August 14, 2022 UPDATE

Navy Day. On Sunday, the Romanian Naval Forces marked a day of gratitude in memory of the seafaring heroes who lost their lives in the service of the country. On August 15, the Naval Forces celebrate Navy Day with events staged in Romania's river and Black Sea ports. President Klaus Iohannis will participate in the festivities in Constanţa (port on the Black Sea), and will give a speech at the official ceremony. He will also visit the training ship "Mircea", recently returned from an international training march. In Port Tomis, the activities organized on Navy Day include exhibitions of military equipment, and ship enthusiasts can virtually witness a naval battle in a specially arranged space.

Firefighting. 36 Romanian firefighters, using special vehicles and a large-capacity tanker, continue extinguishing the wildfires near the city of Bordeaux, in the southwest of France. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the firefighters are working in extreme conditions: high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds. Their mission is to limit the spread of the fire to the homes in the area and to extinguish hidden outbreaks. Romania supports the French authorities in the fight against wildfires with a team made up of 77 firefighters and several specific pieces of equipment. France, like other European countries, is facing successive heat waves and an unprecedented drought.

Rushdie.  Writer Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed on Friday, during a literary event in the state of New York, remains in the hospital, but no longer requires artificial ventilation. Writers around the world expressed their joy that Rushdie could finally speak, and President Joe Biden joined international voices in condemning the attack, and hailing Sir Rushdie for promoting universal ideas. Authorities have not made public the reason given by the man who stabbed the writer. The attacker, aged 24, was born in California to immigrant parents from southern Lebanon. One of his social media accounts shows that he is a sympathizer of extremist Shiite groups and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but it is not clear if he has any ties to them. In the Muslim community, Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" sparked numerous controversies, due to what many Muslims considered to be blasphemy. The novel was banned in India, was burned at some demonstrations in the United Kingdom, and triggered violent riots in Pakistan. In February 1989 the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a kind of decree, a fatwa, calling on all good Muslims to kill Rushdie or help assassinate him and his editors.

Anonimul. The film "107 Mothers" (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Ukraine), directed by Peter Kerekes, won the Anonimul 2022 trophy. The film tells the true story of mothers in a women's prison in Odessa (Ukraine). The feature film won, at the Venice Film Festival 2021, the prize of the Orizzonti section for the best screenplay and was included in the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera competition of the San Sebastian Film Festival. "Fragmentări" (Fragmentations) by Miruna Minculescu was designated the best Romanian short reel, and the award for the best foreign short film went to "Fantasma Neon" (Brazil), by Leonardo Martinelli. "Aurică, a dog's life", directed by Mihai Dragolea, is the short film to which the Anonimul Foundation awarded the "Ovidiu Bose Paştină" Award. 12 films participated in the Romanian short film competition, and 10 in the international short film competition. The 19th edition of the Anonimul International Independent Film Festival took place between August 8 and 14, in Sfântu Gheorghe (Danube Delta).

Rasnov. Two special screenings and 12 international documentaries, from 11 countries, will be presented at the 14th edition of the Râşnov Film and History Festival (central Romania), which takes place from August 14 to September 4. The selection of documentaries includes films from Chile, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Romania, France, Australia, USA, Belgium, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. According to the organizers, theme of the festival this year is focused around the idea of ​​borders, a concept that aims to bring answers to multiple questions and challenges related to individual and creative freedoms that today's society faces.

World record. The Romanian swimmer David Popovici on Saturday set a new 100 meter freestyle world record at the European Aquatics Championships in Rome. The 17-year-old athlete, already a double world champion, broke by half a tenth of a second the previous record, set 13 years ago, by the Brazilian Cesar Cielo, finishing the race after 46 seconds and 86 hundredths, and winning the gold medal. David Popovici says his goal now is to get under 45 in the 100m freestyle. On Sunday, David Popovici qualified for the semifinals of the 200 m freestyle event.

Rowing. On Sunday,Romania won gold in the women's 8+1 event at the European Rowing Championships in Munich. Also on Sunday, Romanian athlete Ionela Cozmiuc won the gold medal in the lightweight single sculls. So Romania ended the championships with an excellent record: five gold and three bronze medals. At last year's European Rowing Championships, in Varese (Italy), Romanian rowers won six medals, two gold and four silver. (MI)