31 July, 2014
News and Current Affairs from Romania
Bogdan Matei, 31.07.2014, 11:30
The floods caused by the torrential rains over the last few days have devastated the south and south west of Romania. The latest official count indicates that one person has died, four are missing, and over a thousand have been evacuated. Over 2,300 homes have been damaged or destroyed. Over 17,000 hectares of land have been flooded, along with several national roads, while nine bridges have been obliterated. Four counties are under code red alert until Friday for flash floods. Three more counties are under code orange alert for heavy rains, while five others are under code yellow, also until Friday. The weather in the south and south west of the country remains unstable as torrential rains continue. The rest of the country enjoys hot weather, with temperatures ranging from 27 to 34 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 29 degrees.
Romanian Defense Minister Mircea Dusa met in Bucharest American defense undersecretary in charge of intelligence, Michael Vickers. His ministry said in a press release that the talks reiterated the excellent intelligence exchange between the two countries, with a perspective to enhancing cooperation in the future. The Romanian minister assured the American defense official of the country’s firm commitment to the enhanced strategic partnership with the US. Special mention was made of the technical and training support provided by the US to Romanian troops deployed to Afghanistan, especially in view of continued presence past 2014.
In Romania, unemployment fell in June by .2% compared to the previous month, and by .3% compared to the same month last year. In addition, the National Institute of Statistics said that the number of unemployed 15 to 74 years of age is estimated to be around 7.1%, more specifically 700,000 people. Unemployment among men is 1.3% higher than among women. In the Eurozone, unemployment continued to fall in June, reaching 11.5%, the lowest level since September 2012. Austria, Germany and Malta have the lowest numbers, with the highest recorded in Greece and Spain. 10.2% of the EU population was registered as unemployed last month, following a decreasing trend.
Romania’s vice-champions in football, Astra Giurgiu, plays today against Slovan Liberec of the Czech Republic in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the Europa League. Petrolul Ploiesti meets another team from that country, Viktoria Plzen. CFR Cluj plays on foreign turf against Dinamo Minsk of Belarus also part of the Europa League. In the Champions League, Steaua Bucharest tied 2-all against FK Aktobe of Kazakhstan in an away game. The second legs are decisive for qualification in the two continental competitions, taking place next week.
