July 19, 2023

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 19.07.2023, 13:55

Weather. The weather continues to be hot in Romania, with high levels of thermal discomfort in the southern half of the country and in the western part, where the temperature-humidity index (ITU) continues to exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. At the same time, the degree of instability will gradually increase and manifest through periods of wind intensification, gales, torrential showers and electrical discharges, during the day, especially in the intra-Carpathian regions, as well as in the mountain areas. On limited areas in short intervals of time, water quantities will exceed 25 l/sq m and there will also be isolated hail storms. Due to the extremely high temperatures recorded in the country, road and rail traffic has been affected and several wild fires have been reported. The capital Bucharest too is affected by scorching heat, with a maximum expected to exceed 37 degrees Celsius today.

Fire. The number of Romanian firefighters sent to Greece to help extinguish wildfires is increasing as of today. Another 30 firefighters from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations left this morning on board a military aircraft for Elefsis, to supplement the response module specialized in extinguishing wild fires already deployed by our country in the Hellenic Republic. In total, there will be 80 firefighters and 13 emergency vehicles, given that the Greek authorities have issued a code red alert for the entire territory, and the risk of the fire spreading is high. The Romanian firefighters would remain in Greece until August 1, if the situation on the ground does not get worse.

Climate. The UN says that humanity must prepare for more intense heat waves and recommends citizens to develop their own “battle plan” to face these extreme day and night temperatures. In North America, Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean basin, temperatures will keep exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days.. According to experts, heat-trapping greenhouse gases are at the origin of climate change. Residents of Italy are subject to new warnings of particularly hot weather, in the context in which southern Europe is facing record temperatures. 23 cities in the Peninsula are under a red code warning. Also, several regions in Spain have been placed under red alert due to the “extreme danger” induced by the heat wave, while firefighters continue to fight a fire that has destroyed 3,500 hectares in the Canary archipelago.

Government. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, signed, today, the decrees appointing the new Ministers of Labor and Family. Thus, Simona Bucura-Oprescu was appointed as Minister of Labor and Social Solidarity, replacing Marius Budăi, and Natalia-Elena Intotero takes over the Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities portfolio, previously held by Gabriela Firea. The former ministers resigned amid the scandal involving homes for the elderly, where cases of inhumane treatment of the so-called beneficiaries were discovered.

Monument. The Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan, has signed the order by means of which the Pitesti Penitentiary complex, the former prison for political prisoners, becomes a historical monument. Thus, the penitentiary is included in the list of historical monuments and is given the status of a group A historical monument. The Pitesti prison, writes Raluca Turcan on Facebook, is a painful memory, but also a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit that can resist and oppose oppression. The political prison in Pitesti was active between 1941-1977. The prison is particularly known for hosting, between 1949-1951, the Pitesti Experiment, considered the largest and most intensive brainwashing program through torture in the communist bloc. The Pitesti experiment was stopped in September 1951, and the building functioned as a penitentiary for political and common law prisoners until 1977, when it was decommissioned. The memorial museum was opened to the public in 2014 and hosts exhibitions, cultural events and educational programs on topics related to anti-communist political detention.

Agriculture. The Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Ionuț Barbu, is participating, today, in Warsaw, in a meeting with counterparts from the other countries located in the vicinity of Ukraine, to discuss the situation created by Russias decision to suspend the agreement on the transport of Ukrainian grains on the Black Sea. The European Union is looking for alternative land routes for the transport of these agricultural products. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Brussels, under the new conditions, Romania may become the main export gate for Ukrainian grains. Official sources in Brussels say that, under these conditions of pressure for Bucharest, Romania could quickly obtain additional European funds to invest in infrastructure, starting from the border points to roads, or investments in the port of Constanta (south-east).

Football. The Romanian football champion, Farul Constanţa (south-east) was eliminated from the preliminaries of the Champions League in football by Sheriff Tiraspol (Republic of Moldova), who prevailed with a score of 3-0, on Tuesday evening, at home, in the second leg of the first preliminary round. Farul will continue the European race in the Conference League where they join the champions route. Three other Romanian teams are also in the Conference League: CFR Cluj (north-west), the winner of the Cup and the Supercup, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe (center) and the runner-up in the championship, FCSB (Bucharest). (MI)