Radio România Internațional

Tag: dubai

  • April 18, 2024 UPDATE

    April 18, 2024 UPDATE

    REPATRIATION A group made up of 20 children and two teachers who were blocked by the latest heavy rainfalls in Dubai are to be repatriated on Friday on board of the plane, which also carried Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to the region. We recall that a Romanian delegation headed by Ciolacu is presently visiting the region. Romania’s Foreign Minister, Luminita Odobescu, says that the Romanian Foreign Ministry is making efforts to repatriate all the Romanians affected by the storms and flooding affecting the Emirates. According to her, a group of compatriots have already been brought to Romania, whereas a second one is still in Dubai but is keeping in touch both with the ministry’s representatives and with the air carrier. Referring to the situation of the group of children, members of a traditional music ensemble, the head of the Romanian diplomacy says they have been brought to Adbu Dhabi with support from Romania’s General Consulate and will leave for Bucharest tomorrow.

     

    SCHENGEN The European Commissioner for Home Affairs Yilva Johansson has voiced hope that a certain date will be set this year for Romania and Bulgaria’s fully-fledged accession to the Schengen zone as proposed by the European Commission. While in Bulgarian capital Sofia, the EU official held talks with both the Bulgarian Interior Minister, Kalin Stoyanov, and the Romanian one, Catalin Predoiu. In late March, Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe’s border-free area only with their air and maritime borders. Controls are still being carried out at the land borders.

     

    ABU DHABI The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is paying a working visit to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday and Friday. An important objective of this visit is the consolidation of the economic component, with an emphasis on attracting Emirati investments. The Prime Minister is to meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, with other senior Emirati officials, with representatives of relevant companies in the United Arab Emirates, as well as with members of the Romanian community there. The agenda of the visit also includes a plenary meeting of the delegations, during which there will be an exchange of bilateral documents in areas of common interest. The PM Ciolacu stated that he wanted to strengthen cooperation relations with the United Arab Emirates, from a political and economic perspective. ‘Romania continues to attract Emirati investors in the air infrastructure, the modernization and expansion of Otopeni Airport being a viable project of our collaboration’, said Marcel Ciolacu. He added that projects in the fields of digitization, energy and agriculture also correspond to Romania’s interests. In the first part of his tour in the Persian Gulf area, Marcel Ciolacu had discussions, on Wednesday, in Qatar, on economic topics. He stated that he wanted Romania to become the entry gate of this state’s investments in the European Union.

     

     

    SUMMIT President Klaus Iohannis said that he wanted to solve as quickly as possible the problems that the Romanian citizens still have at the airports of some European countries, despite the fact that Romania entered Schengen with air borders. The statement was made before the European summit in Brussels, where a report requested by the Council mentions the need for the total integration of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area, as a measure that will boost the single market. The Council’s agenda includes the situation in Ukraine, a country that needs more military aid and is facing problems in the energy infrastructure, following the Russian bombings. The European leaders will also discuss the tense situation in the Middle East, generated by the crisis in Gaza and the tensions between Israel and Iran.

    (bill)

     

  • February 23, 2024 UPDATE

    February 23, 2024 UPDATE

    Ukraine – Approximately 7 million Ukrainians have left their country since the beginning of the war, 2 years ago, and 77,000 are currently in Romania. Of these refugees, over 80% are women and children. On Friday, at the North Railway Station in Bucharest, a symbolic place where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians entered our country, the Romanian authorities, non-governmental organizations and refugees marked these two years of war. President Klaus Iohannis appreciated, on this occasion, that “it is important for Europe to remain united, despite the difficulties it faces, and to continue providing the help that Ukraine needs”. He also said that “it is necessary for the authorities, together with the international partners, to continue efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and especially for the integration of those who are on the territory of the Romanian state”. Iohannis will go to Paris on Monday to participate in a working meeting on the war in Ukraine and on the intensification of efforts to continue the support given to this country. The meeting is organized by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and it will be attended by a series of NATO leaders.

     

    Meeting – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, and her Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, adopted, in New Delhi, the Joint Declaration on the 10th anniversary of the Romania-India Extended Partnership. The meeting between the two officials took place on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue International Conference. The declaration aims at strengthening Romanian-Indian bilateral relations, as well as cooperation in a multilateral context. It also emphasizes the sectoral priority approach in three areas, namely energy, IT&C and manufacturing, according to a Foreign Ministry press release. Both ministers appreciated the progress made in the development of Romanian-Indian relations and confirmed the common commitment to strengthening collaboration in priority areas, with an emphasis on economic relations and sectoral cooperation.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea was defeated by the Italian Jasmine Paolini, 6-2, 7-6, on Friday, in the semifinals of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), which has total prizes up for grabs worth over 3.2 million dollars. The Romanian was coming after two exhausting matches, with the Croatian Donna Vekic (2 h 15 min) and the Czech Marketa Vondrousova (2 h 41 min), while Paolini benefited, on Thursday, from the absence of her opponent in the quarterfinals, the Kazakh Elena Rîbakina. Cîrstea, who will equal her best ranking in her career, on Monday, when the new WTA ranking is published (21st place), got a check of almost 160 thousand dollars and 390 points.

     

    Government – The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, is called, next week, to the Senate, at the Ministerial Question Time. From the opposition, Save Romania Union – USR asked him to publicly present to what extent the demands of the farmers who protested in January were resolved, and also to provide explanations regarding, among others, the transit of grains from Ukraine and the increase in food prices.

     

    Moscow – The mother of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has accused the Russian authorities of wanting to bury her son in secret, without a funeral, given that they have so far refused to hand over the body to the family, Reuters reports. Liudmila Navalnaya said that she was blackmailed and threatened to accept a secret burial. Alexei Navalny died last week, at the age of 47, in an Arctic penal colony where he was imprisoned. Just the day before, he had appeared at a trial and seemed healthy and in good spirits. Navalny’s lawyers say that on the death certificate drawn up by the authorities it is written that he died of natural causes. International leaders, family members and Russian supporters of Navalny say that the Russian authorities are responsible for his death, and some have even claimed that he was murdered. In the past, Navalny had survived a poisoning with a neurotoxic agent, which had been previously used by the Russian secret services. (LS)

  • February 21, 2024

    February 21, 2024

    Defense – The impact of the war in Ukraine on Romania, the endowment programs of the Romanian army and the recent cyber-attacks will be among the topics discussed during today’s meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense – CSAT. The consequences for Romania will be analyzed, after the deterioration of the security situation in the Black Sea region, in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The progress recorded in the field of defense planning is another topic on the agenda, attention being directed, in particular, to the development of the endowment programs, the measures to increase the staffing level, as well as the retention of military personnel. The activity report of the CSAT for the year 2023 will also be presented, as well as that of the Cyber ​​Security Operative Council. Recently, there have been cyber-attacks on several hospitals in the country, and the Government is working, together with a European center, on a cyber security guide for IT administrators in the public system.

     

    Elections – The leaders of the governing coalition in Romania made up of the PSD (Social Democratic Party) and PNL (National Liberal Party), are meeting again today to decide whether this year’s elections will be merged or not. The liberals demand that the local elections be held in the summer, simultaneously with the European parliamentary ones, and the social democrats want the merging, in the autumn, of the parliamentary elections with the first round of the presidential election. Moreover, an idea emerged in the public debates that the parties in power could participate on common lists in the elections for the European Parliament, even though they belong to different European political families: PSD is a member of the European Socialists group and the PNL of the European People’s Party. From the opposition, USR (Save Romania Union) and AUR (The Alliance for the Union of Romanians) argue that the discussions on the topic of merging the elections do nothing but distract Romanians’ attention from the country’s real problems.

     

    Drinks – In Romania, the sale of energy drinks to minors will be sanctioned, according to a draft law adopted on Tuesday by the Chamber of Deputies, as the decision-making body. The ban will be valid both in shops and at vending machines inside hospitals or schools, and fines for violating the law can reach 30,000 lei (about 6,000 Euros).

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (22 WTA) is playing, today, in the round of 16 of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), against the Croatian Donna Vekic (31 WTA), who managed to produce a big surprise on Tuesday, defeating the Belarusian Arina Sabalenka, world number two. Sorana leads 3-2 in direct matches with Vekic and has qualified after defeating Russian Veronika Kudermetova (19 WTA) 6-1, 6-4. Cîrstea dominated the game, especially in the first set, obtaining her third victory in four matches with Kudermetova. The Dubai tournament has total prizes worth over 3.2 million dollars.

     

    Bracelets – Three prehistoric gold bracelets, from Romanian archaeological sites, were brought to the country by Romanian prosecutors and police. They were taken from a museum in Antwerp (Belgium). The three movable cultural assets of great value, protected by law, were stolen by unknown perpetrators and subsequently alienated. The Belgian judicial authorities signaled, in October 2020, the presence of the three bracelets in the catalog of an auction in Monte Carlo, and the following month the Romanian police officers from the Service for the Protection of the National Cultural Heritage referred the matter to themselves. According to experts, the bracelets are dated around the year 1000 BC and they will end up in the custody of the National History Museum of Romania.

     

    Rabla – In Romania, the draft law for the modification of the program to stimulate the renewal of the national car fleet is put up for public debate on the website of the Environment Ministry. The “Rabla (Scrap) Classic” program does not come with changes. Thus, 7,000 lei (approx. 1,400 Euros) will be offered for the scrapping of a new car this year, and10,000 lei (approx. 2,000 Euros) for the scrapping of two cars. Eco-tickets can be added to these amounts. Regarding “Rabla Plus”, the amount of the eco-ticket, regardless of the number of used vehicles handed over for scrapping, will be 25,500 lei (approx. 5,100 Euros), for a new all-electric vehicle and 13,000 lei (approx. 2,600 Euros ) for the purchase of a hybrid electric vehicle. Also, 13,000 lei will be the discount in the case of buying an electric motorcycle. The document also provides that eco-tickets will not be granted for electric cars more expensive than 70,000 Euros or 60,000 Euros, in the case of those with a thermal engine. (LS)

  • December 5, 2023

    December 5, 2023

    Conference– Romania is interested in developing, using and producing green technologies, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Monday, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai. Klaus Iohannis underlined, during the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2023 event, that in order to effectively respond to climate change, governments must develop a strong partnership with businesses, financial institutions, research and innovation entities and NGOs. He pointed out that the large university centers, such as those in Bucharest and Cluj (north-west), are innovating in the field of sustainable construction materials and applications for energy efficiency. At the same time, Romanian companies support the progress of heat pump technology, essential for the decarbonising of the building heating and cooling sector, president Iohannis added.



    Visit — The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is meeting, today, in Washington, with representatives of the American companies Lockheed Martin and Google. The Romanian PM’s agenda also includes today discussions with members of the American Congress. Previously, he met with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, with the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and with the Secretary for Energy, Jennifer Granholm.



    JHA — The Justice and Home Affairs Council continues today in Brussels. The Schengen issue is back on the agenda, being tackled from the perspective of the efficient management of the migration issue. It is a recurring analysis of the state of the Schengen area based on key indicators, such as the number of asylum seekers who have been rejected. Romania and Bulgaria have run several pilot projects regarding migration management. Both the Commission and the Spanish presidency of the Council are supporters of the entry of the two states into the Schengen area. We remind you that Romania and Bulgaria received, as part of the JHA Council of December 8-9, 2022, a negative vote from the Netherlands and Austria for joining the free travel Area. On Monday, on the first day of the Council meeting, talks focused on holding Russia accountable, from a penal and financial point of view, for the invasion of Ukraine, as well as on making the European Public Prosecutors Office more efficient. The member states’ ministers and the European chief prosecutor, Laura Codruţa Kovesi, analyzed the latest legislative proposal regarding the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters. As for how Russia can be held accountable for the war in Ukraine, talks focused on how to bring the culprits to justice, as well as on how to use the Russian frozen assets in the international space for the reconstruction of Ukraine.



    Handball — Romania’s national womens handball team takes up, this evening, the strong Danish team, in the last match in group E of the World Championship hosted by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The Romanian players won the other two games, against Chile and Serbia, and are qualified for the main groups, where they will face Germany, Poland and Japan. Romania is the only team that participated in all 26 editions of the World Womens Handball Championship. Their record includes a world title, two silver medals and one bronze medal. (LS)

  • 118 țări au semnat, la Dubai, un angajament legat de triplarea capacității de energie regenerabilă

    118 țări au semnat, la Dubai, un angajament legat de triplarea capacității de energie regenerabilă

    118 țări au semnat sâmbătă, la Conferința Climatică a ONU din Dubai, un angajament neconstrângător legat de triplarea capacității de energie regenerabilă până în anul 2030. Capacitatea totală instalată în aceste 118 țări va crește de la 3.400 de GW în prezent la cel puțin 11.000.

    Peste 20 de state, între care și România, au susținut triplarea capacităților de energie nucleară, ca o altă măsură de contracarare a încălzirii globale.

    50 de concerne ce reprezintă 40% din producția mondială de petrol și gaze au promis, tot în Dubai, că vor decarboniza operațiunile lor extractive și vor reduce emisiile de metan aproape de zero până în anul 2050.

  • Preşedintele Klaus Iohannis participă la summitul climatic al ONU de la Dubai

    Preşedintele Klaus Iohannis participă la summitul climatic al ONU de la Dubai

    România are unele dintre cele mai scăzute emisii pe cap de locuitor din Uniunea Europeană şi este ferm angajată să accelereze măsurile de atenuare a schimbărilor climatice. Ne propunem să ne reducem până în 2030 emisiile cu aproximativ 80% faţă de nivelul din 1990 şi să ne îndreptăm apoi într-un ritm rapid către neutralitatea climatică. Până cel târziu în 2050, mixul energetic naţional al României va fi format în proporţie de 86% din energie regenerabilă, completat de energie cu emisii reduse de carbon, cum ar fi energia nucleară, a transmis preşedintele român Klaus Iohannis, sâmbătă, la summitul climatic al ONU de la Dubai.

    România consideră energia nucleară drept o sursă stabilă de energie și își propune să devină lider regional în operare și implementare. Ne angajăm să finalizăm două unități noi la Centrala Nuclearoelectrică de la Cernavodă și să construim reactoare modulare mici în România. Aceasta este o nouă tehnologie la care colaborăm cu prietenii noștri din Statele Unite. România vrea, de asemenea, să devină un lider în regiune în implementarea energiei nucleare. România recunoaște energia nucleară ca o sursă stabilă de energie care contribuie la securitatea energetică și de carbonizare.

    Subliniind legătura dintre acţiunea climatică, educaţie şi dezvoltarea competenţelor verzi, şeful statului român a dat exemplul programului REPowerEU, arătând că acesta aduce la nivel naţional două miliarde de euro în investiţii pentru energie regenerabilă şi dezvoltarea competenţelor verzi.

    Marea majoritate a tinerilor din România consideră că acumularea de cunoştinţe despre schimbările climatice în şcoală este esenţială pentru implicarea lor în acţiuni climatice. Prin urmare, educaţia privind clima şi mediul devine din ce în ce mai importantă în programa şcolară din România, a afirmat Iohannis.

    România este foarte implicată alături de partenerii săi globali, inclusiv din Africa, Orientul Mijlociu şi America Latină, pentru a facilita formarea şi schimbul de experienţă în ceea ce priveşte gestionarea situaţiilor de urgenţă şi implementarea sistemelor de alertă timpurie, deoarece aceste domenii sunt din ce în ce mai importante în contextul efectelor devastatoare ale schimbărilor climatice, a mai spus şeful statului.

    Klaus Iohannis participă, de sâmbătă până luni, la cea de-a 28-a Conferinţă a Statelor parte la Convenţia Cadru a Naţiunilor Unite privind Schimbările Climatice (COP28), care desfăşoară în Dubai, Emiratele Arabe Unite.

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    In the quarterfinals of the Erste Liga regional ice hockey competition, the Romanian team ACSH Gheorgheni defeated, away from home, the Hungarian team Dunaujvaros 6 to 1 on Thursday. Overall, the team from Harghita is now leading, in the double header, 3 to 0. Also in the quarterfinals, Corona Braşov defeated Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc, away from home, 5-2 and now leads 2-1 in the direct matches with the defending champion for a place in the semifinals.



    We now go to tennis. Monica Niculescu stopped in the quarterfinals of the doubles event of the WTA 1000 tennis tournament in Dubai, which has prizes up for grabs worth almost 2,800,000 dollars. The Romanian-Belgian pair Monica Niculescu / Kimberley Zimmermann was defeated, on Thursday, by the pair made up of the American player Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs, from the Netherlands, 6-0, 6-4.



    Next, football. On Thursday CFR Cluj missed the qualification in the round of 16 of the European Conference League competition. The Romanian champions ended the game with the Italian team Lazio in a draw, 0 all, in the second leg of the play-off for the round of 16. In the first leg, held last week, in Rome, the Series A team won 1-0. After the game in Cluj-Napoca, Romania no longer has a representative in this year’s edition of the European Cups.



    We now pass to football. From Friday to Sunday, football matches are played counting for the 27thstage of the Romanian Superleague football championship. Friday will see two games: FC Universitatea Craiova against Mioveni and UTA Arad against Farul Constanţa. Three matches are scheduled for Saturday. Hermannstadt goes to Sfântu Gheorghe to face Sepsi, then Universitatea Cluj receives the visit of FC Botoşani, after which Rapid plays Chindia Târgovişte in Bucharest. On Sunday, Universitatea Craiova has a match against Voluntari, then FC Argeş faces FCSB in Pitesti. The last game of the stage will take place on Monday, in Ploiesti, between Petrolul and CFR Cluj. Farul Constanţa leads the ranking, with 55 points, followed by CFRwith 53 points. (LS)

  • Sports Weekend

    Sports Weekend

    In the quarterfinals of the Erste Liga regional ice hockey competition, the Romanian team ACSH Gheorgheni defeated, away from home, the Hungarian team Dunaujvaros 6 to 1 on Thursday. Overall, the team from Harghita is now leading, in the double header, 3 to 0. Also in the quarterfinals, Corona Braşov defeated Sport Club Miercurea Ciuc, away from home, 5-2 and now leads 2-1 in the direct matches with the defending champion for a place in the semifinals.



    We now go to tennis. Monica Niculescu stopped in the quarterfinals of the doubles event of the WTA 1000 tennis tournament in Dubai, which has prizes up for grabs worth almost 2,800,000 dollars. The Romanian-Belgian pair Monica Niculescu / Kimberley Zimmermann was defeated, on Thursday, by the pair made up of the American player Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs, from the Netherlands, 6-0, 6-4.



    Next, football. On Thursday CFR Cluj missed the qualification in the round of 16 of the European Conference League competition. The Romanian champions ended the game with the Italian team Lazio in a draw, 0 all, in the second leg of the play-off for the round of 16. In the first leg, held last week, in Rome, the Series A team won 1-0. After the game in Cluj-Napoca, Romania no longer has a representative in this year’s edition of the European Cups.



    We now pass to football. From Friday to Sunday, football matches are played counting for the 27thstage of the Romanian Superleague football championship. Friday will see two games: FC Universitatea Craiova against Mioveni and UTA Arad against Farul Constanţa. Three matches are scheduled for Saturday. Hermannstadt goes to Sfântu Gheorghe to face Sepsi, then Universitatea Cluj receives the visit of FC Botoşani, after which Rapid plays Chindia Târgovişte in Bucharest. On Sunday, Universitatea Craiova has a match against Voluntari, then FC Argeş faces FCSB in Pitesti. The last game of the stage will take place on Monday, in Ploiesti, between Petrolul and CFR Cluj. Farul Constanţa leads the ranking, with 55 points, followed by CFRwith 53 points. (LS)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The Romanian womens handball team SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea qualified into the quarter-finals of the EHF European League. The Romanian side finished 2nd in Group D, after the German team Thüringer but ahead of the French side Paris 92 and Hungarys Vác. In the last match in the group stage, on Saturday, Vâlcea defeated Vác away from home, 28 – 26. The best scorer for the Romanians was Iryna Glibko (Ukraine), with 6 goals. In the quarter-finals, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea will face the Danish team Nykøbing Falster, on March 18 at home and one week later in Denmark.



    In rugby, Romania Sunday lost their away match with Portugal in Group B of Rugby Europe Championship. The Portuguese team won 38 – 20, with 5 tries compared to only 2 for the Romanians. Portugal finished top of the group with 15 points, followed by Romania with 10 points, Poland with 4 points and Belgium with 1 point. In the semis, Romania will take on Georgia away from home on March 4, and Portugal face Spain at home.



    In the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai, which has USD 2.8 million in prize money, Irina Begu was defeated in the first round by Barbora Krejcikova. The Czech player won in 2 sets, 6-4, 6-2. For her participation in the first round, Begu will get a check for USD 12,848 and 1 WTA point.



    This weekend saw matches counting for the 26th round of the Romanian football Super League. The 2 matches played on Friday ended in draws, with Chindia Târgoviște vs Universitatea Cluj – 2-2 and CS Mioveni vs Rapid Bucharest 0 – 0. So did the match pitting Hermannstadt against UTA Arad on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Farul Constanța beat Petrolul Ploiești 2-0. On Sunday, CFR Cluj outplayed FC Argeș 3-1, and FCSB drew against Universitatea Craiova 1-1. The last matches (FC Botoșani vs Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and FC U Craiova vs FC Voluntari) were scheduled for Monday. Top of the tables at this point are Farul, with 55 points, followed by CFR, with 53. (AMP)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The Romanian womens handball team SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea qualified into the quarter-finals of the EHF European League. The Romanian side finished 2nd in Group D, after the German team Thüringer but ahead of the French side Paris 92 and Hungarys Vác. In the last match in the group stage, on Saturday, Vâlcea defeated Vác away from home, 28 – 26. The best scorer for the Romanians was Iryna Glibko (Ukraine), with 6 goals. In the quarter-finals, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea will face the Danish team Nykøbing Falster, on March 18 at home and one week later in Denmark.



    In rugby, Romania Sunday lost their away match with Portugal in Group B of Rugby Europe Championship. The Portuguese team won 38 – 20, with 5 tries compared to only 2 for the Romanians. Portugal finished top of the group with 15 points, followed by Romania with 10 points, Poland with 4 points and Belgium with 1 point. In the semis, Romania will take on Georgia away from home on March 4, and Portugal face Spain at home.



    In the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai, which has USD 2.8 million in prize money, Irina Begu was defeated in the first round by Barbora Krejcikova. The Czech player won in 2 sets, 6-4, 6-2. For her participation in the first round, Begu will get a check for USD 12,848 and 1 WTA point.



    This weekend saw matches counting for the 26th round of the Romanian football Super League. The 2 matches played on Friday ended in draws, with Chindia Târgoviște vs Universitatea Cluj – 2-2 and CS Mioveni vs Rapid Bucharest 0 – 0. So did the match pitting Hermannstadt against UTA Arad on Saturday. Also on Saturday, Farul Constanța beat Petrolul Ploiești 2-0. On Sunday, CFR Cluj outplayed FC Argeș 3-1, and FCSB drew against Universitatea Craiova 1-1. The last matches (FC Botoșani vs Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and FC U Craiova vs FC Voluntari) were scheduled for Monday. Top of the tables at this point are Farul, with 55 points, followed by CFR, with 53. (AMP)

  • Săptămâna sportivă

    Săptămâna sportivă

    Echipa de handbal feminin SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea s-a calificat în sferturile de
    finală ale competiției continentale EHF European League. Formația română a
    ocupat locul 2 în Grupa D, în urma echipei germane Thüringer, dar înaintea
    grupării franceze Paris 92 și a formației maghiare Vác. În ultimul joc al fazei
    grupelor, sâmbătă, Vâlcea a trecut în deplasare de Vác cu 28 la 26. Cea mai
    bună marcatoare a echipei române a fost ucraineanca Iryna Glibko, autoare a șase
    goluri. În sferturile de finală, formația din Râmnic se va confrunta cu echipa
    daneză Nykøbing Falster, pe 18 martie acasă și, o săptămână mai târziu, în
    deplasare.


    Trecem la rugby. Echipa României a pierdut, duminică, jocul disputat în
    deplasare cu Portugalia, contând pentru Grupa B a întrecerii continentale Rugby
    Europe Championship. Jucătorii lusitani s-au impus cu 38 la 20, reușind cinci
    eseuri, în timp ce Stejarii au marcat doar două. În clasamentul grupei,
    Portugalia a ocupat primul loc, cu 15 puncte, iar Romania s-a clasat a doua, cu
    10 puncte. Locul 3 a fost ocupat de Polonia, cu 4 puncte, iar ultima poziție,
    de Belgia, cu un punct. În semifinale, România va juca, pe 4 martie, în
    deplasare, cu Georgia, iar Portugalia se va confrunta, pe teren propriu, cu
    Spania.


    În turneul WTA 500 de la Dubai, dotat cu premii de aproape 2.800.000 de
    dolari, Irina Begu a fost învinsă, duminică, în primul tur, de Barbora
    Krejcikova. Jucătoarea cehă s-a impus în două seturi, cu 6-4, 6-2. Pentru
    prezența în primul tur al concursului,Begu va primi un cec de 12.848 de dolari
    şi un punct WTA.


    În weekend au avut loc jocuri contând pentru etapa a 26-a a campionatului
    Superligii române de fotbal. Cele două partide care s-au disputat vineri s-au
    terminat egal: Chindia Târgoviște cu Universitatea Cluj – 2 la 2 și CS Mioveni
    cu Rapid București – 0 la 0. La fel s-a încheiat și jocul derulat sâmbătă, la
    Sibiu, între Hermannstadt și UTA Arad, 0 la 0, după care, la Ovidiu, Farul
    Constanța a trecut cu 2-0 de Petrolul Ploiești. Duminică, la Cluj, CFR a dispus
    de FC Argeș cu 3-1, apoi, la București, jocul dintre FCSB și Universitatea
    Craiova s-a încheiat cu scorul de 1 la 1. Luni, ultimele două întâlniri ale
    etapei: FC Botoșani cu Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe și FC U Craiova cu FC Voluntari. În
    clasament conduce Farul, cu 55 de puncte. Urmează CFR, cu 53.


  • Săptămâna sportivă

    Săptămâna sportivă

    Echipa de handbal feminin SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea s-a calificat în sferturile de
    finală ale competiției continentale EHF European League. Formația română a
    ocupat locul 2 în Grupa D, în urma echipei germane Thüringer, dar înaintea
    grupării franceze Paris 92 și a formației maghiare Vác. În ultimul joc al fazei
    grupelor, sâmbătă, Vâlcea a trecut în deplasare de Vác cu 28 la 26. Cea mai
    bună marcatoare a echipei române a fost ucraineanca Iryna Glibko, autoare a șase
    goluri. În sferturile de finală, formația din Râmnic se va confrunta cu echipa
    daneză Nykøbing Falster, pe 18 martie acasă și, o săptămână mai târziu, în
    deplasare.


    Trecem la rugby. Echipa României a pierdut, duminică, jocul disputat în
    deplasare cu Portugalia, contând pentru Grupa B a întrecerii continentale Rugby
    Europe Championship. Jucătorii lusitani s-au impus cu 38 la 20, reușind cinci
    eseuri, în timp ce Stejarii au marcat doar două. În clasamentul grupei,
    Portugalia a ocupat primul loc, cu 15 puncte, iar Romania s-a clasat a doua, cu
    10 puncte. Locul 3 a fost ocupat de Polonia, cu 4 puncte, iar ultima poziție,
    de Belgia, cu un punct. În semifinale, România va juca, pe 4 martie, în
    deplasare, cu Georgia, iar Portugalia se va confrunta, pe teren propriu, cu
    Spania.


    În turneul WTA 500 de la Dubai, dotat cu premii de aproape 2.800.000 de
    dolari, Irina Begu a fost învinsă, duminică, în primul tur, de Barbora
    Krejcikova. Jucătoarea cehă s-a impus în două seturi, cu 6-4, 6-2. Pentru
    prezența în primul tur al concursului,Begu va primi un cec de 12.848 de dolari
    şi un punct WTA.


    În weekend au avut loc jocuri contând pentru etapa a 26-a a campionatului
    Superligii române de fotbal. Cele două partide care s-au disputat vineri s-au
    terminat egal: Chindia Târgoviște cu Universitatea Cluj – 2 la 2 și CS Mioveni
    cu Rapid București – 0 la 0. La fel s-a încheiat și jocul derulat sâmbătă, la
    Sibiu, între Hermannstadt și UTA Arad, 0 la 0, după care, la Ovidiu, Farul
    Constanța a trecut cu 2-0 de Petrolul Ploiești. Duminică, la Cluj, CFR a dispus
    de FC Argeș cu 3-1, apoi, la București, jocul dintre FCSB și Universitatea
    Craiova s-a încheiat cu scorul de 1 la 1. Luni, ultimele două întâlniri ale
    etapei: FC Botoșani cu Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe și FC U Craiova cu FC Voluntari. În
    clasament conduce Farul, cu 55 de puncte. Urmează CFR, cu 53.


  • February 17, 2022

    February 17, 2022

    Covid RO — In Romania, the number of Covid-19 cases is dropping for the 5th consecutive day, while the number of deaths remains quite high, according to partial data announced on Thursday by the authorities. Today, 15,374 cases have been reported alongside 125 deaths, 3 of which are from previous days. Almost 1,120 people are in ICUs. In another move, on Wednesday, almost 7,500 people were vaccinated against Covid in 24 hours, of whom a little over 1,200 with the first dose and almost 4,000 with the booster dose – the National Vaccination Committee announced. The National Public Health Institute reports that between February 7 and 13, 50.6% of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in unvaccinated persons.



    Statistics — The National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis has revised downwards to 4.3% Romania’s economic growth forecast for this year, compared to 4.6% as previously estimated, given the inflation shock of the last quarter of last year and the 5th wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The Commission also points out that it did not take into account the outbreak of a conflict caused by geopolitical tensions on the border with Ukraine. At the same time, the agricultural year 2022 does not start under good auspices, but with drought, and with very high prices for fertilizers and energy, the Romanian Corn Producers Association representatives announced. Last year, the Romanian economy grew by 5.6%.



    Summit — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis is today participating in Brussels in the 6th EU-African Union Summit (EU-AU), focusing on re-launching Europes relations with Africa. During the two days of the summit, the participants will discuss the way the two continents can generate greater prosperity, the purpose of the meeting being to launch an ambitious Africa-Europe investment package in the context of global challenges. President Klaus Iohannis will highlight Romanias constant efforts aimed at achieving the common EU-AU objectives, focused on peace, security and good governance, support for the private sector and economic integration, sustainable economic development through education, culture and vocational training, climate change and energy transition, health systems and vaccine production. The Romanian president intends to give a new impetus to Romanias traditional ties with the African states, and also to reconsolidate Romanias profile as a development assistance donor, especially in the field of education.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is playing today against the Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinal of the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai which has total prizes up for grabs worth 770,000 dollars. Halep defeated another Romanian player Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the round of 16, score 6-3, 6-2, and Jabeur passed the American Jessica Pegula, 6-3, 6-1. Halep (23 WTA) and Jabeur (10 WTA) have played against each other twice so far, the score being equal, 1-1. The Romanian is for the 4th time in the quarterfinal of this tournament, which she won in 2015 and 2020.



    NATO — The Romanian defense minister Vasile Dîncu is participating today as well in the two-day meeting of his counterparts from NATO member states which is unfolding at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Today, the Allies will have a meeting with their partners from Georgia and Ukraine, when they will express their political support for these two aspiring states. Yesterday, on the sidelines of the meeting, the Romanian minister discussed with his counterparts from Turkey and Norway, focusing on the tense security situation in the Black Sea region, in the context of the significant mobilization of Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders. The Romanian official underlined the importance of maintaining unity and cohesion at the Alliance level and of continuing efforts to strengthen the deterrence and defense posture on the eastern flank. Minister Vasile Dîncu hailed the excellent relations between Romania and Turkey, a strategic partner of our country, with a special role in the regional security architecture. The agenda of talks with the Norwegian counterpart focused on bilateral military cooperation. (LS)

  • 15/02/2022 (mise à jour)

    15/02/2022 (mise à jour)

    Covid — Sur la toile de fond d’une tendance à la baisse des cas de contamination au coronavirus et du nombre de patients en soins intensifs, les autorités roumaines étudient une future levée des restrictions qui sera toutefois conditionnée par plusieurs critères. Pour l’instant il n’y a pas de calendrier pour l’allègement des restrictions, a précisé le ministre de la Santé, Alexandru Rafila. Mardi, la Roumanie a rapporté près de 22 000 cas d’infection confirmés en 24 h et 204 décès, dont 9 antérieurs à l’intervalle mentionné. Mardi encore, 1 155 malades de Covid étaient en soins intensifs.



    UE — Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, participe mercredi, à Paris, à l’invitation de son homologue français, Emmanuel Macron, à un dîner de travail informel consacré à la situation au Sahel. Jeudi et vendredi, le chef de l’Etat roumain participera au 6e Sommet UE – Union africaine (UA), organisé à Bruxelles. Selon l’Administration présidentielle, à cette occasion, Klaus Iohannis doit mettre en évidence les efforts constants de la Roumanie pour l’accomplissement des objectifs communs UE-UA, des objectifs fondés sur la paix, la sécurité et la bonne gouvernance, qui visent à soutenir le milieu privé et l’intégration économique, tout comme le développement économique durable via l’éducation, la culture et la formation professionnelle, sans oublier le financement de la croissance économique et durable, les changements climatiques, la transition énergétique, la santé et la production de vaccins. En marge du sommet UE-UA, le président roumain doit s’entretenir aussi avec la cheffe du Parlement européen, Roberta Metsola.



    Défense — Le ministre roumain de la Défense, Vasile Dîncu, participera, mercredi et jeudi, à la réunion de ses homologues des Etats membres de l’OTAN, qui aura lieu au Quartier général de l’Alliance de Bruxelles. Selon le ministère de la Défense, la réunion constitue un repère important pour ce qui est des décisions qui seront adoptées par les leaders des Etats alliés au Sommet de Madrid, qui aura lieu les 29 et 30 juin. Les débats aborderont notamment la situation sécuritaire engendrée par le comportement agressif de la Russie dans le voisinage du flanc est de l’OTAN et ses implications pour la sécurité transatlantique. Egalement à l’agenda — les aspects relatifs à la continuation du processus d’adaptation de la posture de dissuasion et de défense de l’Alliance aux nouvelles conditions au niveau sécuritaire, indique un communiqué du ministère roumain de la Défense. En marge de la réunion, le dignitaire roumain prendra part à la cérémonie de signature de la lettre d’adhésion de la Roumanie au projet de l’OTAN Air Battle Decisive Munitions (ABDM), développé par la Division d’investissements pour la défense de l’Alliance (IS-DI).




    Energie — Le premier ministre roumain, Nicolae Ciucă, a participé, à Bucarest, à la réunion du Comité interministériel dans le domaine de l’énergie, afin d’examiner la série de mesures censées contribuer à protéger la population et l’économie des effets de la hausse des prix de l’énergie et du gaz. Dans ce contexte, la solution de simplification des procédures de décompte des factures aux fournisseurs a été présentée, et elle entrera en vigueur après sa publication au Journal officiel. Selon un communiqué du gouvernement, la collecte de propositions avancées par les partenaires de dialogue social et les autorités responsables se poursuivra, et la semaine prochaine, les rencontres pour discuter des solutions reprendront.



    Diplomatie — La Roumanie et le Canada partagent des points de vue similaires concernant la situation de sécurité inquiétante à proximité de l’Ukraine et de la région de la mer Noire. Les deux pays estiment qu’il est nécessaire de poursuivre les démarches en vue de la désescalade, lit-on dans un communiqué du ministère des AE de Bucarest, publié suite à l’entretien téléphonique entre le chef de la diplomatie roumaine, Bogdan Aurescu, avec son homologue canadienne Mélanie Joly. Les deux responsables ont salué les mesures concrètes prises par l’OTAN et les Etats alliés, qui indiquent l’engagement collectif ferme en faveur de la sécurité des alliés se trouvant sur le flanc est de l’OTAN.



    DNA — La Direction nationale anticorruption (DNA) de Roumanie estime que le projet qui supprime la Section d’investigation des infractions dans le domaine de la justice adopté par le gouvernement n’est pas un progrès vers une lutte efficace contre la corruption de haut niveau. Bien au contraire, cela entraîne la perte des ressources et des compétences en matière de poursuites pénales et favorise la perpétuation de la non-spécialisation des procureurs, qui seront en charge de cas de corruption qui concernent les magistrats. Dans un communiqué, le Parquet anticorruption de Roumanie affirme encore qu’une seule structure, soit ladite Section qui sera bientôt supprimée, sera remplacée par 16 structures différentes du ministère Public. De l’avis de la DNA, la manière de sélectionner des procureurs qui seront en charge des cas visant les magistrats est, à son tour, de nature à compromettre la perspective d’avoir des enquêtes professionnelles et efficaces.



    Tennis — Ce mardi, au tournoi WTA 500 de Dubaï, la Roumaine Gabriela Ruse (n° 59 WTA), arrivée par qualifications, s’est imposée au premier tour face à Paula Badosa d’Espagne, 3e favorite de la compétition et n° 5 mondiale. Sa prochaine adversaire sera sa compatriote, Simona Halep (23e mondiale) et championne à Dubaï en 2015 et 2020. Celle-ci a vaincu lundi au premier tour l’Américaine Alison Riske. Simona Halep a aussi gagné tous ses matchs contre Gabriela Ruse. Mardi encore, la joueuse de tennis roumaine Irina Begu (n° 54 WTA) s’est inclinée, après deux heures de jeu, devant l’Ukrainienne Daîana Iastremska (n° 145 WTA), venue des qualifications, au premier tour du tournoi WTA 500 de Dubaï.


  • February 15, 2022

    February 15, 2022

    Covid Ro — Romania is considering lifting the anti-Covid restrictions according to certain criteria, such as the drop in the number of new cases of infection, and in the number of patients in intensive care, the health minister Alexandru Rafila announced. He said, however, that there was no timetable for relaxation. The Romanian authorities have reported today almost 22,000 new COVID-19 cases out of 91,500 tests in 24 hours, and 204 deaths, 9 of which from previous days. 1,155 patients are in ICUs.



    Energy — The Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca is today chairing a meeting of the Inter-ministerial Committee for Energy, to later participate in a working meeting with officials in the field. Last Wednesday, the prime minister had a similar meeting with several ministers, in which they assessed the measures necessary to protect the population and the business environment from the effects of rising electricity and gas prices. On Monday, the Romanian government adopted a financial scheme that will help the local authorities to get through the winter months, when they received high energy bills.



    Ukraine — The Russian troops deployed for several weeks near the border with Ukraine have started returning to their garrisons, the Russian Defense Ministry officials have announced today amid Western fears of an imminent military operation. According to AFP, the announcement is the first sign from Moscow in this crisis with the West, which has lasted since the end of 2021. Since December, Russia has deployed more than 100,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border, raising fears in Kiev over an imminent invasion of that country. Moscow has always denied any intention to start a war, but has asked for guarantees for its security, such as the promise that Ukraine will never join NATO, which the West has refused to do. The announcement of the troops’ withdrawal comes ahead of talks scheduled for today in Moscow between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as part of the efforts to deescalate the situation on the Ukrainian border. On Monday, in Kiev, the German chancellor had called on Russia to take advantage of the dialogue offers meant to defuse the crisis and at the same time gave assurances that Germany would resolutely continue its economic aid and support for Ukraine. In turn, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky declared February 16 as a day of “unity” against the backdrop of US warnings of a possible imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine at this time. The West has repeatedly warned Moscow of unprecedented sanctions if it attacks Ukraine, and the US and several other countries have deployed new forces in Eastern Europe.



    Talks — Romania and Canada have similar views on the worrying security situation in the vicinity of Ukraine and the Black Sea region and on the need to continue action towards de-escalation, shows a communiqué of the Romanian Foreign Ministry, after Monday’s telephone conversation between the Romanian FM, Bogdan Aurescu, and his Canadian counterpart, Mélanie Joly. The two ministers welcomed the concrete measures taken within NATO and together with the allied states, which prove the solidity of the collective commitment towards the security of the allies on NATO’s eastern flank.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (54 WTA) was defeated by Ukrainian Daiana Iastremska in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, today, in the first round of the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, which has total prizes up for grabs worth almost 770 thousand dollars. Begu, a semi-finalist in St. Petersburg last week, was defeated after two hours of play. Also today, another Romanian, Gabriela Ruse (59 WTA), coming from the qualification rounds, plays against Paula Badosa (Spain), 3rd seed and 5th in the world. The winner of this match will face in the eighth finals the best ranked Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep (23 WTA). A champion in Dubai in 2015 and 2020, Halep defeated, on Monday, in the first round, in two sets, the American Alison Riske. (LS)