May 8, 2022
A round up of local and international news.
Newsroom, 08.05.2022, 14:00
Visit. Romania is home for hundreds of thousands of children, women and elderly people fleeing war and the effort made by the Romanian people will be remembered as a symbol of solidarity and wisdom as the nation opened its doors to peace and freedom to its peers. This was a statement sent by the government on Saturday on the occasion of a meeting between Mădălina Turza, state advisor and strategic coordinator of the humanitarian assistance for refugees, and the United States First Lady Jill Biden. The latter expressed her full support for the support and solidarity of the states at the forefront of the management of the Ukrainian crisis. She visited a school hosting women and children refugees from Ukraine and met Romanias First Lady Carmen Iohannis. On Friday, on arriving in Romania, dr. Biden visited the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in south-eastern Romania where she met US military. Her visit to Romania comes less than two months after that of vice president Kamala Harris. After Romania, she travelled to Slovakia to showcase the support of the US administration for the Ukrainian refugees.
Refugees. More than 9,000 Ukrainian citizens crossed the border into Romania on Saturday, up more than 12% compared with the previous day. 5,000 entered via the Ukrainian border and the rest via the Moldovan-Romanian border. From the beginning of the Russian invasion on 24th February until 7th May, more than 884,000 Ukrainian citizens crossed the border into neighbouring Romania. The Romanian border police said they supplemented the number of staff and border checks are carried out efficiently.
Ukraine. Britain said it would provide further military support for Ukraine worth 1.3 billion pounds. The announcement was made ahead of a meeting by video link of the G7 leaders with Ukrainian president Volodymy Zelensky. This is the most Britain has spent in a conflict since Iraq and Afghanistan. NATO believes Russias war against Ukraine will not end soon, but that the latter will prevail and NATO will provide assistance, said the alliances secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. NATOs main mission is to prevent the war from spilling out outside Ukraine and to minimise risks through collective defence and deterrence and consolidating its positions on the eastern flank. Stoltenberg said Germany is playing the main role in this mission. On the ground, Ukraine bombed Russian positions on Snake Island, which is located some 45 km from Romania. It also continues diplomatic efforts to rescue its fighters trapped in the Azovstal steelworks, the last stronghold of the Ukrainian forces in the port city of Mariupol, after the last civilians were evacuated on Saturday.
Celebration. Western Europe today celebrates the 77th anniversary of the end of WWII. In France, where this is a national holiday, ceremonies are held at military cemeteries and at war memorials and president Emmanuel Macron is laying flowers at the statue of general Charles de Gaulle and the tomb of the unknown soldier under the Arch of Triumph. 8th May celebrations are held this year in a tense international context because of the war in Ukraine, with the allies from 77 years ago now occupying different positions. On Saturday as he was sworn in for his second term, president Macron emphasised the need for European unity to face the challenges of this century.
Travel. Bucharest is one of the cheapest cities to visit in Europe, according to Time Out magazine. The ranking takes into account the city vibe, the tourist attractions, the price of accommodation and the price of a pint of beer. The Polish city Cracow is the cheapest, followed by Riga in Latvia and Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Bucharest is fourth in the ranking, which contains 11 cities.
Handball. The Romanian womens handball champions CSM Bucharest are today facing the Danish side Esbjerg away in the second leg of a Champions League quarterfinal match. In the first leg, Esbjerg pulled off a narrow 26-25 win, having been ahead throughout the match. The winner will play the Leagues Final Four. Established in 2007, CSM won the Champions League title in their first appearance at this competition, in 2016, and finished in third place in the next two years. Declared best handball player in the world four times, in 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018, CSMs left back Cristina Neagu is also the top scorer of this edition of the Champions League, with 103 goals. (CM)
