Morning headlines – August 9th 2021

Coronavirus and vaccines

• Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, less than 7.000 people got vaccinated. Totally, more than 5 million people got the vaccine, with more than 4,9 getting both doses.
• Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 208 new SARS CoV-2 cases, 3 deaths, and in ICU there are now 79 people hospitalized.

Global political and military events

• The fifth capital of province in Afghanistan is now in talibans’ control. In the last three days, the government’s forces lost many territories as the insurgents have captured 5 of the 34 province capitals. Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan have been captured on Sunday only. The US forces have used B-52 and C-130 aircrafts to bomb talibans’ positions. (AP)
• Great Britain is criticizing the international forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. General Sir Richard Barrons, former commander in the US Armed Forces has criticized the withdrawal of international forces accusing that Afghanistan will become a new platform for terrorist attacks. The Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, has stated that Great Britain opposed the withdrawal and tried to create a coalition after Americans’ withdrawal, but no NATO country wanted to join it. (Daily Mail)
• EU, new sanctions against Belarus. The European Union plans to impose new sanctions on Lukashenko’s regime, a year after the August 9^th elections, said, on Sunday, the chief of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell. (Mediafax)
• Nagasaki marks 76 years since the atomic bomb attack. At the ceremony organized at ‘’Peace Park’’, the mayor Tomihisa Taue asked the government to start the discussions with US, Russia and China to eliminate the nuclear weapons from the Asia-Pacific region.
• Russia presented the armed drone Orion-E. The Kronshtadt company has presented, for the first time, at the military technique exhibition MAKS-2021, the unmanned aircrafts Orion-E armed with the Vikr missile system, with a 10 km range of action. (Armada International)

Romania’s defence and security

• The Secrete Services are not controlled. Alina Mungiu Pippidi: The justice in Romania was not completely monopolized by politicians. When it comes to prosecutor’s office, things are not that good. As for the secrete services, there things are the worst. There is no EU country to have no control of the secrete services. We do not know the expenses of the secrete services. (Aleph News)
• The South of the country, under code yellow for heat. NMA has issued a code yellow warning for heat in the South of the country, available between August 9^th 10am and August 11, 10 pm. (Aleph News)