August 9, 2026
A roundup of domestic and world news
Newsroom, 09.08.2026, 13:55
Cernavodă – The operation to sink four barges in the Danube has been completed to ensure the continued operation of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant in southeastern Romania. Radu Miruţă, acting Minister of Defense and Transportation, announced that the water level has risen dramatically, by 8 cm, in the area around the plant; this significant increase in flow ensures the safe operation of Reactor No. 2 for at least another nine days, based on current forecasts. Hydrologists estimate that, after a period of stagnation, the Danube’s flow rates will begin to rise gradually again, reaching 1,500 cubic meters per second by next Saturday. We remind you that Romania is under an energy alert throughout August, due to a significant reduction in electricity production caused by the drought, which has considerably lowered river flows. The Cernavodă power plant has also been affected; its Reactor No. 1 was shut down due to the very low water level of the Danube, and there is a risk that Reactor No. 2 could also become unavailable for the same reason. To prevent such an outcome, among other measures, it was decided to carry out a controlled detonation of a rock formation and to sink four barges loaded with stone. An appeal was also issued calling for voluntary electricity conservation by the public, as well as by public institutions and companies.
Drought – During this period, tourism has also been affected by the very low water levels of the Danube. Many river ports are not operational, and over 70% of cruise ship voyages have been canceled, resulting in significant economic losses for tour operators. Commercial shipping is facing difficulties, with ships forced to carry smaller loads. There are also restrictions on irrigation. Finally, aquatic wildlife is also at risk due to the low water level of the Danube, with experts warning that the lack of oxygen threatens ecosystems.
Cyber attack – Romania’s National Agency for Cadastre and Real Estate Registration (ANCPI) announced that its IT system will be partially restored in the coming days, approximately one month after a major cyber attack paralyzed the institution’s entire operations. ANCPI has assured the public that the registry of properties and real property rights has not been compromised, nor is there any evidence that the attackers gained access to this data. The Romanian government has announced that it is treating this incident with the utmost seriousness and that additional measures will be taken to secure the infrastructure, so that the systems reopened to the public will be more secure. The cyber attack on the National Agency for Cadastre and Real Estate Registration, an infrastructure of national interest, blocked, among other things, citizens’ and professionals’ access to cadastral services, as well as to Romania’s real estate market.
UNTOLD – The Untold electronic music festival in Cluj-Napoca, in northwestern Romania, is drawing to a close. Over the course of four days and four nights, concerts, shows, and numerous other events were scheduled across eight stages, featuring some 200 local and international artists. After British singer Sting headlined on Thursday, the first day, Untold will wrap up tonight with the music of Padre Guilherme, a Catholic priest from Portugal famous for blending religious hymns with electronic music.
Drone – The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that it is in contact with its Bulgarian counterparts to provide the necessary assistance after a military drone crashed and exploded on Saturday in the neighboring country, near the border with Romania and a compressor station on the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline. There were no casualties or property damage. The incident, however, led to the Ukrainian ambassador in Sofia being summoned on Monday after Bulgarian authorities specified that the drone was a Ukrainian Maya-type drone. Kyiv stated that it did not deliberately target Bulgaria and promised an investigation. Meanwhile, the Romanian Ministry of Defense’s radar surveillance system detected an aerial target near the river border with Ukraine on Saturday night. Residents in the area were notified via a RO Alert message. (LS)
