Wednesday, November 25th

Managers of Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations suspended

The management of the Bucharest-Ilfov Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (ISU) has been suspended while the head of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) was expected to appoint a new team in order to ensure the interim management of ISU. The move was confirmed by Romania’s Interior Ministry in a statement on Wednesday. ISU Bucharest-Ilfov is accused of failing to prevent a blaze taking hold at the Colectiv nightclub in the capital Bucharest on October 30. Death toll in the nightclub fire rose to 60 on Sunday following the death of a student in an Austrian hospital

Romanian court begins hearing appeal by former Communist guard

Romania’s High Court of Cassation and Justice is expected to hear an appeal filed by Alexandru Vişinescu, former head of a Communist prison in the Romanian eastern town of Râmnicu Sărat, against his 20-year jail sentence on charges of inhumane treatments. An appeal court in the capital Bucharest also stripped Vişinescu of his military honours. Along with the country’s Interior Ministry and the National Administration of Penitatiaries, he is also expected to pay damages of 300,000 euros to relatives of the former political prisoners. A previous appeal of the 90-year-old former prison guard was adjourned on October 14 because he did not have a lawyer.

No smoking…

A draft law concerning a smoking ban in closed public places is under debate at a session of Romanian Parliament’s lower house on Wednesday. House of Deputies’ Health Committee passed a draft allowing changes in the existing law on smoking ban and ways of fighting the trade of tobacco products. The new draft law includes fines between 100 and 15,000 lei. Already adopted by the Senate in 2011 and favoured by the Health Committee, the draft law is now discussed by the parliament’s decision-maker. Every 15 minutes a Romanian dies of smoking according to data of the country’s Health Ministry.

Renewed co-operation between a Romanian university and IT giant IBM

The Western University (Universitatea de Vest) in the Romanian western town of Timişoara and the American IT giant IBM decided to renew their co-operation by signing a five-year deal. Timişoara Western Universty is owner of the most powerful computer in Romania, the Blue Gene/P, one of the three types of supercomputers created by IBM. „We would like to share our experience around the world with the students of Timişoara. Our world is changing fast, and we should provide our future experts with best and newest technologies allowing them to ensure their career anywhere in the world, IBM Romania representative Ron Caron told Radio Romania on Tuesday.

Alexandru Danga