March 2, 2023
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 02.03.2023, 14:11
UKRAINE — The Ukrainian army keeps things under control on all battlefronts in the country, dpa news agency cited President Volodymyr Zelenskky as saying. He said in a video message that people behind the frontline continue to suffer. “Deliberate terror”, Zelenskky said about the Russian artillery attacks on towns and villages in the south, where Moscow constantly tries to destroy everything that people have. According to the Ukrainian president, the country’s military are trying to keep those people safe. We remind you that February 24 marked a year since the start of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, which has so far made tens of thousands of victims. Entire towns have been destroyed and around 8 million people have fled war and have taken refuge to numerous countries, including Romania.
ENERGY — We must invest in all low-carbon emission energy sources, in order to reach the decarbonisation objective assumed at European level and achieve energy independence, Romanian Energy Minister Virgil Popescu has said. He is attending, in Zagreb, Croatia, the works of the 4th ministerial meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC). Popescu said the social and economic advantages of nuclear energy and of any other source of energy are worth considering. P-TECC is a multilateral initiative led by the US Department of Energy, that focuses on the rapid decarbonisation of Central and East European economies, helping strengthen energy security in the region, create business connections with US companies, and foster cooperation. The meeting focuses on fostering and enhancing solidarity among European countries amidst the current energy crisis, ensuring energy transition efforts move forward alongside energy security actions, and furthering coordination and cooperation on energy-related projects in Central and Eastern Europe.
MOLDOVA — The Bucharest authorities will unreservedly support Moldova’s leadership to reach their EU accession goal. This message was conveyed by president Klaus Iohannis to Moldova’s new PM, Dorin Recean, who made a visit to Romania. Recean also met with PM Nicolae Ciuca and with the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu. The latter assured the Moldovan official of Romania’s support as regards the supply of natural gas, through the import contract signed with Azerbaijan.
CRASH — The head-on collision between two trains in Greece on Tuesday night, that killed over 40 people, was caused by a “tragic human error”, Greek Prime Minister Kyriako Mitsotakis has said. The country’s transport minister, Kostas Karamanlis, has resigned after the passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki, carrying more than 350 people collided with a freight train near the city of Larissa, in the north. He said the railway system the government inherited in 2019, when he was appointed minister, was “not up to 21st century standards.” Most victims are young people, the PM said. Many students were returning to Thessaloniki after a long weekend, with Monday being a bank holiday. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that no assistance requests have been received so far.
PROTESTS — Education trade unions are today starting a new series of rallies in Romania, unhappy with the level of salaries and bonuses. The first protests are held in Iasi, in the east, where more than 500 unionists are expected to participate. They call on the Government to find solutions for higher salaries for the non-teaching staff and the payment of extra hours. They also want the laws regarding bonuses for hard labour to be enforced, as employees in the education system are the only category not receiving it.
THEATRE — Culture Minister Lucian Romascanu has hailed the start of construction works on Grivita 53, the first private theatre built from scratch in Romania, after 80 years. The Culture Ministry supported the project with 1.9 million euros from Norwegian funds, while many physical persons purchased the bricks that will build the theatre, an initiative of stage director Chris Simion-Mercurian and her husband, Tiberiu Mercurian. Minister Romascanu congratulated the two for making the impossible possible, after six years of struggling with all kind of obstacles. The theatre is set to open in 2024. (EE)
