September 21, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 21.09.2020, 13:55

BELARUS – The Presidents
of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda and Poland, Andrzej Duda
have voiced their joint readiness to support the people of Belarus in building
a democratic path for their country. The Presidents have called on the
international community to join the EU and Member States in a joint effort to
build a positive agenda for Belarus, in addition to a support package aimed at
ensuring political, economic and social transition. The three heads of state
are willing to provide Belarus with their countries’ expertise and know-how to
help implement political and economic reforms, to build independent
institutions and to help build a society based on the observance of human
rights and freedom of speech. The joint statement follows an increase in the
number of allegations over violations of human rights and election fraud in
Belarus. In power for 26 years, President Alexander Lukashenko is often labeled
as Europe’s last dictator.

MEETING – Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today attending the
meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Bucharest. On the sidelines of the meeting,
Aurescu is also taking part in a working breakfast hosted by Svetlana Tikhanovskaya,
the leader of the Belarusian opposition. During the meeting, the EU Foreign
Ministers and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, will
be reviewing the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Lebanon and
Venezuela, as well as EU-China and EU-Russia relations. High on the agenda is
also a strategic debate on the EU’s prospective partnerships with states in the
southern vicinity. The Romanian Foreign Minister will also meet with Miroslav
Lajcak, the EU special representative for Serbia-Kosovo dialogue.

COVID-19 – 808 new infections were reported in the last 24 hours in
Romania, the Group for Strategic Communication announced today. 23 people have
died, taking the death toll to 4,458. So far over 113,500 cases of COVID-19
have been reported in Romania. 90,600 patients have recovered. 464 patients are
in intensive care. The authorities have again called on the population to
observe health safety measures to prevent the pandemic from spreading. Health
Minister Nelu
Tătaru has underlined the importance of vaccination against seasonal flu in
order to prevent a second pandemic. The Romanian official says the first
vaccine shots have already arrived and they will be administered to people in
at-risk categories, including teachers.

SCHOOLS – The Government is today deciding on the number of days
schools that are to host polling stations next Sunday will remain closed.
Ensuring the sanitation of classes will take at least one day, during which
time pupils will follow classes online. In Bucharest, local authorities decided
to suspend classes two days before the election as well. In other news, classes
in over 300 schools are being held exclusively online, and over 4,400 schooling
units are following the hybrid scenario, whereby half of pupils study from home
and the other half in school. In some 13,000 schools all pupils are observing
daily physical class attendance. Candidates in the local election are vying for
one of the 41 positions of presidents of county councils, 3.200 mayor seats,
1.300 county councilmen and 40.000 local councilmen positions. Originally
slated for June, the local election was postponed due to the coronavirus
pandemic, while the mandates of local officials were extended by another six
months.

MARKET – Romania’s
capital market is as of today rated as an emerging market, after the stocks
of the top companies listed at the Bucharest Stock Exchange had been monitored
for three years. The first two companies to be granted an emerging-market index
will be Transylvania Bank and Nuclearelectrica. The two companies will have to meet
liquidity criteria over the next three months.

HANDBALL
– The Romanian women’s handball club CSM Bucharest on Sunday defeated Team
Esbjerg of Denmark 30-29 away from home in Champions League Group A. Also in
Group A, Metz Handball of France defeated SG BBM Bietigheim 36-27. The group leader with 4
points, CSM will next play Rostov-Don of Russia on September 27 at home. On
Saturday, the other Romanian team playing in Champions League, SCM Râmnicu
Vâlcea lost to Odense Handbold of Denmark, 30-21 in Group B. Râmnicu Vâlcea
will next play CSKA Moscow on September 26.

TENNIS – Tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 2, is today playing
in the final of the WTA tournament in Rome, totaling over $2.2 million in prize
money. On Sunday, in the semi-finals, she defeated Garbine Muguruza of Spain,
6-3, 4-6, 6-4. In the final, Halep will take on Karolina Pliskova of the Czech
Republic (4 WTA), who in the semis ousted another Czech player, Marketa
Vondrousova (19 WTA). Aged 28, Halep will play her third final in Rome. In 2017
and 2018 she lost the final to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

(Translated by V. Palcu)