RULING The Court of Appeal in Bucharest on Monday
\ndecided it lacks the material competence needed to rule regarding a request
\nfrom the Department for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) to
\nreopen an inquiry into the activity of the former chiefs of the Gendarme Corps
\nin the file of the protest rallies staged by the Romanians living abroad on
\nAugust 10th 2018 in Bucharest, against the Social Democratic
\ngovernment of that time. The trial has been moved to the Bucharest Court, which
\nhas admitted a request by the former heads of the Romanian Gendarme Corps
\ninvolved in this case. Last week, the Court of Appeal postponed the request. On
\nTuesday the chief prosecutor of DIICOT, Giorgiana Hosu, dismissed the decision
\nto close the case and ordered the recommencement of prosecution against the
\nformer officials of the Romanian Gendarme Corps. The case had been closed in
\nlate June, when the case prosecutor decided that there was neither evidence of
\nan attempted coup, as gendarme officials had claimed at the time, nor evidence
\nthat the crackdown on the protests had been planned beforehand. The reopening
\nof the case must be approved by a judge, and then the investigation will be taken
\nover by the Military Prosecutor’s Office. The former gendarme chiefs will be
\nprobed into, among others, for abuse of office and improper participation in
\nmisrepresentation, abusive conduct and fraud. <\/p>\n
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COVID-19 In Romania, the total number of COVID-19
\ninfections is now over 62,500, with 779 new cases reported on Monday and with
\nthe death toll standing at 2,729, of which 29 in the last 24 hours, according
\nto the Strategic Communication Group. As many as 476 patients are in intensive care units, and over 30,311 have recovered. The
\nlargest numbers of SARS-CoV-2 cases are reported in Bucharest and in the
\ncounties of Suceava (north-east) and Arges (south). Healthcare experts once
\nagain urged citizens to observe protection rules. They warned that private
\nparties or family gatherings do not eliminate infection risks even if they take
\nplace outdoors. Today, the National Public Health Institute decided to include
\nSpain in the yellow risk area. As of Tuesday, all
\nthose who travel from Spain to Romania must self-isolate for 14 days, and all
\nflights from Spain to Romania are cancelled. Meanwhile, Italy has
\nextended itsself-isolation requirement for all people having stayed or
\ntransited Romania up to 14 days before arriving in Italy. The measure will be
\nin place until September 7. Around the globe,
\nsome 20 million cases and 730,000 deaths have been confirmed so far. The US and
\nLatin America are severely affected, in Asia the worst hit country is India, with
\nover 43,000 deaths, while in Africa the worst situation is reported in South
\nAfrica. The Gulf region is also severely hit, with over 600,000 cases
\nconfirmed in Iran and Saudi Arabia alone.<\/p>\n
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FOOTBALL According to the polls cast in
\nNyon, Switzerland, on Monday, Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj will be
\ntaking on Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the second preliminary round of the
\nChampions League if they defeat Floriana FC of Malta in the first round. The
\nmatch against the Croatian champions is due on August 25th or 26th
\nin Romania. CFR will be taking on Floriana on August 18 or 19 in Malta. All the
\ngames in the first three preliminary rounds are to take place in the same time due
\nto the extended 2019-2020 season after the recess imposed by the novel
\ncoronavirus. In Europa League, Romanian side FCSB will be playing Armenian side
\nFC Shirak in Bucharest, while FC Botosani, another side from Romania, will go
\nto Kazakhstan to play the local side Ordabasy. Another Romanian side CSU
\nCraiova will be up against Lokomotiv Tbilisi of Georgia in an away game. All
\nthe matches are due in a single round on August 27th. <\/p>\n
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DEFICIT Romania’s trade deficit for the first 6 months of the
\nyear stands at 8.665 billion euros, up 935.7 million euros since the level
\nreported for the first half of 2019, the National Statistics Institute
\nannounced on Monday. Between January 1 and June 30, Romania’s exports totaled 28.590
\nbillion euros, and imports 37.255 billion euros. During the same period,
\nexports dropped by 18.1%, while imports went down 12.6%, compared to the
\ncorresponding period of 2019.<\/p>\n
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LEBANON Nearly one week after the devastating
\nblast in Beirut, which killed 158 people and injured 6,000, the international
\ncommunity put together an emergency aid package of nearly 253 million Euros for
\nLebanon, and promised it would reach the Lebanese people directly. The money
\nwas pledged at a virtual donor conference hosted by France. An investigation is
\nunderway to clarify the causes of the disaster, and leaders around the world have asked for a transparent inquiry. Meanwhile,
\nin Beirut, protests are growing, having already led to the resignation of 3
\ncabinet ministers. For 2 days in a row, protesters demanded the government
\nshould step down, and accused politicians of incompetence and corruption. Clashes
\nhave been reported between the protesters and the police, with 250 people
\nwounded and 65 hospitalised according to the Lebanese Red Cross. One policeman
\nwas killed.<\/p>\n
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(translated by
\nbill)<\/p>\n
\n
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