Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian blouse

  • June 24, 2024 UPDATE

    June 24, 2024 UPDATE

    FAC – On the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting in Luxembourg, EU Foreign Ministers on Monday adopted a new package of sanctions against Russia, the 14th since the start of the invasion in Ukraine. EU Foreign Ministers also adopted a military assistance package for Ukraine worth 1.4 bln EUR. For the first time, the funds will be disbursed from the frozen assets of Russia’s Central Bank. The EU plan to use frozen Russian assets is separate from the decision taken by G7 leaders this month to use future Russian frozen assets to fund 50 bln EUR worth of loans to Ukraine. Representing Romania was Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu.

     

     

    FUNDS – The European Union disbursed nearly 3 bln EUR from the Modernization Fund to 39 energy projects to be implemented in 10 Member States, including Romania. This is the largest such disbursement so far. The funds will help Member States attain their climate and energy goals and will contribute to attaining EU’s long-term objective of becoming climate neutral by 2050.

     

     

    EU ACCESSION – The European Union on Tuesday is expected to launch EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the Belgian presidency has announced. The two countries’ negotiation chapters will be assessed separately. We recall the EU officially launched negotiation talks with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova in mid-December 2023. Earlier this month, the European Commission announced Kyiv and Chișinău have officially met all requirements to open negotiation talks.

     

     

    BLOUSE – June 24 marks the International Day of the Romanian Blouse, a specific item of traditional clothing.  Last weekend, Romanian and Moldovan communities in Belgium celebrated this special day. A symposium was held at Château de la Solitude, a heritage building in Auderghem, Brussels. Two debates were also held on this occasion, attended by a large audience, interested to learn more about ethnography and folklore, the process behind the manufacturing of the Romanian blouse and the transition from tradition to modernity. The connection between the Romanian blouse and the celebration of the Sânziene, gentle fairies in Romanian mythology, as well as literature on related folk stories were also topics of debate.

     

     

    RECORD – The Romanian-Moldovan-German Cultural Center in Nuremberg, Germany, entered the Guinness Book of Records twice for the longest belt manufactured within the space of three months, measuring over 1,600 meters and the heaviest belt, weighing 70 kg. The initiative was launched at the end of February, and since then over a thousand Romanians from all over the world have joined the project and helped manufacture the longest chain belt. Each segment displays the motif of a specific area of Romania, Ionela van Rees-Zota, coordinator of the Cultural Center, told Radio Romania. “We have a representative or an association from almost every county in Romania. We have people from all over the world, from New Zealand to the Republic of Moldova and from Norway to Asia”, Ionela van Rees-Zota said.

     

     

    FITS – The International Theatre Festival in Sibiu (FITS) continues. Over 830 events involving 5,000 artists from 82 countries, including reputed theatre directors and playwrights such as John Malkovich, Tim Robbins, Pippo delBono or Neil LaBute are expected to take part. The “Performance Exchange” was opened on the sidelines of the festival on Monday. Having reached its 27th edition this year, the event brings together over 80 representatives of cultural institutions and organizations in over 30 countries to establish connections and carry out joint projects. (VP)

     

  • June 24, 2016 UPDATE

    June 24, 2016 UPDATE

    LONDON — Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday announced plans to step down by October further to Britain’s vote to leave the EU. According to the final results of Thursday’s referendum, 51.9% of the British citizens voted against their country staying in the EU. The voter turnout was over 72%. The referendum revealed major regional differences, with both Scotland and Northern Ireland having voted to stay within the Union, while England and Wales preferred to leave. The UK vote risks encouraging similar referendums in other EU member countries. In the Netherlands, anti-immigration leader Geert Wilders has already called for a similar vote in his country, and so did in Italy and France the far-right parties Northern League and National Front, respectively. Paris has called on Europe to move to regain the confidence of its citizens. Berlin spoke about a sad day for Europe and for the UK, and is to host on Saturday a meeting of the ambassadors of the 6 EU founding member states. In Brussels, the EU’s leaders called on London to start the exit procedure as soon as possible. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk said the Union was determined to keep its unity as a 27-member bloc. The head of the European Parliament Martin Schulz announced a special meeting of Parliament on Tuesday. President Barack Obama said the US respects Great Britain’s decision to leave the EU. He said the special relationship between Washington and London will continue and added that both the EU and Great Britain remain the US’ partners. In turn, president Vladimir Putin said London’s decision to leave the community block will also impact Russia. Putin said that, if need be, Moscow will change its economic policy, to reduce to a minimum the effects produced by Brexit.



    ROMANIAN REACTIONS TO BREXIT — Romania regrets the UK vote to leave the EU, but respects it, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday after talks with PM Dacian Cioloş, the central bank governor, Mugur Isarescu, and the leaders of Romanian political parties. The PM emphasised that Brexit will not have a great impact on the Romanian economy and it will be managed without major problems. The National Bank Governor said the impact on the national currency is small and manageable, while local political leaders say Romania’s path is within the Union, alongside the other member states. The EU is a highly valuable project, and it must carry on, said President Iohannis. He added that in the negotiations preceding the actual separation, Romania will do its best to protect the Romanians who work and live in that country. Klaus Iohannis also pointed out that UK will remain an important partner for Romania, but it will not have a privileged status compared to the EU. Not least, the President pleaded for redefining the European project, so that it might be easier to understand by and more beneficial to its citizens. The leaders of the political parties say the European project must continue, with Romania being part of the process, and Bucharest should maintain and develop the strategic partnership with Great Britain.



    CEASE-FIRE DEAL- The Romanian Foreign Ministry hails the signing, in Havana, on June 23rd, of the Agreement between the Columbian Government and the rebel group FARC, on a final cessation of fire, the laying down of weapons, security guarantees and the fight against criminal organisations. According to a press release issued on Friday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry says the document is a “crucial step” forward, towards the signing of a final peace agreement, meant to put an end to a conflict which spanned over five decades, and will open a new chapter in Columbia’s history. The conflict took a toll of over 220,000 lives, with tens of thousands of people reported missing, and caused a huge humanitarian crisis.



    ROMANIANS AROUND THE WORLD — Bucharest is hosting on Friday and Saturday the first Congress of Romanian Diaspora, attended by forty-five delegations from 13 countries. On the first day, the participants also approached the issue of the Diaspora’s unity, to serve the interest of the Romanian citizens and called for the Romanian authorities’ support to help preserve national identity. For two days, the talks will mainly focus on the problems faced by the Romanian communities abroad. The agenda also includes talks on the establishment of new cultural institutions for the diaspora, to promote national culture among the Romanian communities in Romania’s neighbouring countries.



    CELEBRATION — The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse was celebrated on Friday in the main cities across the country with exhibitions, fairs, and conferences on the present and future of one of the elements of Romania’s national culture. The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse was initiated by the online community “La Blouse Roumaine” in 2013 and grew into a global event, celebrated in over 50 countries. It is marked in cities like Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Paris, London, Madrid, Amsterdam, Milan and Vienna.



    NIGHT OF CULTURAL INSTITUTES — Bucharest is hosting tonight the 10th White Night of Cultural Institutes, in which institutions like the British Council, Goethe Institut, Cervantes Institute, the French Institute and the Romanian Cultural Institute are taking part. Fifteen cultural entities organise more than 50 events in 12 venues. The agenda includes concerts, film screenings, sculpture and photography exhibitions. The White Night of Cultural Institutes is a project of the network of EU National Cultural Institutes, and is organised with support from the Representative office of the European Commission in Romania.



    TENNIS — The Wimbledon draw was made available on Friday. Romania’s Simona Halep (WTA’s no.5) will be playing Anna Schmiedlova (Slovakia), in the first round, Irina Begu (WTA’s no.27) will be facing Carina Witthoeft (Germany), and Monica Niculescu (WTA’s no.47) will be playing a tennis player emerging from the qualifications. Sorana Carstea (WTA’s no.86) will meet 11th seeded Petra Kvitova (the Czech Republic) and Patricia Ţig (WTA’s no.100) will be playing Sara Errani (Italy). The Wimbledon tournament, the oldest and most prestigious of the four Grand Slam tournaments in the world is scheduled for June 27-July 10.


    (Translated by Ana Maria Popescu and Diana Vijeu)

  • June 24, 2016

    June 24, 2016

    BREXIT — Prime Minister David Cameron has announced today plans to step down by October further to Britain’s vote to leave the EU. Previously, UKIP leader Nigel Farage had called for a “Brexit government.” According to the final results of yesterday’s referendum, 51.9% of the British citizens voted against their country staying in the EU. The voter turnout was over 72%. The referendum revealed major regional differences, with a pro-EU vote in London, Scotland and Northern Ireland, while most England and Wales preferred to leave. The Northern Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein has already issued a release calling for a referendum in Northern Ireland on joining the Republic of Ireland as a solution for staying in the EU. The UK vote risks encouraging similar referendums in other EU member countries. In the Netherlands, anti-immigration leader Geert Wilders has already called for a similar vote in his country, and so did in Italy and France the far-right parties Northern League and National Front. Paris has called on Europe to move to regain the confidence of its citizens. Berlin spoke about a sad day for Europe and for UK, and is to host tomorrow a meeting of the ambassadors of the 6 EU founding member states. In Brussels, the President of the European Council Donald Tusk said the Union was determined to keep its unity as a 27-member bloc. The head of the European Parliament Martin Schulz announced a special meeting of the Parliament on Tuesday. The White House has announced President Barack Obama would have a phone conversation with PM David Cameron today.




    CONSULTATIONS — Romania regrets the UK vote to leave the EU, but respects it, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has said today after talks with PM Dacian Cioloş, the central bank governor Mugur Isărescu and the leaders of Romanian political parties. The PM emphasised that Brexit will not have a great impact on the Romanian economy and it will be managed without major problems. The National Bank Governor said the impact on the national currency is small and maneageble, while local political leaders say Romania’s path is within the Union, alongside the other member states. The EU is a highly valuable project, and it must carry on, said President Iohannis. He added that in the negotiations preceding the actual separation, Romania will do its best to protect the Romanians who work and live in that country. Klaus Iohannis also pointed out that UK will remain an important partner for Romania, but it will not have a privileged status compared to the EU. Not least, the President pleaded for redefining the European project, so that it might be easier to understand by and more beneficial to its citizens.




    DIASPORA — Forty-five delegations from 13 countries are taking part in Bucharest in the first Congress of Romanian Diaspora, organized in order to strengthen ties with the Romanians living abroad. The talks will mainly focus on the problems faced by the Romanian communities abroad. The agenda also includes talks on the establishment of new cultural institutions for the diaspora, to promote national culture among the Romanian communities in other countries.




    IA DAY — The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse, a part of the traditional costume of Romanian women, is celebrated today in the main cities across the country with exhibitions, fairs, and conferences on the present and future of one of the elements of Romania’s national culture. The Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse was initiated by the online community “La Blouse Roumaine” in 2013 and grew into a global event, celebrated in over 50 countries. It is marked in cities like Washington, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Paris, London, Madrid, Amsterdam, Milan and Vienna.




    CULTURE — Bucharest is hosting tonight the 10th White Night of Cultural Institutes, in which institutions like the British Council, Goethe Institut, Cervantes Institute, the French Institute and the Romanian Cultural Institute are taking part. Fifteen cultural entities organise more than 50 events in 12 venues. The agenda includes concerts, film screenings, sculpture and photography exhibitions. The White Night of Cultural Institutes is a project of the network of EU National Cultural Institutes, and is organised with support from the Representative office of the European Commission in Romania.

  • June 19, 2016 UPDATE

    June 19, 2016 UPDATE

    FOOTBALL — Romania failed to qualify into the eighth-finals of the European Championship in France, after it lost on Sunday night in Lyon against Albania, 0-1, in its last match in Group A of the European football championship in France. With just one point, Romania finished last in Group A. Also on Sunday night, France and Switzerland drew, nil-all. The two secured their qualification into the next stages of the championship. This is the first time in the European championship when 24 teams take part, and qualifying in the next rounds are not only the first two teams in each group, but also four teams ranking third in their respective groups.




    VISIT — The President of Germany, Joachim Gauck, with be on an official three-day visit to Romania as of Monday. In Bucharest, he will have a meeting with President Klaus Iohannis and PM Dacian Cioloş and will give an address at the National Library. On Tuesday, the two presidents will travel to Sibiu, in central Romania, a city founded by Saxon colonists in the 14th Century. Sibiu is also the home town of President Klaus Iohannis, a German ethnic himself, who was the mayor there for 14 years. On Wednesday the Romanian and German heads of state will attend a meeting with Romanian and German business people.




    LA BLOUSE ROUMAINE — The Mayor of the US capital city, Washington, Ms Muriel Bowser, proclaimed June 24th as the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse in Washington, in response to an initiative of the Romanian Embassy in the USA. The Romanian blouse has been acknowledged as an international symbol of Romanian culture and a source of inspiration for major designers. Initiated and coordinated by the online community called “La Blouse Roumaine,” the International Day of the Romanian Blouse is aimed at promoting a Romanian tradition and at creating a country brand recognised around the world. The Romanian blouse is a white shirt, part of the traditional folk costume of Romanian women, and is richly embroidered with folk motifs.




    NAMASTE FESTIVAL — The Romanian Peasant Museum in Bucharest hosted, between June 17 and 19, the NAMASTE INDIA Festival, celebrating Indian culture in Romania. the Festival included a variety of events, from introductory language courses to henna painting workshops, and from yoga classes to documentary film screenings. On Sunday, the closing day, a sari parade was followed by traditional music and dance performances.




    PENTECOST – Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians in Romania and across the world continue to celebrate the three-day feast of the Pentecost, marking 50 days from Easter and the foundation of the Christian Church. This feast day refers to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ, who could thus spread the gospels in languages they could not speak before. On the same day, with St. Peter’s fervent proclamation, some 3,000 people converted to Christianity, making up the first Christian community in Jerusalem, the core of the future Christian Church.




    HOLIDAYS — More than 22,000 Interior Ministry employees are to ensure public order in Romania during the Pentecost holiday which ends on Monday night. Some 40,000 tourists are already in Romanian seaside resorts, where most accommodation facilities are fully booked. A growing number of hotels have added spa and treatment facilities to their offers. Other Romanians took advantage of the three-day holiday to go to mountain resorts.





    RUGBY — Romania’s national rugby team defeated Argentina B, 20-8, in Bucharest on Saturday night, in the final match of the last stage of the World Rugby Nations Cup. In the previous games, the Romanians had outplayed Namibia, 20-8, and Uruguay, 40-0. Romania thus won the trophy of this competition for the fourth time. Ten of the 11 editions of World Rugby Nations Cup have been held in Romania so far.




    FESTIVAL — The International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, central Romania came to a close on Sunday. The event, one of the landmarks of European performing arts, has brought together this year over 2,800 artists from 70 countries. The last performances included Moliere’s The Miser, staged by a French company, Love. The trilogy of my family, by the Belgian director Luk Perceval, who received a star on the Sibiu walk of fame on Saturday, and the famous Faustus, directed by Silviu Purcărete, staged by the Sibiu National Theatre. Another play performed on Sunday was the Demon-Hag, a Japanese Noh play.

  • June 19, 2016

    June 19, 2016

    WEATHER — The heavy rainfalls and thunderstorms caused problems last night in eastern and southern Romania. Houses were flooded, trees fell on the roads blocking traffic, and hailstorms destroyed crops and homes. Tens of people have been evacuated. After the extreme heat of the past few days, a code-yellow warning against heavy rains and hailstorms was issued for the west, south-west and centre of the country. Code-orange flood alerts are also in place for rivers in 11 counties, most of them in eastern Romania.




    VISIT — The President of Germany, Joachim Gauck, with be on an official three-day visit to Romania as of Monday. In Bucharest, he will have a meeting with President Klaus Iohannis and PM Dacian Cioloş and will give an address at the National Library. On Tuesday, the two presidents will travel to Sibiu, in central Romania, a city founded by Saxon colonists in the 14th Century. Sibiu is also the home town of President Klaus Iohannis, a German ethnic himself, who was the mayor there for 14 years. On Wednesday the Romanian and German heads of state will attend a meeting with Romanian and German business people.




    HOLIDAYS — More than 22,000 Interior Ministry employees are to ensure public order in Romania during the Pentecost holiday which ends on Monday night. Some 40,000 tourists are already in Romanian seaside resorts, where most accommodation facilities are fully booked. A growing number of hotels have added spa and treatment facilities to their offers. Other Romanians took advantage of the three-day holiday to go to mountain resorts.



    DIASPORA — The Minister Delegate for relations with the Romanian diaspora, Dan Stoenescu, had a meeting yesterday with members of the Romanian community in the Netherlands. According to the Foreign Ministry, the Romanian official encouraged the involvement of Romanian associations, jointly with the Dutch and Romanian authorities, in awareness raising campaigns focusing on the rights and obligations of the Romanian citizens residing in the Netherlands. Stoenescu also emphasised the importance of the Romanian-Dutch cooperation in organising joint events to promote inter-cultural dialogue. Minister Dan Stoenescu had previously had a meeting with members of the Romanian community in Brussels.




    LA BLOUSE ROUMAINE — The Mayor of the US capital city, Washington, Ms Muriel Bowser, proclaimed June 24th as the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse in Washington, in response to an initiative of the Romanian Embassy in the USA. The Romanian blouse has been acknowledged as an international symbol of Romanian culture and a source of inspiration for major designers. Initiated and coordinated by the online community called “La Blouse Roumaine,” the International Day of the Romanian Blouse is aimed at promoting a Romanian tradition and at creating a country brand recognised around the world. The Romanian blouse is a white shirt, part of the traditional folk costume of Romanian women, and is richly embroidered with folk motifs.




    PENTECOST – Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians in Romania and across the world continue to celebrate the three-day feast of the Pentecost, marking 50 days from Easter and the foundation of the Christian Church. This feast day refers to the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ, who could thus spread the gospels in languages they could not speak before. On the same day, with St. Peter’s fervent proclamation, some 3,000 people converted to Christianity, making up the first Christian community in Jerusalem, the core of the future Christian Church.



    NAMASTE INDIA — The Romanian Peasant Museum in Bucharest hosted, between June 17 and 19, the NAMASTE INDIA Festival, celebrating Indian culture in Romania. the Festival included a variety of events, from introductory language courses to henna painting workshops, and from yoga classes to documentary film screenings. On Sunday, the closing day, a sari parade was followed by traditional music and dance performances.




    FOOTBALL — Romania plays tonight in Lyon against Albania, in its last match in Group A of the European football championship in France, concurrently with the match between the host country’s team and Switzerland. The two matches will decide the teams that qualify into the eighth-finals of the competition. With 6 points in 2 games, France is the group leader and has already secured its qualification. Switzerland has 4 points, Romania 1, and Albania none. This is the first time in the European championship when 24 teams take part, and qualifying in the next rounds are not only the first two teams in each group, but also four teams ranking third in their respective groups.




    RUGBY — Romania’s national rugby team defeated Argentina B, 20-8, in Bucharest on Saturday night, in the final match of the last stage of the World Rugby Nations Cup. In the previous games, the Romanians had outplayed Namibia, 20-8, and Uruguay, 40-0. Romania thus won the trophy of this competition for the fourth time. Ten of the 11 editions of World Rugby Nations Cup have been held in Romania so far.


    (translated by: Ana Maria Popescu)