Radio România Internațional

Tag: European Weightlifting Championships

Medals for Romanian athletes

Several European competitions are scheduled
for April, and Romanian delegations have grabbed very good results and actually
scooped a number of medals. Most medals were grabbed at the European
Weightlifting Championships hosted by Yerevan, Armenia. Although the
competition is scheduled to end on April 23, Romanian athletes have already won
11 medals, six of which are gold. On Saturday, in the 49-kg category, Mihaela
Cambei won gold in the snatch event with 92 kilograms, in clean and jerk with
106 kilograms and in total with 198 kilograms. She also set two new European
records in the snatch and total events. Also on Saturday, in the 45-kg
category, Cosmina Pană won two silver medals, in the snatch and total events.
The best results that day were grabbed by Andreea Cotruța, who represented
Romania in the 55-kg category. Our athlete won gold in the snatch event with 91
kilograms, in the clean and jerk event with 110 kilograms, missing one attempt
in each event, and won the total event with 201 kilograms. Also on Sunday, in
the men’s competition, Valentin Iancu won bronze in the snatch event and silver
in the clean and jerk and total events in the 55-kg category. On Wednesday, the
several-time world and European champion Loredana Toma will compete in the
71-kg category. The objective set for the Romanian delegation was four medals.
It’s also worth mentioning that the World Championships in Yerevan is one of
the five competitions Romanian athletes can choose to take part in if they want
to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. All weightlifters must compete in at
least three out of the five events.

Our Romanian gymnasts also have their eyes
set on the Olympic Games to be hosted by France next year, as last weekend they
competed in the European Championships hosted by Antalya, Turkey. The men’s
team ranked 11 in the team event, while the women’s team ranked 5, which
guarantees qualification to the World Championships to be hosted this autumn by
Antwerp, Belgium. This event will decide which teams will qualify to the
Olympic Games. It’s worth noting in this respect that Romania has qualified to
the gymnastics event at the Olympic Games since 2012. In the latest European
Championships in Turkey, Sabrina Voinea won bronze in the floor event and
ranked 4th in the vault final. In the men’s competition, Gabriel
Burtănete ranked 4th in
the vault final, while Andrei Muntean ranked 4th in the parallel
bars event. (VP)

18 April 2023
April 16, 2023 UPDATE

Easter. In Romania, Orthodox (majority) and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrated on Sunday the Resurrection of Jesus, the biggest holiday in the Christian calendar. On Saturday, at midnight, believers received the holy light from the priests and listened to the evangelical account of the Resurrection in front of churches. In his sermon, Patriarch Daniel of the Orthodox Church explained how the Resurrection of the Lord gave a new orientation to the Christians life and a new meaning to death. “The source of joy and peace in a Christians life is their connection with the Crucified and Resurrected Christ, that is why on Easter we should not be sad, but rejoice”, said Patriarch Daniel.

Protests. Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv again on Saturday evening to protest against the justice reform desired by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the demonstrators consider an attack on democracy, FP reports. Smaller demonstrations also took place in other Israeli cities. Since the announcement of the controversial reform project in early January, tens of thousands of Israelis have gathered every week to protest it. Prime Minister Netanyahu announced on March 27 a break to give a chance to dialogue, after the start of a general strike and the emergence of tensions within the government majority. The government claims that the reform aims, among other things, to rebalance the powers by reducing the prerogatives of the Supreme Court, which the executive considers politicized, for the benefit of Parliament. Critics of the reform believe, on the contrary, that it risks opening the way to an authoritarian drift, AFP also reports.

Electricity. Romanians consumed less electricity in the first two months of this year compared to the same period in 2022, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics. The decrease was more than 18%. Businesses also consumed less, by 3%, and public lighting was reduced by more than a quarter. INS reports that in January and February the production in hydropower plants increased by almost a third compared to the beginning of last year. Wind energy production increased, but the production of nuclear energy slightly decreased. The National Institute of Statistics has also announced that Romanias oil production dropped by almost 4% in the first two months of the year, as compared to the similar period of 2022. Oil imports, on the other hand, went up by 5%.

G7. The G7 Energy and Environment Ministers set on Sunday the goal of reducing the C02 emissions of motor vehicles by at least 50% by 2035, compared to the levels of 2000. The goal appears in a Joint Declaration adopted at the end of the two-day meeting that took place in Sapporo (northern Japan), and which focused on accelerating efforts to combat climate change. The measure is part of the global goal of reaching net zero emissions in the automotive sector by 2050. This will require key industry actions in all countries, including measures already implemented by the G7 members to achieve 100% electric vehicle sales by 2035.

Gymnastics. On Sunday, the Romanian athlete Sabrina Maneca-Voinea won the bronze medal in the floor final of the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antalya (Turkey). The Romanian was overtaken by the British Jessica Gadirova, who won gold, and Alice Kinsella, silver medalist. Romania has achieved its goals at the European Championships in Antalya, including team qualification for the World Championships.

Weightlifting. Romanian athlete Valentin Ionadi Iancu won one silver and two bronze medals, on Sunday, in the 55 kg category of the European Weightlifting Championships in Erevan, Armenia. Iancu won the bronze in the snatch event, lifting 109 kg. In the throw, he won the silver, with 136 kg, just like the Georgian bronze medalist Ramini Shamilishvili. Iancu took the bronze overall, with 245 kg. Romania aims to win four medals at the European Championships in Yerevan, which is a qualifier for the Olympic Games due in Paris in 2024. (MI)

16 April 2023
April 16, 2023

Easter. In Romania, Orthodox (majority) and Greek-Catholic Christians celebrate today the Resurrection of Jesus, the biggest holiday in the Christian calendar. On Saturday, at midnight, belivers received the holy light from the priests and listened to the evangelical account of the Resurrection in front of churches. In his sermon, Patriarch Daniel of the Orthodox Church explained how the Resurrection of the Lord gave a new orientation to the Christians life and a new meaning to death. “The source of joy and peace in a Christians life is their connection with the Crucified and Resurrected Christ, that is why on Easter we should not be sad, but rejoice”, said Patriarch Daniel.

Protests. Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv again on Saturday evening to protest against the justice reform desired by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which the demonstrators consider an attack on democracy, FP reports. Smaller demonstrations also took place in other Israeli cities. Since the announcement of the controversial reform project in early January, tens of thousands of Israelis have gathered every week to protest it. Prime Minister Netanyahu announced on March 27 a break to give a chance to dialogue, after the start of a general strike and the emergence of tensions within the government majority. The government claims that the reform aims, among other things, to rebalance the powers by reducing the prerogatives of the Supreme Court, which the executive considers politicized, for the benefit of Parliament. Critics of the reform believe, on the contrary, that it risks opening the way to an authoritarian drift, AFP also reports.

Electricity. Romanians consumed less electricity in the first two months of this year compared to the same period in 2022, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics. The decrease was more than 18%. Businesses also consumed less, by 3%, and public lighting was reduced by more than a quarter. INS reports that in January and February the production in hydropower plants increased by almost a third compared to the beginning of last year. Wind energy production increased, but the production of nuclear energy slightly decreased.

G7. The G7 Energy and Environment Ministers set on Sunday the goal of reducing the C02 emissions of motor vehicles by at least 50% by 2035, compared to the levels of 2000. The goal appears in a Joint Declaration adopted at the end of the two-day meeting that took place in Sapporo (northern Japan), and which focused on accelerating efforts to combat climate change. The measure is part of the global goal of reaching net zero emissions in the automotive sector by 2050. This will require key industry actions in all countries, including measures already implemented by the G7 members to achieve 100% electric vehicle sales by 2035.

Tennis. In Koper, in Slovenia, the doubles match between the womens tennis teams of Romania and Slovenia is taking place today, interrupted on Saturday due to rain. It is the decisive match for the qualification for the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup competition. After the singles matches, the score is equal, 2-2. The doubles match between the pairs Irina Bara/Monica Niculescu and Kaja Juvan/Tamara Zidansek was interrupted at the score of 3-3. The only direct match between the two teams took place in 2000 and was won by Slovenia 3-0, in Spain, in Group I of the Europe/Africa zone.

Weightlifting. On Saturday evening, Romanian athlete Mihaela Cambei won three gold medals in the 49 kg. category at the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan (Armenia). Cambei won in the snatch with 92 kg, in the throw with 106 kg, and in total with 198 kg. She also set two new European records, in snatch and total. Romania aims to win four medals at the European Games in Yerevan, which are qualifiers for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Weather. The Romanian National Meteorological Administration has issued an information of quantitatively moderate rains and wind intensifications, valid in almost all of Romania, from Sunday noon to Monday morning. In this interval, rains, especially in the form of showers, accompanied in some places by thunder storms, will be expanding from the south to most of the country. ANM reports that for most of next week there will be periods of showers in most areas. The highs of the day range between 13 and 22 degrees centigrade, with a 17 degree reading in Bucharest at noon. (MI)

16 April 2023
April 4, 2021 UPDATE

Visit. On Sunday, the
Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu held talks in Amman with
his counterpart, Ayman Safadi. The talks focused on boosting bilateral
relations. The Romania – Jordan treaty
on extradition and the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the
justice ministries of the two countries were signed. An intergovernmental
agreement on cooperation in disaster prevention, limitation and elimination was
also concluded. The two diplomats highlighted the potential for developing
bilateral cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, construction, energy, defense,
IT and addressed ways to increase the volume of economic exchanges and
investments, according to an MFA statement. Bogdan Aurescu also appreciated the
close partnership between Romania and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the
field of education, which plays an important role in strengthening the ties
between the two countries. With more than 13,000 Jordanian graduates of
Romanian universities, Minister Aurescu expressed satisfaction that many of
them currently hold leadership positions in the Jordanian public
administration. Regarding the Middle East Peace Process, Aurescu reiterated
Romania’s traditional option for a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, to
coexist in peace and security, and stressed the need for direct dialogue
between the parties.

Covid-19RO. Over 4,150 new
cases of COVID-19 were reported on Sunday in Romania, most of them in
Bucharest. 97 deaths associated with the new coronavirus and 1,500 patients in intensive
care were also reported. So far, 974 thousand people have been infected and
24,000 have died in Romania. The Minister of Health, Vlad Voiculescu,
announced, after a meeting with hospital directors, that there were over 160
children with COVID-19 in hospitals, 16
of them in intensive care. He also said he would take steps to rethink medical
flows and focus all efforts on caring for the Covid-19 patients, and stated
that Covid-19 non-related emergencies would
be directed to hospitals that had not previously provided emergency services.
The capital and 13 counties are in the red zone, with over 3 cases per thousand
inhabitants in the last 14 days. The highest incidence is registered in Ilfov
county, 9.08. In areas where the incidence is higher than four cases per
thousand inhabitants, the movement of people on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
is allowed only until 8 p.m., not until 10 p.m. as in the rest of the week. Also,
on these days, the shops close at 6 p.m..The measures become valid also during
the week if the incidence rate exceeds 7.5 cases per thousand inhabitants.

Vaccination. The national
vaccination campaign continues in Romania, with some 50 thousand doses
administered daily. So far, more than 2 million people have been vaccinated, and
half of them have received the second jab. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has
announced that Romania is in the process of selection at European level for the
production of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, and one of the companies in our country will
be evaluated by the European Commission’s task force for the development of
vaccines against COVID-19. The Minister of Defense, Nicolae Ciucă, has announced
that, from April 5, 15 new anti-COVID-19 vaccination centers will be opened, for
both military and civilians. In another development, the new list of countries
with high epidemiological risk has been updated. According to the National
Committee for Emergency Situations, the list includes countries such as
Bulgaria, Italy, France, Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Turkey, the Republic of Moldova and Poland, but also Brazil and
South Africa.

NATO. NATO Day is
celebrated in Romania every year, on the first Sunday of April. The North
Atlantic Alliance, together with the EU and the Strategic Partnership with the
United States, ensures the strongest protection that Romania has benefited in
its entire history, against any threat to its national security, the Minister
of National Defense, Nicolae Ciuca said on the occasion. He also mentioned that the Romanian troops were
already in Afghanistan and Kosovo when Romania was invited to join the Alliance
and, when our country became a member of NATO, in 2004, Romanian military present in Iraq, on another difficult mission. For Romania, NATO has been and
continues to be the main guarantor and the fundamental pillar of national
defense and security, Prime Minister Florin Cîtu stated in his turn. He also
said that Romania has an active and significant contribution to Allied missions
and operations, as well as a distinct and active role in shaping NATO policies
and decisions, including measures to strengthen the deterrence and defense
posture.

Weightlifting. Romanian athlete
Monica Suneta Csengeri has won three gold medals in the 49 kg category, at the
European Weightlifting Championships in Moscow. Csengeri (CSM Bistrita) won the
snatch event with 86 kg, the clean and jerk with 103 kg, and in the total she
won with 189 kg. Mihaela Valentina Cambei won silver in the jerk event and
bronze for total, with 180 kg. In the men’s events, Valentin Iancu won two
silver medals. (MI)

4 April 2021
April 3, 2017

BORDER POLICE — The Romanian border police announced it would strengthen border control checks starting Friday. The documents of all people crossing the border will be cross-checked in national and international databases, therefore the authorities expect waiting times to spike. According to a press release, on April 7 the authorities will implement an amendment brought to the Schengen Borders Code, adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council, aimed at improving the security of the EU and its citizens. The Romanian border police says all measures have been taken to reduce waiting times and ensure functional border checks and is making efforts to ensure a balance between the security of citizens and border crossing flows.

DECREES — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis today signed the two decrees for the appointment of the Ministers of the Environment and for Liaison with Parliament respectively. The swearing-in ceremony is due to take placer later today. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, a junior coalition partner in the Government led by Social-Democrat Sorin Grindeanu, nominated Gratiela Gavrilescu for the position of Environment Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Replacing Gavrilescu as the new Minister for Liaison with Parliament will be Viorel Ilie, also nominated by the Liberals and Democrats. One week ago the party leadership decided to withdraw political support for the party co-president, Daniel Constantin, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Environment, amidst tensions between him and the other co-president, Senate Speaker Calin Popescu-Tarcieanu.

FAC — Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu is today taking part in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Luxembourg. The main topics on the agenda are Syria, Yemen and Libya. Talks will be held in presence of Arab League Secretary General Aboul Gheit. In addition, the meeting of the Group for Moldova’s European Action will be held on the sidelines of the meeting, at the initiative of Romania and France.

ELECTION IN SERBIA — The acting Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday won the presidential election in Serbia. According to the Serbian Election Commission, Vucic grabbed over 55% of the vote, while the runner-up, current Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic, won only 15% of the vote. Seen as the new strongman of Serbian politics, Vucic is an ultranationalist turned pro-European Democrat. He pledged to support Serbia’s efforts to join the EU as well as maintain privileged relations with Russia. EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Johannes Hahn, has congratulated the president elect, whom he called a partner and a friend.

MILITARY EXERCISE — Three Romanian warships carrying 200 military onboard and three Turkish warships are taking part in the “Starfish” bilateral military exercise. The exercise is aimed at increasing interoperability between Romanian and Turkish naval forces. While docking in the port of Constanta, the Turkish military will also bring floral tributes to the Cemetery of Turkish War Heroes in Slobozia, southern Romania, and will visit the Museum of the Romanian Navy.

VAT — Tourism Minister Mircea Titus Dobre today said he would submit the necessary documents to the Finance Ministry with a view to cutting VAT to 9% for travel agencies. The Minister says the move will encourage local travel agencies and hopes for the price of travel packages to drop. Minister Dobre has warned it might take a while before travel agencies will benefit from the VAT slash, as the European Commission must sanction the move.

PROTESTS — The Moscow Police on Sunday arrested 30 people taking part in an anticorruption rally, the latest after last week’s large-scale protests. Radio Romania’s correspondent reports that opposition leader Aleksei Navalny, the organizer of last week’s protests, who was already placed under 15-day arrest for resisting arrest, says he is in no way connected to the latest protest. According to the Police, a thousand people protested on Sunday as compared to the nearly 100,000 people who protested on March 26. On Friday, several dozen Romanians protested before the Russian Embassy building in Bucharest, as a token of solidarity with the anticorruption protests in Russia.

ICE HOCKEY — Romania’s national hockey team on Monday is playing Belgium in Group A, second division, at the World Championship hosted by Galati, southeastern Romania. On Tuesday Romania will play Serbia, Iceland on Thursday, Australia on Friday and Spain on Sunday. Last year in Zagreb, Romania ranked last in Group B, first division, and was relegated to Group A, second division.

WEIGHTLIFTING — Monica Csengeri and Elena Ramona Andries of Romania won five medals on Sunday, of which one gold, at the European Weightlifting Championships in Split, Croatia. In the 48 kg category in the snatch event, Csengeri won gold while Andries grabbed bronze. In the clean and jerk event, Csengeri won silver. In the combined total event, Csengeri won silver while Andries got bronze. Romania’s delegation at the European Championships totals 13 athletes. (Translated by V. Palcu)

3 April 2017