May 3, 2024 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 03.05.2024, 20:00
EASTER The Holy Fire for Orthodox Easter will be brought from Jerusalem on Saturday night and sent out to every parish in Romania. The Holy Fire is believed to be an Orthodox miracle, taking place every year on Holy Saturday in Jerusalem, at the end of Holy Week, a period of prayer when the faithful revisit the events of the last day in the life of Jesus Christ. On Friday night believers attend the Vespers of the Taking-Down from the Cross, when an epitaphios is carried to a low table in the church nave which represents the Tomb of Christ, with the epitaphios itself representing the body of Jesus wrapped in a burial shroud.
JOURNALISTS According to the latest annual World Press Freedom Index, released on Friday by Reporters without Borders organisation (RSF), Romania ranks 49th out of 180 countries, up from 53rd last year. RSF says Romania “boasts a diverse and relatively pluralistic media landscape, providing fertile ground for hard-hitting public interest investigations. But a lack of transparency surrounding media financing, especially by the state, as well as market difficulties undermine the reliability of information and trust in the media.” “The market is diversified but fragmented, with many TV channels whose sustainability is fragile. Editorial decisions are often subordinated to the interests of owners, transforming the media into a propaganda tool,” the Index also reads. In Romania, RSF also says, the media lack independence and suffer from attempts at interference, especially regarding the appointments of the heads of public radio and television, and the National Audiovisual Council. Political parties can obtain favourable media coverage in return for opaque media funding. Populist politicians have adopted an aggressive political discourse towards journalists, the organisation also finds.
GAZA Negotiations continue for a ceasefire and a new prisoner exchange in Gaza. The talks take place amid threats that Israel would strike the border town of Rafah, where the last Hamas units are located. But Rafah also hosts half of the population of the Gaza Strip, and the international community has warned that a land offensive there would cause a humanitarian disaster. A high-level UN official said the funds for the reconstruction of war-hit Gaza may reach as much as USD 40 bln. The UN Assistant Secretary-General Abdallah al-Dardari told a press conference that the scope of the destruction is unprecedented. Meanwhile, Gaza-related protests carry on in universities in the US. The police cleared a pro-Palestinian protest camp at UCLA in Los Angeles, with at least 200 people arrested. In Washington, president Joe Biden said that while he would always uphold the right to free speech, order must prevail.
FARMERS The European Commission has extended the temporary framework enabling member states to provide state aid more easily to the farmers affected by the impact of the war in Ukraine. The mechanism was introduced in March 2022, after Russia attacked Ukraine, which triggered skyrocketing energy and fertilizer costs. The temporary crisis framework allowed member states to earmark up to EUR 280,000 in aid to affected farms until June 2024, and up to EUR 335,000 to fishery and aquaculture enterprises, as a derogation from the EU’s strict state aid rules. The agriculture ministers in 15 member countries also demanded an increase from EUR 20,000 to EUR 50,000 of the ceiling for the aid granted to an enterprise without consulting Brussels, but the request was dismissed.
DISTINCTION Romanians have received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Second of May from the Community of Madrid, for their integration and for representing a cultural and economic asset for the region. “Apart from being hard-working, Romanians with their effort and courage help us create jobs and opportunities for others,” said the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuos. “The Romanian community in Madrid is not only the largest foreign community here, but also the one that contributes the most to the social and economic development of the local society,” the charge d’affaires with the Romanian embassy in Madrid, Raluca Mihăilă, said in turn. More than one million Romanians are currently living in Spain.
SPORTS The Romanian women’s handball champions CSM Bucharest Saturday take on the French side Metz, away from home, in the decisive leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. In the first leg, the French team won 27-24. Playing in the other quarter-finals are Gyor (Hungary) vs Kristiansand (Norway), Odense (Denmark) vs Bietigheim (Germany) and Esbjerg (Denmark) vs Ferencvaros (Hungary). In the men’s competition, Romania’s champions, Dinamo Bucharest, are up against the German side SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the semis of the EHF European League final tournament. The other semi-final is pitting defending champions Fuchse Berlin against another German team, Rhein-Neckar Loewen. In the quarterfinals, Dinamo outplayed the Danish side Skjern Handbold, after 28-27 in Bucharest and 38-34 away from home. (AMP)
