October 11, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 11.10.2020, 13:53

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another 2.880 new cases of COVID-19
and 53 fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic
Communication announced on Sunday. 628
patients are still in intensive care. The infection rate per thousand
inhabitants in the last 14 days stands at 2.52 in Bucharest, with high rates
also reported in Alba and Valcea counties. The rate is over 1.5 in another nine
counties. If the rate exceeds 3, authorities want to reintroduce certain
restrictions. On Saturday, hundreds of people protested in Bucharest against
restrictions imposed by the authorities to prevent the coronavirus from
spreading. A similar protest was staged in Iasi, the second-most affected city
in the country, where people are disgruntled with the ban on the pilgrimage to
Saint Paraskeva. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said the protests are unfounded,
and anyone who doesn’t observe the regulations in force will be fined.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Health authorities in numerous
states across the world have raised alarm signals regarding the mounting
pressure on national healthcare systems, in the context of a resurge of the
coroanvirus pandemic. There are nearly 37 million confirmed cases of COVID-19
globally, while over a 1million people have died worldwide, 5,500 in the last
24 hours alone, the World Health Organization reports. The figures also very
close to their corresponding marks in spring, when experts said the pandemic
peaked. The European Commission has signed an agreement with Gilead
biopharmaceutical company to receive 500 thousand shots of Remdesivir, an
antiviral drug that has been successfully used so far to treat COVID
infections. All EU member states and some of its neighbors are due to receive
dozes. China has announced its willingness to join the agreement to grant
vaccines to poor countries, an initiative launched by the WHO.

ELECTION – A partial local
election is held on Sunday in a city and three villages in Romania, where
officials could not be elected on September 27. In the three villages the first
two candidates were tied in terms of number of votes and will face each other
in the second round, while in Moldova Noua city the vote on September 27 was
invalidated due to irregularities linked to the voting procedure. In last
month’s election Social-Democrat Gabriela Firea missed her chance to win a
second mandate at the helm of the Bucharest City Hall, losing to independent
candidate Nicuşor Dan, backed by the National Liberal Party and the Save
Romania Union – PLUS Alliance. Candidates backed by the Liberals and the
Alliance won three of the six districts of Bucharest. Nationwide, the
Social-Democratic Party won 20 county councils, the Liberals 17 and the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania 4.

INVESTIGATION – The head of the National Agency for
Preventing and Combating Money Laundering, Laurenţiu
Baranga, has been detained for 24 hours and is accused of having used forged
diplomas, which tribunals have disqualified. According to investigators,
Baranga’s use of fake education certificates allegedly caused a prejudice worth
over a hundred thousand Euro. Baranga resigned after having taken office just
last month, after allegations arose regarding his forged Baccalaureate diploma,
which he obtained aged 32. Liberal Prime Minister Ludovic Orban denied having
any prior knowledge in this respect, saying all vetting procedures were applied
when Baranga’s candidacy was analyzed. Interim Senate Speaker, Social-Democrat
Robert Cazanciuc, said Orban has to step down for appointing a forgerer in a
public office with a direct control of Romania’s financial dealings.

MARATHON – The International
Bucharest Marathon, due to take place on Sunday, was cancelled upon the
authorities’ request, due to the negative evolution of the coronavirus
pandemic. The infection rate in Bucharest now stands at 2.52 per thousand
inhabitants. 250 professional runners had enrolled in the Bucharest marathon,
in an attempt to qualify to the Olympic Games due to take place in Tokyo next
year. We hope the specific qualities describing a professional marathon
runners, such as determination, endurance and planning, will help them overcome
this difficult moment, all the more so as some of them had already traveled to Bucharest,
coming from other continents, the president of the Bucharest Running Club,
Valeria van Groningen, has said. The decision to cancel the Bucharest
International Marathon will not be affecting runners enrolled in virtual races,
who will be taking part individually in the said events, over October 11-18.
Virtual racers get to pick their own track and start time.

HANDBALL – Romanian handball club CSM
Bucharest lost 25-30 away from home on Saturday to Vipers Kristiansand of
Norway, in a match counting towards Champions League Group A. CSM could not
field its top player, Cristina Neagu, the world’s handballer in 2010, 2015,
2016 and 2018, who tested positive for COVID-19. Previously, with Neagu in the
lineup, CSM had won both group fixtures. Scheduled for Sunday in Group B, the
match pitting SCM Ramnicu Valcea against Podravka Koprivnica of Croatia was
postponed, also due to COVID infections reported at the Romanian club. SCM has
lost the first three group matches. In the men’s Champions League, Romanian
champions Dinamo Bucharest will play straight into the Europa League group
phase, due to kick off this month.

FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football
team is today playing Norway in Nations League Group B. Romania is top of the
group tables after drawing 1-all at home against Northern Ireland and defeating
Austria 3-2. On Thursday, Romania missed the chance to qualify to the 2020
European Championship after losing 1-2 to Iceland in the playoff semis.

(translated by V.
Palcu)