Radio România Internațional

Tag: Ilie Balaci

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    Ilie Balaci, one of Romania’s best footballers was buried with military honors on Tuesday. Balaci died of a heart attack in Craiova, southern Romania, on Sunday at the age of 62.




    Ilie Balaci was born on September 8th, 1956 in Dolj county. His ID shows that he was born on September 13, but he explained his birth was officially declared five days later.


    He started playing football with the children and junior sides of Universitatea Craiova Football Club and made his debut in a senior team at the age of 17.




    He played for Universitatea Craiova between 1973 and 1984, contributing to some of the best performances in the club’s history, and that includes the team’s qualification for the semifinals of the UEFA Cup in 1983. He was part of Universitatea’s line-up, which won Romania’s domestic football championships back in 1974, 1980 and 1981.




    He made his debut with Romania’s national football side on March 23rd 1984 in a game our footballers lost to France nil-one. Balaci won his first cap for Romania’s national eleven at the age of 17, becoming the youngest player in the history of our national football team for which he played 65 games and scored 8 goals. He was designated twice the best Romanian footballer, in 1981 and 1982.




    At the age of 28 severe injuries prevented him from continuing his successful career. He played four more years for FC Olt and Dinamo Bucharest after which he became a coach.




    He started his career as a coach with Pandurii Targu Jiu then he moved to Drobeta Turnu Severin. In 1991 he started coaching teams in Arab countries, the first one being Club Africain in Tunis, a team which won the African Cup of Champion Clubs in 1992. He also obtained notable performances with teams from Morocco, Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.


  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    Ilie Balaci, one of Romania’s best footballers was buried with military honors on Tuesday. Balaci died of a heart attack in Craiova, southern Romania, on Sunday at the age of 62.




    Ilie Balaci was born on September 8th, 1956 in Dolj county. His ID shows that he was born on September 13, but he explained his birth was officially declared five days later.


    He started playing football with the children and junior sides of Universitatea Craiova Football Club and made his debut in a senior team at the age of 17.




    He played for Universitatea Craiova between 1973 and 1984, contributing to some of the best performances in the club’s history, and that includes the team’s qualification for the semifinals of the UEFA Cup in 1983. He was part of Universitatea’s line-up, which won Romania’s domestic football championships back in 1974, 1980 and 1981.




    He made his debut with Romania’s national football side on March 23rd 1984 in a game our footballers lost to France nil-one. Balaci won his first cap for Romania’s national eleven at the age of 17, becoming the youngest player in the history of our national football team for which he played 65 games and scored 8 goals. He was designated twice the best Romanian footballer, in 1981 and 1982.




    At the age of 28 severe injuries prevented him from continuing his successful career. He played four more years for FC Olt and Dinamo Bucharest after which he became a coach.




    He started his career as a coach with Pandurii Targu Jiu then he moved to Drobeta Turnu Severin. In 1991 he started coaching teams in Arab countries, the first one being Club Africain in Tunis, a team which won the African Cup of Champion Clubs in 1992. He also obtained notable performances with teams from Morocco, Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.


  • October 23, 2018 UPDATE

    October 23, 2018 UPDATE

    ADDRESS – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis presented before the European Parliament on Tuesday, Romanias vision of the EUs future. Iohannis stood for consolidating the European project and recalled that the EU had been facing multiple challenges, which put to the test its unity and cohesion such as the migrant and the economic crises as well as the populist political forces coming to power. There is an element that unites us, Iohannis said, namely the European identity, which is based on common principles, values and interests. According to the Romanian President, the European citizens must see that we are working on protecting and consolidating the EU symbols, such as the Euro, the free movement and the Schengen area. Iohannis went on to say that Schengen accession and joining the Euro zone are some of Romanias fundamental goals. In turn, the European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker said that without Romania, the European Union is not complete. Juncker also expressed his support for Romanias Schengen accession, but he insisted that consensus on the fight against corruption should be reached at domestic level before Bucharest takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council, in the first half of 2019. The Romanian Presidents visit to Strasbourg comes against the backdrop of a series of debates being held on the prospects of the community bloc, with all the leaders of the EU member countries being invited to attend the talks.




    ROMANIAN-ITALIAN TALKS – Romanian interior minister Carmen Dan on Tuesday held talks in Bucharest with Italian deputy prime minister and interior minister, Matteo Salvini. Bilateral cooperation particularly in the field of security was among the focal points of the talks, against the backdrop of Romanias taking over the presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. The Romanian community in Italy and the Italian community in Romania maintain a strong bond between the two countries and contribute to the economic and social development of the two countries, minister Dan said. In turn, the Italian official said the Romanians in Italy are making up a large community, exceeding one million members and he added that the mistakes made by some of these ethnic Romanians should not impact the others. Salvini also thanked the Bucharest authorities for their contribution to identify the Romanian nationals put on a wanted list in Italy. Two months ago, Salvini accused Romania and Bulgaria of sending slaves to Western Europe at the same time calling for measures to curb human trafficking. The leader of the far-right Northern League has voiced readiness to tackle with his colleagues from the two countries a series of measures aimed at keeping at bay organized crime activities.




    EUROPEAN SEMESTER – The Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, on Tuesday attended in Bucharest a meeting occasioned by the launch of the ECs technical mission, as part of the European Semester. On this occasion, minister Negrescu said Romania pays special heed to the European Semester and intends to boost dialogue and cooperation with the EC as part of this process. From the standpoint of the Romanian presidency of the EU Council, the official said Bucharests objective is that the 2019 European Semester unfold in keeping with the roadmap which is to be made public in November. The European Semester, introduced in 2010, provides a framework for the annual coordination of economic policies across the European Union. It allows EU countries to discuss their economic and budgetary plans and monitor progress at specific times throughout the year.




    CIVIL PARTNERSHIP – The Romanian Senators on the legal committee on Tuesday turned down a draft meant to regulate the civil partnership. The draft was aimed at granting legal protection to the couples which do not want to change their marital status, but are ready to officially acknowledge their relation. The senate was the first notified chamber. We recall that in early October a referendum was held in Romania to redefine family in the Romanian Constitution as being the consented marriage between a man and a woman, instead of the current wording, “between spouses. However, the referendum was refuted because of a poor turnout , of only 21%. 91.5% of those who went to the polls stood for changing the Constitution, and only 6.5% stood against the change.



    TENNIS – Romanias tennis player Simona Halep has been on top of the WTA ranking for 51 weeks now. The Romanian athlete now occupies the 10th position in an all time ranking of the worlds best female tennis players on par with Viktoria Azarenka of Belarus. Injuries have prevented Halep from attending the 2018 WTA Finals in Singapore but she is to occupy the first position until the end of the year, when she will have held it for 60 weeks. The Romanian has a 15 hundred points advance from runner up Angelique Kerber of Germany who outperformed Danish Caroline Wozniacki. Romania has five other representatives in WTA 100: Mihaela Buzarnescu went up a position and is currently ranking 24th, Irina Begu went down 13 notches and is now 66th, Ana Bogdan ranks 72nd, Monica Niculescu is 82nd and Sorana Cirstea comes in the 85th position. Begu and Buzarnescu rank 23rd and 24th in the doubles rankings.



    FUNERAL – The funeral of the former Romanian football legend, Ilie Balaci, was held on Tuesday in the southern Romanian city of Craiova. Balaci died of a stroke on Sunday, at the age of 62. Considered to be a perfect, complete player, Balaci played his debut match in 1973, with Universitatea Craiova, the team together with which he would later grab three national champion titles and four Romanias Cup titles. He ended his career earlier than expected after sustaining a bad injury. He played 65 times for Romanias national team, including the match against the then world champion, Italy, which brought Romania a 1-0 victory. He was designated best Romanain footballer in 1981 and 1982. As a couch, he won many trophies with his teams in the Arab countries. President Klaus Iohannis on Sunday signed the decree bestowing post mortem the National Order of Faithful Service, in rank of Knight, on Ilie Balaci, in token of appreciation and admiration for the remarkable career of Ilie Balaci. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

  • October 22, 2018 UPDATE

    October 22, 2018 UPDATE

    MEETING Romania will organize in February 2019 in Bucharest an informal Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, Romanian Interior Minister Carmen Dan has said. The announcement was made after the meeting that she had in Bucharest with the European Commissioner for the Security Union, Julian King. In his turn, the European official has said that Romania will take over the EU Council presidency in the first six months of 2019, at a time of great challenges for the community bloc, such as terrorism, cyber attacks and organized crime. The two officials also talked about Romania’s joining the Schengen area and the EU’s external borders.




    STRASBOURG President of Romania Klaus Iohannis will take part on Tuesday in Strasbourg in a debate organised by the European Parliament with respect to the future of the European Union. The head of state will present Romania’s views on the topic. It is for the first time that the President of Romania will address the European Parliament, and his participation in the event takes place in the context of a series of debates on the future of the European bloc, in which the leaders of the EU member states are invited to take part. In the plenary session that begins on Tuesday, the MEPs will also discuss the 2019 budget of the Union, ways to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, and the taxes to be charged for the use of certain infrastructure segments by heavy duty vehicles.




    LAW The Parliament of Romania is re-examining the Offshore Bill, after the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats reached an agreement last week. In early August, President Klaus Johannis did not sign the bill into law and sent it back to Parliament for a review. What is at stake is, first and foremost, the profit that Romania will make from natural gas extraction in the Black Sea. The Deputies in the specialised committees are to decide on the final text of the bill to be subject to the vote in a plenary sitting.




    JUSTICE LAWS The European Commission called on the Romanian Government on Monday to take into consideration the recommendations made by the Venice Commission, the advisory body of the Council of Europe, regarding the amendments the ruling coalition in Romania has brought to the criminal codes and the justice laws. The Commission recommends Bucharest authorities to take steps so as to radically reevaluate these modifications, by means of complex and efficient consultations, with a view to obtaining a robust and coherent legislative proposal that should enjoy the wide support of Romanian society. In light of the latest opinion issued by the Venice Commission, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis invited political parties to hold consultations on the justice laws. Hundreds of people protested on Sunday in Bucharest and several other cities against the government policies in the field of justice and the main opposition parties on Monday filed a censure motion against Justice Minister Tudorel Toader.




    INVICTUS Romanian troops won the first medal in the 2018 Invictus Palarympics in Sydney, Australia, in the indoor rowing event. In the 4-minute endurance event Dumitru Paraschiva won the 3rd place, and his colleague Ciprian Iriciuc, the 4th place out of 21 competitors. At the Paralympic Games held in October 20-27, Romania is represented by 15 soldiers wounded in theatres of war. Romanian athletes, who take part in the competition for the second time, compete in the archery, cycling, Paralympic athletics, rowing, swimming, and volleyball events.




    DECORATION Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed on Monday the post-mortem decoration decree of Romanian football player Ilie Balaci, who died on Sunday aged 62. According to the Presidential administration, the “Faithful Service” National Order in Rank of Knight was offered in sign of appreciation and admiration for his remarkable career, for the talent with which he promoted, for many decades, the value of the football and the fair play spirit among the young generations of athletes.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • 22.10.2018 (mise à jour)

    22.10.2018 (mise à jour)

    Justice — La Commission européenne a demandé au gouvernement roumain de prendre en considération les recommandations de la Commission de Venise relatives au Codes pénaux et aux lois de la Justice. L’Exécutif communautaire a précisé qu’il allait présenter, au mois de novembre, sa propre analyse dans son prochain rapport sur le Mécanisme de Coopération et de Vérification. La Commission de Venise, organe consultatif du Conseil de l’Europe en matière de Justice, estime que les modifications apportées au Code pénal, au Code de procédure pénale et aux lois de la Justice affaiblissent la lutte contre la corruption et le crime organisé. Elle recommande aux autorités roumaines d’organiser une consultation publique ample et réelle, afin d’obtenir une changement législatif solide et cohérent, avec l’appui de la société civile et en conformité avec les décisions de la Cour constitutionnelle. Suite au rapport dressé par la Commission de Venise, le président de la Roumanie, Klaus Iohannis, a invité les partis parlementaires à des consultations, prévues pour mercredi. Plusieurs centaines de personnes ont manifesté dimanche à Bucarest et dans d’autres grandes villes à travers le pays contre les politiques gouvernementales dans le domaine de la Justice. Le Parti national libéral et l’Union Sauvez la Roumanie, principales formations politiques d’opposition, ont déposé lundi une motion simple contre le ministre de tutelle, Tudorel Toader.



    Sécurité — La Roumanie accueillera, en février 2019, un Conseil informel Justice et Affaires intérieures, auquel participeront les ministres européens de tutelle, a fait savoir lundi la ministre roumaine de l’Intérieur, Carmen Dan. L’annonce a été faite à l’issue de sa rencontre à Bucarest avec Julian King, commissaire européen chargé de l’Union de la Sécurité. L’officiel européen a souligné le contexte de la future présidence roumaine du Conseil de l’UE, au premier semestre 2019, à savoir les gros défis qui se posent devant le bloc communautaire, dont le terrorisme, les cyberattaques et le crime organisé. A l’agenda des discussions ont également figuré l’adhésion de la Roumanie à l’espace Schengen et la gestion des frontières extérieures de l’UE.



    Santé — La ministre roumaine de la Santé, Sorina Pintea, a rencontré lundi, à Bucarest, son homologue moldave, Silvia Radu. Selon la responsable roumaine, les discussions ont porté sur le plan bilatéral dans les domaines des sciences médicales et de la technologie, ainsi que sur la coopération en matière de transplantation et de médicaments. A son tour, la ministre moldave a remercié la partie roumaine pour son appui en ce qui concerne la mise en place des réformes dans le secteur de la Santé.



    Décoration à titre posthume — Ilie Balaci, le grand international du football roumain, décédé dimanche à l’âge de 62 ans, des suites d’une attaque cérébrale, a été décoré, à titre posthume, par le président Klaus Iohannis, de l’Ordre national « Le service loyal » en grade de chevalier. Cette distinction consacre une carrière remarquable de sportif de haut niveau, le talent avec lequel Ilie Balaci a servi, pendant plusieurs décennies, le sport roi, ainsi que l’esprit de fair-play qui l’a caractérisé tout au long de sa glorieuse carrière sportive et qu’il a promu dans les rangs des jeunes générations. Surnommé la « merveille blonde », Balaci a débuté en 1973 à l’Université de Craiova, équipe avec laquelle il a gagné trois titres de Champion de Roumanie et quatre Coupes nationales. Présent à 65 reprises dans la sélection roumaine, Ilie Balaci a été élu meilleur footballeur roumain en 1981 et 1982. Reconverti en entraîneur, il a remporté maints succès, notamment dans des clubs des pays du Golfe.



    Météo — Les normales saisonnières sont de mise sur la période en Roumanie, à l’exception des régions du sud et du sud-est, où le mercure grimpera dans les thermomètres. Les températures minimales descendront jusqu’à 2°, alors que les maxima ne dépasseront pas les 21°C.

  • October 21, 2018 UPDATE

    October 21, 2018 UPDATE

    PARTY – Former Romanian PM Victor Ponta was elected president of the Pro Romania Party on Sunday, at the first national congress of this new party, attended by around 900 delegates. Pro Romania, a left-of-center party, plans to lay emphasis on competence and a better European integration of Romania. Victor Ponta has said recently that the party will have its own candidate at the presidential elections due in 2019 but that he will not run, as he does not believe the criminal case opened against him will be closed. Ponta was a Social Democrat PM of Romania from 2012 until 2015. He resigned following massive street protests triggered by the fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest that killed tens of young people. Ponta’s breakup with the Social Democratic Party, which he led for five years, was prompted by a conflict with the party’s current leader, Liviu Dragnea, in 2017.




    SALARIES – The Romanian Government is considering freezing salaries in the public sector in 2019. A letter sent recently by the Finance Ministry to Brussels reads that this is one of the measures envisaged for next year, for Romania to observe the deficit target of 2.58% of the GDP and subsequently to correct the deviation from the medium term objectives by reducing the structured balance which will exceed 3% of the GDP this year. According to the document posted on the European Commissions website, the Romanian Government intends to maintain the value of holiday tickets to approximately 300 Euro, and also the number of employees in the public sector.




    VISIT – Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila had a meeting on Sunday in Kuwait with the head of this state, emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. On this occasion, the Romanian official reiterated Romania’s commitment to consolidating its ties with Kuwait, an important partner of Romania in the Gulf region. Later on Sunday, Viorica Dancila also met with Kuwaits PM, Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, for talks on topics of bilateral interest. The Romanian official visited the cultural center Abdullah Al Salem, one of the largest cultural compounds in the world, the Scientific Center and the Grand Mosque in the capital. On the occasion, the Romanian PM highlighted the possibility of developing bilateral ties in research and innovation.




    MOURNING – Ilie Balaci, one of Romania’s best known football players, died on Sunday, aged 62. Balaci made his debut at the football team Universitatea Craiova , in 1973, and contributed to the team’s winning its first champion title. He was designated Romania’s footballer of the year twice, in 1981 and 1982. He won three national champion titles and four cups with Universitatea Craiova, a team that he played for most of his career, before his withdrawal from football in 1988. He then became a head coach and he had great success in the Arab countries, having won numerous titles in Tunisia, Morocco, The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.




    PROCESSION — In Bucharest, more than 1000 Roman and Greek Catholic believers and priests took part on Sunday in a procession with relic and icon of Pope John Paul II. The relic consists in several drops of the Popes blood, a gift to the Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest from, the former personal secretary of the Pope, currently Archbishop Emeritus of Krakow. Born on May 18th, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Wojtyla was elected pope in October 1978 and died on April 2nd, 2005, at the Vatican. Pope Francis declared him a saint in April 2014, so John Paul II was included in the calendar of the Catholic Church, and his liturgical commemoration was set for October 22nd of each year. In 1999, Pope John Paul II came to Romania, on the first visit to a predominantly orthodox country by a head of the Catholic Church.




    FESTIVAL – Bucharest is hosting the 28th National Theater Festival. For 11 days, theater lovers have the opportunity to participate in some 100 artistic events: shows, performances, exhibitions, book launches and meetings with special guests. The director of the festival, Marina Constantinescu, has stated that the money collected during the festival will be donated to the Daruieste viata (Give Life) Association, for the building of the first hospital of pediatric oncology and radiotherapy in Romania. Bucharest is also playing host to the event titled Cannes Films in Bucharest, an opportunity for film goers to watch films awarded at the prestigious festival, but also films signed by Romanian directors.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)






  • October 21, 2018

    October 21, 2018

    MOURNING – Ilie Balaci, one of Romania’s best known football players, has died today, aged 62. Balaci made his debut at Universitatea Craiova football team, in 1973 and contributed to the team’s winning its first champion title. He was designated Romania’s footballer of the year twice, in 1981 and 1982. He won three national champion titles and four cups with Universitatea Craiova, a team that he played for most of his career, before his withdrawal from football in 1988. He then became a head coach and he had great success in the Arab countries, having won numerous titles in Tunisia, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.




    INVICTUS – The Romanians who are participating in Sydney in the Invictus Games, the international adaptive multi-sport event, in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and their associated veterans take part, will are today starting the team competitions, said on Radio Romania Colonel Augustin Pegulescu, himself an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. The Romanian team is made up of 15 wounded soldiers, most of them participating for the second time in the Invictus Games. More than 500 soldiers from across the world have come to Sydeny to take part in the games, created by Prince Harry four years ago.




    SALARIES – The Romanian Government is considering freezing salaries in the public sector in 2019. A letter sent recently by the Finance Ministry to Brussels reads that this is one of the measures envisaged for next year, for Romania to observe the deficit target of 2.58% of the GDP and subsequently to correct the deviation from the medium term objectives by reducing the structured balance which will exceed 3% of the GDP this year. According to the document posted on the European Commissions website, the Romanian Government intends to maintain the value of holiday tickets to approximately 300 Euro, and also the number of employees in the public sector.




    MARCH — A march for the prevention and fighting of all forms of violence against women took place in the capital Bucharest on Saturday. Alongside the several hundreds participants, were also foreign ambassadors to Bucharest, such as the American ambassador. Organizers signaled the fact that last year alone 26% of the total number of murders were due to domestic violence, and of the 40 thousand violence cases signaled to the police only 4% were brought to Court. A similar march took place on Saturday in the town of Focsani in eastern Romania.




    PROCESSION — In Bucharest, thousands of Roman and Greek Catholic believers and priests are today taking parte in a procession with relic and icon of Pope John Paul II. The relic consists in several drops of the Popes blood, a gift to the Saint Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest from Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the former personal secretary of the Pope, currently Archbishop Emeritus of Krakow. Born on May 18th, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Wojtyla was elected pope in October 1978 and died on April 2nd, 2005, at the Vatican. Pope Francis declared him a saint in April 2014, so John Paul II was included in the calendar of the Catholic Church, and his liturgical commemoration was set for October 22nd of each year. In 1999, Pope John Paul II came to Romania, on the first visit to a predominantly orthodox country by a head of the Catholic Church.




    FESTIVAL – Bucharest is hosting the 28th National Theater Festival. For 11 days, theater lovers have the opportunity to participate in some 100 artistic events: shows, performances, exhibitions, book launches and meetings with special guests. The director of the festival, Marina Constantinescu, has stated that the money collected during the festival will be donated to the Daruieste viata (Give Life) Association, for the building of the first hospital of pediatric oncology and radiotherapy in Romania. Bucharest is also playing host to the event titled Cannes Films in Bucharest, an opportunity for film goers to watch films awarded at the prestigious festival, but also films signed by Romanian directors.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian womens handball champions CSM Bucharest on Saturday, away from home, beat the Norwegian squad Vipers Kristiansand, 29-27 in the Champions Leagues Group D. In the first two matches, the Romanian team defeated Ferencvaros of Hungary on home turf, and was defeated by Bietighem of Germany. On Thursday, CSM Bucharest got a new head coach, the Serb Dragan Djukic. He replaced the Swedish Magnus Johansson. Djukic, aged 56, has trained clubs such as Pick Szeged of Hungary, Vardar Skopje of Macedonia and Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel, as well as the national teams of Montenegro, Israel, Great Britain, Switzerland, Macedonia and Jordan. (Translated by Elena Enache)




  • 21.10.2018

    21.10.2018

    Salaires — Le gouvernement de Bucarest envisage de geler les salaires dans le secteur public en 2019, au niveau du mois de décembre 2018 et d’ajourner les majorations prévues dans la loi. Ces aspects se retrouvent dans un document transmis par le ministre des Finances, Eugen Teodorovici, aux commissaires européens en charge du dialogue social et des affaires économiques. L’Exécutif envisage aussi de geler le recrutement dans le secteur public. Ce sont là quelques – unes des mesures qui concernent l’exercice financier 2019 et qui devraient permettre de maintenir la cible du déficit de 2, 58% du PIB. Le ministère des Finances se propose aussi de maintenir inchangé le montant des chèques-vacances, lequel s’élève cette année à 1450 de lei, soit plus de 300 euros par salarié.



    Marche — Plusieurs centaines de personnes ont participé samedi, dans la capitale roumaine, à une marche pour la prévention et la lutte contre les violences faites aux femmes. Les ambassadeurs à Bucarest de plusieurs pays, dont celui des Etats-Unis, se sont joints aux participants à cette marche. Selon les statistiques, en 2017, 26% des crimes ont été perpétrés dans le cadre familial. Par ailleurs, sur les quelque 40.000 faits de violence en famille dénoncés, seulement 4 % ont été portés devant le tribunal.



    Festivals — Bucarest accueille, du 19 au 29 octobre la 28e édition du Festival national de théâtre. Au programme, plus de 100 évènements artistiques (spectacles, expositions, lancements de livres, rencontres avec des invités spéciaux). Mme Marina Constantinescu, la directrice du festival, a précisé que l’argent amassé irait à l’Association « Fais don de la vie » et serait utilisé pour la construction du premier hôpital d’oncologie et de radiothérapie pédiatrique de Roumanie. Un autre évènement culturel accueilli par la capitale roumaine c’est le festival intitulé Les films de Cannes à Bucarest”. Jusqu’au 28 octobre, les cinéphiles pourront visionner les films primés à Cannes, ainsi que des productions cinématographiques roumaines.



    Procession — Des milliers de fidèles et de prêtres romano-catholiques et gréco — catholiques de Bucarest et des alentours participent ce dimanche à la procession des reliques et de l’icône du pape Jean Paul II. C’est le cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, ex – secrétaire personnel de Jean Paul II et actuel archevêque émérite de Cracovie (Pologne) qui a offert cette relique, il y a 7 ans, à la Cathédrale Saint Joseph de Bucarest. Né le 18 mai 1920, à Wadowice, en Pologne, Karol Wojtyla a été élu pape en octobre 1978. Il est mort le 2 avril 2005, au Vatican. Canonisé en avril 2014, par le pape François, il figure dans le calendrier de l’Eglise catholique. La date de la mémoire liturgique du bienheureux Jean-Paul II est fixée au 22 octobre de chaque année. En 1999, le pape Jean-Paul II a entrepris un voyage en Roumanie. C’était la première visite d’un pape dans un pays à population majoritairement orthodoxe.



    Invictus Games — 15 militaires roumains blessés sur le front participent aux Jeux paralympiques militaires Invictus Games, qui se tiennent à Sydney, en Australie, du 20 au 27 octobre et qui réunissent 500 soldats du monde entier. La délégation roumaine, qui en est à sa deuxième participation à ces compétitions sportives, figure au tableau de plusieurs épreuves, dont tir à l’arc, athlétisme, ergomètre d’aviron, powerlifting, cyclisme, natation, volley-ball assis. Créés sur une idée du prince Harry de Galles, les Jeux Invictus sont une compétition multisports internationale destinée aux soldats et vétérans de guerre blessés ou handicapés, à l’image des Jeux Paralympiques ou des Warrior Games organisés aux Etats-Unis.



    Handball — Le CSM Bucarest, l’équipe championne de Roumanie de handball féminin, a vaincu samedi, en déplacement, les Norvégiennes de Vipers Kristiansand, score 29 à 27, dans un match comptant pour le groupe D de la Ligue des Champions. Les deux équipes devraient se rencontrer à nouveau le 4 novembre. Lors des deux premiers matchs du même groupe, les Roumaines ont battu les Hongroises de Ferencvaros, mais se sont inclinées devant les Allemandes de Bietigheim. Rappelons que depuis jeudi le Serbe Dragan Djukic est le nouvel entraîneur principal du CSM Bucarest. Djukic, qui remplace le Suédois Magnus Johansson, en est à sa deuxième expérience en Roumanie après celle de 2017- 2018, à la tête de l’équipe masculine HC Odorhei.



    Foot – Ilie Balaci, un des footballeurs roumains les plus connus, est décédé ce dimanche à l’âge de 62 ans, des suites d’un accident vasculaire cérébral. Balaci a fait ses débuts de footballeur en 1973 au club Universitatea Craiova. Sacré meilleur footballeur roumain des années 1981 et 1982, il a décroché trois titres de champion national et quatre coupes avec l’équipe Universitatea Craiova, où il a fait la plupart de sa carrière sportive, achevée en 1988. Reconverti en entraîneur, Balaci a remporté ses plus grands succès dans les pays arabes.



    Météo — Les températures sont en légère baisse et le ciel est plutôt nuageux. Il pleut surtout dans l’ouest du pays, tandis qu’en haute montagne, on attend des précipitations mixtes, sous forme de giboulées et de neige. Les maxima de l’air iront de 11° à 20°. Il faisait 14° à midi dans la capitale, Bucarest.