November 26, 2020 UPDATE

november 26, 2020 update A roundup of domestic and international news

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA - The country's Supreme Defense Council on December 3 will examine the national anti-COVID-19 vaccination strategy, the Presidency announced on Thursday. The strategy was previously adopted in a Government session. President Klaus Iohannis expressed hope that, the moment the first results of the new anti-COVID-19 vaccine come out, people will be less reluctant to take the shot. Almost 450,000 people have had Covid-19 in Romania since the start of the outbreak, with some 9,000 new cases and 171 new deaths reported on Thursday. 1,226 people are receiving intensive care treatment. A number of villages around Bucharest are in lockdown. People's health comes first and easing restrictions too early risks undoing the progress made, said president Klaus Iohannis. He explained that, according to statistical data, new infections have begun to drop slightly countywide over the last six days.



COVID-19 IN THE WORLD - Global coronavirus cases pass 60 million and the death toll 1.42 million. The US, which is the worst hit country in the world, has recorded 13 million cases and at least 268,000 deaths. In Europe, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the first European citizens may be vaccinated before the end of December. In a speech before the European Parliament, she said EU member states should start preparing the logistics for the deployment of the vaccine doses. The European Union on Wednesday signed a contract with the American biotechnology company Moderna for 160 million doses of its vaccine, which offers 94.5% protection. Meanwhile, most countries are struggling with high infection rates. Despite this, France, Ireland and the UK have announced plans to ease restrictions around Christmas, to allow people to visit friends and families.



PLAN- The Recovery and Resilience Plan for Romania was presented on Thursday by President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. Under the plan, Romania will be allotted €30 billion worth of European funds, to be invested in reforms, infrastructure and many sectors that need to be modernized and revived. The Recovery and Resilience Plan will be submitted to public consultation before being presented in Brussels, so that funding be released next year.



MOLDOVA - The European Union has paid the first installment worth €50-million to the Republic of Moldova as part of the financial agreement signed this summer. The purpose of this loan, the total value of which amounts to €100 million, is to reduce restrictions on external funding, lowering the balance of payments and meeting budgetary needs, the Moldovan Finance Minister has said. Moldova's President elect, Maia Sandu, thanked the EU for its financial support, saying it is crucial to keeping the economy healthy. On the other hand, the Moldovan official said the first weeks of her mandate will be devoted to organizing the visit to Chişinău to be paid by Romania's president, Klaus Iohannis.



BORDER POLICE - The Romanian Border Police have apprehended six Syrian nationals who crossed illegally into Romania on the Bulgarian border. Five adults aged 17-35 and a 10-year-old child, the migrants were in route to a West-European country. They have been taken into custody by Bulgarian authorities who will conduct an investigation. 3 Moroccan nationals aged 26-36 were also detained on the Hungarian border, also claiming they were headed for Western Europe.



MARADONA - The former great Romanian player Gheorghe Hagi deplores the death of Diego Maradona, saying he was unique and an inspiration to him for his love of the game. Hagi was often compared with the Argentina star player and was even called "Maradona from the Carpathians" at the peak of his career. The former Romanian international player Miodrag Belodedici also paid tribute to Maradona, saying he considers him to be the best player in history. Maradona died from heart attack aged 60 at his home in Buenos Aires on Thursday. He won the World Cup with the national side in 1986, but was eliminated from the 1994 world championship  after testing positive for doping. After struggling with drug use, overeating and alcoholism for many years, Maradona reinvented himself and took over the management of the Argentinean national side in 2008. Three days of national mourning were declared in Argentina after his death.



FIFA RANKING - Romania went up 7 places to the 37th position in the FIFA ranking published today, so they will be in pot two for the 2022 World Cup qualifying draw. The leap made by Romania in the world ranking comes after its results in November: a 5-3 win against Belarus in a friendly match, a 3-nil win against Norway Romania was handed by UEFA and a draw against Northern Ireland in the Nations League competition. Romania is now in Europe's top 20. The draw for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will take place on 7th December. (C. Mateescu & V. Palcu) 



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Publicat: 2020-11-26 20:00:00
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