Radio România Internațional

Tag: World Cup

  • October 7, 2016

    October 7, 2016

    TALKS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is having talks today in Bucharest with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. The talks agenda includes the latest developments in the EU’s eastern vicinity with emphasis on the best ways of granting support to the EU partners, migration and the EU’s response to the phenomenon. The two officials will also be tackling the process of applying the EU’s Global Strategy for Foreign Policy and Security and the Romanian representation at the level of the European External Action Service. This is the first visit paid by the EU official to Bucharest. Mogherini is expected to also have talks with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos and Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu and participate in the international conference Bucharest Forum with a speech on Europe’s new strategic world vision.



    F-16 Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos went to an airbase in southeastern Romania to participate in a ceremony occasioned by the arrival of the first six F-16 Fighting Falcons out of the total 12 bought from Portugal. The six fighters were taken over in late September from the Portuguese airbase of Monte Real. Romania decided to upgrade its air fleet and replace the ageing MiG 21s.



    PRIZE The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2016 to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos for his resolute efforts to bring the countrys more than 50-year-long civil war to an end, a war that has cost the lives of at least 220 000 Colombians and displaced close to six million people. Last year the prize went to the National Dialog Quartet in Tunisia for having built a pluralistic democracy in that country. The Nobel Prize in Economics is to be awarded next Monday and that for Literature on Thursday October 13th.



    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football squad this coming Saturday take on Armenia in an away fixture counting towards the World Cup preliminaries in 2018. Three days after the match in Yerevan, Romania face Kazakhstan, also away from home. Last month the national team were held to a 1-all draw by Montenegro on home turf, in what counts as the debut game for the newly-appointed manager of the national team, the German Christoph Daum, the first foreign manager to have been appointed at the helm of the national team. In the same group, E, Denmark grabbed a 1-nil home win against Armenia, while Poland were held to a 2-all draw by Kazakhstan, away from home. This autumn, Romania also takes on Poland on home turf, on November 11th.



    EXODUS Millions are fleeing the coastal regions of Florida and South Carolina before the arrival of hurricane Matthew, thought to be the strongest in the United States in the past decade. With gusts as high as 215 kilometer per hour, Matthew, which killed 340 people in Haiti, is a category 4, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm could have a disastrous impact in the two states, where president Obama has already declared the state of emergency.



    FRIGATE The French frigate Le Premier-Maitre L’Her has today moored in the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta in order to participate in a bilateral military exercise on Monday. The King Ferdinand frigate, two corvettes, two missile boats and three MIG-21 Lancers are to also take part in the exercise from the Romanian side. Le Premier-Maitre L’Her is a patrol ship that first saw service in 1981.



    POUND The pound has today dropped to a 31-year low against the US $ and to a 7-year low against the euro. International press agencies believe the fall takes place amid fears of the ‘hard Brexit’. According to a survey published by Reuters, Britains financial industry might lose up to 38 billion pounds ($48.34 billion) in revenue in a so-called hard Brexit that would leave it with restricted access to the European Unions single market. Prime Minister Theresa May last Sunday confirmed that Britain would trigger the article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty in the first quarter of 2017.



  • Historic Victory for the Romanian Rugby Squad in the World Cups

    Historic Victory for the Romanian Rugby Squad in the World Cups

    Romania’s rugby squad scored a historic victory in the World Cup in England. The Oak Leaf Knights defeated Canada 17 to 15 after being led 15-0. In effect, they achieved the most spectacular reversal of fortunes in the history of the World Cup. The game started badly for the Romanians. In the first half, the Canadians dominated by far. They led the first half by eight points to none, after the penalty kick by Gordon McRorie, in the 11th minute, and the try by Daniel van der Merwe in the 33rd minute. Things did not go well at the beginning of the second half either. The Maple Leafs had another try in the 44th minute, scored by Jeff Hastler, with Nathan Hirayama, turning the board to 15-0.



    However, the Romanian team had a spectacular comeback, and their forward team started to up their game. In minute 53, Mihai Macovei managed Romania’s first try, with Florin Vlaicu. Then came the yellow card given to Jebb Sinclair, who had to leave the field towards the end of the game. Taking advantage of higher numbers, Romania managed another try, again with Macovei and Vlaicu, turning the score 15 to 14. The Romanians turned up the pressure, and the Canadians did not cope well. In the 77th minute, the referee granted a penalty kick to the Oak Leaves, and Vlaicu scored, sealing the victory for Romania in this World Cup.



    Right now, Romania is fourth in Pool D, with 4 points. The first two placed are Ireland and France, with 14 points, Italy following with 5. Canada is last placed, with 2 points. On Sunday, Ireland plays France, while Romania meets Italy. If victorious, the Romanian Oak Leaf Knights qualify by default for the next World Cup.

  • September 15, 2015 UPDATE

    September 15, 2015 UPDATE

    The Romanian Foreign Ministry Tuesday said the Hungarian governments plans to build a fence along the common border, between two EU member countries and strategic partners, was politically incorrect and came against the spirit of the EU. Romanias response comes after Hungary decided to extend its wire fence on its southern border with Serbia, alongside the Romanian border as well, in order to stop the Middle East and northern African immigrant inflow. The Hungarian Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto, said the measure was prompted by the fact that the people traffickers operating on the Serbian border are changing their routes towards Hungarys border with Romania. Bucharest will be a part of the relocation mechanism by accepting more than 1,700 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece and another 80 people from outside the EU. However, Romania joins 9 other EU states in refusing the compulsory refugee quotas suggested by Brussels.



    The Prefect of Bucharest, Paul Nicolae Petrovan, Tuesday signed an order suspending the Mayor General Sorin Oprescu, after the Court of Appeals ruled that the latter should be taken in detention pending trial for bribe taking. A former member of the Social Democratic Party and later an independent politician, Oprescu was elected Mayor of Bucharest in 2008 and again in 2012. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, he received 25,000 euros in bribes. Between 2013 and 2015, Oprescu was part of an organised group that introduced a system through which those who wanted public contracts had to transfer a quota of the profits to local decision makers. Marin Stefanel Dan, a member of the National Union for the Progress of Romania, was appointed as interim mayor. Also on Tuesday the Social Democratic PM Victor Ponta appeared once again before the anti-corruption prosecutors who have charged him with corruption offences. On June 5, the Anti-Corruption Directorate ordered the prosecution of Victor Ponta, for forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering, allegedly committed when he worked as a lawyer, as well as for conflict of interests with respect to his position as Prime Minister. In July, an asset freeze measure against Ponta was also announced. Romanias first PM to be prosecuted while in office, Ponta denies the accusations and dismisses the calls for his resignation, coming from both the Liberals in Opposition and from President Klaus Iohannis.



    The Social Democratic Party, in the ruling coalition in Romania, Tuesday decided to hold a special congress on October 11, to elect its new leaders. Having stepped down as party president after he was prosecuted by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, the PM Victor Ponta announced he would not run for any position at this congress.



    The Romanian Education Minister, Sorin Cîmpeanu, Tuesday said in parliament that reforms in the public education sector were absolutely necessary. He added a comprehensive approach must be taken, allowing for the implementation of coherent and consistent measures for periods of time that exceed one ministerial term in office. Cimpeanu addressed the Chamber of Deputies at the request of the National Liberal Party in opposition. On Monday, he had stated that the new school year started on the right foot, although many problems were yet to be solved, particularly in terms of infrastructure, textbooks and curricula.



    Romanias rugby team is leaving for England on Wednesday, to take part in the World Cup due to kick off on September 18. Romania is playing in Group D, alongside France, Ireland, Canada and Italy. The national rugby team has never missed a World Cup final tournament, although they never went past the group stage.

  • September 4, 2015

    September 4, 2015

    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has today sent a letter to the heads of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, announcing that he intends to address Parliament on September 16. The head of state last gave an address in Parliament on June 22, when he presented Romanias National Defence Strategy for 2015 – 2019. Subsequently endorsed by the two chambers of Parliament, the Defence Strategy brings forth the new concept of broadened security.



    The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is taking part on Friday and Saturday in Luxemburg in an informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, talks will focus on topics like the EU eastern border, particularly the recent developments in Ukraine and the relations with the Russian Federation, the Middle East peace process, relations with Iran and the immigrant crisis. Special attention will be paid to the stage of the reform process in the countries on the east of the EU, particularly the Republic of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, the security situation in east Ukraine and the measures required for the immediate implementation of the Minsk agreements.



    In the neighbouring Republic of Moldova the multi-national military exercise Fire Shield has begun, with 26 troops from Romania and 150 from the USA taking part. The exercise marks 24 years since the formation of the National Army of Moldova, shortly after Chisinau proclaimed its independence from Moscow, on August 27, 1991. Also these days, more than 100 Moldovan military are taking part in the Sea Breeze-2015 drills, taking place in Ukraine under the NATO aegis. According to the Constitution, the Republic of Moldova is a neutral state, but it has been cooperating with NATO since 1994. The capital city Chisinau hosts an Alliance intelligence centre, and Moldovan troops took part in the post-conflict reconstruction operation in Iraq between 2003 and 2008.



    Bucharest may sign a new assistance agreement with the International Monetary Fund and the European Union in 2016, to protect its economy against market shocks, the Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici told Bloomberg. According to him, Romania stands on its own and does not need IMF funding, but a flexible deal would be a good idea, as a safety net against market instability. Since the start of the economic crisis in 2009 to date, Romania has signed 3 consecutive loan agreements with the IMF and the EU, which served as an anchor for the governmental policies related to the budget, the privatisation of state-owned companies and the economy, Bloomberg notes. The current agreement with the IMF amounts to 2 billion euros, but so far Bucharest has not used these funds.



    Romanias national football team is playing tonight away from home against neighbouring Hungary, in the European Championship qualifiers. This will be followed on Monday by a game in Bucharest against Greece. With four wins and two draws in six games, Romania tops the qualifying Group F, with 14 points, followed by Northern Ireland with 13, and Hungary with 11. Romanias last matches in the group stage are in October, against Faroe Islands away from home and against Finland, on home turf. Romania last took part in a European final tournament in 2008, but failed to get past the group stage. Also today, Romanias U-21 team is playing in Targu Mures against Bulgaria, in the qualifiers of the 2017 European Youth Championship. On Tuesday, in Yerevan, the young Romanian footballers will take on Armenia, which they defeated 3-0 in March on home turf.



    Also in sports, Romanias national rugby team plays against Tonga in Bucharest on Saturday, in the last test before leaving for England for the World Cup due to begin on September 18. Romania is part of the competitions Group D, alongside France, Ireland, Canada and Italy. The Romanian rugby team has taken part in all the World Cup final tournaments so far, but they never got past the group stage.