LAUSANNE

Mother Queen Helen was reburied on Saturday in the New Archbishop and Royal Cathedral in Curtea de Arges, thousands of people participating in the ceremony. The funeral service was performed by high officials of the Romanian Orthodox Church, in the old cathedral founded by Neagoe Basarab.

The funeral procession with the coffin of Queen Mother Helen - wife of King Carol II and mother of King Mihai I of Romania - arrived at Curtea de Arges, where the reburial service will take place on Saturday at the New Archdiocesan and Royal Cathedral.

Mother Queen Helen's funeral procession left on Friday from the Elisabeta Palace toward Curtea de Arges in the applause of those attending the event. Welcomed by dozens of persons, some of them holding tricolor flags, the funeral cortege arrived at the Elisabeta Palace around 12:00hrs.

A religious and military ceremony took place at the Otopeni International Airport for Queen Mother Helen, whose remains were flown in to Romania aboard an aircraft of the Romanian Air Force. Queen Helen died in Switzerland on November 29, 1982, when Romania was under a communist dictatorship. She was buried at the Boix-de-Vaud Cemetery in Lausanne.

Queen-Mother Elena's remains are going to be brought home, to Romania, so to be re-buried at Curtea de Arges, alongside her son King Mihai I, the Royal Family announces, scheduling a mourning period of three days on 18, 19 and 20 October.

Parking restrictions will be enforced on Tuesday in Athens on the occasion of the flame lighting ceremony for the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games that will be held next year in Switzerland.
Cars will not be allowed to park on Vasilissis Olgas Avenue from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The prolific and esteemed Greek poet, novelist, playwright and translator Nanos Valaoritis has died, according to an announcement on his Facebook page. He was 98 years old, and "lived a life full of riches," fellow poet Dinos Siotis said in a Facebook post.

The coffin bearing the earthly remains of Queen Mother Elena of Romania will arrive in the country on October 18, the Press Bureau of the House of HM The Crown Custodian announced in a release sent, on Tuesday, to AGERPRES.

The remains of Queen Helen will be moved to the New Archbishopric and Royal Cathedral of Curtea de Arges, under a decision by the Romanian Crown Custodian, Margareta, according to a post on the https://www.romaniaregala.ro.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan struck a defiant tone on Wednesday, saying Turkey will not be deterred from its goals in an apparent dig at the recent sanctions announced by the European Union over his country's drilling activities off the coast of Cyprus as well as those under discussion in the US over Ankara's purchase of Russian-made S-400 weapons systems.