July 28, 2023

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Newsroom, 28.07.2023, 13:55

WEATHER The PM of Romania Marcel
Ciolacu requested all the institutions in charge to centralise data on the damages
caused by the extreme weather over the past few days in Romania. Measures will
be taken subsequently to address the situation and to avoid similar occurrences
in the future, a government spokesperson said. According to the General
Inspectorate for Emergencies, over 50 localities in 19 counties and the capital
city Bucharest have been affected this week by storms and heavy rainfalls.
Several people died, and houses, buildings and vehicles have been damaged.

CANCER The government endorsed a National Plan on
Cancer Prevention and Treatment. The new programme facilitates quick access to
prevention measures, diagnostic, treatment and palliative services. The
healthcare minister, Alexandru Rafila, said investments would be made in the
field of oncology, and all services for patients would be free of charge,
including advanced radiation therapy. He added that the government would also
develop an innovation fund, mainly benefiting cancer patients. The plan will be
implemented in several stages over the next 5 years. Representatives of the
Federation of Cancer Patients Associations however are unhappy with the absence
of implementing rules for the plan, without which, they argue, it is impossible
to know how long it would take from diagnosis to the start of the actual
treatment.

DISSIDENT The High Court of Cassation and Justice in
Bucharest Thursday upheld a ruling clearing two former Communist political
police officers, Marin Pîrvulescu and Vasile Hodiş, of the charges related to
the torturing of dissident Gheorghe Ursu.
They were originally tried for crimes against humanity. The construction
engineer, poet and writerGheorghe Ursu was investigated by the Securitate in the ’80s,
after he sent letters to Radio Free Europe and kept a diary of the horrors
of the communist regime. He was arrested in September 1985 and died 2 months
later, after being beaten while in detention. After
Thursday’s ruling of the supreme court, the justice minister Alina Gorghiu said she would have liked not to see
any form of repression and torture validated. The Group for Social
Dialogue, a political and social NGO, says the supreme court’s decision to
acquit the torturers of the dissident Gheorghe Ursu is the most radical form of
rehabilitation of communist totalitarianism. Prosecutors are looking into
exceptional methods to challenge the ruling.

GREECE The Romanian foreign ministry warns the Romanian
nationals who are in Greece or intend to travel there that the local
authorities said the risks of wild fires remains high today in several parts of
that country. The situation is particularly serious in Rhodes, where 92
Romanian fire fighters are also deployed. In order to better respond to this
phenomenon, the European Commission announced plans to create its own firefighting
fleet, and procure an additional 12 aircraft to this end, deployed around the
Mediterranean, where most wildfires are reported.

SECURITY
The US Senate Thursday night endorsed the National Defence Authorisation Act
(NDAA), which included a bill on Black Sea security. With this decision, the US Senate confirms the
status of the Black Sea as a region of critical geo-strategic importance and
paves the way for enhanced US engagement in the region. The US Senate’s
decision also confirms the county’s strong support for a comprehensive US
presence in the Black Sea region, jointly with its allies and partners, in
strategic areas such as security and defence, economy, energy and democratic resilience, the
Romanian Ambassador to Washington Andrei Muraru
said. The bill endorsed by the Senate is to be reconciled in September with the
version of the NDAA already approved by the House of Representatives. A bill
similar to the
Black Sea Security Act is also pending in the House, with good chances to be
included in the reconciliation procedure and in the final text of the NDAA sent
to president Joe Biden.

FOOTBALL Three
Romanian teams played last night in the Europa Conference League qualifiers. Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe won, 2-0
away from home, the match against the Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia. Romanian
champions Farul Constanța also won their home match against FC Urartu, 3-2, while former champions CFR Cluj drew
at home against the Turkish side Adana Demirspor,
1-1. The return leg is scheduled for August 3. (AMP)