March 27, 2016

The risk of terrorist attacks in Romania is real, but things are kept under control, says PM Ciolos / Clocks changed in Romania on Saturday night, when 3 am became 4 am

Newsroom, 26.03.2016, 12:07

MESSAGE – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today conveyed a message of solidarity with the victims of violence and intolerance. On the occasion of the Catholic Easter, Iohannis said in a post on his Facebook page that “these days, when we celebrate the gift of light and life, we should be close to all those who need our solidarity.” A German ethnic, President Iohannis is a Lutheran, the traditional religion of Transylvanian Saxons, who also celebrate Easter today. However, Iohannis attends the religious service at the Roman-Catholic Church in Sibiu, whose member his wife, Carmen, is. In Romania, about 1.5 million Christians are today celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The country’s majority Orthodox community and the Greek-Catholic believers will celebrate Easter on May 1st.

SECURITY – The risk of terrorist attacks in Romania is real, but things are kept under control, Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has said. In an interview with a private TV station, Ciolos has said that intelligence services must be provided with the instruments they need in order to monitor the situation without affecting transparency and citizens’ rights. Ciolos has pleaded for a more thorough control of the prepaid phone cards sold, which in Romania can be purchased without checking the buyer’s identity, and has explained that the issue is in the attention of the justice and interior ministers. Prepaid phone cards from Romania have been used during in preparation for attacks in EU member countries, Ciolos has said. His statements come after Tuesday’s attacks at Brussels’s airport and metro station that killed 31 people and injured around 300.

DST – Clocks changed in Romania on Saturday night, when 3 am became 4 am. The practice, known as Daylight Saving Time, is meant to use sunlight as much as possible. In summer, clocks are turned forward by one hour. Now there is a 3-hour difference between Romanias time and UTC. Sunday is thus the shortest day of the year, with only 23 hours. More than 100 different countries worldwide use Daylight Saving Time. In Romania, this system has been used since 1932.

ANNIVERSARY — Street events are marking this evening in downtown Bucharest, the 98th anniversary of the union of Bessarabia with the Kingdom of Romania. On March 27, 1918, as the Russian Empire fell apart, the legislative body of Bessarabia voted in favour of the mostly Romanian-speaking province joining the Kingdom of Romania. The establishment of the Romanian nation state was to be completed late that same year with the union of Bukovina, in the north-east and Transylvania, Banat, Crisana and Maramures, which had that far been part of the Habsburg Empire. In 1940, further to an ultimatum, Moscow annexed both Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, which are currently part of the national territories of the ex-Soviet republics of Moldova and Ukraine.

FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football team is playing this evening against the defending European champions Spain, in a friendly game on home turf, in preparation for the European Championship scheduled to take place this summer in France. On Wednesday, Romania won a match against Lithuania, 1-nill, in the southern Romanian town of Giurgiu. In Euro 2016, the Romanians will play the opening game, on June 10, against France, in a group that also includes Switzerland and Albania. Romania’s latest participation in a continental final tournament was in 2008, when they left the competition in the group stage.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, No. 5 in the world, will play against British Heather Watson in the fourth round of the Miami Open, with 6 million dollars in prize money. In the third round Halep defeated German Julia Goerges in two sets, 6-4, 6-1. In the same round, Romanian Monica Niculescu will be up against the American Coco Vanderweghe while Irina Begu will play against Krstyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic.

(Translated by Elena Enache)