Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Portland Riots Read-out: August 6 DHS 06 Aug 2020
• Operation Legend Expanded to Memphis and St. Louis US Dept. of Justice 06 Aug 2020 -- Today, the expansion of Operation Legend was announced in Memphis and St. Louis. Operation Legend is a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative in which federal law enforcement agencies work in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime.
• Federal Law Enforcement Program Expands to 2 US Cities Amid Spike in Violent Crime VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- Federal law enforcement agents are being deployed in two additional American cities amid a spike in violent crime.
• U.S. Accuses Russia Of Complex Online Disinformation, Propaganda Operation RFE/RL 06 Aug 2020 -- The United States has accused Russia of developing a sophisticated "ecosystem" to spread disinformation and propaganda about the coronavirus and other issues.
• US Exposes Russian Tactics to Sway American Elections VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- The United States exposed Russia's tactics of using a combination of "official, proxy, and unattributed communication channels and platforms" to create and amplify false narratives, in a report published on Wednesday.
• Russian FM Spokeswoman Zakharova Mocks US for Offering 'Reward' for Election Meddling Reports Sputnik 06 Aug 2020 -- American officials have repeatedly blamed Russia and China for trying to interfere in the election process and even urged social media to tighten control on content to fight alleged "foreign meddling". Moscow, for its part, denied the accusations, stating they were part of the "domestic political struggle" in the US.
• Cross-border links between terrorists, organized crime, underscore need for coherent global response UN News 06 Aug 2020 -- The nexus between terrorism and organized crime took centre stage in the Security Council on Thursday, with experts raising fresh concerns over opportunistic alliances emerging among belligerents who share a hostility towards national authorities, and seek to exploit vulnerabilities created by the COVID-19 crisis.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) situation report - 199 WHO 06 Aug 2020
• WHO Emergencies Press Conference on coronavirus disease outbreak - 06 August 2020 WHO 06 Aug 2020
• Global cooperation is our only choice against COVID-19, says WHO chief UN News 06 Aug 2020 -- With more than 18.5 million cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide as of Thursday, and 700,000 deaths, the UN's top health official again appealed to countries to unite in the fight against the disease
• Study Supports Theory Some People Have Built-in COVID-19 Immunity VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- A study suggests that the common cold could prepare a person's body to fight COVID-19, a discovery that helps explain why people have such different responses to the novel coronavirus, and could provide clues to fight it.

United States

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 06 Aug 2020
• Trump Ties COVID-19 Vaccine Timing to November Election VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump is predicting a COVID-19 vaccine might be ready by this year's election, less than 90 days away.
• Trump Executive Order Requires Government to Buy 'Essential' Drugs From US Firms VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to sign an order Thursday requiring the government to buy "essential" drugs from American companies rather than from overseas producers, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro announced.
• Fauci Predicts Millions of Doses of COVID Vaccine Could Be Available by Early 2021 VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- The top infectious disease expert in the United States says the world will never be able to eradicate the novel coronavirus that has infected 18.8 million people globally, but is hopeful that hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine could be available by the end of this year and into early 2021.
• Ohio Governor Tests Positive for COVID-19 VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.
• Lifting of Global Level 4 Global Health Advisory US Dept. of State 06 Aug 2020 -- On August 6, in close coordination with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of State lifted the Global Level 4 Health Advisory. The Global Advisory, initially put in place on March 19, 2020, advised U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the global impact of COVID-19.
• Briefing with Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Carl Risch And Deputy Assistant Secretary for Overseas Citizen Services Karin King On Updates to State Department Travel Advisories US Dept. of State 06 Aug 2020
• Trump Says Coronavirus Vaccine May Be Possible by Election Day Sputnik 06 Aug 2020 -- The Trump administration has approved the purchase of more than $100 million worth of new syringes to administer novel coronavirus vaccines when they are available, the US Department of Defence said in a press release earlier on 6 August.
• California National Guard's cyber team adjusts to COVID-19 Army News 06 Aug 2020 -- COVID-19 has challenged the way California National Guard units operate throughout the state, with extra safety precautions taken to maintain the health and fitness of every drilling member. For the Cal Guard's Cyber Protection Team (CPT) 171, the pandemic has challenged its commander and Soldiers to test and expand their cyber skill sets.
• Rush Transcript Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers On State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic New York State 06 Aug 2020
• More than 500 inmates in U.S. prison test positive for COVID-19 People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- almost half of the population -- at a prison in the U.S. state of Arizona have tested positive for COVID-19, local prison officials have said.
• More than 110 students quarantined in school district in U.S. Mississippi People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- More than 110 students have been sent home to quarantine for 14 days after six kids and a school staffer tested positive for COVID-19 in a school district in southern U.S. state Mississippi, local media reported Wednesday.
• U.S. COVID-19 cases surpass 4.8 mln: Johns Hopkins University People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 4.8 million on Wednesday, reaching 4,802,275 as of 3:34 p.m. local time (1934 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
• CIO Says Top-Level Leadership Helped DOD Navigate COVID Crisis DoD News 06 Aug 2020 -- Clear guidance early on from Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper ensured the Defense Department would be able to continue operating through the COVID-19 crisis, the department's chief information officer said.

China

• COVID-19 spread from overseas poses huge risk to China: expert Global Times 06 Aug 2020 -- Despite contact among different countries and regions tightly controlled on a global scale, the resumption of international interaction will pose a huge risk to China as the overseas COVID-19 pandemic may spread to China, said Zhang Wenhong, a prominent Chinese infectious disease expert. He made his remarks during a TV program broadcasted on Thursday.
• New epidemic waves in two cities 'under control,' says official Global Times 06 Aug 2020 -- The rapid development of the COVID-19 epidemic in the city of Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, and Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has been controlled, an official said at a media briefing on Wednesday.
• HK govt defends mainland nucleic acid test support team Global Times 06 Aug 2020 -- The Hong Kong Special Autonomous Region (HKSAR) government has condemned the acts of some council members from the non-establishment camp and some individuals who protested against nucleic acid testing support team from the Chinese mainland and harassed team members.
• HK's new coronavirus wave linked to Philippine Global Times 06 Aug 2020 -- Genetic sequencing of the virus from Hong Kong's third wave of the epidemic since July has revealed that it came from imported sources, including Philippine sailors and flight crews from Kazakhstan, a Hong Kong virologist said.
• China Reports 37 New Coronavirus Cases in Mainland for Aug 5 SPA 06 Aug 2020 -- As many as 37 new coronavirus cases were registered in the mainland for August 5, up from 27 a day earlier, Reuters cited the Chinese health commission as saying today.

Europe

• Failure to have early frontier measures led to more COVID-19 cases in UK: parliament report People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- The British government's failure to have proper quarantine measures in place at its frontiers during the early stage of the COVID-19 crisis was "a serious error", an official report published by the House of Commons (lower house) Home Affairs Committee said Wednesday.
• Safety concerns raised over incorrect PPE ordered from Ayanda Capital Press TV 06 Aug 2020 -- The fifty million face masks incorrectly purchased by the government as part of a £252m contract will not be used in the NHS due to safety concerns.

Russia

• Cooking The Numbers? Locals In Russia's Kaliningrad Say Coronavirus Testing Stopped In Bid To Show Fewer Cases RFE/RL 06 Aug 2020 -- The official chart of new coronavirus cases for the western Russian exclave of Kaliningrad looks encouraging. In May and June, between 40 and 50 new cases were being reported daily, while in July and early August, the numbers were between 10 and 20, even as the region took significant steps to restart its economy.
• Russia registers over 5,200 new COVID-19 cases People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- Russia has registered 5,267 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its total to 871,894, the fourth highest in the world, the country's coronavirus response center said Thursday.

India

• Thousands of Workers Linked to COVID-19 Relief Call to Strike for Basic Amenities in India Sputnik 06 Aug 2020 -- India went into a complete lockdown on 25 March to combat COVID-19. Since the pandemic hit the country, frontline personnel including doctors, sanitation workers, and paramedics, have been working tirelessly to stop the spread of the virus.
• India tests a new record of 6,64,949 tests in last 24 hours India PIB 06 Aug 2020 -- Keeping the focus on "Test, Track and Treat" strategy, India has continued testing more than 6 lakh COVID-19 samples for the third consecutive day in a row. India's resolve to rapidly increase the number of tests done per day has resulted in a successful march towards 10 lakh/day testing capacity with 6,64,949 tests conducted in the last 24 hours.
• India's COVID-19 Recovery Rate climbs to 67.62%, as total recoveries cross 13.2 lakh India PIB 06 Aug 2020 -- The total recoveries of COVID-19 patients have jumped to 13,28,336 with 46,121 COVID-19 patients being discharged in the last 24 hours. With such consistent increase in recoveries, the gap between recovered patients and active COVID-19 cases has reached 7,32,835.
• Union Govt. releases Rs. 890.32 cr as II installment of COVID-19 Financial Package to States/UTs India PIB 06 Aug 2020 -- Government of India has released Rs. 890.32 cr as the second installment of the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package to 22 States/UTs.
• India's COVID-19 deaths surpass 40,000-mark as tally reaches over 1.9 mln People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- The death toll in India due to COVID-19 surpassed the 40,000-mark on Thursday, reaching 40,699, as the total tally reached 1,964,536, said the data released by the federal health ministry.

Pakistan

• Pakistan To Lift Coronavirus Restrictions On August 10 RFE/RL 06 Aug 2020 -- Pakistan said it will lift most of the country's remaining coronavirus restrictions after seeing a gradual drop in new cases during the past month.

Iran

• Official: COVID-19 kills 174 more in Iran IRNA 06 Aug 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Thursday that some 174 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 17,976.
• Iran exporting mask making machinery IRNA 06 Aug 2020 -- The caretaker of Iran's Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade said on Thursday that the country has now become an exporter of facial mask-producing machinery whereas it was an importer during the first days of the coronavirus outbreak.

Japan

• Tokyo Governor Urges Residents to Refrain from Summer Holiday Travel VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike called on residents Thursday to refrain from traveling outside the capital as Japan enters its summer holiday period because of a recent surge in COVID cases.
• Tokyo Reports 360 New Cases of Coronavirus SPA 06 Aug 2020 -- The Tokyo metropolitan government reported today 360 new cases of the novel Coronavirus, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: Coronavirus Critical Cases Decreased by 12%, in 2-Week, in Saudi Arabia SPA 06 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 1,402 new confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 284,226 cases, including 34,082 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• Taiwan authorities tracing contacts of Taiwanese COVID-19 patient in HK CNA 06 Aug 2020 -- Health authorities in Taiwan are trying to identify all the persons who may have come in contact with a Taiwanese woman who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days ago, after her arrival in Hong Kong, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Thursday.
• Man tests positive for COVID-19 after contact with positive returnees CNA 06 Aug 2020 -- A new imported case of COVID-19 was recorded in Taiwan Thursday after a man who returned to the country last month on the same flight as two people already confirmed as having the coronavirus, tested positive, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.
• Masks made mandatory again on Taipei MRT CNA 06 Aug 2020 -- Passengers using Taipei's mass rapid transit (MRT) system are required to wear masks for the duration of their trip with immediate effect, regardless of whether they can maintain social distancing, Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (Taipei Metro) said Thursday.

Brazil

• Brazilian gov't mulls extending emergency aid during pandemic, says economy minister People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said on Wednesday that the government is considering extending more emergency economic aid to the nation's poorest citizens.
• People Take Extra Steps to Secure Coronavirus Test in Brazil Hot Spot for Virus VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- Some people in a Brazil hotspot for the coronavirus are taking extraordinary steps to receive a free coronavirus test in Sao Paulo state, the hardest hit region in the country.

Other Countries

• How one Australian state's COVID-19 fight spiralled out of control Global Times 06 Aug 2020 -- The Australian State of Victoria once again broke it's own record for both new COVID-19 cases and deaths on Wednesday, with 725 new infections and 15 fatalities, taking the national tally to 7,227 and the death toll to 162.
• AU warns cost of COVID-19 pandemic could be long-lasting in Africa People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- The impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent could be long-lasting, a senior African Union (AU) Commission official stressed on Wednesday.
• Africa Approaches 1 Million Coronavirus Cases VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- The African continent is fast approaching 1 million confirmed cases of coronavirus, with South Africa alone accounting for more than half-a-million cases. World Health Organization officials say they're sending a team of experts to South Africa in coming weeks, as the health minister warns the nation could see a "second wave." Meanwhile, other African nations are looking at creative ways to respond to the pandemic.
• WHO Deploys Dozens of Experts to South Africa to Help Slow Coronavirus Spread VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- A team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) is in South Africa to help the country get control of its rapid rise in coronavirus cases.
• Lebanon reports 355 new COVID-19 cases, 5,417 in total People's Daily 06 Aug 2020 -- Lebanon's number of COVID-19 infections increased by 355 cases in the past two days to 5,417 while the death toll went up by three to 68, the National News Agency reported.
• Mexico Nears 50,000 Coronavirus Deaths, with 829 New Fatalities SPA 06 Aug 2020 -- Mexico's health ministry on Wednesday reported 6,139 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 829 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 456,100 cases and 49,698 deaths, according to Reuters.
• New humanitarian air service boosts COVID-19 response in the Pacific UN News 06 Aug 2020 -- A flight carrying protective masks, ventilators and other essential medical supplies for COVID-19 response, landed in Papua New Guinea on Thursday, marking the start of a humanitarian air service for the Pacific region, Governments and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) have announced.
• Colombia President Alvaro Uribe in Self Isolation with COVID-19 VOA 06 Aug 2020 -- Colombian media outlets say that former President Alvaro Uribe is self-quarantining with the coronavirus Thursday.