August 16, 2020
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 16.08.2020, 14:00
State of alert. The state of alert declared in mid-May in Romania was extended, starting today, by 30 days. The decision was made by the government in a meeting on Friday. No additional restrictions were imposed. The number of cases of infection with the new coronavirus exceeds 70,000, with some 1100 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. Approximately 3000 people have died. According to the latest survey published by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Romania has reached the first place in the EU in terms of death rate caused by COVID – 19 as well as the rate of new cases detected per hundred thousand inhabitants.
Pandemic. Worldwide, the number of cases of the new coronavirus is approaching 22 million. About 770,000 deaths were recorded. More than 210 countries around the world have reported cases of infection and death after the first cases were detected in December 2019 in China, Reuters reports. In the top three in terms of the number of cases of coronavirus infection are the United States, with 5.5 million, Brazil, with about 3.3 million and India, with almost 2.6 million.
Awareness Day. The National Day for Awareness of Violence against Christians is marked for the first time in Romania. August 16 is also the day when the majority Orthodox believers celebrate the Holy Brâncoveni Martyrs, who in 1714 chose to die for their faith in Constantinople. The buildings of Parliament, the Presidency and the Government, other emblematic monuments in the capital and the Mogoşoaia Palace, built by the ruler Constantin Brâncoveanu and located near Bucharest, will be illuminated in red in the evening to remind Romanians that in many regions of the world there are many Christians that are still persecuted, killed and subjected to violence. In a statement sent to Agerpres, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban says that the executive supports the need to raise awareness of the violence and persecution to which Christians around the world have been and still are subjected and advocates the elimination of any form of discrimination on religious or other grounds. According to statistics, around the world, eight Christians are killed every day for their religious affiliation.
Protests. New protests are announced for today in Minsk against the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in the controversial election held in Belarus a week ago and the brutal repression of demonstrations. On Saturday, huge crowds gathered in Minsk, with participants chanting slogans and flying opposition flags. Despite such an unprecedented challenge to his government in more than a quarter of a century, President Lukashenko is unwilling to relinquish power, the BBC reports. He received assurances that he would be supported by Moscow after the West stepped up pressure on the Minsk regime. The European Union announced two days ago that it would adopt new sanctions against officials in Minsk, and more and more Western capitals are demanding the presidential election be held again. Alexander Lukashenko is considered Europes last dictator, and since he came to power in 1994, no election has been considered free and democratic by foreign observers.
Tennis. World no. 2 Romanian tennis player Simona Halep faces today the Belgian Elise Mertens in the final of the WTA tournament in Prague, with more than 200,000 dollars in prize money. In the semifinals, Simona defeated her compatriot Irina Begu, and Mertens won the match against Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic. The Romanian player leads 3-1 in the direct duels with Mertens. In the doubles final, the Romanian pair Monica Niculescu / Raluca Olaru lost to the Czechs Lucie Hradecka / Kristyna Pliskova in two sets. (M. Ignatescu)
