February 15, 2022
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 15.02.2022, 13:55
Covid Ro — Romania is considering lifting the anti-Covid restrictions according to certain criteria, such as the drop in the number of new cases of infection, and in the number of patients in intensive care, the health minister Alexandru Rafila announced. He said, however, that there was no timetable for relaxation. The Romanian authorities have reported today almost 22,000 new COVID-19 cases out of 91,500 tests in 24 hours, and 204 deaths, 9 of which from previous days. 1,155 patients are in ICUs.
Energy — The Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca is today chairing a meeting of the Inter-ministerial Committee for Energy, to later participate in a working meeting with officials in the field. Last Wednesday, the prime minister had a similar meeting with several ministers, in which they assessed the measures necessary to protect the population and the business environment from the effects of rising electricity and gas prices. On Monday, the Romanian government adopted a financial scheme that will help the local authorities to get through the winter months, when they received high energy bills.
Ukraine — The Russian troops deployed for several weeks near the border with Ukraine have started returning to their garrisons, the Russian Defense Ministry officials have announced today amid Western fears of an imminent military operation. According to AFP, the announcement is the first sign from Moscow in this crisis with the West, which has lasted since the end of 2021. Since December, Russia has deployed more than 100,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border, raising fears in Kiev over an imminent invasion of that country. Moscow has always denied any intention to start a war, but has asked for guarantees for its security, such as the promise that Ukraine will never join NATO, which the West has refused to do. The announcement of the troops’ withdrawal comes ahead of talks scheduled for today in Moscow between the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as part of the efforts to deescalate the situation on the Ukrainian border. On Monday, in Kiev, the German chancellor had called on Russia to take advantage of the dialogue offers meant to defuse the crisis and at the same time gave assurances that Germany would resolutely continue its economic aid and support for Ukraine. In turn, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky declared February 16 as a day of “unity” against the backdrop of US warnings of a possible imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine at this time. The West has repeatedly warned Moscow of unprecedented sanctions if it attacks Ukraine, and the US and several other countries have deployed new forces in Eastern Europe.
Talks — Romania and Canada have similar views on the worrying security situation in the vicinity of Ukraine and the Black Sea region and on the need to continue action towards de-escalation, shows a communiqué of the Romanian Foreign Ministry, after Monday’s telephone conversation between the Romanian FM, Bogdan Aurescu, and his Canadian counterpart, Mélanie Joly. The two ministers welcomed the concrete measures taken within NATO and together with the allied states, which prove the solidity of the collective commitment towards the security of the allies on NATO’s eastern flank.
Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu (54 WTA) was defeated by Ukrainian Daiana Iastremska in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, today, in the first round of the WTA 500 tournament in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, which has total prizes up for grabs worth almost 770 thousand dollars. Begu, a semi-finalist in St. Petersburg last week, was defeated after two hours of play. Also today, another Romanian, Gabriela Ruse (59 WTA), coming from the qualification rounds, plays against Paula Badosa (Spain), 3rd seed and 5th in the world. The winner of this match will face in the eighth finals the best ranked Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep (23 WTA). A champion in Dubai in 2015 and 2020, Halep defeated, on Monday, in the first round, in two sets, the American Alison Riske. (LS)
