WEATHER – The weather is unstable in Romania, particularly in the centre, east and north. The authorities have issued a code yellow alert against rainfalls, thunderstorms and gusty wind valid for those regions until Monday evening. Rain water might exceed 20 l/square meter and even 50-60 l/square meter in places. The highs of the day range from 24 to 33 degrees Celsius. Hydrologists have issued code yellow and orange alerts along several rivers in the country, valid until Wednesday, at midnight. At least two people lost their lives because of heavy rains and flooding over the past few days, many households have been submerged and traffic has been disrupted on several national and county roads. The noon reading in Bucharest was 27 degrees.
BREEZE 18 – Three ships belonging to the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group are currently docked at the Constanta Military Port on the Black Sea Coast, until Tuesday. The participating ships include ROS Lt. Lupu Dinescu, TCG Anamur, and FGS Rhein. The ships have made stops in the ports of Burgas, Bulgaria and Odessa in Ukraine. They participated in the multinational exercise BREEZE 18, in Bulgarias territorial waters and in the Black Sea international waters, and took part in joint exercises at sea, with Ukrainian ships. Exercise BREEZE provided training to the participants in various fields of maritime warfare and enhanced interoperability among NATO Navies. On Sunday, the ships were open to visitors.
GREECE – 91 people died in the wildfire that devastated the eastern coast of Attica in Greece, the latest provisional death toll made public by the Greek authorities shows. Several children are among the victims, as well as four foreign nationals-two Poles, an Irish and a Belgian citizen. An investigation carried out by the Greek fire-fighters shows a local would be at fault for starting the first fire and the Greek authorities know who he is. PM Alexis Tzipras has said he assumes full political responsibility for the tragedy, whereas the Opposition has accused the Government of being incapable of protecting the citizens lives. We recall the two Romanian military aircraft, one used for extinguishing fire and the other one providing logistical support, which were sent to Greece by the Bucharest authorities shortly after the wildfire broke out, completed their mission on Saturday and returned to Romania.
SUMMER SCHOOL – The Bucharest University is organising until August 6, the 58th edition of the Romanian language, culture and civilisation Summer School, which enjoys the participation of 28 foreign students from Europe and the US. This years edition is dedicated to the celebrations occasioned by the Centennial of the Great Union of 1918 Centennial and to the commemoration of the Romanian poet Nichita Stănescu. The young people have the opportunity to attend Romanian language courses, workshops and conferences on Romanian culture and civilisation, cultural events and to visit museums. A novelty this year is the introduction of two workshops “’Mass-Media and Advertising and “Comics for beginners.
PENITENTIARIES – Trade unions in the Romanian penitentiaries have today made public the timetable of protests against what they call “the indolence and incompetence of the justice minister Tudorel Toader and against the Governments lack of involvement in solving the problems they are facing. They call for the resignation of the minister, better working conditions, the elimination of payment disparities and drafting the status of policemen working in penitentiaries. Trade unionists also warn they will go on a token strike on August 10 and will take part in a rally and protest march on October 3.
HAMANGIA CULTURE – Bulgaria and Romania will join efforts to create a tourist product meant to promote the Hamangia prehistoric culture which existed on both sides of the border between the two countries. Tourist landmarks of the archaeological reserve in Durankulak will be developed during the project called ”Hamangia: the first civilization of old Europe”, run by the cities of Shabla in Bulgaria and Cernavodă in Romania, according to the administration in Shabla. The project will benefit from 1.5 million Euro funding, under the European program Interreg V-A Romania-Bulgaria 2014-2020.
ANTHEM – The national anthem, consecrated by the Romanian Constitution as a national symbol alongside the national flag, the countrys coat of arms and seal, is one of iconic elements which define the Romanians national identity and is a unique musical and symbolical synthesis of the Romanian spirit, according to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Foreign Ministry. This year, too, the Romanian diplomatic missions, consular offices and Romanian cultural institutes abroad have organised a series of events of public and cultural diplomacy to mark the Anthem Day. Celebrated on July 29, the National Anthem Day was proclaimed in 1998. The current anthem, considered to be a national symbol is “Awaken Thee, Romanian! and it was chosen after the fall of the communist regime, in December 1989. It is based on the patriotic poem by Andrei Mureşanu, published in 1848, and a tune collected by Anton Pann.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep continues to be no.1 WTA, according to the world ranking made public today. She is followed by Denmarks Caroline Wozniacki and the American Sloane Stephens. Halep is no.1 for the 39th week, thus equalling the performance of French Amelie Mauresmo. Other best ranking tennis players are Mihaela Buzărnescu (24), Sorana Cârstea (54), Irina Begu (56), Monica Niculescu (60) and Ana Bogdan (87).
