March 24, 2024 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news
Daniel Bilț, 24.03.2024, 16:19
MOURNING Russia observed a national day of mourning on Sunday in the wake of the terror attack in a Moscow concert hall that left at least 143 people dead and many wounded and which was claimed by a Jihadi group known as the Islamic State. The Russian public television has broadcast film footage from the interrogation of four of the masterminds, foreign nationals apprehended in a region situated at the border with Ukraine and Belarus. President Putin says the terrorists’ intention was to flee to the neighboring Ukraine where their escape was prepared. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Putin of trying to blame the attack on Kyiv. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has conveyed condolences to the victims’ families underlying that Romania firmly condemns any form of terrorism and violence against civilians.
DEATH The President of the Writers Union in Romania, professor, literary critic and historian, Nicolae Manolescu, died at the age of 84 due to a heart attack. Many of his colleagues and disciples believe him to be Romania’s most important historian and literary critic since WWII. Nicolae Manolescu also had political activity after the anti-communist revolution of December 1989, being Romania’s ambassador at UNESCO and served as senator during the 1992-1996 legislature. He ran for Romania’s presidential seat in 2000. During his life and career, Nicolae Manolescu became recipient of some of the highest Romanian awards.
FOOTBALL Romania’s national football selection is training for the friendly against Columbia in Madrid on Tuesday. Our footballers ended in a one-all draw their friendly match against Northern Ireland in Bucharest on Friday. These are the first two training matches of our squad before EURO 2024 in Germany this summer. In June, Romania will be playing also in friendlies against the selections of Bulgaria and Lichtenstein. At the final continental tournament, our squad is part of Group E where it will be playing Belgium, Slovakia and the winner of the tie game on Tuesday pitching Ukraine against Iceland. On Thursday night in the tie semis, Iceland secured a 4-1 win against Israel and Ukraine clinched a 2-1 win in Bosnia.
TENNIS Romanian tennis player, Sorana Cirstea, has qualified for the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament underway in Miami, Florida, after a two-set win against Sloane Stephens of the host country. Cirstea clinched a 6-2, 6-1 win in a match that lasted 52 minutes and which was initially postponed because of the heavy rainfall. The Romanian will next take on Daria Kasatkina of Russia. Three other Romanians, Simona Halep, Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian have been eliminated in the competition’s first round. We recall that Halep, a former world number one, came back to competitions after her four year suspension for banned substances had been cut to nine months.
VOTE The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest is to host debates on Monday upon the simple no-confidence vote tabled by the opposition USR against the country’s Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu. Under a suggestive title “Praising Ceausescu is not going to Save the Romanian Agriculture” the voting was initiated in the wake of the minister’s latest statements, which positively evoked Romania’s former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, executed during the Revolution of December 1989. The initiators have also blamed minister Barbu for issuing laws for the financial benefit of some Romanian politicians and for these reasons he must step down. The document is to be voted upon in the Chamber on Tuesday.
