August 11, 2020
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 11.08.2020, 13:55
ROYAL FAMILY – The royal property in Savarsin, in the western Romanian county of Arad, will be opened to the public in the summer of 2021. Tourists can visit the Royal Automobile Museum, a part of the Royal Village and the park, according to an announcement posted on the Romanian Royal Family’s Internet page. The castle in Savarsin is surrounded by a dendrological park of 6.5 hectares that boasts a lake and a pier. Set up in 1830, the park is one of the oldest in Romania. In keeping with tradition, the Romanian Royal Family spend their winter holidays and summers at the Savarsin castle, which is their only private residence in the country.
CORONAVIRUS — More than 62,500 new infections with Covid-19 have been confirmed in Romania since the start of the pandemic, five months ago. 2,729 people have died and 476 people are in intensive care. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has said the state of alert will most likely be extended, but a decision in this respect will be taken based on the epidemiological evolution. Orban will present parliament on Wednesday, at the request of the latter, with a report on how his government handled the coronavirus crisis. Also on Wednesday, parliament will debate a report of the Court of Accounts as regards the purchases made by the government during the medical crisis. In another development, Spain is no longer on the yellow list of countries of high epidemiological risk, so people travelling to Romania from Spain will not be quarantined. The decision has been taken by the Department for Emergency Situations.
PROTESTS – One man died on Monday evening during the clashes in Minsk, while trying to throw an unidentified explosive device at police that blew up in his hands. Violent protests continued on Monday after the opposition accused President Alexander Lukashenko of rigging his re-election victory. Lukashenko has compared protesters to criminal groups and dangerous revolutionaries, who allegedly enjoy obscure foreign support. His contender, Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who led the biggest challenge to Lukashenko’s rule in years, sought refuge in Lithuania in the context of the clashes in her country.
BLAST – Lebanons government has resigned amid mounting anger over Tuesday’s explosion that devastated parts of Beirut and killed almost 200 people. Protesters have accused the countrys leaders of culpability due to their alleged negligence and corruption. Protesters clashed with police for the third consecutive day. The explosion in Beirut was caused by the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Irina Begu on Tuesday defeated Latvian Anastasija Sevastova, seed no. 9, in the first round of the WTA tournament in Prague. Another Romanian, Gabriela Ruse, seeded 173rd is competing in women’s singles, after defeating german Tamara Korpatsch. The competition’s favourite is the Romanian Simona Halep, no. 2 in the workd, who is today up against Polona Hercog of Slovenia. Halep also competes in women’s doubles, alongside Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. These are Halep’s first official games after the break caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (Translated by Elena Enache)
