July 23, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 23.07.2022, 18:44

Heatwave. Southern Romania will continue to struggle with
extreme heat on Sunday. In the centre and north-east of the country and in the
mountains, the weather is becoming unstable, with torrential rain and
thunderstorms expected. Highs of between 30 and 41 degrees Celsius are
expected. The capital Bucharest will be bracing for another day of sweltering
temperatures on Sunday, with 40 degrees expected during the day.

Wildfires.
Within a space of 24 hours, the Romanian fire services put out 174 wildfires that
which have caused damage to 800 hectares of land. The General Inspectorate for
Emergency Situations is warning that 2,000 hectares of land covered by dry
vegetation and forests have been affected by fires since the start of the
latest heatwave. Also, more than 1,500 people have requested help from the
specialised staff at the first-aid tents set up across the country. Water has
also been shipped to the worst hit areas, including drinking water, household
water and water for the livestock.

Assistance. The Romanian government said it will provide emergency
assistance to Slovenia to help extinguish its forest fires. The decision was
taken at a meeting of the National Committee for Emergency Situations called by
prime minister Nicolae Ciucă at a request from Slovenia under
the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Three Romanian Air Force planes equipped
with fire extinguishing systems were sent to Slovenia. Other fire fighting
missions were carried out in Greece and Macedonia.

Attack.
The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell firmly condemned Saturday’s missile
strikes by Russia on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. In a tweet, he
criticised Moscow for striking a target crucial for grain export, one day after
signing a deal to unblock Ukrainian grain exports, describing the attack as particularly reprehensible and saying it showed
Russia’s total disregard for international law. The UN Secretary
General Antonio Guterrez also unequivocally condemned the attack. Ukrainian
authorities on Saturday reported a Russian attack on the commercial port of
Odessa, a key hub for the Black Sea grain exports. The Istanbul agreement,
which was signed under the auspices of Turkey and the United Nations, provides
for the establishment of a maritime corridor to attenuate the current crisis
caused by the Russian blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

Monkeypox. The
World Health Organisation on Saturday declared monkeypox a global health
emergency, as some 16,000 cases, including 5 deaths, were recorded in 75
different countries, many in Europe, where the virus is not usually found. (CM)