COVID-19 Nearly 10,000 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported for
\nthe last 24 hours in Romania, along with 36 related deaths, the authorities
\nannounced on Thursday. The incidence rate is on the rise around the country,
\nincluding in the capital Bucharest, where it passed 3 cases per 1,000
\ninhabitants, the city now being in the red tier. This means that restaurants,
\ncinemas, gyms and other venues can open at 30% capacity. Also, schools where
\nthe vaccine uptake among staff is under 60% will switch to online teaching.
\nSome 1.8 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in Romania since the
\nstart of the pandemic, and around 60,000 COVID patients died. Amid anti-vaccine
\nfeelings fuelled by certain media outlets, politicians and opinion leaders,
\nRomania has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the EU. <\/p>\n
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PROTEST Public education staff are today picketing the headquarters of the
\ngovernment and of the Social Democratic Party and National Liberal Party in
\npower. Trade unions in the sector are unhappy
\nwith the government’s failure to increase wages as stipulated by the 2017
\nSalary Law. The protest is organised by the 3 major trade union federations in
\nthe sector, which argue that the teachers’ net pay raise of only 13 euro per
\nmonth as of January 1 triggered overwhelming discontent among employees. The 3
\nfederations are currently holding a poll to decide whether to go on strike over
\nthe matter.<\/p>\n
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MEETING Europe’s security architecture is being
\ndiscussed today by the EU foreign and defence ministers, convening in a meeting
\nin Brest organised by the French presidency of the EU Council. EU defence
\nministers will focus on the situation in Ukraine and the threat posed by
\nRussia’s military build-up on the Ukrainian border. Another topic on the agenda
\nis the Strategic Compass project, a roadmap for the Union’s security and
\ndefence by 2030, which stipulates the deployment of 5,000 troops in crisis
\nsituations by 2025. The talks in Brest will be followed by an
\ninformal 2-day meeting of the EU foreign ministers, attended by the High Representative of the European Union
\nfor Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell. Romania
\nis represented by Bogdan Aurescu. The agenda includes the security developments
\nin the Eastern Neighbourhood, the EU-China relations and the developments in Mali.
\nBogdan Aurescu will present Romania’s assessment of the current security
\nsituation and will reiterate the importance of preserving the unity of the EU
\nand of maintaining firm and credible deterrence measures concerning Russia.<\/p>\n
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OSCE The Permanent Council of the OSCE convenes
\nin Vienna today to carry on the dialogue between Russia, the US and its
\nEuropean allies. After tense discussions in Geneva between the US deputy
\nsecretary of state Wendy Sherman and Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei
\nRyabkov, on Wednesday in Brussels NATO and Moscow found that deep differences
\nremain between their views on security in Europe. The West sees Moscow’s about
\n100,000 troops deployed on the Ukrainian border as an indication of an
\nimpending attack on that country, a plan that Russia denies.NATO’s
\nsecretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said there is a real risk for a new armed
\nconflict in Europe, and added that it is up to Russia to de-escalate and
\nend the crisis. In turn, the EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell accused Russia of
\nattempting to rebuild the Soviet bloc in Europe and to divide the US and Europe. Moscow,
\non the other hand, says the military build-up is a response to the perceived
\ngrowing and threatening presence of NATO in its area of influence.<\/p>\n
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TENNIS The Romanian players taking part in the Australian
\nOpen, due to begin on Monday, have found out their opponents. In the first
\nround, Simona Halep (15 WTA and 2018 Australian Open finalist) takes on
\nPoland’s Magdalena Frech. Sorana C\u00eerstea (38 WTA) will have a difficult match
\nagainst Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (21 WTA). Irina Begu (58 WTA) plays
\nagainst the French Oceane Dodin (96 WTA), and Jaqueline Cristian (73 WTA) will
\ntake on Greet Minnen of Belgium (84 WTA), in her first match at the Australian
\nOpen. Gabriela Ruse (82 WTA), also for the first time in Melbourne, will play
\nagainst the Italian Jasmine Paolini (52 WTA). (tr. A.M. Popescu)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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