July 9, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 09.07.2022, 20:00
COVID – The Health Ministry announced that starting next week the authorities will revert to daily reports of COVID infections and fatalities, due to an increase in teh number of daily cases in recent weeks. According to the Health Ministry, 7,726 new cases of COVID infection were reported over June 27 – July 3, of whom 1,307 retested positive.
INFLATION – The inflation rate is expected to slightly drop in the next months, the Central Bank (BNR) announced. However, prices might again peak next spring unless the government extends its national schemes capping electricity and gas prices past the April 2023 deadline, the BNR spokesman Dan Suciu has told Radio Romania. Romania has an imported inflation, Dan Suciu argues, meaning that it is generated by the global increase in energy and fuel prices. In May, the inflation rate stood at 14.5%. The authorities expect the rate to grow and peak by the end of July.
DROUGHT – 70% of Romanias surface is affected by drought. People in a number of areas have access to tap water only for a few hours every day. Traffic on the Danube River is also affected, as the water level is half the multiannual average and is estimated to keep dropping. The Porțile de fier I and II hydroelectric power plants are also reporting difficulties. Navigators will have to observe a maximum mass limit to avoid getting stuck in sand crossings on the bottom of the river. The National Water Administration has given assurances that right now there are no water shortage risks in centralized water supply systems in large urban settlements. At the same time, Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, told a private TV station that irrigation systems are functioning normally without any major impact on shelf prices due to the shortage of water. This years crops will cover internal demand and Romania will export any excess, the Minister went on to say.
ENERGY – Romania will have energy independence and security, Romanias Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, wrote on Saturday on Facebook. The Romanian official explained Romania will be producing coal-based electricity at full capacity over the coming years in order to overcome the current energy crisis. Minister Popescu recalled the authorities decision to invest in a new power plant that will produce electricity using Romanian gas. The energy crisis has forced a number of European states to reopen coal-based power plants, despite environmental concerns. European governments are thus seeking to curb their dependency on Russian energy imports. In recent months, Moscow has significantly reduced its exports to Europe, fueling fears it might cut off the supply altogether.
REFUGEES – 107,837 people entered Romania on Friday, of whom 22,298 Ukrainian nationals, a 104% increase compared to the previous day, the Romanian Border Police Inspectorate reports. Since February 24, some 1.5 million Ukrainians have entered Romania.
SWIMMING – Romania has so far won six medals at the European Junior Swimming Championships hosted by Otopeni, and is now ranked third in the medal standings, after Poland and Hungary. On Saturday, David Popovici qualified to the 100m freestyle final, scheduled for Sunday. So far Romania has won gold in the mens 4x100m relay event (David Popovici, Vlad Stancu, Ștefan Cozma and Patrick Sebastian Dinu), in the 200m freestyle event (David Popovici), in the 50m freestyle event (David Popovici) and in the 1,500m freestyle event (Vlad Ștefan Stancu). Additionally, the mix 4x100m relay team won silver (David Popovici, Patrick Sebastian Dinu, Bianca Costea and Rebecca Aimee Diaconescu), while Bianca Costea scooped silver in the 50m freestyle event. Attending the European Junior Swimming Championships are 500 athletes from 42 countries. Romania is represented by 26 swimmers, 14 in the mens competition and 12 in the womens competition. (VP)
