Latest news with #Romania
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Moldova's pro-Russian parties unite to press for September election win
CHISINAU, July 22 (Reuters) - Four pro-Russian parties in Moldova said on Tuesday they would form a bloc in order to press for victory in September's parliamentary election and oust the current government committed to seeking European Union membership by 2030. The vote, scheduled for September 28, could see President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity unable to keep a majority in the assembly in the ex-Soviet state lying between Ukraine and Romania. The bloc brings together the Party of Socialists, headed by former president Igor Dodon, the Heart of Moldova and Future of Moldova parties, as well as the Communist Party. "We are in favour of re-establishing strategic ties with Russia. We want peace, not war ... Our bloc will put an end to foreign interests and NATO," Dodon told a press conference as he introduced the new union. Sandu, who has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and accuses the Kremlin of trying to destabilise Moldova, won re-election last year by a razor-thin margin over a Socialist challenger. And a referendum asking voters to back the drive for EU membership only just cleared a 50% majority. Parliament Chairman Igor Grosu, who also leads Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), dismissed the left-wing bloc as a Kremlin invention. "Tired politicians who have swapped places in power and kept Moldova in poverty and a grey zone have been hauled out of mothballs at the Kremlin's behest," Grosu wrote on social media. "What unites all these worn-out politicians? The same sack of money and the same boss behind it. We must keep Moldova on the same path into the European Union." On July 19, Moldova's Central Election Commission refused to register the pro-Russian Victory bloc, formed in 2024 and backed by pro-Kremlin fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, for the vote on grounds of violating electoral financing laws. Moldovan officials have said that Shor has played a leading role in Russian-backed interference aimed at derailing Moldova's EU course. Shor denied the allegations and dismissed the decision as absurd. A poll published last week credited Sandu's PAS with 27.4% of voting intentions ahead of the election, compared to 10.4% for the opposition Socialists and 6.2% for the Victory bloc.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Romania's coastal city and popular Black Sea resort of Mamaia sees a sharp decline in tourists
According to the latest Eurostat data, only 26.6 per cent of Romanians could afford a one-week holiday last year, whether in the country or abroad. In Europe, only Bulgaria came close to this number, while other continental neighbours in western and northern Europe had vastly higher figures. On average, some 85 per cent of citizens of Sweden, Luxembourg and the Netherlands could afford a one-week annual holiday. This has translated to a sharp decline in tourism in Romania, like in the once bustling Black Sea Mamaia resort, which now looks like a skeleton of its former self, with hundreds of sunbeds lying vacant. Related 'You can see clearly, you don't have to be an expert to figure it out. You check how much you earned last year, the same day and how much you earned this year the same day, it's a decrease of about 30-35 per cent,' says Răzvan Chițan, a beach manager at a Mamaia hotel. Why are fewer people visiting Romania's Black Sea Mamaia resort? The decline in holidaymakers is a result of multiple factors, from the war in Ukraine to economic concerns. One main reason, however, is Bucharest's decision to slash the value of the popular holiday voucher scheme, to the tune of 50 per cent. These vouchers can be used to pay for hotel accommodation, food and drink and entertainment events within participating venues inside Romania, and aim to beef up local tourism, as well as attract foreign travellers. Travel agents say that in May of 2024, roughly €95 million worth of holiday vouchers were sold, but this year, only €9 million worth were sold. Hoteliers in the area say the decline has been severe, placing a serious strain on their businesses. 'Bookings are made for no more than two, three days, because tourists are fewer,' said Felicia Simion, a hotelier in Mamaia. 'In our unit, a room with breakfast is 350-400 Leu (€69-79) in July, with breakfast and sunbeds included. And the all-inclusive package varies from 700-850 Leu (€138-168) per night, all inclusive, sunbeds, drinks all day,' said Sebastian Puznava, also a hotelier. Prices have skyrocketed The decline in tourists mostly affects two and three-star hotels, where a majority of stays are paid for using the holiday vouchers. But tourists also say that prices have skyrocketed as of late, also contributing to the downturn in bookings. Related 'Very expensive, so very expensive compared to previous years,' said Cătălin Ciobanu. 'Absolutely everything [increased in price], from a water bottle to the famous beer pint.' 'I haven't calculated, let's say around 800-1,000 Leu (€158-197) maximum,' said Virgil Nohai, a tourist. Last month, most bookings in seaside resorts were made for the weekends, whereas in previous years, people often stayed for a week or more. Most tourists this year have also chosen last-minute offers to maximise on savings and value.
Auto Car
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
You never knew the amazing origin story of this best-selling European car brand...
Renault offered the innovative 16 as an alternative, but the party deemed this too pricey. So the factory would have to start off making the older, rear-engined 8. It was renamed the Dacia 1100 (Dacia was the name of Romania in antiquity), and efforts would be made to localise its supply chain. The very first 1100 was driven off the line by Ceausescu in August 1968, and a year later it was joined by a rebadged 12, the Dacia 1300 – and Mioveni also started making parts for Renault. From around 30% initially, local content would rise to 100% through the 1970s. Production totalled about 20,000 cars annually, many of them exported to France. Such was Dacia's success that in 1973 the party asked Renault about adding a smaller, more frugal car (the new 5, we would imagine) – but the answer was no. So instead it partnered Citroën, creating the Oltcit brand. A new factory was built in Craiova, opening in 1981 with production of the new Visa and Club superminis – the latter developed from an old proposal for a 2CV successor and sold abroad as the Axel. None of this was reported by Autocar when it happened, due to the obfuscation of the Iron Curtain and the lack of relevance to British drivers. That changed in 1981 with an announcement by Yorkshire company Tudor Vehicle Imports. TVI had begun life two years prior importing 4x4s and commercial vehicles made by Romania's ARO and TV firms, and now it was adding the Dacia 1300 saloon/estate to its dealerships.
Bloomberg
20 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Hungary Holds Key Rate Steady for 10th Month to Anchor Inflation
Hungary's central bank kept borrowing costs unchanged as expected for a 10th month after a rebound in inflation. The National Bank of Hungary held its benchmark interest rate at 6.5% on Tuesday, matching the estimate of all 19 economists in a Bloomberg survey. The key rate is tied with neighboring Romania for the highest level in the European Union.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
The best countries to drive in, according to our long-serving motoring writer
Will you be driving for a holiday, or driving to a holiday? Having driven through much of Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Antipodes over a long career testing cars, I need to make this important distinction as well as ask some questions. Such as what sort of car you will be driving. Believe me, if you try to tackle the old Italian road-race routes, the Futa or Raticosa passes con entusiasmo in a roly-poly family car, your passengers will be green about the gills soon after the first corner… Similarly, you'll need to rise early if you want to get up the vaunted Transfăgărășan Pass in Romania to avoid the Baden-Baden Sunshine Tours coaches, packs of Lycra-clad cyclists and leisure motorcyclists. But remember that, since this 56-mile vanity project of infamous former ruler Nicolae Ceaușescu, which took a decade to build and cost the lives of hundreds of military builders, goes from nowhere to nowhere, you'll encounter that whole circus on the way down. Irrespective of what time you set out. If it's thrills you are after, believe me, they occur in the strangest of places. Luxembourg, for example, the mini-Ardennes; the twisting, open-curved roads of the Éislek area have hosted the launches of performance cars from the Ford Escort Cosworth to Ferraris. These are truly great roads, beautifully surfaced, with terrific rolling countryside and if the hospitality isn't the world's cheapest it certainly hits the spot. Or try the Nürburgring. No, not the 13 miles and 154 corners of Germany's famous old Nordschleife racing circuit nicknamed 'Green Hell' by Jackie Stewart and open to anyone with the required €30-€35 (£26-£30), but the roads around it. These wind pleasingly through the Mosel region as you and your passenger stare up at the near-vertical sides of the valley wondering how on earth the winemakers harvest their grapes, before stopping to sample their work – or go to Restaurant Pistenklause and vicariously live through tall tales of a fast lap of the aforementioned fabled racing circuit over a stone-cooked steak. You can travel through similar vertical wine-growing in the Portuguese Douro valley, although the roads are narrow and heavily congested, as various car makers have found when hosting launches in this picturesque region. Japan and South Korea? Congested, although a tour of the DMZ border between North and South Korea is invigorating; just don't stop for too long. Tokyo's traffic jams are legendary, but at night the secretive Wangan racers come out and have a ball, although you need to be in the know to catch these displays of Japan's underground car culture. China is frankly bizarre, with mobs of cyclists and electric scooterists to keep you on your mettle. The new concrete motorways have excellent surfaces, but the air pollution can obscure the lane ahead, which often contains a slow-moving truck or even a pony and trap. For winter driving fun, head to the Scandinavian countries. The fjords of Norway are simply amazing, with winding roads around them and great views, all created (according to Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) by the planet designer Slartibartfast. Be warned, however; Norway, Sweden and Finland have heavily policed roads with simply eye-popping fines. The same goes for Iceland, largely deserted and with great views, but you need to enjoy a 56mph maximum velocity. If you want to go fast, try some ice lake driving where, as Finnish rally driving legend Rauno Aaltonen once told me: 'My father would send me to the shop in our family estate car and could never understand why when I returned the car's radiator was boiling while it was minus 20C outside…' Heavy-handed speed enforcement is also true of France these days, where the Gendarmerie seems to regard the issuing of fines as part of our punishment for Le Brexit. All the same, the coastal roads of Brittany and the Atlantic coast are spellbinding as long as you travel before the start of French national holidays. Coast roads are the perfect motoring experience wherever they are, from the 124-mile South African Garden Route along the Western Cape between Mossel Bay and Storms River, the Namibian Skeleton Coast (often obscured by fog and don't, just don't, run out of fuel – the clue is in the name), the Causeway Coastal Route in Northern Ireland (which includes the Giant's Causeway), the Pacific Coast Highway in California, the pea-shingled Argentinian highway to Tierra del Fuego, or the French Corniche travelling west out of Nice on the Côte d'Azur. My money is on the Route Napoléon in the Alpes Maritimes, where the roads are quieter and you can find yourself diving down the old Monte Carlo Rally stages such as the Col de Vence, the Col de Turini, La Turbie or perhaps the other-worldly Mont Ventoux. All are heaven on earth if you really enjoy driving. For those looking for one of the best coastal roads with food to match, however, I'd plump for Spain and the road northwards out of Barcelona to Tarragona and its Costa Daurada. The roads are well surfaced and curvaceous while there are some great restaurants tucked into the rocky bays. The Alps can provide the most stunning scenery, but you need the timing of a great comic. Find yourself behind the Elvis Tribute Monkey Bike display team or similar hazard on the upper reaches of the Stelvio Pass in high summer and you'll rue the day you ever decided to tackle it. The Pyrenees between France and Spain are equally as challenging, just not as imposing or as busy. The Basque Country has its own charm, from where you can pop down to Spain and try the famous Rioja wines. For those in search of adventure and more testing driving routes, dip a toe into the Sahara, though not too far. Start with Marrakech and work your way south. There's a ferry from the bottom of Spain to its own 'Gibraltar' in Morocco, then cross the border and drive for miles along the coast road to end up in the bazaars and the Majorelle blues of Marrakech, before taking in adventure driving aplenty in the Atlas Mountains. Land Rover has used the Atlas range for several launches in the past. For me, northern France and Belgium still have some of the finest seafood, quietest roads and most hospitable eateries. You can detour to see the Champagne caves at Epernay and sample the goods, but the less pretentious Route du Cidre in Normandy has the distinction of being the scene of Ford's most expensive-ever launch, for the first-generation Focus in 1999. It's often best to shun the oft-travelled routes such as the Italian regions of Tuscany or Umbria and instead travel to the hills above Cuneo and Alba in the north-west, where on the sunny sides they grow the grapes for the famous Barolo wine and on the shady side the equally delicious Barbaresco. My favourite countries to drive in 5. Canada Can be congested in the season and snowy in the winter, but if you're into your endless plains, the massive tidal surges in the Bay of Fundy, the Yukon Highway 5 (Dempster Highway), it's all here. Great hospitality, good road surfaces and gorgeous colours in the autumn. 4. France Whether it's La Route des Crêtes through the Vosges mountains, the Col de la Bonette through the Alps or the coastal roads in Normandy or Brittany, France seldom fails to deliver on the views, the well-manicured road surfaces and the fine repasts. 3. Scotland From the North Coast 500 in its northern extremities, or just pootling around the lower parts, Scotland has it all; deserted moorland, winding roads, a James Bond connection, great food and a warm welcome. Just a shame you're often seeing it from behind a Dutch motorhome… 2. Italy A perennial favourite with Telegraph readers, with good reason. The north has the Alps, the passes and the congested but lovely lakeside roads. The centre has Emilia-Romagna, one of the greatest launch pads for some of the most scenic roads and the gateway to Florence, Siena and Rome, then on to the south for parched roads and great seafood. 1. United States of America A country founded on wheels, the USA remains one of the great driving countries. Whether it's the Cherohala Skyway, 43 miles of driving heaven from Tennessee meadows to a mile-high peak in South Carolina, or the 2,448-mile Route 66 which, as Chuck Berry sang, 'winds from Chicago to LA, more than 2,000 miles all the way; get your kicks on Route 66.' And even if you aren't into the whole petrolhead mythology, few could fail to be unmoved by the genius of Highway One, the Pacific Coast Highway (my tip, do it from north to south because, in left-hand drive America, you'll get the best views this way). Get used to burgers, enjoy the accents and try to go for the less travelled paths such as the 'Big Sky' states of Montana or Dakota.
