Morning headlines – December 16th 2021

Coronavirus and vaccines

• Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, more than 34.000 people got vaccinated. Totally, more than 7,86 million people got the vaccine, with more than 7,68 getting both doses and 1,83 of them getting the third dose.
• Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 829 new SARS CoV-2 cases, 88 deaths, and in ICU there are now 639 people hospitalized.

Global political and military events

• The EU is ready to sanction Russia. The European Union is ready to intensify its sanctions and take ”unprecedented measures” against Russia if it will attack Ukraine, stated, on Wednesday, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen. (Aleph News)
• The EU reiterates its commitment on the Eastern Partnership nations. The European Union has reiterated, on Wednesday, at the end of the Brussels summit, the cooperation intensification commitments with the Eastern Partnership nations, including Moldova, asking for reforms in terms of democracy and rule of law consolidation. At the Eastern Partnership reunion, there were present the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, the representatives of the EU’s central institutions and the leaders of the EU member states. (Mediafax)
• Macron met with leaders from Azerbaijan and Armenia. President Emmanuel Macron met, on Wednesday evening, in Brussels, with the Azeri president Ilham Aliyev and the Armenian prime-minister Nikol Pashinian, on the occasion of the Eastern Partnership European summit, composed of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan. (AFP)
• The Senate approved a $ 770 billion Pentagon budget. The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a $ 770 billion annual Defense Department budget, including funding for military assistance to Ukraine ($ 300 million) amid tensions with Russia and countering China,  $ 7.1 billion, for the Pacific Military Discouragement Initiative. It also provides $ 4 billion for the European Defense Initiative and $ 150 million for security cooperation in the Baltic Sea area. (Mediafax)
• China censors censorship. The Chinese Communist Party has banned citizens from talking about censorship. In China, many western social networks are banned. (Aleph News)
• Greek planes defend northern Macedonia. The air force of the new NATO member, Northern Macedonia, will be carried out by Greek aircraft, the Allied Air Command announced. (Press release)
• The US base in Syria was attacked with two drones. The US military at al-Tanf base shot down two armed drones on Wednesday night. (AP)
• Israel has killed a Syrian soldier. An Israeli air raid on a military base in Syria, where there are Iranian militants, has killed a Syrian soldier. (SANA)

Romania's defense and security

• MoND receives 62 Dacia DUSTER cars on Thursday. The Ministry of Defense will receive, on Thursday, 62 Dacia DUSTER cars. In the period 2015-2021, at the level of the Ministry of Defense, 886 DACIA DUSTER brand cars were purchased through the RABLA program, out of which 457 in the color mosaic. The total value of the vehicles is about 78,000 thousand RON. (Press release)
• The police are organizing a rally in front of the Ministry of Interior. The European Police Union EUROPOL is organizing a rally in front of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Thursday, in protest against the fact that the Executive does not apply the Remuneration Law. (Press release)
• Hundreds of people evacuated in Constanta were also injured. About 250 people, including more than 70 children, were evacuated by firefighters, and eight adults and minors - transported to the hospital, after a block of flats in Constanta was engulfed in flames on Wednesday night, the fire spreading after the fire engulfed several cars in the building's underground parking lot. (Agerpres)