Here are the main news in brief on Wednesday, 21 February:

United Right Alliance: Combined elections, a crime against Romanian democracy
The United Right Alliance, through the voice of the Save Romania Union, Force of the Right, and the People's Movement Party leaders, rejects the idea of combined elections, because it would represent "a crime against Romanian democracy" and announces that the three political formations will run joint candidates in all the ballots of 2024.

Presidential election to take place in September
The election for Romania's president are to be staged in September, prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, the Social Democratic Party leader said after the ruling colaition reunion.

Liberal Ciuca: We are having a joint list with the Social Democrats for the elections to EP
National Liberal Party chairman Nicolae Ciuca said that the Liberals and the Social Democratic Party are running on joint lists in the elections for the European Parliament. Asked about the complications generated by a joint PSD-PNL list and the campaign for the local elections, if there is a risk of sanction from the Liberal electorate, he answered: "There is this risk that we take for something that is essential: the stability of the country and the government."

Supreme Council for National Defence orders measures to strengthen Armed Forces, actions in cyber area
The Supreme Council for National Defence ordered measures to strengthen the Romanian Armed Forces, including by ensuring the appropriate legal framework to meet the requirements for Romania's defence in the current context and also approved, a series of priority actions to be considered by the Cyber Security Operational Council, aimed at contributing to the development of the national system in this area and at strengthening prevention and deterrence capabilities, including through a proactive approach, appropriate to the international cooperation framework.

MEP Tomac: I don't think the extremists will suffocate the European design
The extremists in France and Italy despise those in Romania, they will not get along and will not be able to put the European design in difficulty, MEP Eugen Tomac told AGERPRES in Brussels. The People's Movement Party (PMP) MEP affiliated with the European People's Party says that for Romanians the European election is important because the entire political stages will be reset for 2024, a year in which four rounds of elections will take place.

Romanian women's squad books ticket for table tennis team world quarters, Paris Olympics
The Romanian women's squad booked their ticket for the quarterfinals of the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan (South Korea), but also for the Olympic Games in Paris, after defeating Egypt 3-0. Bernadette Szocs was the first to win a point for the tricolors, edging out Hana Goda 3-1 (11-2, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6). Next was Elizabeta Samara's turn to pull off a spectacular victory against Dina Meshref, 3-2 (11-13, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9), with a comeback from 0-2 in sets. The winning point was scored by Adina Diaconu, who prevailed over her opponent Yousra Helmi 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-5). Romania will play in the quarterfinals the strong Japanese team in a a match scheduled for Thursday.

Six out of ten Romanians give up buying eco products because of high prices (study)
58% or six out of ten Romanians give up sustainable products because of their higher cost, while 38% of buyers are attentive to the impact they have on the environment through their consumption habits, reveals the results of a Mkor research. According to "The Ethical Consumer from Romania in 2024" study, over a third (35%) of respondents say that they do not trust the authenticity of eco labels, and 28% say that there are few eco alternatives in stores.

Self-portrait by Adrian Ghenie, sold for almost 100,000 euros at Artmark
The work Self-portrait by Adrian Ghenie, one of the most successful Romanian painters, was sold for 99,999 euros at Artmark's Postmodern and Contemporary Art auction organized Tuesday evening, Artmark said. The painting dating from 2003-2004, was estimated at 50,000-70,000 euros. Among the works sold in the session at high prices are Last Snow by Felix Aftene, at 18,000 euros, Vase with Flowers and Pond by Stefan Caltia, at 17,500 euros, respectively at 10,000 euros,Sunflower by Corneliu Brudascu, at 13,000 euros.

Three prehistoric gold bracelets stolen from Romania brought to the country from Belgium
Two prosecutors with the Criminal Prosecution Section of the Prosecutor's Office, together with police officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, brought back to the country three prehistoric gold bracelets from the Bronze Age and the Early Middle Hallstatt period - end of the 2nd millennium BC, from archaeological sites in Romania. They were taken from the MAS museum in Antwerp, Belgium. "The three valuable movable cultural goods, protected by law, were stolen by unknown perpetrators and subsequently confiscated. Two of them were identified when they were offered for sale at a public auction in the Principality of Monaco. The third piece was identified during a house search at the Belgian residence of the person who deposited the two pieces at the Monte Carlo auction house for public sale," the representatives of the Public Prosecutor's Office said in a press release.AGERPRES(EN - editor: Maria Voican)