June 1, 2024
A roundup of local and international news.
Elena Enache, 01.06.2024, 13:55
CELEBRATION – Numerous events have been scheduled for children in Romania, on the occasion of June 1, the International Children’s Day. The Parliament hosts the 4th edition of the Children’s Senate. According to the organizers, the event is an opportunity to explain the little ones the role of Parliament, as well as their rights in society through various educational activities. The Chamber of Deputies also opened its doors for the young visitors. Museums from all over the country have announced workshops with free entry for children.
PRAGUE – The head of Romanian diplomacy, Luminiţa Odobescu, pleaded, on Friday, at the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Prague, for the continuation of substantial support for Ukraine. “Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Allies have provided approximately EUR 40 billion worth of military support to Ukraine each year. We must maintain at least this level of support each year, for as long as necessary. I have also proposed that Allies should share this burden equitably,” NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said at the end of the meeting. In Prague, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed on Friday that U.S. President Joe Biden approved Ukraine using U.S. weapons to strike targets inside Russia that were attacking the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, after Kyiv sought authorization from Washington in recent weeks, Reuters reports.
TERMINAL – The largest grain transshipment terminal in Europe was inaugurated, on Friday, in Suceava county (northern Romania), on the border with Ukraine, in the presence of the Romanian and Ukrainian authorities. The new terminal was built in a public-private partnership and cost approximately 10 million euros, the financing being provided by the largest group of private railway companies with Romanian shareholders in Southeast Europe. Due to its large transshipment capacity, the terminal will become a strategic point for streamlining grain traffic from the border with Ukraine to the Port of Constanta.
RESTORATION – The restoration project of St. Michael’s Church in Cluj-Napoca (north-western Romania) and that of a Saxon church in a village in Sibiu county (center) are among the winners of this year’s edition of the European Heritage Awards, awarded by the Creative Europe program of the European Union. Saint Michael’s Church went through an extensive restoration process between 2016 and 2022, and the project also included interior remodeling and modernization works. In turn, according to the Representative of the European Commission in Bucharest, the Saxon church, rehabilitated from the ground up, is considered a cultural landmark that symbolizes centuries of history and craftsmanship. The awards ceremony will take place on October 7 in Bucharest.
GAZA – The American President, Joe Biden, said on Friday that Israel proposed a new ‘global’ ceasefire agreement that includes the release of all hostages, Reuters and AFP report. Israel’s proposal consists in withdrawing all its forces from the Palestinian territory for six weeks, a complete ceasefire and the release of all hostages. Joe Biden has urged Hamas to accept a new Israeli proposal to end the conflict in Gaza, saying that “it’s time for this war to end”. On Thursday, the Palestinian Islamist group announced, in a statement, that it wants a total agreement with Israel regarding the release of hostages kidnapped from Israel, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners , but the condition is to put an end of the war in Gaza. We remind you that on October 7, 2023, Hamas took more than 250 hostages in southern Israel and killed approximately 1,200 people, triggering the Gaza war.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis players Irina Begu (127 WTA) and Ana Bogdan (64 WTA) are today playing in the third round of the French Open. Begu is up against Varvara Gracheva (France), and Ana Bogdan faces Elina Svitolina (Ukraine ). Ana Bogdan will also play today in the doubles. (EE)
