The German Chancellor met Romania's leaders to discuss defense cooperation in the Black Sea region. He is also set to meet Moldova's President Maia Sandu as her pro-European government faces pressure from Russia.

Romania's capital is buried in smoke from burned trash that comes from all over Europe. The dubious business is being investigated. Prosecutors and activists are sounding the alarm about organized crime structures.

During World War II, one of the worst massacres of the conflict took place in Eastern Europe, in Romania's second city of Iași. A tenth of the city's population – more than 13,000 people – was murdered in the space of a few days, simply because they were Jews. More than 80 years after the Iasi pogrom, most people in Romania know little about these atrocities, and the country's far-right party is gaining in strength – as are those who want to rewrite history. FRANCE 24's Nadia Blétry, Thierry Trelluyer and Ruth Michaelson report.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu reacted to the latest developments in the war in Ukraine. With more NATO troops and weaponry set to be deployed in Romania in the coming days, the top diplomat said that this move "cannot be seen as a provocation" but was instead a "legitimate response" by the Alliance to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Asked about the humanitarian situation at the border, Aurescu said that Romania was open to "all those in need".

US military personnel have arrived in Romania ahead of a deployment of NATO troops expected in the country. Romania, a NATO member since 2004, borders Ukraine to the north.

While the eyes of the world focus on the Covid-19 pandemic, the fight against HIV has slowed down in Romania. The pandemic has deprived at-risk groups of access to health services and testing, as well as disrupting supply chains and medicine supplies, raising fears of a rise in cases.

In the central Romanian city of Targu Mures, a former archaeologist and political newcomer is seeking to heal ethnic divisions and clean up corruption and mismanagement.

Romania has become the most recent country to eject Russian diplomatic officials from its territory, in solidarity with the Czech Republic over its dispute with Moscow.

Naked bodies lined up in the mud in a cemetery in Romania: the city of Timisoara, crucible of the anti-communist revolution in 1989, is also remembered for one of the most infamous examples of misinformation in the modern era.

Exit polls in Romania show that incumbent President Klaus Iohannis will likely face a runoff with Social Democrat leader Viorica Dancila. The second round is scheduled for November 24.

Romania's government has lost a no-confidence vote, leading to its collapse. A transitional government is now expected to take over until the next national election in 2020.

Over 20,000 took to the streets of Bucharest to protest the Social Democrat-led government. The demonstrations were organized by Romanian expatriates angry over widespread corruption and attacks on the judiciary.