August 9, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 09.08.2022, 19:43
COVID – Over 9,800 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Romania in 24 hours, authorities announced on Tuesday. Most cases have been reported in the capital Bucharest and in the counties of Timis (west), Cluj (north-west) and Constanta (south-east). More than 4,000 patients are hospitalised, almost 295 of whom in ICUs, and 43 Covid-related deaths were reported in 24 hours.
BANK – The Romanian National Bank (BNR) changed its inflation forecast for the end of this year to 13.9% and estimates an inflation rate of 7.5% for the end of next year, according to a report presented Tuesday by the banks governor Mugur Isarescu. In May 2022, the BNR forecast an inflation rate of 12.5% for this year and 6.7% for 2023. Last Friday, the bakns Board decided to increase, starting August 8, the monetary policy rate to 5.5% a year from 4.75% .
TRADE – Romanias trade deficit went up to 15.44 billion euros in the first six months of the year, 4.74 billion higher than in the similar period last year, according to a report released by the National Institute for Statistics on Tuesday. According to the same sources, exports rose by 24% while imports went up by 28,5%. Romanias exports and imports mainly consisted of machinery, transport equipment and other manufactured products.
DROUGHT – Around 243 thousand hectares of farmland in 30 Romanian counties have been affected by drought, the latest data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show. The surface affected has significantly grown since last week with many grain crops destroyed by the scorching weather.
FESTIVAL – The Anonimul International Festival dedicated to indie film productions started on Monday in the Danube Delta, southern Romania with Mariupolis 2 the last film by Lithuanian director Mantas Kvedaravicius, who was captured by the Russian army and killed in the Ukrainian region of Mariupol. The 19th edition of the festival includes two contests of Romanian and international short-reels. 12 titles are vying for a prize in the Romanian short-reel section, whereas 10 productions are to be screened in the international section. Another 13 film productions are to be presented during the festival whose winners will be decided by the public. The event also includes a series of round table talks between film lovers and filmmakers.
PLAN – The EU plan on the voluntary reduction of natural gas use by 15% came into effect on Tuesday. Almost half of the community states have already been affected by reduced gas deliveries from Russia and most of them started to take measures to curb consumption and store gas for the winter season. Authorities in Germany, a country heavily relying on gas supplies decided that warm water should no longer be available in public institutions, while wells and parts of the public lighting have been shut down in several cities. Doors must be closed in air conditioned rooms in France while Greece has announced a 640 million Euro programme for renewing windows and air-conditioning in state institutions. Although Romania hasnt announced a national strategy on reducing gas consumption yet, authorities here have recommended that citizens avoid excessive gas consumption. (EE)
