Radio România Internațional

Tag: handball

  • The year 2024 in sports(I)

    The year 2024 in sports(I)

    2024 was an auspicious year for Romanian sports. Romanian athletes’ performance at the Paris Olympics maintained Romania among the world’s elite nations, especially in rowing, a sports discipline where Romanian athletes put on a stellar performance.

    The year’s first notable event was the Australian Open, held in Melbourne in January. No Romanian competitor represented Romania in the men’s singles, while in the women’s version of the tournament, no Romanian tennis player could go past the first round.

    In the men’s doubles, Victor Cornea, jointly with India’s Nsriram Balaji, reached as far as the second round. In the women’s doubles and pairing up with Slovak-born Spanish tennis player Rebeka Masarova, Ana Bogdan stopped also in the second round. Also in January, in high diving, the Romanian Constantin Popovici became the new Red Bull Cliff Diving champion.

    In February, 2024, Romanian wrestlers and weightlifters walked away with medals at the European wrestling championships in Bucharest and the weightlifting championships in Sofia. In wrestling, gold went to Andreea Ana in the 55-kilogram category. Silver went to Kateryna Zelenykh in the 65-kilogram category and to Alexandra Anghel in the 73-kilogram category. Bronze went to Denis Florin Mihai, in the 55-kilogram category and to Răzvan Arnăut in the 60-kilogram category, both in the Greek-Roman style. In weightlifting, Mihaela Cambei in the 49-kilogram category won gold in the snatch, clean-and-jerk styles and combined.

    In the 71-kilogram category, Loredana Toma won gold in the snatch event and combined. In the clean-and-jerk event Valentin Ionadi Iancu won silver in the 61-kilogram category. Also in the clean-and-jerk event Ioana Mădălina Miron and Andreea Cotruţa won bronze, in the 45-and 59-kilogram category, respectively.

    In March, the Kenyan-born Romanian athlete Joan Chelimo Melly won the half-marathon race in Paris. Joan set a new national record. Romanian athletes also compelled recognition in the European throws Cup, held in Portugal’s Leiria. Alin Firfirica won gold in discus throw, then Bianca Ghelber, in the hammer throw event and Alexandru Novac in the javelin throw event won silver. Also in the javelin throw event, this time as part of the U-23 contest, Vlad Alexandru Turcu walked away with bronze. In rugby, the Romania national team came in 4th as part of the 2024 edition of Rugby Europe championship, the second-tier competition after the Six Nations Tournament.

    In April, Corona Braşov won the Erste Liga ice hockey regional competition. In the final, Corona defeated Hungarian opponents Ferencváros in four consecutive matches, two in Brasov and two in Budapest. Then in Bucharest, Hungarian tennis player Márton Fucsovics was the men’s single event as part of the ATP 250 Ţiriac Open, an event with 579 thousand euro in prize money all told. In the final, Fucsovics defeated Argentinean challenger Mariano Navone, cu 6-4, 7-5.

    The European Rowing Championships in Szeged followed, with the Romanian delegation winning no less than eight medals, four gold, two silver and two bronze. Stepping onto the highest step of the podium were women’s lightweight coxed eight and the women’s pair crews as well as men’s double sculls crew. At the European Boxing Championships in Belgrade, Lăcrămioara Perijoc won silver in the 54-kilogram category, while Claudia Nechita wo bronze in the 57-kilogram category.

    At the European women’s gymnastics championship held in Italy’s Rimini in May, the Romanian delegation won two medals. Both silver medals were won by Sabrina Maneca Voinea in the beam and floor finals. In the nations; competition, Romania came in 4th. In women’s handball, CSM Bucharest wasted the opportunity to qualify for the Champions league’s final tournament. In the quarterfinals, holders CSM was defeated in both legs of the tie against French challengers Metz Handball, at home, 24-27, and away, 23-29.

    The summer’s first major event was the European football championship in Germany. The national squad met the set target, that of reaching the knockout phase and even won Group E, which included Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine. The Romanians managed to put on a good performance in all their fixtures and they kind of struck it lucky in the match against Ukraine, which they won, 2-nil. They then they lost to Belgium, a far better team, nil-2 and drew level, 1-all, in the game against Slovakia, one of the tournament’s pleasant surprises,

    For Romania, the team spirit prevailed in each of the fixtures they played at EURO 2024. They fought all throughout the tournament, they put in a lot of effort and determination they could not make up for the difference in status which separates the Romanians from Europe’s great teams. They were unable to go past the round of 16, having lost, in Munich, the game against the Low Countries team, nil-3. However, the Romanians benefitted from the tremendous boost offered by the fans, who were in the stands all the time and frantically supported the team.

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    The European women’s handball championship has ended. In the final in Vienna on Sunday, Norway defeated Denmark 31 to 23. In the final ranking of the competition, Romania took 11th place. In a ceremony also held in Vienna, but on Saturday, former Romanian handball players Luminiţa Huţupan-Dinu and Carmen Amariei were included in the Gallery of European handball legends, the EHF Hall of Fame. In this classification, inaugurated in 2023, there are two more Romanians: Narcisa Lecuşanu and Cristina Vărzaru.

     

    Now swimming. Romania ended the World Aquatics Swimming Championships, also known as shorts course worlds, in Budapest without having any athlete qualified in the finals. The best result was obtained by Andrei-Theodor Proca, a swimmer who ranked 12th in the 1,500 meters event. Robert Badea, who set a new national record in the 400-meter mixed race, also stood out. The time he achieved, the 11th of the heats, was still not good enough to ensure him a place in the eight finals.

     

    Now rugby. Dinamo Bucharest won Romania’s Rugby Cup, after defeating Ştiinţa Baia Mare in the final, score 29-24. The Bucharest team scored five tries, namely two by Mihai Graure and the other three by Ovidiu Cojocaru, Joe Perez and Jondre Williams. Two of these were converted by Helarius Kisting. Kefetnse Mahlo, Ghiorghi Menabde and Adriaan Ludick scored tries for Ştiinţa Baia mare, all converted by Paul Popoaia, who also scored from a penalty kick.

     

    Let’s move on to football. Romania has found out its opponents in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Thus, the Romanian footballers will be part of group H, along with Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and San Marino. On March 21 next year, the first match will take place in Bucharest pitting Bosnia against Herzegovina. The winners of the 12 preliminary groups will qualify directly. Competing for the other four places available for the European zone, are the 12 teams ranked second in the groups and the best ranked group winners of the League of Nations, 2024-25 edition, that did not qualify following the preliminaries.

     

    At the weekend, games were played counting for the Romanian Superliga, stage number 20. On Friday, Hermannstadt defeated in Botoşani 2-1, and Dinamo defeated Poli Iasi 2-0 in Bucharest. On Saturday, Oţelul ended the game in Galaţi with UTA in a draw, 1-1, then, in Craiova, Universitatea defeated Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe 2-1. In the last match of the day, Universitatea Cluj defeated Petrolul Ploieşti 4-1 at home. Two matches were played on Sunday: Unirea Slobozia with CFR Cluj and Farul Constanţa with FCSB, both ending with the same score: 1-1. Monday sees the last match of the stage: Rapid Bucharest with Gloria Buzău. Universitatea Cluj leads the ranking, with 36 points. Next is Dinamo, with 35 and FCSB, with 34. (LS)

  • December 10, 2024

    December 10, 2024

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

     

    SCHENGEN – Austria will not oppose Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of the Schengen European free movement area, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the six-month presidency of the EU Council, said in turn that EU interior ministers will vote on December 12 in the Justice and Home Affairs Council on Hungary’s proposal to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area with land borders. Romania and Bulgaria received partial access to the Schengen area starting March 31, with the opening of air and sea borders. Land border checks, however, remained in force due to Austrian opposition, motivated by Vienna’s concerns about illegal migration. Romania could thus fully join the Schengen area 17 years after becoming a EU member.

     

    DEFICIT – Romania’s trade balance deficit in the first 10 months of 2024 was 27.211 billion euros, almost 4 billion euros (+17.2%) higher than the one recorded between January 1 and October 31, 2023, according to data published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). During the aforementioned period, exports stood at 77.731 billion euros, down 1.2%, and imports stood at 104.943 billion euros, up 3%, compared to the same period in 2023. Important shares in the structure of exports and imports are held by the product groups: machinery and transport equipment and other manufactured products. On the other hand, Romania’s budget deficit for the first 11 months of this year reached 7.11% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), about 125.7 billion lei (the equivalent of over 25 billion euros). The Government’s deficit target for 2024 is 8.58% of the GDP, 152 billion lei, which, according to the specialized media in Bucharest, means that substantial spending is planned for December as well.

     

    MOLDOVA – The 15th meeting of the Moldova – European Union Parliamentary Association Committee is taking place today in Brussels. The current state of the country’s accession process will be analyzed and a final declaration will be adopted, which will include certain recommendations for the authorities in Chisinau. The Moldovan President, Maia Sandu, will also be in Brussels, to meet with the Presidents of the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament, as well as with the NATO Secretary General, on topics related to the integration of the country’s economy into the European single market, reforming the judiciary, combating corruption and strengthening the rule of law.

     

    GOVERNMENT – The leaders of the pro-European parties in the Romanian Parliament, PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR and those of the national minorities, are meeting this week to discuss the new government make-up. The Social Democrats, who came first in the December 1 elections, would like the future government to be formed around them and to continue the projects started by the current PSD-PNL government. They want to maintain the pace of investments, increase purchasing power, support the Romanian private sector and reform the state. The Liberals say they have understood the need for change coming from the electorate and want the negotiations to start from a clear program of reforms for the benefit of citizens. The USR representatives want a government to be formed as soon as possible, while the UDMR calls for solidarity for a common vision for Romania. The negotiations between PSD, PNL, UDMR, USR and the national minorities to form a new government are taking place after these parties had signed, before the presidential elections were cancelled, a resolution for a pro-European majority in Parliament. They commit to reforms and support the country’s development and reject any collaboration with the political parties in the sovereignist (ultranationalist, populist) bloc formed by AUR, SOS Romania and POT.

     

    HANDBALL – The Romanian national team meets Poland today in its last match in the main Group I of the European Women’s Handball Championship – EHF EURO 2024, hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. The match is being played in Debrecen, Hungary. France and Hungary have already qualified for the semi-finals. Romania defeated Serbia and the Czech Republic in the first phase and lost to Montenegro, and in the main group it defeated Sweden and lost to Hungary. The 16th edition of the EHF EURO includes the participation of 24 teams, eight more than in previous editions. Romania has participated 14 times in the European Women’s Championship, obtaining only one medal, bronze, in 2010.

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

     

     

    Romania came out 4th at the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup in Chengdu (China), after losing 2-8 the match for the 3rd place against Hong Kong on Sunday. In the competition’s semis, Romania was defeated by China (8-1). Romania qualified for the semi-finals of the Mixed Team Table Tennis World Cup after defeating Germany 8-5 and after an 8-2 victory in the match against Japan, a world table tennis powerhouse, but which did not line up its top team in Chengdu. It is the best performance for the Romanian team at a Mixed Team World Cup, a competition won this year by the host team, China, which defeated South Korea in the final (8-1). The Romanian team was trained by Andrei Filimon and Ionuț Seni, and consisted of Bernadette Szocs (no 14 in the world), Elizabeta Samara (world no 51), Adina Diaconu (91), Andreea Dragoman (112), Ovidiu Ionescu (world no 46), Eduard Ionescu (75), Andrei Istrate (169) and Darius Movileanu (197).

     

     

    Romania was defeated by Hungary (37-29), on Sunday evening, in Debrecen, in a match in the main Group I of the European Women’s Handball Championship, hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. With a young team, undergoing reconstruction, Romania defeated the valuable team of Sweden 25-23 in another main Group I match, after previously losing to France, 25 – 30. Romania has 2 points and is in 5th place in the group, with the same number of points as 4th-placed Sweden. Top of the group are Hungary and France, each with 8 points, and Montenegro – 4 points. In the last match in the group, scheduled for Tuesday, December 10, Romania will take on Poland, which is in last place in the group, with zero points.

     

    The Romanians Monica Niculescu and Gabriela Ruse Sunday won the doubles event of the WTA 125 tennis tournament in Angers (France), with EUR 100,000 in total prize money. In the final they defeated Belinda Bencic / Celine Naef (Switzerland) 6-3, 6-4. This is the second WTA 125 doubles title won by Niculescu and Ruse, after the one in Hong Kong, in October.

     

    We end with results of the matches in the 19th round of Romania’s football Super League. On Friday, Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe beat Rapid Bucharest 2-0. On Saturday, Dinamo București won 1-0 away from home against Gloria Buzău, and Petrolul Ploiești and Universitatea Craiova drew 1-1. The round continued on Sunday with the matches UTA ​​Arad vs Unirea Slobozia 3-4, Politehnica Iaşi vs Farul Constanţa 2-2 and FCSB vs FC Botoşani 2-1. Before the last two matches in the round, Hermannstadt vs Oţelul Galaţi and Universitatea Cluj vs CFR Cluj, scheduled for Monday, the top places in the standings were FCSB – 33 points, Dinamo Bucharest – 32 points, CFR Cluj 31 points and Universitatea Cluj – 30 points. (AMP)

  • December 6, 2024

    December 6, 2024

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    CYBER SECURITY – The European Commission has stepped up its monitoring of the TikTok platform, asking it to freeze all information on its system related to the European Union elections, in order to study it in depth. The Commission has also convened several meetings with officials from member states, European institutions and other digital platforms with which it will analyze systemic information risks across the entire bloc. The decisions come after, in the presidential elections in Romania, the candidate ranked first in the first round on November 24, Călin Georgescu, was allegedly heavily promoted on TikTok through a well-organized campaign, worth millions of dollars, although he says he did not spend anything.

     

    ELECTIONS – More than 4,200 people voted in the Diaspora by Friday at 1 p.m. (Bucharest time), in the second round of the presidential elections in Romania. The independent Călin Georgescu and the USR leader Elena Lasconi are the two contenders. Voting began abroad on Friday at 1 a.m. (Romania’s time), and the first polling station was opened in New Zealand. Australia, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and India followed. Voting in the Diaspora in the presidential elections takes place over three days, from Friday to Sunday. Voting in the country is allowed only on Sunday, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.

     

    PROTESTS – Thousands of people participated, on Thursday evening, in the University Square in Bucharest, in a rally for freedom and democracy. Famous figures from the arts and literary world were present, including actor Victor Rebengiuc and writer Ana Blandiana, both known for their civic involvement. We recall that the victory of the pro-Russian extremist Calin Georgescu in the first round of the presidential elections, on November 24, triggered protests in Bucharest and other major cities. The United States voiced concern about what Romanian intelligence services have demonstrated to be Russia’s involvement in the election process, in order to influence the outcome of the presidential elections. The high political uncertainty has, on the other hand, led to a decrease in confidence in the Romanian economy.

     

    St. NICHOLAS – Christians celebrate Saint Nicholas today, one of the most popular saints, to whom the tradition of giving gifts is related. He was a bishop at the beginning of the 4th century in Myra, the current city of Demre in Turkey. He was very generous and helped those in need in a discreet way. He did it in such a way that the person who received it did not know where the help came from. Hence the tradition that Saint Nicholas is waited for by children to leave them gifts in shoes on the morning of December 6. Over 800,000 Romanians celebrate their name day today.

     

    HANDBALL – The Romanian women’s national handball team plays today against Sweden, their second match in the main Group I of the European Championship – EHF EURO 2024, hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. On Thursday evening, the Romanian women were defeated, 30-25, by the world champion, France. They will also play in the group with Hungary and Poland. Romania has participated 14 times in the European Women’s Championship, obtaining a single medal, bronze, in 2010. In men’s handball the Romanian champion, Dinamo Bucharest was defeated, also on Thursday, on home turf, by the French team Paris Saint-Germain Handball, 40-33, in Group A of the Champions League. Dinamo suffered its third consecutive defeat in the group. The Romanians will next play against group leaders Veszprem of Hungary on February 13, 2025.

     

    GAUDEAMUS – The Gaudeamus 2024 Book Fair, organized by Radio Romania, continues in Bucharest until Sunday. The honorary president of the current edition is writer Mircea Cărtărescu, one of the best-known and most appreciated contemporary Romanian writers, the holder of numerous national and international awards. Over 200 exhibitors have announced their participation in Gaudeamus 2024, hundreds of editorial events are scheduled and tens of thousands of titles are presented, many of them for the first time.

     

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    After the first two matches, Romania ranks third in Group B of the European Women’s Handball Championships. In Debrecen, Hungary, the team coached by Florentin Pera secured a 29-28 win against Czechia on Friday, but lost to Montenegro on Sunday 25-27. Romania’s side is one of the youngest in competition after the withdrawal of several senior players including Cristina Neagu and Crina Pintea.

    The decisive match for qualification will be on Tuesday when Romania is to take on Serbia, a side, which has so far lost two matches, to Montenegro and Czechia. The first two sides in each group will qualify for the competitions’ next stage.

    Last weekend saw the football matches counting towards the 18th leg of the Romanian Superleague. Both games held on Friday ended in draws: FC Botoşani vs. Farul Constanţa, nil-all, and Rapid Bucharest versus Petrolul Ploieşti, one-all. On Saturday, Hermannstadt clinched a 2-1 away win against Unirea Slobozia.

    Then Gloria Buzău obtained a 2-0 home win against Poli Iaşi. In the day’s last match, in Bucharest, local side Dinamo ended in a one-all draw their match against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. On Sunday, in the leg’s most important match, CFR Cluj clinched a 2-0 away win against Universitatea Craiova. In the leg’s last two matches on Monday, Universitatea Cluj takes on UTA and Oţelul Galaţi on FCSB. Two sides from Cluj, CFR and Universitatea, are presently topping the table at a difference of one point.

    Dennis Man, a midfielder of Romania’s national team was one of the best players of his side, Parma, during its game against Lazio in the 14th leg of the Italian championships, which ended 3-1 to Parma.

    Man capitalized on a mistake by Lazio’s players and put Parma in the lead in the 6th minute. This has been the fourth goal of the Romanian international in the present edition of Serie A. Tunisian Mohamad Haj added a second for Parma on minute 53, while Argentine Tay Castellanos scored for the visitors in the 80th minute. Enrico Del Prato sealed the points in the extra-time. Parma is presently ranking 11th in Serie A, with 15 points.

    (bill)

  • December 1, 2024 UPDATE

    December 1, 2024 UPDATE

    Parliamentary elections update – More than 8.2 million Romanians, i.e. almost 46% of the 18 million with the right to vote, had gone to the polls, until 6 p.m. local time, in the parliamentary elections taking place on Sunday. The turnout is significantly higher than the one recorded, at the same hour, at the parliamentary elections 4 years ago. In the diaspora, where Romanians started voting on Saturday,  the number of voters exceeded 603 thousand. The number of urban voters exceeds that of rural voters by more than 1 million. 31 parties and alliances, as well as 19 organizations of national minorities, are registered in today’s elections. Voting is proportional, on lists. We remind you that on June 9, local and European Parliament elections took place in Romania simultaneously.

     

    National Day – Romania’s National Day was celebrated on Sunday, December 1, throughout the country, with parades, military and religious ceremonies and shows. Thousands of people attended the parade in the center of Bucharest, which enjoyed the participation of over 2,500 Romanian soldiers from the army and other law enforcement agencies. Along with the Romanian soldiers, 240 foreign soldiers participated in the parade, as part of detachments from allied countries: Albania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and Turkey. President Klaus Iohannis hosted, on Saturday, the last reception dedicated to the National Day in his capacity as head of state. At the end of his 10-year mandate, Iohannis sent a message of unity and solidarity, in order to overcome crises and move forward with dignity. The Romanian Cultural Institute organized abroad events dedicated to the National Day. December 1, 1918 marks the establishment of the Romanian unitary nation state. At the end of the First World War, all the provinces inhabited mostly by Romanians that were, until then, under the authority of the Austro-Hungarian and Tsarist empires: Transylvania, Banat, Bucovina and Bessarabia became part of the Kingdom of Romania.

     

    Message – Representatives of foreign embassies in Bucharest wished Romania, which they consider a friend and reliable partner, ‘Happy National Day’, on December 1. The German ambassador, Peer Gebauer, wrote on the diplomatic mission’s Facebook page that his country and Romania are united by a wonderful friendship. Giles Portman, the British ambassador in Bucharest, described Romania as a close ally. And the ambassador of Israel, Lior Ben Dor, remembered that his parents and grandparents come from Romania. Romania has a rich history, beautiful landscapes and hospitable people. For Israel, Romania will always be a close friend with whom we have a special relationship. I am grateful that I have the chance to contribute to strengthening the relations between our countries’, said Lior Ben Dor. The US Embassy in Bucharest also sent a congratulatory message through the Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who showed that Romania’s commitment to security and democracy in Europe is a model for all nations to follow. The head of American diplomacy stated that his country is proud to collaborate with Romania, to address global challenges and secure the prosperity and wellbeing of our peoples.

     

    Handball – The Romanian women’s national handball team take on the team of Montenegro on Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary, in the second match of group B of the European Championship to be hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. In the first match, the Romanian players defeated the Czech Republic, and the Montenegrin team defeated Serbia. The teams ranked on the first two places will qualify for the main groups. This is the first continental final tournament with 24 teams at the start.

     

    Ballot recount – The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) has informed that all the ballots registered in the polling stations abroad in the first round of the presidential election on November 24 have been sent to the country. The diplomatic missions and consular offices of Romania used, for this purpose, the fastest and safest transport solutions identified, depending on the geographical areas and the time zone, MAE stated. They also said that, on Monday, more than 97% of the ballots cast in the Diaspora will be in Bucharest. On Thursday, the Constitutional Court of Romania asked the Central Electoral Bureau to recount all the validly cast votes and the invalid ones from the first round of the presidential election, following the notification by one of the candidates regarding possible fraud. On Monday, the constitutional judges will decide whether to validate or cancel the election. If they validate it, the second round will take place on Sunday, December 8. (LS)

  • December 1, 2024

    December 1, 2024

    National Day – Romania’s National Day is celebrated today, December 1, throughout the country, with parades, military and religious ceremonies and shows. Thousands of people attended the parade in the center of Bucharest, which enjoyed the participation of over 2,500 Romanian soldiers from the army and other law enforcement agencies. Along with the Romanian soldiers, 240 foreign soldiers participated in the parade, as part of detachments from allied countries: Albania, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States and Turkey. President Klaus Iohannis hosted, on Saturday, the last reception dedicated to the National Day in his capacity as head of state. At the end of his 10-year mandate, Iohannis sent a message of unity and solidarity, in order to overcome crises and move forward with dignity. The Romanian Cultural Institute organized abroad events dedicated to the National Day. December 1, 1918 marks the establishment of the Romanian unitary nation state. At the end of the First World War, all the provinces inhabited mostly by Romanians that were, until then, under the authority of the Austro-Hungarian and Tsarist empires: Transylvania, Banat, Bucovina and Bessarabia became part of the Kingdom of Romania.

     

    Message – Romania’s commitment to security and democracy in Europe is a model for all nations to follow, said the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in a message sent on December 1 and published on the website of the US diplomatic mission in Bucharest. He congratulated the Romanians and conveyed that the United States is proud to collaborate with Romania in the process of modernizing the army and in strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. “Romania’s support for Ukraine, including welcoming refugees and providing security assistance, has bolstered the cause of freedom in the face of Russia’s aggression. Your leadership in helping Ukrainian grain reach global markets has helped feed the world” Blinken recalled. He showed that his country is proud to collaborate with Romania, to address global challenges and secure the prosperity and wellbeing of our peoples.

     

    Elections – In Romania, more than 18 million Romanian citizens with the right to vote are expected, today, to the polls, to vote for the future Parliament for the next four years. The representatives of 31 parties and alliances, as well as 19 organizations of national minorities, registered in today’s elections, are competing for the 331 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and the 134 senatorial seats. By 1 p.m. local time, more than 4.2 million people had gone to the polls, that is, approximately 24% of the citizens with the right to vote. More than 300 thousand Romanians abroad voted until 1 p.m., in the 950 polling stations opened by the authorities for those outside the borders. In the diaspora, Romanians can vote during two days, Saturday and Sunday. We remind you that on June 9, local and European Parliament elections took place in Romania simultaneously.

     

    CCR – The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) will decide, on Monday, December 2, whether to validate or cancel the first round of the presidential election, held on November 24. The Central Electoral Bureau could complete, today, the recount of the votes, requested by the CCR following the notification of one of the candidates regarding possible fraud. The sending of ballots from abroad, which started on Friday, will continue until December 3, the Foreign Ministry announced. According to the results of the first round, the pro-Russian extremist Calin Georgescu, an independent, and the center-right pro-European candidate Elena Lasconi ranked on the first two places. The CCR’s decision to recount the votes was criticized by the majority of political forces, on the grounds that it would decrease the confidence of the population in the correctness of the electoral process and in the state institutions. The second round of presidential election is scheduled for December 8.

     

    Handball – The Romanian women’s national handball team will meet the team of Montenegro today in Debrecen, Hungary, in the second match of group B of the European Championship to be hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. In the first match, the Romanian players defeated the Czech Republic, and the Montenegrin team defeated Serbia. The teams ranked on the first two places will qualify for the main groups. This is the first continental final tournament with 24 teams at the start.

     

    Tbilisi – The new High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, on Sunday labeled as “unacceptable” the forceful dispersal by the Georgian police of the pro-EU demonstrations, which took place for the third night in a row, AFP informs. The American diplomacy also denounced the excessive use of force by the police against pro-European demonstrations. The Caucasus country has been prey to tensions since the ruling Georgian Dream party proclaimed its victory in the elections at the end of October, which the opposition and President Salome Zurabishvili consider rigged, press agencies write. The demonstrations were caused by the decision of the government, accused of pro-Russian authoritarian drift, to postpone until 2028 the discussions regarding the integration of this country from the Caucasus into the EU. These demonstrations were dispersed with water cannons and tear gas by the police, who made over 150 arrests. (LS)

     

  • November 29, 2024

    November 29, 2024

    CCR – The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) meets again today to analyze the request to cancel the first round of last Sunday’s presidential election, made by one of the candidates. On Thursday, during the first examination, the CCR requested the reverification and recounting by Friday at 2 p.m. local time of all the ballots from the first round. The recounting process has started, but the press believes that it is impossible for it to end within the deadline imposed by the Court. The independent candidate on first place after the first round, Călin Georgescu, considered almost unanimously a pro-Russian extremist, criticized the CCR decision and accused the governing parties, the National Liberal Party – PNL and the Social Democratic Party – PSD, of using state institutions for personal interests. The Save Romania Union – USR President (center-right), Elena Lasconi, qualified in the presidential final on second place, also accused the Constitutional Court of playing with national security. The Prime Minister and social-democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu, ranked third after the first round, declared that he did not want to comment on the decision of the Constitutional Court. In turn, the interim president of the PNL, Ilie Bolojan, claims that the Court’s decision comes to cause tensions within the society, generate uncertainty and decrease trust in the state institutions.

     

    CSAT – The Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) found the existence of cyber-attacks aimed at altering the fairness of the electoral process in the first round of the presidential election in Romania, held on November 24. According to the Council, hostile state and non-state actors, especially the Russian Federation, have shown a growing interest in influencing the public agenda in Romanian society and social cohesion. CSAT also concluded that one of the presidential candidates, in this case Călin Georgescu (pro-Russian, anti-NATO and EU), would have benefited from massive exposure, due to the preferential treatment he allegedly received from the social media platform TikTok. By not complying with Romanian electoral legislation, TikTok significantly increased Georgescu’s visibility in relation to the other candidates, who were recognized as such by algorithms and whose messages were filtered.

     

    National Day – On Saturday, the general rehearsal for the military parade dedicated to Romania’s National Day, December 1, takes place in Bucharest. About 2,500 soldiers and specialists from the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Special Telecommunications Service, the Penitentiary Administration and the Romanian Customs Authority, with about 190 pieces of technical equipment and 45 aircraft, will participate in Sunday’s parade. Along with the Romanian soldiers, about 240 foreign soldiers from allied and partner countries will also march in the parade.

     

    Handball – Today, the Romanian women’s national handball team meets the team of the Czech Republic in Debrecen, Hungary, in the debut match at the 2024 European Championship, hosted by three countries, Austria, Hungary and Switzerland, from November 28 to December 15. The Romanian handballers are part of group B, alongside the Czech Republic, Montenegro and Serbia. This is the first continental final tournament with 24 teams at the start, and the first since the retirement of international player Cristina Neagu, who has been designated the player of the world several times. In men’s handball, the champion Dinamo Bucharest was defeated away from home by the Portuguese team Sporting Lisbon, score 34-25, on Thursday evening, in Group A of the Champions League. Dinamo will play the next match, at home, against the French from Paris Saint-Germain, on December 5.

     

    Georgia – The Georgian police intervened in force last night to disperse the thousands of pro-European demonstrators who blocked the center of the capital Tbilisi. People took to the streets after the government announced that it was suspending any negotiations for accession to the European Union until 2028 and that it would refuse, during this period, to receive any more European grants. President Salome Zurabishvili accused the Executive of declaring war on its own people. The ruling party, Georgian Dream, founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, who made his fortune in Russia in the 90s, has recently adopted an increasingly hostile discourse towards the European Union and the United States. The group also proposed a series of Russian-inspired laws and was recently accused of rigging legislative elections. Moreover, the European Parliament yesterday adopted a resolution in which it states that the elections were incorrect and requested their rerun – a resolution voted with 444 votes for and only 72 against, supported by the majority of parliamentary groups, except for those of the extreme right. Moreover, the European Parliament requires international supervision, to guarantee their correctness. (LS)

     

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    FCSB football team’s Europa League home game against Greek challengers Olympiakos Piraeus ended in a blank draw this past Thursday. Holders FCSB in the last half hour of the game were one man shy on the pitch since Daniel Birligea got twice yellow-booked. We recall in 2023 Olympiakos Piraeus won Europe’s third-tier competition, Conference League.

    Olympiakos had the upper hand all throughout the final part of the match, yet FCSB put on an excellent defensive game and eventually took a step further to advancing to the Europa League’s next phase. As we speak, three rounds ahead of the final part of the group stage FCSB are 10th-placed. We recall the first eight teams advance straight to the League’s round of 16.

    25th- to 36th-placed teams as well as the defeated teams in the playoffs will be eliminated from competition. On December 12 in Germany, FCSB play Hoffenheim. Then on January 23rd, FCSB play Azeri team Qarabag. FCSB will then play Manchester United on January 30, at home.

    Also in news from football, matches counting towards the Romanian Super league’s 18th round are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, FC Botoşani go against Farul Constanţa, while Rapid Bucharest are pitted against Petrolul Ploieşti. In Clinceni on Saturday, Unirea Slobozia face Hermannstadt Sibiu, then in Buzău, the local side Gloria take on Politehnica Iasi. Alao on Saturday, Dinamo play a home match against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe.

    On Sunday in Craiova, Universitatea play CFR Cluj. Round 18’s last two fixtures are scheduled on Monday, when Universitatea Cluj are pitted against UTA, while Oţelul Galaţi face FCSB. Universitatea Cluj are at the top of the table with 30 points. With 28 points, Universitatea Craiova, CFR and Dinamo follow suit.

    In the Champions League in men’s handball, on Thursday Dinamo Bucharest sustained a serious 25 – 34 defeat by Sporting Lisbon. For Dinamo, it was the fourth consecutive defeat in the ongoing season. After nine rounds and on a par with 4th-placed team, Fuchse Berlin, with 10 points, Dinamo are 5th-placed according to the rankings of Group A.

    A new edition of the European women’s Handball Championship kick-started on Thursday. Romania has been included in Group B, alongside Montenegro, Serbia and the Czech Republic. Romania will play all its fixtures in Debrecen. On Friday, Romania is pitted against the Czech Republic.

    On Sunday, Romania plays Montenegro, while on Tuesday, our national squad takes on Serbia. Competing in the final tournament are 24 teams, distributed in six groups, The first two teams in each group advance to the mainstage, where they will then be distributed in two groups of six teams each.

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Romania’s men’s handball team Dinamo Bucharest on Thursday sustained a 29-38 away defeat by German opponents Fuchse Berlin, in a fixture counting towards Champions league’s Group A. Fuchse got their revenge in the wake of their seven-goal defeat three weeks ago in Bucharest, 31-38.

    According to the as-it-stands table, Dinamo are 4th-placed, with 10 points in 8 games played, Holders Dinamo’s next scheduled fixture on November 28 is the away game against 3rd-placed team Sporting Lisbon.

    Romania’s national women’s handball team later this week play its games in the Golden League friendly tournament, hosted by Denmark. On Thursday in their first match in Randers, The Netherlands trounced Romania, 41-26. Florentin Pera’s trainees will next play Denmark and Norway.

    The European Championship kick-starts next weekend, with fixtured in Hungary, Austria and Switzerland. In Group B, Romania will be rubbing shoulders with Montenegro, Serbia and the Czech Republic and will play its fixtures in Debrecen.

    Later this week in Bucharest, Romania’s national rugby squad are pitted against Uruguay, in a test-match. We recall the Romanian national rugby team won both friendlies they played this fall. Two weeks ago, David Gerard’s trainees defeated Tonga, 25-15, also defeating Canada this past Saturday, 35-27.

    Matches counting towards the domestic football championship’s 17th round are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe play Gloria Bistriţa , while Farul Constanţa face Oţelul Galaţi. On Saturday in Sibiu, FC Hermannstadt face Universitatea Cluj, while CFR Cluj play a home game against Rapid Bucharest.

    On Sunday, FCSB on the National Arena in Bucharest go against Unirea Slobozia, while in Ploiesti, Petrolul play Dinamo Bucharest. The 17th round’s last two fixtures are scheduled on Monday, when FC Botosani take on Poli Iasi, while UTA play Universitatea Craiova.

    Universitatea Cluj are at the top of the table with 30 points, followed by CFR Cluj, with 27.

  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club

    Matches counting towards the final round as part of this year’s edition of the Champions League in women’s handball were played late last week. On Saturday and Sunday, all three Romanian teams sustained defeats in their Champions league fixtures. In Group A in Denmark, Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud were defeated by Nykøbing Falster, 24 to 32, while CSM Bucharest lost to Ferencváros Budapest, 28 – 31.

    According to Group A rankings, CSM are 4th-placed, while Gloria, 7th. In Group B, Rapid played a home match against Hungarian side Győr, sustaining a 25-28 defeat and retaining its 7th-place in the group.
    Matches counting towards the League’s 9th round will be played in January 2025. On Saturday, January 11, Gloria take on Norway’s Storhamar, at home, while Rapid Bucharest face Brest Bretagne, away.

    In FCSM Bucharest Rapid are pitted against Group A leader, Metz Handball. After 14 rounds as part of the League’s group phase the first two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals. 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th-placed teams will engage in play-off confrontations for a place in the quarterfinals. 7th- and 8th-placed teams will no longer participate in the League.

    EHF European League’s group phase also starts in January. Two Romanian teams take part in the competition. Dunărea Brăila have been distributed in this phase of the competition by default, while SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea went past the preliminary rounds. SCM this past Sunday grabbed a decisive win against Hungary’s Debrecen, 31-28, away. The fixture counted towards the third preliminary round’s second leg. We recall SCM also won the first leg a week ago on home turf, 33-31.

    Jointly hosted by Hungary, Austria and Switzerland, the European Championship throws off in late November, so the inter-club competitions go into recess. Alongside Montenegro, Serbia and the Czech Republic, Romania has been included in Group b and will play its matches in Debrecen. Romania will first play The Czech Republic on Friday, November 29. On December 1st, Romania take on Montenegro, while on December 3rd our national squad face Serbia.

    Taking part in the final tournament are 14 teams, distributed in six groups. The first two teams in each group play in the main phase, where they will be distributed in two groups of six teams each. The first two teams in the two main groups advance to the semi-finals.

    Until then, Romania’s national squad will prove its mettle in the Golden League friendly tournament, to be hosted by the Danish town of Viborg. The national team will play three test matches. On Thursday, they will take on The Netherlands, on Saturday the Romanians play Denmark, while on Sunday, the Romanian national team go against Norway. The national team will then return to Romania for a centralized training stage in Oradea.

  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup

    Romania’s national rugby team on Saturday grabbed their second consecutive win this fall. In a test-match hosted by the Triumphant Arch stadium in Bucharest, the national squad defeated Canada, 35-27. Ovidiu Neagu had two successful tries. Tevita Manumua, Cristi Chirica and Yanis Horvat had one successful try each. Alin Conache converted two tries. It was also Conache who converted two penalty kicks. We recall this past summer in Ottawa, Canada defeated Romania, 35 to 22.

    The Romanian national rugby squad’s autumn campaign included yet another home win last week when they defeated Tonga, 25-15. Also on Bucharest’s Triumphant Arch stadium, on November 23 Romania play Uruguay.

    ‘

    In women’s handball, all three Romanian teams that this past weekend played in the Champions League sustained defeats.

    In Group A on Saturday, Gloria Bistrita-Nasaud were defeated away from home by Danish opponents Nykøbing Falster, 32 to 24. On Sunday, CSM Bucharest were defeated, away from home, by Ferencváros Budapest, 28 to 31. CSM are 4th-placed, while Gloria are 7th-placed. In Group B, Rapid Bucharest sustained a 25-28 home defeat by Hungarian opponents Győr. Rapid Bucharest are 7th-placed in their group.

    The European Championship is drawing near, so the Champions League goes into recess until January. At the end of the group phase, the first two teams in descending order in each group advance to the quarterfinals. 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th-placed teams engage in playoff matches in a bid to advance to the quarterfinals. 7th and 8th-placed teams no longer have a place in the League.

    SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea have advanced to the group phase of Europe’s second-tier competition, EHF European League. On Sunday, SCM grabbed a 31-28 away defeat against Debrecen in the second leg of the third preliminary round. We recall a week ago SCM Ramnicu Valcea had also won the home game against Debrecen, 33-31.

    ACSH Gheorgheni ice hockey team have strengthened their lead position in the Erste Liga regional competition. ACSH Gheorgheni on Sunday grabbed a 3-2 home win against Hungary’s Budapest Jégkorong Akadémia. ACSH Gheorgheni have 40 points in 16 matches. Jégkorong Akadémia are 2nd-placed with 35 points in 18 fixtures. Debrecen are 3rd-placed, with 30 points in 16 matches. Corona Brasov follow suit, with 19 points, yet Corona have only played 14 matches.

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Romanian football team FCSB has succeeded yet another win in UEFA Europa League. On Thursday, holders FCSB grabbed a 2-nil home win against Danish opponents Mitdjylland. Scoring for FSCB were Florin Tănase, in minute 16, and Daniel Bîrligea, in the 10th second of the second half. With three wins and a defeat, FCSB has climbed to the 8th place.

    We recall that at the end of this phase of the League, the first eight teams in descending order advance straight to the round of 16, while 9th to 24th-placed teams will be engaged in play-off fixtures 25th to 36th-placed teams as well as the teams that re defeated in the playoffs will be eliminated from competition. Holders FCSB’s next match on November 28 is the home confrontation against Greek opponents Olympiakos Piraeus.

    This coming weekend will see Romanian Football Super league matches being played, counting towards the regular season’s 18th-round. On Friday, Oţelul Galaţi play FC Botoşani, while Dinamo Bucharest take on CFR Cluj. On Saturday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe play an away match against Poli Iasi, Universitatea Craiova play a home fixture against FC Hermannstadt, Sibiu, while in Bucharest, Rapid receive the visit of UTA Arad. On Sunday in Clinceni, Unirea Slobozia play Farul Constanţa, while in Cluj, FCSB are pitted against top-of-the-table team Universitata Cluj. On Monday, Gloria Buzau play Petrolul Ploiesti.

    Three Romanian women’s handball teams this coming weekend will play their Champions league fixtures.in Group B on Saturday, Rapid Bucharest play an away game against Gyor of Hungary. After 6 rounds, Rapid are 7th-placed in the group, with 3 points. Hungary’s Gyor are 2nd-placed, with 9 points. In Group A on Saturday, Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud play a home game against Danish opponents Nykøbing Falster. On Sunday, CSM Bucureşti play Hungarian opponents Ferencvàros, also at home. CSM are 4th- placed with 8 points, while Gloria are 7th-placed, with 2 points.

    In Bucharest on Sunday, the Romanian national rugby team will play this fall’s first test-match. The national team goes against Tonga, on November 16 the national team play Canada, then on November 23rd Romania will play Uruguay.

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    Attention-grabbing, for starters, are results in men’s basketball. In EuroCup, Group B, U-BT Cluj-Napoca sustained a 80-99 away defat by Turk Telekom in Ankara.

    Agerpress news agency wrote U-BT had an auspicious start in this past Wednesday’s confrontation, they had the upper hand in the first quarter of an hour, yet they were dominated in the other three quarters of the match. U-BT’s best player was the American Zavier Simpson, with 22 points, 6 recoveries and 9 assists.

    Holders U-BT have thus put an end to a series of three consecutive wins in EuroCup, having sustained defeats in the season’s first three matches. U-BT are 6th-placed in the Group. In the 8th round on home turf, they will go against Lithuania’s Lietkabelis Panevezys on November 13.

    In FIBA Europe Cup, CSM CSU Oradea on Wednesday emerged as Group E winners, securing a 85-67 home win against Estonian opponents Parnu Sadam. Vice champions CSM CSU Oradea have already secured their qualification to the competition’s next phase, having ticked their fifth win in a row in the Group, at the end of a game they dominated completely. Of Cristian Achim’s trainees, standing out was Canadian basketball player Kalif Young, with 17 points and 6 recoveries.

    In Group E’s other fixture, FC Argeş grabbed a 77-63 home win against Polish side Spojnia Stargard. For FC Arges, their Serbian player Radovan Djokovic succeeded 18 points. CSM CSU Oradea are at the top of the table, with 10 points. Following are FC Argeş and Spojnia Stargard, with 7, and Parnu Sadam, with 6 points.

    In the last round, in Pitesti, FC Argeş play CSM CSU Oradea, on November 13. Advancing to the competition’s second stage are the winning teams in each of the ten groups, added to which are the six best runner-up teams. teams.

    In women’s volleyball, Voluntary Town Sports Club on Wednesday in Florence sustained a 3-nil defeat by Savino Del Bene Scandicci. In the Challenge Cup, CSM Târgovişte and CSM Lugoj have both won their first leg wins in the round of 32. On home turf, CSM defeated Olymp Praga, 3-1, while CSM Lugoj defeated Hungary’s Székesfehérvár, also at home, 3-1.

    CSM Bucharest are still at the top of the table of the National Women’s Handball League, on a par with Corona Braşov. Defending champions CSM on Wednesday grabbed a 21-18 win against HC Zalău. Vice-champions Rapid Bucharest succeeded a 39-26 away win against SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea. The third Romanian team in the Champions League, Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud, sustained a 24-26 away defat by Corona from Brasov.