October 9, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 09.10.2025, 13:55
NOBEL – Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday “for his impressive and visionary work that, amidst apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art,” the Swedish Academy in Stockholm said in a statement. Last year, the Nobel Prize in Literature went to South Korean writer Han Kang “for her intensely poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” Earlier this week, the Swedish Academy announced the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Medicine and Chemistry. This year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on Friday, and the winner of the Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced on Monday. The awards will be presented at a special ceremony on December 10.
HOLOCAUST – President Nicuşor Dan has said today that, in a historical context marked by increasingly heightened tensions and the tendency to shift responsibility for personal or social failures onto others, it is essential to combat, by all means, anti-Semitic, xenophobic or hate speech. The head of state participated in Bucharest in the ceremony marking the National Holocaust Remembrance Day in Romania. This Day offers us an opportunity to remember those experiences and urges us to be vigilant in the face of manifestations of hatred, not to fall into the trap of silence or indifference, said the National Institute for Holocaust Studies in Romania “Elie Wiesel”. According to the Institute, in the middle of the last century, over 300,000 Jews of Romanian or Ukrainian origin, victims of the regime led by Romanian Marshal Ion Antonescu, were deported and died of bullets, cold, hunger or disease. Also, 11,000 Roma were exterminated as a result of a racial policy.
RESOLUTION – The European Parliament is adopting today a draft resolution condemning the incidents in which the airspace of the European Union and NATO has been violated in recent times, violations attributed to Russia, the Radio Romania correspondent in Strasbourg reported. The majority of MEPs believe that these incidents, which targeted Poland, Romania, Estonia, Germany, Denmark or Belgium, are not accidental, and the response must be firm. The majority of parliamentarians demand the rapid adoption of the 19th package of sanctions, much harsher, against Moscow and the use of all resources generated by seized Russian assets, to support the invaded Ukraine.
FINANCING – The European Investment Bank will finance with 1 billion euros the construction of the A1 Sibiu – Piteşti motorway, Romania’s most important road infrastructure project and the first motorway to cross the Carpathian Mountains. The contract for the first financing tranche, worth half a billion euros, was signed by Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare. The total value of the project, with a length of 122 kilometers, is estimated at almost 6 billion euros.
AGREEMENT – President Nicuşor Dan welcomed, on Thursday, the agreement between Israel and Hamas on the ceasefire and the release of all hostages in Gaza, conveying that Romania remains committed to supporting efforts to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. “I warmly welcome the ceasefire agreement and the safe return of all Israeli hostages from Gaza. I appreciate the efforts and valuable leadership of President Donald Trump, as well as Egypt, Qatar and Turkey and all partners involved in achieving this important progress in the negotiations. This brings much-needed hope for peace and stability in the region,” Nicuşor Dan said on a social media platform. Leaders of European institutions and heads of state and government from France, Germany and Spain also welcomed the agreement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the US, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey for their diplomatic efforts, while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the deal a significant achievement and a real chance to end the war and free all hostages. Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on Wednesday on the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, namely, a ceasefire and a deal on the release of hostages. This could pave the way for an end to the two-year war that has destabilised the Middle East.
WEATHER – The weather is normalizing today in Romania, after the torrential rains on Wednesday. Light precipitation is still falling in the south and southeast, areas that, on Wednesday, were under a red code alert for heavy rain caused by a cyclone formed in the Mediterranean Sea. The heavy rains and wind caused numerous problems, affecting households, roads and electrical networks. Emergency teams worked continuously to rescue people in difficulty and to eliminate the effects of the severe weather. There were over 100 localities affected, of which 17 were left without electricity. (EE)
