14 January 2022

Morning headlines - January 14th 2021

Florin Jipa

Image source: Twitter

Coronavirus and vaccines

  • Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, more than 20.000 people got vaccinated. Totally, more than 8,01 million people got the vaccine, with more than 7,90 getting both doses and 2,19 of them getting the third dose.
  • Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 9.785 SARS CoV-2 cases, 34 deaths, and in ICU there are now 441 people hospitalized.

Global political and military events

  • The West’s negotiations with Russia, a total failure. At the three reunions from Geneve, Brussels and Vienna, the NATO member states and Russia did not get to an agreement on Russia’s invasion threat. NATO rejected all of Russia’s disarmament demands for the Eastern Europe countries and the blocking of other countries’ accession to the Alliance, meanwhile Russia warned with new tensions. (Reuters)
  • The US is offering insurances that it will establish nothing with Russia without discussing it first with the EU. The Joseph Biden Administration offered insurances that the United States will not get to a security agreement with Russia without consulting the EU, says Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU’s High Representative for the Foreign Affairs and Security Policies. (Mediafax)
  • The Pentagon will offer defensive assistance to Ukraine. The US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, has stated, on Thursday, that the United States will support the Ukrainian Armed Forces after the negotiations with Russia have failed. (AP)
  • Russia is threatening with forces dislocation to Cuba and Venezuela. Russia has warned that if NATO countries will not respect its security demands, it could dislocate troops close to US’s borders, in Cuba and Venezuela. The deputy minister of foreign affairs, Sergey Ryabkov confirmed that Russia is considering this option if the US will not withdraw its troops from the countries that accessed NATO after 1997. (TRT World)
  • Missile attack over the US Embassy in Iraq. At least four missiles were launched, on Thursday, towards the US Embassy from Iraq, placed in the Green Area, a secured perimeter in Baghdad. Three missiles fell in the US diplomatic mission’s yard, and a fourth one hit a school from a residential area. Two people, including a young girl, were hurt in the attack. (Mediafax)
  • Russian bombers in Syria can hit any target in the Mediterranean. General Sergey Kobilash, the commander of Russia's long-range air force, said the Tu-22MZ bombers stationed at the Khmeimim base covered the entire Mediterranean region. (Tass)

Romania's defense and security

  • Energy crisis. The president of PNL, Florin Citu, declared on Thursday evening that there is no legal framework that would allow Romanians not to pay the energy or gas bill and not to have penalties, pointing out that the Government must come up with a new legal framework. (Mediafax)
  • National Culture Day. The National Culture Day will be celebrated again this year, the cultural institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Culture in Bucharest and in the country organizing numerous concerts, recitals, exhibitions, guides or creative workshops. Legislatively confirmed by Law no. 238/2010, at the proposal of academician Eugen Simion, the National Culture Day is celebrated on January 15, when the birthday of the poet Mihai Eminescu is marked. (Agerpres)