August 4, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 04.08.2021, 13:50

Covid-19RO. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today stated that the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be defeated by ‘discrimination’, by restrictive measures, but by vaccination, by raising public awareness, because immunization inhibits the development of the disease. According to the head of state, the decrease in the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection was possible due to vaccination, and Romanians must understand that, unless they continue to get vaccinated, there is a risk of a fourth pandemic wave, as it has already happened in other European countries. In another move, the Minister of Education, Sorin Câmpeanu, has stated that the school will start on September 13 with pupils physically attending classes. He ruled out mandatory vaccination for the education staff, but encouraged them to get immunized. Minister Câmpeanu has stated that, this month, information campaigns on the importance of vaccination for the education staff will be run again, to help increase the level of immunization by the start of the new school year.

NRRP. Portugal,
Luxembourg and Belgium are the first states to receive money under their
National Recovery and Resilience Plans. This is a down-payment for amounts
promised under the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund, totaling 800 billion euro.
According to a statement, this month, the European Commission will make
payments to other member countries as well. All states, except the Netherlands
and Bulgaria, have submitted their recovery plans to the European Commission
for approval. Romania has not yet received the green light to benefit from the European
money. Recently, the German publication Die Welt has written that Romania’s
plan is regarded with skepticism, and the Commission will decide on it by the
end of September. The Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated, though, that
95% of the Plan was negotiated with the European Union.

Fire. New vegetation
fires are breaking out in the north of
the Mediterranean, despite the superhuman efforts made by firefighters, who
have been battling the flames for more than a week. Greece, Turkey, Albania,
Bulgaria and Italy are on the list of countries where fire has so far destroyed
thousands of hectares of forest and vegetation. Hundreds of people have been
evacuated almost daily. In Turkey, where eight people have been killed by
flames, emergency services have managed to contain hundreds of fires, but new
outbreaks are caused by the hot wind. In Greece, the fire reached a
neighborhood on the outskirts of Athens, destroying many houses. The country is
facing the worst heat wave in decades.

Chisinau. In the Republic
of Moldova (ex-Soviet, majority Romanian-speaking), the future pro-European
government is to be invested, on Friday, by the Parliament dominated by the
Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu. Last week,
she nominated Natalia Gavriliţă for the position of prime minister, after being
proposed by PAS, which, with 63 out of 101 deputy seats, has a comfortable
majority in the Chisinau Parliament. The new Cabinet will have 13 ministries.
Its immediate priorities include the efficient management of the health crisis
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the
reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, the increase of the
population’s income and the resumption of external financing.

Attack. Representatives
of Britain, Romania and Liberia have informed the UN Security Council that it
is very likely that Iranian forces used one or more drones to carry out a
deadly attack on an oil tanker last week off the coast of Oman. This act
must be condemned by the international community, the representatives of
the three countries said in a letter to the 15-member council, which was
obtained by Reuters. Two crew members, a Romanian and a British man, died in
the July 29 incident. The EU and NATO have strongly condemned the drone attack
off the coast of Oman on the Israeli-run oil tanker, and Washington has
promised a collective response along with its allies against Iran. More
on this after the news.

TIFF. Transylvania
International Film Festival – TIFF – is back with a new edition in Sibiu
(center), between August 5 and 8, when over 30 films will be screened. The
event will open with the screening of the documentary ‘Wild Romania’, made by
Dan Dinu and Cosmin Dumitrache, designated the most beloved Romanian film at
this year’s TIFF in Cluj (northwest), where it won the Audience Award.
Initiated 10 years ago, ‘Wild Romania’ is the largest photography and
documentary film project dedicated to nature in Romania. The TIFF Sibiu
selection also includes the most awaited Romanian films of the year.

Tokyo. The Romanian
athlete Alexandru Novac has qualified, today, in the final of the men’s javelin
throw at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the best personal performance of the
season. Novac managed a throw of 83.27 meters, with which he qualified for the
final. Also in the Olympic athletics competition, Bianca Ghelber came in 6th in
the final of the women’s hammer throw event. She finished the race with a
result of 74.18 meters, which is a new personal record. Instead, Rareş Toader
missed the qualification for the final of the weightlifting event. Kriszta
Incze also has also failed to qualify for the next stage of the women’s
wrestling competition, in which she would have competed for bronze. (MI)