April 2, 2022
A round up of local and international news.
Newsroom, 02.04.2022, 13:51
Resignation. The president of the National Liberal Party Florin Cîţu says he is resigning from this position. A number of local branches have called for his replacement as leader of the party. Openly backed by president Klaus Iohannis, Cîţu was elected leader last September, winning against Ludovic Orban after a tense party congress. The National Liberal Party is in the ruling coalition together with the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.
Autism. The presidential palace in Bucharest will tonight be lit in blue
to mark World Autism Awareness Day. The president’s office issued a statement
saying it hails the efforts of civil society to help improve the life of people
with autism and supports the promotion of inclusive polities allowing those affected
to reach their maximum potential. The government is also joining the Light It
Up Blue international campaign, with the government headquarters also to be lit
in blue. Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said he supported all those who dedicate
their efforts to the inclusion of children and adults diagnosed with autism. It
is estimated that 30,000 people with autism live in Romania, with 1,000 children
being diagnosed each year.
Gas. Romania supports the position of the European Union with regard to
Russia’s demand that its gas must be paid in roubles, said the Romanian economy
minister Virgil Popescu. He said Romanians have no cause for fear because
neither the Romanian state, nor its companies have direct contracts with
Gazprom. German chancellor Olaf Scholz said the EU and the G7 believe Russia is
not entitled to demand payment for gas deliveries in roubles and that European
states will continue to pay in euros and dollars as laid down in the contracts.
Gazprom has already sent notifications to its customers about the transition to
the new payment scheme in roubles that came into force on Friday after an
ultimatum from Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry
Peskov said Moscow will not stop deliveries for the time being and that
payments for deliveries made after 1st April will be made in the
second half of the month and in May.
Ukraine. Ukrainian forces continue to advance against withdrawing
Russian forces in the vicinity of Kyiv, according to a British defence
intelligence report. The Russian military have withdrawn from Hostomel airport,
near Kyiv, the scene of fighting from the first day of the Russian invasion of
Ukraine on 24th February. In the east of Ukraine, the Ukrainian
forces have consolidated a key route to Kharkiv following heavy fighting, the
report also notes. The Red Cross is making another attempt to evacuate
civilians from the besieged southern port of Mariupol. Russian missiles again
hit civilian infrastructure and residential buildings in Poltava and Kremenchuk
in central Ukraine, said the head of the Poltava region Dmitry Lunin.
Wrestling. Romanian wrestler Kriszta Tunde Incze won the bronze medal in
the 65 kg category of the European Wrestling Championships in Budapest after defeating
Bulgaria’s Sofiya Hristova Georgieva on Friday night. This is Romania’s third
medal in Budapest, after a gold medal won by Andreea
Beatrice Ana in the 55 kg category and a bronze medal from Alina Vuc in the 50
kg category.
Book fair. A book fair dedicated entirely to children opened in Bucharest
for the first time on International Children’s Book Day, on 2nd
April. Held under the title Children’s Book Days, it forms part of Radio
Romania’s Gaudeamus book fair. The event is hosted this weekend by Radio
Romania and features talks with writers, encounters with famous book characters
and reading and creative workshops. (CM)
