June 14, 2021
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 14.06.2021, 13:55
Covid-19RO. The number of cases of coronavirus infection has continued to drop in Romania. Also, authorities efforts to persuade the population to get vaccinated are intensifying. The latest report shows the lowest figure in the past year. Today, 50 out of 12,000 tests have been reported positive. The highest incidence of COVID-19 cases per thousand inhabitants was reported in Prahova (south) and Alba (center). 13 counties did not report any new cases. Nine people have died in the last 24 hours because of the new coronavirus, and 229 patients are currently in intensive care.
Motion. In Bucharest, the simple motion filed by the opposition Social Democratic Party against the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, is being debated today in the Chamber of Deputies. The vote will be cast on Tuesday. The motion, entitled Cristian Ghinea – from zero to the abyss, signed by 82 Social Democrats, was filed during last Wednesdays plenary session. The Social Democratic Party claims that the minister must be urgently sacked, as he has proven nothing but “managerial dilettantism” and the National Recovery and Resilience plan is “a disaster”, which “will destroy Romania in the next fiver years”.
NATO summit. NATOs strategic principles for the next 10 years are the main topic of discussion for the leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance, gathered in Brussels today. The relationship with Russia and China will also be discussed, as well as cyber security issues. The summit also seeks a repositioning of the relations with the United States, which suffered during the Trump administration, and the US President Joe Biden will thus be the main figure at the meeting. He is on his first foreign tour since taking office. Romania is represented by President Klaus Iohannis, who will plead for strengthening the deterrence and defense posture on NATOs eastern flank, especially in the Black Sea region. The Romanian head of state will emphasize the active role of Bucharest as a pillar of stability and provider of security in the context in which it is important for the Alliance to become stronger from a political and military point of view. Klaus Iohannis will also reaffirm Romanias commitment to contributing to NATOs joint efforts, both operationally, conceptually and financially, by further ensuring a minimum of 2% of the GDP for defense.
Berlinale. The awards of the 71st edition of the Berlin Film Festival were handed out on Sunday evening in the monumental area of the Museum Island in the historical center of the German capital. The winners of the Berlinale had already been announced in March, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the award ceremony was postponed for several months. The Golden Bear for best film was won by the satire Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, directed by the Romanian Radu Jude, about a sex video that went viral. The film analyzes the relationship between the individual and society, starting with the consequences that an amateur porn video, uploaded by a high school teacher on a specialized site, has for her life. The jurys prize was awarded to the documentary Mr Bachmann and His Class directed by Maria Speth, portraying the bond between a veteran elementary teacher and his immigrant students.
Accident. One person died and three were seriously injured, this morning, in a road accident in Nădlac (west), on the A1 highway, at the exit from Romania. There were 17 people from Ukraine in the minibus that hit a truck on the emergency lane. Traffic has been resumed. Police are investigating the scene of the accident to establish the exact circumstances of the collision between the minibus and the truck.
EURO2020. Three EURO 2020 matches are scheduled for today, the main event being the one between Spain (three-time European champion) and Sweden. The other matches of the day are Scotland – the Czech Republic and Poland – Slovakia. On Sunday, the English national team defeated the Croatian national squad 1-0 in London, in Group D. Also on Sunday, the Dutch football team scored a spectacular win in Amsterdam against Ukraine, in Group C. In the other match of the group, Austria beat North Macedonia 3-1 in Bucharest. For the first time, Bucharest will host four matches as part of EURO 2020. The next match on the National Arena will take place on June 17 between Ukraine and North Macedonia, and the last one in the group, between Ukraine and Austria, will take place on June 21. The round of 16 match is scheduled for June 28 in Bucharest. Moreover, as a first, at EURO 2020 Romania has two referee brigades.
Tennis. Romanian Simona Halep remains on the third place in the WTA ranking published today, after the Roland Garros tournament, the second Grand Slam of the year, in which she did not take part. Australian Ashleigh Barty is top of the hierarchy, followed by the Japanese Naomi Osaka, who is about 900 points ahead of Halep. Romania has another four players in the top 100: Sorana Cîrstea, (45 WTA), Patricia Ţig (no. 63 in the world) Irina Begu (78 WTA) and Ana Bogdan (91 WTA). (MI)
