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☆ Romania bolsters defences to stop Ukraine war crossing NATO threshold
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Luiza Ilie | Thomson Reuters | Bucharest-Based General News Reporter Covering A Wide Range Of Romanian Topics Elections | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] A view shows a building of Ukraine's Black Sea Danube shipping company destroyed during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Izmail, Odesa region, Ukraine August 2, 2023. In November last year, a missile hit southern Poland killing two people and prompting a brief security scare, although it was later determined that Ukrainian air defences were to blame. Among the targets were the Ukrainian ports of Izmail and Reni, both of which lie across the Danube from Romanian soil. "They (Russian drones) fly at very low altitudes, sometimes less than 200 metres (above ground) ... they are built in such a way that least reflects radar waves," he said. In July, when the Danube bombing campaign began in earnest, Russians had more targeted success because Ukraine had not set up extensive air defence systems in the area.

Persons: Nina Liashenko, Reni, Tudor Cernega, Jens Stoltenberg, Constantin Spinu, Cernega, Andrew Gray, Mike Collett, Philippa Fletcher Organizations: REUTERS, NATO, Local, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Izmail, Odesa, Romania, Moscow, BUCHAREST, Poland, Ukrainian, Russia, Romanian, Plauru, Ceatalchioi, U.S, ROMANIA, Kyiv, Brussels

☆ Romania's Enescu music festival eyes next edition as 2023 event wraps up
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Luiza Ilie | Thomson Reuters | Bucharest-Based General News Reporter Covering A Wide Range Of Romanian Topics Elections | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The French National Orchestra plays during the George Enescu Classical Music Festival, in Bucharest, Romania, September 21, 2023. The 27th Enescu festival, a biennial event, could bring in American orchestras for the first time in years, said Cristina Uruc, one of the main planners, alongside established festival performers. The 26th Enescu festival, named after Romania's most famous composer and begun in 1958, ends on Sunday with a performance by the Dutch-based Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. "If we had a proper concert hall, top orchestras could play in Bucharest outside the festival as well, we could build on the classical music tradition this festival has created." Asked whether the rise of generative artificial intelligence threatened classical music performances, one artist at the festival said he was not concerned.

Persons: George Enescu, George Calin, Enescu, Cristina Uruc, Maestro Macelaru, Cristian Macelaru, Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Jurowski, Yuja Wang, Martha Argerich, Gautier Capucon, Uruc, Artexim, Capucon, Luiza Ilie, Matthew Lewis Organizations: French National Orchestra, George Enescu Classical, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Enescu, Reuters, Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Rome's National Academy of Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Musicians, Communist Party, Thomson Locations: Bucharest, Romania, Rights BUCHAREST, Dutch, French, Sala

The Romanian government has said it aims to double the monthly transit capacity for Ukrainian grain through its Constanta port to four million metric tons in the coming months from virtually zero before the Russian war started. In August, roughly 2.7 million tons of Ukrainian grain passed through Constanta, Comvex manager Viorel Panait said in an interview with Reuters. Port operator SOCEP S.A. (SOCP.BX) said it had paid 10 million euros for new equipment at its grain terminal silo and ship loader. "I would say more than half of the port's 13 grain operators are already authorized or in the process of being so." A government source told Reuters Constanta now had a logistics capacity of 40 million tons of grains per year, sharply higher than its annual record high 25 million tons set in 2021.

Persons: George Calin, Viorel Panait, Panait, Gabriel Techera, Luiza Ilie, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Union, NATO, Moldovan, Decirom S.A, SOCEP S.A, Constanta Port Business Association, Thomson Locations: Constanta, Romania, Rights BUCHAREST, Romanian, Black, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukraine's, Russia, Ukrainian, Vadul Siret, Dornesti, Reuters Constanta

REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Parts of what could be a Russian drone fell on Romanian territory, Romania's Defence Minister Angel Tilvar said on Wednesday, two days after Ukraine said Russian drones had detonated on the NATO member's land. Romanian officials had earlier denied reports of drones falling on Romanian territory and said Russian attacks in neighbouring Ukraine did not cause a direct threat. On Wednesday, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said confirmation of the discovered parts belonging to a Russian drone would be a serious violation. "If it is confirmed that the components (found) belong to a Russian drone, such a situation would be inadmissible and a serious violation of Romania's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. Tilvar reiterated there was no direct threat and told Agerpres it was possible the drone did not explode upon impact but rather it simply fell or pieces landed on Romanian territory.

Persons: Andreea, Angel Tilvar, Klaus Iohannis, Tilvar, Iohannis, Agerpres, Alan Charlish, Luiza Ilie, Jason Hovet, Alexandra Hudson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Romania's, NATO, CNN, Wednesday, Three Seas Initiative, Thomson Locations: Izmail, Plauru, Romania, Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Ukraine's, Bucharest, Romania's, Poland, Ukrainian

[1/3] The port of Izmail seen from Plauru, Romania, September 5, 2023. The attack rattled windows in the Romanian border village of Plauru across the river and Popescu's trailer shook. Romania strongly denied it had been hit, but the attacks on Ukraine’s river ports, just hundreds of metres from the Romanian border, have increased security risks for NATO which has a collective defence commitment. "We have total control over our national space..."But, yes, we are concerned, because these attacks are taking place very close to the Romanian border. Since then, Russia has attacked Ukraine’s river ports Izmail and Reni repeatedly.

Persons: Andreea, beekeeper Gabi Popescu, Popescu, Klaus Iohannis, Reni, Daniela Tanase, Andreea Campeanu, Luiza Ilie, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Russia, NATO, United, Thomson Locations: Plauru, Romania, Romanian, Ukrainian, Izmail, Ukraine, Russian, Poland, Russia, United Nations, Turkey

Moscow has conducted long-range air strikes on targets in Ukraine since the start of its invasion last year. The Romanian Defence Ministry said Romania was not hit. "The ministry of defence categorically denies information from the public space regarding a so-called overnight situation during which Russian drones would have fallen in Romania's national territory," it said. "We heard the drones, the booms and the air defence systems across the river," she told Reuters by telephone. Ukraine has reported suspected Russian weapons flying over or crashing into neighbours, including NATO members, several times during the war.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdogan, Oleg Nikolenko, Nikolenko, Daniela Tanase, Oksana Savchuk, Erdogan, Putin, Andriy Yermak, Yermak, Pavel Polityuk, Olena Harmash, Tom Balmforth, Luiza Ilie, Timothy Heritage, Peter Graff Organizations: Russia, NATO, Reuters, Facebook, Romanian Defence Ministry, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Romania, Bucharest, KYIV, BUCHAREST, Moscow, Ukraine's, Izmail, Romanian, Plauru, Russia, Poland, Ukrainian, Russia's Black, Sochi, Turkey, Kyiv

☆ Exclusive: Romanian port can ship more Ukraine grain after collapse of Black Sea deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Luiza Ilie | Thomson Reuters | Bucharest-Based General News Reporter Covering A Wide Range Of Romanian Topics Elections | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

By comparison, Romanian port operators handled 8.6 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain in the whole of 2022. At its peak so far, Constanta handled 25 million tonnes of grain per year, which Panait said will be exceeded in 2023. "There is an accelerated course and everyone on it, the state, the port authority, port operators aim to boost operating and transit speeds, and the grain quantities," he said. Freight logistics group TTS (TTS.BX), which handles agricultural products, minerals and chemicals on the Danube river, completed the takeover of Constanta port solid bulk cargo operator Decirom S.A. earlier this month. It is one of five eastern EU countries that experienced an influx of Ukrainian grain as a result of Russia's invasion, leading the EU to approve temporary restrictions that meant grain could only transit through the countries.

Persons: Viorel Panait, Panait, TTS, Izmail, Luiza Ilie, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Monday, Constanta Port Authority, Reuters, Constanta Port Business Association, Freight, Decirom S.A, EU, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Romania's Constanta, Russia, Constanta, Hungary, Serbia, Romanian, Romania, Ukraine, Reni, Ukrainian, Vadul Siret

Romanian port operators shipped 8.6 million tonnes last year, and 6.3 million tonnes in the first five months of 2023, the Constanta Port authority told Reuters. The port handled 12.17 million tonnes of grains overall in the first five months, a 21% jump on the year. "There are premises that Constanta Port will see a new traffic record," the authority said. As a result, the port could be overwhelmed, even if Black Sea grain initiative is extended, according to Cezar Gheorghe of Romanian grain market consultancy AGRIColumn. The port has a storage capacity of 2 million tonnes, but flows need to be stringently separated for origin certification.

Persons: Cezar Gheorghe, Gheorghe, Luiza Ilie, Marek Strzelecki, Pavel Polityuk, David Evans Organizations: United, Constanta Port, Reuters, AGRIColumn, European Union, EU, Thomson Locations: BUCHAREST, Constanta, Romania, Ukraine, United Nations, Turkey, Romanian, Constanta Port, Moldova, Odessa, Istanbul, Russian, Suez, Western Ukraine, Bucharest, Europe, Warsaw

☆ Romanian prosecutors send Andrew Tate to trial for human trafficking
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Luiza Ilie | Thomson Reuters | Bucharest-Based General News Reporter Covering A Wide Range Of Romanian Topics Elections | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate are escorted by police officers outside the headquarters of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism in Bucharest (DIICOT) after being detained for 24 hours, in Bucharest, Romania, December 29, 2022. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea via REUTERS/File... Read moreBUCHAREST, June 20 (Reuters) - Romanian prosecutors sent social media influencer Andrew Tate, his brother Tristan and two other suspects to trial on Tuesday on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women. The brothers, former kickboxers who have U.S. and British nationality, are the highest profile suspects to be sent to trial for human trafficking in Romania. "Im sure this case has absolutely nothing to do with stealing my wealth," Andrew Tate said on his Twitter account. Prosecutors have said the Tate brothers recruited their victims by seducing them and falsely claiming to want a relationship or marriage.

Persons: Andrew Tate, Tristan Tate, Ganea, Read, Tristan, Tate, Prosecutors, cryptocurrency, Luiza Ilie, Jason Hovet, Alexandra Hudson, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Terrorism, REUTERS, Prosecutors, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: Bucharest, Romania, BUCHAREST

The Black Sea and its Ukrainian coast have been crucial theatres of war since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. "The Black Sea is instrumental for making the whole of Europe peaceful and future-oriented," Kuleba, speaking via video link, told a Black Sea security conference in the Romanian capital Bucharest. It's time to turn the Black Sea into what the Baltic Sea has become, a sea of NATO." The remarks were brushed aside in Moscow, where Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing: "The Black Sea can never be a NATO sea." Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said a strong NATO foothold in the Black Sea going forward was a "must."

[1/3] Andrew Tate talks to media representatives while being loaded inside a van outside the headquarters of the Bucharest Court of Appel, in Bucharest, Romania, February 1, 2023. Transcriptions of the wiretapped calls are included in a previously unpublished court document, dated Feb. 21, compiled by Bucharest court officials and reviewed by Reuters. Asked if he thought Tate had been framed, he replied: "The justice system will decide, not politicians." Reuters couldn't independently verify the identity of the people in the wiretapped calls, or determine if any lobbying of politicians took place. The wiretapped calls offer a window into his multi-pronged attempts to defend himself while in detention, efforts that stretch beyond the courtroom into the realms of politics and social media.

Internet celebrity Andrew Tate had offered her a new life. British-American Andrew Tate, 36, who's been based mainly in Romania since 2017, and his 34-year-old brother have denied all the allegations against them. Spokesperson Sue Beeby told Reuters that Andrew Tate "has never had" a creator account or received payments. In a separate YouTube video aimed at men who want to make money by putting women on OnlyFans, Tate called the platform "the greatest hustle in the world". The pair threatened to beat the women up if they did not do their job, according to the court document.

The Romanian central bank said slower economic growth and cheaper energy would help bring inflation down to single digits this year from over 16% now, earlier than previously forecast. "So the main question is when inflation in the region will fall enough that central banks will be willing to start normalising monetary conditions." Inflation is still expected to rise in early 2023 in some central European countries, based on central bank forecasts, before returning to single-digit territory by year-end. "This will help to improve external positions and lower inflation pressures in Central and Eastern Europe." "Given the dovish bias around the growth-inflation trade-off at Poland's central bank, we think the risk of premature policy easing is greatest there."

While Budapest and Warsaw are haggling with the bloc over rule-of-law strings attached to billions worth of pandemic recovery funds, Romania has already drawn down over 6 billion euros in grants and cheap loans. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca has said the government aims to tap more than 10 billion euros a year, equivalent to about 4% of GDP, of about 90 billion euros of EU funding available to Bucharest through to 2027. RESHORINGCompanies reshoring from Russia and Ukraine to nearby low-cost manufacturing hubs partially helped push foreign direct investment to 9.39 billion euros in January-October, the largest 10-month figure since Romania joined the EU. "We are optimistic that investment will rise in coming years, also encouraged by EU funds," said Alex Milcev, head of Tax and Legal at E&Y Romania. And relations with the EU are not always smooth: in December, Austrian opposition over unauthorised immigration kept Romania out of Europe's borderless Schengen area.

[1/4] U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the "Foreign Ministers of Partners at Risk of Russian Disinformation and Destabilization" session at the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest, Romania, November 30, 2022. REUTERS/Stoyan NenovBUCHAREST, Nov 30 (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers will on Wednesday seek to reassure fragile countries in Russia's neighbourhood that they fear could be destabilised by Russia as the conflict in Ukraine drags on, squeezing energy supplies and pushing up prices. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told reporters that NATO wanted to be ensure that, after the war in Ukraine, Russia would have "no chance to dictate security options and a way of life to its neighbours". Bosnian Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic, invited to join the NATO meeting, said she was concerned about Russia's intentions for her country. "The stability in western Balkans is important for peace," Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani said.

She mostly uses one room in her old house, which saves on heating. But many people in villages like Vasilati and non-affluent city neighbourhoods have little room to cut back. Eurostat data showed Romanians had the lowest power consumption per capita in the EU at less than half the average in 2020. Other villagers whose power consumption was driven higher by pumps and boilers said their bill doubled to roughly 3,000 lei ($597.73). Ichim's power consumption is low enough to fit into a government scheme that caps power and gas bills for households and other users up to certain monthly consumption levels.

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