Radio România Internațional

Tag: Romanian firefighters

  • July 24, 2024

    July 24, 2024

    DIPLOMACY – Bucharest is hosting the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy, this year themed “Diplomatic Action in a Turbulent World”. The list of guests includes the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Olha Stefanishyna, and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Cristina Gherasimov. Discussions are chaired by Romania’s Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu. Attending are heads of diplomatic and consular offices abroad, as well as members of the Romanian MFA leadership, high-ranking Romanian officials, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Bucharest and opinion leaders. The agenda will include such topics as economic diplomacy and Romania’s OECD accession.

     

    ALERT – The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations last night issued a RO-ALERT warning message for the population of Tulcea County (southeast), regarding the possibility of falling debris in territories close to the Ukrainian border. The alert was issued after the Border Police signaled several drones approaching from the north. According to an Inspectorate release, no territory of Romania is targeted by attacks from the Russian Federation, while defense and public order structures are ready to provide assistance to people in need.

     

    WILDFIRES – Romanian firefighters were involved in Tuesday’s operation designed to put out a wildfire in a tourist area in Argelès-sur-Mer, France. Their mission was to prevent the fire from spreading and to maintain a buffer zone between the wire and affected areas. The Romanian unit effectively contributed to put out the fire and ensure the safety of the local population, allowing local authorities to keep traffic fluid with no restrictions. We recall a number of Romanian firefighting units are taking part in a joint operation to prevent and put out wildfires in France, at the request of the French authorities. Overall, 100 firefighters, two helicopters and a special flying boat used in aerial forest firefighting were used in the operation.

     

    ENERGY – Romania can become a bone fide supplier of energy security in Central and Eastern Europe, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, said on the sidelines of the 5th ministerial meeting of the Partnership for Trans-Atlantic Cooperation in the field of energy and climate change, hosted by Bucharest. “Romania has a lot of major opportunities, and its energy sector boasts huge potential”, the president argues, adding that in recent years, Romania has displayed solidarity, supplying transit and energy support to neighboring Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Romania seeks to develop its own nuclear energy program by boosting the capacity of the Cernavodă NPP (southeast), as well as by exploring innovative solutions, such as SMRs, the head of state further noted. By means of offshore natural gas projects, the Black Sea region can become a genuine “round table” for energy diplomacy, a point of reference in terms of solidarity and cooperation, fostering long-term stability and prosperity, Klaus Iohannis also pointed out, arguing that energy transition is currently key to providing sustainability to national economies.

     

    STATISTICS – Romania imported natural gas the equivalent of 660 thousand tons of oil, by 12% more compared to the same period last year, the National Statistics Institute reports. Romania also reported a slight increase in domestic production during the interval, although the country is expected to maintain a downward trend in that respect over the next three years, according to estimates published by the National Forecast Committee, which also says imports will slightly go down until 2027.

     

    INCIDENT – The four Romanian children taken in by child protection services in Leeds will temporarily be returned to their families, Romanian authorities say. Pending an official inquiry, the children will stay with an uncle on their fathers’ side, according to a British court ruling. We recall a major altercation broke out last week in Leeds, when several Romanian nationals protested violently against the British authorities’ decision to take the children away from their families after one of them received hospital care for a head injury.

     

    FOOTBALL – Romania’s football champions FCSB on Tuesday drew 1-1 against Maccabi Tel-Aviv of Israel at home in the first leg of Champions League’s second preliminary round. The return leg will be played on July 31 in Budapest, Hungary, due to security developments in Israel, preventing home clubs from hosting international matches on home turf. In the first preliminary round, FCSB won 11-1 on aggregate against Virtus of San Marino. On Thursday, Romanian Cup holders Corvinul Hunedoara, currently playing in the second tier of the Romanian football championship, will take on Croatia’s champions, HNK Rijeka in the first leg of the second preliminary round of Europa League. The return leg is scheduled next week in Croatia. In the first round, Corvinul ousted Hungary’s vice-champions, Paksi FK 4-2 on aggregate. Also on Thursday, another two Romanian teams are competing in the first leg of the second preliminary round of Conference League: CFR Cluj will play Neman Grodno of Belarus at home while Universitatea Craiova will go up against NK Maribor of Slovenia away from home.

     

    WEATHER – Temperatures remain high in the south and the east, with the THI expected to reach the critical level of 8- units. Thunderstorms accompanied by strong wind and hail are expected across the country. Highs range between 23-34 degrees Celsius. (VP)

     

  • July 13, 2024 UPDATE

    July 13, 2024 UPDATE

    HEAT WAVE – Territories in the center, north and southeast are under a code orange alert against extreme heat, while the capital city and the remaining counties are under a code red alert, both in place until Sunday. A new code red alert is expected to take effect on Monday, targeting the entire country with the exception of nine counties in the north, where a code orange alert will be in place. Highs during the interval are expected to reach or exceed 42 degrees, with heat persisting throughout the night and the THI exceeding the critical level of 80, thus creating severe thermal discomfort. Central and local authorities are making efforts to cope with the effects of the heat wave. First aid and water supply tents have been set up in several towns and villages. Traffic restrictions for vehicles with a mass exceeding 7 tons are in place over the weekend on motorways, express roads and certain national road segments.

     

     

    DRUG TESTING – The Government has amended the Emergency Decree on drug testing of drivers, after civil society harshly criticized the document. In the event lab tests of biological samples are not ready within 72 hours, drivers can have their licenses back. Authorities said all drivers will be submitted to a drug test if road traffic agents find illegal substances in their vehicle or in their possession. Should final lab tests turn positive, drivers will lose their licenses again and will bear the full consequences of the law.

     

     

    NATIONAL DAY OF FRANCE – Romania’s Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Friday thanked France for assuming command of the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Romania and for its sizable contingent deployed to Romania, arguing that NATO’s advanced presence on the Eastern Flank is a major component of the Alliance’s deterrence and defense posture. The Romanian official attended a reception celebrating the National Day of France. Marcel Ciolacu referred to the Strategic Partnership between the two states, which next year will celebrate 145 years of diplomatic ties, during which time “we have become a family”, the Romanian official said.  France is one of Romania’s top investors, the Prime Minister added, also thanking France for its unwavering support for Romania’s efforts to join Schengen and the OECD.

     

     

    ASSISTANCE – A second brigade of 40 firefighters from Romania left for France on Saturday to replace the first brigade, which for the past couple of weeks has been assisting French counterparts by monitoring the risk of forest wildfires in at-risk areas. Over July 1-31, the Department for Emergency Situations with the Interior Ministry is taking part in a pre-positioning program organized by the Directorate General for European Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), aimed at consolidating the resilience of French authorities in managing wildfires. Therefore, a specialized brigade consisting of 40 firefighters and 8 special fire-fighting vehicles (3 3,000-liter trucks, 1 30,000-liter water tanker, 1 10,000-liter truck, 1 first-response and command vehicle and 1 bus) reached France on June 30.

     

     

    VOTE – MEPs next week are voting on Ursula von der Leyen’s candidacy for a second term at the helm of the European Commission.  A debate will also be held ahead of the vote. To get re-elected, the 65-year-old German president of the European Commission needs at least 361 of the total number of 720 eligible votes. This week, two new far-right parties were set up in the European Parliament, one of them totaling enough members to become the third political force of the current legislature. The EPP, S&D, RENEW and the Greens together hold 454 seats and are planning to isolate the two extremist groups – The Patriots for Europe and the Europe of Sovereign Nations. Both oppose support for Ukraine, are viewed as friendly towards Moscow and accused of comprising authoritarian parties. Also next week, MEPs will also cast their votes to elect the new president of the European Parliament, as well as 14 vice-presidents and quaestors. Born in 1979, Roberta Metsola of Malta is favorite to secure a new term in office.

     

     

    CULTMUSE – The National History Museum of Romania will be hosting the „Cultures and Heritage through Museum Education” (CultMuse) project for the next month. Saturday’s agenda included a treasure-hunting activity. 14 volunteers from Romania, France, Sweden, Estonia, Finland and Latvia will take part in various activities designed to encourage the public to discover the world of museums, broken down into three categories: implementation, logistics and advertising. The team of volunteers will try to offer guests an appealing experience at the museum, also highlighting the museum’s role as an informal source of education. CultMuse seeks to encourage the organization of educational activities within museums, improve understanding of these cultural institutions and provide the public with an opportunity of taking part in cross-disciplinary activities organized by EU volunteers with different intellectual and professional backgrounds. The project is funded by the European Union through the European Solidarity Corps programme. (VP)