August 4, 2022
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 04.08.2022, 13:55
Mission — Today, the Royal Canadian Air Forces begin an air policing mission in Romania. The Defense Ministry informed that a detachment of 180 soldiers, with six CF-188 Hornet aircraft, will operate under NATO command in the next four months, together with soldiers of the Romanian Air Force, and another two CF-188 Hornet aircraft will participate, in the same period, in exercises organized with NATO allies. It is the sixth rotation of Canadians at the Mihail Kogălniceanu military base (south-east), after those in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Canadian military also carried out another mission in Romania, at Câmpia Turzii (center), in 2014. The deployment of CF-188 Hornet aircraft in Romania is part of the Action Plan to ensure NATOs operational capacity on the Eastern Flank both in the northern and southern areas and demonstrates the unity and determination of the Alliance in response to the challenges of the security environment — the Romanian Defense Ministry shows.
Festival — This afternoon, the city of Cluj-Napoca, in northwestern Romania, sees the start of the 7th edition of the UNTOLD Electronic Music Festival. The official opening ceremony, a unique show by the German Claptone will be a first for Romania. The artist will be accompanied by 100 dancers and entertainers, in a masked ball show, and thousands of masks will be offered to the fans. The participants in the UNTOLD festival will be welcomed by fantastic characters, international acrobats, entertainers, cheerleaders and dancers from Romania, France, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Germany and Ukraine, as well as by parades and fire or LED shows. The UNTOLD festival will last until August 7 and will take place in several locations, including the main one – the Cluj Arena stadium. The best DJs in the world are expected to give concerts. The organizers estimate that approximately 400,000 spectators will participate in the UNTOLD festival, which is one of the biggest festivals in the world.
Football — FCSB defeated Slovakias FC DAC 1904 Dunajska Streda 1-0 away from home on Thursday evening, in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the Europa Conference League. The Romanians dominated the entire match. The second leg will be played in Bucharest, on the National Arena, on August 11. If they eliminate the Slovak team, FCSB will play in the play-offs against Viking Stavanger (Norway) or Sligo Rovers FC (Ireland).
Robor — The three-month ROBOR index, according to which the cost of consumer loans in lei with variable interest is calculated in Romania, rose on Thursday to 8.11% per year, from 8.05% per year in the previous session, which is the highest level in the last 12 years. In early 2022, the index was 3% per year. Rates on mortgage loans and “First house” loans increased by 50% compared to the beginning of the year and almost doubled as compared to a few years ago. IRCC, the reference index for consumer loans, is 2.65% per year, up from the one published three months ago, of 1.86%. In the last three months, more than 10,000 beneficiaries of the “First house” program requested to change the method of interest calculation, by switching from ROBOR to IRCC.
China – The Chinese army fired unidentified projectiles towards the Taiwan Strait on Thursday, shortly after the start of major military exercises around the island claimed by Beijing, AFP and Reuters report. China has begun the most important military maneuvers in its history around Taiwan, in response to the visit of the US House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to Taipei. Pelosi is the highest elected US official to visit Taipei in 25 years, where she gave assurances that America would not abandon Taiwan, which is ruled by a democratic regime and lives under the constant threat of invasion by the Chinese military. Taiwan has condemned the Chinese military maneuvers.
Covid – Three military hospitals in Romania have reopened sectors for treating COVID patients. In Sibiu (center), patients have five beds available and also five in Cluj Napoca (north-west). The Emergency Military Clinical Hospital in Timisoara (west) equally reopened the Modular Medical Isolation and Treatment System, where patients have already been admitted. More than 4,000 people infected with coronavirus are currently hospitalized in Romania, and the number of those in Intensive Care is around 300. On Thursday, more than 8,600 new infections with SARS-COV-2 were announced in 24 hours. The authorities also reported 27 deaths. (LS)
