January 8, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 08.01.2026, 14:07
WEATHER The bad weather continues to create problems in Romania. Towns and villages have been left without electricity, roads have been blocked and schools closed down in 15 counties, with classes either suspended or held online. Alerts for high avalanche risks have been issued for altitudes above 18 hundred meters in the eastern Carpathians. An Emergency Situation Committee has convened in Alba, the county most affected by the latest wave of bad weather. The number of households left without electricity has increased which prompted the country’s Energy Minister, Bogdan Ivan, to summon the National Energy Command.
MERCOSUR The European commission has announced measures in favour of farmers to convince the member states to sign the Mercosur trade agreement with Latin America. After a meeting last night of the community Executive with the European Agriculture Ministers, it was announced among other things that there will be more money for farmers in the Union’s budget, that fertilizers will become cheaper and that there will be very strict rules for agrifood imports. These are in addition to other measures to protect European production such as the introduction of import taxes if volumes increase by more than 8% or if the market price deteriorates. Mercosur is due to be signed on January 12th. French farmers have blocked several areas of Paris today in protest against the agreement the European Union is about to sign with the South American bloc. Greek farmers are also disgruntled and have announced a 48-hour blockade of the country’s main roads and border crossings, including with Bulgaria.
CENTER A European Black Sea Security Center could be established in Constanta, southeastern Romania – a project that has already received the official support of the European Commission. Its initiator, the Romanian Social-Democratic MEP, Victor Negrescu, has explained to Radio Romania that this center represents not only a strategic opportunity for the country but would also ensure better coordination between the EU, NATO and the states in the area against the background of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. According to Negrescu, in the long run, the European Black Sea Security Center would contribute to the development of the port of Constanta, of the connections between Romania, Bulgaria or Greece, as well as of bigger projects that link Europe to Turkey or the Caucasus area.
TENNIS Romanian tennis player Sorana Cirstea has conceded defeat to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 6-3 in the round of sixteen of the WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane, Australia, a competition with more than 1.6 million dollars in prize money. Sabalenka is now leading 2-1 in the head-to-head contests; the Romanian won the quarters of Miami in 2023 but Sabalenka leveled the points in Madrid in the same year.
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