April 7, 2018 UPDATE
Thousands of Orthodox believers gathered in Jerusalem for the Holy Fire ceremony that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.
Newsroom, 07.04.2018, 18:41
HOLY FIRE — Thousands of Orthodox believers gathered on Saturday in Jerusalem for the Holy Fire ceremony that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. In a ritual dating back at least 1,200 years, they crowded into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Holy Fire appeared in the Edicule, the small chapel built over the burial place of Christ at about 2:20 PM, just a few minutes after the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, entered there to pray and wait. After the fire’s descent the Patriarch passed the holy gift to the faithful. The Holy Fire is the most important celebration in the Orthodox faith in Jerusalem. A delegation of the Romanian Patriarchy, headed by Bishop Timotei of Prahova, is in Jerusalem and will bring the Holy Fire to be distributed to every church across Romania.
SECURITY MEASURES – Over 50,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry have been mobilised to maintain public order, safety and security across the country during Easter. Gendarme and police troops will be chiefly deployed around churches and other religious institutions. 250 thousand people are expected to attend more than 700 public events that will take place in Romania in the next four days. Traffic police, equipped with more than 300 traffic radars and backed by helicopters, will be monitoring traffic on Romania’s motorways during the Easter days.
HOLIDAY – Many Romanians have chosen to spend Easter away from home this year but in regions in the country where Easter traditions are still observed. Over 90% of the hotels and guest houses on the Prahova Valley are booked. Tourists are mostly interested in the resorts of Sinaia and Azuga, as winter sports can still be practices there. Bukovina is another region highly appreciated by tourists, especially the villages that are close to monasteries such as Sucevita, Gura Humorului and Putna. Tourists appreciate guesthouses in Bukovina because Easter traditions have been preserved unaltered there and also for the hosts’ hospitality.
POISONING – Russian Ambassador in London, Aleksandr Yakovenko, has requested a meeting with British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, to discuss the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal. Relations between London and Moscow have plumbed new lows in recent weeks following the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4 in Salisbury, south-western England. Britain and its Western allies have blamed the attack on Moscow, accusing it of targeting the pair with a Soviet-made military-grade nerve agent. Russia has vehemently denied any involvement in the case. The crisis has led to the biggest wave of tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats in recent memory.
STRIKE — Air France announced on Saturday the cancellation of hundreds of flights as pilots, cabin crews and ground staff pursued a fifth day of strike aimed at securing higher salaries. Air France estimates that 34% of pilots, 26% of the cabin crews and 19% of the ground staff were on strike on Saturday. Unions say workers deserve to benefit from years of belt-tightening that have brought the carrier back to operating profitability, after seeing their wages effectively frozen since 2011. Unionists want a 6% pay raise and have already warned of more strikes to come.
ROMA DAY — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Saturday conveyed a message on the occasion of the International Roma Day. Iohannis said “it’s important to understand the traditions, values, aspirations and needs of the Roma community, in order to find solutions that should have a concrete contribution to the Roma minority members’ social inclusion, while continuing to preserve their cultural identity”. Iohannis also said that this year, when the 1918 Great Union centennial is celebrated, the contribution of the Roma to our society’s history and diversity must be emphasised. Celebrated every year on April 8th, the International Roma Day is aimed at promoting the community’s cultural values and at signalling the problems facing it.
DAVIS CUP — Romania’s Davis Cup team leads Morocco 2-0 after the first matches held on Saturday in Cluj, northwestern Romania, in the second round of Europe/Africa Zone Group II. Marius Copil defeated Amine Ahouda in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 while Adrian Ungur beat Lamine Ouahab, 6-0, 7-6. On Sunday in the men’s doubles Marius Copil and Florin Mergea will be up against Amine Ahouda/ Lamine Ouahab.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan, WTA’s 90th seed, has qualified to the semi-finals of the WTA tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, after defeating American Danielle Collins, no. 53 in the world, in two sets, 6-2, 6-4. Ana Bogdan will next be up against the competition’s favourite, Garbine Muguruza, no. 3 in the world. (Translated by Elena Enache)
