Morning headlines – February 26th 2021

Coronavirus and vaccines

• The vaccination in Romania: More than 870.000 people got vaccinated (more than 614.000 with both doses). In the last 24 hours, more than 20.000 people got vaccinated (almost 3.000 with both doses).
• The coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 3.923 new coronavirus cases, 81 deaths and there are 969 people hospitalized in ICU now.
• The EU does not want disproportional restrictions: The leaders of the European Union countries and the union’s institutions have pleaded, on Thursday, at the European Council reunion, for the increase of the vaccination capacities and the avoidance of disproportional and discriminatory circulation restrictions.

Global political and military events

• Joe Biden has talked with the King of Saudi Arabia. Joe Biden called the Saudi King Salman to discuss, before publishing a top secrete report of the American services, about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which would incriminate the Crown Prince. The report is to be published on Friday.
• The first military attack during the Biden mandate. The US Air Forces have attacked, on Friday morning, Iranian targets from East of Syria, as a reaction to the missiles attacks which have targeted US objectives in Iraq, says the Pentagon, in a press release. Military specialists have stated that there were used small-size high-precision bombs and the attacked Iranian militias were transporting weapons across the border, in Iraq, to be used against the Americans. They attacked deposits of the militias supported by Iran, Kait’ib Hezbollah and Kait’it Sayyid al Shuhada, said the Pentagon.
• The Netherlands takes a stance against China. The Netherlands’ Parliament has approved, on Thursday, a motion by which calls “genocide acts” the actions of the Chinese authorities against the Uighur ethnics in Xinjiang region, says Reuters.
• Russia, interested in the plans of the German Parliament. The German attorneys have accused a German citizen for treason, as he tried to offer to the Russian Intelligence Services secretes related to the plans of the inferior chamber of German Parliament’s building, Bundestag,  says Digi24. The court has said Jens F. got PDF files with plans of the Deputies Chamber meanwhile he was an employee of a maintenance company of electric equipment in Bundestag’s buildings.

Romania’s defence and security

• The military drill Poseidon 21 has started. The Romanian Naval Forces are leading, between February 26^th and March 6^th, the military drill Poseidon 21, the first joint multinational drill in 2021, carried in the Black Sea. More than 700 Romanian and foreign troops are participating in the drill, with 13 military ships, 9 aircrafts, 1 pyrotechniques intervention vehicle and a remote underwater robot.
• The Parliament is discussing the 2021 budget. Parliament debates the draft state budget law and the state social insurance budget law for 2021. The internal parliamentary procedures will last until Monday, when, starting with 4pm, the joint meeting of the Chamber of Deputies and The Senate will take place, being scheduled general debates and debates on annexes, and on Tuesday will be given the final vote on the draft state budget law and the state social insurance budget law for 2021, shows Agerpres.
• US ambassador. The presidential counsellor Andrei Muraru will represent Romania in Washington, said official sources for Digi24. He will replace George Maior, who will get a position in Romania’s embassy in Jordan. Andrei Muraru is a presidential counselor at the Department of Relations with Public Authorities and Civil Society from December 22th 2014.