November 26, 2020

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 26.11.2020, 13:55

Coronavirus Romania. 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.

Coronavirus 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.

Recovery. The
recovery and Resilience Plan for Romania will be presented publicly this
evening in the presence of president Klaus Iohannis, prime minister Ludovic
Orban and the government. President Iohannis said last weekend that this is a
comprehensive plan and the measures envisaged benefit from over 30 billion
euros of European funding. He also said the plan is about reforms,
infrastructure and many sectors that need to be modernised and revived. He
explained that after being made public, the recovery and resilience plan would
go on to be submitted to public consultation before being presented in Brussels
so that funding be released next year.

Media freedom. The European Parliament is deeply
concerned about the state of media freedom in the European Union, which has
deteriorated amid the pandemic, and is deploring the violence, harassment and
pressure on journalists. In a resolution adopted on Wednesday, the European Parliament
warns of attempts by the governments of some member states to silence critical
and independent media and undermine freedom and pluralism. MEPs are
particularly concerned about the state of public service media in some EU
countries, where they have become an example of pro-government propaganda. The
European Parliament is also critical of governments for invasive interference
in public advertising and emphasises that EU funds must not be spent on
government-controlled media or political propaganda.

Moldova. The president elect of the Republic of
Moldova Maia Sandu has unveiled her priorities.
She said Moldova is facing a crisis in all areas and that things can be solved
through gradual effort aimed in three main directions: a positive foreign
policy to take the country out of isolation; a state budget for next year that
ensures support for the economy; and firm action to combat corruption. Maia
Sandu also said that a visit to Chisinau by the Romanian president Klaus
Iohannis would be organised in the first weeks of her mandate and that she is
also planning to meet Ukraine’s president Volodymyr
Zelensky.

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, and a 3-nil win against Norway Romania was handed by UEFA and a
draw against Northern Ireland in the Nations League competition. Romania are
now in Europe’s top 20. The draw for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will take
place on 7th December. (CM)