October 24, 2020
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 24.10.2020, 14:00
Coronavirus Romania. Romania saw
almost 4,800 new coronavirus cases on Saturday.
More than 205,000 cases have been
confirmed so far, while the death toll passed 6,300. Almost 800 people are in intensive care. Romania is one of
the 23 EU member states where the evolution of the pandemic causes concern in
the Union, both on account of the daily number of new cases among the elderly
population and the death rate, which is the second highest in Europe. The
health minister Nelu Tătaru says Romania is counting the deaths of all persons
infected with coronavirus, regardless of comorbidity, while some states are only
counting the deaths caused by the virus alone.
Coronavirus world. France is the second
country in Europe after Spain to see over 1 million coronavirus cases and the 7th
in the world in terms of total number of infections. With more than 42,000 new
daily cases, two thirds of France’s territory are under state of emergency.
Many other European countries with high numbers of new daily cases have imposed
restrictions. Globally, 42.5 million have been infected and more than 1.1
million have died.
Poll. 60% of Romanians are pleased with the measures taken by EU
institutions to combat the coronavirus pandemic, compared with the European
average of 45%, according to the latest Eurobarometer. 44% of Europeans are
unhappy with the measures taken by the Union to fight the pandemic, but 62% say
they have confidence in the ability of the European institutions to take
correct decisions in the future.
UN. In a statement to mark United Nations Day and the 75th
anniversary of the UN Charter, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu
emphasised the importance of multilateralism and the need for international
cooperation and solidarity, which are constantly reaffirmed through the efforts
to manage the pandemic crisis. The United Nations’ impact is felt in all
corners of the globe, including Romania, said Aurescu. He added that the
commitment to multilateralism is one of the basic pillars of his country’s
foreign policy, alongside EU and NATO membership and its strategic partnership
with the United States. The Emergency Transit Centre for refugees Romania has
been hosting since 2008 in Timişoara, a centre set up through the collaboration
of the Romanian government, the UN High Refugee Agency and the International
Organisation for Migration, demonstrates Romania’s commitment to the
international right of refugees and the principles of solidarity and sharing
responsibilities multilaterally, Aurescu also said in his statement. He also
recalled Romania’s support for the role of the International Court of Justice.
NATO. NATO defence ministers on Friday expressed their support for
Romania and inquired about the health of the Romanian soldiers wounded recently
in an attack in Afghanistan. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said NATO
would in the coming months analyse the possibility of leaving Afghanistan and
called on the Taliban to stand by their pledges. He underlined that NATO
supports Afghanistan and will continue to do so, even if it pulls out its
troops, as long as peace in Afghanistan is achieved by the Afghans themselves.
The Romanian minister Nicolae Ciucă said Romania stands by its commitments and
that Romania’s contribution, planned in a flexible manner, allows for
reconfiguration depending on future allied decisions and the dynamics of
specific operations.
Time change. On Saturday
night, Romania will be switching to winter time, with the local 4 am becoming 3
am, so Sunday, 25th October is the longest day of the year. 2020 may
be the last time the seasonal change of clocks occurs, as the European
Commission has proposed scrapping this practice in Europe. Member states will
be able to choose whether to remain on permanent winter time or summer time.
Countries choosing to stay on summer time will make the last change next March,
while those who wish to remain on winter time will perform the last switch in
October next year. (CM)
