5-11 April 2026

Holy Week for Orthodox Christians.

Radio România Internațional, 11.04.2026, 14:00

Holy Week for Orthodox Christians.

Orthodox Christians (the majority in Romania) and Greek Catholics began Holy Week on Monday, the final week before Easter, during which they commemorate the Passion of the Savior. Christians are preparing to celebrate the great feast of the Savior’s Resurrection, on Sunday, April 12. Roman Catholics and Protestants around the world celebrated Easter on April 5.

Discussions regarding fuel prices took place in Bucharest.

After capping the mark-up on gasoline and diesel, the government in Bucharest decided to reduce the excise duty on diesel, the most widely used fuel and the one whose price has risen the most recently, against the background of the war in Iran. The new prices took effect on Tuesday and have dropped only slightly at most gas stations in Romania. The situation on the fuel market was discussed on Monday at a meeting convened by President Nicuşor Dan to analyse the supply of crude oil and fuel in the context of international developments stemming from the war in Iran. Romania is not currently facing difficulties regarding crude oil and fuel supplies, the Presidential Administration states. The measures that have come into effect are valid until the end of June. On the other hand, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced five strategic directions for increasing electricity production: eliminating speculative technical connection permits that drive up electricity prices, improving the performance of state-owned companies, reducing distortions in the energy market, increasing storage capacity, and supporting strategic investments. He emphasized that speculative investors must be removed from the market, and state-owned companies in the sector must have clearer performance indicators.

The SRI is assisting in thwarting a cyberattack.

The FBI, together with several European partners, including the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), announced the dismantling of a prolonged cyberattack targeting sensitive infrastructure in several Western countries. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had carried out a court-authorized operation to disrupt a network controlled by Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU). According to the cited source, the network carried out hijacking operations against targets worldwide, including individuals in the military, government, and critical infrastructure sectors. GRU actors compromised routers in the U.S. and around the world, hijacking them to conduct espionage activities.

The head of state appointed the new heads of the major prosecution offices.

President Nicușor Dan has appointed the new heads of Romania’s major prosecution offices. Thus, Viorel Cerbu is the new chief prosecutor of the National Anti-corruption Directorate, (DNA), Codrin Miron will lead the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), and Cristina Chiriac is Romania’s Prosecutor General. “What I expect from the prosecutor’s offices and their heads is a revitalization of their work to meet Romanians’ expectations”, said the head of state. Regarding DIICOT, he specified that he wants to see major drug and tax evasion networks dismantled. The Save Romania Union (in the coalition government) believes that these appointments should have been accompanied by a process that unequivocally inspires trust and transparency, and argue that they bear the mark of the PSD, the main partner in the four-party coalition.

The Mangalia Shipyard is in bankruptcy.

Romania’s heavy industry has been dealt a blow by the closure of the Damen Mangalia Shipyard on the Black Sea, the country’s largest industrial shipbuilding facility and one of the most important in Europe, which is now in bankruptcy. The shipyard had been in insolvency since June 2024, and due to a lack of orders, the situation had become critical. The National Trade Union Bloc warned that this situation is causing a major social impact at the local level and requires urgent attention from the Romanian government. In fact, employees protested in front of the company’s headquarters, dissatisfied and worried that they would be forced to look for new jobs. Economy Minister Irineu Darău stated that the state will seek solutions to protect the country’s strategic interests in the shipbuilding industry. In 2018, Damen invested in the Mangalia Shipyard, acquiring a majority stake from the Korean company Daewoo, and then agreed to transfer 2% of the shares to the Romanian state so that it could become the majority shareholder with 51%, on the condition that the Dutch partner retain operational and managerial control of the shipyard.

Romanian football coach Mircea Lucescu passed away

Mircea Lucescu, the most successful  coach in the history of Romanian football , died at the age of 80. He had been hospitalized in Bucharest and was in a coma after suffering an acute myocardial infarction on April 3. Born in 1945 in Bucharest, he served as head coach of the Romanian national football team from 1981 to 1986, during which time he led the team to qualification for the 1984 European Championship in France. Lucescu coached in Italy, Turkey, and Ukraine, where he won the UEFA Cup with Shakhtar Donetsk. In Romania, he led Dinamo and Rapid Bucharest to success. Lucescu also coached the Turkish national football team. He is the third most successful coach in the history of world soccer, with 36 trophies, surpassed only by Spain’s Pep Guardiola and Scotland’s Sir Alex Ferguson. In 2024, Lucescu returned as coach of the Romanian national team. Figures from the world of sports, current and former football players, politicians, diplomats, and businesspeople mourned the death of the Romanian coach. (MI)