June 18, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 18.06.2023, 18:54

Migration. 35 persons from Syria and Bangladesh were found by the
Romanian border police in Timiş county, in the west,
as they were trying to cross the border illegally into Hungary with the help of
two Ukrainian nationals. The migrants possessed employment visas and were in
Romania legally, the Timişoara border police said in a statement. They were
transported in a van driven by a Ukrainian citizen. Another Ukrainian citizen
was driving a car that travelled ahead. They are under investigation for
smuggling people, the van’s driver is also in temporary 30-day custody.

Imports. Romania’s gas imports in the first four months
of the year dropped by 45.6% compared with the same period last year, according
to data published by the National Institute for Statistics. Internal
production, on the other hand, increased by almost 7% compared with the same
period last year. The national strategy and forecast commission estimated that
the gas production would grow in 2023 by 2% and that imports would drop by 6.2%
per year.

Cars. The market share of more environmentally
friendly cars, electric and hybrid, has reached 21% in Romania in the first
five months of the year, with purchases going up by more than 33% compared with
the same period last year, according to a report by the Association of Car
Producers and Importers. Electric cars have a market share of 9%, up from 7.7%
in 2022.

Ukraine. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official admitted on Sunday
that Ukraine recaptured a village in the southern region of Zaporizhia as part of the counter-offensive it
launched earlier this month. Rogov, who was quoted by international news agencies, also said that
heavy fighting is being waged in the region. Earlier, Kyiv said it had regained
control of some 100 square km and several villages in the Donetsk region, in
the east. Also on Sunday, the Russian defence ministry said its forces repelled
a series of Ukrainian attacks in three sections of the frontline. The same
source admitted that the Ukrainians were exerting the biggest pressure in the Zaporizhia region.

Football. Romania will be playing Switzerland on
Monday evening in a Group I qualifying match ahead of the 2024 European
Football Championship to be hosted by Germany. After the first three legs,
Switzerland top the group with a maximum of 9 points, followed by Romania with
7, Israel with 4, Kosovo with 3, Andorra with 1 and Belarus with zero points.
The two best-ranked teams will qualify. (CM)