Morning headlines – January 19th 2022
Florin JipaImage source: Twitter
Coronavirus and vaccines
- Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, more than 16.000 people got vaccinated. Totally, more than 8,03 million people got the vaccine, with more than 7,92 getting both doses and 2,24 of them getting the third dose. (Press release)
- Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 16.760 SARS CoV-2 cases, 65 deaths, and in ICU there are now 487 people hospitalized. (Press release)
Global political and military events
- The White House: Russia could attack Ukraine in any moment: `We are in a phase wherein Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine in any moment`, said Jen Psaki, White House’s spokesperson, talking about an `extremely serious situation`. (AP)
- 1227.000 Russian military are ready to invade Ukraine. The Ukrainian intelligence services said the number of the Russian troops dislocated at the border reached 127.000. (CNN)
- Great Britain sends the most modern antitank systems to Ukraine. Great Britain has organized an air bridge with C-17 aircrafts to transport to Ukraine the most modern antitank weapons, NLAW (Next Generation Light Antitank Weapons). At least four of them arrived already in Ukraine, together with British trainers. (The Drive)
- Russia is waiting for an answer from the US and NATO to its demands. Russia is waiting for `concrete` answers from the United States to the demands it made last week, said the Russian foreign affairs minister, Sergey Lavrov, to the US State Secretary, Antony Blinken. (AP)
- The US State Secretary is visiting Ukraine. Antony Blinken, the US State Secretary, is visiting Ukraine, on Wednesday, and then he will go on an European tour to discuss the security challenges from Eastern Europe. (AP)
- Blinken is seeing Lavrov, on Friday, in Genève. The US State Secretary, Antony Blinken, will meet on Friday, in Genève, the Russian foreign affairs minister, Sergey Lavrov, to find a solution for the diplomatic crisis between Russia and Ukraine. (AFP)
- Jens Stoltenberg wants to organize a new NATO-Russia Council. The North-Atlantic Alliance wants to organize a new reunion with Russia to find an acceptable solution for both parts, said on Tuesday the Secretary General of the organization, Jens Stoltenberg, warning that there is the risk of a military conflict in Europe if that won’t happen. (AP)
Romania's defense and security
- The PNL leader warns that the economy could collapse. Florin Cîţu said on Tuesday that if Romania does not act quickly on the deficit and reduce inflation more than it is today, it will enter a "spiral" in which prices, interest rates and the economy will increase and then "it will collapse”. (Mediafax)
- Romania wants to charge the profits of multinationals. The Minister of Finance, Adrian Câciu, announced that he is preparing to charge with 15% of the profit of the multinationals in Romania. The measure could be implemented by 2023, Câciu said. (Mediafax)
- Ciuca, warned from inside to clarify his accusations of plagiarism. The PNL president, Florin Cîţu, asked the prime minister Nicolae Ciucă to quickly solve the plagiarism accusations. It is his duty to clarify it quickly so that it does not become a vulnerability, said the Liberal leader. (Mediafax)
- Strike in education. Education employees go on strike on Wednesday, between 11.00 and 13.00. They are unhappy with the government's refusal to take action on teachers' incomes, working conditions and funding for the education system. (Mediafax)