August 8, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 08.08.2021, 19:18

Covid-19RO. As of Sunday, France is on the red list of countries of high
epidemiological risk, the National Committee for Emergency Situations has
decided. The red zone also includes Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland
and Portugal. Unvaccinated people arriving from these countries are quarantined
for 14 days upon arrival in Romania. Children under the age of three and those between
the ages of three and 16 are exempt if they have a negative COVID test. Turkey
entered the yellow list, which also includes Belgium and Israel, while Italy
and Germany remain in the green zone. The list of countries of epidemiological
risk is updated weekly. As regards the epidemiological situation in Romania, 208 new cases of Covid-19 were reported on
Sunday, out of 23,000 tests performed, as well as three related deaths. At
least 570 infected patients are hospitalized, of whom 80 in intensive care.

Protests. More than 230,000 people protested in France for the fourth
weekend in a row against a new health permit aimed at limiting the spread of
the coronavirus, according to authorities. These were the largest protests to
date against the health permit, a document that states that the holder has
either been completely vaccinated, has recently been tested negative or has had
Covid-19 and has recently recovered. Thousands took to the streets of Paris,
Toulon and Nice, shouting freedom. Starting Monday, the French will need this
permit to enter cafes, restaurants, nursing homes and some shopping malls.
Demonstrations against the introduction of the green vaccination certificate to
participate in indoor events and for teachers also took place in several
Italian cities this weekend. The green passport, an extension of the EU’s Covid
digital certificate, has become mandatory in Italy starting Friday, for access
to indoor cinema halls, museums and gyms restaurants indoors. School and
university staff will need this permit, as will students, and from 1 September
it will be mandatory on domestic flights and long-distance trains.

Wildfires. The patriarch of the Romanian orthodox church, Daniel, sent Ieronymos
II the Archbishop of Athens and All
Greece, a message of compassion for the suffering of those affected by
wildfires. More than 1,000 firefighters are trying to put out the blaze. More than 100 Romanian firefighters, with
23 special vehicles, have been helping since Sunday. While the flames in the
northern suburbs of Athens have been partially extinguished, they continue to
wreak havoc, especially in the north of the island of Evia, but also in the
Peloponnese. Thousands of people left their homes, many were evacuated by ferry,
houses were burned and tens of thousands of hectares of vegetation turned to
ashes. In another move, two Romanian Air
Force planes have intervened in North Macedonia in support of the authorities
in this country, which is also affected by wildfires. In Turkey, too, the worst
fires reported in the past decade have killed at least eight people and
destroyed 100,000 hectares of forest and farming land.

Declaration. Romanian Foreign
Minister Bogdan Aurescu welcomes the publication, on Sunday, of the Declaration
of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on behalf of the 27 member states, condemning
the recent attack on the tanker ‘Mercer Street’, as a result of which a
Romanian and a Brit lost their lives. Through the Declaration, the 27 reaffirm
the illegal and unjustified nature of the attack off the coast of Oman and
reconfirm that it’s a violation of international law. At the same time, the 27
emphasize the importance of guaranteeing freedom of navigation, in accordance
with international law. Last but not least, the Declaration reaffirms Iran’s
responsibility for the attack, stressing that all available evidence clearly
indicates it as the perpetrator. On Friday, the G7 foreign ministers also
accused Tehran of being responsible for the attack on the oil tanker. Iran has
denied any involvement, saying the allegations are unfounded.

Budget. In Romania, the first budget adjustment of the year is underway
and could be approved in no more than two weeks. The deficit to be covered is
80 billion lei (16.3 billion euros), and the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu
demands rigor in the distribution of money according to the capacity of the
ministries to use it. He has specified that he is in constant contact with the
ministers, to receive and evaluate their proposals. The prime minister has
stated again that he does not agree with the allocation of additional amounts
for the areas where the funds distributed since the beginning of the year have
not been spent. On the other hand, the Liberal leaders are currently
participating in the meetings of the local branches, where the new leaders are
appointed, in view of the party’s national elections due this autumn.

Olympics. At the end of 17 days of sports competitions,
the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games took place in Tokyo on Sunday.
Romania completed this 32nd edition of the Olympics with 4 medals, one gold and
three silver. In the ranking of nations,
Romania is placed 46th. The team representing Romania at the Olympic Games in
Tokyo comprised 101 athletes, who competed in 17 disciplines. The Tokyo
Olympics were scheduled to take place in 2020, but the event had to be postponed
by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The next edition will be hosted by
the French capital, Paris, in 2024. (MI)