August 26, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 26.08.2023, 20:00

TRAFFIC – This weekend as
well the Romanian Border Police reported increased traffic flows, particularly
on western and southern checkpoints on the Bulgarian and Hungarian borders.
Western border crossings were crowded on Saturday as many drivers were leaving
Romania. Another busy checkpoint was Albița on the Moldovan border. Truck
drivers waited over 400 minutes in Galați and Isaccea. The Border Police
announced additional measures to increase the workload capacity to maximum,
saying they are in permanent contact with their Hungarian and Bulgarian peers
in order to ease border crossing.

WILDFIRES – Romanian
firefighters are engaged in interventions abroad, the General Inspectorate for
Emergency Situations reports. In France, Romanian firefighters joined efforts
to help stop a wildfire in the southeast from spreading. Military firefighters
in Greece intervened to contain and eventually put out a wildfire threatening a
settlement in the east and remain on standby for future missions.

ENESCU
FESTIVAL – The Palace Concert Hall in Bucharest
on Sunday will host the opening concert of the George Enescu International
Music Festival, which will feature the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra
conducted by Cristian Măcelaru, who is also the Festival’s artistic director.
The program includes Concerto in B Minor for cello and orchestra opus 104 by
Antonín Dvořák, George Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody no. 2 in D Major opus 11, and
the Knight of the Rose suite opus 59 by
Johann Strauss. The 26th edition of the George Enescu Festival is
themed Generosity through Music. Taking part will be 3,500 of the most
renowned artists in the world and over 40 orchestras from 16 countries. Among
other things, the festival also includes opera concerts and educational
concerts for children. This year a number of great orchestras are taking part, including
the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra and Choir, London Symphonic Orchestra,
the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse or the Philharmonic Orchestra of
Israel. The George Enescu Festival has been held in Bucharest since 1958,
honoring the memory and works of the great Romanian composer, pianist,
violinist and conductor George Enescu.

WEATHER – Meteorologists have issued a code orange alert for
extreme heat and high thermal discomfort for the west and the south, where
temperatures will exceed 37 degrees. The temperature-humidity index will exceed
the critical level of 80 units. The rest of the territory is under a code
yellow alert against extreme heat. The code orange alert will remain in place
for Sunday in 19 counties in the south, west, center and the capital Bucharest,
where temperatures will reach 39 degrees. The code yellow alert will also
remain in place for most regions, where highs will range between 35 and 37
degrees. On Monday the heat wave will continue to affect most regions, while
starting Tuesday only the east will be affected.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse (166 WTA)
has qualified to the main draw of the women’s singles at US Open, set to kick
off at Flushing Meadows in New York on Monday.
In the final preliminary round Ruse ousted Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.
Another four Romanian players will compete in the opening round – Sorana
Cîrstea, Irina Begu, Ana Bogdan and Patricia Țig.

ROWING – Romanian athlete Cătălin Chirilă won silver in the
1000m race at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships hosted by Duisburg,
Germany, after winning gold in the 500m race the previous day. Chirilă was the
defending champion in this event after winning gold at the World Championships
in Dartmouth, Canada. The competition counts for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where
the top six athletes will qualify directly. (VP)