\n
\n<\/p>\n
WAR IN UKRAINE – Over 20 civilians,
\nincluding six children, were evacuated from the Azovstal steelworks in
\nMariupol, after the venue was sieged for weeks on end by Russian forces. The group
\nof people was transferred to a location commonly agreed upon with the Russian
\nside, in the hope of reaching Kyiv-controlled territory, Ukrainian soldiers
\ntrapped inside claim. Moscow faced immense international pressure to allow
\ncivilians to evacuate, although all previous attempts to do so were
\nunsuccessful. The full occupation of the port-city is one of the Russian army’s
\nstrategic objectives. Holding Mariupol would help Russia occupy the entire
\nUkrainian southern coast, and would link the separatist region of Donbas to the
\nCrimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014. At the same time, Russia presses
\non its offense in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of
\nseeking to wipe the entire region off the map. Meanwhile, French president
\nEmmanuel Macron has confirmed his willingness to provide certain security guarantees
\nto Ukraine. Macron talked to his Ukrainian counterpart over the phone on
\nSaturday. The French president expressed his readiness to work hard to restore
\nUkraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Also on Sunday, president
\nZelensky met in Kyiv with the the US House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy
\nPelosi. We believe that we are visiting you to say thank you for your fight
\nfor freedom… Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is
\ndone, Pelosi told Zelensky, according to a video tweeted by the Ukrainian
\npresidency. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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\n
\n
\n
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CYBER
\nATTACKS – The
\nRomanian Intelligence Service warns against possible ransomware attacks on a
\nlarge scale, targeting the email addresses of institutions in Romania. The
\nService recommended people not to click on links or attachments that are not
\nusually addressed to them or were sent by unknown sources. The same
\nprecautionary measures are recommended in the case of text, WhatsApp, Signal or
\nTelegram messages. A wave of cyber-attacks started in Romania on Friday,
\nhackers targeting the website of the National Cyber Security Directorate, as
\nwell as other public institutions and private organizations. Claimed by the
\nKillnet network of hackers, the operation came in response to Romania’s support
\nfor Ukraine. This month Killnet hackers attacked the websites of institutions
\nin a number of states as well as NATO. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
MAY
\nDAY – In
\nRomania, May Day on Sunday marked the International Workers’ Day, when people
\nusually go out on mini-holidays or choose to spend time out with their
\nfamilies. Some 30,000 tourists traded the traditional day out barbequing or
\ncamping for a trip to the seacoast, on what the authorities call the start the
\nsummer season. The most crowded seacoast resorts were Vama Veche, Mamaia and Costine\u0219ti,
\nwhich hosted music festivals and parties. Some Romanians went to mountain
\nresorts on Prahova Valley, while in Bucharest the authorities closed down
\nstreets to road traffic, turning them into pedestrian areas. In France, the
\nInternational Workers’ Day was the first test of the reelected president,
\nEmmanuel Macron, a day when trade unionists traditionally take to the streets
\nto voice their demands. Some 300 such events were announced on Sunday. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
CONFERENCE – The Conference for the
\nfuture of Europe, a broad citizen initiative launched a year ago, resulted in
\nover 300 proposals being tabled for the reform of the European Union. The
\nproposals were adopted on Saturday during a plenary sitting in the European
\nParliament. Drafted by over 50,000 participants, the proposals were
\nuploaded on an online platform available in 24 languages, which remains open
\nuntil May 9. Despite a late start in negotiations between the three European
\ninstitutions – the European Union, the Council of the European Union and the
\nEuropean Parliament, as well as due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conference
\ncompleted its activity before the end of France’s term at the helm of the
\nCouncil of the European Union. Nearly a year since the launch ceremony hosted
\nby Strasbourg, the Conference will officially end on May 9 in an event at the
\nEuropean Parliament, marking Europe Day The final report, which is expected to
\nundergo certain changes in addition to the recommendations adopted on Saturday,
\nwill be submitted to the presidents of the three European institutions, as well
\nas to French president, Emmanuel Macron. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
COVID-19 – Chinese
\nauthorities are tightening anti-COVID restrictions in the capital Beijing,
\nwhere citizens must present a negative test for COVID-19 in order to access
\npublic spaces. Proof of COVID testing is also required to use public
\ntransportation starting May 5. The new restrictions will remain in place
\nindefinitely, at a time when the Chinese capital city was entering a five-day
\nholiday period. China is facing a resurge of COVID infection and remains
\ncommitted to fully eradicating the virus. The harshest measures were introduced
\nin Shanghai, which is currently on lockdown. Confined to their homes, citizens
\nface great difficulties in getting supplies.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
TENNIS – Romanian tennis
\nplayer Simona Halep has advanced to the round of 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open,
\ntotaling some $6.5 million in total prizes, after ousting Paula Badosa, world
\nno. 2, in the round of 32. In the next round, Halep will take on Cori Gauff of
\nthe USA. A former world no. 1, Halep won the Madrid Open in 2016 and 2017 and
\nplayed the final in 2014 and 2019. (VP)<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of domestic and international news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[36696,36695,29789,29065,31979,36572],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-105882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-conference-on-the-future-of-europe","tag-covid-19-in-china","tag-cyber-attacks","tag-madrid-open","tag-may-day","tag-war-in-ukraine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n