Radio România Internațional

Tag: Attack

August 10, 2021

Covid-19. Romania recorded 312 new Covid infections today, the highest
daily figure since the end of May, as well as 4 new related fatalities. The
number of Covid patients receiving hospital treatment is also on the rise,
passing 660, including 86 in intensive care. The infection rate in Romania went
up to 0.12 per 1,000 inhabitants. The coordinator of Romania’s mass vaccination
campaign Valeriu Gheorghiţă made a new call on public radio for the population
to comply with Covid protection rules and to get the vaccine. He warned that
the Delta variant is much more contagious. Some 5 million Romanians accounting
for a quarter of the country’s population have been fully vaccinated to date.

Climate. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis promised to take an active
involvement in the processes aimed at solving the climate crisis following the
stark warning issued by a major UN report on the accelerated pace of climate
change caused by human action. The report notes that global warming may exceed
by 1.5 degrees Celsius the levels recorded at the end of the 19th century
by around 2030, ten years earlier than previously estimated. UN experts speak
of a genuine red code for humanity and unprecedented disasters, including more
heat waves and floods. In response to the UN report, the European Commission said
it is not too late to stop this trend provided the countries of the world act
immediately and do so together. The US said the world cannot delay ambitious
climate action, and the UK said the transition to renewable energy must be made
fast, an idea supported by France. Greenpeace insists that it is now up to the
world’s governments to take measures and commit to the reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions by 2030.

Attack. Romania reiterated its strong condemnation of any acts of
aggression that represent violations of the principles and norms of
international law and voiced its concern over the negative effects of these
actions on regional and international security. This view was shared on Monday
at an open debate of the UN Security Council held in video-conference format
discussing maritime security as an expression of international cooperation. The
foreign ministry in Bucharest said the attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker
is a threat to peace and a blatant violation of international law. The European
Union also condemned the attack and called for compliance with the principles
and norms of international law. The Romanian foreign ministry recalled that
Romania’s and Britain’s permanent representatives at the UN together with
Liberia’s permanent representative (under whose flag the ship was sailing)
signed a joint letter to the president of the UN Security Council and the UN
Secretary General on the subject of the attack on the Mercer Street tanker, in
which a Romanian was also killed. The US presented information that the drone
that hit the vessel was an Iranian-made kamikaze drone.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea reached the fourth
round of the WTA 1000
tournament in Montreal, in Canada, worth over 1.8 million dollars in prize
money. She defeated Alison Riske of the US, 6-3, 6-4. Another Romanian player, Simona
Halep, who is seeded sixths at this event, will be playing straight in the
second round against the winner between Danielle Collins of the US and Jil
Teichmann of Switzerland.

Football. The Romanian football champions CFR Cluj are today playing the
decisive match in the Champions League third preliminary round against the
Swiss side Young Boys Berne. In the first leg at home, CFR drew 1-all. If they
qualify, CFR will play the Champions League play-offs against the winner
between Ferencvaros Budapest and Slavia Prague and if they lose they will be
playing the Europa League play-offs against the losing side in the match
between Red Star Belgrade and Sheriff Tiraspol. If they lose this latter match,
CFR will in any case have a seat in the Europa Conference League groups. (CM)

10 August 2021
August 7, 2021 UPDATE

Attack. The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomed Fridays joint declaration from the G7 foreign ministers and the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell with respect to the recent drone attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker off the coast of Oman. Two crew members were killed, a Romanian and a Briton. The signatories of the declaration condemned the attack, which they say was deliberate, targeted and a violation of international law. They also say that Iran threatens global peace and security and that all available information points to Iran as being behind the attack. Tehran denies any involvement.

Covid-19. Romania added France and Iceland to the red list of countries with high epidemiological risk, while Turkey and Montenegro were moved to the yellow list from Sunday. Travellers to Romania from yellow list countries will not be asked to isolate if they are fully vaccinated or present a negative PCR test result no older than 72 hours. Arrivals from red list countries are asked to isolate unless they are vaccinated, with the exception of children under 3 and those aged between 3 and 16 if they present a negative Covid test result. On Saturday, Romania reported 255 new Covid cases from 30,000 tests and 8 related-fatalities. 540 Covid patients are receiving hospital treatment, including 73 in intensive care. Also on Saturday, as part of a pilot project carried out at Sibiu Airport, in central Romania, dogs trained to detect Covid-19 sniffed out three of the 150 passengers on board a flight from Spain.

Aid. Two Romanian Air Force aircraft will provide assistance to North Macedonia, which has been battling forest fires for several days. According to the Romanian defence ministry, 15 crew members are operating the two planes, a C-27 J Spartan aircraft reconfigured for fire-fighting and a C-Hercules aircraft providing logistical support. This is the second international mission involving these Romanian planes, after July 2018 in Greece.

Fires. The Romanian foreign ministry is advising Romanian citizens travelling to Greece, which is a popular tourist destination for many, to find out in advance about the weather situation in that country, where temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius were forecast for Saturday. At least two people were killed, homes were destroyed and thousands of people evacuated because of the fires raging in Greece. Smoke from the fire ripping through Athens suburbs causes poor air quality in the Greek capital. Fire is also wreaking havoc in the island of Evia and the Peloponnese. Ukraine, Cyprus, Israel, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Croatia have sent assistance, while Romania deployed 112 firefighters and 23 special vehicles to help Greece put out the fires. In Turkey, emergency services continued on Saturday to battle the worst fires in that country in over a decade. At least 8 people died and 100,000 hectares of forest and farmland were destroyed.

Tokyo Games. Romanias Cătălin Chirilă finished 11th in the mens canoe single 1,000 m at the Tokyo Olympic Games. A many-time winner of international competitions, Chirilă finished fifth together with Victor Mihalachi in the mens canoe double 1,000 m at an earlier event. Romania won 34 medals in kayak and canoe competitions in the history of Olympic Games, namely ten gold, ten silver and 14 bronze, but no Romania has won a single Olympic medal in these events in the last 21 years, ever since the Sydney Games. (CM)

7 August 2021
August 7, 2021

Covid-19. Romania added France and
Iceland to the red list of country with high epidemiological risk, while Turkey
and Montenegro were moved to the yellow list from Sunday. Travellers to Romania
from yellow list countries will not be asked to isolate if they are fully
vaccinated or present a negative PCR test result no older than 72 hours. Arrivals
from red list countries are asked to isolate unless they are vaccinated, with
the exception of children under 3 and those aged between 3 and 16 if they
present a negative Covid test result. On Saturday, Romania reported 255 new
Covid cases and 8 related-fatalities.

Moldova. The prime minister and the
new government of the Republic of Moldova were sworn in on Friday before the
country’s pro-European president Maia Sandu after receiving Parliament’s vote
of investiture. Maia Sandu said she placed all her trust in the professionalism
and abilities of the cabinet led by Natalia Gavriliţă, whom she assured of all
her support. The governing programme featured priorities in a number of areas,
the fight against corruption and protecting public interest. Internationally,
the new government wants to continue efforts to secure Moldova’s accession to
the European Union. The political class in Bucharest gave assurances that it
will continue to work with the neighbouring, majority-Romanian speaking state.

Attack. The Romanian foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomed Friday’s joint declaration from the G7 foreign
ministers and the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell with respect to the
recent drone attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker off the coast of Oman. Two crew
members were killed, a Romanian and a Briton. The signatories of the deceleration
condemned the attack, which they say was deliberate, targeted and a violation
of international law. They also say that Iran threatens global peace and
security and that all available information points to Iran as being behind the
attack. Tehran denies any involvement.

Aid. Two Romanian Air
Force aircraft will provide assistance to North Macedonia, which has been
battling forest fires for several days. According to the Romanian defence
ministry, 15 crew members are operating the two planes, a C-27 J Spartan
aircraft reconfigured for fire-fighting and a C-Hercules aircraft providing
logistical support. This is the second international mission involving these
Romanian planes, after July 2018 in Greece.

Fire. The Romanian foreign
ministry is advising Romanian citizens travelling to Greece, which is popular
tourist destination for many, to find out in advance about the weather situation in that
country, where temperatures of up to 46 degrees Celsius were forecast for
Saturday. Homes and vegetation burnt and thousands were evacuated in Greece,
which has been battling with wildfire. Several storage facilities and factories
long the motorway between Athens and Thessaloniki caught fire and explosions
occurred. International aid arrived after another night of fires ripping
through northern Athens, Evia island and the Peloponnese. 112 Romanian
firefighters and 23 special vehicles were deployed to Greece for ten days to
take part in efforts to put out the fires. They are coordinated by their Greek
counterparts, and firefighters from France, Switzerland, Cyprus and Sweden are
also arriving.

Afghanistan. The UK has advised its citizen
to immediately leave Afghanistan due to the worsening security situation. After
the pull out of US-led foreign troops from Afghanistan after almost two
decades, the resurgent Taliban Islamists launched a new major offensive. They seized
vast rural territories, border crossing points and provincial capital and
assassinated the spokesman of the government in Kabul. Romania also withdrew from Afghanistan in June. Of its 32,000 soldiers who took
parts in various missions there, 27 were killed and over 200 wounded. (CM)

7 August 2021
August 4, 2021 UPDATE

Covid-19 Romania The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday stated that the COVID-19 pandemic could not be defeated by discrimination, by restrictive measures, but through vaccination, by raising public awareness, because immunization inhibits the development of the disease. According to Klaus Iohannis, the drop in the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases was possible due to vaccination, and Romanians must understand that, unless they continue to get vaccinated, there is a risk of a fourth pandemic wave, as it has already happened in other European states. In another move, the Education Minister, Sorin Câmpeanu, has stated that school will start on September 13 with pupils physically attending classes. He ruled out mandatory vaccination for the education staff, but encouraged them to get vaccinated. Minister Câmpeanu has stated that, this month, information campaigns on the importance of vaccination for the education staff will be run again, to help increase the level of immunization by the start of the new school year. The number of new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in 24 hours continues to rise. 271 new cases were reported on Wednesday in Romania, out of almost 30 thousand tests. The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals continues to increase. Of the 456 hospitalized people, 67 are in intensive care.

Recovery Portugal, Luxembourg and Belgium are the first states to receive money under the National Recovery and Resilience Plans. This is a down-payment for amounts promised under the EUs post-pandemic recovery fund, totaling 800 billion Euros. According to a statement, this month, the European Commission will make payments to other member countries as well. All states, except the Netherlands and Bulgaria, have submitted their recovery plans to the European Commission for approval. Romania has not yet received the green light to benefit from the European money. Recently, the German publication Die Welt has written that Romanias plan is regarded with skepticism, and the Commission will decide on it by the end of September. The Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated, though, that 95% of the Plan was negotiated with the European Union.

Fire New vegetation fires are breaking out in the north of the Mediterranean, despite the efforts made by firefighters, who have been battling the flames for more than a week. Greece, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria and Italy are on the list of countries where fire has so far destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and vegetation. Hundreds of people have been evacuated almost daily. In Turkey, where 8 people have been killed by the fire, emergency services have managed to contain hundreds of fires, but new outbreaks are caused by the hot wind. In Greece, the fire reached a neighborhood on the outskirts of Athens, destroying many houses. The country is facing the worst heat wave in decades. The EU has sent planes, helicopters and firefighters to help these countries fight the fires.

Moldova In the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), the future pro-European government is to be invested, on Friday, by the Parliament dominated by the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu. Last week, she nominated Natalia Gavriliţă for the position of prime minister, after being proposed by PAS, which, with 63 out of 101 deputy seats, has a comfortable majority in the Moldovan Parliament. The new Cabinet will have 13 ministries. Its immediate priorities include the efficient management of the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, the increase of the populations income and the resumption of external financing.

Attack The representatives of Great Britain, Romania and Liberia have informed the UN Security Council that it is “very likely” that the Iranian forces have used one or more drones to carry out a deadly attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman last week. “This act must be condemned by the international community,” the representatives of the three countries said in a letter to the council, which was obtained by Reuters. On Wednesday, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States reiterated the “deliberate nature” of the attack on the Mercer Street ship, attributed to the Islamic Republic of Iran on the basis of available information, and warned that the incident was a “clear violation of international law.” The permanent missions of the three countries to NATO have agreed on a joint approach at NATO level, in this case. Two crew members, a Romanian and a Briton, died in the July 29 attack. The EU and NATO have strongly condemned the drone attack off the coast of Oman on an Israeli-operated oil tanker, and Washington has promised a “collective response” along with its allies against Iran. Also Wednesday, Israel accused that the head of the drone command of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the commander of the air force is behind the attack, according to the daily Haaretz, quoted by Agerpres. (LS)

4 August 2021
August 4, 2021

Covid-19RO. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today stated that the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be defeated by ‘discrimination’, by restrictive measures, but by vaccination, by raising public awareness, because immunization inhibits the development of the disease. According to the head of state, the decrease in the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection was possible due to vaccination, and Romanians must understand that, unless they continue to get vaccinated, there is a risk of a fourth pandemic wave, as it has already happened in other European countries. In another move, the Minister of Education, Sorin Câmpeanu, has stated that the school will start on September 13 with pupils physically attending classes. He ruled out mandatory vaccination for the education staff, but encouraged them to get immunized. Minister Câmpeanu has stated that, this month, information campaigns on the importance of vaccination for the education staff will be run again, to help increase the level of immunization by the start of the new school year.

NRRP. Portugal,
Luxembourg and Belgium are the first states to receive money under their
National Recovery and Resilience Plans. This is a down-payment for amounts
promised under the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund, totaling 800 billion euro.
According to a statement, this month, the European Commission will make
payments to other member countries as well. All states, except the Netherlands
and Bulgaria, have submitted their recovery plans to the European Commission
for approval. Romania has not yet received the green light to benefit from the European
money. Recently, the German publication Die Welt has written that Romania’s
plan is regarded with skepticism, and the Commission will decide on it by the
end of September. The Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated, though, that
95% of the Plan was negotiated with the European Union.

Fire. New vegetation
fires are breaking out in the north of
the Mediterranean, despite the superhuman efforts made by firefighters, who
have been battling the flames for more than a week. Greece, Turkey, Albania,
Bulgaria and Italy are on the list of countries where fire has so far destroyed
thousands of hectares of forest and vegetation. Hundreds of people have been
evacuated almost daily. In Turkey, where eight people have been killed by
flames, emergency services have managed to contain hundreds of fires, but new
outbreaks are caused by the hot wind. In Greece, the fire reached a
neighborhood on the outskirts of Athens, destroying many houses. The country is
facing the worst heat wave in decades.

Chisinau. In the Republic
of Moldova (ex-Soviet, majority Romanian-speaking), the future pro-European
government is to be invested, on Friday, by the Parliament dominated by the
Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu. Last week,
she nominated Natalia Gavriliţă for the position of prime minister, after being
proposed by PAS, which, with 63 out of 101 deputy seats, has a comfortable
majority in the Chisinau Parliament. The new Cabinet will have 13 ministries.
Its immediate priorities include the efficient management of the health crisis
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the
reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, the increase of the
population’s income and the resumption of external financing.

Attack. Representatives
of Britain, Romania and Liberia have informed the UN Security Council that it
is very likely that Iranian forces used one or more drones to carry out a
deadly attack on an oil tanker last week off the coast of Oman. This act
must be condemned by the international community, the representatives of
the three countries said in a letter to the 15-member council, which was
obtained by Reuters. Two crew members, a Romanian and a British man, died in
the July 29 incident. The EU and NATO have strongly condemned the drone attack
off the coast of Oman on the Israeli-run oil tanker, and Washington has
promised a collective response along with its allies against Iran. More
on this after the news.

TIFF. Transylvania
International Film Festival – TIFF – is back with a new edition in Sibiu
(center), between August 5 and 8, when over 30 films will be screened. The
event will open with the screening of the documentary ‘Wild Romania’, made by
Dan Dinu and Cosmin Dumitrache, designated the most beloved Romanian film at
this year’s TIFF in Cluj (northwest), where it won the Audience Award.
Initiated 10 years ago, ‘Wild Romania’ is the largest photography and
documentary film project dedicated to nature in Romania. The TIFF Sibiu
selection also includes the most awaited Romanian films of the year.

Tokyo. The Romanian
athlete Alexandru Novac has qualified, today, in the final of the men’s javelin
throw at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, with the best personal performance of the
season. Novac managed a throw of 83.27 meters, with which he qualified for the
final. Also in the Olympic athletics competition, Bianca Ghelber came in 6th in
the final of the women’s hammer throw event. She finished the race with a
result of 74.18 meters, which is a new personal record. Instead, Rareş Toader
missed the qualification for the final of the weightlifting event. Kriszta
Incze also has also failed to qualify for the next stage of the women’s
wrestling competition, in which she would have competed for bronze. (MI)

4 August 2021
August 3, 2021

COVID-19 On Tuesday 233 new SarsCov2 cases were reported in Romania, the largest number in 2 months. The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals remains over 400, with 60 of them in ICUs. Five COVID-related deaths were also reported. The number of new coronavirus cases in growing in Europe, whereas in Romania containment measures are more relaxed than in other countries, state secretary Raed Arafat said. Nonetheless, he emphasized, Romanians fail to observe them and have largely given up wearing face masks in public transport means. In spite of repeated warnings on an imminent new wave of infections, the vaccine rollout is also lagging. Romania has recently managed to reach 5 million people receiving at least one dose of the vaccine, a target originally set by the authorities for early June.

BUDGET In Bucharest, the Liberal PM Florin Cîţu announced a first draft of the mid-year state budget adjustment bill is ready and will be forwarded soon to the leaders of the right-of-centre ruling coalition. The prime minister also said he was still waiting for all ministers to report the budget execution for the first half of the year, and called for more responsibility in public spending in the next 6 months. In an internet post, Florin Cîţu reminded his cabinet members that they must reach all the budget targets undertaken at the beginning of this year.

TENSIONS Tensions between Israel, the UK and the US are deepening following the drone attack on an oil tanker managed by an Israeli businessman in the Arabian Sea, which killed a Romanian and a British crew members on July 29. Israel described the incident as a violation of international law. In Bucharest, the Foreign Ministry firmly condemned the attack and summoned the Iranian ambassador to an emergency meeting. Similar measures were also taken in London, where PM Boris Johnson said Iran must face the consequences. Britain and the US harshened their criticism of Iran, accusing it of being behind the attack. The government in Tehran invited the charges daffaires with the embassies of the UK and Romania to talks, protesting the accusations against Iran.

HOLIDAYS 28% of the EU citizens cannot afford a one-week holiday away from home. An analysis of Eurostat data conducted by the European trade union confederation found that inequity in terms of access to holidays between people with incomes below 60% of average salary and those with incomes above this threshold has deepened in 16 member states over the past decade. Romania has the widest gap in this respect in the EU, according to the Cartel Alfa trade union federation.

VACCINE The European Union has reached a major goal of providing at least one dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine to 70% of the adults in the Union, but member states must step up vaccination rates in order to contain the quicker-spreading variants, the European Commission chief warned on Tuesday. Ursula von der Leyen said that, apart from the first dose target being met, 57% of the EU adults are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 68% of the adults in the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have received their first dose, whereas 53.7% of the approximately 400 million adults in the 31 countries are fully vaccinated.

FOOTBALL The Romanian football champions CFR Cluj are playing at home today against the Swiss side Young Boys Bern, in the first leg of the 3rd preliminary round of the Champions League. The second leg is scheduled for August 10 in Switzerland. CFR Cluj qualified into the 3rd round after defeating Lincoln Red Imps FC of Gibraltar, while the Swiss champions beat Slovan Bratislava. Should it get past the Swiss opponents, CFR Cluj will take on the winner of the match pitting Ferencvaros Budapest against Slavia Prague in the Champions League play-offs, according to Mondays draw in Nyon (Switzerland). (tr. A.M. Popescu)

3 August 2021
August 2, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19. The
number of new Covid-19 cases in Romania is growing. Last week, the total number
of infections was almost two thirds higher than in the previous week. On Monday,
137 new cases were reported from 12,600 tests. The number of coronavirus
patients in hospitals stays at over 400, with the number of patients in intensive
care also slightly on the rise in recent days. Five new COVID-related deaths were
also reported. In spite of the warnings regarding an imminent new wave of
infections, the vaccination rate dropped slightly last week. Romania has only
now managed to get 5 million people vaccinated, a target originally set for
early June.

Attack. Romania
firmly condemns and describes as utterly unacceptable last Thursday’s drone
attack on the Mercer Street oil tanker off the coast of Oman, which killed 2
people, including the ship’s Romanian captain, the foreign ministry says in a
news release. According to the ministry, in light of information presented by
Romania’s international partners indicating that the attack was deliberate and
was coordinated from Iran, Romania is requesting the Iranian authorities to
provide explanations regarding the incident. Iran’s ambassador to Bucharest was
invited at the ministry to this end. Meanwhile, the US and UK announced they
were joining Israel and preparing a quick and coordinated response. Britain
also summoned Iran’s ambassador in London to the Foreign Office. Tehran however denies the
accusations, which it dismisses as ungrounded.

Roma Holocaust. The 2nd
of August is Roma Holocaust Memorial Day in Romania, marked since 2020. The
Romanian Foreign Ministry pays tribute to the Roma Holocaust victims and
emphasises that the suffering of the Roma in Nazi concentration camps during WWII
was for a long time unknown to the general public, which helped propagate
prejudice against this community. According to the final report of the
International Committee Studying the Holocaust in Romania, around 11,000 Roma
ethnics died, out of the nearly 25,000 deported in Transdniester, a
Russian-speaking breakaway region in today’s Republic of Moldova. Also, on 2
August 1944, around 3,000 Roma were killed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. A
total of 500,000 ethnic Roma were killed in Europe during the Holocaust.

Tourism. Romania saw 805,000 tourist arrivals in June 2021, up 141% compared to
June last year, with foreign visitors accounting for 8.7% of that number. According to the National Institute for Statistics 81% of the foreign tourists
who visited Romania were from Europe, the majority of whom (71%) from the
European Union. The average stay in the first six months of the year was 2-3
days in the case of foreign visitors.

Olympics. The Romanian
rowers Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi on Monday qualified into the
semi-finals of the men’s canoe double 1,000 m at the Tokyo Olympics, after
coming in third in the quarter-finals. Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi won
the bronze medal at this year’s European Championships in Poznan, while
Mihalachi also won two 2 world championship titles in this event in 2010 and 2014. In
the history of Olympic Games,
Romania has 34 kayaking and canoeing medals, including 10 gold, 10 silver and
14 bronze. However, the last time a Romanian rower won an Olympic medal was 21
years ago at the Sydney Games. (CM)

2 August 2021
August 2, 2021

COVID-19 The number of new Covid-19
cases in Romania is growing. Last week, the total number of infections was almost two-thirds higher
than in the previous week. On Monday 137 new cases were reported out of 12,600
tests. The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals stays at over 400, with
the number of patients in ICUs also slightly on the rise in recent days. Five
new COVID-related deaths have also been reported. In spite of the warnings
regarding an imminent new wave of infections, the vaccination rate dropped
slightly last week. Romania has only now managed to get 5 million people vaccinated,
a target originally set for early June.

ATTACK Romania firmly condemns and describes as utterly unacceptable last Thursdays drone attack on the oil tanker Mercer Street off the coast of Oman, which killed 2 people, including the ships Romanian captain, the foreign ministry says in a news release. According to the ministry, given that information presented by Romanias international partners indicates that the attack was deliberate and was coordinated from Iran, Romania requests the Iranian authorities to provide explanations regarding the incident. Irans ambassador to Bucharest was invited to an emergency discussion at the ministry. Meanwhile, the US and UK announced they were joining Israel and preparing a quick and coordinated response. Tehran in turn denies the accusations, which it dismisses as ungrounded.

COMMEMORATION The 2nd of August is National Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day in Romania, marked since 2020. The Romanian Foreign Ministry pays tribute to the Roma Holocaust victims and emphasizes that the suffering of the Roma in Nazi concentration camps during WWII was for a long time unknown to the general public, which helped propagate prejudice against this community. According to the final report of the International Committee Studying the Holocaust in Romania, around 11,000 Roma ethnics died, out of the nearly 25,000 deported in Transdniester, a Russian-speaking breakaway region in todays Republic of Moldova. Also, on 2 August 1944, around 3,000 Roma were killed in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. A total of 500,000 ethnic Roma were killed in Europe during the Holocaust.

WILDFIRES Entire sections of Mediterranean and Aegean Sea resorts are being evacuated and thousands of hectares of vegetation are burning in the south of Europe, from Italy to Turkey. Firefighters have been struggling to contain the wildfires for nearly a week, but temperatures of over 42 degrees Celsius and strong wind are making the intervention particularly difficult. Eight people died in Turkey, where an entire neighbourhood in the high-end resort of Bodrum has been evacuated. In Greece as well, the north-west of the Peloponnese peninsula, near the town of Patras, is in the grips of wildfires, and so are the regions Sicily, Puglia, Calabria, Lazio and Campania in Italy.

CANOE The Romanians Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi have today qualified into the semi-finals of the canoeing 1,000m doubles race at the Tokyo Olympics, after coming in third in the quarter-finals. Cătălin Chirilă and Victor Mihalachi won the bronze medal in this years European Championships in Poznan, while Mihalachi also won 2 world championships in this event, in 2010 and 2014. Over the years, kayaking and canoeing have brought Romania 34 Olympic medals, 10 of them gold, 10 silver and 14 bronze. However, Romanian athletes last won an Olympic medal in Sydney, 21 years ago. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

2 August 2021
November 4, 2020

COVID-19 RO. In Romania, the number of cases of infection with the new coronavirus has increased by 8,651 in the last 24 hours, a new unwanted record. To date, more than 267,000 cases of infection have been confirmed. 146 deaths have also been reported, and 1,001 patients are in intensive care. Meanwhile, authorities are constantly evaluating measures to manage the coronavirus epidemic and adapting them to the latest developments. President Klaus Iohannis has announced that the first tranche of COVID-19 vaccine could arrive in Romania in the first quarter of next year. The head of state has specified that those in the medical system and people in risk groups will have priority for vaccination. On the other hand, Klaus Iohaanis has stated that, at the moment, there are no reasons for imposing a state of emergency, but restrictions are needed in order to slow the spread of the pandemic.

PANDEMIC. The number of cases of infection with the new coronavirus has exceeded 47.25 million worldwide, and the number of deaths due to COVID-19 has reached 1,209,590. The United States, Brazil and India are the countries with the most cases of infections and deaths. In Europe, several states have imposed new restrictions amid a rapid increase in the number of new cases of coronavirus infection. France, Germany, Belgium and Austria have banned night traffic and closed museums, theaters and swimming pools. The Netherlands has announced similar measures. Greece has also closed non-essential restaurants and shops in Athens and other crowded areas. Britain will be in lockdown for four weeks as of Thursday. In Spain, several regions have closed non-essential activities, restaurants and gyms, but for the time being, the isolation of citizens at home is avoided.

VISIT. Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban is in Ramallah in the West Bank today, where he will discuss with his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad Shtayyeh ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation. On Tuesday, Orban held talks in Jerusalem with top Israeli officials. Ludovic Orban and his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyhu, reconfirmed the privileged relations between the two countries and welcomed the recent launch of the Romania – Israel Working Group in the economic field.

CCR. In Bucharest, the Constitutional Court discusses the notifications filed by the governing National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Alliance regarding the appointment of the opposition Social Democrat Florin Iordache as president of the Legislative Council. The signatories claim that the necessary number of votes for Florin Iordache to be appointed president has not been met. On the other hand, they claim that he does not meet the condition of good professional and moral reputation provided by law. He promoted, as Minister of Justice, the Emergency Ordinance no. 13 and the amnesty and pardon bill. That ordinance generated widespread protests, in the winter of 2017, in Bucharest, in other cities in the country and in the Diaspora. The government at the time, formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, was accused of adopting an ordinance amending the Criminal Codes to clean up politicians with legal problems. Under street pressure, the Executive announced that it was renouncing the amendment of the Criminal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure.

US ELECTION. The election for president of the United States has come to an end. The Americans had to choose between the current president, Republican Donald Trump, and his Democratic rival Joe Biden. Although the counting of votes has begun, the final results will be known later this year, due to the fact that most of the votes were cast by mail, and states have different ways of counting those votes. Some do it before counting the ones in the ballot boxes, others after. CNN reports that in terms of postal voting, Joe Biden seems to be the favorite. Donald Trump, however, has declared himself convinced of victory. The election was held against the background of a country severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with the highest number of infections and deaths in the world. However, according to Radio Romanias correspondent in Washington, the turnout was impressive, which shows the Americans interest in this presidential election.

CLIMATE. United States has become the first nation to officially withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate. Although the decision was announced by incumbent President Donald Trump in June 2017, according to the UN rules, the United States had to wait until November 4 to officially leave the agreement. Countries that have ratified the document so far are committed to keeping the rise in global temperatures below two degrees Celsius this century. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Donald Trump made leaving the Agreement a key goal, arguing that it was unfair to the United States. The agreement, he says, allows India, China and other states to continue using fossil fuels, while the United States has been asked to reduce carbon emissions.

MOURNING. The Austrian government has declared three days of national mourning for the victims of Mondays terrorist attack in Vienna, which left four dead and 22 wounded. Authorities are continuing the investigation, after the Austrian attacker of North Macedonian origin was shot dead by the police. 14 arrests were made after searches of 18 homes. Authorities believe he was a lone attacker, who ran the streets and opened fire on passers-by and customers in bars and restaurants, just before the national quarantine came into force. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has sent a message of unity to the people, promising that Austria will defend its democracy, fundamental rights and its liberal lifestyle.

HANDBALL. Romanias mens handball team, on Thursday, will have its debut in Group VIII of the preliminaries of the 2022 European Championship, organized in Hungary and Slovakia, with a match against the team of Sweden. The match will be followed, on Sunday, by the one its home turf with Montenegro. The top two in the group that also includes Kosovo qualify for the next round. The four-time world champion in the 60s and 70s, Romanias mens team has not qualified for a continental final tournament since 1996. In the womens competition, Romania has qualified into the group that includes Norway, Germany and Poland, for Euro 2020, which will be held next month. (M. Ignatescu)

4 November 2020
November 3, 2020

COVID-19 A new all-time high in Covid-19 infections, 7733
out of 30,336 tests conducted, has been reported in Romania today. Another
all-time high, 120 fatalities, has been reported by Strategic Communication
Group in the past 24 hours. 258,437 infections have been confirmed on Romania’s
territory since the onset of the pandemic. 181,175 people have been declared
cured. 11,897 patients are being treated in hospitals across the country out of
which 974 in IC units, the largest number so far. Romania’s president Klaus
Iohannis has today summoned a session to assess and present the measures taken
to contain the Covid-19 epidemic. The event is also attended by the country’s
Health Minister Nelu Tataru, the head of the Emergency Situations Department,
Raed Arafat, Romania’s Representative to the World Health Organisation,
Alexandru Rafila, and other experts from the country’s medical field.

VISIT Romania’s Prime Minister Ludovic
Orban is today paying a formal visit to Israel and Palestine. According to a
communiqué issued by the government in Bucharest, the Romanian official is expected
to sign with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu several documents on
avoiding double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion on income duties in
the two countries. The head of the Romanian executive is to assess together
with Israeli officials the stage of the bilateral relations in the fields of
politics, economy and security. Also high on the agenda are the latest
developments in the Middle East and North Africa. In Ramallah, the Romanian
official will be having talks with his Palestinian counterpart Mohammad
Shtayyeh.

PROTEST Scores of employees from
Romania’s medical system protested in front of the government’s building in
Bucharest calling for coherent strategies and better working conditions to be
able to deal with the crisis caused by the pandemic. Union leaders are
denouncing the shortage of qualified personnel, funds and equipment. According
to them, medical workers are exhausted after months of working in extremely
difficult conditions.

ATTACKS The attacks in Vienna, in which
armed men killed and wounded several people have been committed by at least one
an ‘Islamist terrorist’, Austria’s interior Minister Karl Nehammer has been
quoted by Reuters as saying during a news conference today. The Austrian
official has repeatedly called on people to stay off the streets, adding that
the terrorist shot dead by the police in the street seems to have been a
supporter of the Islamic State. The police have been searching several houses
and apprehended a few people in connection with the attacks. Road blocks have
been set up and border control tightened in an attempt to catch the attacker
that got away. After the attack in Vienna last night, Germany and the Czech
Republic have tightened controls at their border with Austria. US president
Donald Trump and several European leaders, including Romania’s president, Klaus
Iohannis, have sharply condemned the attacks in the Austrian capital. In a
Twitter message, the Romanian official has conveyed condolences to the families
of the victims, expressing Romania’s solidarity with Austria. The EU has also
sharply condemned the cowardly attack on Monday night, which the president of
the European Council described as a violation of human rights and values.
German chancellor Angela Merkel says that ‘Islamist terror is our number one
enemy and the fight against it is ‘our common struggle’.

ELECTION Millions are expected to the polls in the USA to cast
their ballot for the future US president. Against the present pandemic
background, the turnout of those who voted beforehand reached an all-time high,
over 96 million. The incumbent president Donald Trump and his Democratic
contender, Joe Biden, on Monday gave a last impetus in the key-states. Biden
has a constant advance of roughly 8 percent in national polls, but differences
are low in the so-called swing states, which could decide the winner. Trump is
anticipating a wave of Republican wins, whereas Biden says that the US is done
with the chaos of the Trump administration. We recall that the US voting
system, which is unique in the world, was created 200 years ago. Americans aren’t
voting directly for a president or another, they are actually voting for a list
of electors supporting a certain candidate. Once in four years, in the first
Tuesday in November, the electors are designating the president, who must have
got a least 270 out of a total 538 votes.

(bill)

3 November 2020
October 30, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 RO. Romanias Health Minister Nelu Tataru has warned that the next 3-4 weeks will be difficult for Romania, with the authorities trying to curb the number of infections with the new coronavirus, so that they may reach a ceiling. According to him, authorities rely on 1200 IC beds, with the possibility of adding another 300, where those infected are benefitting from the same treatments as the patients abroad. Over 6,540 new infections were confirmed on Friday and another 103 new fatalities were reported. Out of more than 11 thousand patients hospitalized, 917 are in a severe condition. Since the onset of the pandemic, the novel coronavirus has killed 6,867 people in Romania. According to Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, authorities are trying to identify the local causes favouring the spread of the virus. Orban says the government isnt considering additional measures yet.

FUNDS. The EU is to earmark 220 million euros for the transfer of Covid-infected patients from one country to another, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday following a videoconference of EU leaders to discuss the present health crisis. A platform will be created allowing experts to provide counseling to national governments, share the best methods and scientific recommendations and also to avoid contradictory messages. Romanias president Klaus Iohannis made an appeal for the coordination of all efforts to deal with the health crisis and called for additional funds for the diversification of procurement sources for the future vaccines.

PANDEMIC. Worldwide, the number of Covid-19 cases has exceeded 45.3 million, and the number of deaths is close to 1.2 million. More than 33 million people have been healed so far, according to the Worldometers.info. European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides on Friday called on EU member states to impose restrictions on the population in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus on the continent, Reuters reports. Travel restrictions came into force in Europe on Friday. In France, where quarantine measures have been imposed for the second time at national level, citizens are no longer allowed to travel more than one km from their personal home unless they have a real justification. In Spain, the Madrid Parliament has approved the extension of the state-imposed emergency at national level. The head of the German executive, Angela Merkel, has agreed with federal officials to set up a so-called limited lockdown, in parallel with tightening existing rules. Angela Merkel has warned that four long and difficult winter months are coming, as Europe is faced with s a significant increase in the number of coronavirus cases. The lower chamber of the Czech Parliament approved on Friday the extension of the state of emergency until November 20. In another development, the United States has exceeded the daily threshold of 90,000 contaminations for the first time, and the death toll and hospitalizations are also rising. For the third time in October, more than 1,000 people died in a single day.

COLECTIV. On Friday, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis laid a wreath of flowers in memory of the victims of the fire that destroyed the Colectiv night club in Bucharest five years ago and killed 65 people. Also on Friday, the president promulgated a law granting lifetime treatment to the victims. Five years on, 150 young people are still in need of treatment. Several people were apprehended by the police back then including the club owners and representatives of the company that provided the fireworks for the concert. The club owners were sent to court, but investigation procedures dragged on for years. The file is now on at the Bucharest Court of Appeal with a deadline set by December this year. Thousands took to the streets after the tragedy five years ago, disgruntled by the authorities lack of involvement. The mass protests forced the Social-Democratic government of that time to step down.

FIRE Spain, Portugal and Poland recorded the highest number of forest fires in EU countries in 2019, but Romania was the country that suffered the most damage in protected areas with 73,444 hectares of affected area, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). EFFIS data were taken from the annual report on forest fires in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, drawn up by the European Commissions Joint Research Center. According to the EU Executive, in 2019 the year with the most disastrous effects of global forest fires in recent history, over 400,000 hectares of European natural land burned and a record number of protected natural areas were affected by forest fires.

EARTHQUAKE. Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu sent a message of solidarity to Turkey and Greece on Friday following the strong earthquake that occurred in the Aegean Sea. The head of diplomacy in Bucharest sent sincere condolences for the loss of human lives and regrets for the material damage suffered. The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced that, so far, the Turkish and Greek authorities have not notified Romanias diplomatic or consular missions in the two states with regard to the existence of Romanian citizens affected by Fridays earthquake. A strong earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale shook western Turkey on Friday and caused significant damage and property damage. The quake, which was felt from Istanbul to Athens, occurred in the Aegean Sea, southwest of Izmir, Turkeys third largest city, and near the Greek island of Samos. Turkey is located in one of the most active seismic areas in the world. In 1999, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck the countrys northwest and killed more than 17,000 people.

AIR FORCE. Two more F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, out of the group of five, which will be part of the Romanian Air Force, arrived on Friday, from Portugal, at the air base in Borcea, (south), the Romanian Ministry of Defense has announced. According to a press release, the last aircraft in the group of five will be delivered in the first quarter of 2021. The first two arrived in Romania in August. The Romanian Air Force has another 12 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, which are already performing air police missions under NATO command.

ATTACK. In France, the government has announced the strengthening of anti-terrorist security measures, at the end of the Defense Council convened by President Emmanuel Macron, after the Islamist attack in Nice, in which three people were killed by a Tunisian immigrant. Increased forces will be mobilized immediately for better surveillance of public space, according to the Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who decided to reactivate 3,500 reservist gendarmes. Also, 100 police officers have been posted to Nice, where the population is dominated by a strong sense of insecurity. The Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has advised the French citizens living abroad to be cautious, as the threat to French interests is present in many parts of the world. Following Thursdays attack in Nice, France raised security alert for the entire territory to the highest level. The attack comes less than two weeks after an Islamist militant beheaded a teacher near Paris after he presented students caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

(M. Ignatescu)

30 October 2020
October 17, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 In Romania, 3,952 new coronavirus infections were reported for the past 24 hours, according to the Strategic Communication Group. The overall number of cases is 176,468. Also, 63 more people died, taking the death toll to 5,812. A new negative record was also reported in terms of ICU patients—745. The authorities are seeking solutions to make sure as many hospitals as possible are involved in the fight against the pandemic. The head of the Department for Emergencies, Raed Arafat, said that according to experts this second wave of the pandemic may last throughout the winter. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, over 1,000 schools in the country operate exclusively online. The Education Ministry says over 11,300 schools still work in the face-to-face teaching system, while 5,235 schools use both in-person and online classes.

PANDEMIC The number of coronavirus infections worldwide is drawing near 40 million, with more than 1.1 million COVID-19-related deaths and nearly 30 million patients recovered, according to Worldometers updates. The World Health Organisation warns that several European cities are facing a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients that require intensive care. A growing number of countries announce record-high number of cases. On Saturday, the Czech Republic confirmed over 11,000 new cases, Italy almost 11,000, the Netherlands and Germany 8,000 each. In London, a ban on households mixing indoors came into force on Saturday, after on Friday 15,000 new infections were confirmed in the UK. In 10 major cities in France, including Paris and its suburbs, a curfew is in place as of Saturday between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. The measure will be in place for at least 4 weeks, amid a rise in the number of daily new cases to over 25,000. New restrictions are also introduced in Warsaw and other Polish cities included in a “red-zone: high-schools and colleges are switching to the online mode, restaurants will only be open until 9 PM, weddings are banned and the number of people entering shops, churches and public transport will be restricted.

SUMMIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis will take part on Monday in the Virtual Summit and Web Forum of the Three Seas Initiative, organised by Estonia. According to the Romanian Presidency, a report on smart connectivity will be released on this occasion. The Three Seas Initiative is a presidential-level political platform that brings together the 12 EU member states located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). The initiative seeks to contribute to the economic development of the member states, by encouraging interconnectivity in 3 main sectors—transport, energy and digital, and to strengthening unity and cohesion within the EU.

DIPLOMACY Romanias foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu has political consultations in Washington on Monday with the US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, as part of a visit to the US by the Romanian official at the invitation of his American counterpart. The visit takes place in the context of this years celebration of 140 years of diplomatic relations between the 2 countries. According to the Foreign Ministry, this is a “good opportunity to reconfirm the main coordinates of the strategic partnership. The talks between Bogdan Aurescu and Mike Pompeo will focus on bilateral cooperation in the political, military, energy and economic sectors, including strategic projects promoted by Romania under the Three Seas Initiative.

DEFENCE The Romanian Defence Ministry welcomes the approval by the US State Department of Romanias application for purchase of the Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence Systems. The clearing has been forwarded to the US Congress. The Naval Strike Missile is a sea-skimming, over-the-horizon anti-ship missile, and Romania wants to buy two of the systems under one of the 5 programmes in the Romanian Armys upgrade plan. The proposed sale will improve Romanias capability to meet current and future threats by improving Romanias maritime defence capabilities in the Black Sea.

ATTACK The president of France Emmanuel Macron Saturday announced national commemorative events for the 47-year old teacher killed by a young Chechen on Friday in an Islamist terror attack near Paris. Samuel Paty, who taught history and geography, was attacked because during a lesson on the freedom of speech he showed his students controversial caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu sent a condolence message to the French teachers family and friends and firmly condemned the gruesome attack. Aurescu emphasised that Romania and France are “united in the fight against terror. According to the French investigators, the attacker was a legal refugee in France. (translated by: A. M. Popescu)

17 October 2020
February 21, 2020

Attack — The Romanian Foreign Ministry officials confirmed last night that a Romanian citizen is among the victims of the double attack in Germany that targeted immigrants. The attack occurred in the city of Hanau, near Frankfurt, in central Germany. The Romanian authorities conveyed condolences to the family of the victim and firmly condemned any act of violence and Xenophobia. A 43 year old German killed 9 people on Wednesday evening in two cafes in Hanau. The other victims, besides the Romanian citizen, are immigrants of Kurdish, Bulgarian and Bosnian origin and 3 German citizens. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel denounced what she called the ‘poison represented by racism in Germany’ adding that the German authorities were opposed strongly and determinedly to all those who were trying to divide German. The political class accused the far right group ‘Alternative for Germany’ of instigating people to violence through its messages. The co-president of the Alternative for Germany, the former Christian Democrat Alexsander Gauland vehemently rejected the accusations. Solidarity manifestations took place last night in several cities across Germany. At the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin several hundred people commemorated the victims of the attack, making a human chain around the gate.

Brussels — European leaders are meeting for the second day in Brussels to discuss the new budget for the next 7 years, which deeply divides the EU countries. Last night, the summit proceedings were interrupted for the president of the European Council Charles Michel and the head of the EC Ursula von der Leyen to have bilateral talks with all the heads of state and government attending the summit, in an attempt to reach an agreement. On Friday morning the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis met with the two European leaders. President Iohannis wants Romania to be allotted enough money for the cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy in the future multiannual budget of the EU. He also asked for more funds for Romania than what was allotted in the previous budget. Klaus Iohannis believes that each country will try to maximize its chances in the negotiations, but expressed skepticism over a compromise being reached after this extraordinary summit. The president of the European Council is expected to forward today to all European leaders a new draft of the EU multiannual budget after he had previously proposed an EU budget of 1.7% of the member states’ GDP, that is 1,095 billion Euros.

Green Deal — The European Parliament Office in Romania is presenting today the situation of the financial measures proposed through the European Green Deal. The rapporteur of the European Parliament on the financing of the Green Deal, Siegfried Muresan, will deliver a speech regarding the resources allotted for the proposed measures and the connection with the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. At the EP extraordinary session held in Brussels in December 2019, the EC presented the European Green Deal which provides for turning Europe into the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The plan is designed to attract public and private investments worth at least 1,000 billion Euros in the coming decade.

Sports — The world’s no. 2 tennis player, Romanian Simona Halep, top seeded in the Dubai tennis tournament, is meeting today the American Jennifer Brady (24 WTA) in the semifinals. The Dubai tournament in the UAE has prizes up for grabs worth a total of 2.6 million dollars. In the quarter finals Halep defeated Aryna Sabalenka (13 WTA) of Belarus 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Also today Romania’s women’s handball vice champions CSM Bucharest will be up against Ferencvaros of Hungary. The Hungarians defeated the Romanian hanballers 33-23 in the first leg of the Champions League main groups. In another development, Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj ended in a 1-all draw the home match against the Spanish eleven FC Seville in the Europa League round of 32. The return match is scheduled for next week.

Coronavirus — The new coronavirus has killed another 118 people in continental China, especially in Hubei province, taking the death toll to 2.236 victims at national level- the Chinese health authorities have announced. However, the number of new cases reported in China has declined, which is encouraging, said in Geneva, the secretary general of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus. Two Romanian citizens who were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship are hospitalized in Japan after they tested positive for Covid-19, but their heath condition is good. (translation by L. Simion)

21 February 2020
September 6, 2019 UPDATE

MEETING The Romanian Foreign Minister Ramona-Nicole Manescu had a meeting on Friday with the Ambassador of the UK to Bucharest, Andrew Noble. The talks focused on the Romanian-British cooperation in the ensuing period, in the context of Britains withdrawal from the EU. Ramona Manescu reconfirmed Romanias interest in an orderly exit of the UK, and emphasised the special attention paid by Bucharest to protecting the rights of the Romanian citizens living in Britain. Over 140,000 Romanians have applied for the UK settled status, a system created in order to protect the rights of the EU citizens living in Britain post-Brexit, the British Embassy in Romania announced in a Facebook post on Friday. According to the latest estimates, the Romanian community in Britain is about half a million people.

COMMEMORATION Tribute was paid on Friday, in all military units in Romania and the theatres of operation, to the Romanian military killed in an attack in Kabul on Thursday and claimed by the Taliban. On Monday night, another Romanian national, who was part of the security staff of the Romanian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, was killed in a terrorist attack that targeted a compound hosting embassy headquarters, including that of Romania. Another Romanian was wounded in this attack, also claimed by the Taliban, and later transferred to Europe for medical assistance. The building hosting the embassy was severely damaged, its staff being for the time being hosted by a NATO military base. In Bucharest, president Klaus Iohannis and PM Viorica Dancila have sent their condolences in the aftermath of the two attacks and have reiterated Romania’s support for the fight against terrorism. A crisis cell was established at the foreign ministry. Almost 30 Romanian soldiers have died since 2003 in Afghanistan, where Romania has deployed 762 military as part of the NATO Resolute Support mission.

DIASPORA Bucharest is hosting on Saturday and Sunday the Annual Conference of the Romanian World Council, on topics concerning the Romanian communities abroad. The Commission for Romanian communities abroad and the Romanian World Council organise on Saturday a conference on “The Diaspora, the Romanians in historic communities and the goal of ReUnion. Also in Bucharest, the Forum of the Romanians abroad takes place until Sunday, bringing together over 120 representatives of the Romanian diaspora. The participants take part in working sessions, workshops and debates, together with officials for several public institutions. The topics approached include Romanian tuition in schools, investments and opportunities to return to Romania, and voting abroad.

FESTIVAL This weekend 16 concerts and recitals are scheduled to take place as part of the George Enescu International Festival, in Bucharest and other cities in the country and abroad, such as Florence (Italy) and Toronto (Canada). The Festival is an opportunity for music lovers to listen to performances by musicians from around the world. Radio Romania has been a co-producer of the Festival ever since its first edition, in 1958. This year, most concerts in the Festival can be listened to live on Radio Romania Music, and the Radio Broadcasting Corporations Concert Hall will also host some of the performances.

TENNIS The 19-year-old Canadian player of Romanian origin Bianca Andreescu will be facing Serena Williams in the women’s final at the US Open. Andreescu, who was yet to go past the second round in a Grand Slam, on Thursday defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, while Serena Williams made it to her tenth US Open final after defeating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

TABLE TENNIS The Romanian women’s table tennis team Friday advanced to the semi-finals of the European Table Tennis Championships in Nantes, France, after defeating the host team 3-nil in the quarterfinals. On Saturday Romania takes on Poland, which outperformed the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

6 September 2019
6 September 2019

Commemoration. Tribute is paid today
in all military units in Romania and the theatres of operation to the Romanian
military killed in an attack in Kabul on Thursday and claimed by the Taliban.
On Monday night, another Romanian national, who was part of the security staff
of the Romanian diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, was killed in a terrorist
attack that targeted a compound hosting embassy headquarters, including that of
Romania. Another Romanian was wounded in this attack, also claimed by the
Taliban, and later transferred to Europe for medical assistance. The building hosting the embassy was severely damaged, its
staff being for the time being hosted by a NATO military base. In Bucharest,
president Klaus Iohannis and prime minister Viorica Dancila have sent their
condolences in the aftermath of the two attacks and have reiterated Romania’s
support for the fight against terrorism. A crisis cell was established at the
foreign ministry. Almost 30 Romanian soldiers have died since 2003 in
Afghanistan, where Romania has deployed 762 military as part of the NATO
Resolute Support mission.

Diaspora. The
forum of Romanians abroad is under way in Bucharest until Sunday, bringing
together 120 representatives of the Romanian diaspora and of historical ethnic
Romanian communities. The participants are taking part in working sessions,
workshops and debates alongside representatives of state institutions. The
agenda includes issues such as education in the Romanian language, investments
and opportunities to return to Romania and the voting process abroad. On
Thursday in the opening of the forum, the Romanian prime minister Viorica
Dancila said she had requested the Standing Election Authority to extend the
deadline for Romanians abroad registering to vote, in order to increase the
number of those voting by post in the upcoming presidential elections in
November.

Ban. The former leader of the ruling Social Democratic Party Liviu
Dragnea has been banned from entering the United States for involvement in
significant corruption, the US State Department said in a statement. The ban
also applies to Dragnea’s two children. The statement explains that under an official
act, in cases where officials of foreign governments have been involved in acts
of significant corruption, those individuals and their immediate family members
are ineligible for entry into the United States. The move sends a strong
message that the US is committed to fighting corruption and supporting the rule
of law in Romania, the press release notes. Dragnea, who also served as speaker
of the Chamber of Deputies, was sent to prison in May after receiving a 3 and a
6 month sentence for corruption. Earlier, he had received a suspended sentence
for election fraud in a 2012 referendum on the impeachment of the former
president Traian Basescu.

Festival. Today is another busy day
at the George Enescu International Festival. The highlights include the
performance of the National Orchestra of France featuring the pianist Evgeny
Kissin, while in another performance, the La Scala Chamber Orchestra will
include a work by George Enescu in their programme. Radio Romania has been a
co-producer of the festival ever since its first edition in 1958. This year,
Radio Romania’s music channel is broadcasting most concerts in the festival,
while the Radio Concert Hall is playing host to a series of concerts. Radio
Romania’s Children’s Choir, Academic Choir and National Orchestra are also
themselves giving performances as part of the festival.

Football. Romania
lost to former world and European champions Spain 1-2 in Bucharest on Thursday
in a qualifier Group F match ahead of next year’s European Championships. In
the same group, Sweden defeated the Faroe Islands 4-nil and Norway defeated
Malta 2-nil. Spain top the group with 15 points followed by Sweden with 10,
Norway with 8, Romania with 7, Malta with 3 and the Faroe Islands with no
points. Romania will face Malta in their next match on Sunday in Ploiesti. The
two best ranked sides in the group will qualify for the final tournament. The
drawing of lots ceremony for the European Championships will be hosted by
Bucharest on the 30th of November. The Romanian capital will also
play host to four championship matches, three from the group stage and a
quarterfinal.

Tennis. The 19-year-old Canadian player of Romanian origin Bianca
Andreescu will be facing Serena Williams in the women’s final at the US Open.
Andreescu, who was yet to go past the second round in a Grand Slam, on Thursday
defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, while Serena Williams made it to her
tenth US Open final after defeating Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.

6 September 2019