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UNION Romanians are today celebrating the union of the historical provinces of Moldavia and Wallachia, a political event, which took place 164 years ago, in 1859, under the leadership of ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The move was the first step in the process of creating the Romanian modern state, process completed back in 1918. Military and religious services have been staged by the Ministry of National Defence jointly with central and local authorities at the monuments devoted to the union of the Romanian principalities. Wreath laying ceremonies were held at the monument of the Unknown Soldier. Present at the event, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis says that the successes achieved back in 1859 are a lesson of responsibility for all those who are building the European, modern and democratic Romania. He reiterated the appeal to use all the instruments available to complete all the reforms Romania needs and to eradicate the malfunctions, which are still affecting this process. Thousands of people took to the streets of Iasi, in eastern Romania to participate in a series of events on this occasion. The country's Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the president of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu have also participated in these events. In his public address on this special occasion, Prime Minister Ciuca said the roots of the European Romania can be found in the union completed 164 years ago - an authentic example of the unity of the Romanians, which paved the way for the emancipation and modernization of the state. In his opinion, the responsibility of the political class and the state institutions is to honour this act of uniting the Romanian nation. Religious services have been held in Orthodox churches around the country on this occasion.
UKRAINE Several high officials in Ukraine have today announced their resignations amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia, France Press reports. Deputy Defence Minister, Viacheslav Shapovalov, and the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko are among the high officials to have stepped down. Deputy prosecutor General Oleksiy Symonenko has also resigned amid allegations about a holiday he spent with his family in Spain after Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council had banned state officials from leaving the country during martial law. Amid all these allegations, which threaten to dampen the West's enthusiasm to help the government in Kyiv, president Zelensky has pledged to launch a staff shake-up in the central and local administrations including at top level. Ukraine's endemic corruption has been overlooked since the beginning of the Russian invasion, but fighting the scourge is one of the key conditions for the country to join the European Union.
NATO Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Sweden not to expect Turkey's support for its NATO membership bid, after a copy of the Quran was burned in a Stockholm protest. Sweden's accession to NATO must be ratified by all the member states, but the tensions between Ankara and Stockholm have escalated in the past weeks. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May last year after Russia had invaded Ukraine. Turkey has accused Sweden of backing groups, which are considered terrorist by the government in Ankara. Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto has today said that Finland must consider joining NATO without Sweden.
WEATHER The weather is getting colder in Romania with temperatures, which are normal for the time of the year. The sky is overcast in several regions in the south-west, south and east, which can also see precipitations as rain, sleet and even snow. Glazed frost has been reported on small areas in the south-east and south. The wind is moderate everywhere apart from some regions in the south and in the mountains. The highs of the day are ranging between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was two degrees.
(bill)
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