Radio România Internațional

Tag: code orange alerts

  • August 19, 2024 UPDATE

    August 19, 2024 UPDATE

    GROWTH According to the Fiscal Council, this year Romania may register an economic growth under the 3.4% the government initially forecast. In its annual report published on Monday, the Council, which is an independent institution, has drawn attention to the fact that the budget deficit at the end of this year will exceed 7% of the GDP. The new pension law and the pay rises in the public sector are expected to generate additional costs in the second half of the year. According to the Council representatives, Romania needs concrete and credible policies to support fiscal-budgetary consolidation on medium term – both in terms of incomes and improving the tax-collection process.

     

    HEAT A persistent heat wave has engulfed Romania, where code red, orange and yellow alerts have been in place for a couple of days now. Extremely high temperatures have been reported in most of the regions with a Temperature-Humidity Index above 80 units. The highs of the day are ranging between 29 and 39 degrees Celsius. For a couple of days now, Romania’s capital city Bucharest has been seeing temperatures of 37-38 degrees Celsius.

     

    ATHENS Romanian firefighters are carrying on operations of putting out wildfires in Greece, especially in the region of Attica. Several fire engines are being employed for this mission, including a special one able to carry 30 thousand liters of water. In this mission, the Romanian firefighters are operating under the coordination of their Greek counterparts who are monitoring the situation in the regions with a higher risk of wildfires. Since August 14th the Romanian Air Forces have also been carrying out firefighting missions in Albania, a country, which is also facing the danger of wildfires.

     

    PENSIONS Millions of Romanian pensioners will receive pension benefits based on a new calculation formula as of September 1st. Authorities promise this new system would remove all inequities in the pension system. According to official data, after recalculation the average public pension benefits will increase from around 460 Euros to around 540 Euros. The finance minister, Marcel Boloș, says that in the forthcoming period the pressure on the public deficit will increase. Under the new regulations, in order to receive public pension benefits in Romania the minimum payment contribution period will be 15 years, with the retirement age planned to reach 65 for both men and women in 2035.

     

    RABLA A new session of the “Rabla Plus” national car scrapping programme, aimed at facilitating the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles by individuals, public institutions and local administration units, was launched on Monday. According to the Environment Fund Authority, applicants receive a voucher for the purchase of a new vehicle, in return for scrapping 1 or 2 vehicles older than 6 years. The voucher for the purchase of an EV is worth approx. EUR 5,000, and the one for a hybrid car or electric motorcycle is around EUR 2,600, irrespective of the number of cars scrapped. For public institutions, the voucher amounts to EUR 24,000.

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  • August 15, 2024

    August 15, 2024

    DAY Speaking in Constanta (the biggest Romanian sea port) during the festivities staged on Navy Day, the country’s president Klaus Iohannis said that Romania is acknowledged and appreciated by allies as a solid pillar of regional security and a major contributor to the process of consolidating NATO’s deterrence posture on the eastern flank. Here on the Black Sea coast, close to the aggression war, Russia is waging on Ukraine, we are clearly seeing more than ever the political, diplomatic and military efforts of Bucharest in the past years, the president went on to say. Thanks to these, Romania is today benefitting from the most solid guarantees of security, and its citizens are defended and protected against any potential threats. Iohannis told the sailors that the devotion, tenacity and the spirit of sacrifice, which define them, are an example of excellence, and the Romanian Naval Forces are a symbol of the national strength and resilience. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has also congratulated and thanked the sailors. ‘Many happy returns’ on this holy day of August 15th the day of St. Mary, the protector of sailors all over the world, Ciolacu wrote on a social network. Today, 122 years since the first celebration of Navy Day, Romania’s Naval Forces are staging a series of events, such as demonstrative exercises, exhibitions of armament and military equipment, interactive workshops, cultural activities and concerts of military music in the major cities on the Black Sea coast, on the Danube and even in capital city Bucharest.

     

    St. MARY Orthodox believers, who are a majority in Romania, and Catholics are today celebrating the Assumption of Mary, or St. Mary, an event which marks the Assumption into Heaven of Mary, the Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. St. Mary is the most appreciated human being by Christians after the Holy Trinity, whom they frequently invoke in their prayers. St. Mary is the patron saint of the largest number of monasteries in Romania and pilgrims, in large numbers, have already taken to these monasteries, which are renowned for their miracle-working icons and relics.

     

    WEATHER Romania’s Administration of Meteorology has today issued a series of code red, yellow and orange alerts for extremely hot weather in most of the Romanian territory. Temperatures are expected to range between 39 and 41 degrees Celsius in seven counties in the west and south-west. Another orange alert has been issued for the counties in the north-west, center and south with a temperature-humidity index over 80 units. The lows of the day will not go below 18 degrees Celsius in most regions and  Bucharest is in for more hot days and tropical nights, with soaring temperatures up to 39 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists say that the heat wave presently affecting the country is going to be felt for the next several days in most of its territory.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s vice-champions, CFR Cluj, today take on the Israeli side Maccabi Petach Tikva in the second round of the third preliminary leg of the Conference League. The first match went to CFR 1-0. On Wednesday, Romania’s Cup holder Corvinul Hunedoara came a cropper 6-1 to FC Astana of Kazakhstan and left the competition. The Romanians also lost the first game 2-1. We recall that title holder FCSB was knocked out of the Champions League 3-2 on Tuesday in Bucharest by Czech side Sparta Prague. The first match ended in one-all draw and FCSB will be playing in the Europa League’s play-off against Austrian side Lask Linz.

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  • Heavy rain across Romania

    Heavy rain across Romania

    Counties in western and southwestern Romania are until
    Tuesday under a code orange alert for heavy rain. Rainfall volumes are expected
    to range from 40 to even 60 liters per square meter. Meteorologists have also
    issued a code orange alert against severe instability for areas in the west,
    southwest, center and the south, as well as for the Southern and Western
    Carpathians. During the interval, heavy rain, electric storms and hail are
    expected, as well as strong wind. The targeted areas were also affected by
    heavy rainfall last weekend as well.

    In Timișoara, the local sewage system was overrun.
    Additionally, 50 tons of waste clogged the water filtering station. Timișoara was
    under a code red alert against heavy rain, and all employees of the public
    water utility and filtering stations had troubles coping. The fire department
    also intervened in the wake on Sunday’s downpour in order to clear fallen trees
    and drain water from a number of households, yards and social and economic
    buildings in a nearby village. A RO-ALERT warning message was sent to the local
    population. The city of Reșița in Caraș-Severin County in the southwest was
    also affected by heavy rain. Firefighter teams responded to drain water from
    dozens of courtyards and basements. Due to uprooted trees and debris, rail
    traffic was disrupted. A train travelling from Timișoara to Reșița reported delays
    while another one was cancelled.

    In the northwestern county of Bihor, in the
    city of Oradea, the wind uprooted several trees, damaging nearby cars. A
    subterranean parking lot in a shopping center was flooded, in addition to a
    number of access roads. In a nearby village, firefighters evacuated a woman
    with walking disability who was stranded in her own home. Military firefighters
    intervened in another 10 emergency missions to drain water from flooded
    courtyards, cellars and garages. Rescuers used a number of electric pumps.
    Inhabitants of various settlements in Bihor also received RO-ALERT warning
    messages. Similar issues caused by the heavy rain were also signaled in Sibiu
    and Alba counties. In Alba, dozens of households and basements were flooded on
    Sunday evening in the wake of flash floods, while basements of residential
    buildings were also flooded in the cities of Alba-Iulia and Blaj as the local
    sewage systems were overrun. Early on Monday, rivers in Vâlcea and Gorj counties
    were also under a code orange alert for floods, which unfortunately overlapped
    with the code orange alert for heavy rain. (VP)