April 12, 2025 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 12.04.2025, 19:23
Palm Sunday – In many cities of Romania, a country with a majority Orthodox population, including Bucharest, traditional Palm Sunday pilgrimages took place on Saturday afternoon, on the eve of the important Christian holiday of the Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. Members of the clergy and believers participated in street processions with willow branches, flowers and icons, in memory of the moment when Jesus was triumphantly received in Jerusalem. The Palm Sunday celebration opens the Holy Week or Passion Week, which culminates with the death of Jesus by crucifixion on the cross, then with His Resurrection, celebrated this year by all Christians on the same date, Sunday, April 20. Authorities estimate that over 1 million believers will participate in the religious events this weekend. Therefore, the Interior Ministry has mobilized significant forces at the national level, to ensure the safe conduct of the events, but also to be able to intervene quickly to support citizens, including in the case of medical emergencies.
Finance – The tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have created an unprecedented situation, but the European Commission must negotiate with the US within 90 days, and Romania must work on ‘safety net’ measures for the automotive industry and other industries that may be affected by the new customs duties, the finance minister Tanczos Barna wrote on a social network on Saturday. ‘The effects of trade tariffs and defense financing are the main topics we discussed these days in Warsaw, at the informal meeting of EU Finance Ministers (ECOFIN)’, the minister added. According to the official, during the meeting, he addressed topics related to both the new financing package for the defense industry in the European Union and the financing of acquisitions in the field of endowment of the member states’ armies. ‘For Romania, both are essential: besides the endowment obligations, we cannot fail to take this opportunity for industrial development, with positive effects both in the fiscal-budgetary field and in that of employment’, Tanczos Barna also said. The European Finance Ministers discussed, for two days in Warsaw, about European Defense spending as well as the consequences of the new US trade policy.
Festival – Romania is present with an impressive stand this weekend at the Paris Book Festival, the largest literary event of the year in France. 450 French and international publishing houses are participating, and Morocco is the guest of honor. The Romanian stand, organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute in collaboration with the Embassies of Romania and the Republic of Moldova in France, invites the public to a journey through Romanian literature of yesterday and today. Visitors can choose from over 50 volumes translated into French, published in France and Switzerland, and over 20 titles in Romanian, proposed by publishing houses in Romania. Titles in bilingual editions are also on display.
Tennis – The Romanian women’s tennis team was defeated by Japan 3-0, after they also lost the doubles match on Saturday in Tokyo, in Group A of the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers. Ilina Dalina Amariei and Mara Gae were defeated by the pair made up of Shuko Aoyama/Eri Hozumi 6-4, 6-2. Previously, Miriam Bulgaru and Anca Todoni lost the singles matches. On Friday, Romania was defeated by Canada 3-0, in the first match of the group. The last meeting is scheduled for Sunday, between Canada and Japan. The winner of the group will qualify for the Final 8 tournament, which will be hosted by Shenzhen (China). The teams ranked second and third in the groups will compete in the play-offs of the 2025 edition of the competition, along with the best teams in Group I.
Foot and mouth disease – Romania has activated emergency mechanisms to protect the national livestock sector, due to the worrying evolution of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks at European level – four confirmed in Hungary, six in Slovakia and one in Germany. The sanitary-veterinary authorities met urgently on Friday and took several immediate measures, including updating the restriction zones, prohibiting the transport of livestock, feed and manure from Hungary to Romania, as well as blocking imports from the affected areas. It was also decided to inspect Romanian farms that brought animals from Hungary and Slovakia after February 1, to set up sanitary-veterinary checkpoints on access routes from Hungary and to conduct extensive testing at national level for the detection of the foot-and-mouth disease virus. (LS)
