April 15, 2023
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 15.04.2023, 13:55
Holy Saturday. For Orthodox Christians, the majority in Romania, and Greek Catholics, today is Holy Saturday, the last day until the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The holy light will be brought from Jerusalem, this evening, and will be offered to the delegations of the dioceses present at Henri Coandă International Airport (near Bucharest). The light will then be distributed to all parishes in Romania. The Holy Light is the most obvious miracle that takes place, year after year, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, on the Saturday before Easter. In a message sent on the occasion, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, urges people to offer light, peace and joy to those around them, especially to the poor, the sick, the lonely or the refugees.
Easter. In Romania, more than 24,000 policemen, gendarmes and firefighters are ensuring order and safety measures during the free days of the Easter holidays. During this period, high traffic is expected on the roads, as well as approximately 800,000 believers attending the religious services. Every day, over 2,700 gendarmes will be present at all the religious and cultural-artistic events taking place during this period, so that crowding or other incidents are avoided.
Art. On World Art Day, celebrated today, the Romanian Minister of Culture, Lucian Romaşcanu, has stated that art remains an expression of freedom and urged people to honor artists and enjoy their creations. “This year, World Art Day takes place on Holy Saturday, an extremely important day for the Orthodox believers who await the Resurrection of the Lord, another occasion in which we take care to feed our souls”, said the Minister of Culture, Lucian Romaşcanu. World Art Day, an initiative of the International Art Association at its 17th General Assembly in Guadalajara, Mexico, is celebrated on April 15. Celebrated for the first time in 2012, the date was symbolically chosen to honor the memory of Leonardo da Vinci, a complex sculptor, painter, architect and inventor, born on April 15, 571 years ago.
Visit. Between April 18-26, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis, will pay formal visits to Brazil, Chile and Argentina. According to the Presidential Administration, these visits are aimed at relaunching high-level dialogue with Latin American states and boosting bilateral interactions at the political-diplomatic level. They are intended to open up new opportunities for collaboration in areas of increased interest, including those regarding the common response to a series of challenges at global level. One of the main goals of these visits is the promotion of sectoral contacts and the development of concrete bilateral projects in the fields of economy, trade, research, environmental protection and climate change, agriculture, education, culture, civil protection.
Rating. Fitch Ratings confirmed on Friday, the BBB minus ratings for the long-term debt in foreign currency and local currency of the municipality of Bucharest and improved the outlook from negative to stable. Last month, Fitch reconfirmed Romanias government debt rating at BBB-/F3 for long- and short-term foreign currency debt and revised the countrys outlook from negative to stable. Fitch also revised the individual credit profile of the Romanian capital from BBB plus to A, reflecting the revision of the risk profile from low medium level to medium level, the solid operational performance and the ambitious investment plan . Bucharest is responsible for more than 30% of the countrys economy, and the local level of wealth is more than four times higher than the national average, the release states. The citys capital expenditures are expected to remain high during 2023-2025, leading to an average deficit of 3% of total revenues, Fitch estimates.
Tennnis. Romanias womens tennis team leads Slovenia 2-0 after Jaqueline Cristian (180 WTA) defeated Tamara Zidansek (102 WTA) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday , in Koper, in the qualifications for the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup competition. In the first singles match, Ana Bogdan (58 WTA) dramatically defeated the Slovenian Kaja Juvan (121 WTA), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Today, the first singles match is due between Ana Bogdan and Tamara Zidansek. The last singles match pits Jaqueline Cristian against Kaja Juvan. In the doubles match, the pair Irina Bara/Monica Niculescu will play against Pia Lovric/Nina Potocnik . (MI)
