June 24, 2026 UPDATE 2
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 24.06.2026, 20:00
Merops – The Merops anti-drone system has been made operational and integrated into the Romanian Army’s defense capabilities, the National Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday. The system was provided to Romania by the United States as part of the bilateral Strategic Partnership. Prior to its introduction into service, the Merops anti-drone system underwent the necessary testing, evaluation, and operational validation phases. It is based on artificial intelligence algorithms designed to detect, track, and neutralize drones. Since 2022, when Moscow’s troops invaded neighboring Ukraine, numerous Russian drones have entered Romanian airspace. The most serious incident occurred in Galați (southeast) at the end of May, when a Russian drone crashed and exploded on a 10-story apartment building, injuring two people.
Government – Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) announced on Wednesday that it is assuming responsibility for governing and is nominating its leader, Sorin Grindeanu, for the position of prime minister. The Social Democratic leadership also unanimously decided that it will not vote for a government that does not include the PSD and that it will negotiate with political parties that identify as pro-Western to reach an agreement to support the future executive. Grindeanu said that Romania urgently needs a functional government to replace the current interim government (PNL-USR-UDMR), which was dismissed by Parliament on May 5 through a motion of no confidence. Grindeanu previously served as prime minister from January to June 2017, when he was dismissed, again via a no-confidence motion, a unique case in post-communist Romanian democracy, introduced by his own party after he had fallen out of favor with the Social Democratic leader at the time, Liviu Dragnea, who was later imprisoned for corruption. Until the split with Dragnea, Grindeanu’s government had promoted legislative proposals that experts say were intended to subordinate the judiciary and put an end to the fight against corruption.
Extreme weather – Romanian meteorologists have issued a code yellow alert for Thursday, warning of exceptionally high temperatures, a heat wave, and severe thermal discomfort across most of the country. Temperatures will be exceptionally high for this time of year, with highs ranging from 30 to 35 degrees Celsius. The highest temperatures will be in the west and northwest. Hydrologists have also issued a code yellow flood warning, valid until Thursday morning, for rivers in the Carpathian Arc and southern regions.
Heatwave – Western Europe is experiencing another day of extreme heat, with red code alerts issued in France, Italy, and Spain. In the United Kingdom, too, meteorologists have issued a rare heat risk warning, with record temperatures expected in some areas. In France, this is the fourth day of the heat wave, with new temperature records on Wednesday, after Tuesday was declared the hottest day on record. The weather cools off noticeably as of Sunday, amid forecast storms and rain. Meteorologists warn, however, that after a brief lull, a new heat wave could hit France in early July. In Italy, the Health Ministry has issued a code red alert for heat wave for 16 of the country’s 27 largest cities, including Bologna, Florence, Milan, Rome, and Turin. The government has warned citizens that high temperatures can pose risks to the entire population, not just vulnerable individuals.
Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Bad Homburg, Germany, which offers total prize money worth over one million Euros, on Wednesday after defeating Russia’s Ana Kalinskaia 7-5, 6-2. The Romanian (28 years old, ranked 105th in the WTA ranking), who came through the qualifiers, won the match in one hour and 40 minutes. In the quarterfinals, she will face either Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the top seed, or the American Emma Navarro. (LS)
