QUAKE – The first Romanian rescuers
\ndeployed to Turkey in the wake of the February 6 quake have returned yesterday
\nwith two Spartain aircraft. The team managed to save 4 Turkish citizens trapped
\nbeneath debris, thus displaying compassion and restoring hope to those in
\ndespair, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuc\u0103 said. In turn, Interior Minister Lucian
\nBode said the actions of Romanian rescuers confirm that Romania can provide
\nsupport to every European citizen in critical need of help. 59 Romanian
\nrescuers are still deployed to Turkey in support of local authorities. Romania
\nalso continues to send humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria addressing the
\nmillions of people affected by the quake. The death toll continues to rise and
\nhas exceeded 41 thousand. According to the UN, 9 million people in Syria and
\n2.2 million in Turkey need help. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuc\u0103 earlier today
\nannounced the creation of an inter-ministry task force that will monitor
\ndevelopments with a view to preparing the proper response to emergency
\nsituations. <\/p>\n
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VISIT – Chamber of Deputies speaker
\nMarcel Ciolacu is as of today paying a two-day official visit to Rome, Italy.
\nThe Romanian official will meet his Italian counterpart Lorenzo Fontana today,
\nas well as Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. Tomorrow, Marcel Ciolacu will meet
\nItaly’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi as well as representatives of
\nRomanian parishes in the Lazio Region. <\/p>\n
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MOLDOVA – Moldova’s Prime Minister
\ndesignate, Dorin Recean, is today expected to present before Parliament the
\nstructure of his Cabinet and his governing program. Most ministers in the
\nGavrili\u021ba Cabinet will preserve their portfolios, and only four ministers will
\nbe replaced. The Recean Cabinet should have no trouble getting Parliament’s
\ninvestiture vote, given that the Action and Solidarity Party founded by the
\npro-European president Maia Sandu enjoys majority in Parliament, our
\ncorrespondent in Chi\u0219in\u0103u notes. Moldovan officials explained the Cabinet swap
\nwas necessary due to the deteriorating security context, which Dorin Recean was
\nthe best suited person to handle, given his experience as Interior Minister and
\nnational security presidential adviser. This is one further argument presented
\nby president Sandu earlier this week, when she announced the interception of a
\nRussian plan to overthrow the government in Moldova. Chi\u0219in\u0103u pundits believe there
\nmight have been other reasons behind Natalia Gavrili\u021ba’s resignation, such as
\nthe slow-moving reform of the judiciary. <\/p>\n
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TIMI\u0218OARA – Over 130 events will take
\nplace over February 17-19 in Timi\u0219oara as the city prepares to officially
\nlaunch its program Timi\u0219oara – European Capital of Culture in 2023. Timi\u0219oara
\nmayor Dominic Fritz announced the opening event held in the Unification Square
\nin the center will start with a symbolic moment whereby the city will receive
\nthe Melina Mercouri Award of the European Commission, traditionally bestowed to
\nevery European capital of culture that successfully complied with their
\ncandidacy obligations. We have a historic opportunity to shape public
\nperception and do away with prejudice. Let us use Timi\u0219oara’s European story to
\ncreate a new European destiny for Romania and rebrand the city on the map of
\nEurope, the Romanian official said. According to Dominic Fritz, the program
\nwill comprise over 1,000 events to be held over the course of the entire year. <\/p>\n
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FILM – The 73rd edition of
\nthe Berlin International Film Festival kicks off today in its traditional
\nformat after two year of pandemic-related restrictions. Opening the event,
\nUkraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to deliver a live message in
\nvideoconference format. Some 400 features will be screened as part of the
\nfestival, which will end on February 26. Competing for the Golden Bear and
\nSilver Bear awards are 19 features, 6 of which are directed by women. The
\nRomanian production Mammalia directed by Sebastian Mih\u0103ilescu is competing in
\nthe Forum section. This year’s jury includes American actress Kristen Stewart
\nand Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude, who won the Golden Bear in 2021 for his
\ncomedy Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn as well as the Silver Bear award in
\n2015 with his historical feature Aferim!<\/p>\n
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FOOTBALL – Romania’s football champions
\nCFR Cluj are today playing Lazio Rome away from home in the first leg of the
\nEuropa Conference League round of 16 playoffs. CFR previously played Lazio in
\nthe 2019-2020 season in the Europa League group phase, when it managed to win
\nagainst the Italian side at home. CFR is the only Romanian club left in
\nEuropean inter-club competitions. (VP)<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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