August 28, 2023
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 28.08.2023, 13:55
Crevedia – All fuel and LPG stations in Romania are being checked as of Monday and the activity of those that pose risks to public safety will be suspended, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced. He added that legislative changes were being considered to regulate this area, changes which could be approved this week. The decisions come after Saturday evenings devastating chain blasts at an LPG station in Crevedia (south), that were followed by a fire. Two people lost their lives and around 60, mostly firefighters, as well as gendarmes and policemen, were injured. The interior minister Cătălin Predoiu has given assurances that all those found guilty will be held accountable. Investigations by the General Prosecutors Office and the military and anti-corruption prosecutors are currently under way.
Festival – Maestro Cristian Măcelaru, the artistic director of the George Enescu Festival, dedicated, on Sunday evening, Rhapsody no. 2 by George Enescu to those who need comfort following the Crevedia tragedy. The work was included in the program of the first evening of the festival, that has now reached its 26th edition which will take place under the motto Generosity through music. Until September 24, over 3,500 guest artists will take to the Bucharest stages for 90 concerts. Among the important orchestras that will participate in this years edition are the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, the National Orchestra of France, the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. First-class international conductors will go on stage during the festival such as Cristian Măcelaru, Zubin Mehta, Sir Simon Rattle, Wilson Hermanto, Paavo Jarvi, Delyana Lazarova, Lawrence Foster and Vladimir Jurowski.
Visit – The Ministers of Labor, Simona Bucura-Oprescu, of Finance, Marcel Boloş and of European funds, Adrian Câciu, have a scheduled visit to Brussels today and tomorrow. The Labor Minister will present to European officials the new changes that must be made to the law on special pensions and that are required by the Constitutional Court. Simona Bucura-Oprescu will also mention the governments intention to tax with 15% the part that exceeds the net average salary from special pensions. In their turn, the ministers of finance and European funds will present the governments intention to exceed the assumed threshold of 4.4% on this years budget deficit. The two ministers will also present the elements of the package of laws for which the government wants to take responsibility before Parliament and which refer to the reform of the state administration, fiscal equity and the effective fight against tax dodging.
Meeting – The Foreign Ministry organizes, between August 29-30, the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy, under the theme A firm foreign policy of Romania: managing challenges and maximizing opportunities. This years edition takes place in physical format, after the last three took place online. The special guests of the FM Luminiţa Odobescu will be her counterparts from Chile, Alberto van Klaveren Stork, and Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis. The main theme of the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy focuses on the reiteration of foreign policy priorities, in the sense of managing challenges and in the perspective of capitalizing on the opportunities generated by the current international environment. In the context of the most serious security challenge on NATOs Eastern Flank, the theme of security, cohesion and connectivity is the subject of a plenary session. The agenda of the meeting also includes the contribution of Romanian diplomacy to the consolidation of the European project, economic development strategies, the organization, abroad, of the three rounds of elections in 2024, with focus on the smooth running of elections in the diaspora, the role of Romanian missions in the promotion of cultural diplomacy and scientific cooperation.
Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea is taking on, today, for the first time, Kayla Day (USA), in the inaugural round of the US Open tournament, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, which starts at the Flushing Meadows arenas in New York. Four other Romanian players are on the main draw and will play on Tuesday. Irina Begu will face the German Tamara Korpatsch, whom she defeated in their only confrontation, last year, in Lausanne. Ana Bogdan will have a difficult match against the American Sofia Kenin, former Grand Slam champion. The two are tied in head-to-head matches, 1-1. Patricia Ţig will be up against the Canadian player Rebecca Marino, and Gabriela Ruse, coming from the qualifications, will play against the powerful player from the Czech Republic, Karolina Pliskova. (LS)
