THE WEEK IN REVIEW

July 17-21 2023

Ştefan Stoica, 21.07.2023, 14:00

Heat wave

The heatwave has also affected Romania and persisted all week, without, however, having the intensity of the wave that affected the south of the continent. Temperatures reached 40 degrees, especially in the south and west, thermal discomfort was high, and the temperature-humidity index exceeded the critical threshold of 80 units. In many cities, town halls set up spaces in congested areas where people could cool off, and took measures to make functional water fountains and air conditioning systems in public transport. Road transportation was restricted to heavy vehicles on certain road sectors. Rail transport was also affected. The extremely high temperatures and human negligence favored the occurrence of vegetation fires, but of dimensions that made them controllable. In several areas of the country, the excessive heat alternated with storms and blizzards.

Replacements for two ministers of the Ciolacu cabinet

The political temperature dropped further after the PSD, part of the governing coalition, nominated the replacements of the two ministers who had resigned amid the scandal related to social centers where degrading treatments and lack of empathy for patients was the rule. Deputy Natalia Intotero replaced Gabriela Firea at the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, and another social-democratic deputy, Simona Bucura-Oprescu, took over the Ministry of Labor from Marius Budai. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who had warned that there would be dismissals everywhere where irregularities were discovered regarding residential centers for the elderly, asked the new head of the Ministry of Labor to suspend the heads of social assistance departments from 7 counties and the capital Bucharest. He admitted that, although they are necessary, dismissals and resignations only solve part of the problem, which is why the other essential part follows, the amendment of legislation regarding the accreditation, licensing, monitoring, and control of these centers. On the other hand, dissatisfied that his party is paying, alone, the political costs of the scandal, PSD spokesman Lucian Romaşcanu said that the resignation of the current Minister of Culture, Liberal Raluca Turcan, would also be necessary, because she endorsed the so-called asylums of horror when he was in charge of the Ministry of Labor. Ms. Turcan replied that, at the time of approval, everything was in order, and signing the accreditation is an administrative requirement and an obligation, if the conditions provided for by law are met.

Romanian Aviation Day and training for Ukrainian pilots

Training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft could begin in Romania at the end of August. The announcement, in fact a confirmation of information that has emerged recently, was made by President Klaus Iohannis. The head of state specified that it is an important and long-lasting project, which must be well prepared in order to prove a success. Aviation Day and Romanian Air Force Day was observed during the week of the announcement. They represent a modern and important component of the Romanian Army, as a means of responding to the military security challenges in the Black Sea region and on the entire Eastern Flank, and the actions carried out by military aviators, together with other soldiers, contribute significantly to the consolidation of the countrys profile at the regional and Euro-Atlantic level, emphasized President Iohannis. According to the head of state, the allocation of 2.5% of the GDP for defense, starting this year, will allow the development of major projects to equip the Air Force and significantly improve the conditions for the execution of combat missions, such as the addition of F-16 aircraft, which make the transition to the F-35 platform.

John Malkovich on stage in Timisoara

The famous American actor John Malkovich took to the stage of the National Theater in Timişoara on Thursday and Friday, in performances with the play “Infernal Comedy”, an absolute premiere for the city and a peak moment of the European Capital of Culture. Infernal Comedy is a show that its author, the Austrian Michael Sturminger, who also signs the artistic direction, wrote especially for Malkovich, building a dialogue between spoken and sung language. The sound universe is punctuated by the music of Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Weber, Gluck and Boccherini. “Infernal comedy” has been played in over 150 theaters around the world, in countries on three continents. A double Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominee, John Malkovich has starred in numerous films with worldwide impact. His character in Con Air, Cyrus The Virus, is known as one of the most impressive negative characters in the cinema of the second half of the 20th century.

Romanian football adrift

The holder of the title in Romania, Farul Constanţa (south-east) was eliminated from the preliminaries of the Football Champions League by Sheriff Tiraspol, the champion of the Republic of Moldova. The latter prevailed on home ground 3-0, in the second leg of the first preliminary round, after losing the first leg 1-0. Against Sheriff, we were the worst version of ourselves, said Faruls coach, Gheorghe Hagi. Last year, the champion CFR Cluj (north-west), was eliminated in the same stage by a quasi-anonymous team from Armenia. Unable to put forward squads to even face confrontations with no-name teams from the east of the continent, Romanian football is currently its weakest version in history. Farul Constanţa, along with CFR Cluj, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe (center) and FCSB (Bucharest), will now try to get a place in the groups of the last important continental competition, the Conference League.