December 26, UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 26.12.2023, 18:44
CHRISTMAS — On Tuesday, December 26, the Orthodox Church celebrated the Mother of God, after Christians celebrated Christmas on Monday, the holy day with which the history of salvation begins. At the Holy Liturgyheld on this occasion, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church explained that the God-Child is the miracle of Christmas, a celebration of blessing for parents and children. “God did not come into the world as a 30-year-old man, only to be crucified for us, but He came as a baby, the God-Child. This is the miracle of Christmas,” said Patriarch Daniel. At the Vatican, Pope Francis evoked the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and called for peace. The Pontiff requested the release of the hostages in Gaza, pleaded for the cessation of military operations which have terrible consequences for the innocent civilian victims, and for a solution to the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza.
FIRE – A large-scale fire broke out Tuesday morning at Ferma Dacilor, a business operator offering accommodation and meal services, located in the village of Tohani (southern Romania). Six people died in the fire, while another two are still searched for. 12 guests managed to self-evacuate, while two others were taken to the hospital with minor burns. The authorities activated the red rescue plan and dispatched firefighting, first-aid, and command vehicles to the site, as well as several ambulances. The building does not have a fire safety permit, the authorities also said.
TOURISM – In 2023, Romanians started traveling again after the coronavirus pandemic, planning their vacations in advance. According to a report by one of the most accessed online booking platforms, the preferred destinations of Romanians in 2023 were Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Britain, France and Germany, and the most visited cities were Milan, Rome, Paris , London and Brussels. The travel offer is constantly growing, and in 2024, an even greater appetite for travel on the part of Romanians is expected.
ISRAEL – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would intensify its offensive against Hamas in the coming days. Following an unusual visit to Gaza, the prime minister said that the war would not end soon. The statement came just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel should scale back its military campaign that began in October following an Islamist attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. The Israeli response in Gaza resulted in tens of thousands of victims and caused a humanitarian disaster. In solidarity with the situation of the Palestinian population, the Christmas celebrations in the holy places in Israel have been cancelled, according to the Radio Romania correspondent in Israel. The Nativity Church in Bethlehem has remained almost deserted, and the huge tree that guards the square in front of it it was no longer decorated. The usual processions were no longer organized on the streets of Nazareth. Not only Bethlehem and Nazareth were deprived of the brightness and euphory of the Christmas celebrations.
MIGRANTS – 38 foreign citizens trying to cross illegally into Hungary were caught by the Romanian border police. They were hidden in a truck registered in Turkey and driven by a Turkish citizen, who, according to the documents, was transporting textiles for a commercial company in Slovakia. These are citizens from Syria, Iraq and Iran, most of them asylum seekers in Romania. (EE)
