Fane and Bubbles, two of the five members of the Bucharest-based hip-hop collective “Har de Golan,” discuss the group’s first gig and plans for the future.
Tag: underground
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September 15, 2020
ALERT The government in Bucharest has today
endorsed a decision on extending the state of alert for Romania with another 30
days beginning on Tuesday. The document stipulates a series of measures
regulating the ongoing local election campaign and the voting procedures, at
the same time limiting meetings and demonstrations to 100 people with the
observance of safety rules and regulations. Voters must use disinfectants while
entering and exiting poling stations. A mobile polling station will be made
available first for the healthy but non-transportable persons and then for
those in isolation and quarantine.
UNDERGROUND A metro section linking the west of
Bucharest to its centre was inaugurated on Tuesday. Authorities have given
assurances that systems are functional to offer safe and comfortable transport.
This 7 kilometer underground section is the first to have been built from
scratch since the demise of the communist regime in Romania thirty years ago.
The section, which should have been ready five years ago and has a total value
of 0.7 billion Euros, has become part of Bucharest underground network of 78
kilometres and 63 stations.
EDUCATION School started in Romania on Monday for
roughly 3 million students. 12, 500 schools have opened their gates while 5
thousand others are also offering alternative online course. Against the background
of the Covid-19 pandemic, more than half of the parents in Romania’s urban
areas want their children to go to school, shows a recent poll conducted in several
cities across the country. At the same time 61% of the interviewees believe that
schools presently cannot offer education in safe conditions while 66% believe
that students must wear face masks in classrooms.
CONTEST A series of 55 mini-recitals held by pianists from all over the
world has today ended as part of the George Enescu International Classical
Music Contest. The event has been made available at www.festivalenescu.ro and the jury is
expected to announce the winners on Wednesday. Only 12 out of the total 55
participants will make it to the competition’s next stage. The most important
international cultural event, the George Enescu Festival has four contest
sections, piano, cello, violin and composition and comes fifth in a world
ranking of classical music contests.
COVID-19 According to worldometers.info
the confirmed Covid-19 infections continue to be on the rise at a world level.
The total number of infections worldwide has reached 29.4 million with a death
toll of 932 thousand. The most affected countries are the USA, India, Brazil,
Russia, Peru, Columbia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain and Argentina. The most
affected African countries are South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia and
Nigeria while in Europe the most affected are Russia, Spain, France, the UK,
Turkey, Italy, Germany, Ukraine, Romania, Belgium and Sweden. According to the World
Health Organisation the situation is going to worsen and the death toll is
expected to increase in October and November.
(bill)
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November 20, 2018 UPDATE
RESHUFFLING The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday signed the government reshuffling order based on the nominations made by the Social Democratic Party in power. Later on Tuesday the new ministers of Education, Defense, Economy, Culture and National Identity, Communication and Information Society and Youth and Sports were sworn in before President Iohannis. But the ministers’ list does not include the proposals for the Ministry for Regional Development and Public Administration and the Transport Ministry, Ilan Laufer and Lia Olguta Vasilescu, respectively. Eight ministries in Viorica Dancila’s Cabinet, including the Defence and Labour, should have been headed by new chiefs. President Iohannis says the current reshuffling is an incomplete solution, and the correct option for Romania would have been to replace the Cabinet as a whole, because the current team has created lots of problems for the country. In turn, the PM explained that the reshuffling was designed to improve the performance of the Government, ahead of Romania’s rotating presidency of the EU Council starting on January 1, 2019. The right-of-centre opposition argues however that the sole criterion in selecting the new ministers was their obedience to the Social Democratic Party president, Liviu Dragnea.
JUSTICE The European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourova had meetings in Bucharest on Tuesday with the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, and the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. Talks focused on the priorities in the field of justice, in the context of Romania’s presidency of the EU Council and of the recent developments in the Romanian judiciary. It is important for Romania to take the necessary steps in order to ensure the independence of the judiciary, Vera Jourova said after the meeting with Romania’s Justice Minister. Later on Tuesday the European official gave an address in Bucharest on the Universal Children’s Day, focusing on the situation of children abandoned as a result of regional conflicts or of labour migration, as part of an event organised by the Presidential Administration. 29 years since the signing of the UN Convention on the rights of the child, there are still millions of children around the world who do not go to school, are not protected and cannot live in their home country or town.
VISIT President Klaus Iohannis received in Bucharest on Tuesday the president of the European Court of Auditors, Klaus-Heiner Lehne, who was on an official visit ahead of Romania taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. President Iohannis emphasized the importance of the control mechanisms, especially when they contribute to the improvement of public practices with positive effects on economy and the society. In turn, the European official said that cutting red tape and increasing EU funds absorption were essential at the level of both the EU and national parliaments. On Monday, Klaus-Heiner Lehne met with PM Viorica Dăncilă. The talks focused on strengthening the EU mechanisms for the efficient management and spending of European funds. The PM reiterated Bucharest’s willingness to cooperate with the European Court of Auditors in order to improve the absorption rate and for an efficient management of the European funds, particularly in fields of interest for Romania. Also, in the context of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, Viorica Dăncilă said that at present Romania is fully prepared to take over this mission.
STRIKE The Bucharest underground trade unions decided on Tuesday to postpone the planned all-out strike until after a meeting with the new Transport Minister, nominated after the government reshuffling. Staff were scheduled to go on indefinite strike on Wednesday, although the Bucharest Court ruled the protest was illegal. The unionists demand a 42% pay raise, although the net average income paid by the state-owned Metrorex company is substantially higher than the national level. The Ministry argues that in fact the trade unions are disgruntled that they would no longer manage the shopping areas in the stations. Some 700,000 passengers a day use the Bucharest underground system.
RADIRO The MDR, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, performed on Tuesday evening for the second time as part of the International Festival of Radio Orchestras – RadiRo, organised by Radio Romania. The soloist was the pianist Mihai Ritivoiu. On Monday evening, the German orchestra conducted by Robert Trevino gave a highly appreciated performance. This year’s edition, the 4th of the festival, features 3 ensembles that perform for the first time at the Radio Hall: BBC Philharmonic (UK), Orchestra de la Svizzera Italiana – Lugano (Switzerland) and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland). Also this year, the only festival in the world devoted to radio orchestras will include jazz recitals, for the first time. All the concerts as part of RadiRo are broadcast live by Radio Romania channels, recorded and broadcast subsequently by the Romanian public television, and also aired by stations affiliated to the European Broadcasting Union.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
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November 20, 2018
RESHUFFLING The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis has today announced having signed the government reshuffling order based on the nominations made by the Social Democratic Party in power. The President presented the list of ministers for whom he signed the appointment orders. But the list does not include the proposals for the Ministry for Regional Development and Public Administration and the Transport Ministry, Ilan Laufer and Lia Olguta Vasilescu, respectively. Eight ministries in Viorica Dancilas Cabinet, including the Defence and Labour, should have been headed by new chiefs. President Iohannis says the current reshuffling is an incomplete solution, and the correct option for Romania would have been to replace the Cabinet as a whole, because the current team has created lots of problems for the country. In turn, the PM explained that the reshuffling was designed to improve the performance of the Government, ahead of Romanias rotating presidency of the EU Council starting on January 1, 2019. The right-of-centre opposition argues however that the sole criterion in selecting the new ministers was their obedience to the Social Democratic Party president, Liviu Dragnea.
JUSTICE The European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Věra Jourova has meetings in Bucharest today with the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, and the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. Talks will focus on the priorities in the field of justice, in the context of Romanias presidency of the EU Council and of the recent developments in the Romanian judiciary. The European official will give an address in Bucharest on the Universal Childrens Day, focusing on the situation of children abandoned as a result of regional conflicts or of labour migration, as part of an event organised by the Presidential Administration. 29 years since the signing of the UN Convention on the rights of the child, there are still millions of children around the world who do not go to school, are not protected and cannot live in their home country or town.
VISIT President Klaus Iohannis receives in Bucharest today the president of the European Court of Auditors, Klaus-Heiner Lehne, who is on an official visit ahead of Romania taking over the rotating presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. On Monday, Klaus-Heiner Lehne met with PM Viorica Dăncilă. The talks focused on strengthening the EU mechanisms for the efficient management and spending of European funds. The PM reiterated Bucharests willingness to cooperate with the European Court of Auditors in order to improve the absorption rate and for an efficient management of the European funds, particularly in fields of interest for Romania. Also, in the context of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, Viorica Dăncilă said that at present Romania is fully prepared to take over this mission.
STRIKE The Bucharest underground trade unions decided today to postpone the planned all-out strike until after a meeting with the new Transport Minister, nominated after the government reshuffling. Staff were scheduled to go on indefinite strike on Wednesday, although the Bucharest Court ruled the protest was illegal. The unionists demand a 42% pay raise, although the net average income paid by the state-owned Metrorex company is substantially higher than the national level. The Ministry argues that in fact the trade unions are disgruntled that they would no longer manage the shopping areas in the stations. Some 700,000 passengers a day use the Bucharest underground system.
RADIRO The MDR, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, will perform tonight for the second time as part of the International Festival of Radio Orchestras – RadiRo, organised by Radio Romania. The soloist is the pianist Mihai Ritivoiu. Last night, the German orchestra conducted by Robert Trevino gave a highly appreciated performance. This years edition, the 4th of the festival, features 3 ensembles that perform for the first time at the Radio Hall: BBC Philharmonic (UK), Orchestra de la Svizzera Italiana – Lugano (Switzerland) and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (Ireland). Also this year, the only festival in the world devoted to radio orchestras will include jazz recitals, for the first time. All the concerts as part of RadiRo are broadcast live by Radio Romania channels, recorded and broadcast subsequently by the Romanian public television, and also aired by stations affiliated to the European Broadcasting Union.
FOOTBALL Romanias football team is playing today a decisive game against Montenegro, in Podgorica, in Group 4 of the UEFA Nations League C Series. On Saturday, Romania beat Lithuania, 3-0, on home turf in Ploieşti. The League results count as qualifiers for the EURO 2020. Romania ranks 2nd in Group 4, Series C of the Nations League and needs to defeat Montenegro tonight. In the other important match of the day, group leaders Serbia are taking on Lithuania. Should Lithuania avoid a defeat in Belgrade and if Montenegro loses tonights match, Romania will move to the top position in the group.
(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)
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November 14, 2018 UPDATE
GOVERNMENT A joint meeting of the governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova will be held on November 22nd in Bucharest, the Moldovan PM Pavel Filip announced in Chisinau. He mentioned that one of the topics could be an agreement on discarding mobile roaming fees between the Republic of Moldova and Romania. “It is an important logical step, in the line of other actions that draw us closer to Romania, such as the interconnection of our countries natural gas and electricity systems or the educational and cultural ties. It means nothing else but a stronger relationship between our countries, Pavel Filip said.
PARLIAMENT A bill declassifying the protocols signed by judicial institutions with intelligence services was passed on Wednesday in the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making parliamentary body in this case. The new regulation allows individuals who think they have been affected by the protocols to request the retrial of their cases. Opposition MPs say they will refer the bill to the Constitutional Court, and argue that the only purpose of the new legislation is to help reverse certain rulings. On the other hand, the ruling coalition says the bill benefits all citizens, who should have access to information in order to defend their rights.
STRIKE In Romania, negotiations between trade unions and the management of the Bucharest underground company, Metrorex, have failed. Unions announced that the employees would be on a 2-hour token strike on Thursday morning. They demanded a 42% pay raise, but the management only offered 18% under a new collective bargaining agreement. The token strike could be followed by indefinite all-out strike, unions added. In turn, the Transport Minister Lucian Sova said the negotiations had started 8 months before, and the unionists would not accept a smaller pay raise. According to Șova, the salaries of Metrorex staff have been raised on an annual basis for the last 4 years, and the last such increase was by 21% in 2017. As many as 700,000 passengers a day use the Bucharest underground system.
MOLDOVA The European Parliament Wednesday endorsed a resolution on the implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Moldova. MEPs criticised the deterioration of the rule of law in that country, the systemic corruption, breach of current commitments, the disregard for the recommendations of the Venice Commission concerning changes in the electoral system and the insufficient investigation of the 2014 banking fraud. A decision regarding the EU macro-financial assistance for Moldova will only be made after the parliamentary elections due in February 2019, and provided that they comply with the relevant international standards. Some Romanian MEPs argued however that the Union should continue to provide financial assistance to Moldova, so as to counter Russias influence.
GAUDEAMUS The 25th edition of the Gaudeamus International Fair, a landmark of the book market in Romania, an event organised by Radio Romania, opened on Wednesday. Gaudeamus 2018 will unfold under the auspices of a triple anniversary: the Great Union Centennial, 9 decades since the first broadcast aired by Radio Romania, one of the oldest radio stations in Europe, and the 25th edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair.
(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)
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Londra: nou protest al conductorilor de metrou
Sindicatul conductorilor de metrou ASLEF a anunţat că reţeaua de metrou din Londra urmează să fie închisă pentru 24 de ore. Anunţul a fost făcut după negocierile eşuate din cauza unui conflict cu privire la turele de noapte. Trei sindicate au respins o ofertă revizuită adresată personalului lor, referitor la introducerea serviciului de noapte pentru zilele de vineri şi sâmbătă, începând cu data de 12 septembrie 2015.
Românii aflaţi în capitala Marii Britanii pot afla mai multe despre protest aici.