'Orange Romania lowers 16 GB iPhone 3G price'

Orange Romania offers the 16 GB iPhone 3G for EUR 309, the price of the 8 GB iPhone, via its online shop together with a 24-month subscription of EUR 20 per month (VAT included). The offer is available until 23 June. With this subscription, Orange clients get 180 minutes for calls to all national networks, 50 SMS and 500 MB for browsing the internet.

In Romania, the iPhone occupies the fourth position in the smartphone sales top, with 1,527 units sold in March 2009, overtaken by Nokia N5800, Nokia E71 and Blackberry Bold, reports local marketing research firm GFK. According to local market players cited by Romanian newspaper Business Standard, the only phones that have registered an increase in sales on the local market are the low priced phones and smartphones.

Orange Romania is also set to launch the iPhone 3G 'Speed' smartphone on the local market around 15 August.

Simon Crafar injured in Romania

9th June, 2009. Former world superbike racer New Zealander Simon Crafar has been seriously injured in an accident while riding an enduro bike in Romania.

Racing websites have reported that Crafar, 40, was hit by a car in the accident, fracturing his vertebra and requiring a nine-hour operation to put a metal plate in.

Crafar is reported as able to move his legs and has been transferred to a spinal unit in Barcelona.

The highlight of Crafar's grand prix career was a victory, from pole position, in the 1998 500cc British Grand Prix at Donington Park.

Crafar started 123 World Superbike (WSBK) races over a period of 10 seasons, although he only competed in four full seasons between 1994 and 1997.

He enjoyed his best season in 1997 whilst riding for Kawasaki, scoring seven podiums and a pole position on the way to finishing fifth overall, although he never won a WSBK race.

Romanian President Traian Basescu Visited Romanian Troops In Afghanistan

Romanian President Traian Basescu visited on Saturday the military base in Qalat, Afghanistan, where he decorated the war flag of the 21st Battalion “Vanatori de Munte.” “Decorating the war flag is a sign of the Romanian people’s respect for what you are doing here, for the fight against terrorism and the fight to establish the Romanian military as a powerful force together with its allies,” Basescu said.

He added that he is aware this is not the best moment for the operation in Afghanistan, but assured the Romanian troops that NATO and state leaders have taken the decision to guarantee the necessary strength for NATO to win the war. “This is not a war we are waging in the name of the civilized world, but to defend our freedom and security at home,” Basescu pointed out.The Romanian President promised the Romanian troops stationed in Qalat, capital of the Zabul province that their remaining bonuses would be paid in June and August.Romania’s participation in the war in Afghanistan is currently 962 troops, with 904 taking part in the International Security Assistance Force mission led by NATO. Most of the Romanian troops are stationed in southern Afghanistan, in the Zabul province. Their objective is to ensure the security of the region. Romania’s presence in Afghanistan began in 2002, with eleven soldiers killed in action and 34 wounded so far. 

Cypriot ForMin starts today an official visit to Romania

9th June, 2009. The Foreign minister of Cyprus Markos Kyprianou will pay an official visit to Bucharest on Tuesday, at the invitation of his Romanian counterpart Cristian Diaconescu, the Foreign Affairs Ministry /MAE/ informs.

The two ministers will tackle alongside the bilateral cooperation issues themes of common interest on the European agenda: the economic and financial crisis, the Lisbon Treaty, the European Union's extension, the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova, the European Neighborhood Policy, the power security.

The agenda of the talks will also include the international problematic, with an accent on the Middle East situation.

The visit is part of the progressing political dialogue between Romania and the Republic of Cyprus, in the last period, and the intensified cooperation on European matters, stressed by the joint belonging to the EU and the participation of the two countries to the Olive Group reunions. The goal of the Olive Group informal meetings is to ensure a Mediterranean dimension of the EU politics and actions by strengthening cooperation among the Mediterranean states members of the Group: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain to which Romania and Bulgaria added since 2007, due to their direct link and similarity of projects which could be promoted at the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. 

Romania's GDP declines in Ist quarter

9th June. Romania's gross domestic product or GDP declined a seasonally adjusted 6.2% year-on-year in the first quarter, in contrast to a 2.9% growth in the fourth quarter, the National Institute of Statistics said Tuesday. 

On an unadjusted basis, the GDP dropped 5.7% annually in the first quarter compared to a 2.3% rise in the preceding quarter. 

Sequentially, the GDP dropped 4.6% in the first quarter compared to a 2.8% decline in the previous quarter. 

Romania's trade gap narrows 61.6% y/y in April to EUR 835.1m

Imports were slashed by 40 percent in April and exports fell 23 percent on the similar month of the previous year, shrinking Romania's commercial deficit for the seventh consecutive month to 835.1 million euros, preliminary data of the country's statistics body INS show. In the national currency, Romania's trade gap lost 55.77 percent in April year-on-year, to 3.529 billion lei. Imports reduced to 2.97 billion euros and exports compressed 23 percent to 2.14 billion euros. On the imports side, the largest decline was seen in the trade with states outside the European Union (EU), where Romania imported merchandise worth 834.7 million euros, 40.8 percent less than the similar month of 2008. Imports from the other 26 EU members slided 39.6 percent in April to 2.14 billion euros. As to exports, Romania shipped merchandise worth 580.9 million euros to countries outside the EU, 31 percent less than in April last year, while exports with EU members only reduced 19.4 percent to almost 1.56 billion euros. Exports dropped 16.8 percent and imports slipped 5.77 percent in April on the previous month. Imports also dropped a total 36.4 percent in the first four months of the year to 11.56 billion euros and exports reduced 20.3 percent to 8.7 billion euros in the similar period, leading Romania's trade gap to narrow 60.68 percent to 2.86 billion euros in the period January – April. Machines and transportation equipments continued to have the largest weight in Romania's exports, with 40.8 percent, followed by fuels (6.4 percent), food stuff, beverages and tobacco (5.8 percent), raw materials (5.6 percent) and chemical products (4.2 percent). Other manufactured products accounted for 37.2 percent of the total exports. Romania imported mostly machines and transportation equipments (32.5 percent), followed by chemical products (14.8 percent), food stuff, beverages and tobacco (9.5 percent), fuels (8.4 percent) and raw materials (2.7 percent). Other manufactured products accounted for 32.1 percent of the total imports.

09 iunie 2009 11:17

Romania Ends Mission in Iraq

 Romania officially recognized the end of its troop deployment to Iraq in a ceremony here June 4.

The President of Romania, Traian Basescu, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill, Multi-National Forces-Iraq commander Gen. Raymond Odierno, Multi-National Corps – Iraq commander, Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby Jr., and the Iraqi Army's chief of staff and the Iraqi Ground Forces commanders were among the distinguished attendees at the ceremony which was facilitated by the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division "Long Knives" and the 4th BCT, 1st Armored Division "Highlanders."

Following Romania's end of mission ceremony, the two U.S. brigade combat teams conducted a transfer of authority ceremony to officially recognize the end of the 4 BCT, 1st Cav Div.'s year-long deployment to Iraq. The Highlanders assumed the coalition forces' mission from the Long Knives in the tri-province area of Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Maysan.

"Romania has stood firm against terrorism across the world," Jacoby said.

The Romanian 26th Infantry Battalion "Red Scorpions" has been under the operational control of the Long Knife Brigade and will depart Iraq in early July. The Red Scorpion Battalion was the first Romanian battalion to deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"All three Romanian units with whom we have worked have been extremely effective, professional organizations," Col. Philip Battaglia, the Long Knife Brigade commander, said following the ceremony. "The Romanians have been great partners in Iraq."

The two U.S. BCTs and the Romanian battalion thoroughly coordinated the enhanced security for the throngs of distinguished guests and media on hand to witness the ceremony.

The ceremony included the Romanian, U.S. and Iraqi national anthems, Romanian awards presentations to U.S. military leaders, U.S. military awards to Romanian leaders and gift presentations between the countries' representatives.

Romania set ups joint venture with Gazprom

Romania's Romgaz has set up a joint venture with Russia's Gazprom for underground gas storage facilities that will boost the country's ability to build gas stocks and could improve supplies to the European Union, the economy minister said Monday.

Romgaz and Gazprom each own 50 percent of the joint venture, which will store natural gas and sell it directly, said minister Adriean Videanu. Romania signed a memorandum on Friday and sent it to Moscow on Monday, he said.

Videanu said that under the deal some 5-6 billion square meters of natural gas could be stored in Romania. Two billion square meters alone will be stored at the deposit in Roman Margineni in northeast Romania, he said.

"This will bring (Russian) gas closer to the European Union which is of special value in winter," he said. The EU relies on about 25 percent of its needs from Russia.

East European countries suffered during a gas dispute in January, when Russia halted supplies through Ukraine over 2009 gas prices and alleged Ukraine was stealing Russian gas destined for Europe.

More than 15 countries in the Balkans and Eastern Europe were left scrambling for alternative energy sources; factories shut and millions of people shivered in unheated homes.

Romania is less reliant than some of its neighbors on Russian gas. It produces about 65 percent of its own needs and imports about 30 percent from Russia. However, during the gas crisis, there was concern that underground storage facilities do not have a large enough capacity for prolonged disruption in supplies.

Romania was importing gas from Russia through the German company Wintershall AG.

It is the first direct joint initiative in natural gas between the countries since the 1989 anti-communist revolt.

UPC digital boost for Romania

UPC has significantly boosted its digital offer in Romania.

According to Media Expres, it has added four new channels – Music Channel, Balkanika MTV, Brava TV and Fishing and Hunting – as well as a Hungarian package, known as UPC Panonia, featuring 10 channels.

UPC Panonia is operated by IKO Romania, a member of the IKO Media Group, and costs subscribers RON4 (€0.95) a month.

The additions make UPC the most comprehensive digital cable service in Romania, offering viewers a total of 114 TV channels.

Romanian leader to boycott Moldova conference next month

Bucharest - In a protest move, Romanian President Traian Basescu Wednesday said he would boycott a conference next month in neighbouring Moldova because of political developments there after elections-related unrest in April.

Basescu was to have attended a south-east European conference in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on June 5.

“Because of the events in the post election period in the Republic of Moldova (the trip) would no longer be realized,” the president’s representatives declared Wednesday evening in Bucharest.

The move is likely to worsen relations between the neighbouring countries. Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin has blamed Romania for provoking unrest in his country, and continued his sharp criticism of Basescu.

Romanians may no longer travel without a visa to Moldova, and the documents are now hard to come by. About 60 per cent of Moldovans are ethnic Romanians.

Last month, tensions mounted after Basescu suggested that Bucharest should offer citizenship to 1 million Moldovans. Senior Romanian officials including Basescu sided publicly with Moldova’s opposition in an electoral dispute, accusing Moldova’s ruling Communist Party of fixing the results of a national vote April 5 to select a new parliament.

The June 5 conference is to include 11 countries which belong to the South East European Cooperation Process initiative founded in 1996. In addition to Romania and Moldova, the group includes Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

Romania President Cancels Trip to Moldova

Romania's president has canceled a planned trip to Moldova's capital Chisinau where he was due to take part in the South East European Cooperation Process, SEECP, on 5 June.

In a statement late Wednesday, the president's office said his participation is "no longer current," due to the events following the violent riots that erupted after the opposition claimed Moldova's elections on 5 April were rigged.

''Following events marking the post-electoral period in the Republic of Moldova, Romania's President Traian Basescu participation in the SEECP Summit, confirmed in March, is no longer possible,'' reads a statement from the president's cabinet.  

It said Romania's representation in this summit will be decided and announced at a subsequent date.

Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has accused Romania of trying to overthrow his government in organising the protests in which at least two people died, and threw Romania's ambassador to Chisinau out of the country.  

Romania has denied the accusations. Almost 80 per cent of Moldovans are ethnic Romanians.