Radio România Internațional

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  • September 3, 2021

    September 3, 2021

    Dismissal – The Romanian PM, the Liberal Florin Cîţu, on Friday convened a meeting of the governing coalition in order to solve the current political crisis generated by the dismissal of the justice minister, Stelian Ion representing the USR-PLUS Alliance. USR PLUS are asking for the resignation of the prime minister and his replacement with another representative of the Liberals, warning that, otherwise, they will table a censure motion. The Liberals who support Florin Cîţu believe that the solution for overcoming the political crisis is a new proposal from USR PLUS for the Justice Ministry. The representatives of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR (in the governing coalition) consider that, at this moment, there is no alternative to this coalition and hope that a solution will be reached through which the current governmental formula will remain in place. On the other hand, the “Anghel Saligny” Investment Program, which is supposed to have triggered the current crisis in the ruling coalition, will be again on the table of the government on Friday and will be discussed in a meeting which is not going to be attended by the USR PLUS ministers. The interim justice minister, the Liberal Lucian Bode, announced last night that he would approve the project, unlike his predecessor, Stelian Ion. The “Anghel Saligny” program is intended for the local infrastructure and would have a funding of 50 billion lei (about 10 billion Euros).



    Forum – Romania remains a pillar of stability in the Black Sea and Western Balkans region, and one of the priorities is to defend common strategic interests, President Klaus Iohannis said in a message in the opening of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum hosted by Bucharest. The head of state said that “during all this difficult period, Romanias efforts to support its partners in the region are a concrete proof of the fact that only through unity and solidarity crisis situations can be overcome and the best solutions can be found to be able to move forward”. The 5th edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum takes place on Friday and Saturday in Bucharest, the Romanian Defense Ministry reports. The forum is organized by the New Strategy Center (NSC), with the support of NATOs Public Diplomacy Division, in partnership with the Defense and Foreign Ministries. NSC is a Romanian think tank founded in 2015, which operates in the field of international relations, security and defense. It organizes various events and publishes specialized studies, especially to promote the strategic importance of the Black Sea region and the Balkans.



    COVID-19 Ro–While interest for vaccination is dropping in Romania, the number of new Covid-19 cases in on the rise. 1,470 new cases were reported on Thursday and 26 Covid-associated deaths. Also on Thursday the authorities announced that almost 11 thousand people have got vaccinated. The coordinator of the national vaccination campaign, doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă said that people should understand that vaccination provides protection to the immunized people and reduces the pressure on the health system. On the other hand, Valeriu Gheorghiţă warns that those who buy vaccination certificates do nothing but waste money and take the risk of getting sick, being hospitalized and even losing their lives. He called for drastic sanctions against these acts and urged doctors who receive such requests to address the authorities. 400 people are being investigated in approximately 200 criminal cases related to false vaccination certificates.



    List – In Bucharest, the National Committee for Emergency Situations has updated the list of countries with an epidemiological risk for visitors. Spain moves out of the red list and enters the yellow list, while Austria moves from the green list to the yellow one, following the increase in the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate. Israel, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Greece, Turkey and Portugal remain in the red zone, and the Netherlands and Bulgaria remain on the yellow list. The new list takes effect on Sunday.



    Football – The Romanian national football team defeated, on Thursday evening, in Reykjavik, the national team of Iceland, in a match from the 2022 World Championship preliminaries. The next matches of the national team will be on September 5, with Liechtenstein in Bucharest, and on September 8, with Northern Macedonia in Skopje. Romania ranks 4th in the 2022 World Cup qualification Group J, with 6 points, being outranked by Armenia, with 10 points, Germany, with 9 points and Northern Macedonia, with 7 points. The first-ranked team is directly qualified, and the second goes to the playoffs.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, seed no. 12, today meets Elena Ribakina from Kazakhstan, in the third round of the US Open tournament, the last Grand Slam of the year. Halep remained the only representative of Romania in the singles competitions. Sorana Cirstea lost, yesterday, in the second round, to the American Shelby Rogers.




    Enescu – The George Enescu International Festival continues today, at the Romanian Athenaeum, with a concert given by the Royal Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Constantin Grigore. Also today, the Palace Hall in Bucharest will host a new concert by the La Scala Theater Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada, featuring violinist Julian Rachlin. Friday’s program also includes a concert in Bacău, by the Mihail Jora Philharmonic Orchestra there, under the baton of Jessica Cottis. In Cluj-Napoca, pianist Yeon-Min Park and violinist Valentin Șerban, both winners of the 2020/2021 George Enescu International Competition will give a recital. 32 orchestras from 14 countries are participating in the 2021 anniversary edition of the “George Enescu” International Festival.



    Attack – Six people were injured at a supermarket in Auckland, New Zealand, after an attack with a knife committed by an extremist who was already in the attention of the police. The attacker was a Sri Lankan citizen who had been living in New Zealand for ten years and was shot dead by the police. The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the attacker was a “violent extremist” and described the incident as a “terrorist attack”. The man was allegedly inspired by attacks by the Islamic State jihadist group. Tough restrictions against COVID-19 are in place in Auckland, with only supermarkets and medical centers being open. In May, four people were stabbed in a supermarket in Dunedin, in the south of New Zealand. In March 2019, 51 people were killed in a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch by a supporter of the white supremacy. (LS)

  • September 2, 2021 UPDATE

    September 2, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid-19 Ro — 1,470 new SARS-CoV-2 infections have been registered in Romania in the last 24 hours, following the testing of 40,677 people – the Strategic Communication Group informed on Thursday afternoon. During the same period, 26 patients infected with the novel coronavirus have died. 2,642 COVID patients are hospitalized in specialized health units, of whom 322 in intensive care. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 1,101,678 cases of people infected with the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Romania and 1,056,922 patients have recovered. The constant increase in the number of cases is not a good enough reason for Romanians to get vaccinated. Romania is at the bottom of the European Union ranking, with a share of only 26.4% people vaccinated with both doses, i.e. a little over 5.1 million people. In another development, 400 people are being investigated in almost 200 criminal cases in relation to false vaccination certificates.



    Bucharest — On Thursday the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis signed the decree dismissing Stelian Ion, who represents the USR-PLUS Alliance, from the position of Justice Minister and appointed the interior minister, Liberal Lucian Bode, as interim justice minister. On Wednesday, the USR-PLUS Alliance, a junior partner in the governing coalition, announced that they withdrew their political support for the Liberal PM Florin Cîţu, after the latter announced that he had dismissed Stelian Ion, for refusing to endorse an extensive infrastructure program – the “Anghel Saligny” project. Stelian Ion claims that “many constitutionality and illegality issues have been identified in the draft program”. USR PLUS calls for negotiations to appoint a new prime minister and announces that if talks fail, they could support a motion of censure against the prime minister. The Deputy Prime Minister representing the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR Kelemen Hunor says it is necessary for the “Anghel Saligny” project to be adopted before the budget rectification prepared by the government and he believes that the present deadlock facing the government can be overcome. From the opposition, Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democratic Party – PSD called on the USR-PLUS representatives to either leave the government or sign the censure motion to be tabled by the Social Democrats.



    Diplomacy – The Romanian foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is participating, on Thursday and Friday, in the informal meeting of the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the EU member states (in Gymnich format), which takes place in Kranj, Slovenia. High on the agenda of the meeting are the crisis in Afghanistan, the EUs approach to the Gulf region, the EU-China relations and the migration situation on the border with Belarus, from the perspective of its impact on Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. The Romanian official will express Romanias full solidarity with these states, showing that to instrumentalize migration against some EU member states is unacceptable. On the sidelines of the Gymnich meeting, Bogdan Aurescu participated, at the invitation of his Slovenian counterpart, in the Bled Strategic Forum. There, he met with the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tihanovskaia, at her request. Bogdan Aurescu reiterated the Romanian sides concern with the continuous deterioration of the internal situation in Belarus and the continuation of serious and systematic human rights violations in that country. For her part, Tihanovskaia expressed thanks especially for Bucharest’s support as well as for the concrete assistance provided, with special reference to the Comprehensive Plan Of Economic Support To Democratic Belarus presented by the European Commission following the initiative of Romania’s President and of his Polish and Lithuanian counterparts.



    Enescu — The first concert scheduled for Thursday, the 6th day of the George Enescu International Festival, takes place at the Radio Hall in Bucharest. Under the auspices of the Royal Family of Romania, the Symphony Orchestra of the Brasov Philharmonic, under the baton of conductor Răzvan Apetrei, will give a “Royal Concert”, in the series “Music of the XXI century”. The Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne (Switzerland) will perform again on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum, and Andrés Orozco-Estrada will conduct the Filarmonica della Scala (Italy) at the Palace Hall in Bucharest. “The Festival across the country” section also starts on Thursday. The artistic director of the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Liebreich, conducts the Transylvania Philharmonic Orchestra from Cluj-Napoca. 32 orchestras from 14 countries are participating in the 2021 anniversary edition of the festival “George Enescu” International Festival. (LS)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    On Thursday Romania’s football team resumes the qualifiers for next years World Cup in Qatar. The Romanian team will take on, in Reykjavik, the team of Iceland, in the 4th match played in preliminary group J. It will be followed by the match with Liechtenstein, on Sunday, in Bucharest. Then, next Wednesday, Romania’s footballers will be up against the team of Northern Macedonia, in Skopje. Of the three matches played so far, Romania has won only one, namely the debut one: 3-2 with Northern Macedonia, on March 25. On March 28, Romania’s footballers were defeated on home turf, 0-1, by Germany, and 3 days later, in Yerevan, they lost, for the first time, to Armenia – score 2 – 3. At this moment, in Group J, Armenia is on 1st position, with 9 points out of 9. It is followed by Northern Macedonia and Germany, with 6 points each. Romania and Iceland are ranked on the last two places in the group, with 3 points each, being separated by the goal average.



    For the matches with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Northern Macedonia, the coach of the Romanian national football team, Mirel Rădoi, summoned six newcomers: goalkeeper Marian Aioani and defender Virgil Ghiță, from Farul Constanța, midfielders Andrei Cordea, from FCSB and Marius Marin, from the Italian team Pisa, defender, Andrei Rațiu, from the Spanish team Huesca, and striker Jovan Markovic, from Universitatea Craiova. Of the established players, the striker Florin Tănase, the captain of FCSB team, Romania’s vice-champions, will be missing, as he injured his right ankle in the last match played by his club team in League I and left the national team’s training camp in Mogoșoaia.



    The team selected by Rădoi is made up of relatively young footballers with not much experience in international matches. There are a few exceptions though, namely Vlad Chiricheș, from Sassuolo, with 64 selections, Nicolae Stanciu, from Slavia Prague, with 42 selections to the national team, Răzvan Marin, from Cagliari, with 30 selections, and Alin Toșca, from Gaziantep, with 25. As for the rest of the team’s footballers, they have not played for the national team more than 20 times. (LS)

  • RRI Sports Club

    RRI Sports Club

    On Thursday Romania’s football team resumes the qualifiers for next years World Cup in Qatar. The Romanian team will take on, in Reykjavik, the team of Iceland, in the 4th match played in preliminary group J. It will be followed by the match with Liechtenstein, on Sunday, in Bucharest. Then, next Wednesday, Romania’s footballers will be up against the team of Northern Macedonia, in Skopje. Of the three matches played so far, Romania has won only one, namely the debut one: 3-2 with Northern Macedonia, on March 25. On March 28, Romania’s footballers were defeated on home turf, 0-1, by Germany, and 3 days later, in Yerevan, they lost, for the first time, to Armenia – score 2 – 3. At this moment, in Group J, Armenia is on 1st position, with 9 points out of 9. It is followed by Northern Macedonia and Germany, with 6 points each. Romania and Iceland are ranked on the last two places in the group, with 3 points each, being separated by the goal average.



    For the matches with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Northern Macedonia, the coach of the Romanian national football team, Mirel Rădoi, summoned six newcomers: goalkeeper Marian Aioani and defender Virgil Ghiță, from Farul Constanța, midfielders Andrei Cordea, from FCSB and Marius Marin, from the Italian team Pisa, defender, Andrei Rațiu, from the Spanish team Huesca, and striker Jovan Markovic, from Universitatea Craiova. Of the established players, the striker Florin Tănase, the captain of FCSB team, Romania’s vice-champions, will be missing, as he injured his right ankle in the last match played by his club team in League I and left the national team’s training camp in Mogoșoaia.



    The team selected by Rădoi is made up of relatively young footballers with not much experience in international matches. There are a few exceptions though, namely Vlad Chiricheș, from Sassuolo, with 64 selections, Nicolae Stanciu, from Slavia Prague, with 42 selections to the national team, Răzvan Marin, from Cagliari, with 30 selections, and Alin Toșca, from Gaziantep, with 25. As for the rest of the team’s footballers, they have not played for the national team more than 20 times. (LS)

  • Measures to encourage vaccination

    Measures to encourage vaccination

    A little over 5 million Romanians, that is just one quarter of the population, have been fully vaccinated against Sars-Cov-2 since the start of the national vaccination campaign in December 2020. This is a small number, the authorities have admitted, and their campaigns aimed at promoting the benefits of vaccination are far from reaching their goals. Medical staff and experts are equally worried by the small number of vaccinated people, recalling now, at the beginning of 4th wave of the pandemic, the problems that the 3rd wave created in the medical system. The daily number of COVID infections is on the rise, and the authorities hope that, through the new measures, consisting in material compensations, the Romanians appetite for vaccination will increase.



    On Monday, the government adopted an ordinance that provides for food allowances worth one hundred lei (a little over 20 Euros) for those people who get fully vaccinated from now on. In addition, a lottery with cash prizes will be organized for all those who have been vaccinated so far.



    The Health Minister, Ioana Mihăilă, has more: “When the emergency ordinance is published in the Official Gazette, the persons who get fully vaccinated will be able to benefit from meal vouchers. They can pick up these meal vouchers from the center where they got vaccinated, when these vouchers become available. As an additional measure to reward all the people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, a vaccination lottery will be organized consisting in cash prizes for the people who have been fully vaccinated.”



    The PM Florin Cîţu has once again pleaded in favor of vaccination. He believes that the people working in the public system should choose between immunization, which is free of charge, and mandatory periodic testing at their own expense.



    Florin Cîţu: “Given the number of people contaminated with Sars-CoV-2 lately, I believe it is very important to take vaccination seriously, since vaccination is the only solution. I have expressed my opinion related to the staff working for the state institutions and agencies, the defense ministry, the interior ministry, the education and healthcare ministries, namely that they should be either vaccinated or tested weekly. The respective ministries are expected, of course, to come up with proposals, we need to work out solutions”.



    On the other hand, the prime ministers control body will check the situation related to the several hundred false vaccination certificates discovered following a journalistic investigation. More than 370 complaints were referred to the Police regarding the authenticity of some suspicious vaccination certificates. (LS)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    Raluca Olaru and Nadia Kicenok have won the doubles event of the Chicago tennis tournament, which has total prizes up for grabs worth 235,238 dollars. The Romanian-Ukrainian pair defeated 7-6, 5-7, 10-8 the pair made up of the Japanese Makoto Ninomiya and Liudmila Kicenok, Nadia Kicenoks twin sister. The winners got a check worth 10,300 dollars and 280 WTA points in the doubles competition. Raluca Olaru has thus won her 11th WTA doubles title.



    The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu was defeated by Anett Kontaveit, from Estonia, 7-6, 6-4, in the final of the WTA tournament in Cleveland, with total prizes amounting to 235,238 dollars. Begu lost the match after nearly two hours of play in her first WTA final after a four-year break. She got a check worth 16,398 dollars and 180 WTA points. The Romanian tennis player has won four WTA titles in her career, namely in Tashkent in 2012, in Seoul in 2015, in Florianopolis in 2016 and in Bucharest in 2017.



    Gloria Buzău has won, for the first time, the Romanian Cup in womens handball, after they surprisingly defeated champions CSM Bucharest 35-29, on Sunday, in Brăila. Gloria, that also won Romania’s Super Cup on this occasion, led most of the time, having the upper hand over a Bucharest team with a modest defensive game. The best players from the winning team were the goalkeeper Marta Zderic-Batinovic and the center player Mădălina Zamfirescu, who scored 8 goals. In the small final, Handbal Club Zalău defeated Rapid Bucharest 26-24.



    At the weekend, games were played counting for the 7th stage of the Romanian First League football championship. On Friday, FC Voluntari defeated Chindia Târgovişte 2-1, and FC U Craiova and Farul Constanţa ended in a draw, 1 all. On Saturday, two matches took place in Bucharest. FC Argeş beat Dinamo 2-0, and Universitatea Craiova won against Rapid 2-1. On Sunday, in Sfântu Gheorghe, Sepsi ended in a draw the game played with FC Botoşani, and in Cluj, CFR defeated FCSB 4-1. Monday will see the last two games of the stage: Academica Clinceni plays CS Mioveni and Gaz Metan Mediaş plays UTA. CFR Cluj leads the ranking, with 21 points, five more than the team on the second place, namely Rapid. (LS)

  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    Raluca Olaru and Nadia Kicenok have won the doubles event of the Chicago tennis tournament, which has total prizes up for grabs worth 235,238 dollars. The Romanian-Ukrainian pair defeated 7-6, 5-7, 10-8 the pair made up of the Japanese Makoto Ninomiya and Liudmila Kicenok, Nadia Kicenoks twin sister. The winners got a check worth 10,300 dollars and 280 WTA points in the doubles competition. Raluca Olaru has thus won her 11th WTA doubles title.



    The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu was defeated by Anett Kontaveit, from Estonia, 7-6, 6-4, in the final of the WTA tournament in Cleveland, with total prizes amounting to 235,238 dollars. Begu lost the match after nearly two hours of play in her first WTA final after a four-year break. She got a check worth 16,398 dollars and 180 WTA points. The Romanian tennis player has won four WTA titles in her career, namely in Tashkent in 2012, in Seoul in 2015, in Florianopolis in 2016 and in Bucharest in 2017.



    Gloria Buzău has won, for the first time, the Romanian Cup in womens handball, after they surprisingly defeated champions CSM Bucharest 35-29, on Sunday, in Brăila. Gloria, that also won Romania’s Super Cup on this occasion, led most of the time, having the upper hand over a Bucharest team with a modest defensive game. The best players from the winning team were the goalkeeper Marta Zderic-Batinovic and the center player Mădălina Zamfirescu, who scored 8 goals. In the small final, Handbal Club Zalău defeated Rapid Bucharest 26-24.



    At the weekend, games were played counting for the 7th stage of the Romanian First League football championship. On Friday, FC Voluntari defeated Chindia Târgovişte 2-1, and FC U Craiova and Farul Constanţa ended in a draw, 1 all. On Saturday, two matches took place in Bucharest. FC Argeş beat Dinamo 2-0, and Universitatea Craiova won against Rapid 2-1. On Sunday, in Sfântu Gheorghe, Sepsi ended in a draw the game played with FC Botoşani, and in Cluj, CFR defeated FCSB 4-1. Monday will see the last two games of the stage: Academica Clinceni plays CS Mioveni and Gaz Metan Mediaş plays UTA. CFR Cluj leads the ranking, with 21 points, five more than the team on the second place, namely Rapid. (LS)

  • August 20, 2021

    August 20, 2021

    COVID Ro – The daily number of new coronavirus cases in Romania is increasing. 628 new cases were reported on Friday. At the same time, the death toll recorded over the past 24 hours reached 14. As many as 1,200 patients are currently in hospitals, of whom over 167 are in intensive care. The pace of the national vaccination campaign against Covid-19 remains low, just over 5 million Romanians having been fully vaccinated since December last year. On the other hand, the Romanian Government on Thursday approved a decision on granting humanitarian aid, free of charge, to the Republic of Korea, consisting of 450,000 doses of Moderna vaccine.



    Kabul – 14 Romanian citizens have today arrived at the Kabul international airport and are ready for evacuation by air — the Romanian Foreign Ministry officials report. They are employees of a security company operating in Afghanistan and have been in a military base. The 14 will be evacuated with the next flight of the Romanian military aircraft currently stationed in Islamabad. This is the 3rd such evacuation flight after last night’s flight when another Romanian citizen, a NATO agency employee, was evacuated together with a Bulgarian, a Briton and an American. A first evacuation flight of a Romanian citizen, also an employee of a NATO agency, took place on Wednesday night with a Romanian military aircraft, which brought him to Islamabad. The aircraft will continue to be stationed in the Pakistani capital, being ready to travel to Kabul for the evacuation of other Romanian citizens, when they arrive at the international airport. The Romanian authorities are in permanent contact with the Romanian citizens located in various places in Kabul. 33 Romanian citizens are reported to be in Afghanistan at present, more than half being employees of a NATO agency, a UN program and a security company. At the same time, steps have already been taken to identify and contact the Afghan citizens who collaborated with the Romanian troops during their mission in Afghanistan or the Afghan citizens currently benefiting from Romanian scholarship or who have been accepted to study in Romania. To the extent that they can reach the airport in Kabul, they will be evacuated by a Romanian aircraft.



    Greece – Romania has decided to send another 142 firefighters to Greece to help put out the fires — the Romanian PM Florin Cîţu announced in a Facebook post. He said he made the decision together with the interior minister, and the countrys president, Klaus Iohannis, had been briefed on their decision. A vegetation fire intensified by the change of the wind direction has been active for several days west of Athens. The fire is difficult to put out because, according to the Greek Minister of Citizen Protection, there are no roads or routes through the pine forests in the region which the firefighters and their vehicles can use to reach the fire outbreak. We remind you that, two weeks ago, 108 Romanian firefighters with over 20 special vehicles were deployed in Greece, in Evia, to help put out the vegetation fires that were devastating the island. The way the Romanian firefighters acted was appreciated by the population, their Greek colleagues and the press.



    Sibiu festival – Sibiu, in central Romania, is hosting, as of Friday, the 28th edition of the International Theater Festival, the biggest such event dedicated to the arts in Romania and one of the most important in Europe. For 10 days the public will have the chance to attend more than 600 theater and dance shows, concerts and workshops in such venues as fortresses and historical sites. 2,000 artists from 38 countries are participating in the festival. The Sibiu Festival will take place both with physical attendance and in hybrid and online formats. 40 events have been scheduled for Friday, the festival’s first day, involving artists from 15 countries. (LS)

  • August 18, 2021 UPDATE

    August 18, 2021 UPDATE

    Finance – Dan Vîlceanu is the new finance minister of Romania, after he was sworn in on Wednesday. He had been nominated by the National Political Bureau of the National Liberal Party – PNL, the main party in the ruling center-right coalition in Romania. The Prime Minister Florin Cîţu last month dismissed the former finance minister, Alexandru Nazare, and has acted as interim finance minister so far.



    Covid – 541 new Covid-19 cases were reported on Wednesday in Romania, following about 35,000 tests. The authorities also reported 6 deaths in 24 hours in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. The number of patients who need hospitalization continues to grow. Currently, there are over 1,000 people in hospital of whom 146 are in intensive care units. Against the backdrop of the rapid growth of COVID cases, hospitals have begun preparations for the 4th wave, which is expected in September, according to some experts.



    Summit – US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have agreed, on the phone, to attend a G7 virtual summit on Afghanistan next week, the White House and Downing Street have announced. It is President Joe Bidens first conversation with a head of state or government since the Taliban entered the Afghan capital, Kabul, after 20 years of military intervention by US-led international coalition in which the United Kingdom played an important role. In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, admitted that the West had made mistakes in Afghanistan, especially because it did not anticipate the Talibans rapid takeover. He explained that the EU’s priority was to evacuate the European citizens as well as the Afghans who worked for the EU bloc. On the other hand, official sources from Abu Dhabi announced that the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and his family are on the territory of the United Arab Emirates, where they were received for humanitarian reasons after leaving the country on Sunday.



    Olympics — The nine Romanian athletes who received medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo were decorated, on Wednesday, in Bucharest, by President Klaus Iohannis. These are: Nicoleta Ancuţa Bodnar and Simona Geanina Radiş — winners of the gold medal in the womens double sculls, Ana-Maria Popescu — winner of the silver medal in womens epee, Marius Vasile Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă – silver in the mens double sculls, and Mihăiţă Vasile Ţigănescu, Mugurel Vasile Semciuc, Ştefan Constantin Berariu and Cosmin Pascari — winners of the silver medal in the quadruple sculls. The Romanian athletes’ victories in Tokyo are all the more remarkable as they were obtained in pandemic conditions, President Iohannis underlined. He also stated that Romanian sport should become a priority again, as it represents an important pillar for a healthy society. We remind you that Romania ranked 46th in the medals ranking obtained at the recent Olympic Games.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (13 WTA) on Tuesday obtained her first victory after a break of three and a half months, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, against the Polish Magda Linette, in the first round of the tournament WTA 1,000 in Cincinnati (USA), which has total prizes up for grabs of over 2 million dollars. In the second round, Simona Halep will be up against Jessica Pegula. Also on Tuesday, the Romanian-German pair Horia Tecău / Kevin Krawietz qualified to the eighth finals of the doubles event of the ATP Masters 1,000 tournament in Cincinnati. The two defeated the Argentinean pair Federico Delbonis/Diego Schwartzman 7-5, 6-3. In the eighth final, the Romanian-German couple will face the pair Marcelo Arevalo (El Salvador) and Fabio Fognini (Italy). Tecău already won a title in Cincinnati, in 2012, together with the Swede Robert Lindstedt.



    Agriculture – The wheat, barley and rapeseed crops obtained by Romania this year are the highest since the countrys accession to the European Union in 2007, the Agriculture Ministry officials announced. For wheat, the crop exceeds 11 million tons, an amount twice as big as that reported last year, when it was affected by drought. The total barley output stands at 1.88 million tons this year, which is a record level while the rapeseed output exceeded 3 tons per hectare. (LS)

  • August 16, 2021 UPDATE

    August 16, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid Romania – The Romanian authorities on Monday reported over 280 new COVID cases out of 18,700 tests. Most of the cases were registered in Bucharest. Five deaths were also reported. The number of hospitalized patients continues to grow – there are now over 940 people in hospital, of whom 120 are in serious condition in Intensive Care. On the other hand, interest in vaccination remains low, despite repeated calls from the authorities. On Monday, reports showed that only around 12 thousand vaccine doses had been administered in the past 24 hours. All in all, about 5 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated.



    Kabul — The Taliban control Afghanistan, and the British and NATO forces will not return to fight the insurgents, the British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Monday as quoted by Reuters. According to a US official, most Western diplomats have left the Taliban-controlled capital, Kabul. At the same time, at least five people died on Monday at the Kabul airport, while hundreds of people were trying to force their way into the planes leaving the capital. It is unclear whether the victims were killed by gunfire or died in the stampede. The U.S. troops are in command of the airport, helping to evacuate the U.S. embassy staff and other civilians. To calm things down, the American forces fired shots into the air. A joint statement, backed by more than 60 countries, asks for the Afghans and foreign nationals wishing to leave Afghanistan to be allowed to leave and for the airports and border crossing points to remain open, Reuters reports, quoting the US Department of State. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called on the Taliban and all the other groups on the Afghan political scene to show maximum restraint. He called on the Security Council to make use of all instruments available to eliminate the world terrorist threat in Afghanistan and to guarantee the observance the fundamental human rights in that country.



    Afghanistan – The Romanian PM Florin Cîţu said on Monday that the 35 Romanians who are still in Afghanistan will be repatriated with an aircraft. Subsequently, President Klaus Iohannis ordered the urgent involvement of the Air Forces in the evacuation of the Romanian citizens. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that it had reassessed and raised the alert level for Afghanistan and urged the Romanian citizens to urgently leave the territory of that state and to avoid any travel to Afghanistan. The activity of the Romanian Embassy in Kabul was suspended in 2019, following an attack that severely damaged the mission’s headquarters, MAE reports. We remind you that the Romanian military returned home after almost two decades of uninterrupted presence in Afghanistan. 27 of them lost their lives in missions or attacks by Taliban terrorists, and more than 200 were injured. All in all, more than 32,000 soldiers have taken part in missions in Afghanistan. The total costs of Romania’s participation in Afghanistan amounted to over 3 billion lei (the equivalent of about 600 million Euros).



    Baccalaureate – The autumn session of the national Baccalaureate exam started on Monday in Romania with the Romanian Language and Literature test. The compulsory specialization tests will take place on Tuesday, and Wednesday will see the tests for the optional subject matters. Almost 39,000 candidates registered for the current Baccalaureate session, of whom 60% are from among this years high-school graduates, the Education Ministry announced. The final results will be announced on September 3. The pass rate, after the first session held in June-July, stood at 70%, which is almost 5 percent higher as compared to the same session last year.




    Rowing – Romania obtained excellent results at the World Junior Rowing Championships in Plovdiv (Bulgaria), held between August 11-15: two gold medals and one bronze, which placed it third in the overall medal standings, the president of the Romanian Rowing Federation, Elisabeta Lipă, said. According to her, for juniors, it was the first major competition this year, still dominated by the pandemic and numerous restrictions. Romania participated in the Championships with 11 crews and 43 athletes. It was outranked by the US and Germany, but finished ahead of Switzerland, Italy, France and Spain.




    Fires — The more than 100 Romanian firefighters who were involved in putting out the fires in Greece, as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, returned to the country on Monday. The authorities in Bucharest congratulated them during a ceremony and have given them a promotion. The Romanian firefighters were also praised by the Greek press, by the locals, as well as by their Greek colleagues for their intervention manner and courage. On Friday, the team of firefighters who participated in the firefighting operations in Northern Macedonia, during a mission that lasted almost a week, also returned to Romania.(LS)

  • August 15, 2021 UPDATE

    August 15, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid Romania – On Sunday Romania registered 323 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, a smaller number than in the previous day, but the number of patients in ICUs is on the rise, reaching 112 at present. Six Covid-related deaths have been registered in the last 24 hours. On the other hand, interest in vaccination remains low. A report issued on Sunday shows that a little over 5,500 vaccine doses had been administered in the past 24 hours, with almost 5 million Romanians having been fully vaccinated.



    Navy Day — Navy Day was marked on Sunday in Constanta, the largest Black Sea port in Romania, through a restricted ceremony, due to the pandemic. Attending the ceremony, alongside high-ranking state officials, the President Klaus Iohannis congratulated the Romanian seafarers and highlighted that the spirit of sacrifice, devotion and professionalism are their most important qualities. According to President Iohannis, the strategic relevance of the Black Sea area for Euro-Atlantic security is a certainty today. However, the region is still facing security challenges, both military and non-military, conventional, as well as hybrid and cyber, which is why an increased commitment is required to strengthen security and increase national resilience, the President added. A formation of fighter planes consisting of Puma Naval helicopters, a Puma IAR helicopter, Romanian Air Force MIG-21 and F-16 aircraft, British Typhoon aircraft and a US P-8 research aircraft flew over the Military Port at the end of the official ceremony. A parade of military ships took place at sea, which was led by the frigate Marasesti, the largest warship ever built in Romania.



    Assumption of the Virgin Mary — Christians on Sunday celebrated the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which commemorates the moment of the Virgin’s departure from this world. The Virgin Mary is the person who enjoys the greatest honor in the Christian religion, after the persons of the Holy Trinity. The Virgin Mary is the patron saint of most monasteries in Romania, the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin being considered the feast of pilgrimages. Crowds of pilgrims visited the monasteries dedicated to the Virgin, to pray before her miracle-working icons. The religious events also marked the 150th anniversary of the first gathering of the Romanians abroad and the first Congress of Romanian students, which took place from August 15-16, 1871 at the Putna Monastery (northeast). It was then that the ideals of unity of all Romanians were affirmed. Among the pilgrims present in Putna there are 650 students from the country and abroad, who will participate in a congress on Monday.



    Kabul — The Taliban commanders have announced they have taken over control of the Afghan presidential palace. Quoting Kabul officials, news agencies had previously reported that President Ashraf Ghani had left the country. On Sunday the Taliban entered the capital, Kabul, the last major government-controlled city, after a surprising 10-day offensive. It is “more urgent than ever” to find a political solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, the North Atlantic Alliance officials said on Sunday. The crisis in Afghanistan and the actions of Belarus point to the need of reshaping the EU rules on migration and asylum, European Commission Vice President for Promoting the European Way of Life Margaritis Schinas said on Sunday. Many member states fear that the events in Afghanistan could lead to a new migrant crisis similar to the one which Europe was faced with in 2015-2016, when the chaotic arrival of more than 500,000 people from the Middle East tested the security and welfare systems of the European countries.



    Port–au-Prince – Efforts to search and rescue survivors after the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit the island state of Haiti continue, with the authorities announcing hundreds of deaths. The powerful earthquake destroyed hundreds of houses in that country that had not yet fully recovered after another major earthquake, which occurred 11 years ago. The economic and social crisis affecting Haiti was already exacerbated by the assassination of head of state Jovenel Moise following an attack on July 7, the news agency reports.



    Rowing – Romania won two gold medals and one bronze in the finals of the World Rowing Junior Championship held on Sunday in Plovdiv (Bulgaria). The gold medals went to the double sculls crew, Andrei-Petrişor Axintoi and Iliuţă-Leontin Nuţescu, and to the women’s quadruple sculls crew, Daria-Ioana Dinulescu, Maria Guzran, Elena-Maria Robitu and Ancuţa-Adelina Ungurean. The bronze was won by Romania’s womens eight crew (Mariana-Laura Dumitru, Elena Silvia Mocanu, Florentina-Georgiana Neculăeasa, Ana-Maria Loghin, Petruţa-Ionela Popa, Elena-Andreea Cerbu, Valentina Amalia Azoiţei, Alexandra-Georgiana Ruşcuţă , Victoria-Ştefania Petreanu). (LS)

  • August 15, 2021

    August 15, 2021

    Covid Romania – On Sunday Romania registered 323 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, a smaller number than in the previous day, but the number of patients in ICUs is on the rise, reaching 112 at present. Six Covid-related deaths have been registered in the last 24 hours. On the other hand, interest in vaccination remains low. All in all, about 5 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated.



    Navy Day — Navy Day was marked on Sunday in Constanta, the largest Black Sea port in Romania, through a restricted ceremony, due to the pandemic. Attending the ceremony, alongside high-ranking state officials, the President Klaus Iohannis congratulated the Romanian seafarers and highlighted that the spirit of sacrifice, devotion and professionalism are their most important qualities. According to President Iohannis, the strategic relevance of the Black Sea area for Euro-Atlantic security is a certainty today. However, the region is still facing security challenges, both military and non-military, conventional, as well as hybrid and cyber, which is why an increased commitment is required to strengthen security and increase national resilience, the President added. A formation of fighter planes consisting of Puma Naval helicopters, a Puma IAR helicopter, Romanian Air Force MIG-21 and F-16 aircraft, British Typhoon aircraft and a US P-8 research aircraft flew over the Military Port at the end of the official ceremony. A parade of military ships took place at sea, which was led by the frigate Marasesti, the largest warship ever built in Romania.



    Assumption of the Virgin Mary — Christians on Sunday celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, which commemorates the moment of the Virgin’s departure from this world. The Virgin Mary is the person who enjoys the greatest honor in the Christian religion, after to the persons of the Holy Trinity. The Virgin Mary is the patron saint of most monasteries in Romania, the celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin being considered the feast of pilgrimages. Crowds of pilgrims visit the monasteries dedicated to the Virgin, to pray before her miracle-working icons. The religious events will also mark the 150th anniversary of the first gathering of the Romanians abroad and the first Congress of Romanian students, which took place from August 15-16, 1871 at the Putna Monastery (northeast). It was then that the ideals of unity of all Romanians were affirmed. Among the pilgrims present in Putna there are 650 students from the country and abroad, who will participate in a congress on Monday.



    Afghanistan — A peaceful transfer of power to a transitional government will take place in Afghanistan, where the Taliban are close to taking full control of the country, Afghan Interior Minister Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal said on Sunday, according to AFP and Reuters. He said there would be no attack on the capital Kabul. Previously, the Taliban said they had been ordered to remain at the city gates and not enter the Afghan capital. In the last ten days, insurgents have taken control of most of Afghanistans provincial capitals. The crisis in Afghanistan and Belarus actions point to the need to reshape EU rules on migration and asylum, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said on Sunday. Many member states fear that events in Afghanistan could lead to a new migrant crisis similar to that which Europe faced in 2015-2016, when the chaotic arrival of more than 500,000 people from the Middle East tested the European countries’ security and social welfare systems.



    Pandemic — Sunday saw the coming into effect of the updated list of countries with an epidemiological risk. As of August 15 inlcuded on the red list are Turkey, Israel and the USA, a list which also includes Spain, Greece, Great Britain and Portugal. Instead, the Netherlands and Malta returned to the yellow zone, following a decrease in the Covid incidence. Bulgaria remains in the green zone. Since August 13, for crossing state borders within the EU, only digital certificates have been recognized as documents proving vaccination, recovery from the disease and a negative Covid test result. The obligation to present the digital certificate is valid only for those countries that require such documents as a vaccination certificate, negative test results or vaccination proof, as well as upon return to Romania from countries on the yellow and red lists. Tourists returning from a country on the green list do not have to present the digital certificate and are not quarantined. (LS)

  • August 14, 2021 UPDATE

    August 14, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid Romania — On Saturday, Romania exceeded 400 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours. 408 cases have been reported and 5 associated deaths. 707 COVID patients are hospitalized of whom 108 are in intensive care. Experts are firm and warn that next month the incidence of new cases is going to increase sharply. Despite warnings, the pace of the national vaccination campaign remains fairly low — a little over 9,500 people have been vaccinated in the last 24 hours. In an attempt to increase the number of vaccinated people, the authorities are organizing new vaccination actions across the country, in places where festivals and concerts are held.



    Afghanistan — The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a speech to the nation that consultations were taking place with political leaders and international partners aimed at finding a political solution that would guarantee peace and stability in the country, Reuters and AFP report. In the past eight days, Taliban insurgents have managed to conquer half of Afghanistans provincial capitals. The capital, Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, the main northern city, and Jalalabad (east) are the only three major cities still under government control. The Taliban launched their offensive in May, with the start of the definitive withdrawal of US troops and other NATO countries from Afghanistan, an operation scheduled to end on August 31. The Talibans rapid offensive led to emergency measures. After a crisis meeting with NATO ambassadors, the NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed deep concern about the high level of violence caused by the Taliban offensive, including attacks on civilians and targeted killings, and said that NATO would support the Afghan government “as much as possible.” A contingent of US forces arrived in Afghanistan on Friday to secure the evacuation of the US embassy staff. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has reassessed and raised the alert level for Afghanistan and urges Romanian citizens to urgently leave the territory of that state.



    Jazz – Sibiu, in central Romania, is hosting the oldest jazz festival in the country and one of the oldest in the world. The first show of this edition took place on Friday night, featuring the group Péter Sárosi-AZARA from Hungary and the Italian quartet Motel Kaiju, led by Niccolo Faraci. There will be a total of three days of jazz in Sibiu, and admission to all concerts in this edition of the Festival is free of charge. The first edition of this jazz festival was hosted by Sibiu in 1974.



    UK – More than one million Romanians have applied for UK residency, and their contribution is extremely important in several sectors of the British economy, Radio Romania’s correspondent in London reports. According to professional associations, tens of thousands of Romanians work in the health and elderly care sectors as well as in agriculture, and estimates show that one in four construction workers is Romanian. Canary Wharf is Europe’s third largest financial center and is run by a Romanian, George Iacobescu, while the financial sector in the British capital employs about seven thousand Romanian citizens. All in all, more than six million EU citizens have been granted the right to remain in the UK after Brexit.



    Finance — The Liberal MP Dan Vîlceanu is the proposal of Prime Minister Florin Cîţu for the position of Finance Minister, the PM announced on Saturday in a press conference. According to the CV posted on the website of the Chamber of Deputies, Dan Vîlceanu is an economist, with a PhD degree obtained in 2016, at the West University of Timişoara. We remind you that the Prime Minister Florin Cîţu dismissed Alexandru Nazare from the position of Finance Minister last month, and serves as interim finance minster until the appointment of a replacement for the vacant post.



    Clarifications – Prime Minister Florin Cîţu made some clarifications on Saturday in connection with a fine he received in the USA 20 years ago for driving under the influence, a crime for which he was detained for two days. The information has appeared recently in the press, causing tensions within the ruling center-right coalition in Romania. Florin Cîţu said that he regretted the incident, that at the time of his appointment as prime minister the legal procedures were observed, and that he was not considering handing in his resignation. (LS)

  • August 14, 2021

    August 14, 2021

    Covid Romania — Romania exceeded on Saturday 400 new cases of COVID-19 reported in the past 24 hours. 408 cases have been reported and 5 associated deaths. 707 COVID patients are hospitalized of whom 108 are in intensive care. Experts are firm and warn that next month the incidence of new cases is going to increase sharply. Despite warnings, the pace of the national vaccination campaign remains fairly low – less than 10,500 people were vaccinated with the first dose or the single-dose vaccine in the last 24 hours. In an attempt to increase the number of vaccinated people, the authorities are organizing new vaccination actions across the country, in places where festivals and concerts are held.



    Afghanistan — The Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a speech to the nation that consultations were taking place with political leaders and international partners aimed at finding a political solution that would guarantee peace and stability in the country, Reuters and AFP report. In the past eight days, Taliban insurgents have managed to conquer half of Afghanistans provincial capitals. The capital, Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, the main northern city, and Jalalabad (east) are the only three major cities still under government control. The Taliban launched their offensive in May, with the start of the definitive withdrawal of US troops and other NATO countries from Afghanistan, an operation scheduled to end on August 31. The Talibans rapid offensive led to emergency measures. After a crisis meeting with NATO ambassadors, the NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed deep concern about the high level of violence caused by the Taliban offensive, including attacks on civilians and targeted killings, and said NATO would support the Afghan government “as much as possible.” A contingent of US forces arrived in Afghanistan on Friday to secure the evacuation of the US embassy staff. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has reassessed and raised the alert level for Afghanistan and urges Romanian citizens to urgently leave the territory of that state.



    Tennis — The Romanian-German pair Horia Tecău/Kevin Krawietz qualified to the semifinals of the doubles event of the tennis tournament in Toronto (ATP Masters 1,000), with total prizes up for grabs worth 2,850,975 dollars, after 6-3, 3-6, 10-3 in the match with the pair Aslan Karatev (Russia) / Dusan Lajovic (Serbia). In the quarterfinals, Tecău and Krawietz will face the main favorites, the Croatians Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic.



    Jazz – Sibiu, in central Romania, is hosting the oldest jazz festival in the country and one of the oldest in the world. The first show of this edition took place on Friday night, featuring the group Péter Sárosi-AZARA from Hungary and the Italian quartet Motel Kaiju, led by Niccolo Faraci. There will be a total of three days of jazz in Sibiu, and admission to all concerts in this edition of the Festival is free of charge. The first edition of this jazz festival was hosted by Sibiu in 1974.



    UK – More than one million Romanians have applied for UK residency, and their contribution is extremely important in several sectors of the British economy, Radio Romania’s correspondent in London reports. According to professional associations, tens of thousands of Romanians work in the health and elderly care sectors as well as in agriculture, and estimates show that one in four construction workers is Romanian. Canary Wharf is Europe’s third largest financial center and is run by a Romanian, George Iacobescu, while the financial sector in the British capital employs about seven thousand Romanian citizens. All in all, more than six million EU citizens have been granted the right to remain in the UK after Brexit. (LS)

  • August 13, 2021 UPDATE

    August 13, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid – 19 Romania — The number of new cases of Covid 19 continues to increase in Romania. On Friday the authorities reported 383 new cases out of over 32 thousand tests, this being for the 4th day in a row when the total number of daily cases exceeds 300. Most cases were registered in the capital. Three deaths were also reported. The number of people hospitalized continues to grow. There are now 786 patients in hospitals, of whom 102 are in ICUs. In the first week of August, 81% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases were registered among unvaccinated people, the National Public Health Institute announced. As regards vaccination, currently, there are almost 5 million Romanians who are fully vaccinated. On the other hand, Romania has updated the list of countries with an epidemiological risk. Turkey, Israel and the United States have entered the red list, which already includes Spain, Greece and the UK, the Romanian authorities have announced. Instead, the Netherlands, Malta, Kuwait and Panama were moved from the red list to the yellow one, given a drop in the number of cases there. Bulgaria remains in the green zone, according to the list that comes into force on August 15.



    Certificate – From Friday August 13, only the digital certificates will be recognized when crossing EU state borders as proof that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has received a negative test result or has recovered from the infection. The certificates contain a QR code guaranteeing the authenticity of vaccines and tests to prevent forgery. The obligation to present the digital certificates only applies to the countries that require documents such as proof of vaccination, testing or immunization resulting from recovery from infection, as well as to the return to Romania from yellow and red list countries. Travelers entering Romania from a green list country are not required to present the digital certificate or to isolate.



    Brussels — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday in Brussels, after a meeting of the NATO members’ ambassadors, that NATO would support the Kabul government “as much as possible” and “adjust” its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Western states are sending troops to evacuate embassy staff from the capital Kabul. A contingent of US forces already arrived in Afghanistan on Friday, where it will secure the evacuation of the US embassy staff. The United Kingdom has made a similar move, temporarily deploying some 600 troops to Afghanistan to support British citizens leaving the country. The Taliban insurgents consolidated control of Afghanistan on Friday, conquering the countrys second and third most important cities, Kandahar and Herat. In eight days, they have conquered almost half of Afghanistans provincial capitals and are now controlling most of the countrys north, west and south. The Taliban launched their offensive in May, with the start of the definitive withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, an operation that would end later this month.



    MAE – Against the backdrop of the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the Romania Foreign Ministry – MAE informs that the alert level for Afghanistan has been re-evaluated and raised, and urges the Romanian citizens to leave the territory of that state urgently. MAE warns that these security developments are associated with a major risk of terrorist attacks and armed clashes. MAE recalls that the activity of the Romanian Embassy in Kabul was suspended in 2019, following an attack that severely damaged the mission building. Given the lack of an operational mission in Kabul and the fact that the Romanian Embassy in Islamabad has taken over the countrys representation in relation to Afghanistan, the intervention capacity of that mission in Afghanistan is limited. MAE strongly recommends the Romanian citizens traveling to Afghanistan or who are already on the territory of this state to contact the Romanian Embassy in Islamabad. At the same time, Romanian citizens can request support from the diplomatic missions of the EU member states that are still operational in Kabul.



    Investments – Direct foreign investments rose to 3.138 billion Euros in the first six months, as compared to 996 million Euros in the same period of 2020, according to data published on Friday by the National Bank of Romania. The number of newly established foreign capital companies in Romania increased in the same period by 53.7% as compared to the similar period of 2020, to 2,573 units, according to data centralized by the National Trade Register Office. On the other hand, in the first six months, the total external debt increased by almost 2.1 billion Euros. The current account deficit — namely the difference between imports and exports – increased by 73.4%, a little over 7 billion Euros — show central bank data.



    Paralympics – Seven Romanian athletes are taking part in the Tokyo Paralympic Games held between 24th August and 5th September. They are competing in table tennis, judo, athletics, cycling and archery and their goal is to win three medals. Under the rules in place, the Paralympic athletes cannot be accompanied by medical staff or carers. Romania has four medals in the history of Paralympic Games: a bronze won by Alex Bologa in Rio in judo and three won by the current minister for sports Eduard Novak in cycling, namely gold in London and two silver in Beijing and London. Eduard Novak will also compete in the Tokyo Paralympics, where he is confident he can win a medal.



    COVID — 19 world – The World Health Organization (WHO) does not support compulsory vaccination against COVID-19 in any country, although it defends the importance of immunization, WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a news conference on Friday in response the fact that several countries are considering compulsory vaccination. According to her, vaccines are just one of the tools we have at our disposal to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO experts have reiterated throughout the year that vaccines are not enough in the fight against the novel coronavirus and that they must be combined with health measures. To date, approximately 4.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide. In countries such as Spain, France, Canada, the United Kingdom or Germany, the percentage of fully vaccinated people is about 60% (as compared to 50% in the US), while in many low-income countries the percentage of fully vaccinated people is only 1%. On the other hand, about 206.5 million cases of infection with the new coronavirus have been reported so far worldwide, and more than 4.3 million people have died, according to worldometers.info. (LS)