Radio România Internațional

Tag: Queen Elisabeth II

  • September 13, 2022 UPDATE

    September 13, 2022 UPDATE

    Funeral. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, signed, on Tuesday, the book of condolences opened at the UK Embassy in Bucharest. The head of the Romanian state will participate in the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. The Custodian of the Crown of Romania, HRH Margareta, and Prince Consort Radu will also attend the funeral service which will be held at Westminster Abbey in London, on September 19th, Buckingham Palace announced on Saturday. The day will be a bank holiday in Britain, as the new monarch, Charles III, authorized on Saturday in one of his first orders. World leaders, including the president of the United States, Joe Biden, and representatives of the royal houses are expected to attend the funeral of Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. Meanwhile, the new king – Charles III – continues his tour around the kingdom with visits to each of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.



    Forum. Romania and the Republic of Moldova plan to intensify joint efforts to mitigate the negative effects of the current context generated by the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, the lack of material and human resources, the disruptions in the functioning of international trade chains and galloping inflation worldwide. The statement was made, in Bucharest, by the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciucă, during the forum “Moldova – Romania: Capital Bridges” – the first high-level forum dedicated to the promotion of the capital markets on the two banks of the Prut. Romania will continue its support, including the technical and financial assistance program, based on the non-reimbursable aid of 100,000,000 euros made available to the Republic of Moldova, assured the Prime Minister, in the context of the visit to Bucharest of his counterpart from Chisinau, Natalia Gavriliţa. Nicolae Ciucă also said that Bucharest wants to contribute, in the future, to the implementation of projects that can help Chisinau join the European Union family more quickly.



    Visit. Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Dincu is paying a formal visit to Israel until Friday. According to a communiqué issued by the Defense Ministry, the Ministers agenda includes talks with his Israeli counterpart, formal ceremonies at the Yad Vashem memorial, the Holocaust Museum and the Childrens Memorial as well as visits to companies in the defense industry. The two ministers will be tackling topical issues such as security in the Middle East and the Black Sea, as well as the stage and prospects of bilateral cooperation in the field of defense.



    Pope. On Tuesday, on the first day of his apostolic journey to Kazakhstan, Pope Francis urged dialogue and multilateralism in the face of Russias “senseless and tragic war” in Ukraine. “I have come here as a pilgrim of peace, seeking dialogue and unity. Our world urgently needs peace: it needs to recover harmony”, Pope Francis said from the stage of the Qazaq Concert Hall in capital Nur-Sultan. Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, who supports the war in Ukraine, was expected to attend the Seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, held in Kazakhstan, and Pope Francis had stated, several times, that he was willing to talk to him. The two met in 2016 in Cuba, the first meeting between a pope and a Russian Orthodox patriarch. At the meeting in Nur-Sultan, 100 delegates from 50 countries are present.



    Research. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had, on Tuesday, in Bucharest, a meeting with the delegation of the Lockheed Martin company, led by the vice-president for international affairs, Ray Piselli. At the meeting, it was announced the launch in Romania of the American companys investment in AI R&D. According to a Government release, the results of the research, which will be carried out in the framework of the collaboration between Lockheed Martin and the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, will be applied in the field of national security and environmental sciences. The Prime Minister welcomed the decision of the global aerospace and security company to start research and development activities in Romania, appreciating that it is a new proof of the strengthening of the Romania-USA Strategic Partnership. “The government supports investments, and the economic component comes to strengthen our partnership in the military field”, Nicolae Ciuca also said.



    Tennis. Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan (65 WTA) qualified, on Tuesday, for the second round of the WTA 250 tournament in Portoroz, Slovenia, with over 200 thousand euros in prize money. In the first round, she defeated the Australian player Ajla Tomljanovich. Also on Tuesday, the Romanian player Gabriela Ruse (96 WTA) was defeated by the Ukrainian Lesia Ţurenko (92 WTA), 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, in the first round of the tournament. Ruse and Bogdan will be partners in the doubles event. (MI)

  • Reactions to the Queen’s Death

    Reactions to the Queen’s Death

    The news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96 and at the end of a 70-year reign, has saddened the entire world. “The end of an era” – this is how the passing of the longest-serving monarch of Great Britain is described. Elisabeth became Queen in 1952, aged 25, following the death of her father, King George VI. The Prime Minister of Great Britain at the time was Winston Churchill, and the Soviet Union was still led by Joseph Stalin. During her reign – one of the longest in European history – the Queen met 13 of the 14 American presidents who were her contemporaries and witnessed events that marked the history of her country and of mankind, from the moment of the moon landing and the end of the Cold War, to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the exit of Great Britain from the EU.



    “Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign” said the new British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, who was sworn in by the former sovereign just a few days ago. Heads of state and government and personalities from around the world mourned the Queens death and evoked her personality. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, showed that the Queen was extremely admired for the grace, dignity and devotion shown to the world.



    Reactions also came from the United States, Britains closest partner. The White House said that “the thoughts and prayers of people all across the United States are with the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in their grief.” Also, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, wrote that “our thoughts are with the royal family and all those who mourn Queen Elizabeth II in the UK and worldwide”.



    Romania joins the British people and the British Royal Family in mourning the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the authorities in Bucharest say. In his message of condolences, President Klaus Iohannis emphasized that the reign of Queen Elizabeth II represents an exceptional symbol of loyalty and commitment to the public service. And the press office of the Custodian of the Crown of Romania said that that Her Majesty, Margareta, and His Royal Highness the Prince Consort, together with the entire royal family, learned with great pain the news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.



    The special connection between the kings of Romania and those of Great Britain began almost a century ago, the grandmother of Queen Marie of Romania being Queen Victoria of Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and the former sovereign of Romania, Mihai I were third-degree cousins. At the same time, King Mihai of Romania and the Prince Consort Philip, who was married to Queen Elizabeth for 74 years, were cousins, born on the same day.



    The Queens eldest son, who has now automatically become King Charles III, fell in love with Transylvania on his first visit to Romania in 1998. Since then, he has constantly returned to Romania, where he owns around 10 properties, the most famous being at Viscri, the Transylvanian village that has become famous throughout Europe thanks to him. The area has acquired a fantastic tourist potential, especially after the release, in 2011, of the documentary Wild Carpathia, in which, the then Crown Prince Charles is a true ambassador of Romania. (LS)

  • September 9, 2022

    September 9, 2022

    Queen. The death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in English history, brought her eldest son Charles to the throne, who will reign as King Charles III. The protocol for the enthronement of a new monarch provides for the speedy convening of an Accession Council made up of high-ranking politicians, bishops of the Anglican Church, together with secular representatives of the Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, aged 96, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She is to be transported to London, at Westminster Hall, and the public will have a few days to say goodbye. The funerals will take place at Westminster Abbey, the church where British kings are crowned. The BBC notes that the last funeral of a monarch at Westminster Abbey took place in the 18th century. After the funeral, which is expected to be attended by heads of state and government from around the world, the Queen will be transported to Windsor Castle and will be buried in the Saint George Chapel within its premises.



    Deficit. Romanias trade balance deficit in the first seven months of this year increased by almost 5.9 billion euros, to 18.77 billion, as exports rose by 23.9% and imports increased by 29%, according to data provided by the National Institute of Statistics, published on Friday. Between January and July 2022, exports totaled 52.67 billion euros, and imports 71.44 billion euros,. On the other hand, net investments in the national economy totaled 57.25 billion lei (over 11 billion euros), in the first six months of this year, down 0.8% compared to the similar period in 2021, NIS data show.



    EU Council. The Romanian Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, was mandated to represent the government, today, at EU Energy Council in Brussels. According to the spokesperson of the executive, the minister will support a unitary approach at European level in order to ensure the supply of gas and electricity at an affordable price for all citizens of the Union. Before the meeting, Virgil Popescu had a bilateral meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart. Hristov Rossen. The two discussed the importance of regional cooperation for the joint purchase of natural gas, as well as for ensuring increased energy stability in the region. Romania and Bulgaria will join forces to prepare for winter from the point of view of energy supply, the Romanian minister wrote on social media. In another move, in Bucharest, the energy operators have called on the Government to reconsider the ordinance issued last week, which provides for the capping and compensation of gas and electricity bills, as well as the over taxation of companies in the field. The representatives of the Association of Energy Suppliers warn that the document was developed without consulting the participants in the field, thus jeopardizing the security of gas and electricity supply to consumers. They say that the government changes the rules while playing and thus upsets the calculations for the business plan or even those of the household consumers.




    Cohesion. The Romanian Government has adopted a package of measures for the operationalization of one third of the cohesion fund, amounting to 16 billion Euro, the Minister for Investment and European Projects, Marcel Bolos, has announced. He has explained that the money can be used to access and develop investment projects in transport infrastructure, health, water supply and waste management. Under the cohesion policy, Romania has a 43 billion Euro budget until December 31st, 2029, the minister has stated. The projects mainly focus on the building of 600 km of highway and 3 regional emergency hospitals, in Craiova, Iasi and Cluj-Napoca.



    Aid. The European Commission has approved an aid scheme for Romania, worth four billion euros, in order to support businesses in all sectors in the context of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia – according to a press release of the community executive. According to the EC, Romanias aid scheme is necessary, adequate and proportionate to remedy a serious disruption to a member states economy, in accordance with EU state aid rules. Under this measure, the aid will take the form of guarantees for loans, with a maximum budget of 3.6 billion euros, and the rest in direct grants. Support under the scheme will be granted until 31 December 2022 at the latest.



    Accident. A Romanian maritime dredger suffered, on Thursday evening, minor damage following the explosion of a sea mine, in the Black Sea, over 40 kilometers away from the port of Constanţa (south-east), with no casualties reported, the General Staff of the Naval Forces informs. The 75 soldiers of the crew are not in danger, the ships buoyancy was not affected, and there are no major damages on board. After the launch of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, this is the third mine reaching the area of ​​responsibility of the Romanian Naval Forces. From the beginning of the war until now, 28 sea mines have been destroyed in the western part of the Black Sea, of which three are from Turkey, two from Romania, one from Bulgaria and 22 from Ukraine.



    Football. Romanias football champion, CFR Cluj (north-west), drew 1-1 away in Pristina, with Kosovar FC Ballkani, in the first match of Group G of the Europa Conference League. The other match of the group, between Sivasspor, from Turkey, and Slavia Praga (Czech Republic) ended with the same score. In Group B, Romanias vice-champion, FCSB (Bucharest), lost, in London, 1-3, against the English team West Ham United. In the other match in the group, the Belgians from Anderlecht Brussels beat the Danes from Silkeborg IF, score 1-0. (MI)