Morning headlines – February 4th 2021

Coronavirus and vaccines

• The WHO is investigating the SARS-CoV-2 origins. The WHO team of experts which is now in Wuhan does not rule out the possibility for the virus to be leaked from a laboratory, given that the researchers there have worked on coronaviruses, said the team’s chief, dr. Saszak, according to Mediafax. “We are all aware of the hypothesis on the possible involvement of the laboratory in it and we will surely ask questions on all key aspects”, said the doctor.
• Serbia’s number of vaccinations is two times bigger than Romania’s. The Serbian citizens can choose the vaccine they want to get, and the neighbor state is actually vaccinating two times more than Romania, says Aleph News. The Serbians have the vaccines produced by the US company Pfizer and the German one BioNtech, the Russian vaccine Sputnik V and the Chinese one Sinopharm.

Global political and military events

• The US-Iran war of sanctions moved to the International Court of Justice from Hague. The ICJ has stated, on Wednesday, that it has the ability to consider Tehran’s demand to cancel the sanctions reintroduced by the administration of the former US president, Donald Trump, a decision Washington regrets, says Agerpress.
• The CIA has a new director. The US president, Joe Biden, officially appointed the former State Secretary William Burns as Director of the CIA, says DPA, and on Wednesday evening the request got to the Senate, where the Democrats have a majority. Is the nomination will be confirmed by the Senate, William Burns will replace Gina Haspel, who is the former CIA director and got the position in 2018, being appointed by president Donald Trump.
• North Korea got US and South Korea’s attention. The US president Joe Biden has decided, after a phone call with his counterpart from South Korea, Moon Jae-In, to join forces with south-Koreans to disarm North Korea and cool down the tensions in the peninsula, says AP.
• The UN is pressuring the military coup from Myanmar. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has stated, on Wednesday, that the military coup from Myanmar should be cancelled and he will do everything possible for the UN to make a decision to that end, says AP.

Romania’s defence and secretary

• The European Commission is criticizing Romania. The European Commission has criticized Romania because it did not send a National Resilience and Recovery Plan, but lists of projects, says Digi24.
• Protests. The National Union Confederation continues, on Thursday, to protest in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, between 10am and 12mpm, and also in front of the Concordia Patronal Confederation, between 12pm and 2pm, says Agerpress. The main claims of the unionists are: a decent minimum salary, adequate pensions, qualitative public services, unlocking the collective negotiations, adequate taxes and the fair implementation of the law.
• US officials are visiting the 71^st Air Base Campia Turzii. The business envoy of the US Embassy to Bucharest, David Muniz, and the commander  of the  31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, brigadier general Jason E. Bailey, will visit, on Thursday, the 71^st Air Base “General Emanoil Ionescu” from Campia Turzii, Cluj county, where the US unmanned systems MQ-9 Reaper are dislocated.
• No unearned incentives. The government wants to change the law on ensuring incentives in the public system. Prime-minister Florin Citu has underlined, on Wednesday, that there must be relevance between “performance and income”, says Digi24.