UNION Romanians are today celebrating the union of the historical provinces
\nof Moldavia and Wallachia, a political event, which took place 164 years ago,
\nin 1859, under the leadership of ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The move was the
\nfirst step in the process of creating the Romanian modern state, process
\ncompleted back in 1918. Military and religious services have been staged by the
\nMinistry of National Defence jointly with central and local authorities at the
\nmonuments devoted to the union of the Romanian principalities. Wreath laying
\nceremonies were held at the monument of the Unknown Soldier. Present at the
\nevent, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis says that the successes achieved back
\nin 1859 are a lesson of responsibility for all those who are building the
\nEuropean, modern and democratic Romania. He reiterated the appeal to use all
\nthe instruments available to complete all the reforms Romania needs and to
\neradicate the malfunctions, which are still affecting this process. Thousands
\nof people took to the streets of Iasi, in eastern Romania to participate in a
\nseries of events on this occasion. The country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca
\nand the president of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu have also
\nparticipated in these events. In his public address on this special occasion,
\nPrime Minister Ciuca said the roots of the European Romania can be found in the
\nunion completed 164 years ago – an authentic example of the unity of the
\nRomanians, which paved the way for the emancipation and modernization of the state.
\nIn his opinion, the responsibility of the political class and the state
\ninstitutions is to honour this act of uniting the Romanian nation. Religious
\nservices have been held in Orthodox churches around the country on this
\noccasion. <\/p>\n
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UKRAINE Several high officials in Ukraine have today announced their
\nresignations amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia,
\nFrance Press reports. Deputy Defence Minister, Viacheslav Shapovalov, and the
\ndeputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko are among the
\nhigh officials to have stepped down. Deputy prosecutor General Oleksiy
\nSymonenko has also resigned amid allegations about a holiday he spent with his
\nfamily in Spain after Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council had
\nbanned state officials from leaving the country during martial law. Amid all
\nthese allegations, which threaten to dampen the West’s enthusiasm to help the
\ngovernment in Kyiv, president Zelensky has pledged to launch a staff shake-up
\nin the central and local administrations including at top level. Ukraine’s
\nendemic corruption has been overlooked since the beginning of the Russian
\ninvasion, but fighting the scourge is one of the key conditions for the country
\nto join the European Union. <\/p>\n
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NATO
\nTurkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Sweden not to expect Turkey’s
\nsupport for its NATO membership bid, after a copy of the Quran was burned in a
\nStockholm protest. Sweden’s accession to NATO must be ratified by all the
\nmember states, but the tensions between Ankara and Stockholm have escalated in
\nthe past weeks. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May last year
\nafter Russia had invaded Ukraine. Turkey has accused Sweden of backing groups,
\nwhich are considered terrorist by the government in Ankara. Finland’s Foreign
\nMinister Pekka Haavisto has today said that Finland must consider joining NATO
\nwithout Sweden. <\/p>\n
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WEATHER The weather is getting colder in Romania with temperatures, which are
\nnormal for the time of the year. The sky is overcast in several regions in the
\nsouth-west, south and east, which can also see precipitations as rain, sleet
\nand even snow. Glazed frost has been reported on small areas in the south-east
\nand south. The wind is moderate everywhere apart from some regions in the south
\nand in the mountains. The highs of the day are ranging between 0 and 10 degrees
\nCelsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was two degrees. <\/p>\n
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(bill)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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