June 10, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 10.06.2023, 18:41

UKRAINE – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that counteroffensive and defensive operations are taking place in Ukraine, but stressed that he would not say at what stage they are. The statement was made during a press conference with the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who was on a surprise visit to Kyiv. Also on Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Ukrainian forces continued in the last 24 hours “unsuccessful” attempts to launch attacks south of Donetsk and in the regions of Zaporizhzhia, as well as in the area of ​​the city of Bakhmut in the east of the country.





AIRPORT — The Open Door Days at the Braşov-Ghimbav International Airport (center), the newest airport in Romania are being held this weekend. The public can enjoy guided tours, an air show, concerts and fireworks. The official inauguration of the Braşov-Ghimbav International Airport will take place next week, on June 15, when the first landing of an aircraft is scheduled. The airport is the first in Romania with a control tower operated remotely with the help of several video cameras.

STRIKE – The Romanian pre-university teaching staff is expected to announce whether or not they agree to the Governments new proposal, in the context of their extensive protests and the all-out strike that has been unfolding for three weeks. On Friday, after a new round of negotiations, the Government offered employees in the field another 5% increase in their salaries, in addition to the 40% already promised as of January 1, 2024 and an annual bonus of 300 euros, which will be granted every year for the next five years, on October 5, when International Education Day is celebrated. Previously, the Government also adopted a memorandum regarding salary increases granted to the education staff under the future salary law. The Government will meet on Sunday to take measures aimed at ending the school year in the context of the strike. Thus, an emergency order currently under public debate will be discussed, according to which the oral exams of the Baccalaureate would be equated with the high school grades, and the national evaluation for the 6th graders would be cancelled.

PM – The leaders of the PNL-PSD-UDMR ruling coalition in Romania must take a decision regarding the rotation of prime ministers, with Parliament likely to vote on a new Executive as early as next week. According to political sources, informal meetings of the Liberals and Social Democrats have been scheduled this weekend ahead of the rotation, which was supposed to take place on May 26 but was postponed due to the strike in education. Liberal Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă is to resign his post, which will be taken over by PSD leader Marcel Ciolacu. We remind you that a political agreement between PNL and PSD, forged at the end of 2021, stipulates that each of the two parties will hold the position of prime minister for a year and a half.

FIRE- Wildfires have spread in western Canada, while hundreds of fires continue to burn in the opposite part of the country, with the smoke also affecting cities in the north-east of the United States. Canada is facing its worst start to the wildfire season on record, with almost 2,400 fires since the start of the year and 4.4 million hectares affected, about 15 times more than the annual average of the last decade. Although such fires are common in Canada, simultaneous outbreaks in the east and west are unusual, fueling fears of worsening climate change. Firefighters from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, as well as hundreds of firefighters from the United States arrived in Canada to help put out the fires.

LONDON – The former British Prime Minister, the conservative Boris Johnson, announced on Friday evening that he is handing over his mandate as parliament member, amid a parliamentary investigation into parties organized in Downing Street, in violation of the restrictions in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. A year after he was ousted as prime minister by his party majority, at the end of three years in power marked by a succession of scandals, Boris Johnson, 58, has been the subject of a parliamentary inquiry into whether he misled Parliament in relation to the so-called partygate affair. Boris Johnson accused the commission of having drawn up a report “riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice”, without giving him the opportunity to challenge it.

MONUMENT – The Triumphal Arch in Bucharest, one of the best-known symbols of the Romanian capital, is open to visitors as of this Saturday until October 29. The historical monument, dedicated to the victory of the Romanian Army in the First World War, can be visited every weekend. Its construction began in 1922 and its inauguration took place in 1936. Between 2014 and 2016, consolidation works were under way. The Triumphal Arch in Bucharest, similar to that in Paris, has a height of 27 meters.

FILM FESTIVAL – 200 films from 45 countries, 380 screenings, over 1,000 guests – are the figures of the Transylvania International Film Festival, under way in Cluj, in northwest Romania. The event started on Friday with the screening of the comedy “Nordic Comfort” (Iceland/Great Britain/Germany, 2023). The program of the first days of the festival includes the screening of dozens of films. Not to be missed are two Oscar films, namely “Tár” (dir. Todd Field, USA), and “The Whale” (dir. Darren Aronofsky, USA). This weekend also saw the start of activities and films for children and teenagers. Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, American director Oliver Stone, Mexican director Michel Franco and Serbian actor Darko Perić are coming to Cluj next week. Director Cristi Puiu and actress Ana Maria Marinca are also returning to TIFF. They are joined by hundreds of other Romanian professionals – actors, directors or producers. The Transylvania International Film Festival will end on June 18. (EE)