Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Portland Riots Read-out: August 3 DHS 03 Aug 2020
• Statement of Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers on the Public Release of the Department's Findings with Respect to the 29 FISA Applications that Were the Subject of the March 2020 OIG Preliminary Report US Dept. of Justice 03 Aug 2020
• US Defense, Air Force Departments invite hackers to re-imagine how space systems are secured US Air Force 03 Aug 2020 -- The U.S. Department of the Air Force and Department of Defense are changing the way they approach building secure and resilient space systems by inviting the global security research community to hone their space domain hacking skills in an open and collaborative environment.
• Mexico Arrests Violent Gang Leader VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- Mexican police and armed forces arrested the leader of the violent Santa Rosa de Lima gang who have terrorized the north-central region of the country.
• Report: Russians Suspected Of Hacking Former U.K. Trade Minister's E-Mail Ahead Of Elections RFE/RL 03 Aug 2020 -- Russians are suspected of hacking into a former British trade minister's e-mail and leaking classified U.S.-U.K. trade documents ahead of Britain's 2019 elections, Reuters reported on August 3.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation report - 196 WHO 03 Aug 2020
• WHO Emergencies Press Conference on coronavirus disease outbreak - 03 August 2020 WHO 03 Aug 2020
• It's Not Too Late to Turn COVID Around, WHO Says VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- In a report Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) says it is never too late for even the worst infected countries to turn the COVID-19 pandemic around - if strong leaders encourage their populations to implement proven basic health measures.
• 'No silver bullet' to combat COVID-19, says UN health agency head UN News 03 Aug 2020 -- There is "no silver bullet" to combat COVID-19, the head of the UN health agency told journalists on Monday, adding, "and there might never be".

United States

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 03 Aug 2020
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo on Calls to Reset National COVID-19 Response: 'It Has to Start with the President Telling the American People the Truth' New York State 03 Aug 2020
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic New York State 03 Aug 2020
• Remarks by President Trump in Press Briefing | August 3, 2020 The White House 03 Aug 2020
• Readout from the Vice President's Governors Briefing on COVID-19 Response & Best Practices The White House 03 Aug 2020
• Trump Criticizes White House Coronavirus Adviser VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday criticized a key White House coronavirus adviser after she told a national television audience that a new surge in infections was "extraordinarily widespread" in rural areas of the country and cities.
• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 03 Aug 2020
• U.S. hardest-hit state of California sees daily new COVID-19 cases surge over 9,000 People's Daily 03 Aug 2020 -- increasing the importance of positivity rates to find signs of community spread," the authorities said in the report.
• U.S. gov't reaches deal to buy vaccines amid soaring COVID-19 cases People's Daily 03 Aug 2020 -- The U.S. government has reached a deal for the purchase of 100 million doses of vaccine as the country's COVID-19 cases have kept soaring and reached 4,620,419 as of Saturday evening.

China

• Mainland medics to expand HK testing Global Times 03 Aug 2020 -- A nucleic acid test assistance team dispatched from the mainland to Hong Kong vowed to help expand the city's daily test capacity from less than 10,000 to 200,000, a step epidemiologists said would help plug one of the biggest loopholes in Hong Kong's virus battle.
• Dalian outbreak unrelated to Beijing, Xinjiang cases: local official Global Times 03 Aug 2020 -- The possibility of clustered infections in Dalian being caused by domestic cases can be preliminarily ruled out, as the cases have been found to be unrelated to those discovered in Beijing and Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday.
• HK govt welcomes mainland medical team sent to aid HK's COVID-19 fight Global Times 03 Aug 2020 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) welcomed and expressed gratitude to the central government on Sunday after the arrival from the mainland of the first members of a team of medical workers sent to help contain the city's worsening outbreak of COVID-19.
• Ventilators still in demand amid global fight against COVID-19 Global Times 03 Aug 2020 -- After Chinese medical equipment manufacturers rushed to churn out medical supplies for the global battle against COVID-19, concerns about overcapacity of the products have arisen with some media reports alleging that Chinese-made ventilators are suffering from returns.
• Urumqi reopens farmers' markets with strict COVID-19 prevention measures People's Daily 03 Aug 2020 -- All farmers' markets in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have been reopened with intensified COVID-19 prevention and control measures, local authorities said Monday.
• Virus testing professionals from mainland arrive in Hong Kong to help curb COVID-19 outbreak People's Daily 03 Aug 2020 -- Seven virus testing professionals from the Chinese mainland arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon as the first batch of mainland supportive teams to help contain a worsening spread of COVID-19 in Hong Kong.
• Urumqi ensures medicine, food supply amid resurgence of COVID-19 People's Daily 03 Aug 2020 -- Urumqi in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has worked to ensure sufficient medicine and food supply amid a resurgence of COVID-19 infections.

Europe

• Europe Scrambles to Stop Second Wave of COVID-19 VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- Emma Gaya winces with pain as the nurse at her local clinic inserts a swab deep into her nose.
• Coronavirus Surges Taxing Europe, Prompting Fears of Social Unrest VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- European governments are scrambling to shape radical plans to cope with a second wave of coronavirus contagion, expected to unfold later in the year. The current infection spikes some countries are experiencing is not a second wave, but the playing out of the first wave of the pandemic, according to some officials and experts in infectious diseases.
• Norway Bans Large Cruise Ships After Recent Coronavirus Outbreak VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- Norway says it will stop all cruise ships with more than 100 people on board from disembarking at Norwegian ports after a coronavirus outbreak on a vessel left 41 people infected.

Russia

• Russian COVID Vaccine Successfully Tested on Humans as Volunteers Show Immune Response Sputnik 03 Aug 2020 -- The final check-up of volunteers testing the coronavirus vaccine at the Burdenko Hospital in Russia showed immunity in all participants, the Russian Defence Ministry said Monday.
• Russia Plans to Register Anti-coronavirus Vaccine in 10 Days SPA 03 Aug 2020 -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) expects that the Russian vaccine against the new coronavirus infection will be registered within 10 days, head of the sovereign wealth fund Kirill Dmitriev said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 TV channel, according to the Russian News Agency (TASS).

India

• India's COVID-19 cases surpass 1.8 million Global Times 03 Aug 2020 -- India's health ministry announced on Monday that the country's COVID-19 cases have surpassed 1.8 million, reaching 1,803,695.
• India crosses a milestone, conducts more than 2 crore COVID tests India PIB 03 Aug 2020 -- In a landmark achievement, India has tested 2,02,02,858 COVID-19 samples so far. This is pursuant to the key strategy followed by State/UT governments under the guidance of Centre for management of COVID-19 to "Test aggressively, Track efficiently and Isolate and Treat promptly". Effective implementation of this approach has led to ramping up the testing capacity across the country and facilitated widespread COVID testing of people.
• DCGI approves Phase II+III trials of Oxford University vaccine by Serum Institute, Pune India PIB 03 Aug 2020 -- The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval to Serum Institute of India, Pune to conduct Phase II+III clinical trials of Oxford University-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine (COVISHIELD) in India. This will hasten the development of the COVID-19 vaccine.
• COVID-19 watch, Aug. 2: India's home minister tests positive People's Daily 03 Aug 2020 -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Iran

• BBC: Iran Covering Up COVID-19 Statistics VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- The BBC says its Persian Service has received leaked documents from an anonymous source indicating that Iran is not being truthful with its COVID-19 data.
• Report: Iran Has Underreported COVID-19 Deaths RFE/RL 03 Aug 2020 -- The Iranian government has drastically underreported data on coronavirus cases and deaths, according to state records secretly sent to the BBC.
• Official: COVID-19 kills 215 more in Iran IRNA 03 Aug 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Monday that some 215 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 17,405.
• WHO envoy hails anti-coronavirus activities in Iran western province IRNA 03 Aug 2020 -- World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Iran Christoph Hamelmann said on Monday that satisfactory anti-coronavirus activities are underway in western Iranian province of Hamedan.
• To Weep Or Not To Weep: Iran Debates Holding Muharram During Pandemic RFE/RL 03 Aug 2020 -- Despite an upsurge in coronavirus infections in Iran and a ban on weddings and large funerals, the country's famed gatherings of mourners during the Shi'ite month of Muharram will be held.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 1,258 New COVID-19 Cases, 1,972 New Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 03 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 1,258 new confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 280,093 cases, including 35,091 active cases undergoing treatment.
• Ministry of Health's Adherence Teams Carry out over 153,000 Visits to Ensure Implementing Preventive Measures SPA 03 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health's adherence teams have carried out more than 153,000 partial visits in all regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Taiwan

• Over 100 additional people tested over COVID-19 case CNA 03 Aug 2020 -- Over 100 additional people have been identified and tested after possibly coming into contact with a Belgian national confirmed to be positive for the COVID-19 new coronavirus, the Central Epidemic Command Center said Monday.
• Taiwan says remdesivir doses sufficient as U.S. buys up supply CNA 03 Aug 2020 -- Taiwan has a sufficient stock of the promising COVID-19 drug remdesivir and has found an alternative to the drug if needed, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said Monday.

North Korea

• All-People Emergency Anti-epidemic Work Brisk in DPRK KCNA 03 Aug 2020 -- The emergency anti-epidemic work is being carried out as an all-people campaign in the DPRK.

Brazil

• Brazil's COVID-19 death toll tops 94,000 People's Daily 03 Aug 2020 -- Brazil on Sunday recorded 541 new deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the national death toll to 94,104, according to the country's health ministry.
• Brazil registers 25,800 new coronavirus cases, death toll tops 94,000 SPA 03 Aug 2020 -- Brazil recorded 25,800 additional confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 541 deaths from the disease caused by the virus in the past 24 hours, Reuters cited the health ministry as saying on Sunday.

Other Countries

• Kazakhstan logs pneumonia cases with COVID-19 symptoms Global Times 03 Aug 2020 -- The Kazakh Health Ministry for the first time reported daily pneumonia cases with COVID-19 clinical symptoms on Sunday.
• Indonesian people increasingly worry about COVID-19: president Global Times 03 Aug 2020 -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo observed that people in the country have been increasingly worrying about the COVID-19 spread since the past few weeks.
• COVID-19: 101-Year-Old Kyrgyz Man Recovers, Leaves Hospital RFE/RL 03 Aug 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 690,000, with more than 18 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• Jordan reported 5 New Coronavirus Cases SPA 03 Aug 2020 -- Five new infections with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) were recorded in Jordan today, according to a joint daily brief issued by the Jordan's Ministry of Health and the Prime Ministry, Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported.
• Travelers Entering Singapore Required to Wear Monitoring Devices During Quarantine Sputnik 03 Aug 2020 -- Singapore on Monday announced that incoming travelers will be required to wear electronic monitoring devices to ensure that they are complying with COVID-19 quarantine measures.
• Australia Declares COVID-19 Disaster in 2nd Largest City VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- Australia is ordering non-essential businesses in Melbourne, its second-largest city, to close for six weeks starting Wednesday as authorities try to control an outbreak that accounts for nearly all of the country's new coronavirus cases.
• Australia Imposes Toughest COVID-19 Restrictions as State of Disaster Declared VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- The Australian state of Victoria has declared a state of disaster and is introducing the country's toughest-ever COVID-19 lockdown measures. The move comes as a further 671 cases and seven deaths were confirmed Sunday. Australia has had almost 18,000 coronavirus infections. More than 200 people have died.
• Coronavirus Numbers Drop in Egypt and Sudan; Libya, Tunisia and Algeria See Increases VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- Egypt is reopening churches for the first time in nearly four months, after a major decline in the number of recorded coronavirus cases in recent days. The number of new cases is also down in Sudan, while Libya, Tunisia and Algeria have been witnessing an increase.
• Cameroon Seals Church That Claims COVID-19 Does Not Exists VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- This music is played on loudspeakers by a group of seven members of the Tabernacles of Freedoms Ministries in Cameroon's capital Yaounde.
• COVID-19 Strikes Gambian Government Officials VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- Three ministers in the Gambian government have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the government.
• Egyptians Celebrate Eid Al-Adha With Coronavirus Restrictions VOA 03 Aug 2020 -- During this year's Eid al-Adha celebrations in Egypt, worshippers watched and listened to last year's prayers on TV and the radio.