July 17, 2022 UPDATE

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 17.07.2022, 19:27

COVID-19 Over 2,160 new SARS-CoV-2 were registered in Romania in the past
24 hours after 96 hundred tests had been conducted, the Health Ministry
announced on Sunday. A related fatality was also reported. 19 hundred people
are being treated in hospitals across the country out of whom 108 in ICUs.
Since the beginning of the pandemic in Romania, 65,800 people have been killed
by the virus.

UKRAINE EU Foreign Ministers are going to hold
talks on Monday on applying tougher sanctions on Russia after Moscow has been
accused of having deployed rocket launchers to the region of Zaporizhzhia, in southern
Ukraine. The ministers will have to discuss a European Commission proposal to
ban gold purchases from Russia to bring the EU sanctions in line with their G7
partners. Another proposal deals with the inclusion of more Russian officials on
the EU’s black list. Among other things, the head of the Romanian diplomacy,
Bogdan Aurescu, is expected to be presenting the latest measures taken by the
authorities in Bucharest to facilitate Ukraine’s grain exports. Among these
measures, there is the opening of new checkpoints at the common border,
completing works on the broad gauge railway in the Danube port of Galati,
eastern Romania, as well allowing the Ukrainian ships to use the channels of
Chilia and Bastroe. According to sources from the United States, between 100
and 150 civilians have been killed by Russian military strikes in Ukraine in
the past two weeks.

CRASH A large cargo plane Antonov An-12 crashed in northern Greece on
Saturday night killing all eight crew on board, the Greek public television has
announced. According to the same sources, the plane was being operated by a
Ukrainian air company. Citizens in the area have been advised to keep windows
closed and refrain from using air conditioning as the plane was carrying 12
tons of toxic military products. The plane took off from the Serbian city of
Nis and was bound for Amman in Jordan. Witness reports suggested the Antonov
An-12 plane caught fire while still in the air.

IRRIGATIONS The Ministry of Agriculture in
Romania has earmarked 1.5 billion Euros for streamlining the country’s
infrastructure of irrigations and drainage. The funds are to be made available until
the year 2027. The Ministry has launched the project for public debates as it
is aimed at adjusting the agriculture to the latest climate changes and curbing
their effects over farm production and the environment. Under the law, the
number of new irrigation networks is to increase from 89 to 150. The surface
covered by the new irrigation network is also expected to increase from 1.8 million
to 2.6 million hectares.

WEATHER The heatwave that continues to intensify
in southern Europe has caused large bushfires on the Croatian coast and in
Crete. Wildfires have also been affecting Spain and firefighters have been
deployed to Extremadura, the west of the country. 3 thousand people have been
evacuated from the southern region of Malaga. Emergency services are fighting
the fires affecting the French region of Gironde. Temperatures are on the rise
and wildfires have destroyed several forest areas in Morocco and are presently
threatening residential areas in south-western Turkey.

(bill)