Radio România Internațional

Tag: US presidential election

  • November 7, 2024

    November 7, 2024

    MINIMUM WAGE – The national minimum wage will go up to the equivalent of 810 EUR starting January 1, 2025, according to a government decree expected to be adopted in today’s meeting. The government’s decision practically complies with the European directive that requires that the minimum wage in member states should not be less than 50% of the average gross wage.

     

    EPC – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is attending the two-day Summit of the European Political Community (EPC) and the informal meeting of the European Council, organized in Budapest, the Presidency reports. President Iohannis will call for a united and firm position of European leaders regarding the security developments in the region, as well as the continuation of support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in the context of Russia’s war of aggression. Also, the president of Romania will take part in a discussion panel addressing issues related to migration, on which occasion he will plead for the identification of solutions at European level in the field of managing illegal migration, in the short term, as well as through a more comprehensive approach in the long term, which would allow for greater cohesion and efficiency at European level in addressing this phenomenon. The European Political Community is an intergovernmental format of political dialogue between European states, seeking to boost cooperation on issues of common interest, in order to strengthen security and stability on the European continent.

     

    AGRICULTURE – The Common Agricultural Policy needs a separate budget, and farmers need to be sure they will receive the funds without limitations linked to the rule of law or other unrelated conditions, European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, said in Bucharest. On the sidelines of his official visit to Romania, the EU Commissioner attended the National Conference of the Romanian Farmers’ Club jointly with the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu. The European official said that, at EU level, the agricultural trade balance with third countries reached a record surplus of 70 billion EUR in 2023. The Conference was attended by farmers, high-ranking Romanian and European officials with responsibilities in the development of agriculture policies and strategies, leaders in the field of agricultural technologies, as well as representatives of farmers’ associations at European and national levels.

     

    SEDM – The Republic of Moldova is a full member of the South-East Europe Defense Ministerial Process (SEDM), hosted by Tirana, Albania, Romania’s Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, said during a meeting with his Moldovan counterpart, Anatolie Nosatîi. Talks focused on recent security developments in the Black Sea region and Moldova’s European integration efforts. Minister Tîlvăr emphasized the importance of firm support for the Republic of Moldova in the face of security challenges and destabilization attempts, part of the hybrid actions of the Russian Federation. Angel Tîlvăr emphasized that the Republic of Moldova was the first state to sign a Partnership in the field of security and defense with the European Union, on May 21, a partnership that plays a key role in the modernization and strengthening of the armed forces of the Republic of Moldova.

     

    US ELECTION – Leaders from all over the world continue to react after Donald Trump announced his victory in the US presidential election. The current US President, Joe Biden, invited him to the White House and expressed his commitment to ensure a smooth transition. In turn, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, emphasized the “enduring alliance” and the “historic link” between the EU and the USA. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that Donald Trump’s leadership will once again be essential to keeping the Alliance strong.

     

    GERMANY – Germany’s liberal party has announced that all its ministers will leave Olaf Scholtz’s governing coalition, after the Chancellor fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner. Social Democrat Scholtz thus remains without a majority in the Chamber of Deputies. Scholtz has announced a confidence vote for January 15, which is expected to pave the way for snap elections in March. The bone of contention between Scholtz and his Finance Minister was covering the 2025 budget deficit, at a time when Germany is going through its second year of recession. Several economic sectors are struggling and announcing layoffs, such as the car industry.

     

    FOOTBALL – Romanian football champions, FCSB, are tonight playing the Danish side FC Midtjylland at home, in a match counting towards the 4th round of Europa League. In the first three fixtures, FCSB grabbed two wins, 4-1, at home, against Rigas FS of Latvia, and 1-0, away from home, against the Greek club PAOK Thessaloniki, coached by Romanian Răzvan Lucescu, and sustained one defeat, in Scotland, 0-4 to Glasgow Rangers. (VP)

  • August 5, 2024

    August 5, 2024

    LEGISLATION – The Government is this week expected to amend the legislation on sexual abuse, which currently disallows anonymous complaints. Authorities will adopt measures to protect the victims, regardless of the aggressor’s identity. The measures come in response to several reports of sexual harassment in universities. Education Minister Ligia Deca explained the police will quickly register reports of sexual abuse, and the new measures will apply to the entire public sector, including regulations regarding internal inquiries. We recall that, in the last week, a number of former female students presented allegations of sexual harassment against three university professors. The Police have launched a number of investigations. Professor Alfred Bulai of the National School of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA) was sacked from the position of chair of the Sociology Department, while Dorin Ștefan Adam from the University of Architecture in Bucharest and Marius Pieleanu of SNSPA have resigned.

     

     

    MIDDLE EAST – The situation remains tense in the Middle East amidst fears regarding a possible attack on Israel from Iran and its associated militias, in particular Hezbollah. Teheran and its allies might thus retaliate after the killing of Hamas leader, Ismail Hanniah, and of Hezbollah’s military commander, Fuad Shukr. To prevent the situation from escalating, the United States is building up its armed forces in the region, while president Joe Biden today has called a security meeting to assess the developments. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has reiterated US support for Israel’s security and “right to defend itself against threats from Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi rebels and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups”. In turn, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday had talks with Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, underlining “the importance that all parties should take “steps to calm regional tensions, avoid further escalation and advance stability”. Military experts have warned that Iran and its forces in Iraq, Syria and Yemen might also attack US military bases in the Middle East, in addition to objectives on Israel’s territory.

     

     

    WARNING – The Romanian Foreign Ministry advises Romanian citizens to immediately leave Lebanon while flights are still available amidst the growing risk of a security escalation in the Middle East. Romanians might find it impossible to leave as the security climate is rapidly deteriorating, impacting commercial flights and transport routes. The Ministry also advises Romanian citizens in Lebanon to register with the Romanian Embassy in Beirut.

     

     

    US ELECTION – Vice-president Kamala Harris has cut into Donald Trump’s lead in the US presidential race. According to a poll published on Sunday, the two candidates are now tied in what now looks like a very close race for the White House. 50% of voters would now vote for Harris, compared to 49% who would favor Trump, a slight lead Joe Biden didn’t have before withdrawing from the race. The former prosecutor and California Senator now enjoys the Democrats’ support after securing the endorsement of over half of her party’s delegates. Harris has also been able to raise over 310 mln USD for her election campaign, which is double the amount raised by her Republican contender. The US presidential election is slated for November 5.

     

     

    OLYMPICS – Romanian athletes on Monday are competing in athletics, artistic gymnastics, wrestling, water polo, table tennis and sailing.  Romania currently ranks 12th in the medal standings, with seven gold, three silver and one bronze. The gold medals were grabbed by David Popovici in the 200m freestyle race, Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache in the men’s pair and the women’s eight crew in rowing. The silver medals were won by Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiș in the women’s pair, Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel in the women’s double sculls, Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc in the women’s lightweight double sculls, while the bronze medal was scooped by David Popovici in the 100m freestyle race. The authorities are rewarding gold medals with 140 thousand EUR, silver with 100 thousand EUR and bronze with 60 thousand EUR each. (VP)

  • July 4, 2024

    July 4, 2024

    ELECTIONS – The PSD-PNL ruling coalition has today reached consensus on the exact dates of the presidential and parliamentary elections following the talks Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had earlier this week with political parties. Thus, the first round of the presidential election will be held on November 24, with the second round slated for December 8. The parliamentary election has been scheduled for December 1. Originally, the Social-Democrats and the Liberals agreed to organize the presidential election in September, but the latter changed their mind. We recall local and European Parliament elections were held on June 9.

     

     

    FOURTH OF JULY – Romanian-American friendship is stronger than ever, evidence of which is the Strategic Partnership between the two states, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said in a message marking the national day of the United States. “Happy Independence Day to the United States of America and the American people”, the president wrote on X. On Wednesday, the head of state attended a reception organized by the American Embassy in Bucharest. In her opening remarks, US Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec referred to the long-lasting friendship between the two countries and the nearly 30 years of strategic partnership, built on shared democratic values, trade relations, strong interpersonal relations and security and defense cooperation. “As NATO allies and partners, our commitment to Romania is unwavering and essential to protecting our shared values and way of life”, Ambassador Kavalec added. The theme for this year’s reception was the world of film and cooperation between the two states’ film industries.

     

     

    SURVEY – Europeans continue to stand with Ukraine and its efforts to fight off the Russian invasion, are overall in favor of supplying weapons but oppose the deployment of troops to the former, a European Foreign Affairs Council survey reads. 20,000 Europeans were interviewed as part of the survey, the majority arguing the war in Ukraine will end through a negotiated truce, and Ukraine will not prevail on the battlefield. Ukrainians and Estonians interviewed believe, however, that the Ukrainian army will be victorious. Most Ukrainians oppose the idea of Ukraine conceding Russian-held territories in exchange for NATO accession. Additionally, nearly half of Ukrainians fear the United States could negotiate directly with Russia without Kyiv’s consent should Donald Trump get re-elected at the White House this autumn.

     

     

    WHITE HOUSE – US president Joe Biden has no intention of withdrawing his candidacy for a second term at the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has told journalists. Meanwhile, Americans continue to ponder Joe Biden’s mental health after his disastrous performance in last week’s debate against Republican Donald Trump. The Democrat president stays in the race, Jean-Pierre told a briefing. Aged 81, president Biden on Friday will give an exclusive interview to ABC News, and the White House promised the president will hold a press conference next week to show he’s able to speak freely with no teleprompter. According to a survey published on Tuesday by the CNN, 75% of Americans believe the Democratic Party would have bigger chances of winning the November election were they to replace Biden as their candidate.

     

     

    QUALIFIERS – Romanian football champions and Cup winners FCSB and Corvinul Hunedoara are tonight playing in the Romanian Supercup. Both teams are this month competing in European interclub competitions. In the first preliminary round of Champions League, FCSB will play AC Virtus 1964 of San Marino. In the first preliminary round of Europa League, Corvinul Hunedoara will take on Hungarian vice-champions Paksi FC. In the second preliminary round of UEFA Conference League, CFR Cluj will play FC Neman Grodno of Belarus, while Universitatea Craiova will play the winner of the match pitting PFC Botev Plovdiv of Bulgaria against Maribor of Slovenia. (VP)

  • November 8, 2020 UPDATE

    November 8, 2020 UPDATE

    Coronavirus Ro –New measures to prevent and limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will be enforced in Romania as of Monday for a period of 30 days. Face masks thus become compulsory in all localities irrespective of the number of contaminations. Shops will close at 9 p.m. and enclosed marketplaces will be shut down. Travel during the night will be banned between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. except for those people who go to work, have medical emergencies, or have to take care of children and elderly persons and provide a self declaration in this sense. All public institutions and private and state-owned companies will have to introduce the teleworking and work-from-home systems where possible. All schools will go online, but nurseries and after-school facilities remain open. Parties or meetings for various holidays and anniversaries will be banned. Restrictions occur in the context in which Romania has reported, as of February, more than 300 thousand cases of contamination with the new coronavirus, and the number of cases has increased alarmingly in the past weeks. The total death toll is nearing 7,900 and more than 1 thousand Covid-19 patients are in ICUs. On Sunday evening, hundreds of people protested in front of the government building in Bucharest against the new restrictions.



    Coronavirus world — The number of new coronavirus cases globally exceeds 50 million, with a death toll of more than 1.2 million. Many countries worldwide are introducing new restrictions in a bid to limit the pandemic second wave. In Europe, France, the UK, Ireland, Greece and some regions of Italy are in isolation. Moreover, Italy has adopted a new aid package to support the economy worth 2.9 billion Euros. Italy has reported almost 40 thousand new cases of coronavirus contamination in 24 hours. The French authorities reported on Saturday over 40 thousand COVID-19-associated deaths since the onset of the pandemic. The UK closed its border for those coming from Denmark. Slovakia ends on Sunday the mass testing for coronavirus. In another move, in the US, the country with the biggest number of deaths, 20 of the 50 states have announced new records of contaminations, almost 130 thousand new cases in 24 hours.



    Visit — The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu will pay an official visit to the Hague on Monday, at the invitation of his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok. The visit is part of the effort to intensify bilateral relations, especially in the context of the anniversary of 140 years of diplomatic relations in 2020. According to a Foreign Ministry communiqué, the two officials will review the current bilateral relations and will discuss their consolidation in domains of mutual interest. Minister Aurescu will talk about the management of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, about the Multiannual 2021-2027 Financial Framework and the recovery plan, the future EU-UK partnership agreement, Romania’s accession to the Schengen Space as well as climate change. Also the Romanian FM will underline the importance of deepening the bilateral dialogue on security issues within NATO and the EU, as well as the effort to promote a solid transatlantic relation.



    US election – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, on Saturday congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the US presidential election: “I look forward to further consolidating our solid and dynamic Strategic Partnership in all its dimensions” President Iohannis wrote in a social network post. Many world leaders, EU and NATO officials have congratulated the Democrat candidate Joe Biden for his victory against the incumbent Republican President Donald Trump in the November 3 election, international news agencies report. The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg congratulated Joe Biden and expressed hope to consolidate the relations between the US and Europe. The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, also congratulated Joe Biden insisting on the EU’s wish to rebuild a solid partnership with the US. Partial results and estimates made by the US media show Joe Biden as the winner of the US presidential election. The announcement of his victory was received with enthusiasm in the US where thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate. Joe Biden thanked those who voted for him and called on them to stop treating political opponents as enemies. He confessed he entered the presidential race to heal the soul of America.



    Handball — Romania’s handball team CSM Bucharest defeated Slovenia’s team RK Krim Ljubljana 25-23 on Saturday evening in Group A of the Women’s Handball Champions League. After this win, CSM Bucharest returned on top position in the group. CSM Bucharest will play the next match against Krim Ljubljana on November 14, on home ground.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis players Irina Bara 116 WTA), Laura Paar (198 WTA) and Jaqueline Cristian (169 WTA) on Sunday failed to qualify to the main table of the Linz WTA tournament. Bara, 2nd seed in the qualifiers, was defeated in 3 set by Croat Jana Fett (235 WTA). Laura Paar lost to the top seed Oceane Dodin of France (114 WTA) 6-2, 7-5. Jaqueline Cristian 8th seeded abandoned in the first set the match against Harmony Tan of France (239 WTA) at the score 4-1 for the French player. (tr. L. Simion)

  • November 8, 2020

    November 8, 2020

    Coronavirus Ro — On Sunday the Romanian authorities announced 6,752 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, 86 deaths and 1,056 people in intensive care. New measures to prevent and limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will be enforced in Romania as of Monday. Face masks become compulsory in all localities irrespective of the number of contaminations. Shops will close at 9 p.m. and enclosed marketplaces will close. Travel during the night will be banned between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. except for those people who go to work, have medical emergencies, or have to take care of children and elderly persons. All public institutions and private and state-owned companies will have to introduce the teleworking and work-from-home systems where possible. All schools will go online, but nurseries and after-school facilities remain open. Parties or meetings for various holidays and anniversaries will be banned. The emergency decree that stipulates the enforcement of these measures was published Saturday in the Official Gazette.



    Coronavirus world — The number of new coronavirus cases globally exceeds 50 million, with a death toll of more than 1.2 million. Many countries worldwide are introducing new restrictions in a bid to limit the pandemic second wave. In Europe, France, the UK, Ireland, Greece and some regions of Italy are in isolation. Moreover, Italy has adopted a new aid package to support the economy worth 2.9 billion Euros. Italy has reported almost 40 thousand new cases of coronavirus contamination in 24 hours. The French authorities reported on Saturday over 40 thousand COVID-19-associated deaths since the onset of the pandemic. The UK closed its border for those coming from Denmark. Slovakia ends on Sunday the mass testing for coronavirus. In another move, in the US, the country with the biggest number of deaths, 20 of the 50 states have announced new records of contaminations, almost 130 thousand new cases in 24 hours.



    US election – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, on Saturday congratulated Joe Biden on his victory in the US presidential election: “I look forward to further consolidating our solid and dynamic Strategic Partnership in all its dimensions” President Iohannis wrote in a social network post. Many world leaders, EU and NATO officials have congratulated the Democrat candidate Joe Biden for his victory against the incumbent Republican President Donald Trump in the November 3 election, international news agencies report. The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg congratulated Joe Biden and expressed hope to consolidate the relations between the US and Europe. The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, also congratulated Joe Biden insisting on the EU’s wish to rebuild a solid partnership with the US. Partial results and estimates made by the US media show Joe Biden as the winner of the US presidential election. The announcement of his victory was received with enthusiasm in the US where thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate. Joe Biden thanked those who voted for him and called on them to stop treating political opponents as enemies. He confessed he entered the presidential race to heal the soul of America.



    Visit — The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu will pay an official visit to the Hague on Monday, at the invitation of his Dutch counterpart Stef Blok. The visit is part of the effort to intensify bilateral relations, especially in the context of the anniversary of 140 years of diplomatic relations in 2020. According to a Foreign Ministry communiqué, the two officials will review the current bilateral relations and will discuss their consolidation in domains of mutual interest. Minister Aurescu will talk about the management of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, about the Multiannual 2021-2027 Financial Framework and the recovery plan, the future EU-UK partnership agreement, Romania’s accession to the Schengen Space as well as climate change. Also the Romanian FM will underline the importance of deepening the bilateral dialogue on security issues within NATO and the EU, as well as the effort to promote a solid transatlantic relation.



    Handball — Romania’s handball team CSM Bucharest defeated Slovenia’s team RK Krim Ljubljana 25-23 on Saturday evening in Group A of the Women’s Handball Champions League. After this win, CSM Bucharest returned on top position in the group. CSM Bucharest will play the next match against Krim Ljubljana on November 14, on home ground. (tr. L. Simion)