February 13, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 13.02.2024, 13:55

Cyber attack. The National Cyber Security Directorate
is investigating a ransomware cyber-attack that has targeted 20 hospitals around
Romania in the last two days that used the Hipocrate information system, as
well as another hospital that was targeted last Saturday. The other 79
hospitals in the healthcare system went off line, with additional inquiries
being conducted to establish whether they were also targeted. Most hospitals
affected have backup copies of the data, which would facilitate services
restoration when the situation goes back to normal. The Hipocrate information
system links medical activities in hospitals to the National Health Insurance
House and its being down means medical services can no longer be sent to the
insurance house. The Chamber of Deputies was recently also targeted by a cyber
attack, with hundreds of documents being stolen as a result, including information
not meant for the public.

Moldova. Supporting the European integration of the
Republic of Moldova is a firm commitment undertaken by the Romanian government
under the strategic partnership between the two countries, said Romania’s
foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu during talks in Bucharest with the Moldovan
deputy prime minister responsible for European integration, Cristina Gherasimov.
The latter thanked Bucharest for its constant support and the political efforts
made to secure favourable decisions for Moldova at European level in recent
years. The Romanian foreign ministry said the visit by Gherasimov to Bucharest
yet again demonstrates the special relationship between the two states and the
excellent stage of bilateral dialogue.

Radio Day. Today is World Radio Day and this year’s
theme is A century of information, entertainment and education. To mark this
celebration, Radio Romania’s stations are broadcasting interviews with
journalists, media experts, teachers, public figures and listeners, and their
programmes feature debates on the future of radio and broadcasts from the
European Broadcasting Union. The UNESCO declaration on World Radio Day entitled
Radio, the Trusted Guide in a Changing World, can be found on the websites of
all Radio Romania’s stations.

Travel. The foreign ministry in Bucharest is advising
Romanian citizens planning to travel to countries affected by malaria to inquire
about the conditions in these areas and get the malaria vaccine 4-6 weeks
before their trip. The advice comes following an uptick in the number of
malaria cases, including deaths. Public health experts say the vaccines
recommended ahead of international trips are to be established by doctors
depending on the destination, the duration of the stay and the risk of
exposure.

Elections. The leaders of the coalition parties,
the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party, failed to reach an
agreement on Monday on merging elections this year. Two proposals are being
looked at: merging European and local elections on 9th June and the
first or second round of the presidential elections with the parliamentary
elections towards the end of the year. The two ruling parties will meet again
on Friday for a new round of talks on the subject.

Water polo. The
Romanian men’s water polo side will be playing for the 9th place at
the World Aquatics Championships under way in Doha, in Qatar, after defeating
China today 9-7 in a classification match. Romania will next face either
Australia or the United States. Romania last month finished 8th at
the European Water Polo Championships in Croatia, while their highest ranking
was a 5th place at the World Championship back in 1975.

Football. In men’s handball, CS Dinamo Bucharest are
today facing the Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon in their first match in the
EHF European League Group 4. In the same group, CSM Constanţa are playing the
trophy holders Fuchse Berlin from Germany. (CM)