November 12, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 12.11.2022, 18:45

UKRAINE — The White House hailed what appears to be an “extraordinary victory” for Ukraine following the forced withdrawal of the Russian military and the recapture of the city of Kherson, in the south, France Presse reports. “The only regional capital that Russia had seized in this war is now back under the Ukrainian flag, which is quite remarkable,” the White House security adviser Jake Sullivan, who accompanies President Joe Biden to the ASEAN summit in Cambodia, said. Asked about reports that the Biden administration has started to press President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to explore negotiations with Moscow, Sullivan said that Russia, not Ukraine, was the side that has to decide whether or not to go to the table. “If Russia chose to stop fighting in Ukraine and left, it would be the end of the war. If Ukraine chose to stop fighting and give up, it would be the end of Ukraine,” he said.

US — Incumbent Democrat senator Mark Kelly was reelected in Arizona, a contest that left President Joe Biden’s party one seat short in the battle for control of the chamber, Reuters and France Presse report. After the former astronaut Mark Kelly defeated Republican Blake Masters, the final result now depends on contests in Nevada and Georgia. Democrats need one more seat to secure majority in the Senate, and Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tie-breaking vote. In the November 8 elections, the Republicans won majority in the House of Representatives.

COMMEMORATION — Ambassadors of France, Germany and Bulgaria in Bucharest on Saturday commemorated, Armistice Day, in the Pro Patria Cemetery of Romania’s capital, the French diplomatic mission has announced. The three diplomats took part in a ceremony in honor of the military who died in war in their countries and to all civilian victims of the Great War. November 11, 1918, the end of WW1, is marked in France under the name of ”Armistice”. At present, this day continues to be commemorated on November 11, the emphasis being laid on preserving peace and frindship among people and honoring the memory of the heroes. In Romania, 531 French soldiers killed in WW1 are buried in cemeteries in Bucharest and other cities. Some of them were under the comand of Gen. Henri Mathias Berthelot, who assited the Romanian army between 1916 and 1918, offering military training and pretious medical aid to Romanian soldiers and civillians.

SCHOOL VIOLENCE – School violence was discussed by representatives of the Education Ministry in Bucharest and of school inspectorates and social workers in the education system, in a debate expected to continue early next week with other stakeholders. Proposals to improve the legal framework in this field and increase the level of security of students and teaching staff are being analyzed. Another priority is to identify schooling units that are pzsarticularly exposed to acts of violence. The Ministry of the Interior will also carry out activities meant to prevent and combat acts of violence and support victims of school violence.

TENNIS — The Romanian national womens tennis team defeated Hungary on Saturday, 4-0, in the play-off of the Billie Jean King Cup held in Oradea, in the north-west, after the pair Jaqueline Cristian/Monica Niculescu beat Reka-Luca Jani/Panna Udvardy in the doubles. Also on Saturday, Ana Bogdan (48 WTA) brought Romania its third win in the singles, after defeating Hungary’s Panna Udvardy (83 WTA). On Friday, Ana Bogdan won the match against Dalma Galfi (85 WTA), while Jaqueline Cristian (148 WTA) beat Anna Bondar (71 WTA). Given these results, Romania will participate in the 2023 qualifiers for the final tournament.

HANDBALL — The Romanian women’s handball team defeated Spain Friday evening in Skopje, in a dramatic match whose faith was decided in the last minute by the goal of Bianca Bazaliu. The match ended 28-27. This is the Romanians’ first match in main group II of the European Handball Championship hosted by Slovenia, North Macedonia and Montenegro. In the same group, Germany defeated the Netherlands. Romania still has chances to advance to the Championship’s semifinals but it must win the matches against Montenegro and Germany on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. The first two teams in each main group qualifies to the semi-finals. (EE)