August 6, 2015

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Ştefan Stoica, 06.08.2015, 12:00

Japan has today
commemorated 70 years since the first atomic bomb was launched on Hiroshima,
the first nuclear bombardment in the history of mankind, which led to the
capitulation of Japan and the end of WWll. About 140 thousand people were
killed in the attack, which razed the city to the ground. Two days later a
second bomb was thrown over the city of Nagasaki killing other tens of
thousands. On this occasion Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe underlined the
need for stepping up efforts towards nuclear disarmament, which he said
was our responsibility and duty.

A new stage in the multinational Black
Sea Rotational Force exercise kicks off today at the Mihail Kogalniceanu
airbase in Constanta county, southeastern Romania, for the next six months.
Black Sea Rotational Force is an annual military exercise led by the US Navy
Command in Europe and Africa held in the Black Sea, the Balkans and the
Caucasus. Its goal is to raise the interoperability level among troops,
training military personnel with a view to participating in peacekeeping
missions and counter-insurgency operations. Between February and August 2015, 9
multinational exercises and 45 bilateral operations have been staged in 16
countries of the US European Command.

The weather remains hot in Romania,
particularly in its western, southern and southeastern regions where the
temperature-humidity ratio will go above the normal level. Meteorologists have
issued a code yellow alert for the entire territory valid until Friday. Maximum
temperatures will be ranging between 30 and 37 degrees centigrade and we have a
noon reading in Bucharest of 32 degrees. Due to prolonged drought the Danube’s
discharge remains low and traffic has been disrupted on some segments of the
river. Experts believe the Danube’s water level will continue to diminish in
the following days as well.

The pro-western Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, an
ex-soviet country with a Romanian-speaking majority, Valeriu Strelet has
announced that the process of liquidating the leading three banks involved in
what has been described ‘the theft of the century’ has begun. We recall that
the three banks in Moldova, from which one billion dollars vanished at the end
of last year, have dealt a serious blow to the country’s financial system. On
Wednesday, the country’s Higher Security Council tackled the issue of the three
financial institutions and the Prime Minister announced a deadline for the
completion of the banks’ liquidation, which is October 9th 2015. The
idea of liquidating the three banks has been supported by the National Bank,
according to which, these institutions have no future and are no longer viable
from a financial point of view. This is also the main condition imposed by the
International Monetary Fund for negotiating a new loan with the former soviet
republic.

Romanian-tennis players Irina Begu and
Monica Niculescu have qualified for the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in
Washington with more than 226 thousand dollars in prize money. Begu has
defeated Polona Hecog of Slovenia, while Niculescu has outperformed Lauren
Davis of the United States. Niculescu will be playing in the quarterfinals the
second favourite of the Washington tournament, Samantha Stosur of Australia
while Begu will be taking on the winner of the match pitching the odds-on
favourite, Ekaterina Makarova of Russia against Belgian Alison Van
Uytvanck.

Romania’s football
champions Steaua Bucharest have failed to qualify for the Champions League’s
playoffs after a one-all draw on home turf and a 4-2 defeat in an away game
against Partizan Belgrade of Serbia. Steaua will join the play-offs for the
Europa League though, a competition, which involves the participation of two
other sides from Romania. Astra Giurgiu stands good chances to qualify after a
2-all draw against English side West Ham United, but we cannot say the same
thing about vice-champions ASA Targu Mures, which lost at home three-nil to
French side Saint-Etienne.