June 18, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

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Newsroom, 18.06.2021, 14:03

Covid-19RO. 87 new cases of coronavirus infection were reported in Romania in the past 24 hours, in some 27 thousand tests performed. Also, 5 deaths were reported. The number of patients in intensive care has dropped below 200. The head of the vaccination campaign in Romania, Valeriu Gheorghita, has announced that vaccination coverage at national level stands at 25% of the eligible population. 29,000 doses of vaccine have been administered in the past 24 hours, accounting for less than one third of the number reported during the peak vaccination periods. Since the start of the national vaccination campaign, on December 27, 2020, more than 4.6 million people have been immunized in Romania, of whom 4.3 million with both doses. According to a study by the Research Institute for Quality of Life, even if most Romanians are aware of the danger posed by the coronavirus, some 2 million are against vaccination, and 800,000 say that the pandemic is not real.

Commemoration. Today, for the first time, the Day of the Victims of Deportation During the Communist Regime is marked in Romania. In the country, the deportation of people by repressive means was inspired by the model offered by the Soviet gulag. Starting in 1944, the first actions targeted ethnic Germans accused of collaboration with the Nazi authorities. That was followed by the relocation of the families of big owners of land, factories or other commercial enterprises. The peasants who opposed collectivization were also deported. The most tragic episode in the deportations chapter took place on June 18, 1951, when about 44,000 people on a 25 km strip on the border with Yugoslavia were deported to Bărăgan (southeast), in one of the most secret, fast and repressive actions ever organized by the communist authorities. After 1955, former political detainees released from prisons were sent to various localities, most of them in the Bărăgan villages already built as a result of the 1951 deportation. In 1967, the deportation of Romanian citizens was declared illegal even by the communist authorities.

Protest. Romanian road freight carriers have announced that they will deliberately hamper traffic on the main roads in the country this afternoon. The protest comes after the announcement made by the Ministry of Transport that it will change the way the road fee, known as the vignette, is going to be calculated from now on, namely per kilometer and depending on the pollution norm, not related to duration, as it is now. Transport companies are also dissatisfied with the controls operated by the Tax Office, which considers that the per diems that truck drivers get abroad must be taxed.

Employment. The employment rate of the working age population (15-64 years) was 60.8% in the first quarter of this year, down from 65.8% in the previous quarter, and the unemployment rate rose to 6.1%, compared to 5.2% in the previous quarter, according to data published today by the National Institute of Statistics. The employment rate was higher for men and people in urban areas. Also in the first quarter, Romanias active population was 8.1 million people, of which 7.6 million were employed and 496,000 were unemployed. The unemployment rate during this period was 6.1%.

Conflict. The Israeli army has launched air raids on the Gaza Strip for the second time in three nights. The raids are the first since a ceasefire agreement ended the Israeli-Hamas conflict a month ago. Several explosions were heard near the town of Khan Younis (southern Gaza Strip), but no casualties were reported. Israeli defense forces said they had attacked military compounds and a rocket launch base of the Hamas militant group in response to the launch of incendiary balloons into southern Israel. Hamas sees the raids as “propaganda of the new government”, while the Israeli army say they are ready for any scenario, including the resumption of hostilities, the BBC reports.

EURO 2020. At EURO 2020 today, in group D, Croatia plays against the Czech Republic in Glasgow, and England takes on Scotland in London. Also today, in group E, Sweden plays against Slovakia in St. Petersburg. On Thursday, in Copenhagen, in group B, Belgium won the match against Denmark 2-1, and in group C, Ukraine defeated in Bucharest North Macedonia, also 2-1. In Amsterdam, the Netherlands defeated Austria and qualified for the next round. For the firs time in history, Bucharest is hosting four EURO2020 matches and it also has two brigades of referees.

Tennis. The Romanian – German pair Horia Tecău/Kevin Krawietz are playing today against the Belgian Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen in the semifinals of the doubles event of the Halle tournament in Germany, with 1.3 million Euro in prize money. Previously, they defeated the Argentinean pair Andres Molteni/Guido Pella, 6-4, 6-2. Tecău and Krawietz, third seed in Hally, have lost two finals this year, one in Rotterdam and one in Barcelona. (MI)