June 4, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

România Internațional, 04.06.2022, 18:45

CATHOLIC PENTECOST — Catholic believers attended in large number the pilgrimage at Sumuleu Ciuc, central Romania, occasioned by the celebration of the Catholic Pentecost. The pilgrimage is seen as the largest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. It is for the first time in two years that the pilgrimage unfolds without any Covid-related restrictions in place. Sumuleu Ciuc became a pilgrimage site in 1567, when Hungarian king John Sigismund wanted to convert Roman Catholics in Ciuc, Gheorgheni and Casin to Protestantism. People believe that only the prayers to the statue of Virgin Mary, located in a church nearby, helped them preserve their faith. On June 1st, 2019, Pope Francis visited St. Mary’s Sanctuary in Sumuleu Ciuc.

AWARD – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis received on Saturday in Hof, Germany, the Carol IV European Award of the Association of South Germans for 2020. President Iohannis said in his acceptance speech that peace is one of the pillars of the European community and that Russia, through its war against Ukraine, has attacked the democratic principles that societies are founded on. Iohannis also said that 15 years after its European Union accession, Romania fully identifies with the EU.

APPOINTMENT — US President Joe Biden has nominated Kathleen Ann Kavalec for the vacant position of US Ambassador to Romania. This is the first time the US government has nominated a woman as ambassador in Bucharest. Kavalec is a career diplomat at the US Department of State and is currently responsible for the OSCE mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. She was previously Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for the European and Asian Affairs Department in Washington Sate and prior to that she was the director of the Russian Business Office and the deputy director of the UNESCO Commission in Paris. She has also served twice as Cultural Officer at the US Embassy in Japan, a Political Advisor at the US Embassy in Kyiv and a Political Attaché at the US Embassy in Moscow.

TOURISM — Tourism on the Romanian Black Se coast has recovered after the difficult years of pandemic. In the first four months of the year, the number of bookings increased by one third as compared to the same period of 2021. Meanwhile, preparations for the summer season are in full swing. Some 90% of the accommodation units on the Black Sea coast will be open for the mini-holiday occasioned by the Pentecost, on June 10-13. Six beaches in Romania have received the Blue Flag tag this year — one in Mamaia, one in Olimp, two in Navodari and two in Eforie. The Blue Flag is an international recognition of infrastructure and water quality.

HACKERS – An international law enforcement operation involving 11 countries has resulted in the takedown of one of the fastest-spreading mobile malware to date, known as FluBot, Europol announced in a release. This Android malware has been spreading aggressively through SMS, stealing passwords, online banking details and other sensitive information from infected smartphones across the world. First spotted in December 2020, FluBot has compromised a huge number of devices worldwide. The malware was installed via text messages which asked Android users to click a link and install an application. Once installed, the malicious application, which actually was FluBot, would ask for accessibility permissions. The hackers would then use this access to steal banking app credentials or cryptocurrency account details and disable built-in security mechanisms. This FluBot infrastructure is now under the control of law enforcement, putting a stop to the destructive spiral.

FILM – The 3rd edition of the Romanian Film Festival in Washington, the largest event promoting Romanian cinema in the USA, begins on June 3rd at Miracle Theatre. Organised by the Embassy of Romania to Washington and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, the festival is devoted to the 25 years since the signing of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA. Screened as part of the event, under the heading “Reinventing realism: the Romanian New Wave,” are 12 feature films: “Blue Moon”, “Berliner”, “The Windseeker”, “Poppy Field”, “Mikado”, “Unidentified”, “#dogpoopgirl”, “Luca”, “Man and Dog”, “Lebensdorf”, “Otto the Barbarian”, and “Miracle”. The festival will come to an end on June 19. (EE)