Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian football squad

  • January 7, 2016 UPDATE

    January 7, 2016 UPDATE

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday in Berlin that the Romanian-German economic ties will be strengthened on condition that the improvement of the Romanian justice system and the fight against corruption continue. In his turn, the Romanian Prime Minister, Dacian Ciolos, said that Germany was an important strategic partner of Romania and the country’s first commercial partner, with an annual value of bilateral trade of over 20 billion euros. PM Ciolos also said he planned to return to Germany in an attempt to boost economic cooperation between the two countries. The Romanian PM’s visit to Germany was aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and agreeing on common goals on the European agenda, including issues pertaining to migration and to EU foreign policy. Ciolos also met with representatives of the Bundestag Friendship Group and of the Romanian community in Germany.




    The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that authorities in the neighbouring Bulgaria issued a yellow code alert for heavy snow, glaze and wind for several regions in the country. The Ministry recommends drivers to have their cars equipped for bad weather and to visit the website www.mae.ro for more information. Also, all Romanian citizens travelling abroad are advised to download and consult the ‘Safe Travel’ application, including information, travel recommendations and alerts in case of emergencies. The eastern half of Romania is also under a yellow code alert for heavy snow and sleet, valid until Friday morning. On Thursday, the airport in Cluj-Napoca, in north-western Romania was temporarily closed, after a plane overran a snow-covered runway while landing. Nobody was injured. Civil aviation security investigators are probing the incident.




    French police on Thursday shot dead a man who tried to enter a Paris police station brandishing a butcher’s knife and wearing a suicide vest, which later proved to be fake, news agencies announced. According to the French authorities, the incident is being investigated as a terrorist “attempted murder” of public officials in authority. The incident took place on the day when Paris commemorated one year since the terrorist attacks in the French capital which killed 17 people, including 12 employees of the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo.




    The World Bank has upgraded its economic growth forecast for Romania, from 3.2 to 3.9% this year, and from 3.5 to 4.1% for 2017. In its latest report on global economic developments issued on Wednesday, the World Bank has also upgraded its forecast on the growth of Romania’s GDP for last year, from 3 to 3.6%. In another development, the National Bank of Romania on Thursday decided to maintain its monetary policy interest rate at 1.75% per year.




    The United States, South Korea and Japan have announced they would stand united after North Korea on Wednesday announced the successful test of a hydrogen bomb. London, Paris, Moscow and even Beijing have condemned the move. The UN Security Council also agreed to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea. The Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has expressed concern, seeing the announcement as a threat to world peace and security. This is the fourth nuclear test carried out by Pyongyang since 2006. If confirmed, this will be the first hydrogen bomb test.




    Romania’s national football squad continues to rank 16th in the world, according to FIFA’s World Ranking made public on January 7th. With the majority of the top teams enjoying a well-deserved break in the final weeks of 2015, the situation in the top 50 remains largely unchanged from the latest ranking. Sweden have moved up one position into 34th place, Iran have climbed two places into 43rd and Guinea have gained one position in 49th. France continues to be on the 25th position while Switzerland and Albania rank 12th and 38th respectively. The qualification for next year’s Euro 2016 is a great achievement for Romanian football. In their first Euro 2016 match, Romania will face France in the tournament’s opening game on 10th of June on Stade de France stadium. In their next game on 15th June, the Romanians play against Switzerland and then against Albania on 19th June in Lyon.



    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • October 10, 2015 UPDATE

    October 10, 2015 UPDATE

    Romania firmly condemns the attacks in Ankara and restates its full support for Turkey, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday. The Romanian Foreign Ministry offered condolences to the Turkish authorities, the Turkish people and the victims’ families. In her turn, the EUs high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, called on Turkey “to stand united against terrorists and against all those who try to destabilize a country that is facing many threats.” In Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan firmly condammned the blasts that killed at least 85 people and injured another 185. The explosions took place near the citys central train station as people gathered for a march asking for an end to the conflict between the Turkish government and the Kurdish militant group the PKK. A ceasefire agreement between the two parties expired in July and there have been regular attacks from both sides since then. The PKK is fighting for the territorial independence of the Kurds.




    An IMF delegation will travel to Romania next week for talks with the Bucharest authorities on the country’s budget in 2016 and the prospect of another precautionary agreement with Romania. The visit takes place against the background of the IMF having recently revised upwards its economic forecast on Romania. Thus, the country’s GDP is estimated to go up by 3.4% this year and by 3.9% in 2016. Romania’s fourth consecutive agreement with the IMF expired last month. The precautionary agreement was worth 2 billion euros but the Bucharest authorities did not access the funds. Romanian Finance Minister, Eugen Teodorovici, has recently stated that the country will officially ask for another agreement to be signed with the IMF.




    On Sunday the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main party in the governing coalition in Romania will elect its president. More than 530 thousand members are expected to cast their vote. The only candidate to the party’s presidency is Liviu Dragnea, currently interim president of the party. He took over the presidency of PSD in July 2015, when Prime Minister Victor Ponta, the then party president, resigned his position as head of the party following the corruption scandal in which he is involved. The PM Victor Ponta has been prosecuted being accused of forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering. After internal elections, the Social Democrats will meet in an extraordinary congress on October 18.




    Radio Romania’s Children Choir, conducted by Voicu Popescu, held a concert on Saturday, in Munich, as part of a choral music festival entitled “Let the Peoples Sing”. Radio Romania’s Children Choir, that qualified to the final alongside 8 other competitors from all over the world will perform tomorrow as part of the “Children and Youth Choirs” category. This year, Radio Romania’s Children Choir celebrates its 70th anniversary.




    Presiding over a massive military parade in Phenian, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country was “fully ready” to defend itself against any U.S. threat. In a celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers Party, hundreds of troops marched across the country’s main square, which was festooned with national and party flags. The North Korean leader said the Workers Party members were a “source of miracle” as they turned the country into a socialist power, which was both independent and able to protect itself from military threat. Phenian already carried out three nuclear tests, in 2006, 2009 and 2013 and says it’s preparing for a fourth one, in spite of the international sanctions in place.




    Romania’s national football squad will be up against the Faeroe Islands on Sunday. On Thursday the Romanians were held to a one-all draw by Finland. Northern Ireland has won the preliminary group. In order to book its ticket for Euro 2016, Romania is in dire need of a win in the match against the Faeroe Islands on Sunday, which is its last group stage fixture. In another move, Romanias national youth team defeated Luxembourg in an away match on Friday, counting towards the preliminaries of the European Under-21 Championship, scheduled for 2017. Bulgaria ranks first in this group, followed by Romania and Wales.




    On Sunday, Romania’s rugby team is playing its last match at the World Rugby Cup, underway in England and Wales. In Exeter, on Sandy Park stadium, the Oaks will go up against Italy. The stake of the game is the group’s third position, which guarantees qualification to the World Cup scheduled for 2019 in Japan. The Romanians lost to Ireland and France but came back from nil-15 to beat Canada in their last match in Pool D, which was officially recorded as the biggest comeback in World Cup history.