August 13, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 13.08.2023, 18:55

DAY Naval forces are these days
staging a series of activities devoted to Navy Day here in Romania, which will
culminate on August 15, when Romanians are celebrating the Christian holiday of
the Dormition of the Mother of God, St. Mary, who is also the protector of
sailors. Various events and activities are being staged on this occasion in
Bucharest and the Romanian port-cities on the Danube – Braila, Tulcea and
Galati. The most important event will take place on Tuesday, August 15th
when, after a pause of four years, the seamen are expected to be presenting a
demonstrative exercise entitled ‘Romanian Naval Forces 2023’. Helicopters and
speed boats carrying the flags of Romania, NATO and the EU will be opening the
exercise, which is to be followed by a parade of the school-vessel ‘Mircea’,
Romania’s honorary ambassador on the world’s seas and oceans.

CARS The number of registered new cars in Romania grew in the first
seven months of this year by a fifth as compared to the same period in 2022.
Green cars, hybrid and electric have registered an increase over 36% with a
market share of nearly 23%, according to data published by the Association of
Car Producers and Importers. Petrol cars have seen a 1.4% drop against the same
period last year while diesel vehicles have dropped almost every year 1% and
presently have a market share of 13%.

DRILL Roughly 250 servicemen from France and Luxembourg and 65
pieces of technical equipment of NATO battle group in Romania are going to
participate starting Monday until August 18th in a joint exercise in
the shooting range of Babadag, south-eastern Romania. The drill’s main aim is
to test the rapid deployment of troops and gear as well as to increase
interoperability among the forces of the NATO battle group. According to
sources with the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, the drill contributes to
raising military cooperation between Romania and the participant countries,
France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg as well as to strengthening
NATO security on its Eastern Flank.

GAUDEAMUS The Radio Romania Gaudeamus book fair is waiting for its
visitors in downtown Sibiu, central Romania with numerous titles, sales and
events. The organizers have prepared book launches and round-table talks for
all ages. The little ones have been invited to attend the launch of a
collection entitled ‘Children Readings from Grandma’, while adults can
participate in various events focusing on self-development. The event, which
remains open until Tuesday, has brought together over 40 participants,
including some of the best known publishing houses, the main suppliers of
books, games, music and educational materials.

HOLIDAY The
Romanians are enjoying a four-day mini-holiday, after Monday, August 14th
has been declared a bank holiday here in Romania right ahead of the St. Mary
holiday on August 15th. Various events are being staged all over the
country and tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Nicula Monastery,
in Cluj county, north-western Romania. Concerts are also taking place, such as
the Summer Well festival, in Buftea, close to Bucharest, while the days of the
city of Braila are also being celebrated. Many Romanians are celebrating these
days in the mountain resorts of the Prahova Valley, in southern Romania, while
the seaside resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast are preparing for their
busiest weekend this summer. According to hotel owners here the tourists’
number is to reach 110 thousand. The Romanian Interior Ministry has deployed
over 8 thousand police and 6 thousand gendarme troops to prevent any criminal
activity during the aforementioned holiday. The border check points at
Romania’s border with Hungary and Bulgaria are also benefiting from additional
personnel.

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