Morning headlines – 28th of June 2021

      Coronavirus and vaccines

• Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, more than 16.990 people got vaccinated (more than 11.116 with both doses). Totally, more than 4.6 million people got the vaccine, with more than 4,4 getting both doses.
• Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 46 new SARS CoV-2 cases, 5 deaths (with 71 being reported from the previous period) and in ICU there are now 92 people hospitalized.

Global political and military events

• Russia tested the nuclear submarine Belgorod. Russia has tested for the first time a new giant nuclear submarine, in open waters, a few days after the confrontation with the Great Britain in the Black Sea, says Mediafax. After getting the approval for use, the ship will be able to launch nuclear strikes with seven intercontinental Poseidon. Royal Navy has announced, at the beginning of this year, that it will deploy a special spy-ship to stop such submarines, which are undermining Great Britain’s interests.
• US hit positions of the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria. The United States hit, on Sunday, positions of the militias supported by Iran at the Iraqi-Syrian border, killing at least five people, according to an NGO, as a response to the multiple drone attacks against their interests in Iraq, said Agerpress, quoting AFP.
• The terrorist group Boko Haram from Nigeria pledged the Islamic State. The fighters of the terrorist group Boko Haram pledged the Islamic State, a few weeks after their leader was killed, worrying the security experts, says Reuters. The security specialists are worried that the Islamic State will consolidate the control of the insurgency in North-East Nigeria.  350 people died since the beginning of the insurgency from Nigeria, 12 years ago, said the UN.
• The US and Indonesia are building a training maritime centre in the strategic area Batam, the Riau islands. Indonesia and the United States will build a training maritime centre worth of 3.5 million dollars in the strategic area Batam, in the Riau islands, said Indonesia’s maritime security agency, according to cnn.com. The US ambassador in Indonesia, Sung Kim, has stated that this centre is part of the two countries’ efforts to consolidate the security in the region. The centre will be at the intersection of Malacca Strait and the South China Sea.
• Iran said it has drones with a 7.000 km range of action. The chief of the Revolutionary Guards – the elite armed forces of the Iranian regime – has announced that Iran has drones that have a range of action which can get to 7.000 km, says Digi24. “We have drones with a range of action of up to 7.000km. These can fly, return to base and land anywhere”, said Hossein Salami, the chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards, quoted by Irna.

Romania’s security and defence

• Romania is investing 135 million dollars in the infrastructure of the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base. The Romanian Defence Minister, Nicolae Ciuca, has stated for Washington Examiner that Romania is investing 135 million dollars in the infrastructure of the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base and training centers to attract an increase US military presence in Romania. “We are supporting very much the rotational presence of the U.S. troops in our country. We also have a program to develop the MK air base. So, that's a very, very ambitious commitment of our country to develop the infrastructure within the base.”