Radio România Internațional

Tag: CSM Bucharest

  • February 16, 2025 UPDATE 2

    February 16, 2025 UPDATE 2

    Conference – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, met, at the Security Conference in Munich, Germany, with three American senators, both from the Republican and Democratic parties. He discussed with Jane Shaheen, James Risch and Christopher A. Coons about foreign interference in last year’s presidential election in Romania and about the preparation of measures to prevent the repetition of such a situation, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. According to a statement made public on Sunday, the main themes of the discussions were the security situation in the Black Sea region as well as the ways to capitalize on the Romania-US Strategic Partnership, the continuation of support for Ukraine invaded by the Russian troops and the involvement in its reconstruction process. Minister Hurezeanu emphasized, in the context, the importance of continuing the robust presence of the United States in Romania.

     

    Cooperation – Attending the conference in Munich, the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, met, on the sidelines of the Security Conference, with his counterparts from Albania, Pirro Vengu, and Bulgaria, Atanas Zaprianov. The discussions focused on strengthening regional cooperation in the field of defense and military mobility. One of the essential topics addressed during the talks was the Pan-European Military Mobility Corridor VIII, a strategic project in which Romania participates together with Albania, Bulgaria, Italy and North Macedonia. Angel Tîlvăr reiterated Romania’s commitment to facilitating the rapid transit of forces and military equipment in South-Eastern Europe, emphasizing the importance of reducing bureaucratic barriers and harmonizing critical infrastructure, the Romanian Defense Ministry (MApN) informed. The ministers also discussed the importance of strengthening NATO’s defense and deterrence posture in the Black Sea region.

     

    Air transport – The Romanian airport administrators will be able to ground the planes of those companies that do not comply with European legislation regarding the compensation owed to passengers, if the draft emergency ordinance put up for public debate by the Economy Ministry is adopted. According to the initiators, the new regulation completes the Air Code and ensures the respect of the passengers’ rights. The National Authority for Consumer Protection will compel air transport operators to comply with passenger compensation obligations, by granting money or vouchers, according to their agreement with them. Passengers entitled to damages must submit a written request to ask for compensation, which is set between 250 and 600 Euros per person, depending on the distance of the flight routes.

     

    Handball – Romanian’s handball champions, CSM Bucharest, defeated, on Sunday, away from home, score 32-21, the Norwegian team Storhamar Handbal Elite, in Group A of the Women’s Champions League. CSM achieved its fourth consecutive victory in the competition and cannot miss the third place in the group of eight teams. The top two teams qualify directly for the quarter-finals, and the teams ranked on the 3rd to the 6th places compete in a play-off for access to the quarter-finals.

     

    Commemoration – At least 1,500 people gathered, on Sunday, at the tomb in Moscow of Alexei Navalny, long considered the main opponent of the Kremlin, one year after his death, in an Arctic prison colony, the international media report.  Dozens of families with children went, in the cold, to the cemetery, where the security system was rather discreet, consisting of plainclothesmen. Joining the commemoration were also Western diplomats, representatives of the American, French, Spanish, Norwegian and European Union embassies.  Arrested in January 2021, upon his return to the country, after he had been treated in Germany following his poisoning, Navalnyi was sentenced to heavy penalties in several cases. The last sentence, in August 2023, was 19 years in prison, for “extremism”. Navalny had communicated mainly through messages sent to his lawyers and then posted on social media, in which he denounced the invasion of Ukraine and called on Russians to ‘resist’ the Kremlin.  The circumstances of his death remain unclear. (LS)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    Three women’s handball sides from Romania will this weekend play in the third leg of the Champions League. In Group A, on their own turf, Gloria Bistrita will be up against Slovenian team Krim Ljubljana, which is presently a force to be reckoned with as they won the first two games they played this season: 24-23 against Podravka Koprivnica of Croatia, then 35-25, at home against the Danish side Nykøbing Falster. Gloria secured a 30-26 win against CSM Bucharest and lost in France to local side, Metz, 26-28. CSM will play an away game against a side that lost all the two games they played so far, Podravka Koprivnica. After their home defeat by the Slovenian champions, the Croatians also lost to the Hungarian champions Ferencváros, 24-33. CSM, however, comes after a win against the Norwegians from Storhamar, 32-28 in Bucharest.

    In Group B, Rapid Bucharest will be up in a home match against German side Ludwigsburg, formerly known as Bietigheim, the finalist of the League’s edition last year. Ludwigsburg, the champions of the last two years in Germany, lost the first two games this year: 22-28 to Odense, in Denmark, then 26-31, at home against Győr. Rapid comes after a home win against Buducnost Podgorica, 32-27, and a 30-all draw in Norway against local side Vipers Kristiansand.

    This weekend will be seeing games counting towards the tenth leg of Romania’s Football Superleague. Two matches on Friday, FC Botoşani versus Gloria Buzău and Oţelul Galaţi versus Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday, FC Hermannstadt will be playing CFR Cluj in Sibiu and FCSB will receive Petrolul Ploieşti in Bucharest.

    On Sunday, Farul Constanţa will be up against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, in Ovidiu, and Universitatea Cluj will be playing Universitatea Craiova.

    Monday will be seeing the leg’s last two games, UTA Arad versus Poli Iaşi and Unirea Slobozia versus Rapid Bucuresti. Universitatea Cluj tops the table with 21 points, followed by Otelul Galaţi with 16.

    (bill)

  • May 4, 2024 UPDATE

    May 4, 2024 UPDATE

    HOLY WEEK – Orthodox and Eastern-Catholic Christians in Romania on Sunday are celebrating Easter. On Saturday, Jerusalem hosted the Holy Fire special service in the Holy Sepulcher, a unique ritual whereby the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem entered the Tomb of Jesus to receive the light of the Resurrection, lit by the Holy Spirit, which he then shared with the faithful. In his Easter sermon, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said that healing the world of passing illnesses was not the ultimate design of Jesus Christ, but rather saving mankind from sin and death. The Patriarch urged Romanians to pursue good deeds. In turn, Cardinal Lucian of the Eastern-Catholic Church said that, although temptation is always lurking due to passion, evil, conflict, violence, breaches of human dignity or freedom, the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord strengthens our faith and kindles a hope that no one and nothing can destroy. The high-ranking Eastern-Catholic cleric also said that intellectual creativity and technological progress, including artificial intelligence, should be put to good use with the observance of ethical standards, in order to make society more humane and change it for the better. “The Resurrection of Christ recalls the Christian appeal to love thy neighbor and live in peace and understanding”, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said in his Easter message, highlighting them as our cardinal values.

     

     

    FRANCE – ROMANIA COOPERATION – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu, on Friday had a bilateral meeting with the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné. Talks focused on the robustness of bilateral dialogue, the close diplomatic cooperation between Bucharest and Paris regarding European topics, as well as a mutual desire to advance cooperation at both bilateral and European levels. The two foreign ministers agreed to continue joint efforts to consolidate the Strategic Agenda with a view to promoting the European project and boost resilience at EU level. Minister Odobescu thanked France for its remarkable contribution to the consolidation of the NATO Eastern Flank and for taking on the role of a framework nation in the NATO Battlegroup deployed to Romania. In addition, the Romanian official expressed gratitude for France’s growing interest in the Black Sea region, particularly in the context of Russia’s acts of aggression against Ukraine and regional challenges generated by the conflict. The two ministers highlighted the need to continue to provide multidimensional support to Ukraine and to coordinate actions to help the Republic of Moldova, a country faced with multiple security threats from the Russian Federation.

     

     

    LIFE EXPECTANCY – Spain has the highest life expectancy rate at EU level – 84 years, above the EU average of 81.5 years. According to a Eurostat report, Romania has the third-lowest life expectancy in the EU, 76.6 years, followed only by Latvia with 75.9 years and Bulgaria with 75.8 years. However, the biggest increase in life expectancy rates across the EU over 2019-2023 was reported in Romania. 15 of the 27 EU Member States exceed the EU life expectancy average. Countries with lower rates are those in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, whereas countries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Central Europe have higher life expectancy rates.

     

     

    HANDBALL – The Romanian women’s champions, CSM Bucharest, on Saturday failed to qualify to the EHF Champions league Final Four after losing to Metz of France away from home in the return leg of the quarterfinals. In the first leg Metz had won 27-24 in Bucharest. In men’s handball, Dinamo Bucharest has qualified to the EHF European League Final Four, where it will play SG Flesburg Handewitt of Germany. In the other semi-final, Fuchse Berlin, the defending champions, will go up against Rhein-Nekar Loewen in an all-German match. The Final Four tournament is hosted by Hamburg over May 25-26. (VP)

  • May 4, 2024

    May 4, 2024

    HOLY WEEK – Orthodox and Eastern-Catholic Christians in Romania are making the final preparations ahead of Easter Sunday. Holy Saturday marks the last day of Holy Week and the last day of Lent, a solemn day that ends in the evening with the Easter Vigil. On Saturday, Jerusalem hosts the Holy Fire special service in the Holy Sepulcher, a unique ritual whereby the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem enters the Tomb of Jesus to receive the light of the Resurrection, lit by the Holy Spirit, which he then shares with the faithful. The Holy Light is also expected to reach Romania. In his Easter sermon, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said that healing the world of passing illnesses was not the ultimate design of Jesus Christ, but rather saving mankind from sin and death. The Patriarch urged Romanians to pursue good deeds. In turn, Cardinal Lucian of the Eastern-Catholic Church said that, although temptation is always lurking due to passion, evil, conflict, violence, breaches of human dignity or freedom, the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord strengthens our faith and kindles a hope that no one and nothing can destroy. The high-ranking Eastern-Catholic cleric also said that intellectual creativity and technological progress, including artificial intelligence, should be put to good use with the observance of ethical standards, in order to make society more humane and change it for the better.

     

     

    FRANCE – ROMANIA COOPERATION – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu, on Friday had a bilateral meeting with the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné. Talks focused on the robustness of bilateral dialogue, the close diplomatic cooperation between Bucharest and Paris regarding European topics, as well as a mutual desire to advance cooperation at both bilateral and European levels. The two foreign ministers agreed to continue joint efforts to consolidate the Strategic Agenda with a view to promoting the European project and boost resilience at EU level. Minister Odobescu thanked France for its remarkable contribution to the consolidation of the NATO Eastern Flank and for taking on the role of a framework nation in the NATO Battlegroup deployed to Romania. In addition, the Romanian official expressed gratitude for France’s growing interest in the Black Sea region, particularly in the context of Russia’s acts of aggression against Ukraine and regional challenges generated by the conflict. The two ministers highlighted the need to continue to provide multidimensional support to Ukraine and to coordinate actions to help the Republic of Moldova, a country faced with multiple security threats from the Russian Federation.

     

     

    WAR IN UKRAINE – Russia on Friday night launched a massive drone attack on Kharkiv and Dnipro regions, wounding at least six people and hitting critical infrastructure, commercial and residential buildings, regional officials announced on Saturday. According to the Ukrainian Air Forces, Russia launched 13 Shahed drones, targeting regions in northeastern and central Ukraine. Local air defenses shot down all the drones, the commander of Ukrainian air forces announced. In another development, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said that energy supplies have been covered in the last 24 hours using domestic energy production, energy imports, as well as emergency energy aid delivered by Romania, Poland and Slovakia.

     

     

    ATTACK – Poland too announced it was targeted by alleged Russian cyber-attacks, which may also have been directed against Germany and Czechia, Reuters reports. Warsaw expressed solidarity with the two countries in light of the cyber-attacks targeting democratic institutions and political parties, the Polish Foreign Ministry said in a press release. Germany too accused Russia on Friday of launching cyber-attacks against the Social-Democratic Party in power, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and local defense and airspace companies, but also targets from other countries, warning the attack will not remain without consequence.

     

     

    LIFE EXPECTANCY – Spain has the highest life expectancy rate at EU level – 84 years, above the EU average of 81.5 years. According to a Eurostat report, Romania has the third-lowest life expectancy in the EU, 76.6 years, followed only by Latvia with 75.9 years and Bulgaria with 75.8 years. However, the biggest increase in life expectancy rates across the EU over 2019-2023 was reported in Romania. 15 of the 27 EU Member States exceed the EU life expectancy average. Countries with lower rates are those in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, whereas countries in the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Central Europe have higher life expectancy rates.

     

     

    HANDBALL – The Romanian women’s champions, CSM Bucharest, are today taking on Metz of France away from home in the return leg of the EHF Champions League quarterfinals. In the first leg Metz won 27-24 in Bucharest. In men’s handball, Dinamo Bucharest has qualified to the EHF European League Final Four, where it will play SG Flesburg Handewitt of Germany. In the other semi-final, Fuchse Berlin, the defending champions, will go up against Rhein-Nekar Loewen in an all-German match. The Final Four tournament is hosted by Hamburg over May 25-26. (VP)

  • RRI Sports Club – Handball

    RRI Sports Club – Handball

    The Romanian men’s handball team, Dinamo Bucharest, has advanced to the European League quarterfinals after defeating Silkeborg of Denmark away from home 27-24, in the return leg of the quarterfinals playoffs. The top scorers for Dinamo were Andriy Akimenko of Ukraine with 7 goals and Miklos Rosta of Hungary with 6 goals. Xavi Pascual’s trainees had an exceptional first half, leading 16-8 half-time. The Danish side upped their game in the second half and narrowed the lead to 2 goals, but Dinamo eventually secured the qualification. The Romanian club had won the first leg in Bucharest 37-34. In the quarterfinals, Dinamo will take on another team from Denmark, Skjern Handbold, first on April 23 in Bucharest and then on April 30 away from home.

     

     

    In women’s handball, the defending champions CSM Bucharest will play the Romanian vice-champions Rapid Bucharest in the first Romanian Cup semi-final. Romania’s representatives in the European League Final Four, Gloria Bistrița and Dunărea Brăila, will face off in the second semi-final. The draw was made by SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea and Romanian national squad goalkeeper Daciana Hosu, currently training in Bucharest. Hosu will play for CSM starting next season. Romanian Cup semi-final matches will be played on April 20-21 in Brăila. Cup winners CSM Bucharest last season defeated CSM Târgu Jiu in the final. Attending the Romanian Cup draw, Constantin Din, chairman of the Romanian Handball Federation, referred to the value of Romania’s women’s domestic competitions. “We’re the only country with three teams qualified in the later stages of European competitions”. We recall CSM Bucharest qualified to the Champions League quarterfinals whereas Gloria Bistrița and Dunărea Brăila will face off in the European League semi-final in Graz, Austria, for a place in the final. (VP)

  • January 7, 2024

    January 7, 2024

    Saint John. Orthodox Christians and Greek Catholics celebrate, today, Saint John the Baptist, the last prophet of the Old Testament and the only one who knew the Messiah, whose coming he had prepared. The Jews recognized him as a prophet and would come to get baptized in the waters of the Jordan, to repent their sins. The meeting with Jesus also took place in Jordan. John introduced Jesus as the Messiah. Almost two million Romanians are celebrating their name today. Old-style Christians also celebrate Christmas on January 7th.



    Israel. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, was received, on Sunday, in Amman by King Abdullah II of Jordan, who asked him to put pressure on Israel to obtain an immediate truce in the Gaza war against the terrorist group Hamas, FP reports. Blinken arrived in Jordan on Saturday night as part of a new tour of the Middle East in an attempt to prevent an escalation of the conflict. The Hashemite sovereign also emphasized the need to put an end to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The king said that there will be no peace and stability in the region without a just settling of the Palestinian issue, based on the two-state solution, Palestinian and Israeli. From Jordan, Blinken will go to Qatar, the emirate that acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas since the end of November. From there, the US official will travel to Abu Dhabi, to Saudi Arabia – on Monday – and then Israel. In another move, the Israeli army has announced that it has completed the destruction of the command structure of the terrorist group Hamas in the north of the Gaza Strip. The army spokesman said that Israel had killed about 8,000 militants in northern Gaza and that Israeli forces were now focusing on destroying Hamas in the south and center of the Strip.



    Ukraine. Last night, Russia launched attacks with drones and three cruise missiles at Ukraine, the Ukrainian Air Force has announced today, adding that their air defense systems destroyed more than 20 of the drones. The Air Force reported that Russia attacked the south and east of Ukraine in particular, Reuters reports. The Japanese foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa, is visiting Ukraine today, where he will meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Kuleba, as well as other officials. Minister Kamikawa will once again confirm to the Ukrainian side that Japans consistent policies to support Ukraine remain unchanged even in the current difficult international situation, the press service of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, quoted by news agencies.



    Handball. The Romanian womens handball champion, CSM Bucharest, takes on, today, the Montenegrin team Buducnost, in group A of the Champions League. CSM is in the fourth position, and the leader of the group is Gyor (Hungary). On Saturday, the other representative of Romania in the Champions League, Rapid Bucharest, was dramatically defeated by the Slovenian team Krim Mercator Ljubljana, 25-24, away from home, in Group B. Rapid is the penultimate in the group, and in first position is Esbjerg, from Denmark.



    Weather. Precipitations have covered all regions of Romania. It is predominantly raining, but snow will soon take over many regions. A yellow code alert will be in place starting this evening, as meteorologists say there will be strong winds, snow falls and blizzard affecting in particular the east and southeast of the territory. During the night from Sunday to Monday and in the first part of Monday, in the east, south and southeast, there will be mainly rains that will turn into snow falls. Meteorologists have also announced that starting Monday the weather will cool significantly, so that on Tuesday the highs of the day will be negative, ranging from minus 8 to 0 degrees Celsius. Its currently raining in the capital Bucharest, the maximum of the day stood at 10 degrees Celsius. (MI)


  • RRI Sports Club – Handball

    RRI Sports Club – Handball

    The Romanian men’s handball
    club Dinamo Bucharest trounced the Bosnian side Izviđač 52-24 on Tuesday on
    home turf in a Group G fixture of European League. The Romanian club had an
    exceptional first half, scoring 27 goals and conceding 7. Dinamo dominated the
    second half as well, scoring 25 times although conceding more goals. Andryi Akimenko
    of Ukraine was Dinamo’s top scorer with 11 goals. In the other Group G fixture,
    Germany’s Fusche Berlin won 24-22 against Chambery of France. Dinamo will next
    play Chambery away from home.


    Also in the European League,
    in Group H, CSM Constanța won against Tatabánya of Hungary, 29-24. George Buricea’s trainees had a good start, ending
    the first half 16-9. In the second half the Hungarian side upped its game,
    managing to even the odds on minute 49, score 20-20. CSM however took the lead
    again and eventually won with a five-goal difference. The top scorers for the
    Romanian side were Vitaly Komogorov of Russia and Mikalay Alyohin of Belarus,
    both with five goals. In the other group fixture, Sporting Lisbon defeated the
    Polish club Chrobry Głogów, 37-20. CSM will next play Sporting next Tuesday at
    home.


    In women’s handball,
    European inter-club competitions resume this week after the 2024 European
    Championship preliminaries scheduled last week. In Champions League in Group A,
    CSM Bucharest is playing Brest Bretagne of France at home. The Romanian
    champions are ranked 4th in the group tables, with 4 points after
    two wins and two losses. In Group B, Rapid Bucharest is playing Metz of France
    on Sunday. Rapid has 4 points following a win, a draw and two losses and is
    ranked 6th in the group tables. (VP)



  • Victories for Romanian handball clubs

    Victories for Romanian handball clubs


    Romanian womens handball has over the years delivered top results, both at national level as well as in European inter-club competitions. Alongside Hungary and Denmark, Romania is the third country this year to be represented by two clubs in the Champions League quarterfinals. Norway and France, the other two countries with powerful handball teams, are each represented by a club. For Romania, this achievement offsets some of the subpar results reported in recent years by the national team. Whereas so far CSM Bucharest traditionally qualified to this phase of the competition, this year another team from Bucharest, Rapid, a club with a rich history in womens handball, has also advanced to knockout phase.



    The winner of the European Champions Cup in 1964, the IHF Cup in 1993 and the Cities Cup in 2000, Rapid thus returns to the elite of womens handball. On Sunday, the team from Bucharest defeated Krim Ljubljana of Slovenia 30-24 in the quarterfinals playoffs. Rapid restored the five-goal difference after Krim had won 29-24 the first leg played in Slovenia last week. The return leg was dominated by Rapid, which had the lead throughout the entire game. The end was not for the faint of heart, as the qualification was decided in the last seconds of the game.



    Estavana Polman of the defending World Champions the Netherlands was the top scorer for Rapid with 8 goals. Sorina Grozav also put in a stellar performance, with 6 goals, of which two in the final stages of the match. The win could not have been possible without the contribution of one of the best headcoaches in Europe right now, Kim Rasmussen of Denmark, who seven years ago won the Champions League with CSM Bucharest.




    The first leg of the quarterfinals is scheduled for the end of April, while the return legs will be played in early May. Rapid will take on Vipers Kristiansand of Norway, the defending champions, which secured qualification directly after winning Group A. CSM Bucharest has also qualified directly to the quarterfinals after ranking second in Group A and will take on Team Esbjerg of Denmark. In the quarterfinal playoffs, the Danish side ousted Brest Bretagne of France. Romania thus has good chances of being represented by two teams in the Final Four tournament, scheduled for early June in Budapest. (VP)




  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu

    Romanian handball clubs performing in Champions League have
    had an excellent start this season. Both Rapid Bucharest, the Romanian
    champions, as well as vice-champions CSM Bucharest, are still undefeated in the
    current edition of Champions League. Apart from them, only Bietigheim of
    Germany in Group A and Metz of France in Group B haven’t lost a match. In Group
    A, CSM won in Denmark against Odense 31-27. The top scorer for CSM was Cristina
    Neagu, with 10 goals. In Group B, Rapid Bucharest won at home against the
    Danish vice-champions Team Esbjerg 34-32. The top scorers for Rapid were Dorina
    Koros, Lorena Ostase and Sorina Grozav, each with five goals. Yet for her
    stellar performance in the match in Denmark, we have designated Cristina Neagu
    Athlete of the Week.


    Cristina Neagu was born in Bucharest on August 26, 1988. She
    made her debut at a local school club. She was designated best junior player in
    the world, the first time in 2005, when Romania’s under-21 team won silver at the
    European Championships in Austria. In 2006 Neagu was signed by Rulmentul Brașov, and from here she moved to Oltchim
    Râmnicu Vâlcea. In 2010, with Neagu in its lineup, Oltchim reached the
    Champions League final. After the team was disbanded, Neagu moved to Buducnost
    Podgorica, a club witch which she won the Champions League in 2015. Since 2017
    Neagu has been playing for CSM Bucahrest. She was designated best player in the
    wolrd in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
    Cristina Neagu thus became the first handballer in history to be awarded
    this distinction four times. Neagu’s record sheet also includes a bronze
    medal with Romania’s team at the European Championship of 2010, and another bronze
    medal at the World Championship of 2015. (VP)

  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu

    Romanian handball clubs performing in Champions League have
    had an excellent start this season. Both Rapid Bucharest, the Romanian
    champions, as well as vice-champions CSM Bucharest, are still undefeated in the
    current edition of Champions League. Apart from them, only Bietigheim of
    Germany in Group A and Metz of France in Group B haven’t lost a match. In Group
    A, CSM won in Denmark against Odense 31-27. The top scorer for CSM was Cristina
    Neagu, with 10 goals. In Group B, Rapid Bucharest won at home against the
    Danish vice-champions Team Esbjerg 34-32. The top scorers for Rapid were Dorina
    Koros, Lorena Ostase and Sorina Grozav, each with five goals. Yet for her
    stellar performance in the match in Denmark, we have designated Cristina Neagu
    Athlete of the Week.


    Cristina Neagu was born in Bucharest on August 26, 1988. She
    made her debut at a local school club. She was designated best junior player in
    the world, the first time in 2005, when Romania’s under-21 team won silver at the
    European Championships in Austria. In 2006 Neagu was signed by Rulmentul Brașov, and from here she moved to Oltchim
    Râmnicu Vâlcea. In 2010, with Neagu in its lineup, Oltchim reached the
    Champions League final. After the team was disbanded, Neagu moved to Buducnost
    Podgorica, a club witch which she won the Champions League in 2015. Since 2017
    Neagu has been playing for CSM Bucahrest. She was designated best player in the
    wolrd in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
    Cristina Neagu thus became the first handballer in history to be awarded
    this distinction four times. Neagu’s record sheet also includes a bronze
    medal with Romania’s team at the European Championship of 2010, and another bronze
    medal at the World Championship of 2015. (VP)

  • May 7, 2022 UPDATE

    May 7, 2022 UPDATE

    Refugees – On May 6, 2022, within 24 hours, at national level, 80,741 people entered Romania through the border points, out of whom 8,072 are Ukrainian citizens (on the rise by 4.3% compared to the previous day) – the Border Police General Inspectorate (IGPF) announces. Through the border crossings with Ukraine, 4,579 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania (by 10.4% more), and through the border with the Republic of Moldova 1,555 (by 3.5% more). Since the onset of the Russian troops’ invasion, on February 24, and until Friday, at midnight, at national level, 874,988 Ukrainian citizens had entered neighboring Romania. As of February 10, 2022, in the run-up to the war, 909,517 Ukrainians had entered the country.



    Trans-Dniester — The so-called authorities in the pro-Russian separatist region of Trans-Dniester, in the east of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), announced on Saturday that four explosions took place, on the eve, near a former airfield in a village of Trans-Dniester on the border with Ukraine, Voronkovo, Râbnița district. No casualties were reported, according to the so-called secessionist Interior Ministry, which added that a team of investigators was on the ground. The village of Voronkovo, Vărăncău in Romanian, is located about five kilometers away from the border with Ukraine. In recent weeks, fears have escalated that the war in Ukraine could extend to Trans-Dniester, especially after a Russian general claimed that Moscows offensive was also aimed at establishing a corridor to the separatist region. In turn, Kyiv has accused Russia of trying to destabilize Trans-Dniester in order to justify military intervention in the area. Trans-Dniester de facto got out of the control of the central authorities after an armed conflict that left behind hundreds of deaths and was ended by the intervention of Moscow’s troops on the side of the secessionist rebels in 1992, less than a year after Chisinau had declared its independence. The former Russian President Boris Yeltsin had pledged to withdraw troops from Trans-Dniester since the 1999 OSCE summit in Istanbul. Some 1,500 Russian soldiers and important arsenals are said to still be there.



    Handball — The Romanian womens handball champions, CSM Bucharest, will play, on Sunday, away from home, against the Danish team Esbjerg, in the decisive leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. In the first match, in Bucharest, the Danish team won 26-25, after a match they led permanently. The winner of the double round will play in the so-called Final Four of the League. Set up in 2007, CSM won the Champions League for the first time in 2016, and was the continents third team in the next two years. Declared four times the best handball player in the world, in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the left winger of the CSM, Cristina Neagu is also the top scorer of the current edition of the Champions League, with 103 goals.



    Football — Romanian sports celebrated, on Saturday, 36 years since Steaua Bucharest won the European Football Champions Cup. On May 7, 1986, in Seville, Spain, the team, made up exclusively of Romanian players, defeated in the final, score 2-0, after the penalty kicks, the famous FC Barcelona. Steauas goalkeeper, Helmuth Duckadam, then entered the Book of Records, after defending all four shots fired by the Catalans. In February 1987, in Monte Carlo, Steaua also won Europe’s Super Cup, after a 1-0 win against the Soviets from Dinamo Kyiv. Two of the authors of those unique performances in the history of Romanian football, midfielder Lucian Bălan and defender Ilie Bărbulescu, have died in recent years. (LS)


  • January 19, 2022

    January 19, 2022


    COVID-19 ROMANIA – 16,610 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were reported on Wednesday in Romania in addition to 58 related fatalities, of which 2 were prior to the reference period, the Group for Strategic Communication has announced. Half of Romanias counties are in the so-called red zone with a high incidence rate. Since the start of the pandemic, over 1.9 million Romanians got infected with COVID-19 and some 60,000 died to the virus. Against the backdrop of the anti-vaxx campaign fuelled by part of the media, a number of politicians and other public figures, Romania has the second-lowest national vaccination rates at EU level after Bulgaria.




    COVID-19 WORLD – The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has warned global leaders that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. The WHO official warned against the misleading assumption that the Omicron strain is mild and thus less threatening. “An exponential rise in cases, regardless of the severity of the individual variants, leads to inevitable increase in hospitalizations and deaths,” Dr. Ghebreyesus argues. The warning comes amidst an alarming surge in the number of infections across Europe. Today, Bulgaria reported nearly 11,200 new COVID-19 infections over the course of 24 hours. The Czech Republic too reported 28 thousand new infections, a daily record since the pandemic began. In turn, France reported nearly 500 thousand infections yesterday.




    PLAGIARISM – The “Carol I” National University in Bucharest has launched a process examining the observance of quality and academic standards in the case of Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucăs PhD thesis, defended in 2003. The decision follows revelations and plagiarism allegations from the media. The Prime Minister has denied the allegations, claiming he observed all legal and academic requirements. Ciucă is the third head of government facing plagiarism allegations after Social-Democrats Victor Ponta and Mihai Tudose. Last month Research Minister Florin Roman resigned after facing similar accusations regarding his MA thesis.




    STRIKE – Education trade unions have today staged a two-hour warning strike. During the interval, all teaching activities were suspended, although pupils remained under their teachers supervision. Teachers demand an increase in their base salaries stipulated in a law passed in 2017, as well as bonuses for specific work conditions and the payment of extra hours. Trade unions also call on the authorities to earmark 6% of the GDP to education spending and to increase the number of teaching staff positions. Also today, law enforcement and National Statistics Institute trade unions staged actions protesting the Governments salary policies.




    PROGRAM – The authorities have today launched the National Program for Combating Cancer in an event attended by president Klaus Iohannis. In February 2021, the European Commission launched the Europes Beating Cancer Plan, allotting €4 billion to finance cancer prevention, research and treatment programs across the community bloc. Meanwhile, the Romanian Parliament set up a special task force charged with transposing the Commissions plan into national law. Right now, part of the cancer treatments, lab tests and prevention programs are funded under a nationwide program.




    UKRAINE – US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is today paying a visit to Kiev, as part of a new effort to deescalate the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border. Antony Blinken will meet with Ukraines president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. According to the US State Department, the purpose of the visit is to reiterate Washingtons commitment to safeguarding Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity. On Tuesday, Blinken talked on the phone to Russias Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, ahead of their meeting on Friday in Geneva. Russia has built up a sizable military force on the Ukrainian border, although it has denied allegations over its planned invasion. Last weeks talks between Moscow and Washington over the future European security framework yielded no result, the Americans having dismissed Russias requests as unacceptable. Moscow has called on NATO to rule out any eastward enlargement, to cease all cooperation with ex-Soviet countries and to cancel all maneuvers and troop deployments in Eastern Europe.




    TENNIS – Three Romanian tennis players are competing in the second round at the Australian Open. On Thursday, Simona Halep (15 WTA) will take on Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil (83 WTA). Sorana Cîrstea (38 WTA) will take on Kristina Kucova of Slovakia (96 WTA), while Irina Begu (64 WTA) will play Elise Mertens of Belgium (26 WTA). Another Romanian, Jaqueline Cristian, was knocked out today in the second round by Madison Keys of the United States, 6-2, 7-5. In the womens doubles, Raluca Olaru of Romania and Anna-Lena Friedsam of Germany have advanced to the second round after ousting Alizé Cornet and Diane Parry of France, 6-4, 6-4.




    HANDBALL – Romanian handball champions, CSM Bucharest, are today playing Brest Bretagne of France in a Champions League Group A fixture. On Saturday, CSM defeated Buducnost Podgorica of Montenegro 28-20 away from home. The team is ranked 4th in the group tables with 10 points. The next fixture for CSM is the home match against BV Borussia 09 Dortmund of Germany on January 22. (VP)




  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu

    Romanian handball champions, CSM
    Bucharest, had a poor start in the new European inter-club season. In the first
    two games of Champions League, Adrian Vasile’s trainees lost, first to Team Esbjerg
    of Denmark, 21-22 away from home, then to Rostov-Don of Russia at home, 30-27.
    The difference was much higher than the scoreboard shows. In both games, CSM’s
    top player, Cristina Neagu, had a subpar performance, scoring only two goals.
    On Saturday, things changed radically. CSM Bucharest grabbed its first win in
    the new Champions League season, 36-31 against Podravka Koprivnica of Croatia.
    Cristina Neagu was the best player on the field for CSM, scoring 14 goals. For
    her stellar performance in Croatia, we have designated Cristina Neagu Athlete
    of the Week on RRI.


    Cristina Neagu was born August 26,
    1988 in Bucharest. She made her debut at a local sports club. In Under-21
    competitions, she was designated best player in the world on several occasions,
    starting 2005, when Romania won silver at the European Under-21 Championships
    in Austria. In 2006 she joined the big-league handball, playing for Rulmentul Braşov
    first, then transferring to Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea. In 2010, with Oltchim, she
    reached the Champions League semi-finals. After the team from Râmnicu Vâlcea
    got disbanded, she moved to Buducnost Podgorica, winning the Champions League
    in 2015. Since 2017 she has been playing for CSM Bucharest.


    Her record with Romania’s national
    team, whose captain she has been since 2016, includes a bronze medal at the
    European Championships of Denmark and Norway in 2010, and another bronze medal
    at the World Cup in Demark in 2015. In 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the
    International Handball Federation designated her best player in the world, thus
    becoming the first player in the history of women’s handball to win the trophy
    four times. (VP)









  • Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu

    Athlete of the Week on RRI – Handballer Cristina Neagu

    Romanian handball champions, CSM
    Bucharest, had a poor start in the new European inter-club season. In the first
    two games of Champions League, Adrian Vasile’s trainees lost, first to Team Esbjerg
    of Denmark, 21-22 away from home, then to Rostov-Don of Russia at home, 30-27.
    The difference was much higher than the scoreboard shows. In both games, CSM’s
    top player, Cristina Neagu, had a subpar performance, scoring only two goals.
    On Saturday, things changed radically. CSM Bucharest grabbed its first win in
    the new Champions League season, 36-31 against Podravka Koprivnica of Croatia.
    Cristina Neagu was the best player on the field for CSM, scoring 14 goals. For
    her stellar performance in Croatia, we have designated Cristina Neagu Athlete
    of the Week on RRI.


    Cristina Neagu was born August 26,
    1988 in Bucharest. She made her debut at a local sports club. In Under-21
    competitions, she was designated best player in the world on several occasions,
    starting 2005, when Romania won silver at the European Under-21 Championships
    in Austria. In 2006 she joined the big-league handball, playing for Rulmentul Braşov
    first, then transferring to Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea. In 2010, with Oltchim, she
    reached the Champions League semi-finals. After the team from Râmnicu Vâlcea
    got disbanded, she moved to Buducnost Podgorica, winning the Champions League
    in 2015. Since 2017 she has been playing for CSM Bucharest.


    Her record with Romania’s national
    team, whose captain she has been since 2016, includes a bronze medal at the
    European Championships of Denmark and Norway in 2010, and another bronze medal
    at the World Cup in Demark in 2015. In 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, the
    International Handball Federation designated her best player in the world, thus
    becoming the first player in the history of women’s handball to win the trophy
    four times. (VP)









  • February 6, 2021 UPDATE

    February 6, 2021 UPDATE


    Covid-19 Ro. 2,611 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in the last 24 hours in Romania, following more than 27,000 tests run nationwide, the Strategic Communication Group informed on Saturday afternoon. During the same period, 61 people diagnosed with Covid-19 died. The vaccination campaign continues, and Prime Minister Florin Cîţu took the second dose on Saturday. He announced that Romania is discussing with the European Commission the possibility of producing one of the anti-Covid vaccines at the Cantacuzino Institute in Bucharest. Also on Saturday, the first tranche of over 80 thousand doses of the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca, in collaboration with Oxford University arrived in Romania. This vaccine will be administered only to people between 18 and 55 years old. By the end of February, more than 600,000 doses of this vaccine will have reached the country. Meanwhile, the immunization campaign with the Pfizer-BioNTech serum continues and the administration of the Moderna vaccine started on Thursday. In total, so far, about 650 thousand Romanians have been vaccinated.



    Fire. Two more patients who were in the fifth ward of the Matei Balş Institute in Bucharest during last weeks fire died, the Ministry of Health announced on Saturday. These are two men, aged 73 and 91, respectively. Five people lost their lives on the day of the fire, and nine more deaths were reported later among patients transferred to other hospitals. The prosecutors office attached to the Bucharest Tribunal announced that it finished, on Friday, the on-site investigation. So far, 33 people, medical staff, administrative staff, police officers who participated in the initial intervention and relatives of the victims have been heard. Several wards burned and the whole building was affected by smoke. More than 100 patients were evacuated and transferred to other health facilities. A similar tragedy took place in November, at the emergency hospital in Piatra Neamţ (northeast), as a result of which 10 patients died.



    Navalny. The leader of the Renew Liberal group in the European Parliament, the former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, has said that the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the Union, Josep Borrell, must come with explanations before the MEPs, after he was humiliated by the Russian Foreign Minister, Serghei Lavrov. “Todays events are a slap in Europes face and should serve as a lesson that in negotiations with the Russians we can only impose ourselves if we are united in defending the values ​​on which the European Union is founded: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and human rights “- Ciolos wrote in a post on Facebook, after Moscow announced on Friday the expulsion of three diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden, because they participated in the protests for the release of Aleksei Navalny. The head of European diplomacy had admitted, since the beginning of the week, that he would not obtain the release of the most fierce opponent of President Vladimir Putin. At a meeting with Lavrov, Borell reiterated his call for the release of Navalny and the start of an impartial investigation into his poisoning with Noviciok in August 2020. Already sentenced to prison on Tuesday in a case of embezzlement that he says it was politically fabricated, Navalny appeared in court again on Friday on charges of defaming a World War II Soviet army veteran.



    Training. Soldiers from the Romanian Naval Forces and Air Force carried out, on Friday, in the Black Sea basin, a joint training mission with US Navy soldiers. According to the Ministry of Defense in Bucharest, the exercise was the first joint Romanian-American training activity this year and aimed at strengthening the NATO assurance measures in the South-East of Europe, as well as increasing the level of interoperability, demonstrating, once again, the US involvement in ensuring security in the Black Sea area. The strategic partnership with the USA is one of the pillars of Romanias defense and security. In an increasingly dynamic security environment, such as the Black Sea, cooperation between the Romanian Army and American forces deployed in Europe contributes to strengthening the ability to react, quickly and efficiently, to a wide range of social security threats on the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Romanian Defense Ministry states.



    Vandalism. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest expressed its deep concern over the act of vandalism directed against the Representation of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, which took place on Friday. In a statement issued on Saturday to Agerpres, the MFA strongly condemns any violent behavior aimed at destroying, desecrating or damaging official or religious insignia, as well as the motivations behind them. The Ministry welcomes the solidarity reaction of the Israeli authorities, which promptly and unequivocally condemned the act of barbarism on the most important Romanian church establishment in the Holy Land, where many Romanian pilgrims come annually. At the same time, the MFA expresses its confidence that the Israeli authorities will take measures to identify and sanction the perpetrator and counts on their support to ensure the security and protection of all Romanian church establishments so that such incidents do not occur in the future. The Romanian Patriarchate thanked, on Saturday, in a message, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Israeli authorities for condemning the act of barbarism



    Tennis. Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world number two and second seed, will meet Australian Lizette Cabrera in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, which starts on Monday in Melbourne. According to the draw, the first round also includes the duel between the Romanian Patricia Ţig and Sorana Cîrstea. Another Romanian, Irina Begu, will play against the Serbian Nina Stojanovic in the inaugural round, and Ana Bogdan will take on the American Danielle Collins. Mihaela Buzărnescu, who joined the main board from the position of “lucky loser”, will play in the first round against the Romanian-born Canadian Bianca Andreescu.



    Handball. Romanias womens handball vice-champion, CSM Bucharest, on Saturday returned with a victory to the Champions League, after two matches in a row that were posponed due to cases of Covid-19 reported in their oponents teams. The Bucharest team defeated, on home turf, the Danish team Esbjerg, 28-26. After 11 matches, CSM holds the 4th place in the Group A ranking, with 13 points. On Sunday, the Romanian champion, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea, plays away in Group B, against another Danish team, Odense. Vâlcea is on the 6th place in the group, with only 4 points. Only the first two teams qualify directly in the quarterfinals, while the other will have a play-off. (MI)