Morning headlines – May 26th 2021

Coronavirus and vaccines

• Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, more than 68.000 people got vaccinated (more than 44.000 with both doses). Totally, more than 4.1 million people got the vaccine, with more than 3.2 getting both doses.
• Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 381 new SARS CoV-2 cases, 63 deaths and in ICU there are now 545 people hospitalized.
• The US gave $ 600.000 to the Wuhan laboratory. Anthony Fauci has admitted, on Tuesday, in front of a US Congress commission that the US gave $ 600.000 to the Wuhan Laboratory to study the viruses’ transmission from bats to humans, after the 2000 pandemic. Fauci also stated that it is important to find out the origin of the new coronavirus.

Global political and military events

• Biden-Putin meeting. The US president Joe Biden will meet the Russian president Vladimir Putin on June 16^th in Geneve, Switzerland, said the White House.
• The Steadfast Defender 21 naval drill starts. When the drill it’s over, a 45 Type destroyer, a 23 Type frigate and the HNLMS Evertsen Dutch frigate will enter the Black Sea.
• Belarus closes its Canada embassy. The Belarus embassy in Canada will suspend its activity starting September 1^st 2021 and the consular services starting July 10^th, said the embassy in a press release. Prime-minister Justin Trudeau criticized the Belarus regime’s actions as being “outrageous, illegal and totally unacceptable”. Also, he said that he “strongly supports an action, though any international institutions possible, including NATO”.
• North Korea’s Armed Forces, the biggest banking thief. The North Korea’s Armed Forces has thousands of well-trained hackers who are stealing money from banks, says Oh II-seok, a researcher at the National Security Strategies Institute from Seoul, says AFP. In the last years, many cyber attacks were attributed to Pyongyang, but North Korea’s leaders rejected the accusations.
• A French aircraft Dassault Mirage F-1 crashed in the US. The French aircraft crashed, on Tuesday, next to the Nellis Air Base, while being operated by a civilian contractor, which was simulating being an enemy, in an air exercise, says AP. The 43-years old pilot has died.

Romania’s defence and security

• Joint meeting of the Parliament for the NRRP and EURATOM. The Senate and the Deputies Chamber are meeting, on Wednesday, in a joint meeting, to present the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and to ratify the EURATOM Treaty.
• 4.5 magnitude earthquake in Vrancea. On 26.05.2021, at 00:30:37 (Ro time), an earthquake was felt in the Vrancea-Buzau area, with a 4.5 magnitude on Richter scale and a 140 km depth, says Mediafax.
• State help for stimulating strategic investments. The Minister of Finances has elaborated and published the Government’s decision to establish a state help scheme to stimulate the strategic investments for new economic activities, worth of at least 500 million lei, like producing computers and optical and electronic products, new aircrafts and space ships, vehicles etc, says Mediafax.
• Farmers' protest at the Parliament. On Wednesday, starting with 12pm, the farmers will protest, with trucks, in front of the Parliament (the parking sports which are in front of the Romanian Academy), calling on the serious underfunding. The action is organized by the Association “Farmers’ Force”.