Radio România Internațional

Tag: bear hunting law

  • July 16, 2024

    July 16, 2024

    HEAT WAVE – A code red alert remains in place in Romania, with severe thermal discomfort reported during the interval and the THI expected to exceed 80 units. Thunderstorms are expected to hit mountainous areas, accompanied by strong wind and hail. Temperatures are expected to reach and exceed 42 degrees Celsius during the interval. Restrictions for heavy road traffic have been set in place between 11 AM – 7 PM on all national roads, express roads and motorways, with the exception of four counties in the north. Trains are also running at lower speeds, the National Rail Company saying the measure will remain in force when temperatures at ground level reach 50 degrees Celsius. The authorities have called on the population to use drinking water responsibly. The heat wave has exacerbated the draught, which caused water supply restrictions in nearly 300 settlements. Romania’s 40 reservoirs are now at 80% capacity, and water levels are expected to further drop by the end of the month, authorities say. The Danube River is also reporting decreasing water levels, although no supply issues have so far been reported at the Cernavodă NPP. Extreme heat is also exerting additional pressure on Romania’s energy grid. Romania increased its electricity output by 400 MW amidst growing energy demand, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said at the end of the Energy Ministry Committee meeting. Despite high temperatures and the high demand for electricity at present, there is no risk of blackouts, the Romanian official pointed out

     

     

    BEAR HUNTING – The Chamber of Deputies on Monday approved a draft law tabled by UDMR amending legislation on bear hunting, a document voted last year by the Senate. Under the new law, some 400 brown bears can be shot over 2024-2025, mostly in Covasna, Brașov, Harghita and Mureș counties. The initiative follows last week’s tragedy, when a 19-year-old girl was mauled down by a bear on a popular hiking trail.

     

     

    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT – The new European Parliament starts its activity today. The first plenary session is scheduled today in Strasbourg. MEPs have three days to elect their president, vice-presidents and members of special committees. On Thursday, MEPs are voting on Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for a second term at the helm of the European Commission. Von der Leyen has already secured the support of heads of state and government from EU Member States, and needs at least 361 of the total number of 720 eligible votes. The European People’s Party remains the number one political force in the European Parliament, having won 188 seats in the June election. The Social-Democrats won 136 seats, while Renew grabbed 177. The three parties together hold enough votes to get von der Leyen re-elected. Not all MEPs representing these parties are expected to vote for her, which is why the former European Commission president is trying to secure the support of the Greens. The 720 MEPs are today voting to elect their new president, with Roberta Metsola of the EPP favorite to win a new term in office. Also today, MEPs will choose the structure of the Permanent Bureau, consisting of 14 vice-presidents and 5 quaestors. Two Romanian MEPs are running for the position for vice-president – Social-Democrat Victor Negrescu and Nicolae Ștefănuță, an unaffiliated MEP backed by the Greens.

     

     

    TRUMP – The Republican Party on Monday nominated Donald Trump as the official candidate for the US presidential election, scheduled for November 5. The announcement was made at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee, held over July 15-18. In turn, Donald Trump nominated Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his vice-president should he win the election. A former critic of Trump turned staunch supporter, J.D. Vance (39) is a former US serviceman and successful writer. As a Senator, he has constantly militated for topics close to Donald Trump, such as combating migration and defending economic protectionism. The Republican Convention is held after last weekend Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania. The gunman fired a bullet at Trump, piercing his left ear and killing a member of the audience. Another two people were gravely injured before Secret Service staff killed the attacker. According to the FBI, the 20-year-old gunman had acted alone and used a legally bought firearm.

     

     

    FOOTBALL – Romania’s football champions, FCSB are today playing Virtus AC of San Marino at home in the return leg of the Champions League first preliminary round. FCSB won 7-1 in the first leg. If it qualifies to the next round, FCSB will play Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel. Romanian Cup winners Corvinul Hunedoara, CFR Cluj and Universitatea Craiova are the other teams representing Romania in European inter-club competitions. (VP)

  • July 15, 2024 UPDATE

    July 15, 2024 UPDATE

    HEAT WAVE – A code red alert remains in place for the next 24 hours in Romania, with severe thermal discomfort reported during the interval and the THI expected to exceed 80 units. Thunderstorms are expected to hit mountainous areas, accompanied by strong wind and hail. Authorities are taking measures to protect the population from the effects of the heat wave. Road traffic restrictions have been set in place on certain road segments, particularly for heavy traffic, while trains will run at lower speeds.

     

     

    ENERGY – Romania increased its electricity output by 400 MW amidst growing energy demand, Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said at the end of the Energy Ministry Committee meeting. Despite high temperatures and the high demand for electricity at present, there is no risk of blackouts, the Romanian official pointed out, adding that certain works on the electrical grid have been postponed to prevent power cuts. As regards energy prices, Burduja said Romania’s access to energy imports offsets price hikes, although it is normal for prices to go up when demand is high. Right now, Romania’s energy input is by 1,000 MW higher than domestic production, mostly due to the near-continuous functioning of air-conditioning appliances, the Association of Energy Prosumers and Communities says. On the other hand, Romania’s primary energy resources dropped by 5%, while its electricity resources also went down 2.4% in the first five months of the year compared to the similar period of 2023, the National Statistics Institute reports.

     

     

    FDI – Foreign direct investments from non-Romanian residents went up by over 35% in the first five months of the year compared to the similar period of 2023, exceeding 3.3 bln EUR, the National Bank of Romania reports. Some 2,900 entities with foreign capital were set up in Romania during the interval, down by 1.2% compared to the first five months of 2023, according to Trade Registry data. 26% of enterprises with foreign capital were registered in the fields of wholesale and retail, car and motto repairs, followed by professional, administrative, scientific and technical activities with 21.5%, transport, storage and communication with 17.8%. At the end of May 2024, over 254 thousand companies with foreign capital operated in Romania, with the total value of subscribed capital standing at over 70.6 bln USD.

     

     

    BEAR HUNTING – The Chamber of Deputies on Monday approved a draft law tabled by UDMR amending legislation on bear hunting, a document voted last year by the Senate. Under the new law, some 400 brown bears can be shot over 2024-2025, mostly in Covasna, Brașov, Harghita and Mureș counties. The initiative follows last week’s tragedy, when a 19-year-old girl was mauled down by a bear on a popular hiking trail. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu gave assurances the amendment will not greenlight bear hunting, as some NGOs fear, as the legislative initiative was designed to prevent bear attacks and damages in human settlements.

     

     

    WAR IN UKRAINE – Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has for the first time agreed to Moscow participating in a new international peace summit, which he wants to host. According to international media, the second summit is expected to pick up talks held last month in Switzerland, when Moscow was not invited to attend. Zelenskyy is expected to propose a new peace plan, which Kyiv will finalize by November. We recall Moscow rejected the peace plan announced by president Zelenskyy in Switzerland, calling on Kyiv to renounce the four territories annexed by Russia in addition to Crimea and demanding guarantees Ukraine would not join NATO.

     

     

    TRUMP – Former US president Donald Trump on Monday scored another legal victory after a Florida judge dismissed the criminal case accusing Trump of keeping classified documents after leaving the White House. Prosecutors are likely to appeal the ruling. Trump was brought to court along with two of his personal assistants for manipulating       sensitive national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Donald Trump hailed the court ruling on his social network, Truth Social, describing it as “just the first step”, calling for the dismissal of all four criminal cases against him. The former White House leader was accused of having compromised national security by keeping the documents, which included military plans and information on nuclear weapons, instead of handing them over to the National Archives, as stipulated by the law. Another law on espionage prevents officials from keeping confidential documents in unauthorized and insecure places. Donald Trump is also accused of having tried to destroyed case evidence, and faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years. (VP)