June 24, 2020
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 24.06.2020, 14:03
CORONAVIRUS — Another 321 new infections have been reported in Romania, bringing the total number of people who tested positive to coronavirus to 24,826, according to the authorities. Most new infections have been reported in the capital Bucharest and in the northeastern county of Suceava. Of the people having tested positive for COVID-19, more than 17,100 have recovered and 1,555 have died. As many as 3,605 Romanian citizens abroad have been infected, of whom 115 have died. In Romania, people infected with the new coronavirus with little or no symptoms at all will be hospitalized for only 10 days, after which they will stay in home isolation for 14 days under the supervision of the family doctor, according to health minister Nelu Tataru.
RUSSIA – Victory Day is celebrated today Russia with military parades, to mark 75 years since the then USSR defeated Nazi Germany. Initially scheduled for May 9th, the events were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The main event, a military parade held in the country’s capital city, included the participation of soldiers from 13 countries. The celebrations are held a week before a controversial nationwide vote on constitutional amendments that are expected to pave the way for Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036. In April, Putin’s popularity rate dropped to 59% the lowest in two decades.
MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies is today voting on a simple motion initiated by the Social Democrats against the Liberal health minister Nelu Tataru. The Social Democrats accuse him of having failed to properly manage the health crisis, thus placing Romania on top position in a classification of countries from the region rated according to the number of COVID-19 deaths reported in one million inhabitants. The motion signatories also claim that the health ministry is preventing people with chronic diseases from getting specialized treatment. In reply, minister Tataru deplored what he considers the politicization of the health crisis and said that the opposition should get involved in solving the situation in a constructive manner.
FOOTBALL – The football teams Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe and CSM Poli Iasi are today playing the first match in the Romania’s Cup semifinals. Dinamo will be up against FCSB in the other semifinal on Thursday. The final will be held on July 22 in Craiova. The domestic football championship, suspended during in March, has been resumed this week.
WEATHER – As many as 3 people have died in Romania in the past few days, in the flooding that swept a number of regions. Material damage is also significant and the weather does not seem to improve. Hydrologists have issued a code red alert for flooding for the rivers Tisa in Maramures county and Prut in Botosani county. Also, the north, centre and east of the country are under a code orange alert for unsettled weather. Maximum temperatures range from 21 to 30 degrees C.
ANNOUNCEMENT – The short wave transmitters in Galbeni, eastern Romania, that beam Radio Romania International’s programmes will be closed for maintenance works on Thursday, June 25th, between 9 am and 5 pm, Romania’s time (06.00 — 14.00 GMT). The English programme for English-speaking Africa, the French programme for Western Europe, the programme in Arabic for Mashrek and the programme in Romanian for Western Europe will be disturbed. During the above mentioned interval, you can listen to our broadcasts on the short wave transmitters in Tiganesti, and also on the Internet, at www.rri.ro, on the mobile applications available on Google Play and App Store, via sattelite Eutelsat 16A and, for the English programme only, on the fixed and mobile phone. Thank you.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
