October 9, 2015 UPDATE
Click here for an update of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 09.10.2015, 12:15
The Nobel Peace Prize 2015 was awarded on Friday to the National Dialogue Quartet “for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011” announced the Nobel committee quoted by France Press. The quartet comprises the following organizations: the Tunisian General Labour Union UGTT, the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, UTICA, the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers and was set up in the summer of 2013. It mediated a long and difficult national dialogue between the Islamists and their opponents, urging them to reach an agreement to make things work at institutional level. The quartet launched a peaceful, alternative political process at a time when the country was on the verge of civil war, the Nobel committee explained. In 2014 the young Pakistani woman Malala Yousafzai and the Indian Kailash Satyarthi were the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize “for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education”.
The Romanian justice minister, Robert Cazanciuc, on Friday participated in Luxembourg in the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting. The ministers agreed on the text of a draft directive regarding the protection of individuals in terms of personal data processing. Discussions on the topic will continue with the European Parliament. In the context of the migration crisis they agreed to strengthen legal cooperation, as a possible solution to the specific challenges posed by migration. Minister Cazanciuc also had bilateral meetings with the Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova as well as with his counterparts from Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Great Britain and Hungary. The next Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting is scheduled for December in Brussels.
NATO decided to raise response force to 40 thousand troops in Central and Eastern Europe, the structure being able to manage any threat in 48 hours at the most, the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced at a NATO partners’ meeting held Thursday in Brussels. NATO also decided to set up 2 new command centers in Slovakia and Hungary besides those in Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Bulgaria. Tension rose between NATO and Russia after the Russian military planes started air strikes in Syria to support the Bashar al-Assad regime while claiming they were attacking targets of the Islamic State terrorist organization. The US and NATO accuse Russia of having attacked positions of the insurgents who are backed by the West. Since March 2011 Syria has been the stage of violently quenched uprisings and of an armed conflict between the security services subordinated to Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the opposition forces and terrorist groups, including the Sunni organization the Islamic State. The death toll exceeds 250 thousand victims.
Romania’s national football team on Thursday evening ended in a 1-all draw the match against the Finish eleven, in its last but one preliminary stage fixture ahead of the 2016 European Championships. The Romanian eleven managed to secure its runner-up position in the group, which entitles them to a straight qualification one point ahead of Hungary. Northern Ireland has won the preliminary group. The poor performance of the Romanian footballers, mainly in the second half of the match, disappointed the fans who asked for the resignation of coach Anghel Iordanescu. To secure its qualification Romania’s national team needs to win the match against the Faeroe Islands on Sunday in its last group stage fixture. In another development, Romania’s national youth team on Friday will play in Luxembourg a match counting for the 2017 European Under-21 Championship. In the previous group matches Romania defeated Armenia twice and was defeated on home turf by Bulgaria.
The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Friday promulgated the Law on processing personal data and protecting private life in the electronic communications sector. The most important provision refers to the fact that, upon the request of a court or of prosecutors, the providers of public electronic communications services have to make available, in 48 hours, personal data related to identification, traffic and location. These data cannot be stored for more than 3 years. Several versions of the so-called “Big Brother Law” have been proposed since 2009, but they have been rejected by the Constitutional Court on grounds of infringing the rights and freedoms of the individual. The former head of the Romanian Intelligence Service, George Maior, resigned in January, claiming subsequently that the reason for his resignation was the rejection of these very laws. matches Romania defeated Armenia twice and was defeated on home turf by Bulgaria.
On Sunday the Social Democratic Party- PSD, the main party in the governing coalition in Romania will elect its president. More than 530 thousand members are expected to cast their vote. The only candidate to the party’s presidency is Liviu Dragnea, currently interim president of the party. He took over the presidency of PSD in July 2015 after Victor Ponta, the then party president and currently Romania’s PM, resigned his position of party president following the corruption scandal in which he is involved. The PM Victor Ponta has been prosecuted being accused of forgery, accessory to tax evasion and money laundering. After internal elections, the Social Democrats will meet in an extraordinary congress on October 18.
