June 11, 2025
A roundup of local and international news
Newsroom, 11.06.2025, 13:55
Summit – Romania’s President Nicuşor Dan is participating today in the fourth Ukraine – South-Eastern Europe Summit, which is taking place in the port city of Odessa, in the south of the neighboring country, invaded by the Russian troops. According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, during the meeting, the head of state will strengthen Romania’s commitment to continuing to provide support to Ukraine, at all levels, as well as to get involved in efforts to reach a just and lasting peace, and in those related to reconstruction. According to the source, ‘the Romanian President will also emphasize the importance of maintaining unity and a coherent approach in the entire region represented at the Summit, for the overall security of the European continent. President Dan will also emphasize the need to pay special attention to the Black Sea, including from the perspective of the security of trade routes.’ He will also participate in a trilateral meeting Romania – Republic of Moldova – Ukraine, during which he will discuss with his counterparts, Maia Sandu and Volodymyr Zelensky, about the most important interconnection projects, especially of the energy infrastructure, the process of accession to the European Union and cooperation in ensuring security. On the eve, Dan was in Chişinău, to meet with the heads of the pro-Western administration of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet country with a majority Romanian-speaking population).
PNRR – Romania received, on Tuesday, approximately 1.3 billion Euros from the European Commission, for the targets and milestones in the payment request no. 3 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Bucharest has not made all the reforms it committed to, so part of the money from this tranche has been blocked until November, to remedy the problems. On the other hand, the Romanian government is considering amending the PNRR, in order to recover the losses. The Ministry of Investments and European Projects technically coordinates the implementation of the PNRR at the national level.
Football – Romania’s national football team defeated Cyprus 2-0 in a Group H match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Bucharest on Tuesday evening. In the same group, Austria defeated San Marino 4-0. Romania is in third place in the standings, after Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria. On the other hand, the Romanian youth team faces Italy today in Trnava, in the first match of the U21 European Championship hosted by Slovakia. Subsequently, the Romanian players will be up against Spain on June 14 and Slovakia on June 17 in Bratislava. This is the fourth consecutive participation in a European youth championship. Romania achieved its best result in 2019, when it reached the semi-finals, also qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Raids – Hundreds of US Marines have arrived in Los Angeles amid protests against raids targeting illegal immigrants. The Marines are joining the 4,000 National Guard troops already mobilized by order of President Donald Trump. About 200 people were arrested on Tuesday following clashes with law enforcement. President Trump’s decision to send the army was harshly criticized by Los Angeles authorities and the governor of California, as well as by other Democratic politicians, activists and some opinion leaders. Protests in Los Angeles against raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who arrest undocumented immigrants, picking them up from workplaces, churches and parking lots, have spread to other American cities, Radio Romania’s News and Current Affairs Channel’s (RRA’s) correspondent reports. President Trump has promised to crack down on what he called a foreign invasion. A federal judge has rejected California Governor Gavin Newsom’s request to temporarily block the Trump Administration’s order to send military personnel to enforce the Immigration Act.
London – In the Northern Irish town of Ballymena, violence broke out on Tuesday evening between demonstrators and police, a day after attacks that police said were racially motivated, following the indictment of two Romanian teenagers for attempted rape of a girl, AFP reports. On Monday evening, several homes were set on fire and 15 police officers were injured in a neighborhood in Ballymena, a town with a large immigrant population. On Tuesday, fireworks and bottles were thrown at the police, who used a water cannon to disperse the demonstrators. There were also reports of unrest in Belfast, the capital of the British province. According to the press, the two 14-year-old teenagers charged with the attempted rape of a young woman on Saturday appeared in court on Monday, speaking through a Romanian translator. Last summer, Northern Ireland, like other parts of the UK, was rocked by anti-immigration riots following the killing of three girls in a knife attack in northwest England. Downing Street described this week’s incidents as ‘deeply worrying’ expressing support for the victims of the violence and the injured police officers. (LS)
