February 19, 2021

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 19.02.2021, 13:55

VACCINE Romania has reached 40 thousand
anti-Covid vaccine doses administered daily. According to the National
Vaccination Coordination Committee, the total number of doses used roughly stands
at 1.3 million with 754 thousand people immunized since the onset of the
campaign on 27th December. Most of the doses used were produced by
Pfizer and a large number by Moderna, which has been administered in Romania since
4th February. In another development over 3 thousand new Covid
infections have been registered in Romania in the past 24 hours. 71 people have
died while 936 are in intensive care.

BRANCUSI Today Romania celebrates 145 years since the birth of
its greatest sculptor Constantin Brancusi. This day, dedicated to the greatest
sculptor at the beginning of the 20th century, is being celebrated
in museums, theatres and through outdoor events all over the country. In the
southern city of Targu Jiu, the sculptor’s native town, a series of events
dedicated to his personality includes various sculpture and drawing
exhibitions, book launches, conferences and documentaries about the artist’s
life and works. Special exhibitions and an anniversary concert have been
scheduled in Bucharest. Brancusi’s day is marked by Radio Romania’s Publishing
House through a three-CD album, the third so far, inspired from his life and
work entitled ‘Spring – Constantin Brancusi’.

MARS After a 7-month-long journey of 470
million kilometers, NASA’s rover Perseverance touched down on the Red Planet. Perseverance
boasts a state-of-the art laboratory and is going to shortly begin its hunt for
microscopic evidence of ancient alien life. Perseverance is also going to test
oxygen-producing equipment and prepare Martian soil samples to be sent back
to Earth. Perseverance’s successful landing has been confirmed through radio
messages received by NASA.

BUDGET Romania’s Higher Defence Council
(CSAT) is to convene in Bucharest today for talks with president Klaus Iohannis.
High on the agenda are draft budgets for several major national security providers.
In order to draw up the state budget the government needs a CSAT decision on
the budgets of the aforementioned institutions. The government is also to
convene today to approve draft laws on this year’s state budget and the budget
of social securities. The government passed an emergency ordinance on Thursday
under which it freezes pensions cancels holiday gift vouchers and covers only
50% of the transportation fees paid by students instead of 100% at present.
According to Prime Minister Citu, the budget deficit target remains 7.16 %.

(bill)