Radio România Internațional

Tag: week

  • April 10, 2023 UPDATE

    April 10, 2023 UPDATE

    DEFENCE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis has convened a
    meeting of the country’s Higher Defence Council on Tuesday. The security
    situation at the Black Sea, triggered by Russia’s aggression on Ukraine and the
    foreign interference in Moldova’s democratic process are on the agenda. The
    development of the Romanian military aviation will also be discussed.


    CEREMONY We will always rely on the Romanian Army, on our
    servicemen who, together with our allies, will ensure the defence of Romania
    and of NATO’s eastern flank, PM Nicolae Ciucă said in the eastern Romanian
    town of Focsani on Monday. He attended a ceremony celebrating 140 years since
    the Union of Principalities 282 Brigade was set up. The PM reiterated that
    near Romania’s borders, a long-term war of attrition is taking place, which is
    a challenge for the free world, for democracy, for a rule-based world. The 282
    Brigade carries forward the military traditions of the 6th Infantry
    Division established on April 1, 1883, and stationed in Focşani. Throughout its
    existence, the 6th Infantry Division took part in the Balkan War and
    the 2 world wars, while in recent times structures within the brigade
    participated in many operations in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.


    DIASPORA Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca Monday took part in the opening ceremony
    of the conference Smart Diaspora 2023 – Diaspora in higher education, science,
    innovation and entrepreneurship, held in Timisoara, western Romania. Around
    400 participants from the Diaspora, 550 from Romania and 300 from the member
    universities of Timisoara University Alliance are expected to attend the 38
    workshops held for 4 days on topics such as education, psychology, global
    economy, governance, smart cities, intercultural communication and many others.
    The guests from the Diaspora come from more than 30 countries, most of them in
    the EU, but also from the US, Britain, Moldova, Japan, Singapore and Australia. President Klaus Iohannis has
    sent a message saying education is the key to Romania’s sustainable
    development.


    EDUCATION The new education bills have reached the Chamber of
    Deputies for review. In the case of undergraduate education, new mandatory Language
    and communication and Math and sciences exams have been introduced for 2nd, 4th
    and 6th grade students, while the bill on higher education provides for an
    extension of doctoral studies from 3 to 4 years. The leaders of the ruling
    coalition have promised to pass the new legislation by the end of Parliament’s current
    session.


    HOLY WEEK Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers all over the world,
    including Romania, a mostly Orthodox country, have entered the Holy Week, the
    last week before Easter. Holy Week services are attended by large crowds.
    Romanian pilgrims have already arrived at the holy places in Jerusalem,
    Nazareth and Bethlehem, for the religious service on Easter Sunday, according
    to RRI’s correspondent in Israel. This year, Catholic and Protestant Christians
    celebrated Easter a week before the Orthodox and Greek Catholics. On Sunday,
    during his traditional Easter address before the large crowds gathered in St.
    Peter’s Square of the Vatican, Pope Francis condemned the numerous obstacles in
    the way of world peace and called on the international community to put an end
    to the conflict in Ukraine and to all other conflicts in the world.


    CUSTOMS The customs authorities in Romania and the neighbouring
    Republic of Moldova have approved a Common Action Plan designed to help
    streamline cross-border travel during the Easter holidays, more precisely
    between 7 April and 7 May 2023. According to the Romanian Customs Authority, in
    order to handle the surge in traveller numbers, the two authorities will increase
    the number of customs workers and identify and earmark separate lanes to
    redirect and speed up passenger travel. (AMP)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week




    This past weekend, the
    Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200m freestyle final of the
    European Short Course Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia. Popovici came
    first with 1:42:12. At the age of only 17, he thus won his first continental
    senior title, while also setting a new national record. Second and third came 2
    Dutch swimmers, Luc Kroon and Stan Pijnenburg.


    Popovici’s gold was
    the 3rd medal for Romania in this short course championship, after
    the silver and bronze won by Robert Glinţă in the 100m and 50m backstroke finals.
    I’m glad I could attend this European competition. We’ve been quite united and
    had a lot of fun. And I’m also happy to have written history for Romanian
    swimming, said Popovici upon his return to Romania. He is the first Romanian,
    in fact, to have won a European short course championship.


    For his outstanding
    performance, Radio Romania International has designated David Popovici the
    Athlete of the Week.


    David Popovici was
    born on 15 September 2004, in Bucharest, and has specialised in freestyle races,
    having set the juniors’ world records for 100m and 200m freestyle. Also in the
    junior category, he is the European champion in the 50m, 100m and 200m
    freestyle events. In the same European Championship edition, held in Rome, he
    won the silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay with his Romanian teammates.


    His best performance
    was his qualification in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where at 16 years of age, he
    came up 4th in the 200m freestyle final. I think in Tokyo I learned
    to better control my emotions, to focus on my lane and do what I do best,
    young Popovici also said upon his return from Kazan. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week




    This past weekend, the
    Romanian swimmer David Popovici won the gold in the 200m freestyle final of the
    European Short Course Swimming Championships in Kazan, Russia. Popovici came
    first with 1:42:12. At the age of only 17, he thus won his first continental
    senior title, while also setting a new national record. Second and third came 2
    Dutch swimmers, Luc Kroon and Stan Pijnenburg.


    Popovici’s gold was
    the 3rd medal for Romania in this short course championship, after
    the silver and bronze won by Robert Glinţă in the 100m and 50m backstroke finals.
    I’m glad I could attend this European competition. We’ve been quite united and
    had a lot of fun. And I’m also happy to have written history for Romanian
    swimming, said Popovici upon his return to Romania. He is the first Romanian,
    in fact, to have won a European short course championship.


    For his outstanding
    performance, Radio Romania International has designated David Popovici the
    Athlete of the Week.


    David Popovici was
    born on 15 September 2004, in Bucharest, and has specialised in freestyle races,
    having set the juniors’ world records for 100m and 200m freestyle. Also in the
    junior category, he is the European champion in the 50m, 100m and 200m
    freestyle events. In the same European Championship edition, held in Rome, he
    won the silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay with his Romanian teammates.


    His best performance
    was his qualification in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where at 16 years of age, he
    came up 4th in the 200m freestyle final. I think in Tokyo I learned
    to better control my emotions, to focus on my lane and do what I do best,
    young Popovici also said upon his return from Kazan. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • October 8, 2018 UPDATE

    October 8, 2018 UPDATE

    REFERENDUM – 21.10% of the Romanian eligible voters took part in the referendum for rephrasing the constitutional definition of family as being based on the marriage of a man and a woman, rather than of “spouses, as it is at present. According to final data provided by the Central Election Bureau, the voter turnout in the 2 days of the vote, Saturday and Sunday, was below the validation threshold. To be validated, the referendum needed a minimum 30% turnout. Out of the participants in the referendum, some 91.5% voted in favour of changing the Constitution article, and only 6.5% voted against. The bill revising the Constitution was passed in Parliament and was based on a citizen initiative signed by 3 million people. On the other hand, the minister delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu announced that a bill regulating civil partnership will be tabled to Parliament next week. The bill is finalized, and it has been discussed with partners in political parties and civil society, Negrescu said.




    INTERVIEW – The Prosecutor Department of the Higher Magistracy Council in Romania Monday issued a negative opinion on Adina Florea, nominated by the Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader, for the position of chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate. The Councils opinion is consultative, and the appointment decision must be made by President Klaus Iohannis. In the project with which she applied for the post, Adina Florea says that, apart from the good things, the activity of anti-corruption prosecutors in recent years also comprised deviations from the requirements of the rule of law. The office of chief prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate has been vacant since July, when Laura Codruţa Kovesi was removed from office by President Klaus Iohannis, who was forced to implement a Constitutional Court ruling. In this respect as well, the Higher Council of Magistracy issued a negative consultative report.




    MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies Monday debated a simple motion filed by the National Liberal Party, in opposition, against Economy Minister Danut Andrusca. The Liberals accuse Andrusca of deliberately destabilizing the country’s economy. According to the motion text, “industrial activity failed nearly to zero in August, the lowest level since February, economic growth is offset by inflation and managers expectations for the next 6 months remain pessimistic. Meanwhile, Liberal Deputies also filed on Monday a simple motion against the Culture Minister George Ivascu, whom they accuse of being unable to coordinate the historical celebration of December 1, when Romania marks the Union Centennial.




    HEARING – The High Court of Cassation and Justice Monday postponed for November 5th the first hearing in the appeal filed by Social-Democrat leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea against a 3-and-a-half-year prison sentence from the court of first instance. In June, the court handed Dragnea this sentence for instigation to abuse of office. Anticorruption prosecutors say Liviu Dragnea ordered the fictitious employment of two party members at the Social Assistance and Child Protection Directorate. The two were paid with taxpayer money, although they allegedly worked exclusively for the Social-Democratic Party. Liviu Dragnea denied the accusations. In 2016, Dragnea was handed a suspended 2-year prison sentence for attempted election fraud. This summer the High Court cancelled the ruling to suspend the prison sentence. Dragnea is also prosecuted for abuse of office in 2 other cases, one of them re-opened last week, further to reports coming from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).




    JUDICIARY – The Romanian Supreme Court postponed for November 5 an appeal filed by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate against the acquittal of constitutional court judge Toni Grebla. In May, a Constitutional Court 3-judge panel dismissed the charges against Grebla, who had been indicted in 2015 for influence peddling, forgery, financial operations incompatible with his office, and setting up an organised crime group. In a government re-shuffling announced for October, Toni Greblă might become a secretary general of the Government. The president of the Social Democratic Party in power, Liviu Dragnea, proposed Grebla for this office in a late September meeting of the partys National Executive Committee.




    EUROPEAN WEEK OF REGIONS – The 2018 edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities started in Brussels on Monday, in the presence of European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu, the head of the European Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertsz and European Parliament vice-president, Pavel Telicka. This year’s edition is a special one, devoted to the European Commission’s cohesion policy proposal for 2021-2027. Decision-makers and local, regional, national and European experts will take part in a series of debates as part of the most important event devoted to cohesion policies at European level.




    NOBEL – The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded this year to the Americans William Nordhaus and Paul Romer, for integrating climate change and technological innovation into long-run macroeconomic analysis. The Nobel in economics was introduced in 1968 by Swedens Central Bank and was first granted in 1969. Unlike the other Nobel prizes, which are funded by the Nobel Foundation, this award is financed by the Central Bank of Sweden. The 2018 Nobel season has concluded with the award of this last prize.




    INTERPOL – The Interpol chief, Meng Hongwei, is probed into for bribe taking and other alleged offences, Chinas Ministry of State Security announced on Monday. Beijing confirmed that Meng Hongwei, who is also the deputy Minister for State Security in China, has resigned as Interpol chief. Meng Hongwei, 64, was announced missing last week, while on a trip to his home country. The Interpol will elect a new president at the General Assembly scheduled for next week in Dubai.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)