August 23, 2025
A roundup of domestic and world news
Newsroom, 23.08.2025, 13:55
Weather – Three people died in Romania after last night’s strong storms, which affected 38 localities in 15 counties, as well as the city of Bucharest. Two of the victims, who were involved in recreational activities, died on the Snagov Lake, near Bucharest, and an 18-year-old died crushed by a roof blown away by the wind in Argeş county (south). Several people were injured, including in Bucharest, where one person was injured by a tree that fell on the sidewalk. The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations reports that, following the storms, interventions were made to evacuate water from yards and annexes, to remove dislocated construction elements from the roofs of 16 buildings, and also to remove 151 trees and 3 fallen electricity poles that damaged over 40 cars. In the Bucharest-Ilfov area alone, there were over 150 calls to the emergency number 112. Rail traffic between two stations near Bucharest was also disrupted last night, after a tree fell on the train line. Today the weather is cool and cloudy, with highs between 20 and 28 degrees Celsius. In Bucharest, temporarily cloudy skies are reported with high probability of showers and lightning in the afternoon and evening. The maximum temperature will be 26 to 27 degrees C.
Visit – The Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is in Chisinau today, for talks with President Maia Sandu and his counterpart Dorin Recean. ‚I assure you that we will continue to build new bridges that will bring us even closer, as befits sister countries, which share a common language, history and values’, declared the Romanian official, after talks with his counterpart from the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet country with a majority Romanian-speaking population), assuring that Romania will remain a firm supporter of Chisinau’s European path. Bucharest will provide support with the expertise and experience acquired during the years of membership to the European Union and through European bilateral and cross-border cooperation formats, Ilie Bolojan said. The relationship between the Republic of Moldova and Romania has been built for years on the ties between people on both banks of the Prut River, because it is rooted in our conscience. It cannot be destroyed by time or by politicians, but it can be strengthened, to ensure our resistance to any foreign challenges and to bring about the resolution of citizens’ problems as soon as possible,’ Dorin Recean also declared. This is the first visit that Ilie Bolojan is paying to Chisinau as Prime Minister. He was also in the Republic of Moldova in March, but as interim president of Romania. Next week, on August 31, on the occasion of the Romanian Language Day, the President of Romania, Nicuşor Dan, is also expected in Chisinau, and on August 27, on Independence Day, at the invitation of President Maia Sandu, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will come to the Republic of Moldova. Through their presence, the European partners reconfirm their trust in the Republic of Moldova and their support for our European path – the Moldovan presidential administration reported.
Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (112 WTA) will play the final of the WTA 250 tournament in Cleveland (Ohio), with total prizes of 275,094 dollars, against the American Ann Li (69 WTA). For Cîrstea, who came from the qualifications, it is the seventh WTA final of her career, having won two titles, obtained in Tashkent (2008) and Istanbul (2021). She lost finals in Budapest (2007), Toronto (2013), Tashkent (2019) and Strasbourg (2021).
Israel – Israel has rejected a UN-backed report declaring a famine in Gaza City, which the Israeli military is preparing to occupy. The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the report is based on biased data provided by Hamas and that the only starving people in Gaza are the Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian Islamist group. But the IPC, the internationally recognized body for assessing global food insecurity, uses strict criteria and warns that the famine is caused by Israel’s systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid and could spread to other parts of the Palestinian territory by the end of next month. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said the deaths from starvation could constitute war crimes. While Israel has rejected the IPC’s findings, it has taken new steps in recent weeks to support aid distribution. On the other hand, the Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Gaza City would be destroyed if Hamas did not accept peace on the terms dictated by Israel. The Israeli army began sending warnings to hospitals and non-governmental organizations active in Gaza to prepare to evacuate the area and head to the south of the enclave, the correspondent of Radio Romania’s News and Current Affairs’ channel in Israel reported. (LS)
