WAR IN UKRAINE – The USA will send
\nammo and military vehicle to Ukraine as part of a new assistance package worth
\n725 million USD, meant to help Kyiv fend off the Russian invasion, the US
\nDepartment of Defense has announced. Saudi Arabia will also send to Ukraine
\nhumanitarian aid worth 400 million USD. Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman told
\nUkraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that his country is willing to
\ncontinue its efforts to mediate a truce between Kyiv and Moscow. On the ground,
\nUkrainian investigators have exhumed Ukrainian military buried in one of the
\ntwo mass graves discovered in the wake of the Russian withdrawal from Lyman,
\neastern Donetsk. Meanwhile, a power plant in Belgorod, Russia caught fire in
\nwhat the regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has described as a Ukrainian
\nattack.<\/p>\n
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REFUGEES – According to the
\nRomanian Border Police Inspectorate, some 96 thousand people entered Romania,
\nof whom 8,800 were Ukrainian nationals, representing a 7% increase compared to
\nthe previous day. According to a press release published on Saturday, some 2.5
\nmillion Ukrainians have entered Romania starting February 10. Most of them were
\nin route to countries in Western Europe. According to the Interior Ministry,
\nover 4,300 Ukrainians were given asylum in Romania, thus benefiting from every
\nright under the Romanian law. Some 70,000 Ukrainians have obtained stay permits
\nand benefit from temporary protection. <\/p>\n
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VACCINES – The European
\nPublic Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has confirmed it is conducting an
\ninvestigation into the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines in the European Union.
\nIn a post on Facebook, the EPPO stated no further details will be made public
\nat this stage. The Social-Democratic Party (PSD) claims the EPPO should also
\ninvestigation Romania’s own vaccine acquisition campaign carried out in 2021,
\nwhich the party says resulted in a prejudice of 1 billion EUR. PSD says USR
\nHealth Ministers in charge of the campaign are yet to provide a relevant
\nexplanation to justify the acquisition. <\/p>\n
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NICOLESCO – Countless celebrities
\nin Romania mourn the death of soprano Mariana Nicolesco, who passed away on
\nFriday aged 73. Also known as Regina del Belcanto, Primadonna Assoluta or Diva
\nDivina, Mariana Nicolesco leaves behind a universe that she expanded throughout
\nher career, musicologists say. Mariana Nicolesco was an honorary member of the
\nRomanian Academy, Doctor Honoris Causa and honorary professor of several
\nuniversities in Romania and neighboring Moldova. She is the recipient of
\nnumerous distinctions and awards, including Commander of the Italian Republic,
\nOfficer of the Order of Arts and Letters from France and the National Order of
\nthe Star of Romania in the Rank of Grand Cross. According to a study, Mariana
\nNicolesco featured in the largest numbers of premiers at Teatro alla Scala in
\nMilan. She was invited by Pope John Paul II to perform Romanian carols as part
\nof the Vatican Christmas Concert of 1993, broadcast live all over the world. <\/p>\n
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NATO – Romania’s Foreign
\nMinistry announced it has redirected unused sums of money previously allotted
\nto supporting Afghan security forces to NATO funds designed to assist countries
\nin the region. The total value of these funds stands at 1.4 million USD.
\nRomania thus contributes to consolidating Ukraine’s resilience and defense
\ncapacity by earmarking up to 400 thousand USD.
\nRomania will also provide 600 thousand USD to neighboring Moldova and
\n300 thousand USD to Georgia, another two countries affected by the war in
\nUkraine. 100 thousand USD will be delivered to consolidating Jordan’s defenses.
\nThe Government took the decision in line with Romania’s foreign policy and
\nsecurity priorities, designed to increase our country’s standing at NATO level
\nand achieve objectives tied to the consolidation of security and stability on
\nthe Alliance’s Eastern Flank, particularly in the Black Sea region.<\/p>\n
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COMMEMORATION – Festivities were held in Alba Iulia on Saturday
\nmarking 100 years since the coronation of King Ferdinand I, and his wife, Queen
\nMarie. Held on October 15, 1922, the coronation was a majestic event, lavishly
\ndescribed by the chronicles of the time and transparent in a large number of
\nphotographs. A century away, the city of Alba Iulia relived the emotion and
\ngrandeur of that event through various exhibitions, film screenings, historical
\nreenactments, concerts and live performances attended by representatives of the
\nRoyal House of Romania. Ferdinand succeeded his uncle Charles I to the throne
\nof Romania, becoming the second king of Romania in 1914. At the end of World
\nWar I, with Ferdinand as king, historical provinces inhabited by Romanians
\nunited under one single nation. Therefore, on October 15, 1922, Ferdinand
\nbecame King of Greater Romania. The monarch passed away in 1927. (VP)<\/p>\n
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<\/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":[37120,37116,31801,37117,37119,36583,36572],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-106234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-coronation-commemoration","tag-covid-19-vaccine-acquisition-investigation","tag-eppo","tag-mariana-nicolesco","tag-nato-funds","tag-ukrainian-refugees","tag-war-in-ukraine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n