September 27, 2024
A roundup of local and world news.
Newsroom, 27.09.2024, 14:00
Drones. Inhabitants in the north of Tulcea county, near the Danube river, last night received text alerts on their phones during Russia’s drone attack on targets in neighbouring Ukraine. Later, the defence ministry in Bucharest said the Russian troops carried out new strikes against civilian and port infrastructure targets in Ukraine, near the river border with Romania. To monitor the situation, 4 planes were lifted belonging to the Romanian Air Forces planes and the Spanish Air Forces as part of the enhanced air policing mission. According to the defence ministry, it is possible that one of the drones may have crossed the Romanian airspace briefly, but no impact with the ground was reported. The defence ministry firmly condemned Russia’s new strikes against Ukrainian civilian and port infrastructure targets, which it described as unjustified and in grave contradiction to international law.
Journalists. Russia’s Federal Security Service opened criminal investigations against three journalists, two American and one Romanian, who allegedly crossed the Russian border illegally from Ukraine to report on the occupied region of Kursk, said France Presse, quoting Russian news agencies. The Romanian journalist, by the name of Mircea Barbu, works for HotNews.ro. A total of 12 investigations were started against 12 foreign journalists under similar charges. The journalists are not believed to be in Russia, but are facing up to 5 years in prison under the Russian criminal code. We recall that the Ukrainian army launched a surprising attack in the border region of Kursk, the first by a foreign army into Russia after WWII.
Storm. The Romanian authorities will mobilise additional forces in the counties where they are expecting problems caused by Storm Ashley. Heavy rain is expected around the country starting on Sunday afternoon for at least 24 hours, while temperatures will drop significantly, from 34 to 15 degrees Celsius. Operative meetings were held at the government, with the Romanian authorities preparing for extreme weather phenomena. The situation on the Danube is also being monitored, but the director general of the Romanian Waters, Sorin Lucaci, is not expecting great problems. According to hydrologists, the flow of the river Danube on entry into the country will reach 7,600 cubic metres per second, and even up to 9,500 cubic metres after the rainfalls and the water brought by the rivers.
Researchers. The Researchers’ Night is today celebrated in Bucharest and other cities in Romania, with events and activities meant to show the public what it means to be a researcher and how interesting research work is. The National Natural History Museum in Bucharest invites science lovers to discover, among others, invisible details of specimens through electronic microscope. The Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy exhibits fragments of meteorite recovered from various places around the planet, as well as models of the main types of special vehicles currently used to explore space. In the Children’s Park in Bucharest, researchers present innovative projects, original experiments and demonstrations of natural phenomena and latest technology. Every year at the end of September, researchers from 23 countries and over 400 cities in Europe are celebrating the contribution of science to the sustainable development of a better society.
Foreign workers. Romania has become an increasingly attractive destination for foreign workers, owing to economic growth and local deficit of labour in various sectors. The number of individual employment contracts last year passed 200,000. Most workers come from Asia, states with a modest living standard. Experts are warning that integrating foreign workers is not easy, but their contribution to the local economy is essential for maintaining the pace of development. The Romanian authorities wish to introduce a legislative framework to help migrants. According to the National Institute for Statistics, Romania had an active population of 8.4 million people in the April-June period, of whom 7.9 million were in employment and 421,000 unemployed.
Football. FCSB defeated the Latvian side RFS 4-1 on Thursday evening at the National Arena in Bucharest, in the first leg of the new Europa League format. The Romanian champions will play seven matches in the group, taking on Glasgow Rangers, Manchester United, PAOK Thessaloniki and Olympiakos Piraeus, as well as Hoffenheim. FCSB is the only Romanian side playing in the European cups.
