August 9, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 09.08.2021, 13:50

Covid-19.
The daily number of new coronavirus infections
stands at over 200 in Romania. 208 infections were reported on Sunday, as well
as 3 related deaths. The number of those admitted to intensive care increased
to 79. Also on Sunday, about 7,000 people were vaccinated against COVID-19. Worldwide,
the number of infections reported since the
start of the pandemic has exceeded 200 million, but the curve indicating new
infections is stabilizing, without reaching the peaks reported in April. Although the numbers are still high, a slight
decrease in weekly cases in Europe and the Americas is expected in the coming
period. Almost 30% of the world’s population has received at least one dose of
vaccine, and over 15% have been fully immunized. Globally, the number of COVID-19-related
deaths has reached 4.2 million.

Aid. A Romanian Air Force
aircraft will transport to Tunisia approximately 180,000 doses of COVID-19
vaccine produced by Astra Zeneca, as well as antigen tests and sanitary
materials, to help manage the pandemic
in that country, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. Romania was among
the states that received a request for international assistance from the
Tunisian government, by activating the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
This mechanism coordinates the response to natural and man-made disasters at EU
level, enabling coordinated, effective and rapid assistance to support affected
populations.

Wildfires. 45 Romanian
firefighters continue their missions in the Spatari area on the Greek island of
Evia. The intervention is facilitated by six fire engines and two tanks, and
six rescuers have the mission to ensure the supply of trucks with water and use
chainsaws to create corridors that help contain the fires. According to the General Inspectorate for
Emergency Situations, Romanian firefighters use drones to monitor new fire
outbreaks. These are the deadliest fires in Greek history and have devastated
northern Evia, burning more than 35,000 hectares of pine forest and hundreds of
homes. Thousands of residents and tourists have been evacuated by sea from the
affected regions. Many regions and countries across the globe have been
increasingly affected by extreme weather. UN researchers will present today a report on the impact
of climate change, in which they analyze how the oceans, ice caps and the
earth’s surface could change in the coming decades. Scientists have confirmed
that if the temperature does not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above
pre-industrial levels, catastrophes could still be avoided.

Budget. In Bucharest, the
Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu continues, this week, discussions on budget
adjustment, with his ministers, but also with the leaders of the ruling center-right
coalition. According to the draft, the Ministry of Health will receive the
largest amount, followed by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of
Development. On the other hand, the Ministry of Labor, the Court of Accounts
and the Senate will get less. The Prime Minister has reiterated that additional
funds will be received only by ministries that reported a good budget execution
in the first six months of the year. For his part, the Deputy Prime Minister
Dan Barna, from USR-PLUS, has expressed his conviction that an adjustment formula
will be found that will guarantee investments in the coming months of this year
as well.

Inflation.
The National Bank of Romania has revised
its inflation forecasts to 5.6% by the end of this year and to 3.4% by the end
of next year, according to a presentation made today by the Central Bank Governor,
Mugur Isărescu. The National Bank estimates that the inflation rate for July will
stand at around 5%, mainly due to higher energy prices. Mugur Isărescu has specified,
however, that Romania is not the only country in this situation, the inflation
rate being high in the United States, Hungary or Poland, but also in Germany, a
country where prices are stable. However, compared to the previous forecast,
the price increases are significantly higher, Mugur Isărescu also said.

Deficit.
In Romania, the trade balance deficit in
the first six months of this year went up to 10.659 billion euro, almost two
billion euro higher than in the same period last year. According to the
National Institute of Statistics, exports amounted to 36 billion euro between
January and June 2021, and imports amounted to almost 47 billion. Exports
increased by 26.5%, and imports increased by 25.6%, according to NIS. (MI)