June 22, 2021

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 22.06.2021, 13:55

Covid-19. 41 new
Covid-19 cases were reported on Tuesday in Romania from 17,600 tests, as well
as four new related deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. 151 Covid patients
are still in intensive care. World Health Organisation officials are warning
that the Delta variant first identified in India is the fastest and fittest
strain to have emerged so far and one that targets vulnerable people,
especially in places with a low vaccination rate. Romanian experts emphasise
the only way to prevent the spread of the virus is to vaccinate as many people
as possible and boost testing. 26 cases of the Delta variant have been
identified in Romania, associated with outbreaks involving Indian citizens.

Exams. More than
130,000 year 8 graduates are taking the national evaluation exams. The first
test today was the written Romanian language and literature examination. The
mathematics exam will be held on Thursday, followed by the exam in the mother
tongue on Friday. The results will be published on 4th July. The
marks in the national evaluation exam are important for entering high school.
Exams are held amid strict physical distancing and hygiene rules, and wearing
face masks is obligatory.

Pogrom. The victims
of the 1941 Iaşi Pogrom are commemorated these days in Romania and Israel. The
Museum of the Jewish People at Tel Aviv University hosted an event organised by
the Romanian Embassy in Israel to mark the 80th anniversary of the
pogrom. This was the first event attended by Israel’s new minister for diaspora
affairs Nachman Shai. Romania’s ambassador Radu Ioanid introduced footage from
a documentary film made by the Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of the
Holocaust in Bucharest. The WWII pogrom in Iaşi, north-eastern Romania, was one
of the most violent episodes in the history of Romanian Jews and was initiated
by the regime of general Ion Antonescu, an ally of Hitler’s Germany. More than
13,000 Jews were killed in the pogrom.

Ombudsman. Today
is the deadline for parliamentary parties to submit their nominations for Ombudsman,
a position which is now vacant following the dismissal of Renate Weber. The
proposals will be discussed on Wednesday by Parliament’s legal committees, with
both chambers of Parliament expected to meet most likely on the same day. The
ruling coalition said Renate Weber broke the law to serve those who appointed
her in the first place, namely the Social Democratic Party now in opposition,
while opposition MPs described her sacking as a form of public execution. The
Social Democrats say they challenged the move in the Constitutional Court,
which will discuss the complaint on 29th June.

Euro 2020. Austria defeated Ukraine on Monday
night on the National Arena stadium in Bucharest, one of the venues hosting the
European Football Championship. This was the final match in Group C and Austria
reached the round of last 16 of a European Football championship for the first
time. Bucharest’s National Arena hosted three Group C matches and will also
host a last 16 round match on 28th June. Also on Monday, the
Netherlands defeated North Macedonia 3-nil in Amsterdam; Belgium defeated Finland
2-nil in Saint Petersburg; while Denmark defeated Russia in Copenhagen to
advance to the next round. (CM)