End of Romanian Air Force mission in Mali
A Romanian Air Force team put an end to its more than one-year peace keeping mission in Mali. A closing ceremony is scheduled at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base near the Black Sea port of Constantza on Tuesday. The Carpathian Pumas Detachment of 120 troops and four Puma helicopters was involved in more than 380 military operations. The Romanian force was part of United Nation’s Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali known as MINUSMA. The Romanian military came in support of UN’s efforts to assist the Malian government in implementing a peace agreement, protecting civilians and preventing the return of hostile elements to civilian areas. Nearly five years after signing a peace agreement with northern armed groups, Mali finds itself in a deteriorating security crisis as the document known simply as ‘the Accord’ has failed to fulfil its promise.
Romania’s third rectified budget approved
As Romania’s budget deficit hit 9.1 percent of the GDP, the Cabinet approved a new budget, the third since the outbreak of the health crisis early this year. The rectified budget is supposed to give pride of place to sectors suffering most from consequences of the epidemic including investment, healthcare, social services and education. The final document also included an emergency order regulating sales of agricultural land. However, the World Bank classified Romania as a high-income country for the first time based on 2019 data.
Romania’s coronavirus updates
Romania reported 7,753 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, according to data issued by the country’s Strategic Communication Group (GCS). 1,204 people were under intensive care while 304,188 people recovered. The number of deaths hit 10,373 while the number of cases confirmed reached 430,605. The capital Bucharest closed its schools switching to online learning for at least two weeks after the city recorded more than three cases of coronavirus per 1,000 residents. By November 24, most affected regions in Romania were capital Bucharest, and the counties of Suceava (north-eastern Romania), Brașov (central Romania), Prahova (southern Romania), and Iassy (north-eastern Romania).
Alexandru Danga, RADOR
