A roundup of local and international news.
Covid-19 update. With 62 new Covid cases recorded on Thursday, the number of new infections remains low in Romania, but health experts and the authorities fear the highly transmissible Delta strain may become dominant in autumn. In their opinion, the only solution to counteract the unfortunate effects of this variant is vaccinating as many people as possible. From December last year, when the mass vaccination campaign got under way in Romania, over 9 million doses were administered to some 4.8 million people, of whom 4.7 million are fully vaccinated. Unhappy with these figures, the authorities are looking for ways to boost vaccination rates.
Protests. Dozens of thousands of people protested on Wednesday across France against the new coronavirus restrictions. President Emmanuel Macron announced that vaccination will become mandatory for healthcare workers and other professions and a health pass will be required to gain access to public places like cinemas, theatres, trains and long-distance flights. Rallies were also held in Greece, where thousands protested against the government's measures to contain the spread of the virus. The country's prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the staff of care homes for the elderly must get the vaccine or face dismissal. 4.3 of Greece's 10.7 million population are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, but the Greek government fears a new rise in cases and pressure on hospitals.
Afghanistan. The end of the Romanian Army's mission in Afghanistan this month will be marked on 21st July in a special ceremony in Bucharest. Troops representing the different units who served in Afghanistan since 2002 will march under the Arch of Triumph in the centre of the city. The Romanian defence ministry says the parade will be opened by a detachment of Romanian soldiers wounded during missions in Afghanistan. The military flags of various command structures and units that led or carried out missions will be decorated and the soldiers killed in foreign theatres of operation will be commemorated. 27 Romanian soldiers were killed during Romania's presence in Afghanistan and over 200 were wounded.
Climate. The European Commission on Wednesday proposed ambitious measures to reach its climate goals. Together with the distribution of national targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, these are likely to be subject of heated debates among the 27 EU member states, Reuters notes. The proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared with 1990 include increasing costs for emissions generated by heating, transport and the industrial sector, taxing the fuel used in air and naval travel and banning, from 2035, the sale of new diesel and petrol cars. In Romania's case, the target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will increase from 2% to 12.7%. The plan will be negotiated with member states and the European Parliament.
Tennis. The Romanian-Italian pair Irina Bara and Sara Errani reached the doubles semifinals at the Budapest WTA tournament worth over 235,000 dollars in prize money. On Wednesday, they defeated the first seeds Anna Kalinskaya and Yana Sizikova in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4. In the quarterfinals, the Romanian-Hungarian pair Mihaela Buzărnescuand Fanny Stollar are facing the all-Hungarian pair Anna Bondar and Dalma Galfi, with the winners of the match due to play Bara and Errani in the semis. In men's tennis, the Romanian-German pair Horia Tecău and Kevin Krawietz on Wednesday reached the doubles semifinals in Hamburg, at an ATP tournament worth over 1 million euros in prize money. They defeated the all-German pair Daniel Altmaier and Rudolf Molleker. (CM)
Useful Links
Copyright © . All rights reserved