April 29, 2024
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 29.04.2024, 13:55
PASSION WEEK – Orthodox and Greek-Catholic believers have today entered the Holy Week, the last one before Easter, in which they remember the Passion of Jesus Christ. In churches, believers participate every evening in special services called Denii, in which the last moments of Jesus’ life, before the crucifixion, are remembered. The most important are the mass of the 12 Gospels on Maundy Thursday and the mass of the Lord’s Prophecy on Good Friday.
MEDALS – Romania grabbed 8 medals at the European Rowing Championships hosted by Szeged, Hungary – 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze. Romania won gold in the women’s double sculls, thanks to Ioana Vrînceanu and Roxana Anghel, on Sunday, when Florin Arteni and Florin Lehaci won the silver medals in the men’s double sculls event. On Saturday, Romania won three medals: one gold, in lightweight women’s double sculls, one silver, in women’s coxless four, and one bronze – in men’s 8+1. Romania was ranked 2nd in the medal standings, with Great Britain topping the list with 8 gold medals.
MAYOR – The former mayor of Bucharest between 2016 and 2020, Gabriela Firea, submitted her new candidacy for the capital city’s town hall, representing the Social Democratic Party (PSD). Previously, Sebastian Burduja also registered his candidacy at the Central Election Bureau, from the National Liberal Party (PNL), which rules Romania alongside the PSD. The current mayor, Nicuşor Dan, supported by the United Right Alliance (USR, PMP, FD), Cristian Popescu Piedone, supported by the Social-Liberal Humanist Party (extra-parliamentary), and Mihai Enache, from AUR (nationalist opposition) are also running for mayor of Bucharest. Tuesday is the last day on which candidacies can be submitted for the local elections on June 9. On the other hand, according to a new survey, published on Sunday, the current general mayor, Nicuşor Dan, ranks first in the voting intentions of the Bucharesters, with 31%. He is followed by Gabriela Firea, with 24%, and Cristian Popescu Piedone, 20%. Sebastian Burduja would get 15%, and Mihai Enache – 7%. The Avangarde survey was conducted between April 24-27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9%.
EP – The European Parliament has launched, this morning, a video promoting the European Elections in June, as part of the second stage of its communication campaign, which takes place under the slogan “Use your vote. Or others will decide for you”. Between June 6 and 9, 2024, over 370 million people from the 27 member states of the European Union are called to vote for their MEPs. The video, with the message “Use your vote!”, contains testimonies of elderly people from several countries of the Union, including Romania, who pass on their life stories about democracy. The clip will be uploaded on the website of the European Parliament regarding the elections and on the YouTube channel of the European Parliament Office in Romania. According to this spring’s Eurobarometer survey, interest in the European elections is growing: 71% of respondents say they are likely to vote, by 10% more than in the 2019 survey.
FILM – The Gopo Awards Gala is held this evening in Bucharest, which rewards the Romanian cinema performances of the past year. The gala is held at the National Theater in Bucharest and is presented by the stand-up comedy actor Claudiu Teohari. In the “Best Film” category, the favorite is “Liberty” with 14 nominations, followed by “Up North” with 13 nominations and “Don’t expect too much from the end of the world”, with 11 nominations. The nominations for best director are Bogdan Mirică, Tudor Giurgiu, Cristi Puiu, Radu Jude and Mihai Mincan. Actors Rodica Manache and Dan Nuţu will be receive the lifetime achievemnt award, and a special award will be given to stuntman Adrian Ştefănescu. (EE)
