January 6, 2016

An update of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 06.01.2016, 12:00

The Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş will pay an official visit to Berlin on Thursday, where he will meet with the German chancellor Angela Merkel. The two officials will talk, among other things, about strengthening bilateral relations and the wave of immigrants coming to Europe. The agenda of the Romanian PM’s visit also includes meetings with members of the Romanian community and with representatives of the Romanian-German economic forum. Early this year, PM Cioloş will also pay official visits to France and the Netherlands, a country that took over the rotating presidency of the EU as of January 1st.

The US and Japan have called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to talk about the hydrogen bomb North Korea tested on Wednesday. The authorities in Pyong Yang announced that this 4th nuclear test is part of its strategy of defense against the US. Since 2006 North Korea has been under sanctions by the UN Security Council and it is likely that the embargo on its trade with weapons and the blocking of financial transactions be extended. China, the main ally of North Korea, said it was firmly opposed to the North Korean nuclear test and insistently called on Pyong Yang to comply with the international commitments it made as regards denuclearization.

Orthodox Christians, who are the majority in Romania, and Greek Catholics are celebrating the Epiphany today. Religious services took place in churches and monasteries to bless waters, which are said to have healing and spiritual purification powers. On Thursday, Orthodox Christians will celebrate Saint John the Baptist. He baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan, revealing to people that he was the Messiah. The religious celebrations of the Epiphany and Saint John the Baptist mark the end of the winter celebrations and of celebrations devoted to the birth of Christ. As many as 2 million Romanians will celebrate their name day on Thursday.

Meteorologists in Romania have issued an alert for precipitation, powerful winds and glazed frost all across the country valid as of Wednesday at noon until Thursday night. In this period rainfalls are expected in the south and southeast while in the east and northeast as well as in the mountains it will snow. Precipitation will be mixed in the rest of the territory. Three counties in the south and southeast will be under code yellow alert for rain, valid as of Wednesday night until Thursday at noon. Bucharest and 8 counties of Romania have been under code yellow alert for mixed precipitation, which caused glazed frost. Road traffic has been disrupted on the national roads in these areas. The highs of the day range from minus 3 to plus 7 degrees C. The noon reading in Bucharest was minus 3 degrees C.

Moldovan president Nicolae Timofti has given parliamentary parties a week to agree on a majority that should take into account the pro-Western aspirations of Moldovan citizens. Nicolae Timofti on Tuesday resumed consultations with parliamentary parties for the appointment of a new Prime Minister. On Monday, the Prime Minister designate Ion Sturza did not obtain Parliament’s vote of confidence due to lack of quorum. If the second nomination falls through, Timofti will have to dissolve Parliament and call for early elections. We recall that the previous Cabinet led by Liberal-Democrat Valeriu Strelet was removed from power after a no-confidence motion that was filed by the pro-Moscow Socialist and Communist parties, also voted by the Democratic Party, an overt supporter of Moldova’s European integration.

The tennis pair made up of Romanian Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands has qualified to the doubles quarterfinals at the ATP tournament in Doha, totalling 1.2 million dollars in prize money. The world’s number 1 team will next take on Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia and Albert Ramos Vinolas of Spain. In women’s tennis, Andreea Mitu and Patricia Maria Tig on Wednesday advanced to the doubles semi-finals of the Shenzhen tournament in China, offering 500,000 dollars in prize money. Also Alexandra Dulgheru has made it to the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, totalling 227 thousand dollars in prize money.

(News translated by Lacramioara Simion)