April 20, 2014 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 20.04.2014, 19:20
Orthodox and Catholic believers on Sunday celebrated Easter , the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In Romania, a country in which over 87% of the people are Orthodox, Easter was marked by religious services by the sharing of the Holy Fire brought from Jerusalem. Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church called on people not to forget to bring comfort to those in need. At the Vatican, Pope Francis held the traditional Easter mass in Saint Peter’s Square in Rome.
On Sunday Russia voced its indignation at the armed attack near Slaviansk, in estern Ukraine, that killed at least 3 pro-Russian militants and 1 Ukrainian. On the other hand, Ukraines police and intelligence service accused Russia of staging the fatal shooting incident in the east of the country. According to Reuters, the bloody attack threatens to break the fragile accord signed in Geneva, that stipulates, among other things, the disarmament of the militants. Pro-Russian separatists do not recognise the accord and continue to control several official buildings in Eastern Ukraine.
Another 19 bodies were recovered from sunken South Korean ferry after three days of failed attempts to gain entry. The death toll Sunday stood at 60, with 250 people unaccounted for. The ferry went down Wednesday with 470 people on board off the southwestern island of Jindo. 174 people have been saved.
The Romanian women’s tennis team defeated Serbia 4-1 and advanced to the World Group II play-offs of the Fed Cup for the first time in 19 years. Serbian Jovana Jaksici and Nina Stojanovici abandoned the game with Romanians Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu. Sorana Carstea, seeded 27th in the WTA rankings brought Romania the decisive point on Sunday, after beating Bojana Jovanovski, seed no. 39, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. On Satrday, Carstea also defeated Ana Ivanovici, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2. Simona Halep, seeded 5th, beat Bojana Jovanovski but was defeated by Ana Ivanovici.
