on market power and regulation.



    The twin blasts in Ankara, the bloodiest attack ever committed in Turkey, killed at least 97 people, according to a new report released by the authorities and quoted by France Presse. The blasts took place near the central railway station in the Turkish capital city, where people had gathered for a protest against the clashes between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The two suicide attackers were men, and identification operations are underway. The attack came 3 weeks ahead of the early legislative elections of November 1. On Saturday and Sunday, demonstrations were held in several Turkish cities against violence and terrorism. The participants criticised the government for flawed security measures.



    Most of Romanias eastern part is subject to a code yellow alert for heavy rainfalls and strong wind, valid until tonight. The bad weather has already caused problems in the north-east of the country, where snowfalls have been reported and several towns and villages experienced power outings. Hydrologists warn that floods may be reported in several counties in the south and east. Meanwhile in Bucharest, the noon reading was 7 degrees Celsius.



    Romanias football team has qualified in the final tournament of the European Championship, due next year in France. In their last game in preliminary Group F, the Romanians beat the Faroe Islands 3-0, away from home, on Sunday night. The last time Romania took part in a European final tournament was in 2008. Group F also included Northern Ireland, which won the group stage and also qualified for the final tournament, Finland, Greece and Faroe Islands. So far 16 out of the 24 participants in the final tournament are known.

  • Romania condemns Paris terror attack

    Romania condemns Paris terror attack

    Romania is shocked by Wednesday’s terrorist attack in Paris against the Charlie Hebdo! satirical magazine. President Klaus Iohannis changed his Facebook profile picture to repeat the message “Je suis Charlie!” in a black box, a message that is now all over the Internet. Both the head of state and prime minister Victor Ponta sent letters to their French counterparts.



    “I assure all Romania’s partners of our full support in fighting terrorism and extremism of any kind”, said president Iohannis. “The international community must have a firm attitude when faced with terrorist attempts to destroy the rule of law and to violate civic rights and liberties.” Prime minister Ponta said, quote: “Romania stands next to France and firmly condemns the terrorist act which affects fundamental liberties”. Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said:



    “This is an extremely serious attack against the press, the representatives of the press, and therefore an attack against the very essence of democracy and fundamental freedoms and values.”



    At the French Embassy in Bucharest, the national flag flies at half mast, and people have brought flowers and lit candles. Ambassador Francois Saint-Paul thanked Romanians and the authorities in Bucharest for their support. People all over the world joined the chorus of furious protest and solidarity with the victims of violence against the right to free speech.



    In an interview with the daily Le Figaro, writer Pascal Bruckner sees in this cold blooded massacre in the French capital, the worst in France in 50 years, a new stage in the war that radical Islamism wages against western democracies. He writes that these are the acts of Islamo-Fascists, and that the victims at Charlie Hebdo, among them four of the best known French cartoonists, are the Resistance in this war. He said journalism is based on the freedom of expression, something journalists fight for with their pens. The editorial in Le Nouvel Obeservateur writes that Charlie Hebdo must become a symbol of resistance against fanaticism, as this is an unprecedented attack against the press, democracy and the entire nation.



    The present socialist government in Paris in particular, and the French political class in general, are gathering ranks and making a general appeal to unity and solidarity, condemning the cowardice of the terrorists and assuring them that they would not have the last word.