UKRAINE – The Kremlin has
\nannounced that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has ordered his forces to
\nobserve a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine, on the occasion of the Old Rite
\nOrthodox Christmas, following a call to this effect by the Patriarch of Moscow,
\nKirill. Putin invited the Ukrainian forces to respect this truce, to enable the
\nOrthodox, the majority denomination in both countries, to attend the Christmas
\nservices. Patriarch Kirill’s call had been rejected by the advisor to the
\nUkrainian Presidency, Mykhailo Podoliak, who denounced, on Twitter, right
\nbefore Putin’s announcement, what he called a cynical trap. Podoliak accused
\nPutin of not having the slightest desire to end the war and of trying to
\nconvince the Europeans to put pressure on Kyiv for peace negotiations, an
\noption that Ukraine has systematically refused. For his part, the American
\npresident, Joe Biden, appreciated that Putin wants a breath of air,
\nby launching the truce in Ukraine, given that, on December 25 and the New Year,
\nhe was prepared to bomb hospitals, nurseries and churches.<\/p>\n
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FLU – Health Minister
\nAlexandru Rafila gave assurances that the authorities have identified solutions
\nto replinish the drug stocks of pharmacies and hospitals in order to treat the
\nwave of respiratory diseases and flu facing Romania at present. On Friday,
\nMinister Rafila discussed wit hthe top medicine producers and supplies in
\nRomania in order to address the shortage of drugs on the market amidst a
\nsignificat surge in demand in recent days. The estimated consum,ption for this
\nyear was long exceeded in the context of the wave of respiratory diseases,
\nMinister Rafila pointed out. Currently, Romania is expecting the European
\nCommission to greenlight a proposal to introduce a temporary ban on the export
\nof certain drugs. Respiratory infections have been reporting an accelerate
\nincrease in the last three weeks, prompting Bucharest authorities to declare a
\nstate of epidemiological alert. <\/p>\n
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MAGISTRACY – The new president of
\nthe Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) in Romania, judge Daniel Gr\u0103dinaru,
\nsaid that he wants unity within this body and a loyal cooperation with the
\nother state institutions. The new vice-president, prosecutor Daniel
\nHorodniceanu, former head of DIICOT (Directorate for Investigating Organized
\nCrime and Terrorism) has also pleaded for unity in the new Council, an
\ninstitution that manages the careers of magistrates and which, in recent years,
\nhas been divided was unanimously voted for,
\nand the mandate of the two heads last one year, with no possibility of
\nextension. CSM is made up of nine judges and five prosecutors elected by
\nmagistrates in the general assemblies of the courts and prosecutors’ offices,
\ntwo representatives of civil society elected by the Senate and three legal
\nmembers – the Minister of Justice, the President of the High Court of Cassation
\nand Justice and the Prosecutor General of Romania. All members have a six-yea
\nterm, which cannot be renewed.<\/p>\n
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BORDERS – Nearly 4 million
\npeople entered and left Romania during the winter holidays, representing a 75%
\nincrease compared to 2021. 2.5 million people entered the country and 1.8
\nmillion people left, the Border Police reports. The highest traffic rates were
\nreported on the Hungarian border (1.4 million people) and in airports (1.2
\nmillion people). <\/p>\n
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EPIPHANY -Christians in Romania celebrated on
\nFriday the Baptism of the Lord, known as the Epiphany. The priests celebrated
\noutside churches the service of the Consecration of the water, in memory of the
\nBaptism received by Jesus Christ in the waters of the River Jordan. According
\nto theologians, after 30 years of life in anonymity, Jesus Christ, the Son of
\nGod incarnate, began his mission on the banks of the River Jordan, where the
\nProphet John baptized those who repented of their sins. The faithful who went to
\nchurch on this day received holy water, during a special service held after the
\nliturgy. <\/p>\n
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TIMI\u0218OARA – The city of Timi\u0219oara in western Romania is one of the 60 European cities
\nthat were named Capitals of Culture in 2023. According to the European
\nCommission, the cities will be hosting numerous events, exhibitions and
\nperformances to mark this occasion. The European Capital of Culture is an award
\nbearing testimony to European richness and diversity and is meant to boost
\nsustainable tourism and the development of recipient cities. (MI & VP)<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of domestic and international news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[32914,31145,31401,31054,37300,36572],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-106400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-borders","tag-csm","tag-epiphany","tag-european-capital-of-culture","tag-respiratory-diseases","tag-war-in-ukraine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n