Radio România Internațional

Tag: coronation of King Charles

  • May 5, 2023

    May 5, 2023

    CORONATION – Romania’s
    president, Klaus Iohannis, is attending the coronation of King Charles III of
    the United Kingdom in London. On Friday, the president is attending the
    reception of heads of delegation at Buckingham Palace, while on Saturday he
    will be attending the coronation ceremony. Custodian of the Crown of Romania,
    Princess Margareta and Prince Consort Radu attended a number of related
    ceremonies yesterday. On Saturday morning, the King’s Coronation procession
    will take King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla from Buckingham Palace to
    Westminster Abbey. Romanian media describes King Charles as a great friend of
    Romania, a country where he holds several estates and which he has visited
    periodically in the last two decades. King Charles has constantly helped
    preserve and popularize traditions and customs in Transylvania, which remain an
    object of fascination. Maj. Gen. Christopher John Ghika, the general commander
    of the Household Division, which guards the British monarch and the royal
    palaces, will oversee the coronation of King Charles III. Christopher Ghika is
    a princely scion of the Romanian Ghica dynasty and the current commander of His
    Royal Majesty’s guard. Around 2,200 people will get to attend to coronation of
    King Charles III in the Westminster Abbey ceremony, far fewer than the 8,000 in
    attendance for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. For the first time in
    history, the American president will not attend the coronation of a British
    sovereign. Representing Joe Biden will be the First Lady, Jill Biden.


    FUEL – Fuel prices continue to drop in Romania, standing at
    an average of €1.33 for both gasoline and Diesel. In Bucharest, prices for
    standard gasoline range between €1.28 and €1.32, while standard Diesel sells
    for €1.28 up to €.1.32. Romania ranks 2nd and 3rd at EU
    level in terms of the cheapest price for gas and Diesel, respectively.


    FUNDING – The government on Thursday adopted the
    roadmap for the signing of funding contracts addressing 27 hospitals.
    Procedures are expected to be finalized by the end of the year. 7 new county
    hospitals will be built and equipped, while 20 public hospitals will be fitted
    with modern equipment. Total funding provided by the EU and the European
    Investment Bank stands at €2 bln.


    MOLDOVA – For security reasons, the Republic of Moldova
    will shut down its airspace to all civilian aircraft on June 1, when the
    country will host a summit of European leaders, the Civil Aviation Authority of
    Moldova has announced. Only aircraft carrying official participants will be
    allowed to land. All drones will also be grounded starting May 31. Chișinău
    expects over 50 heads of state and government and representatives of EU
    institutions to attend the European Policy Community Summit, bringing together EU
    members and other 18 countries in Europe. The Republic of Moldova has been
    affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine, which the pro-European president Maia
    Sandu has repeatedly condemned. Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine,
    missile debris has also crashed on Moldovan territory. In other news, the EU
    Foreign Affairs Council has adopted the disbursement of €40 mln to support the
    Moldovan defense sector, and a similar €30 mln aid package addressing Georgia.
    The funds will be earmarked under the European Peace Facility, which is also
    used to provide military assistance to Ukraine. The measure will finance non-lethal
    equipment, supplies and services, to the units of the Armed Forces of the
    Republic of Moldova including technical training, where required.


    SHOOTING – A shooter killed at
    least 8 people and wounded 13 in a drive-by shooting in Mladenovac, a town 60
    km from Belgrade. This is the second mass-shooting in two days in Serbia. The
    suspect, a 21-year-old man who fled the attack scene, is in police custody. The
    reasons of the attack remain unclear. Serbia’s Interior Minister, Bratislav
    Gaąić, described the shooting as a terrorist attack without providing
    additional details. We recall that less than 48 hours before the attack, a
    teenager killed 8 of his peers and a security guard in a school in Belgrade.
    The Serbian Government is considering tougher gun laws.


    FESTIVAL – Nearly 40 plays will be
    performed on stage at the Fest Monodrame Festival held in Bacău (northeast), a
    traditional event organized by the local Bacovia Theatre. 11 Romanian actors
    and a Ukrainian emeritus actor are competing for the grand prize. Amalia takes
    a deep breath, an independent production of the Anti-Theatre Association of
    Brașov, will open the festival tonight. This year as well the festival includes
    a number of remarkable productions and features special guests such as Marcel
    Iureş, Marius Bodochi or Florin Piersic Jr. The latest production of the
    Bacovia Theatre, The Artists’ Factory, will be premiered on May 10 in closing
    of the festival. Admission is free-of-charge, although preliminary online
    registration of the Theatre’s webpage is required. (VP)





  • May 3, 2023 UPDATE

    May 3, 2023 UPDATE

    BANK – The
    foreign currency reserves of the National Bank of Romania were in excess of EUR
    53 bln at the end of April, up 0.21% compared to the previous month. The gold
    reserves stay at 103.6 tons. High forex reserves ensure investor confidence,
    analysts explain, adding that this was mostly due to EU fund receipts.




    UNEMPLOYMENT
    – The unemployment rate in Romania dropped slightly, from 5.5% in February to
    5.4% in March, but unemployment among youth remains high, at 22.2%, the
    National Statistics Institute reports. The number of people between the ages of
    15 and 74 receiving unemployment benefits in March was over 453,000, a decrease
    compared both to the previous month of this year and to the corresponding
    period in 2022. Among men, the rate was 5.8%, whereas the proportion of unemployed
    women was 5%. For adults aged 25 to 74, the unemployment rate stood at 4.4%.




    SOLIDARITY
    TAX – The Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday passed a decree introducing a
    solidarity tax to be levied on companies operating in the field of extracting
    and refining oil, natural gas and coal. On Tuesday, the Senate reexamined the
    law, eliminating the 60% contribution from the companies’ excess profits.
    However, under an amendment tabled by coalition parties, a €70 fee per ton of
    refined oil has been added. Companies that reported no production in the
    2018-2021 period are exempt from this tax. The USR opposition party has
    criticized the law, arguing it is designed to exempt certain companies from
    paying this tax.




    MILK -
    Nearly 80% of Romanian milk processors have signed an agreement designed to
    reduce shelf prices for this product, the Competition Council announced on
    Wednesday. The agreement has come into force at the start of May, but some
    price drop-offs are lower because contracts between retailers and processors
    are still being renegotiated. Over the next 6 months, processors and traders pledged
    to share a reduction in milk prices when shelf prices exceed €1.4, which could
    prompt a 20% drop in prices.




    INCIDENT
    – Eight children and a security guard are dead after a shooting in a school in
    Belgrade. According to local police, a 14-year-old student has been arrested in
    connection to the attack. The incident caused a public shock in Serbia, where
    despite the large number of gun permits, shootings are very rare and have never
    before occurred in schools. The authorities have decreed a three-day national
    mourning in memory of the victims.




    GRAIN – The
    European Commission announced exceptional and temporary measures on imports of
    a limited number of products from Ukraine. They concern only 4 products-wheat,
    maize, rapeseed and sunflower seed-and are designed to alleviate logistical bottlenecks
    concerning these products in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
    Meanwhile, Romania will receive an additional EUR 30 bln to support farmers
    affected by the cheap grains imports from Ukraine. Stay tuned for details after
    the news.




    CORONATION
    – Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, and the Prince Consort, will
    take part on Saturday in the coronation of King Charles III of the United
    Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Royal House of Romania
    announced on Wednesday in a Facebook post. In the 157 years of existence of the
    Royal House of Romania, the connection with the British royal family has been
    steady, based on admiration, respect and affection, both in its official
    dimension, representing the two nations, and in its private, family aspect,
    reads the post. The Royal House adds that this reliable relationship has
    spanned the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and
    five generations.


    (AMP & VP)