June 1, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Elena Enache, 01.06.2024, 20:00

GAZA – Israel’s conditions for ending the war have not changed and include the destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, freeing all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, France Presse reports. The same news agency says that the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas qualified as ‘positive’ the new Israeli roadmap for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages, revealed by US President Joe Biden. Biden announced on Friday that Israel has proposed a new ‘global’ ceasefire agreement that also includes the release of all hostages. Israel’s proposal consists, the White House leader announced, in the withdrawal of all its forces from the Palestinian territory for six weeks, a full ceasefire and the release of all hostages. We remind you that on October 7, 2023, Hamas took over 250 hostages in southern Israel and killed approximately 1,200 people, triggering the war in Gaza.

BOOKS – The 17th edition of the Bookfest International Book Fair continued in Bucharest on Saturday. This edition brings together 200 exhibitors and 150 publishing houses from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, which is the guest of honour this year. Over 1 million titles are featured. Readers are invited to take part in book launches, debates and other activities. A project co-financed by the Ministry of Culture, the Bookfest International Book Fair is organized by the Romanian Editors’ Association.

CELEBRATION – Numerous events were held for children on June 1st in Romania, on the occasion of the International Children’s Day. The Parliament hosted the 4th edition of the Children’s Senate. According to the organizers, the event was 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 hosted workshops with free entry for children and numerous surprises.

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. (EE)