August 5, 2022
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 05.08.2022, 13:55
TAIWAN – The United States will not allow China to isolate Taiwan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi said in a news conference in Tokyo, after a visit to Taiwan that upset China. Beijing conducted military drills Thursday, in the context of the visit. Some of the Chinese ballistic missiles, launched as part of live-fire exercises, had landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, threatening the country’s security, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida said. Chinese vessels and aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line on Friday morning, Reuters cites the Taiwan’s defence ministry as saying. Taiwan reacted by dispatching aircraft and ships and deploying land-based missile systems to monitor the situation. Taiwans military will prepare combat readiness but will not ask for a war, the defence ministry added, according to Reuters.
BANKS – Financial experts with commercial banks are expecting the Central Bank to raise today the monetary policy interest rate. Also today the central Bank will approve its latest report on inflation, which experts say could be revised upwards. The 3-month ROBOR, the interest rate index used as a reference for most RON-denominated loans, stands at 8.11%, the highest level in 12 years. The 6-month ROBOR went up to 8.23% per year while the 12-month ROBOR also increased to 8.34%. As regards the reference index for consumer loans, it stands at 2.65% per year. As compared with the beginning of the year, interest rates on mortgage loans went up by over 50% and are almost double their value six years ago.
UNTOLD – Cluj-Napoca, in north-western Romania, the UNTOLD electronic music festival, currently at its 7th edition, is under way. UNTOLD takes place in several locations, with the main stage placed in the Cluj Arena. The worlds best DJs are taking the stage and the organisers expect nearly 400,000 people to attend. UNTOLD is one of the largest music festivals in the world. The theme of this year’s edition is “Temple of Luna”, an artistic concept that emphasizes the mythological dimension of Transylvania, seen as the land of night and magic.
CORONAVIRUS – More than 8,600 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed on Thursday in Romania. Over 4,000 people are treated in hospital and 300 of them are in intensive care units. Authorities have reported 27 related deaths, one from a previous date. The Health Ministry has announced that three military hospitals in Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca and Timis have reopened dedicated sectors for Covid patients.
SWIMMING — As many as 11 athletes, including world champion David Popovici, will represent Romania at the European Swimming Championships in Rome, held between August 11 and 21. Popovici is the championship’s favourite in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle race, which he also won in Budapest, earlier this year. (EE)
