January 9, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 09.01.2022, 13:51

Covid-19Ro.The Romanian
authorities expect that in the next period new levels of COVID cases that were
not reached in the previous waves of the pandemic will be reported and stress
the importance of observing individual protection measures, and of vaccination.
With the extension of the alert state, textile or plastic masks are no longer allowed
as of January 8, the date on which several measures imposed in the context of
the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus came into force. Specialist
analyzes have so far confirmed almost 300 cases of Omicron, but epidemiologists
estimate that the actual number of infections with this strain is much higher.
One of the largest providers of private medical services in Romania has
announced that in just one week the percentage of positive Omicron cases in the
studied groups has increased from 35 to 78. Epidemiologists warn that a
difficult period is coming, and Romania is likely to get to report 50,000 daily
cases over the next two weeks, under proper testing. The latest report
indicates just over 4,700 new cases in 24 hours and 14 associated deaths.
Nearly 8 million people have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Pandemic. The United
Kingdom is the first country in Western Europe to exceed 150,000
COVID-associated deaths and the seventh in the world after the United States,
Brazil, India, Russia, Mexico and Peru. Although Omicron seems less dangerous
than the Delta strain, due to the high number of infections, hospitals, which
are affected by lack of medical staff, are being stormed again. In Italy, where
a high level of contamination is also reported, a new government decree in Rome
will come into force in two days, further limiting the activities of people who
have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. On the other hand, protests against
government measures to combat the pandemic took place on Saturday in several
countries. Some 40,000 people protested in Vienna, Austria, where vaccination becomes
mandatory as of next month. Several thousand people also protested in several cities
in Germany and France.

Visit. Romanian Foreign
Minister Bogdan Aurescu will hold political consultations with his Pakistani
counterpart Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi on Monday during his official
visit to Romania. The visit comes amid recent ‘positive dynamics’ in bilateral
relations, including in the wake of Pakistan’s ‘essential support’ for
Romania’s efforts to evacuate from Afghanistan its own citizens, citizens of
allied countries and 156 Afghan citizens at risk in August and September 2021.
The two ministers will discuss ways to develop the bilateral relationship,
deepen political dialogue, as well as economic and sectoral cooperation. During
the visit, a cooperation agreement will be signed between the Romanian Chamber
of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Pakistani Chambers of Commerce
and Industry, as well as a framework cooperation agreement providing for an
exchange of scholarships between the Polytechnic University of Bucharest and
the University of Islamabad.

Negotiations. The United
States and its allies are ready to discuss with Russia, during the talks on
Ukraine, the possibility of each side restricting its military exercises and
the deployment of missiles in the region, a senior US official said. In the
context of the start of crucial talks in Geneva on Monday, a senior Biden
administration official said that the United States was not willing to discuss
limits on the deployment of US troops or the position of US forces in the NATO countries
in the region. The Geneva talks, followed by other sessions in Brussels and
Vienna, are aimed at avoiding a crisis, Reuters reports. The talks take place
in the context in which Russia has amassed some one hundred thousand soldiers
along the border with Ukraine, generating fears that it is preparing for an
invasion. Moscow, however, says it only wants to end NATO’s eastward expansion
and is demanding security guarantees, which the United States considers
unacceptable.

Protests. More than 5,000
people have been arrested in Kazakhstan during violent protests in recent days,
the country’s interior ministry has announced. The biggest wave of protests in
the country was sparked by popular anger over a significant rise in fuel
prices, but turned into a wider uprising against the authoritarian government.
The head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on Friday authorized security forces
to shoot to kill in order to quell any rebellion and, backed by
Russia, refused any negotiations with protesters. Dozens of people lost their
lives. News agencies report that the situation seems to be stabilizing, but the
information blockade continues. Due to internet outages and mobile telephony
issues, Kazakhs are unable to communicate with relatives in other parts of the
country. There are endless queues at banks to withdraw money from ATMs, and
store shelves are empty.

Tennis. Romanian tennis
player Simona Halep won the Melbourne Summer Set 1 (WTA 250) tournament, with 239,477
US dollars in prize money, after defeating the Russian Veronika Kudermetova,
6-2, 6-3. After a 2021 season she largely missed because of health problems,
Halep (20 WTA), former world leader, had a perfect start this year, winning the
23rd title of her career. This was the last rehearsal for Simona Halep before
participating in the Australian Open (January 17-30). (MI)