Morning headlines – July 16th 2021

Coronavirus and vaccines

• Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, more than 14.000 people got vaccinated. Totally, more than 4.8 million people got the vaccine, with more than 4,6 getting both doses.
• Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 62 new SARS CoV-2 cases, 3 deaths and in ICU there are now 54 people hospitalized.
• The European Commissioner for health comes to Bucharest. The European Commissioner for health and good security, Stella Kyriakides, will meet, on Friday, in Bucharest, with the minister of Health, Ioana Mihaila, to discuss the vaccination campaign. Romania has the penultimate place in the EU when it comes to vaccination. (Mediafax)

Global political and military events

• An investigations agency in Russia was declared undesirable and a threat to national security. The Russian authorities have declared, on Thursday, the investigations agency Proekt as undesirable, calling on national security reasons, and its activities were prohibited. (Mediafax)
• The Guardian: Russian documents are confirming a plan favoring Donald Trump. Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, personally authorized an operation of the secrete services to support Donald Trump, which was seen as `mentally unstable`, to win the 2016 presidential elections, some Kremlin documents are showing, says The Guardian, but Moscow denies the allegations. (Mediafax)
• More than 50 people are and dead and tens are missing after the floods that hid Germany and Belgium. The recent storms from Western Europe made rivers come out from their own riverbed. Many countries are affected. Germany is the most affected one. (Mediafax)
• Angela Merkel's visit to the USA. US President Joseph Biden thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her political actions during her term and stressed the need to strengthen relations between the United States and Germany, including within international organizations. A document was signed stating the commitments for democratic values. (Mediafax)
• Lebanon: Prime Minister Saad Hariri has resigned. Saad Hariri announced his decision after a meeting with Lebanese presidents Michel Aoun, with whom he failed to reach an agreement. Hariri claims that Aoun requested an amendment from the government team he proposed. (Mediafax)
• The US wants to give the Internet to Cubans. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he had asked government agencies to check for "technological capabilities" for the provision of mobile internet in Cuba, embodied in historic anti-government protests. (AP)
• Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of helping the Taliban. Afghan Vice President Amrullah Saleh on Thursday accused Pakistan of providing air support to the Taliban to defeat Afghan security forces. (The Week)

Romania's defense and security

• The Chief of Defense visits the United States. Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu attended the Norfolk Joint Forces Command (JFC Norfolk) Full Operations Capability Ceremony, along with the Chairman of the Joint Committee of Chiefs of Staff of the United States Army, General Mark A. Milley. (MoND)
• Transport aircrafts will fly ta the parade organized on the occasion of ending the Romanian Armed Forces' mission in Afghanistan. After the US helicopter had an emergency landing in Bucharest, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the Air Force Day festivities, on July 20, will take place without the flights of military aircrafts, and those at the Triumph Arch, on July 21, will be attended by transport aircraft directly carried out missions in Afghanistan, respectively C-130 Hercules and C 27J Spartan aircraft. (MoND)