September 8, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 09.09.2021, 14:46

Covid-19. For the third day in a row, Romania has exceeded the threshold of 2000 new cases of Covid-19, and the number of those who need hospital care is on the rise. Authorities have today reported 2,226 new cases of infection out of some 40 thousand tests performed. 4 thousand patients are currently hospitalized, of whom 523 in intensive care. 99 patients are under-18 and 8 of them are in intensive care. 79 Covid-19 related cases were reported in the last 24 hours, of which 40 were from before the reporting timeframe. The largest number of new cases have been reported in the capital Bucharest: 400. The National Public Health Institute conducted an analysis on infections reported last week and concluded that more than 80% of them were among unvaccinated people. Some 93% of the total related deaths were also among unvaccinated people, and 5% were people who had not got both shots. The interest in vaccination however, remains low. Some 9500 doses were administered in 24 hours.

Motion. The motion of no-confidence filed by USR PLUS (a former junior partner in the Romanian government) and AUR ( a nationalist party in the opposition) against the government led by the Liberal Florin Cîţu is to be read today in the plenary of the Romanian Parliament, the joint permanent bureau of the two parties have announced, but the debate and the vote will take place after the Constitutional Court has ruled on the Prime Minister’s notification regarding the existence of a legal conflict between the Legislature and the Government. The proposal to postpone was made by UDMR, partner in the ruling coalition. The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputis, the Liberal Ludovic Orban, says the decision to postpone the debate and the date of the vote is unconstitutional. The Senate President Anca Dragu, from USR, has stated that the Liberals are using all sorts of tricks to prevent the debate and voting on the no-confidence motion. The Social Democrats, on the other hand, support the postponement, in order to avoid having two prime ministers at the same time, senator Lucian Romaşcanu has said. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Florin Cîțu filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court regarding the existence of a legal conflict of a constitutional nature between Parliament and Government with regard to the no-confidence motion. Also on Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis signed the decrees on the resignations from the Government of the USR PLUS representatives and appointing interim ministers for the vacant portfolios.

Visit. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is paying an official visit to Switzerland today, at the invitation of his counterpart, Guy Parmelin. According to a presidential statement, the visit takes place in the context of this year’s 110th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The agenda of talks includes topics such as strengthening the bilateral relationship, including through economic cooperation, with an emphasis on investment. Switzerland ranks tenth in the classification of foreign investors in Romania. The discussions will also include current international topics, with a focus on political and security developments in the Eastern Neighborhood of the European Union, in the Western Balkans region, as well as the Romanian-Swiss cooperation within international organizations.

Fire. 14 people have died in a COVID hospital in North Macedonia in a fire caused by an explosion, and authorities say the death toll could rise. The ward where the explosion occurred is a recently built modular unit, and the fire was intensified by the plastic materials of the construction. Several wounded were transported to hospitals in the capital Skopje. Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who immediately went to the location, called it a huge tragedy has given assurances that all services are fighting to save lives. North Macedonia is once again facing an increase in the number of Delta infections, and hospitals are overwhelmed by patients, especially in areas with low vaccination rates. Fires have also occurred in other countries in COVID hospitals, including Romania.

Untold. The largest electronic music festival in Romania, UNTOLD, starts today in Cluj-Napoca, in central Romania . By Sunday, more than 70,000 people from more than 100 countries are expected daily at this special event. The participants will be allowed only if they are vaccinated, have recently had Covid-19 or can provide a negative test. In addition to famous DJs such as Dimitris Vega and Like Mike, the famous Romanian panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir was also invited. This year, UNTOLD comes with an original combination of electronic and traditional music. David Guetta, Martin Garrix, The Script, Parov Stelar, Tyga, Sam Feldt are among the guests this year. Spectators will be greeted by fantastic characters, who will entertain them with light and fire shows. There are famous bands that will be involved in these shows, such as Moon Ladies from Italy. There will also be art exhibitions, including a South American art exhibition that highlights the traditions of the Amazonian forest tribes. The organizers have also prepared a fashion exhibition that brings together the creations of 20 designers. There will also be percussion workshops for those who want to learn the secrets of this art.

Gaudeamus. The Gaudeamus Book Fair, organized by Radio Romania, arrives today in Sibiu (center), after a 13-year absence. Until Sunday, in the pavilions specially located in the historical center of the city, readers are invited to choose their favorite books. Under the slogan The most read book fair in Romania from the most listened to radio in Romania, the Gaudeamus Caravan brings to Sibiu over 30 exhibitors, including the most important publishing houses in the country. In addition to the rich offer of books for all ages, including titles from school bibliography and educational materials, during the four days of the fair hosted by Sibiu visitors will have the opportunity to attend numerous book launches and to listen to good music. Children will be able to enjoy educational games. The event in physical format is doubled by an online edition hosted by the gaudeamus.ro website

Football. The national football teams of Romania and North Macedonia ended in a draw, 0-0, their match on Wednesday evening, in Skopje, in Group J of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. In the same group, Germany defeated Iceland, away from home, 4 -0, and the match between Armenia and Lichtenstein ended in a draw in Yerevan, 1-1. Next month, Romania will play two more matches in the preliminaries, on October 8, in Hamburg, with Germany, and on October 11, on home turf, with Armenia. The group leader is Germany, with 15 points, followed by Armenia, 11, Romania, 10, Macedonia, 9, Iceland, 4, Liechtenstein, 1. The winners of the groups will qualify directly for the final tournament in Qatar. The teams ranked second and the best two unqualified teams in the League of Nations 2020-2021 will go into playoffs.