July 22, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Elena Enache, 22.07.2024, 19:48

DROUGHT –  In almost 450 localities in Romania, accounting for 15% of the total, water is supplied with restrictions, against the background of the heat wave that has worsen the drought. In another 250 localities with no running water the wells are dry, the Romanian Waters National Administration has announced. There are no water supply problems for the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. The Romanian Water representatives call on the population to use water rationally, mainly for drinking.

TALKS – The Romanian Minister of the Interior, Cătălin Predoiu, had, on Sunday, a bilateral meeting with his Hungarian counterpart, Sandor Pinter, in the context of the Informal Meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council hosted by Budapest. The talks focused on the Schengen issue, organized crime and border-related issues. Sandor Pinter reiterated the Hungarian presidency’s goal to obtain the decision for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area also by land, by the end of 2024. Regarding bilateral cooperation, the two ministers stated that boosting cooperation to combat organized crime, with an emphasis on migrant trafficking, have proven their effectiveness, and the results have been very good. On the other hand, the two agreed on a set of measures to avoid the increase in waiting times at common border crossing points.

MISSION –  Two B-52H Stratofortress planes of the US Air Force landed Monday at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, in southeastern Romania, to take part in the Bomber Task Force Europe 24-4 mission. According to a press release from the Office of Public Relations of the American Air Forces in Europe, cited by the United States Embassy in Bucharest, it is the first time that American strategic bombers operate from Romania. The squadron will be integrated with NATO allies and other international partners to pool capabilities and ensure security commitments within the US European Command’s area of responsibility.

 DRUG TRAFFICKING – The Romanian Government has supplemented the funds for combating drug trafficking, given that the age of consumption gets younger by the day. The anti-drug expert Cătălin Ţone told Radio Romania that for the first time in the history of the country, a drug-related Roadmap was created, one billion lei (over 200 million euros) were allocated, and the Romanian authorities are making efforts to recruit 200 more police officers and agents into the anti-drug structures. Some 500 actions were carried out by the Romanian Police and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism to prevent and combat drug trafficking, in the first 6 months of this year. In this interval, 700 kilograms of high-risk drugs, almost 4 tons of marijuana and the same amount of doping substances were seized. Also, over 800 people were arrested and over 150 others were placed under judicial control for trafficking in prohibited substances.

COACH – The Romanian Football Federation announced the end of the collaboration with the national team coach, Edward Iordănescu. According to an official statement, the contract between the two parties expires at the end of the month, and the coach decided not to continue on the national team. Appointed at the beginning of 2022, Edward Iordănescu led the Romanian football team in 28 matches, of which 10 ended in victories and 10 in draws. At the European Football Championship, held this year in Germany, under the leadership of Edward Iordănescu, Romania won Group E, beating Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine. In the first match of EURO 2024, the Romanians achieved a decisive victory against Ukraine, 3-0.

WASHINGTON –  The Democratic President of the United States, Joe Biden, has announced that he will no longer run against the Republican Donald Trump in the presidential elections due in November. The announcement was made in a written statement, issued while Biden was in isolation due to COVID-19. The leader of the White House expressed his support for the Democratic Party’s nomination of its vice president, Kamala Harris, as a presidential candidate. Democratic leaders were quick to welcome Joe Biden’s decision to retire, while also praising his political career. Republican candidate Trump has stated that he considers Harris easier to defeat in the election than Biden.

OLYMPICS – Most of Romania’s Olympic team – 82 of the 107 athletes – arrived in Paris on Sunday, for the 32nd edition of the Olympic Games, which will begin on July 26. Rowers Ionela and Marius Cosmiuc, husband and wife, will be the bearers of the country’s flag at the opening ceremony. The competition will end on August 11.