January 20, UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Daniel Bilț, 20.01.2026, 20:08
SYSTEM Romania will soon have an operational anti-drone system from the United States, Chief of Staff, General Gheorghita Vlad, has announced in Sibiu, central Romania. The system is presently being tested and once operational will contribute to Romania’s air defence. General Vlad made this statement during a news conference he attended together with General Alexus Grynkevich, the commander of the United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe. In turn General Grynkevich said that the strategic partnership between Bucharest and Washington is a strong one and will continue.
WEATHER A cold weather alert is in place for most of the Romanian territory until Thursday morning. Most of the regions are bracing up for freezing temperatures mainly at night and in the morning with lows ranging between -20 and -6 degrees Celsius, while in the country’s northern regions and in some limited areas in the centre, sub-zero temperatures are also expected at noon. In the rest of the territory the highs of the day will stay between -9 and + 8 degrees Celsius.
DAVOS At the world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, questioned president Trump’s trustworthiness, recalling that he had agreed not to impose more tariffs on the bloc’s members. In a speech at the forum, von der Leyen said Trump’s planned new tariffs over Greenland ‘are a mistake’ especially between long-standing allies. In her address on Tuesday in Switzerland, the head of the European Commission hailed the EU-Mercosur trade agreement which she described as a breakthrough after 25 years of negotiations. US President Donald Trump is expected to deliver a speech in Davos on Wednesday. Roughly three thousand participants are expected in Davos until Thursday, for the World Economic Forum, which has high on the agenda talks over global economy, trade and artificial intelligence, under the suggestive motto ‘A spirit of Dialogue’. Romania participates with its most consistent delegation so far, which includes Foreign Minister Oana Toiu, the Minister of Investment and European Projects, Dragos Paslaru, Energy minister, Bogdan Ivan and presidential advisor Radu Burnete. The role of the government delegation at the World Economic Forum in Davos is to promote Romania and its agenda of modernization, of stepping up and the intelligent use of European funds, investment in infrastructure, education and healthcare, the green and digital transition and the consolidation of economic resilience, the Minister of Investment says in a post on a social network.
PROTEST Romanian farmers participated in Strasbourg on Tuesday in protests against the Mercosur Agreement, alongside farmers from other European Union member states. The announcement was made by the president of a farmers’ association, Pro Agro, Ionel Arion. He said that protests by farmers may be organized near the Romanian government headquarters early next week. Despite numerous opponents, there appears to be a majority in favor of the agreement in the European Parliament, according to AFP. Opponents, led by France, the largest agricultural producer in the European Union, say the agreement will lead to an increase in imports of cheap food products, undermining local farmers.
TENNIS Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea outperformed Germany’s Eva Lys in three sets on Tuesday in the first round of the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. The 35-year-old Romanian is in her last season on the professional circuit. Another Romanian, Gabriela Ruse, has also qualified for the second round and will be up against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic on Wednesday.
AIRPORTS Bucharest’s airports registered a record number of over 17.7 million passengers last year, about 10 percent more than in 2024, the Bucharest National Airports Company announced on Tuesday. Henri Coandă Airport exceeded the historic threshold of 17 million passengers, while the rest traveled through Băneasa Airport, which reopened after 13 years to operate regular passenger flights. Last year, the capital’s airports recorded almost 143,000 landings and takeoffs, 6 percent more than in 2024, according to the Bucharest National Airports Company.
(bill)
