4 August, 2018 UPDATE

A round-up of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 04.08.2018, 17:38

Politics. Leaders of the ruling
Social Democratic Party again accused president Klaus Iohannis of violating the
Constitution and beginning the election campaign for next year’s presidential
elections. Invited to attend a meeting of the National Council of the Liberal
Party, in opposition, the president gave a virulent speech criticising the
Social Democrats. He said the general situation in Romania is very bad and that
normality must be reinstated. All opinion polls published in recent months show
that 80% of Romanians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction,
president Iohannis said. He accused the Social Democrats’ leader Liviu Dragnea
and his entourage of using the public office to advance their own agenda and
escape justice. He urged the Liberal Party, which backs him for a second term,
to stay united and strong, saying a rational alternative to the current
government is needed.

Crash. A pilot
was killed and another is in serious condition after their planes collided in
mid air and crashed outside the runaway during a test flight on Saturday near
Suceava, in north-eastern Romania. The air show they were supposed to take part
in, which was due to be held on Saturday, was cancelled. Organisers said the
participants included the Hawks of Romania professional aerobatics team and the
Lithuanian pilot Jurgis Kairys, a legendary name in this
field.

Virus. The African swine fever virus has
spread to 8 counties in Romania, with 545 hotbeds being confirmed so far. Veterinary
experts say the disease is extremely aggressive in the south-east of the
country. Tens of thousands of sick pigs have been culled. The authorities have
called on the population to allow the culling of sick animals and respect
prevention measures. Compensations worth 28,000 euros have been paid so far to
the farmers affected. African swine fever is not transmissible to humans, but
its social and economic impact is considerable. The virus has been spreading
fast since the beginning of June.

Heatwave. Three
people have died in Spain because of a heatwave that continues to affect
western Europe, from north to south. The Romanian foreign ministry says the
authorities from Spain, Portugal and Croatia have issued red and yellow code
alerts for heat. In some regions in Greece and Portugal there is a high risk of
fire. A reading of 45 degrees Celsius was recorded in Alvega, a Portuguese city
located 150 km from the capital Lisbon. Scorching heat is also reported in
Spain, with 40 degrees Celsius in Madrid and 42 in Seville. Greece says there
is a high risk of fire on the islands in the north of the Aegean Sea, Central
Greece and the Attica peninsula. The most devastating fires in recent decades
caused the death of 88 people near Athens. A red code alert is in place in
Croatia in several regions in the south and a yellow code in the Zagreb region,
in the north-west. Very high temperatures have also been recorded in Austria,
Italy, France, Britain, Holland and Belgium. In Sweden, which had the hottest
July in the last 250 years, a glacier has melted. Meteorologists say new record
high temperatures may be recorded over the news few days in Europe. The current
record is 48 degrees Celsius in Greece in 1977.

Rowing.
Romania’s women’s eight won the gold at the European Rowing Championships in
Glasgow. The silver went to the host country Great Britain and the bronze to
Holland. This was Romania’s 5th medal on Saturday, following gold in
the men’s four and the women’s pair, silver in the women’s four and bronze in
the men’s pair. Romania now lead in the overall team rankings.