SCHENGEN - Romania is neither a source of migration nor a transit country, President Klaus Iohannis has said on numerous occasions. Iohannis will travel to Bulgaria next week to discuss Schengen accession with his counterpart. We know how to protect our borders, but the problem is a European one and we want to take part in finding the best solutions to it, Iohannis has said. Meanwhile, Bulgaria is making efforts to secure its border with Turkey in collaboration with the European authorities and also with Ankara. Bulgarian Interior Minister, Ivan Demergiev has explained that at the European Council, the idea of building a protection fence was not accepted but that equipment such as drones and radars can be used and the FRONTEX presence can be increased.
CHINA - The National People's Congress have today approved the members of China’s new government. On Saturday, at the proposal of the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang was confirmed as PM, a day after Xi had been unanimously re-elected for a third mandate as head of state. Economic expert He Lifeng was appointed deputy PM in charge with supervising the financial and economic policy, Finance Minister Liu Kun and Minister of Trade Wang Wentao kept their posts while Yi Gang remained head of the Central Bank. The Chinese government is making efforts to revitalise economy after an economic growth of only 3% last year, one of the smallest in decades.
FRANCE - After ten days of heated debates, the French Senate has passed the highly contested pension reform, which has sparked protests and strikes. PM Elisabeth Borne did not hide her satisfaction after this first success, at the beginning of a decisive week during which the government hopes to see this reform fully adopted, France Presse reports. President Macron’s second flagship project during his current mandate will be submitted to a crucial vote in the National Assembly, most likely on Thursday. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest the reform and the increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64.
SPACE - Four crew members aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule landed off Florida's Gulf coast on Saturday, returning safely from a five-month science mission on the International Space Station, Reuters reports. The Crew-5 team that conducted routine science aboard the station, included cosmonaut Anna Kikina, who became the first Russian to fly on an American spacecraft in 20 years, NASA flight commander Nicole Aunapu Mann, the first Native American woman sent into orbit, NASA pilot Josh Cassada and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. The Crew-5 team had launched from Florida on Oct. 6, 2022.
TENNIS - Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea has qualified to the 3rd round of BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, when American Madison Keys, the No 19 seed, retired on Saturday evening. Cirstea, ranked No 83, led 6-1 when Keys, ranked No 20, pulled out of the clash at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The Romanian will face American Bernarda Pera. Ahead of her win today, Cirstea had won against Australian qualifier Kimberly Birrell (6-3, 6-2). (EE)
STORY: The SpaceX capsule, dubbed Endurance, parachuted into waters off the coast of Tampa just after 9 p.m. EST carrying two NASA astronauts, a Japanese astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut, after a. | March 12, 2023