Romania's constitutional court announced on Friday that it had annulled the presidential election following allegations of Russian interference, effectively cancelling the second-round run-off that had been due to take place this weekend.

Romania's constitutional court announced on Friday that it had annulled the presidential election following allegations of Russian interference, effectively cancelling the second-round run-off that had been due to take place this weekend. Romanian authorities had cried foul after far-right outsider Calin Georgescu topped the first round of presidential elections on November 24, a surprise result in the EU and NATO member bordering Ukraine. On Wednesday, the presidency declassified documents detailing a slew of allegations against Georgescu and Russia, including "massive" social media promotion and cyber-attacks. Also read | France: Macron scrambles to form ‘government of general interest’ after no-confidence vote ousts Barnier The court said it had decided "to annul the entire electoral process for the election of the President of Romania... to ensure the correctness and legality of the electoral process". It said the decision had been unanimous without giving further details. "The government will set a new date for the election of the president of Romania," it added. Georgescu, a former senior civil servant, had been due to face centrist mayor Elena Lasconi in Sunday's runoff. 'Only correct solution' Fears had been rife that if Georgescu won, the country would join the EU's far-right bloc and undermine European unity against Russia. Outgoing Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu welcomed the court's decision in a post on Facebook. It was, he said "the only correct solution after the declassification of the documents... which show that the result of the Romanians' vote was blatantly distorted as a result of Russia's intervention". The documents, drawn up for a security council meeting after the first round of voting, were published late Wednesday. In them, the authorities said data had "revealed an aggressive promotional campaign, in violation of electoral legislation, and an exploitation of algorithms to increase the popularity of Calin Georgescu at an accelerated pace". Last week they slammed "preferential treatment" of Georgescu by TikTok, which the social media platform has denied. A company spokeswoman said on Thursday that TikTok had "no evidence that a coordinated campaign has taken place on our platform to date". The European Commission announced on Thursday that it had stepped up its monitoring of TikTok in the context of Romania's elections. A separate document by intelligence services stated that Romania "is perceived by Moscow's policy centres as an enemy state". Romania is a "target for aggressive Russian hybrid actions, including cyberattacks and hacks and leaks and sabotage", it added. 'Negative impacts' Washington has warned of the "serious negative impacts" if Romania -- whose strategic importance has increased since Russia invaded Ukraine -- turned away from the West. Having praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past, Georgescu, 62, most recently has avoided answering questions about him being pro-Russian. A critic of the EU and NATO, he says he does not want to leave either grouping but wants to put Romania "on the world map". Like his idol US president-elect Donald Trump, he is opposed to military aid to Ukraine. While the president's post is largely ceremonial, the head-of-state has moral authority and influence on Romania's foreign policy. The president also designates the next prime minister -- a key role especially since legislative elections last weekend returned a fragmented parliament. The governing pro-European Social Democrats won the vote, but far-right parties made strong gains, together securing a third of the ballots. Since the fall of Communism in 1989, Romania has never seen such a breakthrough by the far right, fuelled by mounting anger over soaring inflation and fears over Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Romania's top court annuls presidential election results amid Russian meddling claims

Scientists have recently discovered a new species of an extinct land snail called Ferussina.&nbsp;

The specimen was found in Hațeg Basin, Romania and is believed to have lived about 72 million years ago&nbsp;during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch.&nbsp;

The newly-described species, Ferussina petofiana, belonged to a small genus of land snails that existed during the Paleogene period and is currently classified in its own family, Ferussinidae, in the superfamily Cyclophoroidea.&nbsp;

According to Dr Barna Páll-Gergely from the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, “Ferussina was until now recorded only from Paleogene (Middle Eocene to Upper Oligocene and maybe to Upper Miocene) deposits of Western Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, northern Italy).”

“The new species is the oldest, as well as the easternmost representative of its genus,” he was quoted as saying by Sci.News.

The size of its shell was around 10.8 mm in diameter and 4.4 mm in height.&nbsp;

“The shell is depressed with flat base, domed dorsal surface, and rounded or slightly shouldered body whorl,” the palaeontologist said.

This species is known only from a single specimen found in the Densuș-Ciula Formation in Romania.

Dr Barna’s colleagues added that uppermost Cretaceous deposits discovered from western Romania “are primarily known for their fossil vertebrate fauna, which includes dwarf dinosaurs first described more than a century ago, although rare invertebrates and plants have also been reported from them.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-devise-way-to-convert-toxic-cigarette-butts-into-green-fuel-673690">Also read:&nbsp;Scientists devise way to convert toxic cigarette butts into green fuel</a>

The discovery of the new snail species adds to the brief list of European groups that appear to have survived the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event.

According to the researchers, “The occurrence of Ferussina in layers of Maastrichtian age, represents a minimum chronostratigraphic range extension of about 23 million years for this genus.”

Watch:&nbsp;New evidence suggests size of the Sun could be smaller

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“The most important implication of the discovery of Ferussina petofiana in the uppermost Cretaceous of Hațeg Basin is that the resulting extended chronostratigraphic range of the genus (and that of its parent subfamily, Ferussininae) crosses the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary which coincides with one of the most devastating mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic,” the authors noted in a detailed study published in the journal Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae.

(With inputs from agencies)

Scientists have recently discovered a new species of an extinct land snail called Ferussina. The specimen was found in Hațeg Basin, Romania and is believed to have lived about 72 million years ago during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch.

Scientists have recently discovered a new species of an extinct land snail called Ferussina. The specimen was found in Hațeg Basin, Romania and is believed to have lived about 72 million years ago during the Maastrichtian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch. The newly-described species, Ferussina petofiana, belonged to a small genus of land snails that existed during the Paleogene period and is currently classified in its own family, Ferussinidae, in the superfamily Cyclophoroidea. According to Dr Barna Páll-Gergely from the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, “Ferussina was until now recorded only from Paleogene (Middle Eocene to Upper Oligocene and maybe to Upper Miocene) deposits of Western Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, northern Italy).” “The new species is the oldest, as well as the easternmost representative of its genus,” he was quoted as saying by Sci.News. The size of its shell was around 10.8 mm in diameter and 4.4 mm in height. “The shell is depressed with flat base, domed dorsal surface, and rounded or slightly shouldered body whorl,” the palaeontologist said. This species is known only from a single specimen found in the Densuș-Ciula Formation in Romania. Dr Barna’s colleagues added that uppermost Cretaceous deposits discovered from western Romania “are primarily known for their fossil vertebrate fauna, which includes dwarf dinosaurs first described more than a century ago, although rare invertebrates and plants have also been reported from them.” Also read: Scientists devise way to convert toxic cigarette butts into green fuel The discovery of the new snail species adds to the brief list of European groups that appear to have survived the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event. According to the researchers, “The occurrence of Ferussina in layers of Maastrichtian age, represents a minimum chronostratigraphic range extension of about 23 million years for this genus.” Watch: New evidence suggests size of the Sun could be smaller × “The most important implication of the discovery of Ferussina petofiana in the uppermost Cretaceous of Hațeg Basin is that the resulting extended chronostratigraphic range of the genus (and that of its parent subfamily, Ferussininae) crosses the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary which coincides with one of the most devastating mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic,” the authors noted in a detailed study published in the journal Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. (With inputs from agencies)

A snail species survived the mass extinction event which killed the dinosaurs

India and Romania have signed a bilateral agreement on defence. Simona Cojocaru, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence in Romania speaking to our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal said that the agreement will be focusing on important projects of cooperation between the two nations with emphasis on maritime security, personal training, and special communication. Cojocaru praised India's role in the Indo-Pacific and emphasizing the importance of consolidating defense industries and supply chains. Cojocaru saw great potential for cooperation between the two nations in this sector, and invited India to attend Romania's annual defense and aerospace exhibitions. She also spoke on the the Russia-Ukraine conflict, pointing that Romania found itself on the front lines of the aggression. She reaffirmed Romania's commitment to defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and supporting its right to self-defense.

ndia Romania sign bilateral agreement on Defence

The number of candidates included on the lists for the parliamentary elections is 7.136. On average, 15 candidates compete for a seat in the Parliament.

Romania: Low voter turnout expected due to pandemic

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Romania's top court annuls presidential election results amid Russian meddling claims

A snail species survived the mass extinction event which killed the dinosaurs

ndia Romania sign bilateral agreement on Defence

Romania: Low voter turnout expected due to pandemic