Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation report - 100 WHO 29 Apr 2020
• WHO Emergencies Press Conference on coronavirus disease outbreak - 29 April 2020 WHO 29 Apr 2020
• World health experts will meet Thursday to assess COVID-19 pandemic UN News 29 Apr 2020 -- International health experts will convene on Thursday to evaluate the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and advise on updated recommendations, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday during his latest virtual press conference from Geneva.
• UN Urges World Community to Prevent Child Hunger During Coronavirus Pandemic VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- Two United Nations agencies called on the global community Wednesday to prevent hunger and malnutrition among the 370 million children who are not receiving school meals due to the closure of schools worldwide in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Global COVID-19 death toll reported to WHO exceeds 200,000 People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- Globally, over 200,000 COVID-19 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) as of Tuesday, according to the latest WHO figure.
• Coronavirus lockdown casts harsh light on our data and privacy online UN News 29 Apr 2020 -- A third of all nations lack laws to protect their citizen's online data and privacy, despite an 11 per cent uptick in the global adoption of data protection and privacy legislation since 2015, the United Nations' trade, investment and development body (UNCTAD) said on Wednesday.

United States

• Remarks by President Trump and Vice President Pence in Roundtable with Industry Executives on the Plan for Opening Up America Again The White House 29 Apr 2020
• Remarks by President Trump in a Meeting with Governor Murphy of New Jersey The White House 29 Apr 2020
• DOD Details $75 Million Defense Production Act Title 3 Puritan Contract DoD 29 Apr 2020 -- "The Department of Defense will invest $75.5 million in Defense Production Act Title 3 funding to increase swab production by 20 million per month starting in May."
• Rush Transcript: Amid Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, Governor Cuomo Announces 35 Counties Approved to Resume Elective Outpatient Treatments New York State 29 Apr 2020
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 29 Apr 2020
• 64 sailors test positive for COVID-19 aboard U.S. Navy destroyer People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- The number of sailors testing positive for COVID-19 aboard U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Kidd, rose to 64 as the warship on Tuesday afternoon docked at a naval base in San Diego, California, local media have reported.
• Coronavirus cases aboard 2nd US warship still rising, reaching 64 Press TV 29 Apr 2020 -- US Navy ship with over 60 sailors infected with coronavirus has sailed into San Diego, California, to decontaminate, making it the second American warship temporarily put out of service by the pandemic.
• US Navy Head Calls for Deeper Probe Into Aircraft Carrier COVID-19 Outbreak VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- The acting secretary of the Navy has called for a more thorough investigation into "unanswered questions" about events aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier, as sailors who had been quarantined for weeks returned to the vessel.
• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 29 Apr 2020
• U.S. COVID-19 cases top 1 mln, true number of infections likely "much higher" People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- Over 1 million people in the United States have been infected with COVID-19, with the death toll exceeding 57,000 on Tuesday, showed the latest data.
• California Governor Announces 4-Phase Reopening Plan Sputnik 29 Apr 2020 -- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced during a press briefing a four-phase roadmap to reopen the state's economy.
• Trump Orders Meat Processors Not to Close in Move to Buttress US Food Supply Sputnik 29 Apr 2020 -- On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, signing a presidential order decreeing that meat packing plants must stay open to buttress the nation's food supply amid widespread disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• US coronavirus death toll surpasses American fatalities in Vietnam War Press TV 29 Apr 2020 -- Official statistics show that the US death toll from the new coronavirus pandemic has soared more than 58,300 and surpassed the American fatalities in the 1954-1975 Vietnam War.
• Statement by Acting Secretary of the Navy James E. McPherson on Preliminary Inquiry NNS 29 Apr 2020 -- After carefully reviewing the preliminary inquiry into the events surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday, provided me with his recommendations. Following our discussion, I have unanswered questions that the preliminary inquiry has identified and that can only be answered by a deeper review.
• Theodore Roosevelt Prepares to Return to Sea NNS 29 Apr 2020 -- Hundreds of Sailors began the transition from quarantine and isolation to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) April 29, as the ship prepares to return to sea after a bow-to-stern deep cleaning process.
• US Navy Sailors Begin Returning to USS Roosevelt Following Month in Quarantine Sputnik 29 Apr 2020 -- After spending up to 27 days in quarantine due to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), US Navy sailors who met certain testing criteria were allowed to begin returning to the sanitized aircraft carrier on Wednesday.

China

• China Continues Slow Recovery from Pandemic as Ceremonial Congress Reschedules Meeting VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- China's parliament will hold its annual session in late May, two months later than scheduled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Annual 'two sessions' to focus on post-epidemic policies Global Times 29 Apr 2020 -- China's most important annual political meetings, the "two sessions," which have been postponed for more than a month due to the unexpected coronavirus epidemic and now set to convene in late May, will focus on post-pandemic efforts from all walks of life, participants revealed.
• Navarro's coronavirus test kit accusation groundless: Chinese commerce ministry Global Times 29 Apr 2020 -- White House adviser Peter Navarro's accusation about coronavirus test kits China sent to the US is groundless and extremely irresponsible, China's commerce ministry said on Tuesday.
• Beijing opens drive-thru testing sites to find more asymptomatic COVID-19 infections Global Times 29 Apr 2020 -- Beijing's Haidian district opened a drive-thru testing point for nucleic acid tests of the coronavirus with the whole process taking just two minutes and experts said the move would widen the testing scale in Beijing to find more asymptomatic COVID-19 infections ahead of a massive work resumption.
• China sets for normalcy after Beijing lowers emergency response level, lifts restrictions Global Times 29 Apr 2020 -- China's top epidemiologist said China is returning to normal after Beijing Municipality downgraded its emergency response from Level I to Level II from Thursday. Following Beijing's lead, the neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province announced the same decision.
• Beijing city lowers COVID-19 emergency response level Global Times 29 Apr 2020 -- Beijing, China's capital city, will lower its emergency response to the novel coronavirus epidemic from the top level to the second one starting from Thursday.
• Wuhan lab director rejects COVID-19 conspiracy theory: Reuters People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- Claims that the novel coronavirus came from China's National Biosafety Laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) were groundless and contradict all available evidence, said lab director Yuan Zhiming in a recent written interview with Reuters.
• China to step up epidemic prevention measures at ports of entry People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- China will continue to strengthen epidemic prevention and control measures at air and land ports, a health official said Wednesday.
• Beijing city lowers COVID-19 emergency response level People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- The Chinese capital will lower its emergency response to the novel coronavirus epidemic from the top level to the second one starting April 30, a local official announced Wednesday.
• China's Hubei reports no increase in COVID-19 cases People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- No new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were reported in central China's Hubei Province Tuesday, the provincial health commission said Wednesday.
• China's Heilongjiang reports no new confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- China's Heilongjiang Province reported no new locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and no new imported confirmed cases Tuesday, the provincial health commission said Wednesday.
• Chinese mainland reports 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- Chinese health authority said Wednesday that it received reports of 22 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, of which 21 were imported.
• Factbox: China's fight against novel coronavirus outbreak People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- Here are the latest developments on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China:
• Chinese mainland reports 21 new imported COVID-19 cases People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- The Chinese mainland reported 21 new imported cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Tuesday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 1,660, the National Health Commission said Wednesday.
• 23 COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals on Chinese mainland People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- A total of 23 patients of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were discharged from hospitals Tuesday on the Chinese mainland, according to the National Health Commission.
• PLA donates anti-epidemic supplies to Vietnamese military PLA Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- At the request of the Vietnamese military and with the approval of the Central Military Commission, the Chinese People's Liberation Army on Tuesday sent COVID-19 prevention and control materials to the Vietnamese military.
• COVID-19 not a chronic disease despite long-lasting positives: experts Global Times 29 Apr 2020 -- Concerns about 30 "long-lasting positive" patients in hard-hit Wuhan remain even after the city on Tuesday announced zero new confirmed COVID-19 patients and zero existing cases for three consecutive days.

Europe

• Foreign Secretary's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 29 April 2020 UK FCO 29 Apr 2020 -- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave the 29 April 2020 daily press briefing on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Repatriation during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: Minister Adams' statement, 29 April 2020 UK FCO 29 Apr 2020 -- Foreign & Commonwealth Office Minister Nigel Adams spoke in Parliament on FCO support for British people abroad and procuring Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• 20,000 stranded Brits returning to the UK from South Asia on UK charter flights UK FCO 29 Apr 2020 -- More than 20,000 British travellers, on 83 Government charter flights, will return to the UK from across South Asia by 7 May.
• UK government "on track" to meet testing target as another 586 COVID-19 patients die People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- Another 586 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in hospitals in Britain as of Monday afternoon, taking the total coronavirus hospital death toll to 21,678, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Tuesday.
• For Foreigners on France's Front Line, COVID-19 Exposes Health Care Shortcomings VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- Like many of their colleagues these days, Dr. Nefissa Lakhdara and her husband, Dr. Redouane Bouhalila, return home from long hours on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. They wash up, stuff potentially virus-tainted clothes into the washing machine, and attend to children left homebound by the pandemic, clocking up exhausting work weeks.
• Europe Coronavirus Updates: Germany reports over 156,000 confirmed cases, Austria set to ease restrictions in May People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- Italy's coronavirus cases top 200,000, death toll at 27,359;
• Spain's daily coronavirus death toll rises to 325 SPA 29 Apr 2020 -- Spain recorded 325 deaths from the novel coronavirus overnight, up from 301 reported the previous day, the health ministry said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

India

• Updates on COVID-19 India PIB 29 Apr 2020
• COVID-19 Lockdown: Residents in Delhi's 'Hot Spot Zones' Struggling for Essential Commodities Sputnik 29 Apr 2020 -- The country is under the second phase of lockdown as part of the government's measure to combat the spread of the contagious COVID-19 virus. The restrictions have brought the country to a standstill, with only essential services allowed, while people have to stay at home.
• India records highest daily jump in coronavirus deaths Press TV 29 Apr 2020 -- India has seen its highest jump in deaths related to the novel coronavirus in a 24-hour period following its highest daily increase, the Health Ministry says.

Pakistan

• Coronavirus Infects 480 Pakistani Health Workers, Kills 3 Doctors VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- Pakistan said Wednesday hundreds of health workers are among more than 15,000 people who have contracted coronavirus in the country, and at least three doctors are also among 335 killed by the disease, known as COVID-19.

Iran

• Official: 80 more Iranians die from COVID-19 IRNA 29 Apr 2020 -- Head of Iran's Health Ministry's Public Relations Office Kianoush Jahanpour said on Wednesday that 73,791 people out of a total of 93,657 infected with the coronavirus have survived and recovered while 5,957 have unfortunately succumbed to death including 80 deaths occurred over the past 24 hours.
• Iran Law Enforcement Arrested 3,600 For 'Coronavirus Rumors' Radio Farda 29 Apr 2020 -- The Spokesman of Iran's Armed Forces on Tuesday said Iran's Law Enforcement Forces (Police) and the Revolutionary Guard's militia arm (Basij) have arrested 3,600 individuals for "spreading rumors about coronavirus".
• High Death Toll In Tehran Casts Doubt On Iran's Official Coronavirus Numbers Radio Farda 29 Apr 2020 -- A member of Tehran's City Council has revealed that during the first two months of the coronavirus outbreak the overall death toll in Iran's capital increased by 3,700, compared with the same period last year.

Japan

• Japan's 2nd COVID-19 wave from US, Europe: research Global Times 29 Apr 2020 -- Research in Japan shows the peak of a new coronavirus outbreak in the country starting in March may be triggered by imported infections from Europe and the US, adding to evidence of how Europe and the US failed to curb the spread of the coronavirus and dragged down the worldwide fight against the pandemic.

Australia

• Tensions rise between China, Australia over call for coronavirus probe Press TV 29 Apr 2020 -- China has blasted Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison for attempting to blame Beijing for the coronavirus pandemic by pushing for an "independent inquiry" into its origins.
• Australia Says Inquiry Into COVID-19 Origins Is 'Reasonable', 'Not Targeted' at Any State Sputnik 29 Apr 2020 -- The first cases of the new coronavirus were registered in China's Hubei province last December, and more than 3 million people have been infected with the disease, as of now.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry Spokesman: 1325 New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 29 Apr 2020 -- Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Mohammed Al-Abdulaali said that 1325 new COVID-19 cases were reported today in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• COVID-19 Follow-up Committee Holds 70th Meeting SPA 29 Apr 2020 -- Under the chairmanship of Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, the COVID-19 Follow-up Committee held its 70th meeting today.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports no new COVID-19 cases for 4th consecutive day CNA 29 Apr 2020 -- Taiwan on Wednesday reported no new COVID-19 cases for the fourth consecutive day and seventh time this month, with the total number of confirmed cases remaining at 429, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
• Taiwan medical team discusses COVID-19 response with Russian counterparts CNA 29 Apr 2020 -- A medical team from Taipei Hospital held a video conference Tuesday with public health officials and other medical professionals in Russia to provide information about Taiwan's response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
• Public confidence a key factor in COVID-19 battle: CECC chief CNA 29 Apr 2020 -- The Central Epidemic Command Center's (CECC) strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic on psychological as well as physiological grounds has paid dividends, CECC chief Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said 100 days after the CECC was first convened.

NATO

• Coronavirus response: NATO continues to support Afghan security forces and institutions tackling global pandemic NATO 29 Apr 2020 -- The NATO-led Resolute Support mission continues its support for Afghan security forces as they work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring security for the Afghan people.
• Coronavirus response: Slovenian Military Medical Unit supports EUFOR with preventive testing NATO 29 Apr 2020 -- Slovenia facilitated this month the start of COVID-19 preventive testing of EUFOR personnel at Camp Butmir in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in line with efforts to protect military and civilian personnel in international operations.

Other Countries

• Coronavirus Treatment Breakthrough Announced VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- An experimental drug has proven effective in treating COVID-19 patients, the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, announced Wednesday.
• Syria: As coronavirus threat intensifies, ceasefire more urgent than ever UN News 29 Apr 2020 -- Syria desperately needs a nationwide ceasefire to enable its war-weary citizens to access the equipment and resources necessary to combat COVID-19, the UN's top envoy for the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.
• Turkey Delivers COVID-19 Medical Supplies DoD News 29 Apr 2020 -- A Turkish Airbus A400M Atlas delivered medical gloves, masks, protective goggles, hand sanitizer and protective clothes to the United States as a gesture of support from one NATO ally to another.
• Chinese medical team aims to stifle epidemic in Ethiopia, prevent major outbreak Global Times 29 Apr 2020 -- "In the past week, there has been a 51 percent increase in the number of reported cases in my own continent, Africa, and a 60 percent increase in the number of reported deaths. With the current challenge of obtaining testing kits, it's likely that the real numbers are higher than reported," World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on April 17 at a media briefing, expressing his concerns over the coronavirus pandemic in Africa.
• Global COVID-19 death toll tops 200,000 as BRICS agrees to enhance collaboration People's Daily 29 Apr 2020 -- The global death toll from COVID had surpassed 200,000 as of Tuesday, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Pandemic growing slowly in most countries, US still grappling with worst outbreak Press TV 29 Apr 2020 -- Some 3,116,398 people are now infected with the new coronavirus and a total number of 217,153 others have so far died of the illness caused by the virus (COVID-19) around the world, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
• COVID-19: EU Provides 'Unparalleled' Support To Balkans; EU Commissioner Says Belarus 'Interested' In Aid RFE/RL 29 Apr 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 215,000 with more than 3 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
• Eastern Europe, Central Asia Governments Responding To Coronavirus With 'Repressive' Measures, Amnesty Says RFE/RL 29 Apr 2020 -- Many governments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are viewing the coronavirus pandemic as "a free pass to trample" on human rights, Amnesty International says, insisting that any strict measures to stop the spread of the virus must be "temporary, proportionate, and in line with human rights standards."
• Kuwait Announces 300 New COVID-19 Cases, 1 Death SPA 29 Apr 2020 -- Kuwait on Wednesday reported 300 new coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total of infections to 3,740, while one death was reported, bringing the total fatalities' toll up to 24.
• Morocco Reports 37 New Cases of COVID-19 SPA 29 Apr 2020 -- Morocco reported 37 new cases of Coronavirus today, bringing the total number of the infected to 4289, while the number of deaths reached 167 after recording new two deaths, according to Morocco Press Agency (MAP).
• Oman: 143 new cases of COVID-19 SPA 29 Apr 2020 -- The Omani Ministry of Health announced today 143 new cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the number of infections in the country to 2,274, while the total deaths reached 10, Oman News Agency (ONA) reported.
• Kenya Shuts Down Biggest Refugee Camps Over COVID Spread as Badly-Hit Italy, Greece Drag Their Feet Sputnik 29 Apr 2020 -- While many European countries have already sorted out the refugee issue, which has proven to further exacerbate the raging coronavirus health crisis, a number of them – including, Italy, which has the biggest death toll among EU countries – have been slow to act.
• Malawi President Announces New Measures Against Coronavirus VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- Malawi's president has proposed new safety measures against the coronavirus, which has infected 36 people in Malawi and caused three deaths. The president is offering cash payments to the poor to help them survive a proposed lockdown, and to persuade vendors to close shops. But vendors, who protested plans for the lockdown two weeks ago, say the payments would be too small.
• Nine Inmates Killed in Peru Prison Riot VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- Authorities in Peru say nine prisoners were killed earlier this week when a protest demanding better healthcare amid the coronavirus outbreak turned violent.
• Virus Puts Focus on Deforestation's Risk to Public Health in ASEAN VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- Just across the river from downtown Ho Chi Minh City, a tract of land is being turned into a bustling financial center. It's still mostly dirt and concrete, but less than a decade ago, the tract was dense marshland where it was easy to spot goats and pigs.
• Orphaned, Abused, Exploited – Children Could be Hardest Hit by Pandemic VOA 29 Apr 2020 -- Children could be the biggest victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the fact that the disease affects mostly older people, according to human rights groups.