July 27, 2025
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 27.07.2025, 13:55
Weather – The heat wave persists today in the eastern half of Romania, where weather code alerts are maintained. A code red alert targets counties in the south of the country and the municipality of Bucharest, where highs of 41 degrees Celsius are expected. The rest of the eastern part of Romania will face code orange and yellow alerts for heat, with highs between 33 and 39 degrees C. The heat recorded on Saturday brought the hottest day in the last 50 years in the south of the country, where numerous temperatures above 40 degrees C were recorded, with a maximum of 43.4 degrees C in Calafat, on the banks of the Danube. By contrast, the west of the country was swept by devastating storms, with damage recorded in 27 localities in 8 counties, and several people were injured in Timisoara, both following the fall of a tree and the storm that affected a music festival.
Corruption – The Romanian President Nicuşor Dan says that Deputy Prime Minister Dragoş Anastasiu’s past involvement in a corruption case investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) is a big problem. The head of state says he has not discussed the matter with the Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. Reports have emerged in the press that Anastasiu, as a businessman, was a witness in the corruption case of a former inspector of the National Agency of Fiscal Administration (ANAF) Angela Burlacu and admitted to signing a fictitious contract through which he made payments to that official for eight years. Anastasiu claims that he was only a witness in that case, but the DNA announced on Saturday that the businessman officially had the status of a whistleblower witness in the case, even though he did not actually sign a complaint. The government has announced that the deputy prime minister will hold a press conference in the afternoon.
Sports – The Romanian athlete Constantin Popovici won the bronze medal in the 27 meters springboard high diving event at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore on Sunday. World champion in this event in 2023, in Fukuoka, Japan, Popovici, who was the leader after the preliminary phase, totaled 408.70 points. The world title went to American James Lichtenstein, with 428.90 points, and the Spanish diver Carlos Gimeno won the silver, with 425.30 points. Romania’s other representative, Cătălin Preda, winner of the silver medal in Fukuoka and of bronze in Doha, Qatar, last year, ranked fifth, with 405.25 points.
Concert – The famous American singer Jennifer Lopez has arrived in Romania, coming from Warsaw, Poland. According to a website that monitors air travel, the star arrived with her entire team, on two planes. The singer, who turned 56 a few days ago, will hold a concert in the center of Bucharest tonight. She is in Romania for the first time and said that she especially wanted to sing in front of the so-called House of the People or the Palace of Parliament, a space that has hosted other major concerts by international artists in the past.
Moldova – In September 2025, the European Commission will officially launch a call for registration for national and international private investors interested in contributing to the economic development of the Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet republic, with a majority Romanian-speaking population). The initiative is part of the European Union’s Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova, a large package of economic and political support, worth 1.9 billion Euros, aimed at supporting structural reforms and accelerating its economic convergence with European standards. According to officials from Chişinău, the call aims to attract investments in priority sectors of the economy: energy, agriculture, industry, digital/IT, transport and logistics, as well as health. The initiative is aimed at companies from the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Republic of Moldova, and the proposed projects must have a minimum value of 10 million Euros and an equity contribution of at least 15% from the investor. Selected projects could benefit from support in the form of loans, guarantees, grants, technical assistance and other instruments offered by the European Commission and partner financial institutions.
Talks – Talks are taking place in Scotland today between the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the US President Donald Trump. According to international media, these are taking place amid intense negotiations on a trade deal that would eliminate the 30% tariffs that Trump wants to impose on European products from August 1. The White House leader assessed the chances of an agreement at 50%. (LS)
