Radio România Internațional

Tag: draught

  • August 23, 2022

    August 23, 2022

    Remembrance. The Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Fascism and Communism is the best opportunity to pay tribute
    to all those who experienced the horrors of totalitarian regimes and to
    reiterate our firm commitment to reject extremism, intolerance and hatred,
    said president Klaus Iohannis in a statement. He recalled that on 23rd
    August 1939, the entire world, not just Central and Eastern Europe, was
    condemned to a cruel future, adding that the Ribbentrop-Molotov
    Pact was a criminal conspiracy in the wake of which entire generations were
    exposed to the toxic and barbarian effects of totalitarian ideologies with grave long-term consequences. Iohannis also spoke of King Michael I’s decision
    to break off Romania’s alliance with Hitler’s Germany on 23rd August
    1944 and to join the United Nations, a decision which contributed to shortening
    the war. 23rd August was established by the European Parliament in
    2008 as a day of remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian
    regimes.




    Drought.
    The Mediterranean regions remain threatened by abnormal drought until November,
    when close to normal conditions are expected in most of the EU, said the
    European Commission. The areas worst hit by the lack of precipitation are
    central and southern Portugal, the whole of Spain, the south of France,
    Hungary, Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Linked by scientists to global
    warming, these exceptionally hot and dry weather conditions have significantly
    reduced the yield of summer crops, according to experts quoted by France Presse.
    The corn, sun flower and soy harvests are worst hit.




    Export.
    In the first five months of the year, Romania exported grain and grain-based
    products worth 2.155 billion euros, up 77% compared with the previous period
    last year, according to figures published by the National Institute for
    Statistics. The largest amount of exports was recorded in March. Between
    January and May, however, Romania also imported grain and grain-based products worth
    683.5 million euros.








    Forests. The National Forest Strategy for 2030
    which was unveiled on Monday at an event hosted by the Transylvania
    University in Braşov lays emphasis on making owners themselves more responsible
    and involved and proposes a new approach to checks and restrictions, said the
    environment minister Tanczos Barna. He underlined that this new strategy was
    drafted in the last two years with the help of forestry experts, NGOs, institutions
    and other persons interested in this field and said this is a historic step
    for Romanian forests. Expanding forested areas is one of the most important
    elements of the strategy. Romania is the first country to present its forest
    strategy after the publication of a similar document at European Union level.




    Tennis.
    Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea on Monday evening defeated Marcela Zacarias of Mexico
    to reach the round of last 16 at the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Cleveland, in
    the US, worth over 250,000 dollars in prize money. Cîrstea will next be playing
    Poland’s Magda Linette. Another Romanian player Irina Begu also reached the
    last 16, who will next be facing Sofia Kenin of the US. (CM)

  • Extreme weather phenomena in Romania

    Extreme weather phenomena in Romania

    Over the past few days, the west, south and south-east of Romania have been subject to a code yellow extreme heat alert. Temperatures reached as much as 38 degrees Celsius, with high thermal discomfort. On the other hand, the hill and mountain areas, as well as the north-eastern part of the country, have been affected by severe instability, especially in the afternoon and at night.



    Heavy storms were reported on Sunday in several parts of the country. At least one person died and several others were injured after strong winds brought down trees at a camping site in Bulz, Bihor County, in the north-west. Scores of military firefighters took part in searches for the victims and 11 emergency response teams were sent to the site. The code red intervention plan was active for several hours. Heavy rainfalls brought boulders, tree trunks and branches, and mud down to several national roads in the south-east and the centre of the country, where road traffic was suspended for several hours.



    As of Tuesday, considerable instability is again expected in the mountains. Teodora Cumpanasu, of the National Meteorology Agency, gave us more details:



    Teodora Cumpanasu: “Tuesday brings a substantial change in the weather and temperatures in many parts of the country, in the sense that temperatures will go down significantly, particularly in the west, where the reading will not go beyond 24-25 degrees Celsius on Tuesday afternoon. The weather remains very hot only in the south-east, including in the capital city, with temperatures perhaps reaching 35-36 degrees in Baragan and the Danube plains. This part of the country will also be, for the time being, safe from atmospheric instability, because in the rest of the regions we expect extensive rainfalls, thunderstorms, strong wind, and in some areas even hailstorms and heavy rain, above 20-25 litres per square metre.



    For the coming period, weather experts announce draught in most of the country. The Danube flow is nearly half the multiannual average for mid-July, and the trend is likely to stay in place in the coming days as well, reads a forecast issued by the National Hydrology Institute. Experts warn however that water flow increases may be reported in the next few days, for some small rivers in the north, west and centre of the country, as a result of the rainfalls expected this week.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)