July 22, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 22.07.2023, 19:15

Weather. 16 hydrographic basins in the western half of Romania are subject to hydrological warnings until Sunday noon. Yellow warnings for flooding have been issued for the Someşul Mic, Crişuri, Mureş, Miraj, Aries, Târnava Mică and Târnava Mare basins. Exceeding flows and rising levels may occur, possibly above the attention quotas, also on the rivers Bega, Timiş, Bârzava, Caraş, Nera, Cerna, Jiu, Motru, Râul Negru, Olt, but also on Ialomiţa, Prahova, Buzău, Putna and Râmnicu Sărat. The western half of the country is under a yellow code of atmospheric instability, for gales and hail. Water quantities exceed 30-40 liters per square meter and, in some areas, over 50 liters per square meter.

Travel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest informs Romanian citizens who are transiting or want to travel to Portugal that the local authorities are re-introducing random border controls until August 7, during the World Youth Day activities. The measure concerns the check points at the land border with Spain, as well as airport check points. During the event, for Lisbon and the metropolitan area, the Portuguese authorities established a package of measures, which includes, among other things, traffic restrictions. Also, between August 1 and 6, public transport in Lisbon and the metropolitan area will operate according to a modified route and schedule.

Insurance House. The IT system of the National Health Insurance House in Romania (CNAS), on which consultations and the issuing of prescriptions are based, is to be modernized with funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The project, worth 70 million euros, would become fully functional only in 2025. Until then, it is expected that the current system will operate more in emergency mode, as it is happening now and as it happened in the last weeks. The spokesperson for the institution, Larisa Mezinu Bălan, has stated that one of the reasons is that the system has already been operating for two decades, and the IT specialists needed to ensure its maintenance are not interested in the job because the salaries offered are not so attractive. She specified that by April 30, 2025, CNAS is considering expanding the storage space of the current system, so as to improve operational times. At the same time, the institution calls on the health service providers and doctors not to postpone the necessary treatments to the insured due to the problems of the IT system, since the medical services can also be provided offline and will be reimbursed.

Ukraine. The spokeswoman for the Defense Forces of southern Ukraine, Natalia Humeniuk, has stated that, most likely, the Russian invasion army has taken a break in terms of bombing Ukrainian territory. However, she stressed, the enemy has intensified its reconnaissance operations. Humeniuk added that the activation of Russian reconnaissance drones indicates that the occupiers are trying to gather information, in particular, about Ukraines port infrastructure. According to her, the activity of enemy drones is registered in the coastal area of ​​the Black Sea.

Summer University. The Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, once again used the context of his presence at the Summer University of Băile Tuşnad, in central Romania, to launch provocative statements. The leader from Budapest commented ironically on the recommendations he said hed received from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the topics he could address in his speech. He stated that he was told what he could and could not talk about. The head of the Hungarian government suggested in this context that he could influence Romanias accession to the Schengen area, referring to the fact that, in the middle of next year, Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. He wished success to the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, at the beginning of his mandate, but commented ironically that since he had been in charge of the executive in Budapest, Romania had 20 prime ministers. Before participating in the event in Băile Tuşnad, Viktor Orbán met with Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu.

Eurobarometer. Romania ranks last in the European Union in terms of financial knowledge, according to the results of a Eurobarometer. The survey, carried out at the request of the European Commission, shows that more than half of Romanians belive that they know a lot about money, but only 13% can prove, through correct answers, that they understand what inflation is, what interest rates are and how investments are made. The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland or Estonia are the best in this regard. The survey also has a section dedicated to the so-called digital financial literacy, where Romania is in the middle of the European ranking. 80% of Romanians, a percentage above the EU average, say that they feel comfortable with digitized banking services, with online payments or with the help of the phone. However, Romanians are positioned at the bottom of the ranking regarding the ability to support themselves financially in case they suddenly lose their main source of income: a quarter of Romanians say that they have no money set aside for such extreme situations and only 23% estimate that they could support themselves from savings for at least half a year.

Elections. 35 million Spaniards are expected, on Sunday, at the polls for the parliamentary elections. The Radio Romania correspondent in Madrid notes that the head of the government and the leader of the Socialist Party, Pedro Sanchez, is counting on what he calls the well-being of the Spaniards during his mandate. The leader of the Peoples Party (right, in opposition), Alberto Feijóo, promises reparations for the things Sanchez did wrong. Yolanda Díaz, the creator of the extreme left platform Sumar announces the coming to power of the people and the oppressed classes, and Santiago Abascal, the leader of the far- right party VOX, promises almost the same thing, only with the nuance that the people coming to power must be exclusively Spanish. Opinion polls have varied in the last month and have led to changes in strategy. If 30 days ago the Peoples Party looked like it would win easily without needing an alliance with VOX to govern, in the last week the figures show that everything has reversed, and the Socialists will lead, together with Sumar, for another four years.

Timisoara. The famous American actor John Malkovich played, on Friday evening, the last of the two performances of the “Infernal Comedy” show, part of the “Timişoara – European Capital of Culture” Program. The performances were sold-out. The actor plays in “Infernal Comedy” the role of a serial killer, in an original directorial concept, based on a script written especially for John Malkovich.

Tennis. Romanians Ana Bogdan and Irina Begu will play in the finals of the BCR Iasi Open tournament in Romania, with 100,000 euros in prize money. Bogdan, number 49 WTA, the reigning champion and the second favorite of the tournament in Iasi (north-east), qualified for the last round after defeating Raluka Şerban, a Romanian player representing Cyprus, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. For her part, Begu, ranked 31st in the world ranking and the competitions first seed, has defeated the Slovenian Tamara Zidansek 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. The Begu-Bogdan final will take place on Sunday in the central arena of the Iasi complex. (MI)