Morning headlines – September 30th 2021

Coronavirus and vaccines

• Vaccination in Romania: In the last 24 hours, more than 61.000 people got vaccinated. Totally, more than 5.5 million people got the vaccine, with more than 5.3 getting both doses.
• Coronavirus in Romania: In the last 24 hours, there were recorded 10.826 new SARS CoV-2 cases, 207 deaths, and in ICU there are now 1.320 people hospitalized.
• Schools, restaurants and hotels will stay open even above the 6/1000 inhabitants infection rate. The schools will stay open when the infection rate is 6/1000 inhabitants, meanwhile the hotels and restaurants will be open only to vaccinated or tested people.

Global political and military events

• The US is ready to meet North Korea officials. The State Department spokesperson has stated that the United States want and are ready to meet north-Korean officials, with no pre-established conditions. (AP)
• North Korea established a dialogue with the south.  Kim Jong Un decided, on Wednesday, to resume dialogue with South Korea to promote peace. (AP).
• Erdogan, at the meeting with Putin: „My dear friend”. Vladimir Putin met, on September, with the Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, at the Sochi mansion. The two leaders have discussed about the economic relations, focusing on the Russian gas transport, and the military ones, especially the collaboration in Syria and Libya, where they support opposed sides. (Tass)
• The general with the highest position in the Pentagon: The US lost the war in Afghanistan. General Mark Milley, the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the US Military, has stated, yesterday, in front of the Armed Services Committee in the Congress that: „The war was a strategic failure. It was not lost in 20 years or 20 months. We have many lessons to learn from that”.
• US-China military discussions. Michael Chase, the deputy assistant of the Defence secretary for the relation with China had a virtual conversation, on Tuesday and Wednesday, with major-general Huang Xueping about the security situation in the region. (Pentagon)

Romania’s defence and security

• The motion of censure is being read in the Parliament’s plenum. Senators and deputies are meeting today in a joint reunion to present the motion of censure which was presented on Tuesday by 157 social-democrats, titled `Stop poverty, raise and criminals. Citu’s Government must go!”. The motion will be debated and voted next Tuesday. (Mediafax)
• The foreign minister, visit in Spain. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, pays, on Thursday and Friday, an official visit to the Kingdom of Spain, in the context of celebrating 140 years of diplomatic relations. The Romanian Minister will meet with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, will launch the bilingual anniversary album dedicated to the 140 years of Romanian-Spanish diplomatic relations and will inaugurate the exhibition “Archaeological Treasures from Romania. Dacian and Roman roots", at the National Museum of Archeology in Madrid. (MFA)