August 15, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 15.08.2022, 19:40
Celebrations. Christian believers celebrated on Monday the
Assumption of Mary, one of the biggest feasts of the year. Some 2.3 million
Romanians celebrated their name day. August 15th is also the Navy
Day, as Virgin Mary is the protector of sailors. Events to mark this day were
staged in Romania’s Danube and Black Sea ports. The festivities in Contanta were
attended by Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, who stressed the importance of
sailors’ work, which entails lots of sacrifices
but also satisfaction. PM Nicolae Ciuca too conveyed a message, stating
that he would support programs aimed at modernizing the Romanian army. In turn,
the defense minister Vasile Dincu voiced conviction that starting next year,
the Romanian Naval Forces would be better equipped and prepared. He pointed out that the war in Ukraine had shown how
important the ability to protect its territorial waters and exclusive economic
zone was for Romania.
Firefighters. Romanian firefighters continue their mission
south of Bordeaux, France, operating in harsh conditions: high temperatures,
low humidity and strong winds. Their mission is to keep the fire from spreading
to the residential area and to put out hidden outbreaks. A total of 77
firefighters are supporting the French
authorities in their fight against wildfires, caused by extreme heat and severe
drought.
Baccalaureate. Almost 35,000
candidates have registered to sit in the autumn session of the Romanian
baccalaureate, which starts on Tuesday. Approximately
22 thousand candidates are class of 2022, the rest being from the previous classes. The
final results will be announced on September 3. In the summer session, held in
the second part of June, the baccalaureate pass rate was over 75% – the best in
the last 10 years.
Rasnov. Two special screenings and 12
international documentaries, from 11 countries, are part of the program of the 14th edition of the Film and History
Festival underway in Rasnov, central Romania. The selection of documentaries
includes films from Chile, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Romania, France,
Australia, USA, Belgium, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. According to the
organizers, the theme of the festival this year is focused around the idea of
borders, a concept that aims to bring answers to multiple questions and
challenges related to individual and creative freedoms that today’s society
faces.
Swimming. The Romanian swimmer David Popovici won
on Monday evening the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle final of the European
Aquatics Championship in Rome. He is the defending world champion in this
event. On Saturday, he won the 100 meter freestyle final and set a world
record, becoming the youngest athlete with such a record in the history of
world swimming.
Sports. Romania’s rowing
team, made up of 35 athletes, returned home on Monday with five gold and three
bronze medals won at the European Championships in Munich. According to the
general secretary of the Romanian Rowing Federation, Sandu Pop, the performance
of the Romanian delegation is the greatest in the history of Romanian rowing in
the continental competition. In another development, Romanian tennis player
Simona Halep (15 WTA) won the WTA 1,000 tournament in Toronto (Canada), with
over 2.5 million dollars in prize money. She defeated, on Sunday, in the final,
the Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (24 WTA), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. Simona thus won the
Canadian Open for the third time, after the finals she won in Montreal in 2016
and 2018. For the former world leader, this is the 24th title of her career.
After the victory in Toronto, Simona Halep climbed nine places up the rankings
and is now sixth in the WTA classification. (MI)
