August 24, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news.

Newsroom, 24.08.2021, 13:55

DEFENSE – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis convened a meeting of the countrys Higher Defense Council on Wednesday. The most important topic on the meetings agenda is the security situation in Afghanistan and its implications for Romania. More than 45 Romanian citizens have been evacuated from that country since the start of the crisis. President Iohannis has recently said that the Bucharest authorities will continue evacuation efforts of the Afghan citizens who have supported the activity of the Romanian military in Afghanistan, of students who are recipients of scholarships from the Romanian state and of people in vulnerable situations. Romania, just like many other countries, is trying to support Afghan citizens, in the context in which the access to the airport in Kabul is extremely difficult.

FIREFIGHTERS – The Romanian firefighters in Greece are trying to put out wildfires in the areas of Kryftes and Vilia. Their previous mission was in Attica. This is the second mission of Romanian firefighters in Greece, a country affected by wildfires for over a month. Two weeks ago, 108 Romanian firefighters were sent on a mission to Greece and helped put out wildfires on the island of Evia.

MEETING – G7 leaders are meeting today to discuss, by video conference, the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan, following the Talibans power takeover in that country. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, representing the G7s current presidency, called this meeting to urgently discuss the situation in Afghanistan and to coordinate international action. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission are representing the EU at the virtual meeting. Europeans part of G7 are putting pressure on the US to postpone the withdrawal of its troops, who now control the airport, to have more time to evacuate the Afghan citizens who worked with the allied troops or the international institutions during the previous regime. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in London, the British Defense Minister, Ben Wallace, said that British troops will not remain in Afghanistan if the Americans ones withdraw. On the other hand, the Taliban warned that any delay in the troops withdrawal will have consequences. The US President, Joe Biden, is to decide on the American troops withdrawal, which, in keeping with the agreement with the Taliban, should be completed by August 31.

CORONAVIRUS – 415 new cases of infection with Covid-19 were reported on Monday in Romania, out of 15,000 tests performed. The number of cases is increasing by the day. 1378 people are treated in hospital, of whom 193 are in intensive care. The medical units are preparing for the fourth wave of the pandemic and are supplementing the number of hospital beds. Over 3,900 people confirmed with the infection are in isolation at home, by 1,400 more than last Monday. Also, 13 new deaths from Covid-related conditions were reported on Monday.

PARALYMPIC GAMES – Tokyo is hosting as of today the Paralympic Games. More than 4 thousand athletes from over 160 countries are attending this years edition, which ends on September 5. Romania is represented by 7 athletes, among whom the Minister of Youth and Sports, Eduard Novak. The latter will take part in the road and track cycling competitions. The other 6 athletes will compete in blind judo, table tennis, cycling, athletics and archery.

THEATRE – Tens of events are scheduled for today as part of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival. Among them is the show “Forgiveness Day, directed by Eugen Gyemant and co-produced by the Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu. The Play Stock Exchange, titled “Outdoor performing arts: purpose and relevance at local, national and international level opened its doors on Monday. Performances are held on outdoor stages, as well as online. The 28th edition of the Festival runs until August 29 under the slogan “Building hope together. Over 2,000 artists from 38 countries are attending the festival, the biggest such event in Romania and one of the most important of its kind in Europe. (EE)