ISRAEL
\nRomania and other countries are
\nmaking joint efforts to help the over 3,000 people in Gaza with dual
\ncitizenship, including Romanian nationals, to leave that region, PM Marcel
\nCiolacu said. He explained that the situation was not easy to handle, and added
\nthat 260 applications have been received from Romanian nationals who want to
\nleave Gaza, but many Palestinians are trying to do the same. What matters is
\nfor the situation not to spiral out of control, he also said. The
\nIsraeli army Saturday announced it entered the north of
\nGaza Strip and expanded military operations in the Palestinian enclave, while
\nstepping up attacks against Hamas. The
\narmy once again asked the locals still in the north of Gaza Strip to move
\nimmediately to the south, explaining that the north is currently a battlefield.
\nAccording to Israeli army estimates, some 700,000 people have already left the
\narea, and the UN says out of the almost 2.2 million people in Gaza Strip, around
\n1.4 million have been relocated since the conflict began. In fresh talks with the Israeli defence minister, the Pentagon chief
\nLloyd Austin called
\nfor the protection of civilians during the operation. On Friday night, the UN
\nGeneral Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. The
\nresolution is not compulsory, but it has political weight. Israel and the US
\nvoted against, while Romania abstained. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
DIPLOMACY
\nThe Romanian foreign minister Lumini\u0163a Odobescu Friday had a telephone
\nconversation with the British foreign secretary James Cleverly, to discuss the
\nsecurity situation in Israel and Gaza Strip, focusing on the need to ensure
\nclose coordination in order to avoid regional spill-over. According to the
\nRomanian foreign ministry, the 2 officials emphasised the importance of
\ncontinued humanitarian aid to the population in Gaza and of the immediate and
\nunconditional release of all hostages.The
\nRomanian diplomacy chief also discussed with her Qatari counterpart, Sheikh
\nMohammed Al Thani, given that Qatar is a mediator in the Hamas hostage crisis.
\nOdobescu appreciated Qatar’s diplomatic efforts to mitigate the humanitarian
\ncrisis, and spoke about the aid Romania has decided to send there.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
AMBASSADOR The Black Sea region plays an important
\nrole for NATO, and Romania is a very close partner for the USA, the US
\nAmbassador to Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec reiterated. In an interview to Radio
\nRomania, the US official said that Romania, which is located next to the
\nconflict in Ukraine, has faced problems like the Ukrainian refugee crisis and
\nthe transport of grains via Romanian sea ports, and in this context the
\nsecurity and defence relations between the 2 countries have become even closer.
\nWe have tripled the number of US troops in Romania, so now we have over 3,000 American
\ntroops here and we are working with our Romanian partners with respect to
\ndefence and deterrence, to safeguard every piece of NATO territory, Kathleen
\nKavalec pointed out. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
POPULATION The population of Romania on July 1 was
\napprox. 21.9 million, down 0.3% since the corresponding month of last year. Almost
\n3 million of them are currently living abroad. Romania is also facing
\npopulation ageing, with 125 elderly citizens for each 100 youth. The average
\nage is 42.4 years, 0.3 years more than on July 1, 2022. The number of citizens
\nin urban communities is nearly 3 million higher than the number of rural
\ninhabitants, however urban population dropped by 0.8% over the past year while
\nthe rural population grew by 0.3%.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
UKRAINE Ukraine is seeking international support for its peace plan,
\nin a 2-day meeting held as of today in Malta. As many as 50 countries are
\ntaking part, but Russia is not among them. According to AFP, this is the 3rd
\nmeeting of this kind, and organisers hope it would result in a joint
\ndeclaration. The 10-point plan proposed by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr
\nZelenskyy includes, among other things, the pull out of Russian troops from the
\noccupied Ukrainian territories, including Donbas, part of which is under
\nseparatist control since 2014, and Crimea, occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014.
\nLast year, Moscow annexed 4 Ukrainian regions, partly occupied by its troops
\nafter the large-scale invasion of February 24. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\nDST
\nOn Saturday night, Romania switches to winter time, setting clocks back one
\nhour from 4 AM to 3 AM. Sunday will thus be 25-hour long. Daylight saving time,
\nfirst suggested by the scientist Benjamin Franklin in 1784, is currently used
\nin 70 countries. The concept has come under debate in recent years, with the EU
\nasking member states to end seasonal clock changes and choose either winter
\ntime or summer time, but a decision in this respect is yet to be made. (AMP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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