Covid-19. <\/strong>Romania today reported 812
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Summit. <\/strong>EU leaders meeting in Brussels are expected to
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Magistrates. <\/strong>The president and deputy president of the
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Anniversary. <\/strong>The 32nd
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A roundup of local and international news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-105571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nnew Covid infections and 84 related fatalities, including 19 from an earlier
\ndate. The fortnightly incidence rate in Bucharest continues to drop, now
\nstanding at 0.77 cases per 1,000 inhabitants. Three new Omicron cases were
\nidentified, with the total number reaching 11. The European Commission said it
\nexpects this new variant to become dominant in the European Union by
\nmid-January. The Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was,
\nhowever, confident that the Union has the strength and means to overcome the
\ndisease. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control warned that the rapid
\nincrease in Omicron cases is imminent and that vaccination alone will not
\nprevent transmission. To reduce the burden on healthcare systems, the Centre
\nhas again called for a fast reintroduction and consolidation of the so-called
\nnon-pharmaceutical interventions. <\/p>\n
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\ndiscus the pandemic, vaccination and ways to combat vaccine reticence. Amid
\ngrowing international instability, EU members decided that the Union should
\ntake greater responsibility for its own security. Leaders will therefore also discuss
\nthe consolidation of its cooperation with NATO, which remains the pillar of
\ncollective defence. Other topics on the agenda include the build-up of Russian
\ntroops near the border with Ukraine and the situation in Belarus. Romania’s
\npresident Klaus Iohannis, who is attending the summit, said the significant
\nrise in energy prices should remain a priority for European institutions. He
\nsaid solutions must be found to protect vulnerable consumers and that nuclear
\nenergy and natural gas are options for an accessible energy transition. <\/p>\n
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\nSuperior Council of Magistracy are being elected today in Bucharest. The
\nCouncil is due to make some important appointments this year, including the new
\nheads of the High Court and the judicial inspections department. Running for
\nthe president position are judge Andreea Chi\u015f, from the reformist camp, and judge
\nGabriela Baltag, who has constantly criticised what she called the abuses of
\nthe National Anticorruption Directorate. The Superior Council of Magistracy has
\n19 members: nine judges and five prosecutors, two representatives of civil
\nsociety appointed by the Senate and three automatic members: the justice
\nminister, the president of the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the
\nprosecutor general. Elected members can only serve a single 6-year term. <\/p>\n
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\nanniversary of the start of the Romanian anti-communist revolution of 1989 is
\nmarked today in Timi\u015foara, the city in western Romania where the
\nuprising began. An open door event is held at the Revolution Memorial and
\npupils from 15 schools are laying flowers at the monuments of those killed in
\nthe revolution. Other commemorative events include the screening of a film
\ncalled Remember 89 and a rally held under the motto Heroes Never Die. The day
\nwill end with a folk concert and a midnight church service. Tomorrow, 17th
\nDecember, will be a day of mourning in Timi\u015foara. The anti-communist uprising that would go on to spread across
\nthe country and lead to the fall of the communist regime began in this city on
\n16th December 1989, when a group of demonstrators blocked traffic and
\nthen marched to the city centre chanting anti-regime slogans. The first arrests
\nwere made and the following day the army opened fire on protesters. (CM)<\/p>\n