VICTORY \u2013 Former Romanian international Cristian Chivu won his first title as a coach with Inter Milan on Sunday evening, after his team defeated Parma 2\u20130 at home in the 35th round of the Italian first division. Inter secured its 21st championship title in Chivu\u2019s first season on the bench, after the former defender coached only 13 Serie A matches last season with Parma, a team he managed to save from relegation. With three rounds remaining, Inter holds a 12\u2011point lead over second\u2011placed Napoli, last year\u2019s champions by a one\u2011point margin. As a player, Chivu won three titles with Inter.<\/p>\n
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ROBOTICS \u2013 Romania has the best-performing student teams in robotics: four Romanian groups took the top positions at the \u201cFIRST Tech Challenge\u201d world championship held in Houston, United States, between April 29 and May 2. The \u201cVelocity\u201d team from the \u201cGheorghe Munteanu\u2011Murgoci\u201d High School in Br\u0103ila won the championship. Second place went to the \u201cHearts of Robots\u201d team from the \u201cBogdan Petriceicu Ha\u0219deu\u201d National College in Buz\u0103u, and third place was claimed by the \u201cQuantum Robotics\u201d team from the International High School of Informatics in Bucharest. Fourth place was also secured by a Romanian team, \u201cAI Citizens,\u201d from the \u201cAlexandru Ioan Cuza\u201d National College in Foc\u0219ani. \u201cRomania is proud of you,\u201d President Nicu\u0219or Dan wrote in a message posted on Facebook. He recalled meeting some of the students in April, during their training camp at the West University of Timi\u0219oara, and said he had been impressed by their energy and creativity. The \u201cFIRST Tech Challenge\u201d is a major robotics competition for students in grades VII\u2013XII, involving the design, construction, and programming of a robot.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n GOVERNMENT \u2013 Thousands of people took to the streets on Sunday evening in Bucharest and in the western cities of Oradea and Timi\u0219oara to show support for the government led by liberal prime minister Ilie Bolojan. Participants said they trust the prime minister and believe the reforms underway will contribute to Romania\u2019s economic recovery. On Tuesday, Parliament is set to vote on the motion of censure submitted by the Social Democrats – until recently part of the pro\u2011European governing coalition – together with the ultranationalist AUR party. The initiators argue that Romania does not need a prime minister who, in their view, promotes austerity measures, avoids dialogue, blocks economic recovery solutions, and prepares the sale of strategic state assets. PNL and USR, former coalition partners of PSD, warn that the Social Democrats will no longer be considered a pro\u2011European party if they vote alongside AUR to dismiss the cabinet.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n CURRENCY \u2013 The Romanian leu opened the trading week at its weakest level on record. On Thursday, the final working day before the May 1st mini\u2011holiday, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) set the official exchange rate for the euro at 5.14 lei. According to BNR spokesman Dan Suciu, the foreign exchange market experienced significant turbulence, a pattern typical during periods of uncertainty. He noted that the situation has begun to stabilize, based on data gathered by the central bank\u2019s specialists, though this does not mean that all uncertainties have disappeared. Flavius Jakubowicz, president of the Association of Financial and Banking Analysts, told Radio Romania that the recent exchange\u2011rate developments should be viewed primarily through the lens of domestic political risk and concerns about government stability, all unfolding against a backdrop of existing economic imbalances.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n PRESIDENCY \u2013 Romanian President Nicu\u015for Dan is attending the 8th summit of the European Political Community (EPC) in Yerevan. Together with President Maia Sandu, he will participate in the Group for the Republic of Moldova, which meets within the framework of the event. President Nicu\u015for Dan is also taking part today in a meeting organized by Romania on the strategic energy infrastructure project aimed at connecting gas networks in Central and Eastern Europe. The project, known as the Vertical Corridor, is designed to enable the transport of American liquefied natural gas and natural gas from Azerbaijan from south to north, as well as to capitalize on resources from the Black Sea. Its objectives include diversifying supply sources, reducing dependence on Russia, and strengthening regional energy security. Representatives from Greece and eight other East European countries, including Moldova and Ukraine, are participating in the meeting.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n FUNDS \u2013 The Government is expected today to present the status of European funds attracted through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) for each ministry, and to adopt two emergency orders aimed at speeding up absorption. Romania faces an August 31 deadline to complete the reforms it has committed to, and any project not finalized by then will result in permanently lost funding. Recently, the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Drago\u0219 P\u00eeslaru, announced that Romania succeeded in recovering 350.7 million euros from the NRRP, funds that had initially been suspended. However, the country will permanently lose 458.7 million euros from payment request no. 3.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n FILM \u2013 The European Film Festival returns to Timi\u0219oara, in western Romania, with a series of special screenings dedicated to contemporary cinema, taking place between May 8 and 10 at Cinema Studio. Marking its 30th anniversary, the event brings audiences a selection of seven European films by directors from Germany, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Austria. The program includes dramas, documentaries and comedies that explore current themes and compelling stories, all appreciated on the international stage. One of Romania\u2019s most important cultural projects at present, the European Film Festival aims this year to highlight artistic diversity, freedom of expression and intercultural dialogue through film. The festival is organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute, with support from the Representation of the European Commission in Romania and EUNIC Romania, in partnership with the Romanian Filmmakers Union, European embassies and cultural institutes. For cinema lovers, the event offers a new opportunity to discover award\u2011winning films, diverse cultural perspectives and stories that transcend language and geography. (EE)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" VICTORY \u2013 Former Romanian international Cristian Chivu won his first title as a coach with Inter Milan on Sunday evening, after his team defeated Parma 2\u20130 at home in the 35th round of the Italian first division. Inter secured its 21st championship title in Chivu\u2019s first season on the bench, after the former defender coached […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":731782,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[185146,29241,190137,158915,190138,29027,32140,36102,36317],"coauthors":[116091],"class_list":["post-1013560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-cristian-chivu-en","tag-film","tag-football-victory","tag-ilie-bolojan","tag-inter-milano-en","tag-italy","tag-nicusor-dan","tag-nrrp","tag-robotics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n