April 24, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

România Internațional, 24.04.2022, 19:25

Easter. Orthodox Christians, who are the majority in Romania, and Greek Catholics celebrated the first day of Easter on Sunday. On Saturday night, more than 1 million people attended Resurrection services held all across the country, after two years of restrictions because of the pandemic. In his Easter message, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, urges believers to pray for an end to the war in Ukraine and to continue to help refugees and all those in need. He also makes an appeal for brotherly love for all Romanians, around the countrys borders and in the diaspora. High officials in Bucharest, have also sent messages of peace and solidarity with the Ukrainian people on the occasion of the Easter holidays.

Ukraine. In a message occasioned by Orthodox Easter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that the “evil” will not be able to destroy Ukraine and prays for a good and happy life for all Ukrainian children, Reuters reports. Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak stated that Russian forces kept bombarding the port city of Mariupol and urged Moscow to accept a “real Easter truce”. He also proposed a “special negotiating session to exchange soldiers” , a proposal ignored by Moscow. The United Nations also called for an “immediate” ceasefire in Mariupol on Sunday, to allow the evacuation of about 100,000 civilians still stranded in the Russian port city controlled almost entirely by the Russian military, FP reports. The city at the Azov Sea has been besieged by the Russian army since early March, and especially the Azovstal steelworks, as the last stronghold of resistance for the Ukrainian fighters.

Refugees. Some 5,100 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania in the past 24 hours, 24% less than on the previous day. Most refugees crossed the borders with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Since the start of the war in the neighboring country, some 800 thousand Ukrainians crossed Romanias borders.

Bookfair. Between April 22 and 24, Romania participated in the Paris Book Fair, one of the most important events of this kind in the world. The show was held in the form of a festival, after two editions canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Romania was present with its own stand organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute, and Radio Romania News was a media partner. The stand exhibited volumes edited by publishing houses from Romania and the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, predominantly Romanian-speaking). This years guest of honor was India.

Diaspora. The number of money transfers from the diaspora to Romania will increase by about 15% in April compared to the previous month, according to estimates by a company specializing in international money transfers. According to a study, the main reason why Romanians in the diaspora regularly send money to the country is to support their families and relatives left at home. Compared to the previous year, the company recorded a 30% increase in transfers to Romania from the Nordic countries and Germany, which indicates that many Romanians have moved in the last two years to countries with a more stable political and economic situation.

Covid-19. The Romanian authorities announced, on Sunday, almost 500 new cases of COVID-19 in approximately 9,300 tests. The figures are slightly lower than on Saturday. The counties where the biggest figures were registered are Cluj (northwest) and Hunedoara (west). Six coronavirus-related deaths were reported in 24 hours. There are currently less than 1,200 coronavirus patients in hospitals, of whom 216 in the Intensive Care Units. We recall that since March 9, in Romania, no anti-Covid restrictions are in force.

Security. In Romania, over 25,000 police have been mobilized for the Easter holidays. On the busiest national roads, 1,600 traffic police officers are present daily, operating with approximately 370 radar devices, the Romanian Police announced. For the monitoring of road traffic and the coordination of traffic devices, on the main roads, in the intervals when heavy traffic is expected, helicopters from the General Aviation Inspectorate will be used, depending on the atmospheric conditions and the evolution of the registered traffic values. (MI)