Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romania’s handball team

  • December 2, 2018 UPDATE

    December 2, 2018 UPDATE

    GREAT
    UNION CENTENNIAL – Some 150,000 Romanians celebrated the Great Union Centennial in Alba
    Iulia, with events ending with an open air concert. Some 450 events were held
    all over the country on this occasion. Despite the freezing cold, tens of
    thousands of people attended the military parades organized on Saturday in
    Bucharest, Alba Iulia and Focsani. Attending the events, President Klaus
    Iohannis said he was honored to be president in the year of the Great Union Centennial.
    In turn, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila called for unity in her speech in
    Focsani. The military parade in Bucharest was the largest event of its kind in
    the last decades. Some 4,000 military, of whom 500 from 20 partner and allied
    states, paraded in Bucharest. More than 200 pieces of military equipment were
    presented to the public, while 50 aircraft flew over the capital city. The combat
    equipment included for the first time the Patriot missile air-defense system
    and the Piranha 5 armored vehicles which, starting this year, are being
    manufactured in Romania. Millions of Romanians in the Diaspora celebrated the
    National Day of Romania as well.




    DANCILA – Prime Minister Viorica
    Dancila on Monday is attending the Central-European Initiative Summit in Zagreb,
    which marks the end of Croatia’s one-year term at the helm of this institution.
    The Initiative was founded in 1989 as a regional inter-government forum engaged
    in supporting European integration and sustainable development by means of
    cooperation among member states and the EU, international and regional
    organizations, as well as other public or private institutions and NGOs. The
    main topic on Monday’s agenda is ensuring security, supporting the economy and
    boosting progress. Italy on January 1, 2019 will take over the rotating
    presidency. Attending the summit will be the president of the European Bank of
    Reconstruction and Development and European Commissioner for Enlargement,
    Johannes Hahn. On Tuesday, a business forum on the role of innovation in competitiveness
    will be hosted by Croatia’s Chamber of Commerce on the sidelines of the summit.




    BUSH – US Stock
    Markets on Monday will observe a moment of silence in homage to the former US
    President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on Friday aged 94. Stock markets
    will be closed on Wednesday, declared a day of national mourning in the US.
    Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis conveyed a message of condolences to his
    counterpart, Donald Trump. Iohannis said President Bush was a great leader and
    statesman, whose political legacy holds tremendous importance for Eastern
    Europe. Due to his efforts, Romania and other states from the former Soviet
    bloc found their liberty and started the path towards European and
    Euro-Atlantic integration. It was also Bush, Iohannis argues, who laid the
    foundations of what was to become the Strategic Partnership between the United
    States and Romania.




    PENSION
    LAW
    – The new pension law could be passed in Parliament by the end of the year,
    Labor Minister Marius Budai has announced. The Senate has already voted the
    document and submitted it to the Chamber of Deputies for approval. Under the
    new law, the pension point will be increased in stages until 2021. The minimum
    period of contribution stays at 15 years, while MA and doctoral studies are now
    removed from the standard period of contribution. At the same time, the periods
    of early retirement were reduced from six years to 12 months for extraordinary
    circumstances and from 2 years to 1 year for special circumstances. Women who’ve
    completed their minimum period of contribution and given birth to three children
    benefit from a six-year reduction of their early retirement age. The Government
    assures there will be no drop in pensions.




    PROTESTS – French
    President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called on Prime Minister Edouard Philippe
    to receive leaders of Parliamentary parties and representatives of protesters after
    Paris saw violent clashes between the riot police and protesters for the 3rd
    weekend in a row as part of rallies caused by increased fuel prices. The
    initiative reflects the Government’s constant concern for dialogue, the
    presidency reports. During Sunday’s morning emergency meeting, the president
    also called on the Interior Minister to see to the adjustment of the security
    detail. The violent protests turned to street violence in Pairs, after the
    peaceful protest was taken over by groups of hooligans looting stores and
    setting cars and private lofts on fire. Emmanuel Macron promised the guilty
    would be identified and brought to court. Over 100 people were injured and the
    police detained some 400 people. The protest surfaced after the Government in
    early October announced they would levy an environment tax on fuel starting
    next year. Protesters also expressed disgruntlement with the low purchase power
    and the increasing number of taxes.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian
    women’s handball team on Saturday grabbed its first win at the European
    Championship in France, defeating the Czech Republic 31-28 in Group D. In the
    other group fixture, Germany surprisingly defeated Norway 33-32. Romania will
    next play Germany on Monday. The first three teams will advance to the main
    group phase. This is the 13th time Romania takes part in the European
    Championships. In 2015 our team ranked 5, while its best performance was in
    2010 when they scooped bronze.




    FOOTBALL – Romania will
    play in Group F in the EURO 2020 preliminaries alongside Spain, Sweden, Norway,
    the Faeroe Islands and Malta. National Arena stadium in Bucharest will be
    hosting matches in the final tournament, three in the group phase and one round
    of 16 match. The semi-finals and finals will be played in London on Wembley
    stadium. The first two teams in each group will qualify to the European
    Championship.




    (Translated
    by V. Palcu)





  • December 2, 2018

    December 2, 2018

    GREAT
    UNION CENTENNIAL – Events were held on Sunday too in Alba Iulia, central Romania, to mark
    100 years since the Great Union. Despite the freezing cold, tens of thousands
    of people attended the military parades organized on Saturday in Bucharest,
    Alba Iulia and Focsani. Attending the events, President Klaus Iohannis said he
    was honored to be president in the year of the Great Union Centennial. In turn,
    Prime Minister Viorica Dancila called for unity in her speech in Focsani. The
    military parade in Bucharest was the largest event of its kind in the last
    decades. Some 4,000 military, of whom 500 from 20 partner and allied states,
    paraded in Bucharest. More than 200 pieces of military equipment were presented
    to the public, while 50 aircraft flew over the capital city. The combat equipment
    included for the first time the Patriot missile air-defense system and the
    Piranha 5 armored vehicles which, starting this year, are being manufactured in
    Romania. Millions of Romanians in the Diaspora celebrated the National Day of
    Romania as well.




    DANCILA – Prime Minister Viorica
    Dancila on Monday is attending the Central-European Initiative Summit in
    Zagreb, which marks the end of Croatia’s one-year term at the helm of this
    institution. The Initiative was founded in 1989 as a regional inter-government
    forum engaged in supporting European integration and sustainable development by
    means of cooperation among member states and the EU, international and regional
    organizations, as well as other public or private institutions and NGOs. The
    main topic on Monday’s agenda is ensuring security, supporting the economy and
    boosting progress. Italy on January 1, 2019 will take over the rotating
    presidency. Attending the summit will be the president of the European Bank of
    Reconstruction and Development and European Commissioner for Enlargement,
    Johannes Hahn. On Tuesday, a business forum on the role of innovation in
    competitiveness will be hosted by Croatia’s Chamber of Commerce on the
    sidelines of the summit.




    BUSH – US Stock
    Markets on Monday will observe a moment of silence in homage to the former US
    President George H.W. Bush, who passed away on Friday aged 94. Stock markets
    will be closed on Wednesday, declared a day of national mourning in the US.
    Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis conveyed a message of condolences to his
    counterpart, Donald Trump. Iohannis said President Bush was a great leader and
    statesman, whose political legacy holds tremendous importance for Eastern
    Europe. Due to his efforts, Romania and other states from the former Soviet
    bloc found their liberty and started the path towards European and
    Euro-Atlantic integration. It was also Bush, Iohannis argues, who laid the
    foundations of what was to become the Strategic Partnership between the United
    States and Romania.




    PENSION
    LAW
    – The new pension law could be passed in Parliament by the end of the year,
    Labor Minister Marius Budai has announced. The Senate has already voted the
    document and submitted it to the Chamber of Deputies for approval. Under the
    new law, the pension point will be increased in stages until 2021. The minimum
    period of contribution stays at 15 years, while MA and doctoral studies are now
    removed from the standard period of contribution. At the same time, the periods
    of early retirement were reduced from six years to 12 months for extraordinary
    circumstances and from 2 years to 1 year for special circumstances. Women who’ve
    completed their minimum period of contribution and given birth to three children
    benefit from a six-year reduction of their early retirement age. The Government
    assures there will be no drop in pensions.




    PROTESTS – French
    President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday called an emergency meeting with the Prime
    Minister and the Defense Minister after Paris saw violent clashes between the
    riot police and protesters for the 3rd weekend in a row as part of
    rallies caused by increased fuel prices. 75,000 people protested on Saturday in
    Paris, with clashes reported in other cities as well. The violent protests
    turned to street violence in Pairs, after the peaceful protest was taken over
    by groups of hooligans looting stores and setting cars and private lofts on
    fire. Emmanuel Macron promised the guilty would be identified and brought to
    court. Over 100 people were injured and the police detained some 300 people.
    The protest surfaced after the Government in early October announced they would
    levy an environment tax on fuel starting next year. Protesters also expressed
    disgruntlement with the low purchase power and the increasing number of taxes.




    FOOTBALL – Romania’s national
    football team will find out, on Sunday, its opponents in the preliminaries of
    the EURO 2020, after the draw hosted by Dublin, one of the 12 hosts of the
    continental competition, among which Bucharest as well. Romania’s National
    Arena stadium will host 4 matches in 2020: 3 matches of Group C on June 14, 18
    and 22, and a match in the eighth finals on June 29. The 55 teams to
    participate in the draw for the preliminaries will be divided into 10 groups, 5
    groups of 5 teams each, and 5 groups of 6 teams. Qualifying to the EURO 2020
    will be the teams ranking 1st and 2nd in each group. The
    matches in the preliminary round will take place from March through November
    2019.




    HANDBALL – The Romanian
    women’s handball team on Saturday grabbed its first win at the European
    Championship in France, defeating the Czech Republic 31-28 in Group D. In the
    other group fixture, Germany surprisingly defeated Norway 33-32. Romania will
    next play Germany on Monday. The first three teams will advance to the main
    group phase. This is the 13th time Romania takes part in the
    European Championships. In 2015 our team ranked 5, while its best performance
    was in 2010 when they scooped bronze.


    (Translated
    by V. Palcu)

  • January 5, 2018

    January 5, 2018

    MAGISTRACY — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis earlier today criticized the procedure whereby the justice laws were adopted, expressing hope the laws will be improved and that Constitutional Court judges will analyze them proficiently and objectively. The statement was made on the sidelines of the meeting of the Superior Council of Magistracy. We recall the recent modifications to the justice laws have been challenged both in Parliament by opposition parties as well as in the street by civil society, as well as by some magistrates. The three laws referring to the statute of magistrates, judicial organization and the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy have been referred to the Constitutional Court by the National Liberal Party and the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The opposition believes the laws go against the Constitution and generate confusion. The most controversial points refer to the material accountability of magistrates, the setup of a special unit within the Prosecutor General’s Office charged with investigating justice-related crimes and the statute of the Judicial Inspection Corps. The meeting will occasion the election of the president and vice-president of the Council and a review of the institution’s activity in 2017.



    HEARING — Romanian Health Minister Florian Bodog was deposed on Thursday by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism as witness in the case where a reputed urosurgeon, Mihai Lucan, is accused of embezzlement. Cluj Mayor Emil Boc was subpoenaed in the same case. Both Florian Bodog and Emil Boc have denied any involvement in the case.



    FRONTEX — Romania contributed three maritime patrol ships to FRONTEX operations aimed at supporting Greek authorities to monitor and control the EU’s external borders throughout 2017. Consisting of six crews totaling 150 border police officers, the Romanian border police vessels carried out patrol, surveillance and rescue operations in the Aegean Sea, both individually and in cooperation with the crews of the other ships deployed by EU Member States to Greece. During the operations the crews completed hundreds of missions and took part in over 20 rescue operations at sea, helping save some 1,800 people, mostly women and children, who were subsequently safely transported to shore. The last crew, made up of 26 officers of the Romanian Border Police, onboard the MAI 1104 patrol ship, returned to the port of Constanta on Thursday.



    VISIT — Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today announced that at the end of next week he would visit several countries from Eastern Europe, including Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This will be the first visit of a Japanese Prime Minister to this region, Kyodo news agency reports. “I will expand the borders of Japanese diplomacy, while at the same time asserting our close coordination in connection to North Korea and other pressing issues facing the international community”,. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.



    SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC PARTY — The Executive Committee of the Social-Democratic Party, the main ruling coalition party in Romania, will most likely convene on Monday, sources within the party have told the press. Ranking high on the agenda is appointing a new Minister of Waters and Forests, after this Wednesday Doina Pana stepped down due to health reasons. According to the aforementioned sources, the Committee might also discuss a new Government reshuffle. The meeting will be held amidst speculations over the strained relations between Social-Democrat Leader Liviu Dragnea and Prime Minister Mihai Tudose.



    TOURISM — The number of bookings with Romania’s tourist accommodation units has gone up by 6.2% in the first 11 months of 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016, totaling 25 million, reads a recent survey published today by the National Statistics Institute. Arrivals in Romania reached 11 million, up by 10.4%. Romanians accounted for nearly 80% of total accommodations, as compared to foreign tourists representing 20%. With a 73% share, most tourists came from Europe, while 85% of these were citizens of EU Member states.



    STUDENTS — Romania’s top-performing students who graduated with high scores in universities abroad were rewarded on Thursday as part of the Gala of Romanian Students Abroad. In the “Europa University” section the first prize went to Claudia Mitrofan, a student at Cambridge University in Great Britain. Maria Bostenaru of Karlshrue University in Germany won the award for best post-grad student, while Raluca Andreea Manea, a student at Caroline University in Prague, grabbed the award for best Erasmus student. Diana Beatrix Velicu of “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest was designated the best student in a higher education unit in Romania.



    UN — The UN’s Security Council will tonight meet to discuss the developments in Iran. The meeting has already been criticized by Russia, who considers the situation in Iran is of no concern to the UN. US Ambassador Nikki Haley earlier last week said she would call for a top-level meeting as a sign of support for the Iranian protesters. Over 20 people were killed in Mashhad since the start of anti-regime protests which have swept the entire country. Hundreds were arrested in Tehran and in other cities.



    MEETING — French President Emmanuel Macron is today meeting his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Paris. Talks will focus on Syria, the developments in Europe and human rights in Turkey. This is Erdogan’s most important visit to an EU country after the failed coup of July 2016. The scope of Turkey’s post-coup crackdown has prompted harsh criticism in Europe, particularly in Berlin, thus suspending negotiations over Turkey’s bid to join the community bloc. Over 140,000 people were sacked and suspended, 55,000 arrested, including university teachers, journalists and pro-Kurdish militants. In early September, 2017, German Chancellor Angela Merkel argued in favor of scrapping accession talks, while the French President, Emmanuel Macron, said the EU must avoid any break in relations with Turkey as an “essential” partner on migration and terror issues.



    HANDBALL — The Romanian men’s handball side on Friday is facing Bahrain in Calarasi, in the south, in the semi-finals of the Carpati Trophy. Tunisia is facing Portugal in the other semi-final. On Saturday, the losing teams will play the third-place play-off, while the winners will play for the trophy. The Romanian players, who are coached by the Spanish manager Xavier Pascual, are also training for the first round of the 2019 World Championship preliminary matches to take place over January 11-13 in Bolzano, Italy, where they face Ukraine and the Faeroe Islands, as well as the host country. Only the winners of the six preliminary groups qualify for the World Championship play-offs in June this year.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, the world’s no. 1 player, today qualified to the finals of the WTA tournament in Shenzhen, China, totaling over 600 thousand dollars in prize money, after defeating another Romanian, Irina Begu, 6-1, 6-4. This is the second time Halep reaches the final, after in 2015 she won the trophy. In the final Halep will play the defending champion, Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic, who defeated Maria Sharapova of Russia in the other semi-final, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Later today Halep and Begu will team up to face Ana Blinkova of Russia and Nicola Geuer of Germany in the women’s doubles semi-finals. (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • January 4, 2018 UPDATE

    January 4, 2018 UPDATE

    COUNCIL — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Friday is attending the meeting of the Superior Council of Magistracy. The meeting will occasion the election of the president and vice-president of the Council and a review of the institution’s activity in 2017. We recall the recent modifications to the justice laws have been challenged both in Parliament by opposition parties as well as in the street by civil society, as well as some magistrates. The three laws referring to the statute of magistrates, judicial organization and the functioning of the Superior Council of Magistracy have been referred to the Constitutional Court by the National Liberal Party and the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The opposition believes the laws go against the Constitution and generate confusion. The most controversial point refers to the material accountability of magistrates, the setup of a special unit within the Prosecutor General’s Office charges with investigating justice-related crimes and the statute of the Judicial Inspection.



    RESERVES — The hard currency reserves of the National Bank of Romania amounted to 33.5 billion euros in December last year, over 430 million euros more than at the end of November, but almost 750 million less than at the end of 2016, the Central Bank has announced. The gold reserve has remained at almost 104 tonnes, accounting for over 3.5 billion euros. Experts say the reserves are at a comfortable level for the time being and recall that a large portion of the IMF loans went to increasing reserves, which leads to a boost in investors’ trust and the stabilisation of the Romanian economy.



    ELEANOR – Storm Eleanor, the fourth this winter to hit western Europe, with gales of up to 160 km/hour, has caused the death of three people and injured dozens others. Violent winds and rain have swept across France, Britain, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. Airports were paralysed in France, railway travel disrupted and tens of thousands of homes were left without electricity. In Paris, Tour Eiffel was closed for several hours because of wind. Activity on the Schipol Airport in Amsterdam and the airports in Frankfurt and Zurich took place with difficulty. Road travel was suspended in some part of Germany, and a number of passes were closed in Switzerland. In the Netherlands, all the five big dams protecting the shores from the North Sea were temporarily closed for the first time to prevent floods.



    EXPEDITION –Romanian mountain climbers Zsolt Torok and Vlad Capusan on Thursday started a new expedition. They are seeking to become the first Romanians to summit the Cerro Torre peak in Argentina, an extremely difficult mountain top lying at an altitude of 3,100 m. Reaching this peak is considered one of the most important achievements in a climber’s career. The last big ascent on Cerro Torre took place in February 2013 by the Austrian climber Markus Pucher. In 2016, Zsolt Torok and Vlad Capusan were the first in the world to conquer a wild peak in the Himalayans. They were also the first to reach Peak 5.



    IRAN — The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for further violence to be avoided in Iran and for all demonstrations to be peaceful. More than 20 people have been killed in Mashhad, in the north-east, since protests began on the 28th of December against economic hardships and corruption and then quickly spread across Iran. According to official data, 450 people have been arrested in Tehran and other several hundred in the rest of the country since Saturday night. The United States has again dismissed Tehran’s accusation that the country’s enemies are to blame for the wave of protests.



    TENNIS – Simona Halep and Irina Begu will face each other on Friday in the singles semi-finals in Shenzhen, China in a tennis tournament worth more than 600,000 dollars in prize money. In the quarterfinals, Simona Halep, who is world no. 1, defeated Arina Sabalenka of Belarus in straight sets, while Irina Begu, who is seeded fourth, has defeated Hungary’s Timea Babos. In the other semi-final, Russia’s Maria Sharapova faces the Czech player Katerina Siniakova. In the doubles, the all-Romanian pair Simona Halep and Irina Begu on Friday are playing the Russian-German pair Ana Blinkova and Nicola Geuer.



    HANDBALL — The Romanian men’s handball side on Friday is facing Bahrain in Calarasi, in the south, in the semi-finals of the Carpati Trophy. Tunisia face Portugal in the other semi-final. On Saturday, the losing teams will play the third-place play-off, while the winners will play for the trophy. The Romanian players, who are coached by the Spanish manager Xavier Pascual, are also training for the first round of the 2019 World Championship preliminary matches to take place between the 11th and the 13th of January in Bolzano, Italy, where they face Ukraine and the Faeroe Islands, as well as the host country. Only the winners of the six preliminary groups qualify for the World Championship play-offs in June this year.


    (Translated by C. Mateescu and V. Palcu)

  • December 4, 2016

    December 4, 2016

    REFERENDUM– A constitutional referendum is held on Sunday in Italy, which is considered one of the most critical tests for the political career of the PM Matteo Renzi, the head of a center-leftist government. The reform plan stipulates, among other things, a drastic diminution of the Senates power and a limitation of the regions powers. Matteo Renzi said he would step down if the reform fell through. The ‘NO campaign is led by the Populist Party 5 Stars, which wants to review the countrys relations with the EU. Several EU states have expressed fears that unless the Italian PMs proposal gets public support, the country might enter a political deadlock, the BBC reports.


    ELECTIONS – 6.4 million Austrians with the right to vote are expected to the polls again on Sunday to elect their president. They will have to choose between Norbert Hofer representing the Freedom Party, considered of far right orientation, and independent Alexander Van der Bellen. The president plays a minor role, although he can dissolve the lower house of Parliament and call for snap elections. The first round of the presidential election took place in April and the second in May. The winner of the May election was Alexander Van der Bellen but the Constitutional Court in Vienna decided to cancel the second round because of irregularities reported in the postal voting procedure. Pundits say that if elected, Hofer will be the first far-right president in the EU. Presidential elections are also being held on Sunday in Uzbekistan. Voters will decide who will replace the former leader Islam Karomov, who died in September. Interim president Shavkat Mirzioviev, one of the four candidates in the race, has good chances of winning the vote. Mirzioiev has pleaded for continuity, while saying he might introduce certain economic reforms.




    EUROSTAT – One in three Romanians cannot afford to eat out with friends every month, shows the latest Eurostat survey. Figures indicate the same figures for Hungary and Bulgaria. In Romania, those affected are the elderly, of whom 43% lack the funds to eat out in a restaurant every month. Over a third of young people below 25 cannot afford to go out to a pub every month. Nearly one in ten European citizens lacks the money for such monthly activities.



    GREECE – Structural reforms will help Greece get sustainable growth instead of a debt-cutting deal, the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told Bild am Sonntag on Sunday. Greeces outstanding debt currently amounts to 300 billion euros, accounting for 180% of its GDP, the highest in the Eurozone. A Eurozone Finance Ministers meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday in Brussels, aimed at reviewing the progress Athens has reported in implementing the line of reforms demanded in exchange for granting financial assistance. Germany is unlikely to discuss a cut in Greeces debt ahead of the elections of September 2017. For the first time since 2014, Greece has reported a growth of its GDP for two consecutive terms, thus ending the economic slump.



    HANDBALL – Romanias national womens handball team are participating in Sweden between December 4 –18 in the European Handball Championship. Romania will take on Norway, in Group D, on December 5th, Russia on the 7th of December and Croatia on the 9th. The three top-ranking teams in each group will qualify to the second stage. Romanias team is coached by the Spanish Ambros Martin, who last month replaced the Swedish Tomas Ryde, who led the Romanians to victory at the 2015 World Championship hosted by Denmark, when they won bronze. Ambros Martin was designated the best coach of the world in 2013 and 2014 and won two times the Champions League with the Hungarian team Győr that he is also coaching. The teams of Norway and Denmark have won the most continental titles, 6 and 3 respectively. Romanias best result at the European Championship was the bronze medal in 2010.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)