December 9, 2021
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 09.12.2021, 13:55
Covid — In Romania, the state of alert established in the context of the coronavirus epidemic has been extended, today, by another 30 days but, amid the drop in the infection rate, the government has removed a number of restrictions. Therefore, people will no longer have to wear masks in uncrowded, open spaces, and access into enclosed premises will also be allowed to unvaccinated people who provide a negative Covid test result. Also, the ban on people’s movement at night after 11 p.m. has been eliminated. At Christmas and New Years Eve, restaurants will be open at half capacity, but only for the vaccinated people, those who had the disease or who provide a negative test result. For the citizens coming to Romania from outside the EU, it has been established that they must present a negative PCR test, not older than 48 hours. Unvaccinated people or people who have had the disease will be quarantined for 10 days, and if they do not have a PCR test, they will be quarantined for 14 days. Over 1,000 new cases of COVID infection were reported by Romanian authorities on Thursday. 74 deaths were also reported, of which 2 from previous days.
Visit — The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, with a majority Romanian-speaking population) Natalia Gavriliţa, had a meeting in Bucharest with her Romanian counterpart, Nicolae Ciucă. He said that he supported the consolidation of Romanian investments in the Republic of Moldova, consequently the business environment in this country needs to be improved for that purpose. Nicolae Ciuca also said that the parties wanted to conclude as soon as possible a new agreement on granting non-reimbursable financial assistance for the benefit of the Republic of Moldova, after the old agreement expired this year. According to the Romanian PM, the priority bilateral issues are energy interconnection and the implementation of infrastructure projects with a central role in connecting the Republic of Moldova to the European space through Romania. The Moldovan PM said the two states had a historic chance to turn the language community into one of the big projects for the benefit of the people on both sides of the Prut River. A better economic, commercial and infrastructure integration of Romania and the Republic of Moldova is the guarantee for an accelerated integration of the latter in the EU, Natalia Gavrilita underlined. She will also be received by President Klaus Iohannis.
Anti-corruption – The pandemic context fuels corruption and there is a major risk that money might not go where it should go, namely for hospitals, protective equipment, specialized equipment, products and medicines, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate DNA said on the occasion of the International Anticorruption Day, marked on Thursday. The embezzlement of public money slows down the development of society, encourages clientelism and promotes nepotism, perpetuates poverty and, therefore, fighting corruption must remain a major goal not only of criminal justice, but also of society as a whole, through its representatives. In a message sent on this occasion, President Klaus Iohannis stated that, despite the health, economic or political challenges it has faced, Romania remained a landmark in Eastern Europe due to the progress made in the field of the rule of law. ‘I remain firmly committed to developing the countrys democratic path and I am convinced that we can build a better future as long as we build on the solid foundation of European values, integrity, justice and zero tolerance for corruption’, Klaus Iohannis added.
Handball – Today, Romania’s national womens handball team meets the Dutch team in the Main Group II of the World Championship in Spain (Castello). The group also includes Norway, Kazakhstan, Sweden and Puerto Rico. The teams ranked on the first two places in the 4 Main Groups will qualify to the quarterfinals, which will take place on December 14-15. Romania is the only team present in all 25 editions of the World Championship (including this one). Romania has won four medals at the World Championship: one gold (1962), two silver (1973 and 2005) and one bronze (2015).
Journalists – The number of journalists around the world who are behind bars has reached an all-time record in 2021, according to a report by the non-profit organization Committee to Protect Journalists. 293 reporters have been put behind bars until December 1 this year. At least 24 journalists have been killed because of their reports, and another 18 have died in circumstances that make it too difficult to determine whether they were targeted because of their work, the annual document on press freedom and attacks on the press also shows. While the reasons for the imprisonment of reporters vary from country to country, the record number of imprisoned journalists reflects the political unrest around the world and a growing intolerance towards independent reporting, shows the US-based nonprofit organization. (LS)
