December 11, 2013 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 11.12.2013, 19:50
Romanian President Traian Basescu, the Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Higher Council of Magistracy have criticised the amendments to the Criminal Code, passed by the Romanian Parliament on Tuesday. According to these amendments, Romania’s president, MPs and people with liberal professions shall no longer be investigated and punished for deeds committed in the implementation of their prerogatives or for conflict of interests. The decision is a step back for Romania, as it breaks the principle of transparency and of the state of law, according to the US Embassy in Bucharest. The British, German and Dutch embassies in Bucharest have also voiced concern at the amendments to the Criminal Code. The European Commission’s stand on this matter will be reflected in the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism Report on Romania, in January 2014, spokesman Mark Gray announced. He also said that officials of all ranks must obey the rules that refer to corruption and conflict of interests.
The 28 NATO countries decided on Wednesday to extend, by two months, the mandate of the Alliance’s Secretary General Anders Fough Rasmussen in order to allow him to attend the NATO summit in September 2014. Rasmussen’s mandate, due to end on July 2013, had already been extended by 1 year, until July 2014. The former Danish Prime Minister was appointed NATO Secretary General in 2009. The NATO Summit of September 2014 will be held in Wales, and will be devoted to Afghanistan. The previous NATO summit was held in Chicago, the US, in 2012.
The American Time magazine has chosen Pope Francis as its 2013 “Person of the Year”, France Press reports. By the judgment of the magazine’s editorial staff, the Pope, elected earlier this year, after a surprise resignation of his predecessor, Pope Benedict, was the most influential global newsmaker of the past 12 months. Pope Francis won out over NSA leaker Edward Snowden, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Texas senator Ted Cruz and gay rights activist Edith Windsor. The choice of Time magazine last year was United States President Barack Obama.
Romanian Cosmina Stratan has been selected to take part in the Shooting Stars program devoted to young actors, to be held in February 2014 within the Berlin Film Festival. Cosmina Stratan, a Cannes laureate in 2012 for her role in the film “Beyond the Hills”, directed by Cristian Mungiu, is one of the ten European actors to take part in the prestigious program. Shooting Stars is aimed at promoting young actors internationally.
