September 18, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

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Newsroom, 18.09.2022, 14:00

Funeral. Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania, and Prince Consort Radu take part today, at Buckingham Palace, in the State reception given by King Charles III of Great Britain, the Royal Family of Romania informs. The cited source states that, during the evening, Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Radu will hold vigil besides the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, in Westminster Hall. The Custodian of the Crown and the Prince Consort arrived in London on Saturday to attend the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Custodian of the Crown Margareta is the daughter of the last Sovereign of Romania, King Michael I (1921-2017), who reigned between 1940 and 1947, when the communist puppet government, installed by the Soviet occupation troops, forced him to abdicate and go into exile. The Romanian and British royal houses are related.

Ukraine. The Czech Presidency of the European Union requested the establishment of a special international tribunal, after the discovery of hundreds of bodies buried near Izium, a city in eastern Ukraine, reseized by Kievs troops after months of Russian occupation. “In the 21st century, such attacks against the civilian population are inconceivable and heinous”, the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Twitter. Ukrainian authorities reported “450 bodies of civilians, bearing signs of violent death and torture, buried in a forest on the outskirts of Izium”. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that “the exhumation process continues”, also stating that “torture was a widespread practice in the occupied territories” and that the Russian fascists are doing what the Nazis did. The president promises to find the culprits, “on the battle field or in justice”. The US President, Joe Biden, once again warned his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, against the use of chemical or nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Such a measure “would change the course of the war, like never before” since the second world war, Biden said, promising a “substantial response” of the United States if this step were taken.

Refugees. The General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs that on Saturday, September 17, 241,400 people crossed Romanias borders of which 11,173 were Ukrainian citizens, 4.3% more than the the previous day. According to a press release from the Inspectorate, sent to the media on Sunday, starting on February 10, two weeks before the Russian army invaded their country, 2,339,683 Ukrainian citizens entered neighboring Romania.

Anniversary. Numerous cultural events are scheduled today in the Capital of Romania, to mark 563 years since Bucharest was first mentioned in documents. Todays capital was first named on September 21, 1459, in a document issued by Vlad the Impaler, the then voivode of the medieval principality of Wallachia and later a source of inspiration for the famous fictional character Dracula by the Irish writer Bram Stoker.

Tourism. Following the votes of more than 500,000 tourists from all over the world, the city of Oradea, in the north-west of Romania holds the sixth place among the top destinations suitable for both city-break trips and extended holidays, reads a Facebook post by the Romanian Ministry of Tourism. According to the “European best destinations” ranking, Oradea is considered a model for many destinations in Romania, with a surprising architectural landscape and a diverse cultural program. Designated this year as the most beautiful art nouveau destination in Europe, Oradea deserves to be on the list of tourist destinations that must be visited at least once in a lifetime, the ministry representatives say.

Handball. The Romanian womens handball champion, Rapid Bucharest, plays, today, at home, against the French team Metz, its second match in Group B of the Champions League. A week ago, in the first match, Rapid defeated, in Croatia, the team Lokomotiva Zagreb, 31-27. Also today, Romanias vice-champion, CSM Bucharest, will meet, away from home, another French team, Brest, in a match from Group A of the League. In the first game, the Romanians beat the Slovenian team Krim Ljubljana at home, 30-28. Bucharest is the only European capital that has two teams in the most important continental womens interclub handball competition. (MI)