Radio România Internațional

Tag: vessels

  • August 12, 2023

    August 12, 2023

    VACATION
    Romanians are in a four-day mini-holiday as August 14th is a bank
    holiday in Romania where St. Mary is being celebrated a day later on August 15th.
    Various events have been staged on this occasion all over the country and tens
    of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Nicula Monastery in Cluj,
    north-western Romania. The Summer Well festival is underway until August the 13th
    in Buftea close to Bucharest and the days of the Braila city are being
    celebrated in this town in south-eastern Romania. Numerous tourists are being
    expected in the mountains resorts in the Prahova Valley, southern Romania these
    days, as well as on the Romanian Black Sea coast, which will be seeing its
    busiest weekend. Hotel owners in the seaside resorts are expecting to provide
    accommodation to over 100 thousand tourists. Over 8 thousand police troops and
    6 thousand gendarmes have been deployed to ensure safety and order during this
    mini-holiday.






    NAVY Romania’s naval forces are these
    day staging a series of activities devoted to Romania’s Navy Day culminating on
    August 15th when the Romanians are celebrating the Dormition of the
    Mother of God, St. Mary, who is the protector of sailors. Events are underway
    in the capital city and the port-cities on the Black Sea, Constanta and
    Mangalia as well as on the Danube at Braila, Tulcea and Galati. These events
    will reach the climax on august 15th in Constanta, where the sailors
    will be presenting after a four-year recess the demonstrative exercise
    ‘Romanian Naval Forces 2023’. After the opening ceremony involving helicopters
    and fast boats carrying the flags of Romania, NATO and the EU, the school-frigate
    Mircea will be sailing in front of the participants. The aforementioned vintage
    vessel has for decades been Romania’s honorary ambassador on the world’s seas
    and oceans.






    GRAIN Romania will be
    taking additional measures aimed at doubling the Ukrainian grain transit
    through its facilities. The Romanian authorities want to supplement the number
    of pilots guiding the Ukrainian vessels carrying grain on the Danube to the
    Black Sea. Upon a meeting held in Galati, eastern Romania, on Friday, an event
    that brought together representatives of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, the
    United States and the European Commission, the Romanian transport minister
    Sorin Grindeanu spoke about the possibility for Ukraine to use other ports on
    the Danube besides Braila and Galati. According to him the number of pilots
    guiding the aforementioned grain shipments is to increase to 60 until the end
    of August. The United States has pledged financial assistance to the neighbours
    of Ukraine helping them to buy pilot boats to support regional efforts in this
    respect, the US embassy has announced. According to the same sources, the
    United States remains committed to the partnership with the Ukraine’s
    government and people – including by providing financial support and supplies
    by expanding alternative transport routes and streamlining the border crossing
    points.




    (bill)

  • April 17, 2022 UPDATE

    April 17, 2022 UPDATE

    EASTER Catholic and
    Protestant Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. At the Vatican,
    Pope Francis once again called for peace, describing Easter as the gift of hope
    during the Mass held in a basilica with thousands of believers. On Sunday, the
    service took place in San Pietro Square after 2 years of Covid-related
    restrictions. For Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers, who celebrate Easter
    next weekend, it was Palm Sunday, commemorating the moment when Jesus Christ
    entered Jerusalem. In Romania, a mostly Orthodox country, nearly one and a half
    million people celebrated their name day on Sunday. President Klaus Iohannis
    wished happy and peaceful holidays to all those who celebrate Easter or Palm
    Sunday.


    UKRAINE As of midnight
    Russian vessels are no longer allowed to enter EU ports, Romanian ports
    included. The ban also covers ships that replaced the Russian flag with the
    colours of another state after February 24 when the war in Ukraine started, but
    not those which need assistance or shelter for safety reasons or those which
    have saved lives at the sea. In an interview to Sunday’s issue of the German
    magazine Bild am Sonntag, the head of the European Commission Ursula von der
    Leyen said the next stage of EU sanctions will target Russia’s oil and banking
    sectors, particularly the country’s largest bank, Sberbank. She added that
    Brussels was working on smart mechanisms to include Russian oil in the new list
    of sanctions, so as to reduce the financing for Vladimir Putin’s invasion army.
    EU member states are currently paying for Russian gas and oil via Sberbank and
    Gazprombank, which have so far been exempt from Europe’s sanctions, Reuters
    explains. The EU announced on Sunday that EUR 50 million would be earmarked for
    humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Some EUR 45
    million will go into humanitarian programmes in Ukraine, while the Republic of
    Moldova, where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have taken refuge since the
    start of the war, is set to receive EUR 5 million.


    REFUGEES The number of Ukrainian nationals who reached
    Romania on Saturday was 12.4% higher than on the previous days, the Romanian
    border police announced. Since the start of the crisis, over 730,000 Ukrainian
    citizens have entered the country, most of them leaving Romania for other
    destinations.


    POLL The Church ranks first in a public confidence
    poll in Romania. The survey conducted by CURS at the end of March indicates
    that 67% of the respondents trust the Church, up 4% since January. The Army, on
    the other hand, has lost 8% in the same survey. The most significant increase
    in public confidence was reported for the National Bank of Romania, with 42% of
    the respondents saying they trust the central bank, as opposed to half this
    figure in January. The poll was commissioned by the National Liberal Party and
    has a +/- 1.9% margin of error.


    DIPLOMACY The Romanian Foreign Ministry celebrates 25 years
    since the Joint Statement on the Romania-Italy Strategic Partnership was
    signed. The genuine friendship between the 2 countries is facilitated by the
    presence of over 1 million Romanians in Italy, making up the largest foreign
    community in that country and also the largest Romanian community abroad, reads
    a news release issued by the institution.


    NORTH KOREA North Korea announced
    the successful test firing of a new type of tactical guided weapon aimed at boosting
    the country’s nuclear capabilities, which may indicate that Pyongyang is ready
    to resume nuclear testing. North Korea suspended nuclear testing in 2017, and
    the following year it blew up the tunnels in its underground nuclear test site,
    but recent satellite imagery indicates digging and construction activities have
    been resumed.



    INVICTUS A
    group of 20 Romanian military wounded in battle fields are taking part in the
    one-week long Invictus Games, hosted his year by The Hague in the Netherlands.
    They will compete in 7 sports, 6 of them individual competitions (hand archery,
    athletics, rowing, powerlifting, cycling
    and swimming) and a team sport (sitting volleyball). The
    Invictus Games promote respect and empathy for the sacrifice and traumas of
    wounded military, whose involvement in these activities is an opportunity for
    social reintegration and for regaining self-confidence, the Romanian Defence
    Ministry says. For Romanian troops, this year’s Invictus participation is the
    third, after the ones in Toronto, in 2017, and Sydney, one year later. (AMP)

  • July 21, 2020

    July 21, 2020

    RECOVERY The 27 EU member states this morning in Brussels have reached an agreement on a historic economic recovery plan for the Union. The 750 billion euro post-crisis plan adds to the EUs multi-annual budget of 1,074 billion euro for 2021-2027. Of the 750 billion euros, 390 billion will be granted in subsidies to the countries worst hit by the corona crisis, while 360 billion euro will be available in loans. President Klaus Iohannis announced that Romania will receive 80 billion euros, to build schools and hospitals and upgrade major public systems.



    COVID-19 According to the latest report released by the Strategic Communication Group, the last 24 hours saw 994 new COVID-19 cases in Romania, bringing the total number to 39,133 since late February. 36 people died over the past 24 hours, with the total death toll standing at 2,074. As many as 1.087 patients have been released at their request, while nearly 300 others are still in intensive care. PM Ludovic Orban has once again called on citizens to comply with protection rules and to use face masks indoors. He said the authorities would not like to introduce new restrictions or measures that would impact the economy. The number of checks and inspections in crowded areas, such as markets, outdoor restaurants or public transport, has been increased.



    LAW In Romania, a new law on quarantine and self-isolation has taken effect today. The bill introduced by the Government was drastically amended by Parliament, after the Constitutional Court ruled that such restrictions can only be imposed by law, even in the case of COVID-19 patients. The Cabinet convened this morning to introduce the provisions of the new law in an executive order that extends the state of alert by 30 days, as of July 17. Under the new law, healthcare authorities may decide that patients be hospitalised for 48 hours, for an assessment of their state, after which doctors may either extend the hospitalisation period or send the patient home, if the risk of disease transmission is low. Patients may challenge in court the obligation to self-isolate. The same applies for quarantine measures, which concern people coming from high-risk areas or who have been in contact with infected people. The law also stipulates that doctors and nurses may be transferred to hospitals experiencing staff shortages, but only for 30 days, and they are entitled to bonuses for their work. The law defines the conditions for local or regional lockdowns, a measure that the authorities have been talking about recently.



    PANDEMIC With many restrictions lifted and the holiday season in full swing, the number of COVID-19 cases worldwide has doubled in the past 7 weeks, to 15 million, of which 5.3 million active cases at present. Over 614,000 people died. The most affected countries remain the US, Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa, Peru, Mexico, Chile, and the UK. In Europe, the countries with the highest death tolls are the UK, Italy, France and Spain. Asia also sees large numbers of cases in India, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The WHO warns that indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest and other parts of the world, accounting for nearly half a million people, are highly vulnerable and measures must be taken as soon as possible.



    MILITARY Two Romanian military vessels are taking part in a multinational exercise called “Sea Breeze 20, held between July 20 and 27 in Ukraines territorial sea, in the Black Sea international waters and the port of Odessa. Over 20 military vessels, 19 aircraft and nearly 2,000 troops and officers take part in this NATO exercise.



    SPORT The football sides FCSB from Bucharest and Sepsi OSK from Sfântu Gheorghe will be playing the Romanian Cup final on neutral ground in Ploiesti this Wednesday night. In the semi-finals, Sepsi outplayed CSM Poli Iaşi, and FCSB defeated Dinamo Bucharest. Last month, the domestic championship was resumed, after being suspended in March over the COVID-19 epidemic. Topping the standings is CSU Craiova, followed by defending champions CFR Cluj. All football matches in Romania are played without public access.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • July 28, 2018 UPDATE

    July 28, 2018 UPDATE

    AIR SHOW – Baneasa International Airport Saturday hosted the 10th edition of the most impressive aviation event in Romania, Bucharest International Air Show & General Aviation Exhibition (BIAS). This years edition was devoted to the centennial of the Romanian nation state. Attending BIAS were 150 military and civilian aircraft, over 100 pilots and parachute jumpers from 13 countries – Romania, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Britain, Germany, USA, Greece, Austria, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic and Lithuania. Visitors were invited to watch elite demonstrations and air stunts, and to see the aircraft on display as part of the exhibition. The special guests were the aerobatics demonstration team of the Turkish Air Forces, the Turkish Stars, the only such team in the world using 8 supersonic fighter jets.




    NAVY – Three NATO military vessels are docked between July 28th and 31st at the Constanta military port at the Black Sea. After having stopped at the Burgas port in Bulgaria and Odessa in Ukraine, the Romanian dredger ‘Lt. Lupu Dinescu’, the Turkish mine sweeper ‘TCG Anamur’ and the German tender ‘FGS Rhein’ are in the third port these days, taking part in the multinational exercise BREEZE 18 in Bulgarian waters and in international Black Sea waters, as well as in joint naval exercises with Ukrainian vessels. On Sunday, the Romanian, German and Turkish ships will be open to the general public.




    JUDICIARY – Serbia denied Romanias request for the extradition of its former MP Sebastian Ghiţă. The High Court of Justice in Belgrade also ruled that Ghita was eligible for asylum. Subject to several criminal cases pending in Romania, Sebastian Ghiţă left the country in December 2016. He was apprehended in April 2017 in Belgrade, while trying to use a forged Slovenian passport, and was subsequently released on bail.




    ANTHEM DAY – National Anthem Day will be celebrated on Sunday in all military units around the country, the Romanian Defence Ministry announced. Bucharests Tricolour Square will host a religious service and an anthem related music show. July 29th was proclaimed the National Anthem Day in 1998. The current anthem is called “Wake up, ye, Romanian and was chosen after the fall of the communist regime in December 1989. The anthem is based on a patriotic poem written and published by Andrei Muresanu in 1848.




    ARMY – The Romanian Defence Ministry carries on an army equipment upgrade programme, for which over one-third of this years total defence budget will be allotted, the line minister Mihai Fifor has announced. He added that a system of anti-ship missile launchers will be purchased. “We want any major equipment upgrade project of the Romanian Army to be able to channel as much money as possible back into the national defence industry, Mihai Fifor said. For example, he added, of the 36 Piranha 5 armoured vehicles to be delivered to the Army this year, 6 will be produced at an industrial facility in Bucharest.





    GREECE – The 2 Romanian military planes, one fitted with fire-extinguishing equipment and another to provide logistic support, which were sent to wildfire-ravaged Greece this week, have completed their mission and returned to the country on Saturday. According to a news release issued by the National Defence Ministry, the planes sent to Athens on Wednesday conducted fire extinguishing missions on mainland Greece and on the island of Crete. The Romanian aircraft were serviced by around 20 military staff. Meanwhile in Athens, PM Alexis Tsipras has taken full political responsibility for the tragedy caused by the devastating fires east of Athens, which killed at least 88 people last week. Amid accusations of utter failure to protect the citizens, Alexis Tsipras promised a national plan to fight decade-long building code violations.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)