October 11, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 11.10.2020, 19:13

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Another 2.880 new cases of COVID-19
and 53 fatalities were reported in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic
Communication announced on Sunday. 628
patients are still in intensive care. The infection rate per thousand
inhabitants in the last 14 days stands at 2.52 in Bucharest, with high rates
also reported in Alba and Valcea counties. The rate is over 1.5 in another nine
counties. If the rate exceeds 3, authorities want to reintroduce certain
restrictions. On Saturday, hundreds of people protested in Bucharest against
restrictions imposed by the authorities to prevent the coronavirus from
spreading. A similar protest was staged in Iasi, the second-most affected city
in the country, where people are disgruntled with the ban on the pilgrimage to
Saint Paraskeva. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said the protests are unfounded,
and anyone who doesn’t observe the regulations in force will be fined.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Health authorities in numerous
states across the world have raised alarm signals regarding the mounting
pressure on national healthcare systems, in the context of a resurge of the
coroanvirus pandemic. There are nearly 37 million confirmed cases of COVID-19
globally, while over a 1million people have died worldwide, 5,500 in the last
24 hours alone, the World Health Organization reports. The figures also very
close to their corresponding marks in spring, when experts said the pandemic
peaked. The European Commission has signed an agreement with Gilead
biopharmaceutical company to receive 500 thousand shots of Remdesivir, an
antiviral drug that has been successfully used so far to treat COVID
infections. All EU member states and some of its neighbors are due to receive dozes.
China has announced its willingness to join the agreement to grant vaccines to
poor countries, an initiative launched by the WHO.

INVESTIGATION – The former head of the National Agency for
Preventing and Combating Money Laundering, Laurenţiu
Baranga, has been placed under home arrest for 24 hours and is accused of
having used forged diplomas, which tribunals have disqualified. According to
investigators, Baranga’s use of fake education certificates allegedly caused a
prejudice worth over a hundred thousand Euro. Baranga resigned after having
taken office just last month, after allegations arose regarding his forged
Baccalaureate diploma, which he obtained aged 32. Liberal Prime Minister
Ludovic Orban denied having any prior knowledge in this respect, saying all
vetting procedures were applied when Baranga’s candidacy was analyzed. Interim
Senate Speaker, Social-Democrat Robert Cazanciuc, said Orban has to step down
for appointing a forgerer in a public office with a direct control of Romania’s
financial dealings.

MEETING – Romania’s Foreign
Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Monday is attending a meeting of EU Foreign
Ministers in Luxembourg. High on the agenda for talks are hot topics such as
the conflict in Nagorno-Karabah, the 2020-2024 EU Action Plan on Human Rights
and Democracy, relations with Russia, the developments in Belarus and
preparations ahead of the EU-Ukraine Summit. Prior to the meeting EU Foreign
Ministers will speak to their Saudi counterpart, Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud

MARATHON – The International Bucharest
Marathon, due to take place on Sunday, was cancelled upon the authorities’
request, due to the negative evolution of the coronavirus pandemic. The
infection rate in Bucharest now stands at 2.52 per thousand inhabitants. 250
professional runners had enrolled in the Bucharest marathon, in an attempt to
qualify to the Olympic Games due to take place in Tokyo next year. We hope the
specific qualities describing a professional marathon runners, such as
determination, endurance and planning, will help them overcome this difficult
moment, all the more so as some of them had already traveled to Bucharest,
coming from other continents, the president of the Bucharest Running Club,
Valeria van Groningen, has said. The decision to cancel the Bucharest
International Marathon will not be affecting runners enrolled in virtual races,
who will be taking part individually in the said events, over October 11-18.
Virtual racers get to pick their own track and start time.

ROWING – Romania has won silver in the
men’s eight+1 event at the European Rowing Championships hosted by Poznan,
Poland. The Romanian women’s eight+1 crew has won gold in a similar event.
Romania has thus won a total of six medals, four gold, one silver and 1 bronze.
The women’s double-scull, the men’s double scull and the women’s pair crews
also won gold. The women’s lightweight double-scull won the bronze medal.
Therefore Romania ranks 3rd in the medals table, outranked by the
Netherlands in top position with eight gold medals, one silver and two bronze,
and Italy, with four gold medals, five silver and two bronze.

HANDBALL – Romanian handball club CSM
Bucharest lost 25-30 away from home on Saturday to Vipers Kristiansand of
Norway, in a match counting towards Champions League Group A. CSM could not
field its top player, Cristina Neagu, the world’s handballer in 2010, 2015,
2016 and 2018, who tested positive for COVID-19. Previously, with Neagu in the
lineup, CSM had won both group fixtures. Scheduled for Sunday in Group B, the
match pitting SCM Ramnicu Valcea against Podravka Koprivnica of Croatia was
postponed, also due to COVID infections reported at the Romanian club. SCM has lost
the first three group matches. In the men’s Champions League, Romanian
champions Dinamo Bucharest will play straight into the Europa League group
phase, due to kick off this month.

(translated by V. Palcu)