Here are the main news in brief on Tuesday, August 27:

I had no relationship with Hayssam, huge image, cut out, says PM Ciolacu
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu denies having had relationship with Omar Hayssam, the Syrian businessman who was convicted of terrorism. Ciolacu told a press conference in southern Craiova, that the image in which he appears next to the Syrian was cut out from a larger picture taken at a hunt 25 years ago.

PM Ciolacu praises technological performance of Softronic locomotives manufactured in Craiova
The first two electric locomotives manufactured in Romania for the National Railway Company - CFR will enter final testing this week on the Buftea - Brazi stretch, representatives of the Craiova-based rolling stock producer Softronic announced after prime minister Marcel Ciolacu visited the plant. The head of the Executive even turned on the power switch on the first locomotive produced under a roughly EUR 100 million worth of contract the scope of which is the modernization of 19 locomotives for national railway operator CFR Calatori.

AUR's head Simion says co-ruling with PSD, PNL out of the question
The president of the Alliance of the Union of Romanians (AUR), George Simion, states that he excludes participation, after the elections, in a government with (National Liberal Party, PNL's head, ed. n.) Nicolae Ciuca and (Social Democratic Party, PSD's head, ed. n.) Marcel Ciolacu.
"If it's not clear: I exclude participation in a government with Ciuca and Ciolacu. Alliance only with Romanians!" the AUR leader wrote in a Facebook post.

Employer's federation head: Capping prices creates market distortions
Measures to cap energy, food and third-party liability insurance policy - RCA prices do not solve the fundamental problems, but are a short-term "band-aid" that creates distortions on the respective markets, according to Radu Burnete, director of the Concordia Employers' Confederation. In his opinion, we must return to competitive markets, where prices are given by supply and demand.

Government debt rises to 862.344 billion RON in May
Public administration debt (government debt) rose to 862.344 billion RON in May 2024 from 852.816 billion RON in the previous month, according to data published by the Finance Ministry. As a percentage of the GDP, government debt increased to 52.6%, from 52.1% in April (GDP as reported by the National Institute of Statistics on July 8, 2024).

Romania's team wins five medals at International Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Romania's team won five medals - three gold and two bronze - at the International Olympiad of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) seniors, taking place from August 17 to 27 in Brazil, in the cities of Vassouras and Barra do Piraf, Rio de Janeiro. Gold medals were obtained by two students from the International Theoretical High School of Informatics, Bucharest, Mendelsohn M. Mendel Emanuel Mendel, XI grade, and Ciocarlan F. Mihai Bogdan, X grade, and Voicu C. Teofil, a XII grade student at "Emil Racovita" National College, Cluj-Napoca. The two bronze medals were obtained by two other students from Bucharest - Bichir R. Teodor, X grade, and Stanoiu M. Ioana, XI grade.AGERPRES(EN - editor: Maria Voican)