December 24, 2018 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 24.12.2018, 19:39
CHRISTMAS – On December 25th, Orthodox, Greek-Catholic and Catholic Christians from all over the world, including in Romania, which is a predominantly Orthodox country, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. A famous tradition in Romania on Christmas Eve is caroling, with carolers symbolizing the angels and shepherds who announced the Birth of Jesus. They make wishes of good health and wealth and receive fruit, bagels, sweets or money. The old rite Christians who form the majority in Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Georgia will celebrate Christmas on January 7. These days many pilgrims visit the holy sites from Israel and the Nativity Church in Bethlehem.
MESSAGES – On Monday, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis conveyed a Christmas message to all Romanians, saying that the birth of Jesus Christ is a celebration of the miracle of life and of kindness, compassion and generosity. “In the spirit of these holy celebrations, we should take care of each other and of our country. If we are better each day, we will all be better together”, the presidents message also reads. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has wished all Romanians good health and well being. The custodian of the Romanian Crown, Margareta, has too sent a Christmas message, saying she promised to carry on the work started by her father, King Michael, towards ensuring Romanias prosperity and stability an strengthening its international position.
JUSTICE – The Romanian justice minister Tudorel Toader has announced he will finalize, on Thursday, December 27, the procedure for the dismissal of Romanias Prosecutor General Augustin Lazar, which was started in October. Toader accused Lazar of professional and managerial misconduct and took legal action against him. The issue is to be judged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The opponents of the governing coalition claim that the dismissal of Augustin Lazar, which follows that of the former head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi, was a form of political vendetta and an attempt to stop the anti-corruption fight. In another development, minister Toader has announced he has signed the documents for the release from prison of the former Romanian minister Elena Udrea and the former chief of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, Alina Bica, who are in prison in Costa Rica upon the request of the Romanian authorities. The two had received definitive sentences in Romania in cases of high-level corruption. The High Court of Cassation and Justice decided on the suspension of the imprisonment conviction in their case, after the Constitutional Court of Romania ruled as illegal the setting up of the panels of 5 judges at the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The ruling also led to the suspension of the imprisonment convictions in many other cases involving former ministers and incumbent politicians.
BREXIT – Romania supports the Brexit deal as well as the political declaration on the future framework of the post-Brexit relation between the EU and the UK, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu told the BBC on Sunday. He added that, from Romanias point of view, it was important for the UK to stay as close as possible to the EU. Teodor Melescanu also said that Romania envisaged to start bilateral negotiations with the UK as part of the strategic partnership concluded by the two sides. Minister Melescanu also recalled that, at the meeting held with the former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, he received assurances that the more than 400 thousand Romanians living in the UK would not be affected by Brexit and he gave the example of the Romanian physicians and nurses who went to work in the UK. Boris Johnson had stated that if those people were to leave the UK, the countrys healthcare system would be severely affected.
INDONESIA – The toll in the aftermath of the tsunami that hit Indonesia following a volcanic eruption has reach some 400 dead and more than 1,400 injured, the National Agency for Disaster Management announced on Monday. More than one hundred people are still reported missing. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the tsunami that hit the southern coasts of Sumatra and the western side of the Java island on Saturday.
BORDER TRAFFIC – More than 250 thousand people, both Romanian and foreign citizens, have crossed Romanias borders over the past 24 hours in more than 60 thousand cars, according to the border police. Of them, as many as 170 thousand entered Romania while almost 83 thousand left the country. In the same period of time, the border police identified 30 cases of crimes and 37 cases of offences perpetrated by both Romanian and foreign citizens. Also, 29 foreign citizens were denied entry to Romania as they did not comply with the legal provisions, and 16 Romanian citizens were prevented from leaving the country for various legal reasons.
IMMIGRANTS – The border police found in Curtici, near the border with Hungary, eight people from Iran who were trying to exit Romania illegally, using forged documents. The eight were travelling on an international train, along the Bucharest-Vienna route and presented IDs issued in Slovakia, Slovenia and Luxembourg. The adults, six men and two women, said they had got the documents from unknown individuals, because they wanted to get to the West. The border police are now conducting investigations in order to take the necessary legal measures.
