February 19, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 19.02.2024, 13:57

NAVALNY – Hundreds of people have been detained in Russia during the events commemorating the death of the opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died aged 47 in an Arctic Circle jail. The Russian opposition and the Western leaders say the Kremlin is to blame for Navalny’s death. To honor the name and sacrifice of Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, the Romanian party USR, in opposition, has proposed that a street in Bucharest, where the Russian Embassy’s consular office is located, be renamed Alexei Navalny. USR says this initiative is an important step towards supporting democratic values and human rights, and reaffirming the solidarity ties with the people who fight for freedom and justice all over the world.

GAZA – Israel has warned that if Hamas does not release all Israelis kept hostage in Gaza by March 10, an offensive will be launched in Rafah. This is the first time that Israel says when it may send its troops into that overcrowded city in southern Gaza. At the same time, opposition to a possible attack on Rafah, where over 1.5 million Palestinians took refuge, is mounting. The UN has previously announced that a key-hospital in Gaza is no longer operational, following an Israeli raid, while the WHO announced its access to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, north of Rafah, has been denied. It is estimated that on October 7, 2023 Hamas killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped 250, while the Israeli offensive in Gaza caused the death of over 28,000 Palestinians. Over 100 Israeli hostages were released during a truce in November 2023 while another 100 are believed to be still captive in Gaza.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS – The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, is today taking part in Brussels in the Foreign Affairs Council (CAE). According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the agenda of the meeting will include the situation in the Middle East and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. On the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council, an informal breakfast will be held with the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi. The ministers will discuss the developments in the Middle East, with an emphasis on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the ways of providing assistance, the need to release all the hostages held by Hamas and the situation in the Red Sea. The discussions regarding Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will focus on the recent developments on the ground, the multidimensional support of the EU, and coordination at the European level in the context of the fact that, on February 24, two years since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression will be marked. The Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, will take part in the meeting via video conference.

VISIT –  The Romanian Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Nicolae Ciucă, is today starting an official visit to Madrid. The delegation he leads will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community in Spain. Ciuca has official meetings with the head of the Spanish Senate, Pedro Rollán, and with the presidents of the defense and foreign affairs committees in the upper chamber. The delegation will also visit the EU Satellite Center, which is located in the NATO military base near Madrid and is led by the Romanian Sorin Ducaru. On Monday evening, at the embassy headquarters, the representatives of the Romanian community are invited to talks with the officials from Bucharest. The topics addressed will be related to both the current geopolitical context and the needs and opportunities of Romanians living in Spain.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (22 WTA) defeated American Sofia Kenin (55 WTA) 6-3, 7-6 on Sunday in the first round of the WTA tournament in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), with more than $3.2 million in total prizes. The Romanian will face the winner of the match between the Ukrainian Dayana Iastremska (26 WTA) and the Russian Veronika Kudermetova (18 WTA) in the second round. We remind you that another Romanian, former world leader Simona Halep, won the Dubai tournament twice. Currently, she is suspended for doping and is awaiting the verdict of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.