November 11, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 11.11.2020, 19:45

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 9,799 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 and 203
deaths were reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, the Group for Strategic
Communication has announced. The total death toll has risen to 8,389. So far
324,094 people have been infected with the coronavirus since the start of the
pandemic, and 218,086 have recovered. 12,687 people are being hospitalized in
COVID hospitals, of whom 1,092 in intensive care. A total of 6,862 Romanians
living abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, of whom 126 have died.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Globally, coronavirus cases are nearing 52
million, with 1.3 million fatalities. In Europe, a scientific adviser to the
British government estimated on Tuesday that two or three vaccines against
Covid-19 may become available by the start of 2021. This comes after the
American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and their German partners BioNTech said
the vaccine they are developing offers 90% protection against the virus. The
European Commission on Wednesday signed a contract with BioNTech and Pfizer for
the purchase of 300 million vaccine shots for member states. According to the
two companies, their vaccine has entered the third phase of clinical trials,
with over 43,000 participants enrolled to date. Meanwhile, Italy has imposed
new restrictions as of Wednesday, as the number of infections continues to rise
and Italian doctors are asking for a national lockdown. A state of alert came
into force in Hungary and the US reported a record, more than 200,000 daily
cases.

MOLDOVA – The Foreign Ministry will contribute €250,000 to
the implementation of projects aimed at supporting civil society and
independent media in the Republic of Moldova. The Ministry wants to help
Moldova connect to European values and democratic principles and will continue
to act to the direct support of Moldovan citizens, based on the bond of
language, culture and history, as well as on the Strategic Partnership for the
European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, the Ministry also writes. On
Tuesday President Klaus Iohannis said Romania has been permanently and
unequivocally supporting the democratic evolution of its neighbor state.

VETERANS – Military and religious ceremonies attended by a
restricted number of people were held on Wednesday on Veterans Day in Bucharest
and in garrisons around the country. According to the defense ministry, November
11 was declared Veterans Day because it is on this day in 1918 that a truce was
signed between the Entente and Germany, putting an end to WWI and paving the
way for the Great Union of all Romanians on December 1 that same year. November
11 also has a symbolic significance for the Romanian army, being the date when,
in 2003, Romania lost its first military in the theatre of operations in
Afghanistan. Between 1996 and 2019, 30 Romanian soldiers were killed and over
200 wounded in various international missions.

INITIATIVE – Wednesday’s session in the Senate was suspended
due to lack of quorum. High on the agenda were the citizens’ initiative called No
more criminals in public office, as well as the President’s request to
reexamine the law stipulating that Parliament, not the Government, sets the
date of legislative elections. The constitutional committee on Tuesday gave the
go-ahead for the former, aimed at revising the country’s Constitution, but the
legal committee is yet to publish its report. If the initiative is voted into
law, it means persons with criminal records can no longer be elected for
Parliament, hold leading positions in the administration or manage public
funds.

TECH FAIR – More than 1,500 digital business solutions for
the retail, IT, cyber security and marketing sectors are on show at the 9th
edition of the GoTech 2020: The New Reality exhibition and conference, held
online on Wednesday and Thursday and organized by Bucharest. The highlights
include new online experiences, the latest tech solutions and an exhibition
space created with 3D technology where visitors can interact with the
exhibitors. The event brings together 16,000 professionals and local and international
companies and is one of the most important in Central and Eastern Europe.

(Translated by C. Mateescu & V. Palcu)