August 25, 2024
A roundup of the latest local and world news
Newsroom, 25.08.2024, 13:45
NOMINEE The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the Social-Democratic Party (PSD), was officially nominated as the PSD candidate for the upcoming presidential election during a PSD congress held in Bucharest yesterday. He was also reconfirmed as president of the Political-Parliamentarian formation, which is presently co-ruling Romania. In a speech delivered at the event, Ciolacu presented the programme with which he wants to win the highest position in Romania. The country’s industry, agriculture and public services are the main axes of his strategy. According to him, the Social-Democrats have managed to win the trust of the Romanians through unity, and he proposes a new type of president, ‘a president for all’. Most of the PSD members who took the floor during the Congress lashed out at their partners in the coalition that is presently ruling Romania and made ironical statements against the country’s incumbent president Klaus Iohannis. The Social-Democrats haven’t won the presidential election since the year 2000. The first round of the presidential ballot is due on November 24 and the second on December 8.
HEAT Romania is in for its 13th consecutive day of extremely high temperatures. Meteorologists have issued new code yellow and orange alerts for three thirds of the country. Counties in the country’s west and south are bracing up for temperatures of 36-38 degrees Celsius and higher thermal discomfort. A code yellow alert has also been issued for the regions in the north-west, center, north-east and the Black Sea coast where the highs of the day are expected to go up to 36 Celsius. The heat wave persists in the capital city Bucharest, whose citizens are bracing up for temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 33.
MEDALS Students from Romania have walked away with four medals from the International Geography Olympiad hosted by the Irish capital Dublin over August 19th and 24th. David Mihai Dumitrescu, from the National College ‘Carol l’ in Craiova, south-western Romania, won gold in Dublin and Ian Mitocaru, from the National College in Iasi became silver medalist. Tudor Olariu from the Iasi-based ‘Costache Negruzzi College’ and Iustin Balan from the ‘Garabet Ibraileanu’ National College in Iasi stepped onto the podium third step. According to the Education Ministry in Bucharest, Romania’s team in Dublin has been coordinated by teachers Mihaela and Dorin Fiscutean of the National College in Iasi.
COAL According to the National Institute for Statistics in Bucharest, Romania’s coal production dropped by 20% in the first six months of the year against the same period of 2023. The country’s coal imports have also dropped by 30%, the same report says. According to the estimates of the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis, this downward trend is likely to continue in the following years as other energy-production facilities will become operational. The EU’s consumption and production of coal last year dropped by 23%, to its lowest level in recorded history, says the EU statistical Office, Eurostat. According to the same sources, the 100 million ton slump in the coal production in a single year is one of the sharpest ever registered in the EU for this type of fuel. With almost two thirds of the entire EU consumption, Germany and Poland were the biggest coal consumers.
VOLLEYBALL The Romanian women’s volleyball side was outperformed 3-0 by Croatia, in its first match of Group G of the preliminaries of the European Championships EuroVolley 2026. The entire game was dominated by the Croatian side, which tops the ranking after having also defeated the selection of Kosovo. Romania will be taking on Kosovo at home on August 29th. Winners of the seven preliminaries groups as well as the best five teams ranking second are to qualify for the final tournament.
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