October 8, 2021

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 08.10.2021, 13:55

Covid-19. Covid infection rates hit
unprecedented levels in Romania. Bucharest passed 12 cases per 1,000
inhabitants and neighbouring villages, as well as the western city of Timişoara and eight other cities passed 10
per 1,000. The incidence rate passed 6 per 1,000 in over 400 towns and
villages. Hospitals are looking for solutions to be able to treat new
admissions. The government
has extended the state of alert for a further 30 days and face masks are
obligatory in all open spaces in areas where the incidence rate is over 6 cases
per 1,000 inhabitants.

Politics. In the run-up to Monday’s talks with
president Klaus Iohannis on the formation of a new government, the National
Liberal Party said its proposal for prime minister is the incumbent occupant
and leader of the party Florin Cîţu, whose cabinet lost a vote of no-confidence
in Parliament this week. The Save Romania Union, formerly in the coalition
government, is willing to return to government, but not with Cîțu as prime minister.
The Social Democrats, in opposition, who initiated the vote that brought down
the government, are saying early elections are the only solution.

Energy. Capping energy prices only moves the
problem from one place to another, with suppliers proposing the reduction or
elimination of the excise duty and the VAT, said the president of the
Association of Energy Suppliers in Romania, Laurenţiu Urluescu. The cap on energy
and natural gas prices mentioned by outgoing prime minister Florin Cîţu is
increasingly discussed in the context of the steep rises of energy costs. Experts
are saying this decision cannot be taken, however, by a caretaker government
and it may be adopted at the first meeting of next government.

Visit. Romania is planning to donate 200,000
doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh, said the Romanian foreign minister
Bogdan Aurescu on Friday, during a joint statement with his Bangladeshi
counterpart Abdul Momen, who is on a visit to Bucharest. The two also signed a
memorandum on the creation of a mechanism for consultation between their
respective foreign ministers to streamline cooperation, including with respect
to the workforce from Bangladesh.

Nobel. Journalists Maria Ressa from the Philippines
and Dmitry Muratov from Russia jointly won the Nobel peace prize for their courageous
fight to defend freedom of expression, the Norwegian Nobel Institute announced
on Friday. The committee said they are representatives of all journalists who
stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press
face increasingly adverse conditions.

Football. Romania are playing many-time
European and world champions Germany this evening in Hamburg in a new Group J
match in the qualifiers of next year’s World Cup tournament in Qatar. In other
group fixtures, Iceland are playing Armenia and Liechtenstein are playing North
Macedonia. After six matches played, Germany top the group with 15 points, followed
by Armenia, with 11, Romania with 10, North Macedonia with 9, Iceland with 4
and Liechtenstein with one point. Only the group winner qualifies straight to
the final tournament, with the second-placed side going into play-offs. Romania
last qualified for a World Cup tournament in 1998 in France. (CM)