GOVERNMENT The government
\nprepares to pass a set of fiscal measures in the coming days, designed to bring
\nmore money into the state budget and to keep the deficit close to this year’s
\ntarget of 4.4% of GDP. As of this autumn, employees in agriculture,
\nconstructions and IT may have to contribute 10% of their incomes to the public
\nhealthcare fund. The government also intends to keep only 2 VAT rates, 9% for
\nfoodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and hospitality services, and 19% for all other
\nsectors. Governmental sources say the ruling coalition are also discussing a
\nreorganization of the public sector, by scrapping 200,000 posts which are
\ncurrently vacant. At the same time, the Cabinet is working on measures to support
\ncitizens cope with the rising inflation. The government is considering an
\nincrease in minimum wages in 2 stages: to roughly 670 euro in September and to
\n750 euro as of January next year. But the plan is opposed by private
\nentrepreneurs, who say they cannot afford to raise minimum wages for employees.
\nAccording to a recent poll, should this measure be introduced, more than half
\nof the private entrepreneurs in the country said they would raise prices for
\ntheir products and services or downsize their staff.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
FIRE A Romanian fire fighter unit specialising in
\nwildfires is leaving for France today, as part of a redeployment programme
\norganised by the Directorate General for European Civil Protection and
\nHumanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). As many as 40 Romanian fire fighters
\nwith fire engines, water tanks and other equipment will be stationed in
\nMarseilles, on the Mediterranean Coast. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
TRIBUTE The Bucharest National
\nOpera orchestra performs tonight for the first time at the Musikverein hall in
\nVienna, in a tribute concert to the Romanian composer Ciprian Porumbescu. The
\nyear 2023 was declared the year of Ciprian Porumbescu, to mark 170 years since
\nthe birth and 140 years since the death of the famous composer. The concert
\nwill consist exclusively of works by Ciprian Porumbescu: New Moon, the first
\nRomanian operetta, the Ballad, the Romanian Rhapsody. The soloists, choir
\nand orchestra of the National Opera House in Bucharest are conducted by Daniel
\nJinga, with special guests including maestro Gheorghe Zamfir and the soloist
\nMaria Coman.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
UKRAINE A Ukrainian drone
\nattack on Moscow hit 2 office buildings last night, the mayor of Russia’s
\ncapital city Sergei Sobyanin said, according to France Presse. According to the
\nRussian defence ministry, a drone was shot down and 2 others were neutralized but
\ncrashed into a building compound. This was the latest in a string of attacks
\nthat Moscow blames on Kyiv, while also claiming the US and their NATO allies
\nhave provided assistance to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities say
\nat least 2 were killed and 1 wounded in a Russian missile attack on the city of
\nZaporizhzhia.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
SPORTS Romania finished 4th
\nat the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Maribor (Slovenia), with 9
\ngold, 6 silver and 5 bronze medals. This is the best performance for Romania in
\nthis competition, after the ones in 1995 (Bath) and 2003 (Paris), when it came
\nout 3rd. On Saturday, the last day of the event, Romania won 2 gold medals,
\nthanks to Alin \u015eavlovschi, in the men’s 2,000 m hurdles race and Bianca Maria
\nTi\u0163a, \u015etefania Balint, Maria Denisa Capot\u0103 and Alexandra \u015etefania U\u0163\u0103, who won
\nthe women’s relay race with a new competition record (2’06”13). Romania’s
\nwomen’s handball team won the silver after losing the final to France, 32-27. Three other
\nmedals were won in the tennis competition, by Giulia Safina Popa in the women’s
\nsingles, Giulia Popa and Alexia Tatu in women’s doubles and Yannick Theodor
\nNicolas Alexandrescou\/Alejandro Mateo Berge Vega Nourescu in the men’s doubles.
\nIn the gymnastics competition, Alexia Gabriela V\u00e2noag\u0103 won the silver in the
\nbeam final. Romania participated in the Festival with a team of 92 athletes. (AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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