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Tag: GovITHub

Prezența la vot din România și diaspora, urmărită live pe Internet

Prezența la vot din România și diaspora, urmărită live pe Internet

GovITHub a anunțat lansarea platformei online Hartă Prezență Vot – Alegeri Parlamentare 2016, disponibilă la adresa http://radar.ithub.gov.ro/ și accesibilă în condiții optime în vizualizare tip desktop, site destinat monitorizării în timp real a prezenței la vot în cadrul alegerilor parlamentare din 11 decembrie.

Ce oferă platforma online Hartă Prezență Vot – Alegeri Parlamentare 2016?

Site-ul oferă date în timp real privind prezența la vot atât din secțiile de votare de pe teritoriul României, cât și cele din afara țării.

Realizată în colaborare cu Biroul Electoral Central, platforma de vizualizare în timp real a datelor asociate alegerilor parlamentare din data de 11 decembrie oferă acces liber 24/7 la informații actualizate o data la fiecare 5 minute pe perioada alegerilor, privind: prezența la vot pentru fiecare județ al României, prezența la vot înregistrată în unitățile administrativ teritoriale, prezența la secțiile de vot din întreaga țară, prezența la vot a românilor din diaspora, la nivel de țară, prezența la vot în secțiile din afara României, gradul de ocupare înregistrat în rândul diasporei.

Imediat după alegerile parlamentare, platforma va oferi informații despre prezența totala la vot din ziua alegerilor și poate contribui ulterior, la verificarea informațiilor de pe teren și transparentizarea procesului electoral. Ulterior, aplicația va integra și alte seturi de date care pot fi obținute din surse oficiale de la alte instituții ale statului. Întrucât acest proiect depinde în principal de datele care pot fi agregate și prezentate vizual, GovITHub se concentrează foarte mult pe colaborarea cu instituții ale statului care au date oficiale și actualizate de interes public.

Ce este GovITHub?

Programul guvernamental GovITHub reunește specialiști din domeniul IT cu scopul comun de a îmbunătăți infrastructura informatică a instituțiilor publice. Echipa GovITHub este reprezentată de 20 de bursieri care lucrează în regim full time la Guvern, o echipă de 279 de voluntari care lucrează de la distanță și o comunitate de peste 1,000 de membri care sprijină în mod activ activitatea GovITHub.

10 December 2016
Aflăm pentru tine

Proiecte aflate în derulare la o lună de la startul programului guvernamental GovITHub. Interviu cu Ligia Adam, expert în comunicare, absolventă a unui masterat în Comunicare Politică şi Marketing Electoral.

28 October 2016
October 9, 2016 UPDATE

HOLOCAUST
MEMORIAL On Sunday, the National Commemoration Day of the Holocaust victims in
Romania, the Romanian Foreign Ministry paid homage to the memory of the victims
of the Holocaust and voiced solidarity with the survivors of the tragic events
that occurred during the Second World War. Also, the Foreign Ministry
reaffirmed its commitment to the fight against anti-Semitism and any other form
of racism, xenophobia, discrimination and intolerance. 75
years ago, on October 9th, Marshal Ion Antonescu, an ally to Nazi Germany,
started the deportation of Jews from Eastern Romania to the occupied Soviet
territories, an action that, according
to statistics, killed more than 250,000 people. Only 10% of the deported
returned home. The Holocaust was recognized by the Romanian authorities in
2004, on the basis of conclusions formulated by a commission headed by the
winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Elie Wiesel. The Jews and the Roma who died
during the Holocaust will be commemorated on Monday at the Victims’ Memorial in
Bucharest. The ceremonies will be attended by representatives of the Romanian
presidency, the Government, the
Diplomatic Corps, civil society, as well as survivors of the Holocaust.

STATE VISIT On
Monday, the president of Slovakia, Andrej Kiska, is paying a formal 2-day visit
to Romania, at the invitation of his counterpart Klaus Iohannis. According to a
communiqué issued by the Romanian Presidency, the main goal of the visit is to
boost bilateral relations, at political, economic and sectoral level, as well as to enhance cooperation on current
European issues. As Slovakia is currently holding the six month presidency of
the EU Council, the talks will mainly focus on the European agenda, and
president Iohannis will present Romania’s vision regarding the future of
Europe. On Tuesday, the two heads of state will open the Romania – Slovakia
bilateral business forum and will meet in Nadlac, in the west of the country,
with representatives of the Slovak community in Romania.

RATING Standard&Poors
rating agency has reconfirmed the rating regarding Romania’s long and short
term government debt, in national and hard currencies, namely BBB – /A-3, with
stable prospects. According to a communiqué issued by the Finance Ministry in
Bucharest, this confirmation is based on the economic results registered by
Romania lately, a moderate debt, as well as good prospects for further economic
growth. The low level of interest rates and the oil price have contributed to
an economic growth rate of 3.8% in 2015, and 5.2% in the first half of 2016,
which is the fastest growth in the whole of the EU. The line minister Anca
Dragu has stated that this economic growth has been accompanied by the creation
of new jobs, a low inflation rate and also a low external deficit.

GovITHub The first edition of
the digital marathon GovITHub ended at the Government headquarters in Bucharest
on Sunday. For two days, over 100 young
IT professionals developed programmes aimed at increasing the quality of public
services and improving citizen’s relation with state institutions. The list of
projects included an application with the help of which Romanians in the Diaspora can learn more and
faster about what is happening in the country, and applications such as the one
that allows citizens to report abuses committed by drivers.

DIASPORA Slatina and Apsa de
Jos in Ukraine have these days hosted the first meetings of the Romanian
cultural associations in the neighboring country. The event was organized by
the Department of Romanians Around the World with the Romanian Foreign
Ministry. The participants have talked about the issues facing Romanian
communities in Ukraine and several partnership agreements have been signed with
cultural associations in the country. There are approximately 500,000 ethnic
Romanians living in Ukraine, most of them along the common border, on the
eastern Romanian territories annexed by the USSR in 1940, following an
ultimatum, and taken over in 1991 by Ukraine, as successor state.

HURRICANE Haiti has declared three days of
national mourning, as of Sunday, for the 900 victims of hurricane Matthew.
Also, the first cases of cholera have been confirmed in the Caribbean state. A
Romanian officer with the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations will
head the team that will assess the damage caused by the hurricane. At the same
time, colonel Marius Dogean will coordinate the international assistance,
including the aid for the affected population. He was designated by the
European Commission as head of the EU Civil Protection Team, which will travel
to Haiti. Colonel Dogean worked in Jordan in 2012 during the crisis triggered
by the massive inflow of refugees from Syria, and also in 2013, in the
Philippines, after the catastrophic passing of typhoon Hayian. Also, he was a
national expert posted for EC assessment missions in South Sudan.

FOOTBALL Romania’s national
football team is in Astana, where on Tuesday it will take on the team of
Kazakhstan, in the preliminaries of the 2018 world Cup hosted by Russia. On
Saturday, Romania defeated Armenia 5-nil, also away from home. In the same
group E, Poland won 3-2 the game against Denmark, and Montenegro defeated
Kazakhstan 5-nil. Now Romania ranks first, with 4 points, just like Montenegro
and Poland. Last month, the match
between Romania and Montenegro ended in a draw, 1-1. That was the debut match
for the German Cristoph Daum, the first foreign coach to head Romania’s team as
of this fall. Also at home, Romania will take on Poland, on November 11th.

9 October 2016
October 9, 2016

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY Today is the national day of commemoration of the Holocaust victims in Romania. 75 years ago, on October 9th, Marshal Ion Antonescu, an ally to Nazi Germany, started the deportation of Jews from Eastern Romania to the occupied Soviet territories, an action that, according to statistics, killed more than 250,000 people. Only 10% of the deported returned home. The Holocaust was recognized by the Romanian authorities in 2004, on the basis of conclusions formulated by a commission headed by the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Elie Wiesel. The Jews and the Roma who died during the Holocaust will be commemorated on Monday at the Victims Memorial in Bucharest. The ceremonies will be attended by representatives of the Romanian presidency, the Government, the Diplomatic Corps, civil society, as well as survivors of the Holocaust.

STATE VISIT On Monday, the president of Slovakia, Andrej Kiska, is paying a formal 2-day visit to Romania, at the invitation of his counterpart Klaus Iohannis. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Presidency, the main goal of the visit is to boost bilateral relations, at political, economic and sectoral level, as well as to enhance cooperation on current European issues. As Slovakia is currently holding the six month presidency of the EU Council, the talks will mainly focus on the European agenda, and president Iohannis will present Romanias vision regarding the future of Europe. On Tuesday, the two heads of state will open the Romania – Slovakia bilateral business forum and will meet in Nadlac, in the west of the country, with representatives of the Slovak community in Romania.

RATING Standard&Poors rating agency has reconfirmed the rating regarding Romanias long and short term government debt, in hard and national currencies, namely BBB – /A-3, with stable prospects. According to a communiqué issued by the Finance Ministry in Bucharest, this confirmation is based on the economic results registered by Romania lately, a moderate debt, as well as good prospects for further economic growth. The low level of interest rates and the oil price have contributed to an economic growth rate of 3.8% in 2015, and 5.2% in the first half of 2016, which is the fastest growth in the whole of the EU. The line minister Anca Dragu has stated that this economic growth has been accompanied by the creation of new jobs, a low inflation rate and also a low external deficit.

GovITHub The first edition of the digital marathon GovITHub ends today at the Government headquarters in Bucharest. For two days, over 100 young IT professionals have developed programmes aimed at increasing the quality of public services and improving citizens relation with state institutions. The list of projects under development includes an application with the help of which Romanians in the Diaspora can learn more and faster about what is happening in the country. Also, friendlier platforms are being developed for citizens, and applications such as the one that allows citizens to report abuses committed by drivers.

DIASPORA Slatina and Apsa de Jos in Ukraine have these days hosted the first meetings of the Romanian cultural associations in the neighboring country. The event was organized by the Department of Romanians Around the World with the Romanian Foreign Ministry. The participants have talked about the issues facing Romanian communities in Ukraine and several partnership agreements have been signed with cultural associations in the country. There are approximately 500,000 ethnic Romanians living in Ukraine, most of them along the common border, on the eastern Romanian territories annexed by the USSR in 1940, following an ultimatum, and taken over in 1991 by Ukraine, as successor state.

FOOTBALL Romanias national football team has defeated the Armenian squad 5 – nil in the preliminaries of the 2018 World Cup hosted by Russia. In the same group E, Poland won 3-2 the game against Denmark, and Montenegro defeated Kazakhstan 5-nil. On Tuesday, Romania will play against Kazakhstan, also away from home. Last month, Romanias national squad finished the match against Montenegro, on home turf, 1-1. That was the debut match for the German Cristoph Daum, the first foreign coach to head Romanias team as of this fall. Also at home, Romania will take on Poland, on November 11th.

9 October 2016
October 8, 2016 UPDATE

VISIT– Slovak President, Andrej Kiska, will pay a two-day state visit to Romania, as of Monday, at the invitation of his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Presidential Administration, the main aim of the visit is to consolidate bilateral ties, at political, economic and sectoral level and to boost cooperation on European issues of topical interest, in a context marked by many challenges. Given that Slovakia is currently holding the half-yearly presidency of the EU Council, the talks will mainly focus on the European agenda, and President Iohannis will present Romanias stance on the future of Europe- the aforementioned source also says. Iohannis will also underline the need to further strengthen economic cooperation, starting from the historical record high of two-way trade exchanges reported in 2015, worth 2.4 billion Euros, which is on the rise. On Tuesday, the two presidents will open the Romanian-Slovak Business Forum and will meet, in the western town of Nadlac, with representatives of the Slokav community in Romania.

GovITHub- A digital marathon, GovITHub, is held at the headquarters of the Romanian Government at the weekend. Over 100 young IT professionals are developing software and computer programs in an effort to enhance the quality of public services and improve the citizens relation with the state institutions. Among others, they develop an app meant to keep the Romanians in the diaspora updated of the latest developments in Romania, user-friendly governmental platforms or an app allowing citizens to report dangerous drivers or major-traffic related incidents. In a post on his Facebook page, Romanian PM, Dacian Ciolos, says the young peoples energy, skills, competence and passion stand proof of Romanias ability to modernise itself, and of the fact that even the most valuable resources can be mobilised if the State shows openness.

DACIA CARS – The newly uplifted Logan and Sandero models produced by the Dacia Romanian car manufacturer will enter production line in the following weeks, when they are launched on the local market, says Yves Caracatzanis, General Manager and President of Automobile Dacia. Also, the new Duster EDC with automated gearbox is expected in the first half of 2017. Data released by Dacia show that at the European level, Duster is the second best selling compact car among natural persons, whereas Sandero ranks third. We recall the first Dacia car was produced in Romania back in 1966. The make belongs, as of 1999, to the Renault Group and accounts for 30% of the French Groups volume of sales.

HURRICANE MATTHEW – A Romanian officer from the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations will lead the team which will assess the damage produced by hurricane Matthew in Haiti. Colonel Marius Dogean will also coordinate international assistance, including aid relief operations to the disaster-affected population. Boasting an extensive experience in the field of civil protection, with a career spanning over 15 years, Marius Dogean was designated by the European Commission head of the EU Civil Protection Team which will go to that Caribbean island, where approximately 900 were killed by the hurricane. Colonel Dogean also travelled to and worked extensively in Jordan, in 2012, during the crisis caused by the massive flow of refugees from Syria, and a year later in the Philippines, following Typhoon Hayian. He was also one of the national experts dispatched by the European Commission to the conflict area in Southern Sudan, on an assessment mission.

COLECTIV TRAGEDY – Approximately one year after tragedy struck the Bucharest-based Colectiv nightclub, justice takes its course, with a trial being opened into the case. 64 people died and over 100 others got injured in the fire which accidentally broke out on the night of October 30 to 31, 2015. The three owners of the club are accused of manslaughter, bodily harm and of not taking the legal work health and safety measures. The indictment compiled by the Prosecutor Generals Office shows, among others, that they encouraged and permitted the access of a large number of people, far beyond the allowed limit, in the absence of emergency exit ways, also accepting the organisation of an indoor pyrotechnical show, in spite of improper insulation. The owners of the pyrotechnical company, one of their employees and two legal persons are being tried in the same case. The huge collective emotion produced by the Colectiv tragedy generated massive anti-corruption rallies in Romania, which led to the resignation of the coalition cabinet led by Social-Democrat Victor Ponta, on November 4, and its replacement by the technocratic government led by Dacian Ciolos.

PARTY LEADER – The National Council of the National Liberal Party, the second largest party in the Romanian Parliament on Saturday confirmed Alina Gorghiu as the Liberals only president, following the resignation tendered by Vasile Blaga from the position of party co-president. On September 28, Blaga stepped down, after anti-corruption prosecutors announced he was subject to legal restrictions pending trial in a corruption case. The acts of corruption were reportedly carried out in the 2009-2012 period, when Blaga was interior minister and later on Senate Speaker, and he favoured the preferential granting of contracts. In exchange for this influence peddling, he would have received commissions worth 10% of the value of contracts, that is 700,000 Euros for himself and the party he was a member of, the Liberal Democratic Party, which later merged with the National Liberal Party. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

8 October 2016
August 4, 2016 UPDATE

MILITARY DRILLS –Exercise “Saber Guardian-2016 is proof of the consolidated relations between the NATO member states and the partner countries, Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Thursday, upon attending a multi-national military exercise in Cincu, central Romania. The exercise is organised jointly by the Romanian Army and the United States Army Europe (USAREUR). President Iohannis said this is the first major exercise hosted by Romania after the NATO Summit in Warsaw and is held ahead of a very busy program scheduled for next year. The exercise, which is to conclude on August 7, brings together more than 2,700 troops from five NATO member states – Bulgaria, Canada, Poland, Romania and the US – and five Partnership for Peace nations – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The exercise is part of U.S. European Command’s Joint Exercise Program designed to enhance joint combined interoperability between the aforementioned NATO members and Partnership for Peace nations.

IT PLATFORM – Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos announced on Thursday that the Government of Romania will offer ten grants worth 2,000 Euros each, for six months, to IT experts who are expected to bring IT innovation into the public administration, which is lagging far behind in this domain. The cabinet has also launched the GovITHub platform, which is developed jointly with the private business sector, in an effort to improve the quality of public services by means of technology. The program is part of a campaign intended to reduce red tape in central and local administration and to bring state institutions closer to citizens.

VOTING LEGISLATION – In the absence of amendments to the current electoral law, a significantly lower number of polling stations will be opened for the Romanian Diaspora, during this autumns parliamentary elections in Romania than in the previous ballots, since 2008. The statement was made in Bucharest on Thursday by the Romanian minister for the Diaspora, Maria Ligor, who has held talks, over the past few days, with representatives of the parliamentary parties on the legislative elections due in autumn. The co-president of the National Liberal Party, Vasile Blaga, announced that an emergency ordinance, intended to facilitate the presence in polling stations of as many Romanians living abroad as possible, will be publicly debated as of August 15, and will be adopted by the Government shortly before the start of the parliamentary session. We recall that in the presidential election of 2014, because of an improper organisation of the ballot, many Romanians living abroad queued for hours in order to cast their vote, with no success.

ROYALTY FUNERAL – Romanians on Thursday continued to leave messages and sign the book of condolences at the Royal Palace in Bucharest, one of the three books opened in memory of Queen Anne, the wife of King Michael I. Candles were lit and floral tributes were paid in front of the Palace. Queen Anne died on Monday in a hospital in Switzerland, at the age of 92. Her body will be repatriated on August 9 and the funeral is scheduled for Saturday, August 13, when a day of national mourning is decreed. On that day, the national flag will fly at half-mast and radio and television stations will adjust their broadcast accordingly. Queen Anne will be buried at the Curtea de Arges Monastery, the final resting place of Romanian Royalties.

EUROBAROMETER – Romanians are optimistic about the future of the European Union. According to the latest Eurobarometer issued by the European Commission, 70% of the Romanian respondents have a positive opinion on the future of the EU, whereas only 26% are pessimistic. Asked which the main issues facing the European Union are, half of the Romanians say terrorism and over 40% of them-immigration. As regards problems of utmost importance in Romania, that need to be addressed, 37% of the Romanians point to the healthcare system and 25% to unemployment. The major problems that Romanians are faced with at personal level include the cost of living-29%, health issues-24% and small pensions – 22%.

FESTIVAL – Over 350,000 people are expected to attend the largest music festival in Romania, Untold, which unfolds in the central Romanian city of Cluj Napoca, between August 4 and 7. Over 150 international artists and five of the worlds best DJs will perform in this second edition of the festival.

(Translated by Diana Vijeu)

4 August 2016
Jurnal românesc – 04.08.2016

Executivul de la Bucureşti a lansat, joi, platforma GovITHub. Guvernul vrea să aducă în administraţia din România capacitatea de inovaţie din IT şi prin lansarea platformei GovITHub se doreşte reunirea unor oameni din domeniu care au curajul să dea o mână de ajutor în administraţie – a declarat premierul Dacian Cioloş. Prim-ministrul a precizat că această platformă are la bază experienţe reuşite din domeniul IT.

Executivul a adoptat, miercuri, măsuri care reglementează asigurarea la nivel naţional a managementului tipurilor de risc pentru prevenirea şi gestionarea situaţiilor de urgenţă. In urma analizei incendiului din clubul Colectiv din toamna anului trecut, cand 64 de tineri au murit, dar şi a altor situaţii produse în România, Executivul a stabilit autorităţile care au obligaţia de a asigura managementul tipurilor de risc şi comandantul acţiunii în persoana unui reprezentant al Ministerului de Interne. Acesta planifică şi asigură coordonarea tuturor forţelor şi echipamentelor implicate în intervenţie. Situatiile de risc la care se refera documentul sunt cutremure, epidemii, inundaţii, accident nuclear sau radiologic şi incendii de pădure care au impact major asupra comunităţilor, mediului şi populaţiei.

Compania de rating Coface a îmbunătăţit ratingul României de la B la A4, un nivel la care ţara nu s-a mai situat din 2009. Ratingul A4 reprezintă limita de jos a categoriei recomandate pentru investiţii şi indică faptul că mediul de afaceri este suficient de solid, dar probabilitatea ca firmele să nu îşi poată onora plăţile există încă. Chiar dacă ratingul României a fost îmbunătăţit, managerul de ţară al companiei, Eugen Anicescu, avertizează că evoluţiile economice recente se bazează prea mult pe creşterea consumului, cu efecte negative pe viitor.

Peste 40% din turiştii străini care vizitează România preferă municipiul Bucureşti, urmat de judeţele Braşov, Sibiu şi Mureş, informează deputatul PNL Andreea Paul printr-un comunicat de presă. Municipiul Bucureşti se află în fruntea clasamentului destinaţiilor preferate de străini cu aproape 1 milion de persoane. La polul opus, cu cel mai mic număr de sosiri ale turiştilor în structurile de primire turistică, se află judeţele Giurgiu cu 2231 de persoane, Vrancea cu 1935 de persoane şi Teleorman cu 1478 de persoane. Potrivit ultimelor date furnizate de Eurostat, România este printre statele cu cei mai puţini turişti străini înregistraţi în structurile de primire turistică, aproximativ 2 milioane de persoane, locul 23 în Uniunea Europeană. Romania este depăşită de state precum Bulgaria, Ungaria, Cehia.

Guvernul a aprobat eliberarea, pe 24 august, a primei tranşe în valoare de 60 de milioane de euro din asistenţa financiară rambursabilă pentru Republica Moldova. Acordarea acestor bani se face în baza unei înţelegeri bilaterale, care prevede şi îndeplinirea de către autorităţile de la Chişinău a unor criterii, cum ar fi: demersuri pentru un acord cu FMI, pachet legislativ pentru îmbunătăţirea mediului de afaceri, actualizarea reformei în justiţie şi o strategie naţională anticorupţie. Planul de acţiune este urmărit de guvernul de la Bucureşti, astfel încât, după ce Republica Moldova a notificat că a obţinut acordul tehnic din partea FMI, Cabinetul Cioloş a aprobat eliberarea primei tranşe. Valoarea totală a acordului este de 150 de milioane de euro.

4 August 2016
August 4, 2016

ELECTIONS – An emergency order on voting in the diaspora will be discussed by the Government as of August 15, the co-president of the National Liberal Party, Vasile Blaga, announced after a meeting with the minister delegate for the relations with the Romanian diaspora, Maria Ligor. The emergency order is intended to facilitate the presence in polling stations of as many Romanians living abroad as possible. It will allow for online registration to the Voter Registry for all those who intend to cast their ballots abroad. Another amendment to the current legislative framework has to do with the additional voter lists, to the effect that Romanian citizens will be able to vote in any polling stations abroad, instead of just at the Romanian diplomatic missions, as the current legislation stipulates.

MILITARY EXERCISE – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis and Chief of the General Staff, general Nicolae Ciucă, are taking part today in Saber Guardian – 16, a multi-national military exercise held in Cincu, Brasov County. The exercise, which is to conclude on August 7, brings together more than 2,700 troops from five NATO member states – Bulgaria, Canada, Poland, Romania and the US, and five Partnership for Peace countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Rep. of Moldova and Ukraine.

QUEEN ANNE FUNERAL – A brief religious service in memory of Queen Anne of Romania was held on Wednesday in the presence of Crown Princess Margareta, Prince Radu, Princess Sofia and Princess Maria, at Beausobre Chapel in Morges, Switzerland. Also on Wednesday, the Government of Romania announced a day of national mourning on August 13, when Queen Anne, the wife of King Michael I, will be buried. On that day, the national flag will fly at half-mast and radio and television stations will adjust their broadcast accordingly. Queen Anne died on Monday in a hospital in Switzerland, at the age of 92. Her body will be repatriated on August 9. The casket will be taken to the Peles Castle in Sinaia and then brought to the former Royal Palace in Bucharest, which currently hosts the National Art Museum of Romania. The funeral is scheduled for August 13, at the new Orthodox Cathedral in Curtea de Argeş.

ADMINISTRATION – The Government of Romania has today launched the GovITHub platform, in a move to bring Romanias IT innovation capacity into the public administration. The launch of GovITHub is intended to bring together experts able to give a helping hand in administration, said the Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș. He explained the platform is based on successful IT experiences.

HEALTCARE – One-third of the blood transfusion centres in Romanias hospitals do not have proper operation permits. A Healthcare Ministry investigation has revealed that there are 142 such cases, mostly in Bucharest and other major cities, of which 108 public and 34 private hospitals. Officials with the Bucharest Blood Transfusion Centre say the main causes are bureaucracy and under-funding. The Healthcare Ministry announced that each hospital would receive a conformity plan and would have a maximum 3 months to comply, otherwise it would no longer receive blood and therefore would no longer be able to perform surgeries and other interventions requiring blood transfusion.

UNTOLD – More than 350,000 people are expected to attend the largest music festival in Romania, Untold, which begins today in Cluj Napoca. Over 150 artists and five of the worlds best DJs will perform in this second edition of the festival. Gigs by Tiesto, Faithless and the no.1 DJ in the world, Dimitri Las Vegas & Like Mike, are scheduled for tonight.

FOOTBALL – Romanias football vice-champions Steaua Bucharest Wednesday qualified into the Champions League play-offs, after defeating Sparta Prague from the Czech Republic on home turf. The first leg had ended in a draw. On the other hand, national champions Astra Giurgiu failed to qualify, after losing, 0-3, to FC Copenhagen away from home and drawing at home. Astra will nonetheless take part in the play-offs of Europa League, and in the same competition Pandurii Târgu-Jiu and Viitorul Constanta are to play the second leg of the third preliminary round. Pandurii will face Maccabi in Tel Aviv, after losing the first leg 1-3 at home, while Viitorul will play at home against Gent from Belgium, after having lost 0-5 in the first leg. Another Romanian team, CSMS Iasi, was kicked out by the Croatian team Hajduk Split in the second preliminary round of Europa League.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

4 August 2016