Radio România Internațional

Tag: Orthodox

February 23, 2025 UPDATE

POPE FRANCIS Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church wished Pope Francis a speedy recovery, in a message sent on Sunday on behalf of himself, the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the clergy and all Romanian Orthodox believers.

The Patriarch says he prays for Pope Francis to recover and resume his pastoral and missionary work as soon as possible.

Aged 88, Pope Francis has been hospitalised in Rome for almost 10 days with bilateral pneumonia, and his health has worsened. Pope Francis was elected head of the Catholic Church in 2013. (AMP)

23 February 2025
October 26, 2024

FEAST Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians today celebrate the Holy Great-Martyr Demetrius the Myroblyte, a Greek Christian martyr of the early 4th century AD. He was the proconsul of Thessalonica and as such he opposed the pagan celebrations occasioned by Roman military victories, subsequently arrested and forced to renounce his Christian beliefs, seen as dangerous for the unity of the Roman Empire. When he refused, he was run through with spears. His relics are kept today in a church in Thessaloniki. Nearly 259,000 Romanians celebrate their name day today, according to the interior ministry. In Bucharest, a pilgrimage is taking place to the relics of St. Dimitrie Basarabov, the patron saint of Bucharest, and to the relics of St. Lazarus, brought over from Cyprus.

SCHENGEN The Romanian interior minister, Cătălin Predoiu, had talks with his French counterpart Bruno Retailleau, on finalising the Schengen accession file and on topics of interest on the European and bilateral agenda, such as fighting illegal migration and drug trafficking. According to the Romanian interior ministry, the meeting is part of a series of talks with the EU countries with which Romania has strategic partnerships or privileged cooperation agreements, aimed at communicating the outcomes of the measures taken by Bucharest to manage migration and ensure border security in the context of the country’s efforts to fully join the border-free Schengen area. Cătălin Predoiu highlighted the measures taken at both national level and jointly with its immediate neighbours and other EU member states, which resulted in a decrease of migratory pressures on Romania’s borders to nearly zero. Romania’s cooperation with European agencies also played a major role in achieving these outstanding results. Romania aims to complete the case by the end of this year, and is relying on the support of all its allies to meet this important national goal. The French official acknowledged the progress made by Romania and reiterated France’s support for this goal to be reached as soon as possible.

MIDDLE EAST Washington called on Iran not to retaliate following last night’s Israeli air raids. Should Tehran choose to strike back, we will be prepared and there will be consequences, the US Administration warned. Meanwhile, Israel announced that its operations in Iran were over, after 3 rounds of attacks on military targets, particularly the defence system and arms production facilities. On the other hand, Iran says the strike was countered and that damages were limited. The international community had been anticipating this operation for about a month, as a response to Iran’s missile attack on October 1. The Pentagon said it had been informed of the strike, but denied any American military involvement. The US had urged Israel not to target nuclear sites or oil fields, a request that was observed by Israel. On its part, Iraq reopened its air space after a 4-hour suspension due to security concerns.

WINTER TIME Romania switches to winter time tonight, with clocks set one hour behind so that 4 am becomes 3 am, as a form of daylight saving time. A public poll conducted by the European Commission a few years ago indicates that most Europeans are against the change. In Germany, a teachers’ association said the move has a negative impact on the human body and causes stress, especially in families with school kids. The EC considered eliminating the shift, but member states failed to agree on which of the times should be kept. A number of states have given up switches between winter and summer time, such as Mexico in 2022 and Turkey in 2016. Ukraine also decided that as of 2025 it will no longer switch to Daylight Saving Time. (AMP)

26 October 2024
May 3, 2024 UPDATE

EASTER The Holy Fire for Orthodox Easter will be brought from Jerusalem on Saturday night and sent out to every parish in Romania. The Holy Fire is believed to be an Orthodox miracle, taking place every year on Holy Saturday in Jerusalem, at the end of Holy Week, a period of prayer when the faithful revisit the events of the last day in the life of Jesus Christ. On Friday night believers attend the Vespers of the Taking-Down from the Cross, when an epitaphios is carried to a low table in the church nave which represents the Tomb of Christ, with the epitaphios itself representing the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud.

JOURNALISTS According to the latest annual World Press Freedom Index, released on Friday by Reporters without Borders organisation (RSF), Romania ranks 49^th out of 180 countries, up from 53^rd last year. RSF says Romania “boasts a diverse and relatively pluralistic media landscape, providing fertile ground for hard-hitting public interest investigations. But a lack of transparency surrounding media financing, especially by the state, as well as market difficulties undermine the reliability of information and trust in the media.” “The market is diversified but fragmented, with many TV channels whose sustainability is fragile. Editorial decisions are often subordinated to the interests of owners, transforming the media into a propaganda tool,” the Index also reads. In Romania, RSF also says, the media lack independence and suffer from attempts at interference, especially regarding the appointments of the heads of public radio and television, and the National Audiovisual Council. Political parties can obtain favourable media coverage in return for opaque media funding. Populist politicians have adopted an aggressive political discourse towards journalists, the organisation also finds.

GAZA Negotiations continue for a ceasefire and a new prisoner exchange in Gaza. The talks take place amid threats that Israel would strike the border town of Rafah, where the last Hamas units are located. But Rafah also hosts half of the population of the Gaza Strip, and the international community has warned that a land offensive there would cause a humanitarian disaster. A high-level UN official said the funds for the reconstruction of war-hit Gaza may reach as much as USD 40 bln. The UN Assistant Secretary-General Abdallah al-Dardari told a press conference that the scope of the destruction is unprecedented. Meanwhile, Gaza-related protests carry on in universities in the US. The police cleared a pro-Palestinian protest camp at UCLA in Los Angeles, with at least 200 people arrested. In Washington, president Joe Biden said that while he would always uphold the right to free speech, order must prevail.

FARMERS The European Commission has extended the temporary framework enabling member states to provide state aid more easily to the farmers affected by the impact of the war in Ukraine. The mechanism was introduced in March 2022, after Russia attacked Ukraine, which triggered skyrocketing energy and fertilizer costs. The temporary crisis framework allowed member states to earmark up to EUR 280,000 in aid to affected farms until June 2024, and up to EUR 335,000 to fishery and aquaculture enterprises, as a derogation from the EU’s strict state aid rules. The agriculture ministers in 15 member countries also demanded an increase from EUR 20,000 to EUR 50,000 of the ceiling for the aid granted to an enterprise without consulting Brussels, but the request was dismissed.

DISTINCTION Romanians have received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Second of May from the Community of Madrid, for their integration and for representing a cultural and economic asset for the region. “Apart from being hard-working, Romanians with their effort and courage help us create jobs and opportunities for others,” said the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuos. “The Romanian community in Madrid is not only the largest foreign community here, but also the one that contributes the most to the social and economic development of the local society,” the charge d’affaires with the Romanian embassy in Madrid, Raluca Mihăilă, said in turn. More than one million Romanians are currently living in Spain.

SPORTS The Romanian women’s handball champions CSM Bucharest Saturday take on the French side Metz, away from home, in the decisive leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. In the first leg, the French team won 27-24. Playing in the other quarter-finals are Gyor (Hungary) vs Kristiansand (Norway), Odense (Denmark) vs Bietigheim (Germany) and Esbjerg (Denmark) vs Ferencvaros (Hungary). In the men’s competition, Romania’s champions, Dinamo Bucharest, are up against the German side SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the semis of the EHF European League final tournament. The other semi-final is pitting defending champions Fuchse Berlin against another German team, Rhein-Neckar Loewen. In the quarterfinals, Dinamo outplayed the Danish side Skjern Handbold, after 28-27 in Bucharest and 38-34 away from home. (AMP)

3 May 2024
Romania in mini-holiday

The Orthodox Easter, celebrated on May 5^th, this year happens to be very close to Labour Day and that has offered the Romanians a spring mini-holiday, which ends on Monday, May 6^th. Almost two thirds of the Romanians choose to spend this holiday at home, mainly people over 60 years of age and those with small incomes – says a recent survey.

13.5% of the respondents say they don’t celebrate at all this day, while those who chose to take a trip on this day account for 12.5 %. As Labour Day is considered the beginning of the summer holiday very few of the respondents, 3.4%, say they go to the seaside for this holiday.

However, over 50 thousand tourists are going to be in the seaside resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast. In the sunny resorts of the south, like Vama Veche and Costinesti, parties have already kicked off. Thousands of young people from Romania and abroad have arrived at Mamaia North for the electronic music festival Sunwaves.

According to organizers, 100 Romanian and foreign artists are to attend the aforementioned festival, which is to last for seven nights on the beach. Anti-drug enforcers have also arrived in the area in an attempt to convince the participants to stay away from banned substances. The participants are encouraged to be able to identify first-aid centers, refrain from drinking to excess and be cautious regarding strangers who may offer them drugs concealed as food, drinks, medicine or cigarettes. In case of special situations they are encouraged to directly contact anti-drug experts or call the emergency number 112 in case of health-related issues. A spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, Monica Dajbog, has told Radio Romania that measures have been taken to ensure public order and for intervention in emergency situations. Around 25 thousand policemen, gendarmes, border police, firefighters and troops from other structures of the Interior Ministry have been deployed to enforce law and order during this mini-holiday in Romania, with emphasis on travel resorts, churches and other crowded places, such as rail stations and airports.

Over 200 public events are to be staged in this period, which are expected to bring together roughly 167 thousand people. 2.6 million believers are expected to attend religious services at 12,200 churches on the Holy Night of Easter.

According to surveys, though, the number of those willing to travel on Easter holidays is around 16%, five percentages higher than last year. However, most of the Romanians, roughly 80%, intend to spend Easter with their families at home, while three quarters of them want to attend religious services on the Holy Night of Easter.

(bill)

2 May 2024
August 31, 2023 UPDATE

TALKS Romania’s Prime
Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, will fly to Brussels on Friday for a new round of
talks with the European Commission on the country’s budget deficit next year.
The Executive in Bucharest would like a deficit over 5% and in order to
convince Brussels, the Romanian Prime Minister is expected to propose a series
of fiscal measures, including that of cutting the VAT quotas down to two and the
elimination of some facilities. Ciolacu is expected to explain that a budget
deficit over 5% is necessary as Romania had to support the neighboring Ukraine,
affected by the war. Early this week, the European Commission held talks with
government ministers from Romania. The conclusions of the aforementioned
meetings have not been made public, but, according to some European sources,
the Commission does not consider the measures proposed by the Romanian authorities
who pledged to raise taxes and curb public expenses as being enough.

VISIT A team of the European Commission is to visit Romania on
Friday and Saturday for talks on ways to streamline the local capabilities handling
the Ukrainian grain exports, after Russia has left the initiative regarding these
exports through the Black Sea and is presently threatening maritime civil
transportation. The expert team will be visiting the ports of Galati, on the
Danube and meet representatives of the Lower Danube Administration, port
authorities and pilots. The team will also travel to the Romanian Black Sea
port of Constanta for talks with the representatives of the operators,
transporters and grain traders here, the European Commission has announced.

DAY A series of cultural events was staged simultaneously in
Romania, the Republic of Moldova and the historic communities in the Diaspora
to mark the Day of the Romanian Language on Thursday, August 31. Set by
Parliament in Bucharest in 2013, the Day of the Romanian Language coincides
with the national day in the Romanian-speaking, ex-soviet, Republic of Moldova,
which thus pays homage to the local movement of national awakening. On August
31 1989, during the soviet regime, the Parliament in Chisinau, picketed by
about 750 thousand people, which accounted for a sixth of the country’s
population at that time, decided the Romanian as the state language also
shifting from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet.

ITO As of Thursday the
city of Timișoara in Western Romania is hosting the 7th edition of the
International Meeting of Orthodox Youth (ITO). Attending are clergymen from at
home and abroad, MPs, ministers and academia. The conference will tackle a
number of issues tied to universal history and culture, but also human
trafficking and drug abuse. Religious services will be held, whereas a march
will commemorate the young people killed in the 1989 anti-communist revolution.
The International Meeting of the Orthodox Youth is part of the agenda of the
Timișoara – European Capital of Culture in 2023 programme. The next meeting
will be held in Bucharest in 2025, marking 100 years since the establishment of
the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate.

(bill)

31 August 2023
April 17, 2023

Easter – The majority Orthodox Christians and the Greek Catholics in Romania are today celebrating the second Easter day, which marks the beginning of the Bright Week. The celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the biggest celebration of the Christian world, is the only one to which three days are dedicated. This week everything is under the sign of light, the symbol of Christs Resurrection. The usual greeting has been replaced since Sunday with a greeting-confession “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” which expresses faith in the Resurrection.

Budget – The Romanian government will analyze during this weeks meeting the ministries’ proposals to reduce expenses from the state budget. Cuts in goods and services, trips and purchases are expected. The measures were requested by the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, as the budget deficit in the first months of the year is higher than anticipated. The PM emphasized, however, that there will be no reductions in salaries and investments. In his turn, President Klaus Iohannis has given assurances that there is no hole in the budget and that salaries will not be cut.

Refugees – More than four million Ukrainians have entered Romania since the beginning of the war, according to data from the General Border Police Inspectorate. The vast majority of Ukrainian citizens left Romania for other destinations. Around 4,400 Ukrainians applied for asylum in Romania. They benefit from all the rights provided by the national legislation.

Weightlifting — The Romanian athlete Andreea Cotruţa won three gold medals in the 55 kg category on Sunday at the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan. Cotruţa won gold in the snatch event with 91 kg, also won the gold in the clean and jerk with 110 kg, and in the overall she won gold with 201 kg. Romania thus won 11 medals after two days of competition, six gold, of which three obtained by Mihaela Cambei (49 kg category) and three by Andreea Cotruţa (55 kg category), three silver and two bronze. Romanias target is to win four medals and six rankings on places 4-6.

Ukraine – Kyiv will seek to obtain the reopening of transit for its food products and grains via Poland during the discussions taking place today in Warsaw, the Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mikola Solski announced after Poland and Hungary announced bans on some imports from Ukraine, Reuters reports. The Polish farmers have denounced the fact that a large part of Ukrainian grain and other products is not distributed to the rest of the European Union, but remains in the country, causing a reduction in grain prices. The president of Polands ruling Law and Justice party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, announced on Saturday, at a government meeting, that he had made the decision to stop imports of Ukrainian products to avoid a crisis on the domestic agricultural market. Minister Solski said that the transit of food products through Hungary and Slovakia was not affected. He also stated that he would have additional discussions in Romania on Wednesday and in Slovakia on Thursday.

Rescue — The Romanian border policemen participating, on the Coast Guard ships, in a mission within the Joint Maritime Operation THEMIS 2023 under the auspices of the Frontex Agency, have rescued, together with their colleagues from the Coast Guard in Italy, in several missions carried out in the Mediterranean Sea, 181 foreign citizens in danger. On March 23, the Romanian border police took 150 migrants, all men, on board the Coast Guards maritime patrol boat, from a ship belonging to their colleagues from the Italian Coast Guard. The men were given medical assistance and were later taken over by the authorities of the Italian Republic. On April 8, the Romanian border policemen rescued 31 people in danger, including minors, and provided them with medical assistance. (LS)

17 April 2023
April 10, 2023 UPDATE

DEFENCE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis has convened a
meeting of the country’s Higher Defence Council on Tuesday. The security
situation at the Black Sea, triggered by Russia’s aggression on Ukraine and the
foreign interference in Moldova’s democratic process are on the agenda. The
development of the Romanian military aviation will also be discussed.

CEREMONY We will always rely on the Romanian Army, on our
servicemen who, together with our allies, will ensure the defence of Romania
and of NATO’s eastern flank, PM Nicolae Ciucă said in the eastern Romanian
town of Focsani on Monday. He attended a ceremony celebrating 140 years since
the Union of Principalities 282 Brigade was set up. The PM reiterated that
near Romania’s borders, a long-term war of attrition is taking place, which is
a challenge for the free world, for democracy, for a rule-based world. The 282
Brigade carries forward the military traditions of the 6th Infantry
Division established on April 1, 1883, and stationed in Focşani. Throughout its
existence, the 6th Infantry Division took part in the Balkan War and
the 2 world wars, while in recent times structures within the brigade
participated in many operations in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.

DIASPORA Romanian PM Nicolae Ciuca Monday took part in the opening ceremony
of the conference Smart Diaspora 2023 – Diaspora in higher education, science,
innovation and entrepreneurship, held in Timisoara, western Romania. Around
400 participants from the Diaspora, 550 from Romania and 300 from the member
universities of Timisoara University Alliance are expected to attend the 38
workshops held for 4 days on topics such as education, psychology, global
economy, governance, smart cities, intercultural communication and many others.
The guests from the Diaspora come from more than 30 countries, most of them in
the EU, but also from the US, Britain, Moldova, Japan, Singapore and Australia. President Klaus Iohannis has
sent a message saying education is the key to Romania’s sustainable
development.

EDUCATION The new education bills have reached the Chamber of
Deputies for review. In the case of undergraduate education, new mandatory Language
and communication and Math and sciences exams have been introduced for 2nd, 4th
and 6th grade students, while the bill on higher education provides for an
extension of doctoral studies from 3 to 4 years. The leaders of the ruling
coalition have promised to pass the new legislation by the end of Parliament’s current
session.

HOLY WEEK Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers all over the world,
including Romania, a mostly Orthodox country, have entered the Holy Week, the
last week before Easter. Holy Week services are attended by large crowds.
Romanian pilgrims have already arrived at the holy places in Jerusalem,
Nazareth and Bethlehem, for the religious service on Easter Sunday, according
to RRI’s correspondent in Israel. This year, Catholic and Protestant Christians
celebrated Easter a week before the Orthodox and Greek Catholics. On Sunday,
during his traditional Easter address before the large crowds gathered in St.
Peter’s Square of the Vatican, Pope Francis condemned the numerous obstacles in
the way of world peace and called on the international community to put an end
to the conflict in Ukraine and to all other conflicts in the world.

CUSTOMS The customs authorities in Romania and the neighbouring
Republic of Moldova have approved a Common Action Plan designed to help
streamline cross-border travel during the Easter holidays, more precisely
between 7 April and 7 May 2023. According to the Romanian Customs Authority, in
order to handle the surge in traveller numbers, the two authorities will increase
the number of customs workers and identify and earmark separate lanes to
redirect and speed up passenger travel. (AMP)

10 April 2023
May 28, 2022

FILM The Romanian
filmmaker Alexandru Belc Friday night won the award for best director in the Un
Certain Regard section of the Cannes film festival, for his film ‘Metronome’. This is the first fiction feature of the
Romanian director, previously known for his documentaries ‘Cinema, mon amour’
(2015) and ‘8 March’ (2012). The Un Certain Regard section is
devoted to films with unusual styles by emerging directors seeking
international recognition. The awards in the official competition of the 75th
Cannes Film Festival will be presented tonight. Eighteen films compete for the Palme
d’Or trophy, including R.M.N by the Romanian director Cristian
Mungiu.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu was received
on Friday by the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of
a trilateral security meeting that brought together the foreign ministers of
Romania, Poland and Turkey in Istanbul. Erdogan commended Romania’s and
Poland’s management of the humanitarian crisis entailed by Russia’s aggression
in Ukraine, while Bogdan Aurescu highlighted Turkey’s role at the Black Sea. The
Romanian foreign minister also voiced support for NATO’s open door policy and
for the accession of Sweden and Finland. Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Bogdan Aurescu also emphasised the relevance
of the bilateral strategic partnership signed in 2011,
in the current geopolitical circumstances.

REFUGEES On Friday 8,730 Ukrainian nationals entered Romania, down 2.6%
since the previous day. A total of nearly 1,050,000 refugees have crossed the
border from Ukraine since the start of the conflict on February 24th.
According to the Romanian border police, measures have been taken to strengthen
border surveillance and to improve information and data exchanges with other
relevant institutions, in order to handle possible problems.

CHURCH The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, previously subordinated to the
Russian Patriarchy, announced it would separate from the latter as a result of
the invasion in Ukraine, and declared its independence and autonomy. This
historic move comes after Russia’s Patriarch Kirill voiced full support for
president Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Part of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church had already splintered from Moscow in 2019. Hundreds of priests have
recently signed an open letter calling for Kirill to be tried before a
religious tribunal over his stand regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

CONCERT London hosted on Friday night the first concert of the
Swedish group ABBA after 40 years. The show, the first in a series of 7, was
non-conventional in that it featured digital versions of the 4 artists. The
group has been preparing the performances since 2016, using state-of-the-art
technology. The musicians attended the show in London as members of the
audience. The band separated in 1982, but their music continues to sell, and recently they put out a new album,
called Voyage.

TENNIS The Romanian Irina Begu is playing today against Leolia
Jeanjean of France, in the 3rd round of the Roland Garros. On
Thursday Begu defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, to be
the only Romanian player left in the singles competition of the tournament in
Paris. (AMP)

28 May 2022
April 16, 2022

BNR According
to Romania’s Central Bank (BNR), the country’s inflation rate is expected to increase
in the following months more than it was initially estimated. So, Romania’s
inflation rate will exceed the level of 11.2% forecast in June. The phenomenon
was caused by the latest price hikes in fuel and processed food against the war
in Ukraine and the international sanctions imposed on Russia. In another
development, although pressure for pay rises might be felt at least in the
sectors facing a shortage of qualified personnel, substantial pay rises are
very unlikely to happen in the near future. We recall the annual inflation rate
went up to 10.15% in March from 8.5% in February reaching the highest level in
the past 18 years.

RATING Romania’s Finance Minister Adrian Câciu hailed the Friday’s decision
of the financial rating agency Standard & Poor’s to reconfirm Romania’s
Sovereign credit rating to ‘BBB minus’ with stable outlook. ‘This is another
proof that the national policies of funding the economy were right’ Câciu says.
According to Standard & Poor’s, Romania’s rating is underpinned by EU
membership and international capital flows. At the same time the risks posed by
the war in Ukraine are diminished by the prospects of absorbing a major volume
of EU funds as well as by the low energy dependence on imports of natural gas
and oil from Russia. However, the agency has significantly dropped the
country’s growth estimates down to 2.1% and has increased estimates regarding
the inflation rate, which in 2022 is expected to go up to 9% as compared to 6%
forecast in December. Another major rating agency Fitch last week confirmed
Romania’s rating at ‘BBB minus’, with negative outlook, the last notch in the
investment-grade category.

DAY
Roman-Catholics and protestant believers are today getting ready for Easter, whereas
the Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers are preparing for Palm Sunday. At
midnight the Roman Catholics are to participate in the Easter Vigil, a special
service, which celebrates Christ’s Resurrection. The Orthodox believers will
today be attending religious processions dedicated to Jesus Christ’s triumphal
entry into Jerusalem, which also marks the beginning of the last week of Lent,
also known as the Passion Week, before Easter on April 24th. Today
is also the first day of Jewish Holiday of Passover, which celebrates the
exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Irina Bara on Friday qualified for the
semifinals of the ITF tournament in Palm Harbor, Florida after a 6-3, 6-4 win
against Grace Min of the USA. Bara has also qualified for the doubles finals
together with Italian Lucrezia Stefanini after a 6-3, 6-1 win against Kayla Day
and Ellie Douglas of the USA.

(bill)

16 April 2022
December 25, 2021 UPDATE

CHRISTMAS The Western rite Orthodox
believers, the Greek Catholics and Catholics from the world over, including
from Romania, a country with an Orthodox majority, on Saturday celebrated the
first day of Christmas. The Christmas holiday invites us to be generous, as
the magi in the time of Christ, to show love and compassion to all around us
and offer gifts not only to children but also to the elderly, the sick, the
lonely and sad’, Daniel, the patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church said. In
turn, president Klaus Iohannis also conveyed a Chrismas message, in which he
referred to the spirit of this holiday at the end of another difficult year.
The head of the Romanian state wished the Romanians to enjoy this holiday,
underlining that together we can overcome this difficult period. Christmas is
marked through special religious sermons in churches and monasteries across the
country but also through beautiful traditions and rich family dinners. Old
ritualists, who are a majority in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Georgia are
celebrating Christmas on January 7th.

COVID-19 The fifth wave of the pandemic, which is most severe as compared
to the fourth wave is expected to arrive in Romania in less than three weeks,
the country’s Interior Minister Lucian Bode has announced. The spread of the
Omicron variant will be accelerated by the Romanian workers from abroad, who
are to arrive in large numbers for the winter holidays. The number of the new
infections is still low in Romania with roughly 600 new cases announced on
Saturday and 29 related fatalities. Since the beginning of the pandemic, almost
1.8 million Covid infections have been reported in Romania and 58 thousand
related fatalities. Shortly after the authorization in the USA of the
anti-Covid drug, Paxlovid, Romania’s health minister, Alexandru Rafila is
making moves to import the new drug as soon as possible. Rafila has already had
a series of meetings with representatives of Pfizer, the company that produces
the vaccine. According to the latest surveys, the drug reduces by almost 90%
the risk of hospitalization and death. The US has also authorized an anti-viral
pill produced by Merck.

OMICRON Airline carriers in the USA
have been severely affected by the Covid-19 infections driven by the Omicron
variant, which created greater uncertainty among Christmas holiday travelers.
According to Flightaware.com a quarter out of the over 4 thousand flights
cancelled globally is in the United States alone. The situation became possible
due to the flight crews who tested positive and were forced to go into
isolation in order to contain the pandemic. The USA, like other countries, has
seen a surge in the Covid-19 infections and although the Omicron variant is
less severe than Delta, scientists are worried by the growing number of
infections. Government data in Britain showed a record tally of more than 122
thousand Covid infections nationwide on Friday, marking a third day in which
the number of new cases has surpassed 100 thousand. The government headed by
Boris Johnson preferred to postpone the tightening of restrictions as Omicron
poses lower risks than the Delta variant. France has also exceeded the
threshold of 94 thousand new Covid infections, a record high since the
beginning of the pandemic. Outdoor mask mandates have again come into effect in
Greece, Spain and Italy.

TROOPS Over 10 thousand Russian servicemen that had been deployed close
to the Ukrainian border returned to their barracks, the Interfax news agency
announced, quoting sources of the Russian army. They participated in maneuvers
held close to Ukraine and also in Crimea, a region Russia annexed in 2014. The
latest Russian military buildup at the borders with Ukraine fuelled concern among
Ukraine’s and western leaders that Moscow had planned an attack. Russia denied
all allegations adding that it needs pledges from the West, including from NATO
that the alliance will not expand towards its borders.

(bill)

25 December 2021
March 28, 2021 UPDATE

SERVICE Pope Francis delivered a religious service in the St.
Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Palm Sunday urging believers to stay close to those
in need and suffering. On Palm Sunday, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, made his
triumphal entry in Jerusalem where he was welcomed by many with Palm branches.
Five days later He was crucified, died and came back to life again. In the past
years, on Palm Sunday, the day marking the beginning of the Holy Week before
Easter, tens of thousands used to take to the St. Peter’s Square with palm and
olive branches in hands for an outdoor religious service. This time, due to the
pandemic restrictions, only 120 believers were allowed to join the Pope and the
30 cardinals in the basilica. Italy is presently seeing a national quarantine
expected to end after Easter. The Vatican, a sovereign state in downtown Rome,
has applied similar restrictions. However, unlike one year ago, the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem remained open to visitors on the Catholic Palm Sunday
allowing believers to attend the service. This year, Catholic believers are
celebrating Easter on April 4th while the Orthodox, a majority in
Romania, are to celebrate Christ’s resurrection almost a month later, on May 2nd.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Horia Tecau and Marcelo Arevalo of
Salvador have qualified for the round of 16 of the Miami Open ATP Masters 1000,
a competition with over three million dollars in prize money. The two secured a
6-4, 6-3 win against Henri Kontinen of Finland and Edouard Roger Vasselin of
France. This new pair will be up against top-seeded Juan Sebastian Cabal and
Robert Farah in the eighth finals.

DST
Daylight Saving Time began in Romania on Saturday night when clocks were set
one hour forward and the difference between the local time and GMT became of
three hours. DST was first introduced in Romania back in 1932 but this might be
the last hour change as the European Parliament in 2019 voted in favour of
scrapping this measure inside the EU. Each member state is to decide whether to
keep implementing the DST or not. Countries willing to keep the summer hour
made the change last night, whereas those preferring the winter hour are to
make the final change in the last Sunday of October.

MEASURES A new series of measures aimed at fighting the Covid-19 pandemic came
into effect in Romania as of Sunday. The new measures include a weekend night
curfew starting at 20 hours in regions with an infection rate that exceeds four
per thousand. In these regions shops are to close down at 18 hours while in
areas with an infection rate over 7.5 per thousand, restrictions will be in
force during the entire week. According to the latest data published by the
authorities, over 44 hundred new infections have been reported in Romania in
the past 24 hours most of them in Bucharest. A year on from the onset of the
pandemic, 930 thousand infections have been reported in Romania with a death
toll over 23 thousand. The number of Romanians who got at least a dose of the
anti-Covid vaccine has exceeded 1,900,000. Half of them have also been given
the booster dose.

(bill)

28 March 2021
October 14, 2020

COVID-19 4,016 new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported in Romania on Wednesday, the biggest daily figure since the start of the pandemic. The number of patients with severe forms of the disease is up, with 686 people in ICU. Another 66 COVID-19 patients died in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 5,601. The Government extends the state of alert by 30 days, as of October 15. The National Committee for Emergencies decided that face masks will be compulsory outdoors as well, in areas with more than 3 cases per 1,000 capita, and private events will be banned until the number of infections drops.

PRIZE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is awarded in Magdeburg, Germany today the Emperor Otto Prize, for “great merits in the European unification process. According to the Romanian Presidency, the award ceremony will take place at the Magdeburg Cathedral (Magdeburger Dom, the Cathedral of Saints Maurice and Catherine), home to the tomb of Otto I the Great, Holy Roman Emperor. The Emperor Otto Prize is awarded every 2 years to personalities and organisations with outstanding merits in the European unification process and in promoting European values. It was first granted in 2005, when the city of Magdeburg celebrated 1,200 years. Former recipients include the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, former president Richard von Weizsacker, former Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga, as well as the former EU diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini. In 2015, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe was the first institution to receive this award.

INCIDENTS Incidents were reported in Iasi, in the east, where the Orthodox pilgrimage to Saint Parascheva the New continues. Groups of believers clashed with the police during this event, traditionally the largest in Romania and one of the most important in Europe. After the National Committee for Emergency decided that only believers residing in Iasi may take part in the event, the Romanian Orthodox Church rated the measure as discriminatory and said the Patriarchate was not consulted. On Tuesday president Klaus Iohannis said “a direct dialogue between the 2 major authorities would lead to better solutions. Born near Constantinople in the early 11th Century and celebrated on October 14, Saint Parascheva the New has been the patron saint of Moldavia since 1641.

AUTOMOTIVE In Romania, the market for electric and Hybrid Plug-in cars rose significantly in the first 9 months of the year compared to 2019. Statistics point to a 40% increase in electric car sales and a 140% in Hybrid Plug-in sales since the beginning of the year. On Thursday, the largest Romanian carmaker, Dacia, taken over by the French group Renault in 1999, will unveil Spring, its electric model, 7 months after releasing the first photos of the concept. Dacia Spring will be the least expensive electric car in Europe, around 3-4,000 euro cheaper than its competitors.

ELECTIONS In the Republic of Moldova the campaign for the presidential election due on November 1 continues. The latest polls indicate that only 2 out of the 8 candidates stand chances to win—the incumbent Socialist pro-Russian president Igor Dodon and the former pro-Western PM Maia Sandu, who were the main contenders in the presidential race 4 years ago as well. Radio Romanias correspondents in Chisinau say Dodon targets ethnic minorities and Soviet supporters, whereas Sandu has to win over the extremely divided right-wing voters.

MEASURES Italy has added further exceptions from the COVID-19 rules applicable to travellers from Romania. Individuals showing no symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the ones who have not travelled to countries like Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina or the Republic of Moldova are no longer required to self-isolate under medical supervision. Exceptions also include the travellers who transit Italy for up to 36 hours and short-term visitors who stay in the country up to 120 hours. The same exception applies to medical personnel coming into Italy to practice their profession. The new rules are in force until November 13.

FOOTBALL Romanias football team is playing tonight in Ploiesti against Austria, in the UEFA Nations League Group 1B. On Sunday, Romania lost 0-4, away from home, to Norway. In the first 2 matches in the group, Romania drew 1-1, at home, with Northern Ireland and beat Austria 3-2. On Thursday Romania failed to qualify into next years European Championship final tournament, after losing 1-2 against Iceland in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Romanias U21 team defeated Malta 4-1 (4-0), on Tuesday night in Giurgiu, in Group 8 of the European Youth Championship qualifiers. Denmark ranks first in the group with 25 points, followed by Romania with 19, Ukraine with 10, Finland with 10, Northern Ireland with 0 points and Malta with 1 point. Romania will play a decisive match on November 17 against Denmark in Ploiesti. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

14 October 2020
April 29, 2019 UPDATE

EASTER Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers, including from Romania – a
country with an Orthodox majority – have entered the Bright Week, when they
greet each other with the traditional formula, ‘Christ is risen’ ‘He is risen,
indeed’. The formula is aimed at publicly expressing the Christian belief in
Christ’s resurrection. On Monday Romanians also celebrated St. George, a
Christian martyr who is also the patron saint of several cities across the
country as well as of Romania’s Ground Forces.

MESSAGE Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Monday conveyed a message on
the occasion of the Veterans Day. ‘Romania’s soldiers did their duty in the
Independence war and in the two world wars. Our troops continue to serve in
various operation theatres in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Western Balkans’, the
Romanian president also added. The country’s Defence Minister, Gabriel Les, has
also conveyed a message in which he says that ‘it’s our duty to respect those
who fought so that we may live in an independent and free country. We should
learn this lesson in patriotism and pass it down to the next generations. Romania
still has 700 thousand war veterans.

CONGRATS
Romania’s Social-Democratic
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has congratulated her Spanish counterpart Pedro
Sanchez on the victory obtained by his party in the snap parliamentary
elections on Sunday. In a communiqué issued by the Executive in Bucharest,
Dancila has reiterated Romania’s readiness to carry on and diversify the
excellent bilateral dialogue, to strengthen and deepen the strategic
partnership between the two countries in key domains such as infrastructure,
energy, agriculture, domestic affairs and European policies. Dancila has voiced
hope the Romanian Diaspora in Spain will continue to represent a strong link in
the bilateral relations. Pedro Sanchez has obtained a clear win in the election
but is short of majority in Spain’s Legislature. Turnout stayed at 75%, the
highest in recent years.

FREQUENCIES Dear friends, Radio Romania International operated new
changes into the frequencies of its transmissions, which came into effect on
April 27th. So, the RRI broadcast at 3:00 UTC to North America, (the
West Coast) can be received on the frequency of 7375 kHz in the analogue
system, while our programmes to India are carried by 13630 kHz in the DRM
system.

(translated by bill)

29 April 2019
28 April, 2019

Easter. Orthodox Christians, who are
the majority in Romania, as well as the Greek-Catholic, celebrate Easter, the
resurrection of Christ. At midnight on Saturday, people went to church to
receive light from the priest and sing Christ is risen. People light their
candles from the Holy Light, which is brought from Jerusalem’s Church of the
Holy Sepulchre. In his Easter message, the patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox
Church Daniel has urged people to bring joy and light to the souls of those who
are orphaned, sick, elderly, poor, in mourning or alone, by word and deed.
He said Romanians living abroad should not be forgotten either, urging
believers to pray for their health and redemption.

Easter messages. In an Easter video message posted on social media, president Klaus
Iohannis wished Romanians to enjoy peaceful holidays together with their loved
ones. Prime minister Viorica Dancila also wished Romanians a happy Easter, good
health and to enjoy the pleasant moments spent with their loved ones. She said
in a press release that Easter is a blessed time, full of faith and hope and
bringing us closer to the divinity that exists in people and giving us the
chance of a new beginning. May the holy day of Resurrection bring inner peace
and prosperity to all Romanians and fulfilment and recognition at home and
abroad to the Romanian army, said the defence minister Gabriel Les in his
Easter message.

Holidays. More than 22,000 police,
security and border forces, firefighters and paramedics have been mobilised in
Romania for the Easter and Labour Day holiday to oversee traffic and large
gatherings of people. Over 900 public events are held over this period,
attracting around 1 million people. The Romanian authorities are also working
with their counterparts in the neighbouring Hungary and Bulgaria at the busiest
border crossing points. The customs authorities in Romania and the Republic of
Moldova have agreed on a set of measures to speed up traffic across the common
border during the Easter holidays. This involves additional border administrative
staff, opening all border check point lanes and coordination with the regional
border police structures.

European elections. The campaign for
the European Parliament elections on the 26th of May began on
Saturday in Romania. This country is entitled to 33 seats in the European
Parliament, with the 33rd seat to be awarded however when the UK
formally leaves the European Union. 13 political parties and three independent
candidates are in the race. 441 polling stations have been set up abroad for the
Romanians in the diaspora, including 76 in Italy, 50 in Spain and 25 in
Germany. A referendum on the judiciary called by president Klaus Iohannis will also take place at the
same time as the elections for the European Parliament.

Spain elections. More than 36 million voters are taking part in parliamentary elections
in Spain. The government led by the socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez
called early elections after failing to secure the necessary support for the
budget. His cabinet had the shortest term in the last 40 years. Sánchez is
leading in opinion polls, but is unlikely to obtain absolute majority, which
means parties will seek to form a coalition. According to Radio Romania’s
correspondent in Madrid, 100,000 people under guardianship will be allowed to
vote following a change in electoral law. Another first is the candidacy of
Vox, a far-right party that has seen a rise in opinion polls.

28 April 2019
Nachrichten 27.04.2019

Eine Woche nach den römisch-katholischen und den evangelischen Christen feiern die orthodoxen Christen weltweit das Osterfest. Am Karsamstag, dem Tag der Grabesruhe Jesu Christi, gedenken die Christen seines Abstiegs in die Unterwelt, bei dem er nach seiner Kreuzigung die Seelen der Gerechten seit Adam befreit habe. Die orthodoxen Christen in Rumänien und in aller Welt feiern am Sonntag die Auferstehung Jesu Christi. Eine Delegation der Rumänischen Patriarchie ist nach Jerusalem gereist, um das Heilige Licht zu empfangen und es um Mitternacht beim Osternachtgottesdienst an die Gläubigen in Rumänien zu verteilen.

Mehr als 22.000 Angestellte des Innenministeriums, Polizisten und Gendarmen, sowie Mitarbeiter des Notdienstes SMURD werden in den nächsten Tagen für Ordnung und öffentliche Sicherheit in Rumänien sorgen. Sie werden besonders in den Gegenden, wo Klöster und Kirchen liegen, einsatzbereit sein. In den nächsten drei Tagen werden rund 900 öffentliche Veranstaltungen stattfinden, an denen etwa 1 Million Menschen erwartet werden. Andererseits arbeiten die rumänischen Behörden mit den Behörden in Ungarn und Bulgarien, um den Grenzverkehr an den meist benutzten Grenzübergängen zu erleichtern. Die Rumänen wählten für ihre Miniferien an den Osterfeiertagen und am 1 Mai Reiseziele in Bukowina (im Nordosten), Maramures (im Nordwesten), im Prahova-Tal (im Süden), sowie an der Schwarzmeerküste und im Donaudelta. Bevorzugte Ferienziele im Ausland sind sind Bulgarien, Griechenland, die Türkei und Ägypten.

In Rumänien ist am Samstag, den 27. April, der Wahlkampf für die Europawahl vom 26. Mai eröffnet worden. Der Wahlkampf endet am 25. Mai. Am Wahlkampf beteiligen sich mit Kandidatenlisten 13 politische Parteien: Die Sozialdemokratische Partei PSD und die Allianz der Liberalen und Demokraten ALDE (Mitglieder der Regierungskoalition), der Demokratische Verband der Ungarn in Rumänien UDMR (durch ein parlamentarisches Kollaborationsprotokoll an die Macht angeschlossen), die National-Liberale Partei PNL, die Allianz Union Rettet Rumänien USR-PLUS, die Partei Volksbewegung PMP, Die Partei Pro Rumänien, bestehend aus Dissidenten aus der PSD (alle vier von der parlamentarischen Opposition), sowie folgende außerparlamentarische politische Gruppierungen: die Nationale Union für den Fortschritt Rumäniens UNPR, der Block der Nationalen Einheit, die Partei Vereintes Rumänien, die Partei PRODEMO, die Sozialistische Partei Rumäniens und die unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei. Auch drei unabhängige Kandidaten beteiligen sich am Wahlkampf. In der nächsten Wahlperiode wird Bukarest 33 Abgeordnete nach Straßburg entsenden, einen Abgeordneten mehr als bisher, in dem Fall, dass Großbritannien die EU verlässt. Laut einem Beschluß des Europäischen Rates wird dieser Kandidat erst seinen Posten übernehmen, nachdem der Austritt Großbritanniens aus der EU Rechtswirkungen hat. Für die im Ausland lebenden Rumänen wurden 441 Wahllokale eingerichtet, die meisten davon in Italien, Spanien und der benachbarten Republik Moldau. Ebenfalls am 26. Mai, gleichzeitig mit der Europawahl, findet auch das vom Staatspräsident Klaus Iohannis einberufene Referendum zu Justizfragen statt.

27 April 2019