September 29, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 29.09.2024, 18:53

Weather. The Romanian authorities on Sunday decided to evacuate 23 localities in the east of the country, as heavy rain, wind and floods are expected. The interior ministry also decided to double its rapid reaction staff on stand-by in the areas under a red and orange code alert and to send text messages to the population to warn of bad weather. It was also decided to consolidate the sandbag barriers created in flood-risk areas. Flash floods are also expected. Warnings are in place from Sunday evening until Tuesday across most of the country. The Romanian Waters National Administration says it is keeping a close eye on the Romanian section of the Danube. People have been advised not to cross waterways and stay clear of water banks, and, in case of strong winds, to stay away from trees, electricity poles and advertising boards, while car trips to the areas where warnings are in place are to be avoided. Over the next 24 hours, temperatures are also expected to drop. Wind speed is expected to range from 50 to 70 km/hour and snow is expected at altitudes of over 1,700 m. The highs of the days will be between 10 and 19 degrees Celsius.

Visas. Romania’s foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu emphasised how important it is for Romania to join the US Visa Waiver program. On a trip to the US to attend the UN General Assembly in New York, Odobescu said that, despite a series of procedures yet to be finalised, she received positive signals in respect of Romania’s application. She said the team effort of the foreign and interior ministries and the prime minister’s office must continue until the goal is achieved that Romanian citizens would no longer need visas to travel to the US. The government pledged to fulfil the technical criteria for joining the US Visa Waiver program by September 30^th this year, which is when the US fiscal year comes to an end. The conditions include a refusal rate below 3% of visa applications for business or tourism travel to the US during the previous fiscal year.

Middle East. The Romanian foreign ministry has again urged Romanian citizens to avoid travelling to Lebanon owing to the deterioration of the security situation in the region and those who find themselves there and cannot leave the region to inform the Romanian embassy of their whereabouts. The ministry says it is in constant contact with the embassy staff and via its consulates, with the embassies of the other EU member states and other partners in the region. The conflict between Israel and the Lebanese terrorist organisation Hezbollah has escalated after the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by the Israeli security forces. Iran-backed Hezbollah responded with a new rocket attack against Israel and promised to continue the fight. After the Hamas attack on Israel on 7^th October 2023 and Israel’s operations in Gaza, Hezbollah has carried out air strikes from the south of Lebanon to the north of Israel, in solidarity with Hamas.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will be facing Australia’s Arina Rodionova in the first round of the Hong Kong WTA125 tournament on 1^st October. Halep, who got a wild card to play in that competition, is currently ranked 1,130 in the world and hasn’t played since May, when she withdrew from the first round of Trophee Clarins in Paris. Two-time Grand Slam champion Halep returned to professional tennis on 20^th March as her doping ban was reduced from 4 years to 9 months. Another Romanian player in action in Hong Kong will be Gabriela Ruse, no. 93 in the world, who will face Alycia Parks of the US, no. 128 in the world. The Hong Kong tournament is taking place between 30^th September and 6^th October.