May 5, 2023

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 05.05.2023, 13:55

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)