Radio România Internațional

Tag: Assumption of Mary

  • August 15, 2022 UPDATE

    August 15, 2022 UPDATE

    Celebrations. Christian believers celebrated on Monday the
    Assumption of Mary, one of the biggest feasts of the year. Some 2.3 million
    Romanians celebrated their name day. August 15th is also the Navy
    Day, as Virgin Mary is the protector of sailors. Events to mark this day were
    staged in Romania’s Danube and Black Sea ports. The festivities in Contanta were
    attended by Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, who stressed the importance of
    sailors’ work, which entails lots of sacrifices
    but also satisfaction. PM Nicolae Ciuca too conveyed a message, stating
    that he would support programs aimed at modernizing the Romanian army. In turn,
    the defense minister Vasile Dincu voiced conviction that starting next year,
    the Romanian Naval Forces would be better equipped and prepared. He pointed out that the war in Ukraine had shown how
    important the ability to protect its territorial waters and exclusive economic
    zone was for Romania.








    Firefighters. Romanian firefighters continue their mission
    south of Bordeaux, France, operating in harsh conditions: high temperatures,
    low humidity and strong winds. Their mission is to keep the fire from spreading
    to the residential area and to put out hidden outbreaks. A total of 77
    firefighters are supporting the French
    authorities in their fight against wildfires, caused by extreme heat and severe
    drought.










    Baccalaureate. Almost 35,000
    candidates have registered to sit in the autumn session of the Romanian
    baccalaureate, which starts on Tuesday. Approximately
    22 thousand candidates are class of 2022, the rest being from the previous classes. The
    final results will be announced on September 3. In the summer session, held in
    the second part of June, the baccalaureate pass rate was over 75% – the best in
    the last 10 years.






    Rasnov. Two special screenings and 12
    international documentaries, from 11 countries, are part of the program of the 14th edition of the Film and History
    Festival underway in Rasnov, central Romania. The selection of documentaries
    includes films from Chile, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Romania, France,
    Australia, USA, Belgium, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. According to the
    organizers, the theme of the festival this year is focused around the idea of
    ​​borders, a concept that aims to bring answers to multiple questions and
    challenges related to individual and creative freedoms that today’s society
    faces.




    Swimming. The Romanian swimmer David Popovici won
    on Monday evening the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle final of the European
    Aquatics Championship in Rome. He is the defending world champion in this
    event. On Saturday, he won the 100 meter freestyle final and set a world
    record, becoming the youngest athlete with such a record in the history of
    world swimming.




    Sports. Romania’s rowing
    team, made up of 35 athletes, returned home on Monday with five gold and three
    bronze medals won at the European Championships in Munich. According to the
    general secretary of the Romanian Rowing Federation, Sandu Pop, the performance
    of the Romanian delegation is the greatest in the history of Romanian rowing in
    the continental competition. In another development, Romanian tennis player
    Simona Halep (15 WTA) won the WTA 1,000 tournament in Toronto (Canada), with
    over 2.5 million dollars in prize money. She defeated, on Sunday, in the final,
    the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (24 WTA), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Simona thus won the
    Canadian Open for the third time, after the finals she won in Montreal in 2016
    and 2018. For the former world leader, this is the 24th title of her career.
    After the victory in Toronto, Simona Halep climbed nine places up the rankings
    and is now sixth in the WTA classification. (MI)

  • August 13, 2022 UPDATE

    August 13, 2022 UPDATE

    Celebration. More than 200 thousand tourists are expected, these days, on the Romanian Black Sea coast, to spend the mini-vacation occasioned by the Assumption of Mary, on August 15, when the Day of the Romanian Navy will also be celebrated. The military ports of Constanta and Mangalia have opened their doors for locals and tourists to visit military ships, technical and armament exhibitions or stands presenting the educational offers of military educational institutions. On Monday, everyones attention will focus on the events organized to celebrate the navy. Thousands of people are expected to attend the parade of ships on the sea, in Constanţa, and a naval exercise in Mangalia, but also the seamanship competitions and games in the tourist ports of the two towns. In the evening, there will be music concerts and the spectacular torchlight retreat of the sailors, as well as fireworks. Until then, this weekend, the Romanians who chose to spend their mini-vacation at the seaside can benefit from a wide range of entertaining events, from theater and music evenings, opera and ballet performances to a pop-rock festival and a jazz festival organized outdoors. Throughout this period, 25,000 employees of the Ministry of the Interior – policemen, gendarmes or firefighters – are mobilized at national level to secure order and public safety.



    Firefighters. 36 Romanian firefighters, with nine piece of equipment, continued, on Saturday, the mission of extinguishing wildfires in the south-west of France, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations has stated. According to the quoted source, the firefighters must intervene in extreme conditions: high temperature, low humidity (below 10%) and strong wind. The support mission that Romania offers to the French authorities in the fight against wildfires has been carried out by deploying a specialized intervention module made up of 77 rescue firefighters, with specific means of intervention. The aid is granted based on the request for international assistance requested by the French government through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.




    Rushdie. In an interview just weeks before he was stabbed and seriously injured by an assailant in New York state, writer Salman Rushdie said he was leading a “relatively normal” life after being forced to hide for years due to death threats, Reuters informs. Rushdie, who has been an American citizen since 2016, said in an interview with the German magazine Stern that he was concerned about threats to democracy in the United States. They are driven by racism and hatred of the achievements of liberalism and constitute “a preliminary stage of fascism”, Rushdie said. New York police have arrested Rushdies attacker, a 24-year-old man from New Jersey, but have not yet determined a motive for the attack. Salman Rushdie has written about 15 novels, stories for young people, short stories and essays. However, he became famous thanks to his novel The Satanic Verses, from 1988. The book, considered blasphemy by many Muslims, generated widespread protests, and the former supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, called for the assassination of the writer and his editors. For decades, Salman Rushdie was forced to live in hiding.



    Championships. At the European Championships in Rome, 17-year-old David Popovici grabbed the gold medal in the 100 m freestyle on Saturday, with a world record of 46.86. The young Romanian swimmer shattered the old record fom 2009, when the Brazilian Cesar Cielo Filho stopped the clock at 46.91. Also on Saturday, Romanian athletes won 6 medals in Saturdays events of the European Rowing Championships in Munich, Germany. Romania will take part in the race for medals on Sunday as well, in the finals of the lightweight womens single sculls and womens 8+1. At last years European Rowing Championships, in Varese (Italy), Romanian rowers won six medals, two gold and four silver.




    Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep has qualified for the semifinals of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Toronto, with over 2.5 million dollars in prize money. Halep (30 years old, 15 WTA) defeated the American player Cori Gauff 6-4, 7-6. In the next round of the competition she will play against another American, Jessica Pegula. The two will face each other for the first time in the professional circuit. Simona Halep won the Canadian Open twice, which is played alternately in Montreal and Toronto, each time winning when the competition took place in Montreal (2016, 2018). She lost the 2015 final in Toronto. (MI)

  • August 15, 2016

    August 15, 2016

    ASSUMPTION OF MARY Today Christian
    believers celebrate the Assumption of Mary, the oldest celebration devoted to
    Virgin Mary. On this day, believers and pilgrims from all over the country go
    to churches and monasteries to pray. In the Christian faith, the Mother of God
    is the most revered after the Holy Trinity. She gave birth to the Son of God as
    a human being, and whe she died she was taken up into Heaven. August 15th is
    also the day of the Romanian navy. To celebrate the occasion, Romania’s
    president Klaus Iohannis has participated in the events held on the promenade of
    the Black Sea port-town of Constanta. In his speech,
    the president said that what’s happening in the Black Sea Area is no longer a
    local matter. Developments in this area have effects beyond its borders and implications for the Euro-Atlantic
    security, and the Black Sea is important from a strategic point of view. That
    is why Romania’s stand and its main security options are so decisive now, the
    president also said.










    LOCARNO The feature film
    Scarred Hearts by the Romanian director Radu Jude won the Special Jury Award at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
    A post on the festival’s web page reads that the film was highly praised by international
    critics. This is Radu Jude’s fourth feature film. Last year he won the Golden
    Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival with Aferim!.








    SUMMER UNIVERSITY The County
    of Harghita, in central Romania, is hosting the 14th Izvoru
    Muresului Summer University. The theme this year is The Romanian State and
    Romanians on the border of the EU and NATO. There are 100 participants,
    including representatives of the academic environment, of the main political
    parties, of Romanian community associations and foundations.








    VISIT The US Vice President
    Joe Biden is paying a two-day visit to Serbia and Kosovo. The White House has
    not given details about the agenda of talks, but the visit is taking place five
    months after the one paid to the White House by the former president of Kosovo,
    Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga, news agencies report. Back then, Vice President Biden stressed the US’s support for the
    dialogue with Serbia, facilitated by the EU, encouraging the Kosovo government
    to take steps forward in normalizing its relations with Serbia, 16 years after
    the NATO air intervention, which opened the door for the former province’s
    independence. On Thursday, the Serbian Parliament endorsed a new, populist government,
    headed by Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, who promised to pursue Serbia’s EU
    integration, while at the same time maintaining close ties with Russia.






    RIO The
    Olympic Games continue in Rio, with Romanian athletes competing in artistic gymnastics and athletics. Marian
    Oprea, Olympic vice-champion in Athens in 2004, will attempt qualification for
    the men’s triple jump final. Catalina Ponor is fighting for gold in women’s
    beam event and Marian Dragulescu in men’s vault. On Sunday, Romania’s national
    women’s handball team lost to Norway 28-27, thus failing to qualify for the
    quarter finals. So far, Romania has won four medals at the Olympic Games in Rio. The epee team made up of Ana Maria
    Popescu, Simona Gherman, Simona Pop and Loredana Dinu won gold, tennis players
    Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau won silver in the men’s doubles, Gabriel
    Sincraian got bronze in weight lifting and
    so did the women’s coxed eight.










    TENNIS Romanian Simona Halep, ranked 3rd in
    the WTA classification, is taking part in the Cincinnati tournament, in the US,
    with 2.8 million dollars in prize money. She will start straight in the second
    round of the competition. Another Romanian player, Irina Begu, no. 24 in the
    WTA rankings, is also taking part in the tournament, but enters the competition
    in the first round. In 2015, Simona Halep played the Cincinnati final, but was
    defeated by Serena Williams. This tournament is the last before the famous US
    Open, the last Grand Slam of the year.