July 4, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 04.07.2024, 20:01
Elections. The PSD-PNL ruling coalition in Romania on Thursday reached consensus on the exact dates of the presidential and parliamentary elections following the talks Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had earlier this week with political parties. Thus, the first round of the presidential election will be held on November 24, with the second round slated for December 8. Parliamentary elections will be held on December 1. Originally, the Social-Democrats and the Liberals agreed to organize the presidential election in September, but the latter changed their mind. We recall local and European Parliament elections were held on June 9.
Drugs. Two people are in temporary policy custody in Bucharest, after they were caught selling 10,000 Ecstasy pills. According to DIICOT (Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism), one of them had brought to Romania, by road, some 7.5 kilograms of Ecstasy and 10 grams of cocaine, procured from the Netherlands, drugs that he transported to and stored in Brasov county (center). The investigators say that the traffickers intended to sell the drugs, with a market value of approximately 220,000 euros, at music festivals in Bucharest and across the country. One of the traffickers is also accused of having sold, last month, different amounts of high-risk drugs and psychoactive substances.
Memorandum. Romania and Saudi Arabia signed, on Thursday, a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening commercial relations between the two countries in the field of agriculture, especially in the vegetable sector, animal husbandry, but also in the use of modern technologies in the field of agriculture. Saudi Arabia is a market for Romanian cereals and will also become a market for products from our farms, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Florin Barbu, wrote on his Facebook page. He added that, since 2019, there has been no government-level agreement between the two countries. The Romanian minister paid formal visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and Thursday, where he had a high-level meetings with the Saudi authorities, with the business environment, as well as field visits.
Survey. Europeans continue to stand with Ukraine and its efforts to fight off the Russian invasion, are overall in favor of supplying weapons but oppose the deployment of troops to the former, a European Foreign Affairs Council survey reads. 20,000 Europeans were interviewed as part of the survey, the majority arguing the war in Ukraine will end through a negotiated truce, and Ukraine will not prevail on the battlefield. Ukrainians and Estonians interviewed believe, however, that the Ukrainian army will be victorious. Most Ukrainians oppose the idea of Ukraine conceding Russian-held territories in exchange for NATO accession. Additionally, nearly half of Ukrainians fear the United States could negotiate directly with Russia without Kyiv’s consent should Donald Trump get re-elected at the White House this autumn.
4th of July. Romanian-American friendship is stronger than ever, evidence of which is the Strategic Partnership between the two states, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said in a message marking the national day of the United States. “Happy Independence Day to the United States of America and the American people”, the president wrote on X. On Wednesday, the head of state attended a reception organized by the American Embassy in Bucharest. In her opening remarks, US Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec referred to the long-lasting friendship between the two countries and the nearly 30 years of strategic partnership, built on shared democratic values, trade relations, strong interpersonal relations and security and defense cooperation. “As NATO allies and partners, our commitment to Romania is unwavering and essential to protecting our shared values and way of life”, Ambassador Kavalec added. The theme for this year’s reception was the world of film and cooperation between the two states’ film industries.
Biden. US president Joe Biden has no intention of withdrawing his candidacy for a second term at the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has told journalists. Meanwhile, Americans continue to question Joe Biden’s mental health after his disastrous performance in last week’s debate against Republican Donald Trump. Aged 81, president Biden on Friday will give an exclusive interview to ABC News, and the White House promised the president would hold a press conference next week to show he’s able to speak freely with no teleprompter. According to a survey published on Tuesday by the CNN, 75% of Americans believe the Democratic Party would have bigger chances of winning the November election were they to replace Biden as their candidate.
Neversea. The Neversea Festival started, on Thursday, on the beach in Constanţa (southeast). The organizers estimate that 70 thousand people from the country and abroad will participate daily in the biggest event that takes place on a beach in Europe. The festival is held under maximum security conditions, and special measures have been announced. Neversea takes place on an impressive 110,000 square meters and includes four stages. For four days, internationally recognized artists such as Bebe Rexha, G-Eazy, Mahmut Orhan, Maluma, Salvatore Gannaci or Steve Aoki will be performing on the festival’s stages. (MI)
