Radio România Internațional

Tag: gold

  • February 21, 2025 UPDATE

    February 21, 2025 UPDATE

    UKRAINE The interim president of Romania Ilie Bolojan takes part on Monday in an online summit on ‘Defence and Security Strategy of Unity. Action Plan’, organised in the neighbouring Russia-invaded Ukraine, the Romanian presidency announced. On Wednesday, Bolojan took part in a meeting on Ukraine and the security challenges in Europe in Paris. The interim president stated that participants in the meeting in Paris concluded that the best way to solve the crisis is collaboration between European countries and the United States of America, so that there is a ceasefire and a just peace, which cannot be achieved without the participation of Ukraine and the European Union in the negotiations.

     

    VISIT The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that the talks held on Friday in Brussels with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, focused on Romania’s key priorities. Marcel Ciolacu mentioned stepping up the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, cutting down the budget deficit without increasing the VAT, and electoral security. “We also discussed a tax reform. The VAT is not being increased, nor will the flat tax rate be touched,” Mr. Ciolacu added. He mentioned that the talks also covered Europe’s role in the peace negotiations, emphasising that “Romania must be at the table. A strong European Union means a stronger Romania! Stronger together, the EU and Romania,” Marcel Ciolacu concluded.

     

    ELECTIONS The Romanian government has approved a budget of roughly EUR 240 million for the organisation of the presidential elections on May 4 and 18. The money comes from the budget reserve funds made available to the government and included in the 2025 state budget, reads a news release issued by the government. The presidential election will take place in May after a first round held in December was cancelled under a Constitutional Court ruling which mentioned interference in the election process.

     

    TALKS The president of France Emmanuel Macron will be in Washington on Monday to discuss with his US counterpart Donald Trump the Ukraine peace negotiations that the Americans have begun with the Russians in the absence of the Europeans and Ukrainians. Since the beginning of the week, the French president has been holding a marathon of consultations with leaders of European Union and NATO member countries. He launched these consultations in an attempt to make Europe’s voice heard, as Europe cannot be left aside after all its political and material involvement in supporting Ukraine over the past three years, since Russia launched a war of aggression against its neighbour.

     

    THEFT The Dutch police have announced they apprehended a 26 year-old man, who has become the fourth suspect in the theft of the Romanian ancient artefacts from the Drents Museum in Assen. According to police sources, the artefacts have not been recovered yet. On January 25, 4 extremely valuable golden items, part of Romania’s treasure on display at the Drents Museum, were stolen. The museum was hosting an exhibition entitled “Dacia, the Kingdom of gold and silver”, which was supposed to close a day before the robbery. (AMP)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The week that passed brought Romania three fresh titles in the Paris Olympics. The first was won by swimmer David Popovici in the 200 meter freestyle race who completed his prize closet with a bronze medal that he won on Wednesday in the 100 meter race.

    Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache walked away with gold from the men’s double scull race on Thursday, while Simona Radis and Ancuta Bodnar became silver medalists in the women’s similar race.

    Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel became silver medalists in the women’s coxless pair on Friday and so did Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc in the lightweight women’s double scull race. The third Olympic title was reaped by the Romanian women’s eight on Saturday.

    Hammer thrower, Bianca Ghelber, qualified for the competition’s finals on Sunday. She competed in the qualifiers’ Group A, which she ended in the fifth position with a throw measuring 71 meters and 42 centimeters, the eleventh result of the contest. The best performance belonged to Krista Tervo of Finland, 74 meters and 79 centimeters. The Olympics in Paris have been the fourth edition for the 34 years-old Ghelber, who came sixth in the finals in Tokyo. She ranked 17th in London in 2012 and failed to qualify for the finals in Beijing in 2008.

    The competition’s final event is on Tuesday. We recall that athletes from Romania haven’t obtained an Olympic medal since 2008 when Constantina Diţă got gold in the marathon race.

    The latest from football now.

    Last weekend saw the matches of the fourth leg of Romania’s Football Superleague.

    On Friday, Otelul Galati clinched a 1-0 home win against Hermannstadt, while Dinamo Bucharest, on their own turf, outperformed Gloria Buzau 4-1

    On Saturday, Farul Constanta secured a 2-0 home win against Poli Iasi.

    Universitatea Craiova ended in a goaless draw their home match against Petrolul Ploieşti, then in a derby of the city of Cluj, Universitatea secured a 3-2 win against CFR. The leg’s last matches are due on Monday when Unirea Slobozia plays UTA Arad and Rapid Bucureşti takes on Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. FC Botoşani versus FCSB has been postponed.

    Oţelul presently tops the table with 10 points, followed by Universitatea Craiova and Universitatea Cluj, each with 8 points. On Tuesday, FCSB will be playing in the third preliminary round of the Champions League. The Romanians will be up against Czech side Sparta Praga.

    (bill)

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    OG 2024 – Romanian performance

    By Friday, August 2, during the first week of the Olympic Games in Paris, Romanian athletes won 6 medals – 2 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze. At the age of 19, swimmer David Popovici won the final of the 200-meter freestyle event, then won bronze in the 100-meter freestyle final. And rowing provided real moments of joy. Andrei Cornea and Marian Enache won the gold medals in men’s double rowing. Ancuța Bodnar and Simona Radiş also had a heroic race, ending with silver medals in women’s double rowing. Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel won the silver in the women’s double sculls, and Gianina van Groningen and Ionela Cozmiuc – also the silver – in the women’s double sculls, light category. We remind you that Romania’s team at the Olympic Games in the French capital, which will end on August 11, consists of 106 athletes competing in 18 sports disciplines.

    New Romanian sites on the UNESCO Heritage List

    The Monumental Ensemble ‘Way of Heroes’, made by Constantin Brâncuşi in Târgu Jiu, a city from his native region in the southwest of Romania, as well as the Borders of the Roman Empire – Dacia, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision was taken by the World Heritage Committee during its 46th session, held in India. The “Way of Heroes” is a sculptural ensemble erected between 1937 and 1938, consisting of the Endless Column, dedicated to the Romanian heroes who fell in the First World War in the region, the Kissing Gate, and the Table of Silence, surrounded by 12 round chairs, completed by 30 chairs with a square headboard, all placed directly on the ground, as a natural plinth. The ensemble represents a turning point in the history of modern art, especially monumental sculpture and public art. As for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia, this represents the most complex nomination for the World Heritage List prepared by Romania so far. The case file lists 285 elements scattered along more than 1,000 kilometers, in 16 counties of Romania. Romania has 9 more objectives included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

    Sex scandal in the Romanian university environment

    The Ministry of Education in Bucharest has asked for investigations to be made in universities regarding the cases of sexual harassment that have been in the headlines of the Romanian news for several days. The National Council of Rectors will make a Guide of good practices regarding behavior in the university environment . The measures were announced after several female students declared, in the public space, that they were sexually abused by their teachers, and that their behavior was known among the professional entourage of the respective teaching staff, but that no one took any action. Three names are heavily circulated – sociologists Alfred Bulai and Marius Pieleanu, both from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA), as well as professor Dorin Ştefan Adam from the University of Architecture in the Capital. Alfred Bulai denies the accusations, but submitted his request for retirement. SNSPA suspended him from the position of director of the Department of Sociology, he will no longer teach during the internal investigation by the Faculty’s Ethics Commission, and he has a criminal record for using his position for sexual purposes. Meanwhile, dozens of people sent emails to the Prosecutor’s Office about his behavior. Marius Pieleanu was accused of sexual harassment by Ana Birchall herself, former Minister of Justice, but the Public Prosecutor’s Office says that it has not received any notification in this case. In the end, Dorin Ştefan Adam asked to be suspended from teaching work at the School of Architecture, after female students claimed that he was sending them indecent messages and naked pictures of himself. On the other hand, the Control Corps of the Ministry of Culture will go to the National Art Museum of Romania, after receiving memos, including about actions that can be interpreted as sexual harassment. In Thursday’s Government meeting, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu emphasized that such situations cannot be tolerated, regardless of the name of the aggressor. The Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, spoke about possible measures being considered – among them, one that provides that reports be sent directly to prosecutors, even if they are anonymous. And the Minister of the Family, Natalia Intotero, urged all those who feel that there is pressure on them or harassment to not wait, and to notify the authorities immediately.

    Romanian firefighters on duty in Greece

    The requests from abroad addressed to Romanian firefighters are proof that the civil defense system works – declared the Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, on the occasion of the departure of a contingent of rescue workers to Greece. They have proven their ability to save lives, to protect communities, in the country and abroad – the official recalled. The current mission of the Romanian firefighters is carried out within the framework of the European Mechanism for Civil Protection, with European funding. A first contingent of 40 firefighters, accompanied by 8 technical devices, went to Greece to help the Greek authorities manage the situations caused by the fires. They will be replaced, after a few weeks, by two other batches of rescuers. The Romanian firefighters are requested for the 4th time in a row to send contingents to Greece.

  • Olympic Prospects

    Olympic Prospects

    A new edition of the Olympic Games is expected to kick off in the French capital Paris in less than 6 weeks.

    The last qualification contests are underway and the athletes who booked tickets for Paris are completing their training. 91 athletes from Romania have so far qualified for the Olympic Games. The latest qualified is the Stella Rutto, a Romanian athlete of Kenyan origin, who went fourth in the 3 thousand meter hurdles at the recent championships in Rome, where she ended the race in 9 minutes, 22 seconds and 36 hundredths, a fresh personal record on the aforementioned distance.

    Joan Chelimo Melly got the only medal for Romania, silver in the half-marathon race, which is also a record for Romania. This Kenyan athlete is one of Romania’s runners in the Olympic marathon competition in Paris. Another Kenyan athlete, Delvine Meringor will also compete for Romania in Paris.

    Romanian sports fans have also pinned their hopes on their canoe sprinters. Last week at the European Kayak-Canoe Championships in Szeged, Hungary, Romanian Catalin Chirila clinched the European title in the one thousand meter canoe race, which is also an Olympic event.

    Romania hasn’t had a favourite canoe sprinter since Ivan Patzaichin, who reaped the Olympic gold in Munich, in 1972.

    Rowing is another Olympic discipline where Romania might have something to say in Paris as its athletes walked away with eight medals, four gold, two silver and two bronze, from the European championship in April. Our women’s eight stepped onto the podium’s highest step, as well as our male and female light double sculls, and women’s coxless pair. Silver went to the men’s pairs and the women’s four. The rowing events in Paris will be attended by 45 athletes from Romania.

    (bill)

  • Roșia Montană, a win for Romania

    Roșia Montană, a win for Romania

    At the end of a 9-year long litigation, Romania has won the Roşia Montană case tried by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes in Washington (ICSID) against the Canadian company Gabriel Resources.

     

    Under the ruling, Romania will not have to pay billions of Euros in compensations, while the plaintiffs are bound to cover some of the court fees and the arbitration costs, up to around EUR 2.4 million.

     

    The complicated story of the Roşia Montană case started 25 years ago, when the Canadian corporation won a contract for the processing of gold deposits in central Romania, and obtained a gold mining license. This was a huge project, as research indicated the Roşia Montană deposits, the largest in Europe, reached 323 tonnes of gold and over 1,600 tonnes of silver.

     

    More than 10 years later, in 2013, the Government gave the green light for the works in Roşia Montană, but under the pressure of protests against the possible use of cyanide in the mining process, Parliament dismissed the project.

     

    Another 4 years on, Romania applied for UNESCO Heritage protection for the mining community in the region, and the procedure ended in 2021, when the exceptional universal value of the Roșia Montană site was officially recognised, based on 4 out of the 6 cultural criteria listed in the World Heritage Convention.

     

    Underneath the 4 Roşia Montanǎ massifs there are over 150 km of mines, including the largest Roman-era gold mining complex known today (7 km), a vast 17th-18th Century gunpowder mining system (10 km), and contemporary (19th-20th Century) dynamite mining galleries (53 km). The UNESCO Heritage listing meant the definitive closure of any mining works in the region.

     

    Claiming they had incurred huge losses for not being able to implement their mining license, the Canadian firm Gabriel Resources called Romania before the World Bank’s arbitration court, demanding nearly USD 6.7 bln in compensations.

     

    “After many years of disputes and debates, both political and legal, we are now at the moment of truth: Romania wins the case for Roşia Montanǎ, without penalties or damages, fighting and succeeding to protect the national heritage,” president Iohannis posted on social media, congratulating the teams of professionals involved in supporting Romania’s cause. (AMP)

  • July 9, 2023 UPDATE

    July 9, 2023 UPDATE

    DIICOT The situation in several old people’s homes close to
    Bucharest, where prosecutors had identified organized crime groups who were
    exploiting and mistreating old and disabled people was being analyzed by the
    Romanian government on Sunday. The country’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu,
    has summoned several ministers and officials in the field and has announced
    that inspections are to be carried out in all the foster centers for children,
    the elderly and disabled people across the country. The Prime Minister has
    asked for ‘zero tolerance for the crime groups who robbed those helpless
    people’ and has announced that jointly with the Minister of Justice he set the
    solution to this issue as a top priority. ‘What was happening in these ‘centers
    of horror’ have shown us the total dehumanization of some persons that I cannot
    call people.’ No resignations or dismissals have been announced. According to
    DIICOT prosecutors, besides the poor conditions offered, the victims were
    forced to do the most humiliating works. At the same time the abusers used to
    be announced beforehand by their accomplices in various state institutions
    about the upcoming inspections, allowing them to keep the abuses secret.
    According to DIICOT sources, in two years the crime ring under investigation
    managed to siphon off roughly 740 thousand Euros from several social assistance
    directions in Ilfov and Bucharest. Some of those involved have been placed in
    temporary custody for 30 days, whereas others are under house arrest or judicial
    control.






    SUMMIT Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis will be participating in
    the NATO summit in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, the presidential
    administration in Bucharest has announced. The summit is to include three
    high-level meetings of the North-Atlantic Council, in formats, which also
    include Ukraine, the European Union as well as NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners. At
    the summit, the Romanian president is expected to underline the fundamental
    importance of continuing the implementation of the Madrid decisions on
    strengthening the allied defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank.
    Iohannis will also reiterate the robust support for Ukraine, including its
    NATO’s accession, as well as for the most vulnerable partners, especially for
    the Republic of Moldova. According to the same sources, the head of the
    Romanian state will be also referring to the need for having the importance of
    the Black Sea region in the Euro-Atlantic security reflected in the allied
    documents and decisions. In Vilnius, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is
    expecting that most allies announce their commitment to increasing defence
    budgets to over 2% of the GDP starting next year. He said in Brussles that 11
    member countries, Romania included, had already fulfilled this commitment.








    FAIR The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair ended in Brasov,
    southern Romania on Sunday. During the five-day event, the almost 40 exhibitors
    put on displays thousands of books for all tastes and ages, music, educational
    games and self-development books. The event also included book launches,
    conferences and debates attended by local writers and not only by them. Adrian
    Lesenciuc, poet, prose and essay-writer as well as literary critic was the
    honorary president of the present edition.








    POLICE Romanian policemen last week enforced 19 European arrest
    warrants and 589 people, who are the subject of alerts in the Schengen
    Information System, have been located on Romania’s territory. According to a
    Romanian police communiqué, 30 documents and 45 vehicles sought by the Schengen
    partners have been seized in Romania to be used as evidence within legal
    procedures. At the same time, 199 people wanted by the Romanian authorities
    have been identified by foreign partners on their territory, the communiqué also
    says.






    MEDALS Romania won six medals on Sunday in the World Rowing Cup III
    in Lucerne, Switzerland: two gold, three silver and one bronze. In the medal
    ranking, Romania came third after Britain and the Netherlands. The Romanian
    women’s four and double scull became gold medalists in Lucerne.




    (bill)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

    The most important multi-sport
    event of the year has come to an end. The European Games hosted jointly by the
    city of Krakow and the region of Malopolska, brought together the best athletes
    of the continent who competed in 29 sport disciplines. Among the 7,000 participants,
    there were also 150 athletes from Romania who walked away from the
    aforementioned competition with 17 medals, 6 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze.




    Out of the all Romanian
    medalists, we have noticed the performance obtained by table tennis player Bernadette
    Szőcs, who won the first gold in the singles contest and then with the Romanian
    side in the teams’ competition. Together with Ovidiu Ionescu she also reaped
    bronze in the mixed doubles and for her performances in Poland, Radio Romania
    International has designated Bernadette Szőcs ‘Athlete of the Week’.




    Bernadette Szőcs was born on 5 March
    1995 in Târgu Mureş (central Transylvania)
    and took up tennis at the age of 8 with good results in cadets and juniors
    competitions. Bernadette won several medals in European and World competitions
    advancing quickly in international rankings.




    In 2010, demotivated by the lack
    of interest shown by the Romanian sports officials, Bernadette wanted to leave
    the country and compete for Norway but she eventually changed her mind. In 2016,
    at the European Championships in Budapest, she came third in the mixed doubles
    with Ovidiu Ionescu. A year later she won her first European title with the
    Romanian side in Luxembourg. In 2018 in Montreux, Switzerland, she won the
    Top-16 tournament, a competition, which brings together the best players on the
    continent. A year later in Nantes, France, she again became European champion
    with the Romanian team. In Munich, last
    year, she reaped the European title in the doubles event together with Austrian
    player Sofia Polcanova, an athlete born in the Republic of Moldova. She also
    walked away with silver from the mixed-doubles, where she competed together
    with Ovidiu Ionescu. She is presently ranking 17th in the world
    standings, where her best performance was in 2019 when she ranked 14th.


    (bill)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week

    The most important multi-sport
    event of the year has come to an end. The European Games hosted jointly by the
    city of Krakow and the region of Malopolska, brought together the best athletes
    of the continent who competed in 29 sport disciplines. Among the 7,000 participants,
    there were also 150 athletes from Romania who walked away from the
    aforementioned competition with 17 medals, 6 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze.




    Out of the all Romanian
    medalists, we have noticed the performance obtained by table tennis player Bernadette
    Szőcs, who won the first gold in the singles contest and then with the Romanian
    side in the teams’ competition. Together with Ovidiu Ionescu she also reaped
    bronze in the mixed doubles and for her performances in Poland, Radio Romania
    International has designated Bernadette Szőcs ‘Athlete of the Week’.




    Bernadette Szőcs was born on 5 March
    1995 in Târgu Mureş (central Transylvania)
    and took up tennis at the age of 8 with good results in cadets and juniors
    competitions. Bernadette won several medals in European and World competitions
    advancing quickly in international rankings.




    In 2010, demotivated by the lack
    of interest shown by the Romanian sports officials, Bernadette wanted to leave
    the country and compete for Norway but she eventually changed her mind. In 2016,
    at the European Championships in Budapest, she came third in the mixed doubles
    with Ovidiu Ionescu. A year later she won her first European title with the
    Romanian side in Luxembourg. In 2018 in Montreux, Switzerland, she won the
    Top-16 tournament, a competition, which brings together the best players on the
    continent. A year later in Nantes, France, she again became European champion
    with the Romanian team. In Munich, last
    year, she reaped the European title in the doubles event together with Austrian
    player Sofia Polcanova, an athlete born in the Republic of Moldova. She also
    walked away with silver from the mixed-doubles, where she competed together
    with Ovidiu Ionescu. She is presently ranking 17th in the world
    standings, where her best performance was in 2019 when she ranked 14th.


    (bill)

  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week


    Poland is these days playing venue for the European Games underway in Krakow and the Malopolska region. Sunday saw the last athletics events and the Romanian team failed to qualify for the Division One, the competitions elite echelon. In the second division, athletes from Romania ranked only fifth, after Hungary, Ukraine, Lithuania and Slovenia. Only the first three teams have advanced to the competitions first echelon. On Thursday, Claudia Mihaela Bobocea obtained the only Romanian win in the 15 hundred meter race, which she ended in 4 minutes, 8 seconds and 69 hundredths.


    In Division One, where the 15 hundred meter finals took place on Sunday, the second best time was obtained by Spanish athlete Esther Guerrero: 4 minutes, 11 seconds and 77 hundredths, three seconds after Bobocea. The Romanian walked away with gold from the aforementioned race and Radio Romania International has designated her athlete of the week, a title weekly awarded to the best Romanian performance.


    Claudia Bobocea was born in Bucharest on 11 June 1992 and took up athletics in 2007. She has always been among the worlds fastest middle distance runners, although she failed to win medals in major competitions. In 2016 she qualified for the Olympics in Rio but unfortunately came only 51st in the 800 meter race. She became silver medalist in 15 hundred meter race of the European Indoor Championship held in Istanbul this year, after ending the race in 4 minutes, 3 seconds and 76 hundredths, the best time in her entire career so far. Under these circumstances, the show she managed last week in Poland, is part of a headway that will hopefully continue towards the upcoming Olympic Games next year.


    (bill)


  • Athlete of the Week

    Athlete of the Week


    Poland is these days playing venue for the European Games underway in Krakow and the Malopolska region. Sunday saw the last athletics events and the Romanian team failed to qualify for the Division One, the competitions elite echelon. In the second division, athletes from Romania ranked only fifth, after Hungary, Ukraine, Lithuania and Slovenia. Only the first three teams have advanced to the competitions first echelon. On Thursday, Claudia Mihaela Bobocea obtained the only Romanian win in the 15 hundred meter race, which she ended in 4 minutes, 8 seconds and 69 hundredths.


    In Division One, where the 15 hundred meter finals took place on Sunday, the second best time was obtained by Spanish athlete Esther Guerrero: 4 minutes, 11 seconds and 77 hundredths, three seconds after Bobocea. The Romanian walked away with gold from the aforementioned race and Radio Romania International has designated her athlete of the week, a title weekly awarded to the best Romanian performance.


    Claudia Bobocea was born in Bucharest on 11 June 1992 and took up athletics in 2007. She has always been among the worlds fastest middle distance runners, although she failed to win medals in major competitions. In 2016 she qualified for the Olympics in Rio but unfortunately came only 51st in the 800 meter race. She became silver medalist in 15 hundred meter race of the European Indoor Championship held in Istanbul this year, after ending the race in 4 minutes, 3 seconds and 76 hundredths, the best time in her entire career so far. Under these circumstances, the show she managed last week in Poland, is part of a headway that will hopefully continue towards the upcoming Olympic Games next year.


    (bill)


  • May 28, 2023 UPDATE

    May 28, 2023 UPDATE

    MEDALS Romanian rowers walked away with six medals, five gold and
    one silver, from the European Rowing Championships in Bled, Slovenia. So our
    eight, double scull, pair-oared boat and lightweight single skiff won gold in
    the women’s competition on Sunday. A day before the Romanian women’s four came
    first in the race while our men’s eight became silver medalist. Romania lined
    up 11 crews at the aforementioned competition and came second in the medal
    ranking after Britain. We recall that rowers from Romania had walked away with
    five gold and three silver medals from the previous edition of this prestigious
    European contest held in Munich.








    STRIKE Teachers in Romania are likely to carry on
    their all-out strike into this week as well and they blame the government for its
    failure to come up with a viable solution to the crisis. Trade unions have
    called on the government to bring a new amendment to the pay law, allowing
    beginner teachers to get the average gross salary in the economy. They are also
    asking for a 25% pay rise until the salary law comes into effect. The spokesman
    for the government, Dan Carbunaru, has announced the government’s offer remains
    the same, a bonus of 25 hundred lei in two installments, in the months of June
    and October to benefit around 220 thousand teachers.








    DAY The Day of the Romanians all over the
    world is a special moment and it has a major emotional, spiritual and cultural
    dimension, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis says in the message conveyed on
    this occasion on Sunday. According to him, Romania has a large Diaspora, which
    could represent the force capable of promoting the Romanian values and
    spirituality in a continuously changing Europe. The Day of the Romanians all
    over the world is celebrated in the last Sunday of the month of May in order to
    acknowledge the importance the state attaches to the communities of Romanians
    living outside the country’s borders. In Italy this day has been marked through
    a series of theatre shows. A team of professors and students from the
    University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest has kicked off a project entitled,
    ‘A Caravan for the Romanians all over the world’, which has already had its
    first shows in Rome and is going to give more performances in Lazio, Turin,
    Padua and Venice. In Bucharest, over 300 Romanians from the historical
    communities and from abroad have attended a three-day event entitled
    ‘Here-There’ unfolding under the auspices of the Romanian president.
    ‘Here-There’ comprised a series of events staged by the Department for the
    Romanians All Over the World jointly with the Fine Artists Union in Romania and
    has brought together artists from Romania and abroad from various fields, like
    art, design, music and literature.










    HOLIDAY Catholic believers in Romania on Sunday celebrated
    Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the other
    followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. This holiday, which completes the Easter
    cycle – the Resurrection, the Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit – is
    a major Christian event always celebrated on Sundays, fifty days after Easter.
    On Saturday, hundreds of thousands believers, including the president of
    Hungary Novak Katalin, participated in the great pilgrimage on Catholic
    Pentecost in Sumuleu Ciuc, central Romania. The event there brought together
    Catholics from all over the world, most of them Hungarian-speaking believers,
    including from countries like Australia and the United States. The pilgrimage
    in Sumuleu Ciuc boasts a history of 450 years and has at its center the
    miracle-working statue of Virgin Mary in the Franciscan Church there. Legend
    has it that around the year 1567, the Transylvanian Prince John Sigismund would
    have tried to impose Unitarianism to the Roman-Catholic believers who managed
    to keep their faith with the help of the aforementioned statue. Hundreds of
    gendarmes, policemen and firefighters have been deployed for the good
    functioning of the pilgrimage, while the local authorities have imposed traffic
    restrictions.




    (bill)

  • May 28, 2023

    May 28, 2023

    DAY The Day of the Romanians all over the
    world is a special moment and it has a major emotional, spiritual and cultural
    dimension, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis says in the message conveyed on
    this occasion today. According to him, Romania has a large Diaspora, which
    could represent the force capable of promoting the Romanian values and
    spirituality in a continuously changing Europe. The Day of the Romanians all
    over the world is celebrated in the last Sunday of the month of May in order to
    acknowledge the importance the state attaches to the communities of Romanians
    living outside the country’s borders. In Italy this day has been marked through
    a series of theatre shows. A team of professors and students from the
    University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest has kicked off a project entitled,
    ‘A Caravan for the Romanians all over the world’, which has already had its
    first shows in Rome and is going to give more performances in Lazio, Turin, Padua
    and Venice. In Bucharest, over 300 Romanians from the historical communities
    and from abroad have attended a three-day event entitled ‘Here-There’ unfolding
    under the auspices of the Romanian president. ‘Here-There’ comprised a series
    of events staged by the Department for the Romanians All Over the World jointly
    with the Fine Artists Union in Romania and has brought together artists from
    Romania and abroad from various fields, like art, design, music and literature.








    STRIKE The all-out strike of the Romanian
    teachers is going to continue into the next week with a fresh protest rally in
    Bucharest on Tuesday. Demonstrations took place on Friday in several major
    Romanian cities, as teachers are disgruntled by the government offer of 500 Euro
    bonuses in two installments. The Executive has accepted though a 9% pay rise
    for the auxiliary staff who are going to get bonuses around 200 euros also in
    two installments. Trade unions in the country’s education system have asked for
    a 25% pay rise and for wages of 600 euros for beginners. Employees in the
    primary and secondary education kicked off their protests on May 22nd
    disgruntled with the low wages and working conditions. Trade union leaders have
    threatened with more protests unless their claims are met.






    MEDAL Romanian rower Ionela Cozmiuc has today reaped gold in
    LW1x race of the European Championships in Bled, Slovenia. The Romanian made a
    spectacular comeback and managed to overtake a Greek opponent. The women’s four
    from Romania walked away with gold from the same competition on Saturday, while
    the country’s crew of eight became silver medalist in the men’s competition. We
    recall that last year, Romania walked away with five gold medals and three
    bronze from the European Championships held in Munich, the best Romanian
    performance in the aforementioned competition ever.








    HOLIDAY Catholic believers in Romania are today
    celebrating Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and the
    other followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. This holiday, which completes the
    Easter cycle – the Resurrection, the Ascension and the descent of the Holy
    Spirit – is a major Christian event always celebrated on Sundays, fifty days
    after Easter. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands believers, including the
    president of Hungary Novak Katalin, participated in the great pilgrimage on
    Catholic Pentecost in Sumuleu Ciuc, central Romania. The event there brought
    together Catholics from all over the world, most of them Hungarian-speaking
    believers, including from countries like Australia and the United States. The
    pilgrimage in Sumuleu Ciuc boasts a history of 450 years and has at its center
    the miracle-working statue of Virgin Mary in the Franciscan Church there.
    Legend has it that around the year 1567, the Transylvanian Prince John
    Sigismund would have tried to impose Unitarianism to the Roman-Catholic
    believers who managed to keep their faith with the help of the aforementioned
    statue. Hundreds of gendarmes, policemen and firefighters have been deployed
    for the good functioning of the pilgrimage, while the local authorities have
    imposed traffic restrictions.




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  • The latest European Wrestling Championships

    The latest European Wrestling Championships


    Wrestling was first included in the Olympic programme as early as 1904 during the Olympics in St. Louis, but werent part of the Olympics in Stockholm in 1912. Since the 1920 edition in Anvers, wrestlers have been a constant presence in the Olympic Games. Wrestlers from Romania made their debut at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and since then they have reaped 34 medals, 7 gold, 8 silver and 19 bronze. The first medalist was Francisc Horvath, who reaped bronze in the free-style event in Melbourne 1956.


    The first gold medal for Romania was obtained Greek-Roman wrestler Dumitru Pârvulescu in Rome in 1960. Romania hasnt obtained an Olympic gold medal in this discipline since 1988, when Vasile Puscasu compelled recognition in the 100 kilogram category in Seoul. Although next year well be celebrating 20 years since the introduction of womens wrestling in the Olympic Games, Romanias women representatives havent claimed an Olympic medal yet.


    However, wrestling lovers have pinned their hopes on Romanias women representatives for the next years Olympics in Paris as at the latest wrestling competition in Zagreb, Croatia, four out of the five medals won by Romania were in the womens competition. Andreea Ana, in the 55 kilogram category and Alexandra Anghel, in the 72, stepped onto the first step of the podium while Catalina Axente, in the 76 kilogram, Krista Incze in the 65 and Denis Mihai in the 55 kilogram category of the mens event became bronze medalists.


    On of the Romanian wrestlers standing chances of winning a medal in Paris is the 23-year-old Andreea Ana who has so far walked away with four medals from the European Championships. She won bronze in Bucharest in 2019 and in Warsaw two years later, and also became gold medalist in Budapest last year.


    Another athlete, who could put up a good show in Paris, is Alexandra Anghel holder of the European bronze in Kaspiysk, Russia in 2018. She also won a bronze medal in Belgrade last year.


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  • April 22, 2023 UPDATE

    April 22, 2023 UPDATE

    VISIT The presidents of Romania and
    Chile, Klaus Iohannis and Gabriel Boric respectively have agreed to develop
    cooperation between the two countries in fields like trade exchanges,
    investment, green energy, the environment and climate change, civil protection,
    education, culture, research, innovation and digitalization. The two high
    officials met at the La Moneda Palace in Santiago, during a visit, which is part of the Romanian
    president’s South-American tour. Iohannis said that Chile is one of Romania’s
    traditional partners in Latin America as well as an economic partner with a
    major potential. Iohannis has announced that the first Romanian language
    lectureship in South America will be set up this year at the University of
    Chile. A memorandum has also been signed during Iohannis’ visit to Chile for
    cooperation in emergency situations, such as earthquakes and wildfires.
    Iohannis has visited Brazil and will leave for Argentina.



    EXTRADITION The former president of the County Council in Neamţ, north-eastern Romania, Social-Democrat Ionel Arsene will not be extradited to Romania where he must serve a prison sentence of six years and eight months on corruption charges. A court in Italy has rejected the extradition application filed by the Romanian authorities. The politician had fled the country shortly before the sentence was pronounced and went to Italy to join the other indicted Romanians who found refuge in that country. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Italy, extradition in that country is conditioned by the so-called ‘double criminality’ requirement, which means the act that is the subject of the criminal procedure for which extradition is requested must be provided as a crime both in Italian and in foreign criminal law.






    GOLD
    Romanian athlete Nicoleta Anghel walked away with gold from the European
    Wrestling Championships in Croatia after a win against Turkish opponent Buşe Tosun in the 72 kilogram
    category. This has been Anghel’s best performance so far after the bronze medal
    she reaped in Kaspiysk, Russia and the world’s third performance she obtained
    last year in Belgrade. Anghel has also brought the second continental title for
    Romania that she won in Zagreb after that claimed by Andreea Beatrice in the 55
    kilogram category. Romania has so far won four medals, all in the women’s
    contest, two gold and two bronze, claimed by Catalina Axente in the 76 and
    Kriszta Tunde Incze in the 65 kilograms category.






    STRIKE Trade unions in Romania’s education system have commenced the
    procedure of gathering signatures for an all-out strike after their claims have
    been rejected by the authorities. According to a press communiqué released on
    Saturday, the decision to launch this extreme form of protest is all the more
    so justified as under the latest emergency ordinance on new fiscal-budgetary
    measures, the government intends to implement more measures with an additional
    negative impact for the employees in the country’s education system. Several
    major trade unions in the field are going to again picket the headquarters of
    the Romanian government over 25th and 26th of April and
    stage a protest march, which is expected to be attended by 15 thousand trade
    unionists on May 10th.




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  • April 22, 2023

    April 22, 2023

    VISIT On Saturday, the president of
    Romania, Klaus Iohannis is paying a formal visit to Chile, the first of a
    high-level Romanian politician in the past 10 years. The visit is aimed at
    giving an impetus to the political cooperation, the economic exchanges and
    sectoral cooperation between the two countries and also at encouraging
    inter-human contacts. Multilateral cooperation, aspects related to the security
    climate in the neighbourhood of the two countries, human rights observance, as
    well as ways of consolidating democracy around the world are also high on the
    talks agenda. As part of his South American tour, the Romanian official has so
    far visited Brazil, Chile and will next go to Argentina.



    EXTRADITION The former president of the County Council in Neamţ, north-eastern Romania, Social-Democrat Ionel Arsene will not be extradited to Romania where he must serve a prison sentence of six years and eight months on corruption charges. A court in Italy has rejected the extradition application filed by the Romanian authorities. The politician had fled the country shortly before the sentence was pronounced and went to Italy to join the other indicted Romanians who found refuge in that country. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Italy, extradition in that country is conditioned by the so-called ‘double criminality’ requirement, which means the act that is the subject of the criminal procedure for which extradition is requested must be provided as a crime both in Italian and in foreign criminal law.




    GOLD
    Romanian athlete Nicoleta Anghel walked away with gold from the European
    Wrestling Championships in Croatia after a win against Turkish opponent Buşe Tosun in the 72 kilogram
    category. This has been Anghel’s best performance so far after the bronze medal
    she reaped in Kaspiysk, Russia and the world’s third performance she obtained last
    year in Belgrade. Anghel has also brought the second continental title for
    Romania that she won in Zagreb after that claimed by Andreea Beatrice in the 55
    kilogram category. Romania has so far won four medals, all in the women’s
    contest, two gold and two bronze, claimed by Catalina Axente in the 76 and
    Kriszta Tunde Incze in the 65 kilograms category.






    STRIKE Trade unions in Romania’s education system have commenced the
    procedure of gathering signatures for an all-out strike after their claims have
    been rejected by the authorities. According to a press communiqué released on
    Saturday, the decision to launch this extreme form of protest is all the more
    so justified as under the latest emergency ordinance on new fiscal-budgetary
    measures, the government intends to implement more measures with an additional
    negative impact for the employees in the country’s education system. Several
    major trade unions in the field are going to again picket the headquarters of
    the Romanian government over 25th and 26th of April and
    stage a protest march, which is expected to be attended by 15 thousand trade
    unionists on May 10th.




    (bill)