October 3, 2020

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 03.10.2020, 14:11

SUMMIT Prevention measures and the making of a vaccine against the novel
coronavirus were the main issues of the European Council proceedings, which
ended in Brussels on Friday. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von
der Leyen announced that the Union was holding talks with several companies for
the purchase of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. She said the situation is
worrying and that the European states and institutions can overcome this
situation only if they cooperate. Attending the summit, the Romanian president,
Klaus Iohannis, appreciated the EU’s diplomatic efforts for defusing the
situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and reiterated Romania’s solidarity with
Greece and Cyprus, whose sovereignty must be respected. The head of the
Romanian state highlighted the need for a balanced and constructive approach of
the EU-Turkey relations.

PANDEMIC 34.5 million people have been confirmed infected with the novel
coronavirus the world over with a death toll standing at over one million, data
released by the US-based Johns Hopkins University shows. US president Donald
Trump has been admitted to a military hospital after having been infected with
the novel coronavirus, but he has given assurances that he is feeling all right.
The pandemic has a fast advancement in India, which has reported 100 thousand
new cases daily and a total number of infections of 6.4 million people. 100
thousand Indians have so far been killed by the virus. The highest mortality
rate has been reported in Mexico though, where 753 thousand people have been
reported infected and the death toll is around 78 thousand. In Europe, where
several countries are currently facing a second wave of the pandemic,
authorities are increasing the number of restrictions to contain the spreading.
This is the case of Spain, whose capital, Madrid and another eight cities in
the region are in quarantine for another two weeks. New infections have been
reported in Ukraine, Hungary, Russia and Northern Macedonia.

COVID-19 2,064 new COVID-19
infections and 32 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours in Romania.
583 people are in intensive care units. The death toll since the beginning of the
pandemic stands at 4,947 and a total number of over 134.000 cases has been
confirmed. The high number of infections has prompted the country’s
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to request daily checking on the observance of
protection measures. Orban says that where the rate of infection exceeds 1.5
cases per thousand, any activity in restaurants, bars and other indoor
facilities will cease. In another development over 338 education units in
Romania are offering online courses as over 770 students have been confirmed
positive for the novel coronavirus in the past week, according to data released
by the country’s Health Minister Nelu Tataru. He made an appeal for complying
with the hygiene rules to limit the spreading of the virus particularly in schools.
According to Tataru, Romania does not need to impose the state of emergency.

TENNIS Two tennis players from Romania are today vying for a place in the round
of 16 of the Roland Garros tennis tournament. One of them is Irina Bara who is
taking on Sofia Kenin of the US. Kenin is a champion in the Australian Open and
has eliminated another Romanian in the previous round, WTA’s 93rd Ana Bogdan.
Romania’s second representative, Patricia Tig will be up against Fiona Ferro of
France. The odds-on favourite Simona Halep, also from Romania, secured a clear
win against US challenger Amanda Anisimova and will be up against Iga Swiatek
of Poland in the competition’s next round.

(bill)