Radio România Internațional

Tag: floods

  • Extreme weather phenomena in northwestern Romania

    Extreme weather phenomena in northwestern Romania

    This spring has been very whimsical in Romania, which was faced with many extreme weather phenomena, a consequence of climate change, as experts say. In early May, the south of Romania was hit by an average tornado, which is a rare phenomenon in this country. Trees were uprooted and tens of houses were left without roofs. Since the onset of spring, meteorologists have issued many yellow and orange code alerts for strong winds, storms and heavy rainfalls in many parts of Romania and hydrologists have even issued a red code alert for flooding on several rivers, mainly in the north and northwest of the country.



    The weather has been generally unsettled, with torrential rainfalls, thunderstorms, strong winds and hailstorms being reported. On Tuesday, a red code alert for storm was issued for the north of Romania along with several orange code alerts for rain and gale. The big hailstones and the strong winds have wreaked havoc in the north of Romania, causing substantial material damage and destroying extensive crop areas.



    Hundreds of cars have been damaged, scores of trees uprooted and roofs ripped off by the storm. It all happened in only 5 minutes, the sky darkened all of a sudden and outdoor temperatures abruptly reached 20 degrees C. The hailstorm also damaged the walls of buildings and many streets were flooded. The wind speed exceeded 100 km/hour. Many overhead power lines and transformers have also been affected, leaving people in the dark. Several schools in the areas affected by Tuesday’s hailstorm suspended classes due to the extent of the damage.



    According to meteorologists the atmospheric instability reported in the north and northwest of Romania will extend to the rest of the country by the end of the week. A fresh alert for highly unsettled weather has been issued, valid until Saturday morning, for the western regions, to be later extended to the south west, north and center, the hilly and mountainous areas, then to the south, center, east and again to north of the country. Heavy rainfalls, thunderstorms, strong winds and gale will be reported, and the amount of water is expected to exceed 15- 25 l/sqm, and 35-50 l/sqm on isolated areas. (translation by L. Simion)

  • The Week in Review (20 – 26.05. 2019)

    The Week in Review (20 – 26.05. 2019)

    European Parliament elections and referendum on justice in Romania



    Hundreds of millions of European citizens are expected to the polls between May 23 and 26 to elect the future European Parliament members, for a 5-year term. The elections started on Thursday in Great Britain and the Netherlands, and will come to an end on May 26 in most member states, including Romania. 751 MEPs will be elected, of whom 33 Romanian. This has been the last week of campaign for the EP elections in Romania. Running in the race were 13 political parties and 3 independent candidates.



    441 polling stations were set up for the Romanians abroad, most of them being in Italy, Spain and the neighboring Republic of Moldova. In Romania, simultaneously with the EP elections, a referendum on justice will be held, which was called by President Klaus Iohannis. Voters will receive 3 ballots, one for the EP elections, and one for each of the 2 questions of the referendum. Romanians over 18 are called to answer by ‘YES or ‘NO to the following questions: ‘Do you agree with forbidding amnesty and pardon for corruption crimes? and ‘Do you agree with forbidding the Government to adopt emergency decrees in relation to crimes, punishments and judicial organization and with extending the right to challenge decrees directly to the Constitutional Court?



    Under the law, the referendum is validated if the turnout is at least 30% of the number of people registered on the permanent electoral lists. The result of the referendum is validated if the valid votes account for at least 25% of the people registered on the permanent electoral lists.



    Regulating taxi apps alternatives



    The governments draft emergency decree regulating the ridesharing service in Romania has been put up for public debate until June 3. The decree emerged after alternative service companies asked for the urgent regulation of their services by the government, so as to able to continue to operate. After several rounds of negotiation, the representatives of the ridesharing companies on Thursday reached an agreement with the government officials over the draft emergency decree on taxi apps in Romania.



    The new regulation will provide for equal conditions of authorization for both taxi apps alternatives and taxi companies. The owners of taxi apps will be obliged to obtain authorization from the Communications Ministry for their activity, and the partner drivers will have the observe the technical and legal requirements which regular taxi drivers observe during their authorized activity of transporting passengers against payment.



    More than 200 thousand Romanians signed a petition for urgently regulating the ridesharing services, the Coalition for Digital Economy Association, an independent organization representing the main ridesharing companies, has announced. According to them, the lack of regulation resulted in revenue loss for thousand of drivers and 2.5 million users either could not find a car or had to pay prices three times bigger. Taxi companies, constantly criticized for the poor quality of services, retorted by accusing ridesharing companies of operating illegally.



    Famous criminal files



    The former mayor of Constanta (a port on the Black Sea Coast) Radu Mazăre on Monday was brought back to Romania from Madagascar, from where he was extradited. Radu Mazăre fled to Madagascar in December 2017. He has received sentences in several corruption files, but the definitive sentence, which led to the issuance of an international arrest warrant, was given in February by the supreme court, in a file concerning the illegal land redistribution in the city of Constanta. He has to serve a 10-year sentence in this case.



    The former mayor left Romania in late 2017 after he had been subject to legal restrictions pending trial. He justified his fleeing the country by invoking the political pressure being put on the prosecutors dealing with his case. In Madagascar he asked for political asylum. Also on Monday the High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest postponed for May 27 pronouncing its verdict in a corruption case involving the Social Democratic leader Liviu Dragnea, who was accused of incitement to abuse of office.



    Dragnea was sentenced in a court of first instance by a jury made up of 3 judges to serve 3 years and a half in prison for incitement to abuse of office, although he pleaded not-guilty at the previous hearing. At the same time, the defense lawyers asked, without success though, for a postponement of the verdict to wait for a decision of the Constitutional Court regarding a notification made by Social Democratic MP Florin Iordache in relation to the illegality of juries of 3 judges at the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The Court postponed making a decision for June 5.



    Flooding in Romania



    This week too Romania has been under code yellow and code orange alerts for unsettled weather, storms, torrential rainfalls and floods. Scores of villages and towns in the north, center and south of the country have been affected including Bucharest. Road and rail traffic has been temporarily disrupted due to fallen trees. The overflowing waters of some rivers flooded hundreds of hectares of farming lands, pastures and households. (translation by L. Simion)

  • May 17, 2019

    May 17, 2019

    WEATHER More than 3,000 fire fighters were deployed on Thursday and Friday to support the authorities and citizens in 22 villages and towns, pumping water out of the houses following the heavy rainfalls and flash floods of recent days. The most affected counties were Bistriţa Năsăud and Mures, in the centre, Gorj and Teleorman in the south, Hunedoara in the south-west and Maramureş in the north. Scores of people have been evacuated in Bistriţa-Năsăud County over the past few days, hundreds of households, company offices and public institution headquarters have been flooded, and hail damaged the farms. The National Meteorology Agency has extended the alert for unstable weather across the country until Sunday.




    INFLATION The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, has presented today the institutions quarterly inflation report. The Central Bank updated its year-end inflation forecast to 4.2% and estimates an inflation rate of 3.3% for 2020. Inflation has reversed the downward trend reported in the last quarter of 2018, and prices went up in the first 3 months of this year more than the National Bank had expected, Mugur Isărescu said. He also warned that the demand for products and services is still in excess of what the domestic economy can produce, leading to a rise in imports and a trade imbalance. Inflation in Romania is in fact among the highest in the European Union, alongside the rate in Hungary. According to the central bank governor, in the coming 3 quarters inflation will remain above target, and is expected to go down later on to around 3.5%.




    CEREMONY The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis decided to postpone the May 20 ceremony at Cotroceni Palace, when the year 2019 was scheduled to be declared the “Year of Gratitude honouring the victims of communism, 30 years after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. The Presidency announced on Friday that the head of state wants to remove any suspicions that the event may be used for electoral purposes. According to the same source, ever since taking over his office, the President has constantly worked to condemn the crimes and abuse committed by the communist repression system, and to pay tribute to the victims of totalitarianism.





    ECOFIN The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici is chairing on Friday in Brussels the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), as part of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU. According to a news release from the Finance Ministry in Bucharest, the agenda of the meeting includes the Directive on the structure of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, the Directive on general arrangements for excise duties, the digital services tax, and a review of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions. Also on Friday, the Romanian Finance Minister attends the Economic and Financial Dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans and Turkey.




    SWINE FEVER African swine fever is still present in Romania, in 84 villages in 16 counties, the National Veterinary and Food Safety Authority announced. Of the around 400 active outbreaks, 10 are in agricultural holdings. More than 365,000 pigs have been slaughtered so far because of this disease, which was first reported in 2017, in Satu Mare County. African swine fever does not affect humans, but has a major negative economic and social impact.




    EUROVISION Ester Peony, representing Romania in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with a piece called On a Sunday, failed to qualify to Saturdays finals in Tel Aviv, where the second semi-final was held on Thursday night. Romanias best performances in this competition were 2 third places, won by Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem in Kiev in 2005, and by Paula Seling and Ovi in Oslo in 2010, and a 4th place won by Mihai Trăistariu, in Athens, 2006.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Flooding has taken its toll on Romania

    Flooding has taken its toll on Romania

    After many days of code orange and even code red alerts for heavy downpours, thunderstorms and flooding, the situation in Romania is coming back to normal. The authorities are still assessing the damage, while some of the Interior Ministry’s rescue teams are still deployed to the affected areas in a bid to remove the effects of the flooding.



    Rainfalls diminished as early as Tuesday night while the situation monitored by the Interior Ministry through its National Integrated Command Center no longer requires rescue operations for stranded persons. Unfortunately the bad weather in its last throes claimed more lives: a family in southeastern Romania was killed when the cart they were traveling in was swept by the waters. Two children, 5 and 7 years old, are also among the victims who have come to complete a grim picture created by the latest flooding, with hectares of farmland destroyed and desperate people who have seen their lifetime savings vanishing.



    If central and eastern Romania bore the brunt of last week’s heavy rainfalls and flooding, the bad weather phenomena moved south wreaking havoc on several counties in the country’s south. Firefighters and gendarme troops fitted with the right equipment had been deployed to the affected regions in a bid to pump water out of houses, basements and courtyards and unclog the flooded wells. Rescue teams also intervened to clean the roads of fallen trees and debris.



    The most affected regions, which required intervention, were in the southern counties of Arges, Gorj and Valcea, which also saw code red alerts for flooding. 150 residents from Valcea county were evacuated in a preventive move after river waters had broken through the protection dam. In another prevention move, gendarmes and firefighters have built six provisional dams in Sibiu county, in central Romania while construction works are underway for a third suchlike dam in the eastern county of Bacau. Capital city Bucharest was also affected by heavy rainfalls, which clogged the city’s sewer system to create knee-deep puddles in some areas. The authorities intervened promptly to assist those affected and also applied for EU assistance.

  • Romania, in the grip of flooding

    Romania, in the grip of flooding

    Weather alerts are becoming more frequent from one year to the next, whether we talk about heat, record low temperatures, blizzard or flooding. According to scientists, these extreme weather phenomena are caused by climate change, which the World Meteorology Agency says it affects our way of life. In Romania, where the summer holiday season has started, meteorologists have warned of unstable weather and bad weather phenomena across most of the country, issuing yellow and orange code alerts for torrential rain of up to 20-30 l/sqm, and over 50l/sqm in certain areas. Rainfall has occasionally turned into thunderstorms, with strong wind. Hydrologists have warned that until July 1st almost three quarters of the country are under threat for flooding.



    The material damage caused by this extreme weather is significant: cars have been swept by flash floods, bridges and roads have been destroyed and gardens have been flooded. Heavy rainfall, storms, strong wind and even hail destroyed crops on hundreds of hectares. Road traffic was difficult or even disrupted by the flooding and debris while a number of localities were left without electricity. One of the most affected counties is Bacau, in eastern Romania, where a 13-year old child died after being struck by lighting. Given the effects of the flooding, employees with the Interior Ministry have been dispatched to the affected areas to pump water out of people’s households and remove debris from the roads. Also, several people left stranded by the waters have been rescued by military rescue teams.



    According to a release of the Interior Ministry, rescue services are still under alert until the situation returns to normal in all counties, where 8,000 police force, 3,200 fire fighters, 4,600 gendarmes and more than 6,600 technical equipment have been mobilised. A meeting of the emergency command was held on Thursday at the Government, attended by representatives of the relevant institutions. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said that after the weather returns to normal the damages would be assessed, so that the people and communities affected by flooding should get concrete support.


  • Floods in Romania

    Floods in Romania


    The sudden change in temperatures and the melting of snow have caused floods in tens of localities from 15 counties of Romania, including the capital Bucharest. In the counties of Covasna, Braşov (in the center) and Buzău (in the southeast), which were under a code red alert for floods, tens of households, many hectares of farming land, meadows, wells and bridges have been flooded and traffic on certain road segments has been closed temporarily or traffic restrictions have been introduced.



    Due to weather conditions, school was suspended on Wednesday in the commune of Lăzarea (in the center), where, on Tuesday evening, firefighters saved two people caught in their car by the high flood. To control the flood and protect the houses and schools, firefighters piled up sandbags and also used water pumps, where conditions permitted, to remove the water from people’s yards. Also several people and their animals have been evacuated from flooded households.



    Hydrologists issued several code orange and yellow alerts for rivers bursting their banks in several drainage basins in some counties in the center, south and east of Romania. In the south of the country, floods have also damaged scores of localities. The most affected were the counties of Teleorman and Argeş, where the high flood swept through the people’s houses and yards and several road segments were covered by mud.



    The authorities are monitoring the situation in the affected areas and are urging the population to ask for the support of local authorities if they encounter problems related to drinking water supply, food and medicines supply or other necessary stuff. More than three thousand firefighters have been mobilized to intervene in the areas with flooding risk. According to the Interior Ministry, the police and gendarmerie will also be mobilized if necessary.



    Meteorologists have announced that temperatures in Romania in the coming period will be variable, with maximum temperatures ranging from 10 to 18 degrees C. Also, abundant rainfalls are expected on extensive areas.

  • Floods in Romania

    Floods in Romania


    The sudden change in temperatures and the melting of snow have caused floods in tens of localities from 15 counties of Romania, including the capital Bucharest. In the counties of Covasna, Braşov (in the center) and Buzău (in the southeast), which were under a code red alert for floods, tens of households, many hectares of farming land, meadows, wells and bridges have been flooded and traffic on certain road segments has been closed temporarily or traffic restrictions have been introduced.



    Due to weather conditions, school was suspended on Wednesday in the commune of Lăzarea (in the center), where, on Tuesday evening, firefighters saved two people caught in their car by the high flood. To control the flood and protect the houses and schools, firefighters piled up sandbags and also used water pumps, where conditions permitted, to remove the water from people’s yards. Also several people and their animals have been evacuated from flooded households.



    Hydrologists issued several code orange and yellow alerts for rivers bursting their banks in several drainage basins in some counties in the center, south and east of Romania. In the south of the country, floods have also damaged scores of localities. The most affected were the counties of Teleorman and Argeş, where the high flood swept through the people’s houses and yards and several road segments were covered by mud.



    The authorities are monitoring the situation in the affected areas and are urging the population to ask for the support of local authorities if they encounter problems related to drinking water supply, food and medicines supply or other necessary stuff. More than three thousand firefighters have been mobilized to intervene in the areas with flooding risk. According to the Interior Ministry, the police and gendarmerie will also be mobilized if necessary.



    Meteorologists have announced that temperatures in Romania in the coming period will be variable, with maximum temperatures ranging from 10 to 18 degrees C. Also, abundant rainfalls are expected on extensive areas.

  • March 19, 2017, UPDATE

    March 19, 2017, UPDATE

    PARTY ELECTIONS – The special congress in which the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, will elect a president, will take place on April 21, one of the partys current co-presidents, the Senate Speaker Calin Popescu-Tariceanu announced on Sunday. The other co-president is the incumbent Environment Minister, Daniel Constantin. Calin Popescu Tariceanu also said that Sundays meeting of the party leaders was organised in keeping with party regulations, and added that he would run for party president. News agencies have reported that the two co-presidents were at odds with respect to the date of the planned congress. Tariceanu wanted quick preparations for an election in late April, whereas Constantin argued that party elections should begin in local branches, and the newly elected county leaders should decide who the next party president will be.



    LA FRANCOPHONIE – The Romanian Foreign Ministry will organise two public diplomacy events in Bucharest on Monday, on the occasion of the International Francophonie Day. A bust of Leopold Sedar Senghor, co-founder of La Francophonie, and a leading political and cultural personality of Senegal, will be unveiled in the Francophonie Square, completing this unique site in Europe. The Francophonie Night will be hosted later on Monday by the I. L. Caragiale National Theatre. The programme includes a concert by Cantata – The Romanian Youth Orchestra and the Francophonie Awards ceremony, organised by the group of Francophone embassies, delegations and institutions in Romania. As a member of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, Romania celebrates the International Francophonie Day on March 20th.



    ORLY AIRPORT ATTACK – Flights were resumed at Orly Airport, near Paris, one day after a shooting triggered the temporary closing down of two terminals, AFP reports. An armed man was shot dead on Saturday while attempting to steal a soldiers gun on that airport. According to the authorities, Ziyed Ben Belgacem, a 39-year old Frenchman held an air pistol at the soldiers head, saying he wanted to die for Allah. Earlier the same day the man had been involved in a shooting and car theft.




    PERU FLOODS – More than 70 people died in the worst floods and landslides in 20 years in Peru, the authorities have announced. The heavy rainfalls that lasted for several days have caused flooding and mudslides in large parts of the country, news agencies reported. A state of emergency has been declared in over 800 towns. According to authorities, this years rainy season brought precipitations 10 times more intense than usual. Over 500,000 people were evacuated as floods washed away homes, and many are stranded and depend on bottled water deliveries, after drinking water sources were contaminated or supply was cut off.



    CHUCK BERRY DIES – The American rock legend Chuck Berry died on Saturday at the age of 90. During a 7-decade long career the guitarist, singer and songwriter refined rhythm and blues music and enriched it with elements that made rock&roll an independent music style. Chuck Berrys first hit, the 1955 Maybellene, was followed by other famous songs like Roll Over Beethoven, Sweet Little Sixteen and Johnny B Goode. In 1984 he won a Grammy for lifetime achievement, and in 1986 he was one of the first musicians inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Chuck Berry was planning a studio album release in 2017, after a 38-year break.



    RUGBY EUROPE – Romania defeated Georgia 8 – 7, in Bucharest, in the last leg of Rugby Europe Championship, and won the ”Antim Ivireanu” Cup, granted to the winning team in direct matches. Previously in Rugby Europe, also known as Six Nations B, Romania had won its away games against Belgium and Russia and the match against Spain on home turf, but it surprisingly lost to Germany away from home. The performance in Rugby Europe Championship is a qualification criterion for the 2019 World Cup in Japan.



    GYMNASTICS WORLD CUP – The Romanian Catalina Ponor has won the beam and floor finals of the Gymnastics World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the finals, the 2004 Olympic champion outperformed the Australian Emily Little and the Azeri Marina Nekrasova. Catalina Ponor was the only member of the Romanian team to have qualified into the finals of the competition. 120 athletes from 21 countries took part in the gymnastics World Cup in Baku, which marks the start of preparations for the European competitions to be hosted by the north-western Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca in April.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 19, 2017

    March 19, 2017

    PARTY ELECTIONS – The leaders of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania (ALDE), a junior partner of the Social Democrats in the ruling coalition, convene today to set a date for the congress in which the party will elect its president. ALDE is currently headed by the Senate Speaker, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, and the Environment Minister, Daniel Constantin. According to news agencies, the two disagree over the date of the congress. Tariceanu wants quick preparations for an election in late April, whereas Constantin argues that party elections should begin in local branches, and the newly elected county leaders should decide who the next party president will be.




    ORLY AIRPORT ATTACK – Flights have been resumed at Orly Airport, near Paris, one day after a shooting triggered the temporary closing down of two terminals, AFP reports. An armed man was shot dead on Saturday while attempting to steal a soldiers gun on that airport. According to the authorities, Ziyed Ben Belgacem, a 39-year old Frenchman held an air pistol at the soldiers head, saying he wanted to die for Allah. Earlier the same day the man had been involved in a shooting and car theft.




    PERU FLOODS – More than 70 people died in the worst floods and landslides in 20 years in Peru, the authorities have announced. The heavy rainfalls that lasted for several days have caused flooding and mudslides in large parts of the country, news agencies reported. A state of emergency has been declared in over 800 towns. According to authorities, this years rainy season brought precipitations 10 times more intense than usual. Over 500,000 people were evacuated as floods washed away homes, and many are stranded and depend on bottled water deliveries, after drinking water sources were contaminated or supply was cut off.



    CHUCK BERRY DIES – The American rock legend Chuck Berry died on Saturday at the age of 90. During a 7-decade long career the guitarist, singer and songwriter refined rhythm and blues music and enriched it with elements that made rock&roll an independent music style. Chuck Berrys first hit, the 1955 Maybellene, was followed by other famous songs like Roll Over Beethoven, Sweet Little Sixteen and Johnny B Goode. In 1984 he won a Grammy for lifetime achievement, and in 1986 he was one of the first musicians inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Chick Berry was planning a studio album release in 2017, after a 38-year break.



    RUGBY EUROPE – Romania is playing against Georgia in Bucharest today, in the last game in the current season of Rugby Europe Championship. The match is seen as a virtual final of the competition, given that the Georgians lead the standings with 18 points, followed by Romania with 15. Rugby Europe Championship has replaced, as of this year, the former European Nations Cup, the second-tier continental rugby competition after the famous Six Nations. So far in the competition, Romania won against Belgium and Russia away from home and against Spain on home turf, but surprisingly lost its away match against Germany. The performance in Rugby Europe Championship is also taken into account for qualification to the 2019 World Cup in Japan.



    GYMNASTICS WORLD CUP – The Romanian gymnast Catalina Ponor is competing today in the beam and floor finals of the World Cup in Baku, Azerbaidjan. She is the only member of the Romanian team to have reached the finals of this competition. 120 athletes from 21 countries are taking part in the Gymnastics World Cup in Baku, which marks the start of preparations for the European competitions to be held in the north-western Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca in April.

  • 30 June, 2016

    30 June, 2016

    US President Barack Obama has said the UK vote to
    leave the EU raises longer-term concerns about global growth. He also called
    for an orderly
    process for the British exit. In Paris, the French finance minister Michel
    Sapin told the BBC that everything is on the table in the EU’s negotiations
    with the UK, including the freedom of movement. In London, prime minister David
    Cameron’s office has underlined that replacing 40 years of agreements between
    the UK and the EU may involve a long and complicated process.




    The United
    States will be taking additional security measures in the run-up to the 4th
    of July holiday following Tuesday’s terrorist attacks at the Ataturk airport in
    Istanbul, Turkey, in which 42 people were killed and more than 200 injured, US
    flight security experts and officials have said. The CIA director John Brennan
    said the attack bears
    the hallmark of the Islamic State group and warned the group may also carry
    out attacks in the US. The additional security measures include a more visible
    presence of security forces carrying weapons and tactical gear and an increase
    in the number of passenger checks, screenings and complex verifications.
    Approximately 43 million Americans are expected to travel for the 4th
    of July.




    Slovakia on Friday will take over the EU 6-month rotating presidency
    from the Netherlands. The main challenges of its presidency are the UK vote to
    leave the European Union and the situation of the refugees. Slovakia’s left
    wing prime minister Robert Fico said he was expecting a difficult presidency.
    The 27 member states remaining in the EU after the UK exit must find the
    necessary strength to embark on a profound reform of the EU’s fundamental
    policies, Fico also said. A former communist country in Central Europe,
    Slovakia has been under criticism for its response to the refugee crisis. The
    authorities in Bratislava have, in fact, submitted a complaint to the European
    Court of Justice against the introduction of obligatory migrant quotas
    established by the EU.




    At least 27 people have
    been killed and 40 injured in a suicide attack on a police convoy close to the
    Afghan capital Kabul, according to France Presse and Reuters. The Afghan
    district governor said the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban, targeted a
    bus convoy carrying officer cadets returning from their graduation ceremony.




    The weather is generally warm and beautiful in most regions, with highs
    of 27 to 33 degrees Celsius. Hydrologists have maintained red, orange and
    yellow code alerts for flooding on several rivers in the west and south-west.
    Following heavy rain in recent days, tens of people have been evacuated and
    hundreds of homes flooded. A thunderstorm caused problems in the capital Bucharest
    yesterday, flooding streets and underpasses and bringing down trees.




    Fifth seed
    Simona Halep of Romania today faces Italian player Francesca Schiavone in the second round at Wimbledon, the third Grand
    Slam tournament of the year worth more than 36 million euros in prize money.
    Also today, Romania’s Monica Niculescu faces Serbia’s Aleksandra
    Krunic in the first round. The other three Romanian players in the women’s main
    draw at Wimbledon, Irina Begu, Patricia Tig and Sorana Cirstea, were eliminated
    in the first round. In the men’s draw, Romania’s only player at Wimbledon,
    Marius Copil, today continues his first round match against the French player
    Lucas Pouille, which was suspended yesterday because of rain at
    one set all.




    Poland and Portugal face each other today in the first Euro 2016
    quarterfinal. In the same stage of the competition, Belgium take on Wales,
    Germany face Italy, while France play Iceland. Romania were eliminated from the
    competition in the group stage.



  • Disastrous Floods in Romania

    Disastrous Floods in Romania

    For more than two weeks now, Romania has been facing extreme weather phenomena: heavy rainfalls, floods, thunderstorms, flash floods, hailstorms and extreme heat. The bad weather caused substantial material damages and even left behind casualties.



    The loss of human lives in the wake of these extreme weather conditions is regrettable, PM Dacian Ciolos said on Tuesday during a conference call with the prefects around the country. He asked the local authorities to come up with an assessment of the damages, so as to be able to assist the victims, as well as with forecasts for the coming period, in order for adequate measures to be taken and future damages to be avoided. As the head of government put it, “such extreme weather phenomena, with a major impact on some towns and villages, have occurred for several weeks now in various parts of the country, and we requested an analysis of the current situation where damages have been reported and the forecasts for the ensuing period.



    The most recent episode was reported late last week, when 12 counties in the north, north-west, centre and south-west of the country were subject to a code-yellow alert for heavy rainfalls and thunderstorms. Also, in 11 counties in the east, west and south-west a code-orange flood warning was in place.



    According to a report issued by the Interior Ministry, around 2,000 police, gendarme and fire-fighters worked over the past few days to assist the people in the regions affected by these problems. The strong wind destroyed the roofs of hundreds of houses and left tens of villages without electricity. In other areas, hundreds of households, streets and roads were flooded. In the north-eastern county of Suceava tens of tourists found themselves stranded in guesthouses after a flash flood. The intervention of military fire-fighters was necessary in order to rescue them and the locals. In yet other parts of the country, hailstorms destroyed the roofs of hundreds of homes and thousands of hectares of farm land. In the Jiu Valley area in the south-west, hailstones the size of chicken eggs caused substantial damage.



    Meanwhile, whereas the northern and western part of the country struggles with thunderstorms, downpours and floods, the centre, south and east of Romania is facing extreme heat and severe thermal discomfort.

  • 3 June, 2016

    3 June, 2016


    Two people have died and almost 300 have been temporarily evacuated or rescued from emergency situations following flooding that has affected 90 localities in seven counties in eastern and central Romania. According to the interior ministry, more than 7,000 police, gendarmerie and fire fighter troops have been deployed to help the local population. Power cuts have also been reported and rail and road travel has been disrupted in some areas. A red code alert for flooding is in place until tonight in six counties, while the orange code alert for heavy rain and storms is in place in four counties. The amount of precipitation is expected to reach 50 litres per sq metre and even 100 litres in some areas.



    Torrential rain falling in recent days has wrought havoc in Europe. Nine people died in southern Germany, where several towns have been flooded. In Paris, the river Seine will exceed its normal level by 6 metres. The museums of Louvre and Orsay, as well as a metro station, have been closed. Belgium and Poland have also been affected. More torrential rain is forecast for this week-end in several countries in central Europe, with flooding expected to become worse as a result.



    Today is the last day of the election campaign for Sundays local elections in Romania. More than 350,000 candidates are running for the positions of mayor and local and county councillor across the country. For the first time this year, the winners will be decided in one round of voting. Another first is the use of a computer voter identification system to prevent multiple voting.



    A day of national mourning has been declared in the majority Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova in memory of the four Romanian nationals killed in a helicopter crash almost 20 km from the capital Chisinau. The helicopter belonged to a Romanian emergency rescue service and was on its way to Cahul to collect a patient. Investigators from Romania and the Republic of Moldova have started an inquiry into the cause of the crash.



    Romanias president Klaus Iohannis, who today attended a regional security conference organised by the presidents office, emphasised the need for the consolidation of NATOs eastern flank. He underlined, however, that there should not be a competition between allied states in this process and that the strengthening of NATOs eastern borders should be fair and balanced. Otherwise, allied states would create additional vulnerabilities for themselves, Klaus Iohannis also said. In his opinion, it is essential at this moment to provide security and democracy in a balanced manner, given the new rise of populism, nationalism and political extremism across Europe.



    Almost 600,000 foreign nationals visited Romania in the first four months of the year, 50,000 more than in the same period last year, the National Institute for Statistics has announced. The total number of Romanian and foreign visitors has grown by more than a quarter of a million this year compared with 2015. According to the National Institute for Statistics, the total number of visitors stood at 2.5 million people this year.



    Romania face Georgia today in Bucharest in their last friendly ahead of the European Football Champions in France. Last week, during their training in Italy, Romania drew 1-all with the Democratic Republic of Congo and lost 3-4 to Ukraine. Romania meet host country France next Friday in the opening game at Euro 2016, in a group that also includes Switzerland and Albania. (Translated by: C. Mateescu)




  • May 28, 2015 UPDATE

    May 28, 2015 UPDATE

    The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis discussed on Thursday with PM Victor Ponta and the governor of the National Bank of Romania Mugur Isărescu about the countrys switch to the European single currency. The presidency announced that the head of state is to hold consultations with the parliamentary parties in order to reach a consensus on this topic, so that Romania may be as well prepared for this as possible and the adoption of the euro may benefit all citizens. Thursdays talks focused on identifying the main stages and economic and institutional responsibilities in the switch to the euro, according to the commitments made by the Government as part of the Convergence Programme for 2015-2018. The decision was made to set up a Coordination Committee on the switch to the single currency. This Committee will be in charge with designing, coordinating and monitoring the stages and responsibilities involved in this process.



    On Thursday in Bucharest PM Victor Ponta had a meeting with a US Congress delegation headed by Deb Fischer, chair of the Sub-Committee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities in the US Senate. Ponta expressed Bucharests appreciation for the active involvement of the US in strengthening the Strategic Partnership with Romania, on various levels, including political, military and economic. The members of the US Congress appreciated Romanias excellent political and military cooperation with the US, both at a bilateral level and as part of NATO. Opinions were also exchanged, during the meeting, with respect to the developments in the eastern neighbouring region, with a focus on the security situation.



    A person died in the floods caused by the heavy rainfalls of the past few days, which affected 60 towns and villages in 4 Romanian counties. In the north, north-west and central Romania, rainfalls reached 50-60 litres per square meter, flooding hundreds of households, thousands of farming plots, village roads and bridges. More than 150 people have been evacuated and several schools have been closed down. Weather experts extended until noon Friday a code-red flood alert for a river that crosses two counties in northern Romania.



    The Romanian Minister for Energy, Andrei Gerea, had a meeting on Thursday with the miners who have been protesting for two days in front of the Hunedoara Power Company (in the south-west) and with representatives of the management. The parties have signed a protocol that extends to 2024 the deadline for closing down the 4 mines in the Company, so as to enable it to access state aid as stipulated by a European Commission resolution. The authorities have also agreed with the protesters request to make mining operations and thermal power plant operations separate. The leaders of the coal workers say they will resume work, but they do not rule out new protests if Thursdays protocol is breached. On Wednesday, the Government of Romania approved state aid for the Hunedoara Energy Company, in the amount of nearly 40 million euro.



    During his visit to the Council of Europe, the Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting in Strasbourg on Thursday with Thorbjorn Jagland, the Council of Europe Secretary General. Aurescu presented to him the ratification instrument for Protocol no. 15 amending the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, making Romania the 15th country to ratify this convention instrument. Also on Thursday, the Romanian Minister discussed with the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Dean Spielmann, about the long-term reform of the ECHR. While in Strasbourg, the head of the Romanian diplomacy presented on Wednesday, at the World Meeting of Societies of International Law, Romanias initiative to set up an International Terrorism Court. Aurescu said the rule of law and international justice are universal values that need specific instruments, such as international courts and tribunals, and that terrorism is a challenge that requires global response using law and justice as instruments.



    The British PM, David Cameron, set out on Thursday on a tour of European capitals, which began in Netherlands and France, and which is aimed at winning support for an EU reform plan. Camerons planned meeting with the head of the Danish government, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, in Copenhagen, was cancelled on Thursday, after the latter announced snap elections for June 18th. On Friday, the British Prime Minister travels to Poland and Germany. Cameron plans to complete the tour of EU member states before a summit of EU heads of state and government scheduled for June the 25th and 26th in Brussels. Renegotiating the relationship of the UK with the Union is part of the list of proposed legislation presented by Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday at the State Opening of Parliament. Cameron primarily wants to change the rules for UE internal labour migration and to regain some of the powers transferred to Brussels. He promised to hold a referendum by 2017, on whether Britain should stay within the EU.



    223 films from over 60 countries will be screened, as of Friday, in the 14th Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), in Cluj, the largest such event in Romania. The festival will open with the national premiere of the film “Relatos salvajes / Wild Tales (Damián Szifron), Argentinas entry at the Oscars this year. Until June 7th, the public have a choice of the best recent films, concerts, exhibitions, masterclasses, roundtables and parties. The new projects of the festival are TIFF Campus – launched to celebrate Cluj as the European Youth Capital 2015, Cine-pool – a new way of film watching, and the Film Warehouse – reactivated last year as a consequence of a campaign called Save the Big Screen!



    The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu Thursday qualified into the third round of the French Open. Begu, no. 30 WTA, outplayed the Croatian Ana Konjuh (no. 94) in two sets. On Wednesday Simona Halep, seeded third, was surprisingly kicked out of the competition, alongside another Romanian, Alexandra Dulgheru.

  • Flood alert

    Flood alert

    States in Western Balkans are facing the worst flooding of the past 120 years, with Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia being the most affected countries. One whole week of heavy, uninterrupted rain, caused devastating flooding and landslides, killed tens of people and caused important material damages. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated and over 120 thousand houses have been left without electricity. The Serbian authorities are getting ready for a new wave of floods on one of the largest rivers of Serbia, Sava, which crosses the capital Belgrade.



    They fear that a new flood on this river might endanger other towns and cities, especially the power plant near the isolated town of Obrenovac, near Belgrade, which accounts for 50% of the national electricity consumption. In Obrenovac, a city 90% under water, most of the 20 thousand inhabitants have already been evacuated. In Bosnia, the most affected areas are those in the northeast, where floods and landslides have destroyed houses, roads and railway embankments. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated but almost one million, that is a quarter of the country’s population, are still in the disaster areas.



    Another danger the region is exposed to is the unexploded landmines dating back to the inter-ethnic war of 1992-1995. An estimated number of 120 thousand mines have been unearthed by landslides. Rescue teams and helicopters from the EU, the US and Russia have helped evacuate the people from flood-hit areas. Although several European states have dispatched aid to Serbia and Bosnia, local authorities have once again called on the international community to help flood victims.



    The Romanian government announced it would send water, foodstuffs, blankets and a water-removal pump. The situation of rivers in Romania is stable for the time being, but it could turn serious at any moment because the amount of water expected from neighboring Serbia is so huge, that hydrologists’ forecasts are uncertain. The Romanian authorities are on high alert because of the danger of flooding on the Danube River.



    Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced that as of Monday, an emergency command would be operational in Craiova, in the south, led by Deputy Prime Minister Liviu Dragnea. The command will closely monitor the dams on the Danube River, which are expected to face high water levels in the next 4 up to 6 weeks. The authorities say that, for this period of time, they are prepared to intervene with human resources, materials and equipment provided both by the army and the Ministry of Administration and the Interior.