October 31, 2021 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 31.10.2021, 23:09

GOVERNMENT Romania’s Prime Minister designate, Liberal Nicolae Ciuca on
Sunday summoned the candidates for the position of ministers in his minority
PNL-UDMR cabinet for talks over the ruling programme before the Parliament
hearing scheduled for Tuesday. Most of the nominees have also served in the
cabinets headed by Liberals Ludovic Orban and Florin Citu. The Foreign Ministry
is headed by career diplomat Bogdan Aurescu, Lucian Bode is to take over the
Interior Ministry, Virgil Popescu is to become in charge of the Ministry of
Energy, Raluca Turcan will be heading the Labour Ministry, Sorin Campeanu, the
Ministry of Education and Tanczos Barna, the Environment Ministry. UDMR leader
Kelemen Hunor will be deputy Prime Minister. About Alina Gorghiu, who is expected
to take over the Justice Ministry, papers in Romania wrote that she tried to
promote a controversial draft law, which might have undermined the
anti-corruption fight as it allowed for prison sentences under 7 years to be
commuted to house arrest. The new cabinet is to be sworn in on Wednesday but
its rejection could pave the way for snap election, which would be a first for
Romania in the past 30 years of its post-communist democracy.

COVID-19 The latest data provided by the authorities monitoring the pandemic in
Romania show a decrease in the number of infections although the number of
fatalities remains higher. Over 74 hundred new cases have been confirmed in the
past 24 hours in Romania while 427 people have been killed by the virus.
Capital city Bucharest is reporting a decrease in the infection rate, which has
presently reached 14.35 per thousand from 15 reported a couple of weeks ago. 89
thousand people have been vaccinated in Romania in the past 24 hours and the
total number of those fully vaccinated has exceeded 6.2 million. The country’s
vaccine rollout has gained momentum and authorities believe that if maintained,
by the end of the year, Romania will have 70% of its population vaccinated.
Germany has dispatched a medical team to Romania to sort the patients who can
get treatment in German hospitals, where they can be flown by a plane belonging
to German Air Forces. In another development, the National Committee for
Emergency Situations in Romania has updated its list of the countries with a high
infection risk, placing the Netherlands and Russia in the red tier. Malaysia,
Cuba, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein and Jordan are in the yellow tier.

DAY The Romanian public radio on Monday celebrates 93 years since
its first broadcast on November 1st 1928. Unlike in the previous
years, the anniversary takes place under the conditions imposed by the Covid-19
pandemic and an atmosphere of severe austerity. In 2017, the leftist government
led by PSD leader Liviu Dragnea, who subsequently served a prison sentence for
corruption, ruled to remove the so-called radio-TV fee paid by subscribers and
the two institutions be founded from the state budget. A social survey
conducted by the former interim administration shows that the institution
presently relies on unmotivated, aging personnel. 80% of the respondents have
been working in the public radio for at least 16 years. Little over 20 percent
of them believe the institution offers them opportunities for professional
development and about three quarters believe they aren’t paid properly in
accordance with the labour market in Romania.

CONFERENCE As of today, Glasgow in Scotland is hosting the he 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26).
The event is expected to bring together over 120 heads of state and government
who are going to tackle the climate change, one of the world’s greatest
challenges at present. COP 26, which is expected to take place until November
12th plays an essential role in the implementation of the Paris
agreement with a view to limiting global warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Romania is being represented at COP 26 by its president Klaus Iohannis who is
expected to attend the World Leaders’ Summit over November 1st and 2nd.

TENNIS Romanian-Georgian pair made up of Irina Bara and Ekaterina
Gorgodze on Sunday won the doubles finals of the tennis tournament Transylvania
Open staged in Cluj-Napoca, north-western Romania. The two secured a 4-6, 6-1,
11-9 win against Alexandra Krunic of Serbia and Lesley Pattinam Kerkhove of the
Netherlands. Also on Sunday, Romanian tennis player Simona Halep lost to Anett
Kontaveit of Estonia 2-6, 3-6 in the finals of this competition.

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