HEAT Wednesday was a new day with extreme heat in Romania. The capital
\ncity Bucharest and several counties in the south and south-east were subject to
\na code red alert for temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius and a
\ntemperature-humidity index above the critical 80 units. Code orange and yellow
\nalerts were also in place elsewhere in the country. On Tuesday the extreme
\ntemperatures disrupted railway traffic and caused road traffic restrictions. On
\nthe other hand, violent storms were reported in the west, north and centre of
\nthe country, where substantial damages were reported. On
\nThursday, the temperature is expected to drop significantly, to highs between
\n19 and 28 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n
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PROTEST Romanian construction workers Wednesday picketed the government
\nheadquarters to protest the Cabinet’s decision to scrap the tax facilities
\ngranted to the employees in this sector. The head of the National Trade Union
\nBloc (BNS), Dumitru Costin, said the proposed amendments to the Fiscal Code
\naffect not only the construction sector, but other categories of employees as
\nwell. The BNS and the Familia General Federation of Trade Unions came up with a
\nset of measures to avoid the scrapping of tax facilities as of September 1,
\nincluding a new collective bargaining agreement for the sector and a gradual
\nelimination of the fiscal facility, in keeping with the roadmap agreed on under
\nthe National Recovery and Resilience Plan as of 2025. They also suggest adjustments
\nto budget appropriations for the investment projects funded by the government
\nor from EU funds, as well as a salary policy for this sector for the
\nforthcoming years able to ensure balanced salaries, especially in the private
\nsector. <\/p>\n
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MEETING The Romanian
\nforeign minister Lumini\u0163a Odobescu Wednesday had talks with her French
\ncounterpart, Catherine Colonna, about the security situation at the Black Sea.
\nIn a Twitter post, Odobescu described the dialogue as very good. Bilateral
\ncooperation was reconfirmed on this occasion. We have emphasised our joint
\nsupport for Ukraine and the R. of Moldova, as well as our determination to
\nconsolidate security and resilience at the Black Sea, the Romanian diplomacy
\nchief said in her post. <\/p>\n
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DIPLOMACY The foreign
\nminister of the Republic of Moldova, Nicu Popescu, Wednesday requested a
\nlimitation on the number of Russian diplomats accredited to Chi\u015fin\u0103u. He said
\nthe country has been for several years the target of hostile policies on
\nRussia’s part, and that some of them were completed via the Russian Embassy
\nthere. Ambassador Oleg Vasnetsov was summoned to the Moldovan Foreign Ministry
\nfor explanations, after a media report revealed that the Russian diplomatic
\nmission had installed high-performance espionage and interception equipment on
\nits rooftop. The media in Chi\u015fin\u0103u mentioned 28 satellite dishes and telecoms
\ndevices, while individuals tied to Russian intelligence services were seen on
\nthe buildings. The authorities in Chisinau decided that the two countries’
\nembassies would have equal numbers of diplomatic personnel, specifically 10 diplomatic
\npositions and 15 administrative, technical and support posts, Moldpres reports.
\nConsequently, the staff of Russia’s embassy in Chi\u015fin\u0103u will be reduced from 84
\nto 25.<\/p>\n
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NATO The NATO
\nsecretary general Jens Stoltenberg convened a first NATO – Ukraine Council
\nmeeting at ambassador level on Wednesday, at the request of Kyiv. The meeting
\nfocused on consultations on recent developments, with participants discussing
\nthe transport of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, the NATO spokesperson Oana
\nLungescu said. Ukraine’s request came after Russia terminated the so-called
\ngrains deal and started attacking the Ukrainian port infrastructure. Also on
\nWednesday, the head of the press office for the southern Ukrainian defence
\ncommand, Natalia Humeniuk, said Russia was already using Shahed-type drones
\nassembled in Russia.<\/p>\n
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SWIMMING The Romanian swimmer David Popovici Wednesday qualified into
\nthe final of the 100m freestyle race at the World Championships in Fukuoka (Japan). Popovici, the defending world champion in
\nthis event, also holds the world record, set last year at the European
\nChampionships in Rome. The 100m freestyle final is scheduled for Thursday. On
\nTuesday, Popovici, also a former world champion in the 200m freestyle event,
\nfinished the competition’s final on the 4th place. (AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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