September 15, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 15.09.2024, 20:00

FLOODS – A crisis cell was set up at the Health Ministry to provide the necessary medical assistance to the residents of Galati and Vaslui counties (eastern Romania) affected by the floods. The Interior Ministry and the Defense Ministry have mobilized hundreds of firefighters, gendarmes, soldiers and equipment to help evacuate the victims and repair the infrastructure destroyed by the waters. Dozens of modular homes have already been sent and others are being prepared. More than 5,000 households were flooded, 300 people were evacuated, and another five died, according to the authorities’ latest report. Aid from the state reserves is taken to the affected areas. On Sunday, an energy command was convened by minister Sebastian Burduja. According to him, all teams of the local distribution operator are mobilized in Galati County. The number of people without electricity exceeded 24,000 on Saturday. Several sections of national and county roads in Galati and Vaslui were still closed on Sunday due to the flooding.

WEATHER – Torrential rains have severely affected Central and Eastern Europe in recent days, causing rivers to swell and triggering flood warnings in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Flood dams were erected in Prague. Tens of thousands of households in northern areas of the Czech Republic were affected by power outages. In Poland, one person died and thousands of residents in flood-ravaged areas were left without electricity. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged the affected population to cooperate with rescue teams. Heavy rainfalls are becoming more frequent in Europe, as in most areas of the world, due to climate change. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, which leads to more precipitation.

FARMERS – Farmers in the European Union will benefit from faster advance payments to cope with this year’s drought and other extreme weather phenomena. The European Commission announces that it has authorized such payments based on requests received from several member states. Thus, starting from October 16, farmers will be able to receive up to 70% of direct payments in advance, compared to 50% at present. According to the European Commission, farmers in the EU face liquidity problems due to the extreme weather phenomena of recent years, drought, but also floods, high interest rates on the financial markets and high production costs. In Bucharest, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, gave assurances that farmers whose crops were affected by this year’s drought will receive compensations by October 15. According to official data, over two million hectares of corn and sunflower crops were compromised by the lack of precipitation in Romania.

LIBERALS – The  Liberal Party’s National Council validated, on Sunday, in Bucharest, the candidacy of Nicolae Ciucă for president. Former general and chief of the Army General Staff, Nicolae Ciucă is currently the speaker of the Senate. Mircea Geoană, former president of Social Democrats and former NATO deputy secretary general, recently announced his candidacy as an independent. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, president of the PSD, as well as Elena Lasconi, the mayor of Campulung Muscel and leader of the Save Romania Union (USR, in opposition), are also part of the race for president. The first round of the presidential elections will take place on November 24, and the second on December 8. At the same time, the legislative elections are scheduled for December 1, on Romania’s National Day.

ELECTIONS – Romanian citizens who have their domicile or residence abroad can express their electoral option by mail in the presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled in November and December. The application deadline is September 24. So far, approximately 2,800 applications for voting by mail in the parliamentary elections have been registered on the website of the Permanent Election Authority. A little over 3,000 Romanian citizens domiciled or residing abroad registered for the presidential elections. We remind you that the first round of the presidential elections is scheduled for November 24, and the second for December 8. The voting for the election of the future Parliament will take place on December 1, when the National Day of Romania is being celebrated.

DAVIS CUP – Romania defeated China 3-2, in the Davis Cup’s World Group II, after the tennis player Cezar Creţu defeated Rigele Te, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, on Saturday, in Craiova (south). Also on Saturday, the Romanian tennis player Gabi Adrian Boitan was defeated by Yunchaokete Bu, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), while the Victor Cornea/Bogdan Pavel pair was defeated by Fajing Sun and Rigele Te, 6-4, 6-4, in the doubles. On Friday, in the first singles match, Cezar Creţu (292 ATP) defeated Yunchaokete Bu (113 ATP) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), while Gabi Adrian Boitan (364 ATP) beat Yi Zhou (527 ATP) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. Romania and China have never met before in the Davis Cup.