July 28

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.

Valentin Țigău, 28.07.2013, 00:00

Romanian meteorologists on Sunday issued an Orange Code Alert for extreme heat valid on Monday and Tuesday in eight counties in western and southern Romania. On Monday, the heat wave will lift temperatures up to 39 – 40 degrees Celsius. In the next couple of days thermal discomfort will be high. The temperature – moist ratio will exceed the critical threshold of 80. The Yellow code alert for heat will also stay in place on Monday in southern, western and central Romania where maximum temperatures will stand at 36-38 degrees Celsius.

Romanian students have won three silver medals and three bronze at the 54th edition of the International Mathematics Olympiad held between July 18th and 27th in the Columbian locality of Santa Monica, the Romanian Education Ministry announced. As many as 547 participants from 103 countries attended this year’s edition. Also this month, Romanian students won two gold medals and three silver medals at the Physics Olympiad in Denmark while from the IT Olympiad in Brisbane, Australia, Romanian students returned home with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze.

As of Monday, 715 employees with the petrochemical plant Oltchim Ramnicu Valcea in southern Romania will enter temporary unemployment until September 8th, the company’s board has announced. They will receive only 80% of their base salary. Trade unions have asked for the replacement of the plant’s board, whom they accuse of unjustified temporary redundancies and inability to boost the activity. Another 900 employees of the same plant were made redundant nine months ago. Oltchim was declared insolvent in January. Its privatisation failed in 2012, when the auction’s winner proved unable to provide the amount he initially said he owned — 45 million euros. The plant needs to be privatised, in keeping with the agreements Romania signed with the IMF.

Romanian mountain climber Zsolt Torok said on Sunday, in a press conference, that he is honoured to be among the few athletes in the world who conquered the Nanga Parbat peak of the Himalayas, which is 8.126 meters high. On July 19th, his team, made up by Teo Vlad, Marius Gane, Aurel Salasan and Bruno Adamcsek, climbed this peak -a first for a Romanian team- without Sherpa and oxygen cylinders.

Romanian film director Radu Mihaileanu won the prize Vento d”Europa at the 19th edition of the Film Festival held in the Ventotene Island, in the Italian region of Lazio, the Radio Romania correspondent in Rome reports. According to organisers, the prize is a homage paid to an artist who, through his works, made an important contribution to the European culture. This is the first time that a foreign director receives an award at this festival.