Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Christians, which make up the religious majority in Romania, celebrate as of Monday the Bright Week, the first week after Easter, when light is seen as the symbol of the Resurrection of Christ. In churches, on the second day of Easter, the same religious service was celebrated as the one on Resurrection night.<\/p>\n
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More than 35,000 tourists were in Romanian seaside resorts for the first two days of the summer season, which started officially on May 1. Hotel had attractive offers during this period, with prices including various facilities. As a result, for instance, the resort of Mamaia was almost fully booked. High occupancy rates were also reported in the resorts of Vama Veche, Eforie and Costine\u015fti. During the Easter holiday, tourists also had access to the new beach sections on the Romanian sea coast. The beaches on the south of the Romanian Black Sea coast were extended by several tens of hectares, as part of EU-funded projects with a combined budget of 170 million Euros.<\/p>\n
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The Prime Minister of Romania, Dacian Ciolo\u015f, will submit to President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday a request to discharge Vlad Alexandrescu as Culture Minister and a nomination for his replacement. The dismissal comes against the backdrop of a scandal at the Romanian Opera House in Bucharest, triggered by discontent with the successive appointments for the director post as well as with the substantial imbalances between the salaries paid to the Romanian and the foreign dancers. Protests led to the cancellation of three shows, and PM Ciolos asked for Vlad Alexandrescu\u2019s resignation. In messages posted on Facebook or published in the media, Vlad Alexandrescu says he was forced out because he upset various interest groups. The head of government said he had not been informed of the problems Vlad Alexandrescu claimed to have been facing and promised he would urge the new minister to carry on the reforms initiated by Alexandrescu.<\/p>\n
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Some 200 US troops will reach the Republic of Moldova from Romania, for joint military exercises, between May 3 and 20, signalling a stronger American military presence in the region, Associated Press <\/em>reports. According to the Defence Ministry in Chisinau, the US troops are accompanied by armoured vehicles. Taking part in the drills are 165 troops from the former Soviet republic. The US Embassy in Chisin\u0103u has announced that the exercises, which illustrate the on-going cooperation between Moldova and the USA, will include first aid and evacuation training, with a view to providing on-site maintenance and demolition assistance. The Republic of Moldova joined the NATO Partnership for Peace in 1994.<\/p>\n
The Romanian tennis player Patricia \u0162ig (134 WTA), Monday scored a surprising win against American Sloane Stephens (16 WTA), whom she defeated 6-2, 6-3, in the second round of the WTA Premier tournament in Madrid, which has 4.7 million US dollars in prize money. In the eighth-finals, \u0162ig will be facing the winner of the match between Madison Keys and Barbora Strycova. Also qualified in the second round of the Madrid tournament are two other Romanians, Simona Halep, seed no. 6, and Sorana Carstea. Halep played the final of the Madrid tournament in 2014, when she lost to Russia\u2019s Maria Sharapova.<\/p>\n
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