Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Statement of Senate Intel Vice Chair Sen. Mark R. Warner SSCI 18 Aug 2020 -- U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the below statement on the release of the fifth and final volume of the Committee's bipartisan Russia investigation titled, "Volume 5: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities"
• Rubio Statement on Senate Intel Release of Volume 5 of Bipartisan Russia Report SSCI 18 Aug 2020 -- U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Acting Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) released the fifth and final volume of the Committee's bipartisan Russia investigation titled, "Volume 5: Counterintelligence Threats and Vulnerabilities," which examines Russia's attempts to gain influence in the American political system during the 2016 elections.
• Senate Report Provides New Details of Russian Meddling in 2016 Presidential Election VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- A bipartisan investigation into Russian efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election found that Moscow successfully used a complex web of operatives and active measures to ensnare members of President Donald Trump's campaign, in some cases, leaving the incoming administration open to manipulation.
• Senate Panel Releases 'Most Comprehensive' Report On Russia's 2016 Election Interference RFE/RL 18 Aug 2020 -- The U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee's final report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election has concluded the Trump campaign chairman's contacts with Kremlin-linked individuals posed a "grave counterintelligence threat."
• US Senate Report Alleges Russia Ordered 2016 Hack of Democrats Sputnik 18 Aug 2020 -- The US Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday alleged that Russia engaged in an aggressive, multi-pronged effort to influence the result of the 2016 US presidential election.
• Iowa National Guard helps with derecho cleanup Army News 18 Aug 2020 -- Nearly 200 Soldiers and Airmen have been mobilized to eastern Iowa to help emergency management crews clear and remove debris from the devastating Aug. 10 derecho.
• DHS Rebukes Watchdog Report Claiming Secretary, Deputy Chief Ineligible to Serve Sputnik 18 Aug 2020 -- The US Department of Homeland Security's Office of General Counsel said in a letter that the Government Accountability Office should rescind its report that claims acting Secretary Chad Wolf and acting Deputy Secretary Kenneth Cuccinelli are not eligible to serve in their roles because their order of succession is invalid.
• Remarks by President Trump During Border Wall Construction and Operational Update | Yuma, AZ The White House 18 Aug 2020

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• WHO chief warns against COVID-19 'vaccine nationalism', urges support for fair access UN News 18 Aug 2020 -- Warning against "vaccine nationalism" in the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has again underlined the importance of global solidarity in addressing the crisis.
• Children have 'nowhere to turn', as COVID-19 hits protection, social services, reports UNICEF UN News 18 Aug 2020 -- Disruptions to services for preventing and responding to violence in the home , due to the global pandemic, has left children in more than 100 countries vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) survey has found.
• WHO Chief Warns of 'Vaccine Nationalism' VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- The World Health Organization's (WHO) director-general Tuesday issued another warning against "vaccine nationalism," -- countries putting their own interests ahead of others in trying to secure supplies of a possible vaccine.
• Aussie-Chinese study links lower humidity with higher rates of COVID-19 People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- A joint Australian-Chinese study released on Tuesday has linked lower humidity with higher rates of COVID-19 transmission.
• Preliminary Studies Suggest COVID-19 Immunity Lasts for Several Months Sputnik 18 Aug 2020 -- Preliminary studies suggest that COVID-19 immunity is durable for several months following an initial infection, even for people who had less severe cases.

United States

• Weekly Update: DHS Response to COVID-19 DHS 18 Aug 2020
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 18 Aug 2020
• COVID-19 Infections Rising Among Young People on US University Campuses VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- Reports of COVID-19 cases are growing on university campuses as schools reopen for the fall semester.
• New study shows disparities across racial, ethnic groups in U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- A new analysis of hospitalization rates from the University of Minnesota showed African American, Hispanic, American Indian and Alaskan Native populations in the United States are significantly more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than whites.
• US Reports Lowest Daily COVID-19 Case Count in Almost Two Months Sputnik 18 Aug 2020 -- The United States on Monday reported around 35,000 new COVID-19 cases, which is the lowest daily count in almost two months.
• Readout from the Vice President's Governors Briefing on COVID-19 Response & Best Practices The White House 18 Aug 2020

China

• COVID-19 vaccine ready by December, two shots to cost less than $144: Sinopharm chief Global Times 18 Aug 2020 -- Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidates developed by a Chinese pharmaceutical company are likely to be on the market by the end of December, at a price of less than 1,000 yuan ($144) for two shots.
• China's top expert says COVID-19 will not be less infectious in summer Global Times 18 Aug 2020 -- China's top respiratory scientist Zhong Nanshan warned the public on Monday to maintain vigilance over the risk of contracting COVID-19 especially in the summer, saying it's naïve to think the coronavirus is less contagious in warm temperature, as shown by the sporadic cluster cases which have recently occurred in the country.
• Lockdown remains in Xinjiang's capital despite no confirmed COVID-19 cases for 2 days Global Times 18 Aug 2020 -- Thirty-three days after Urumqi, the capital city of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, reported its first COVID-19 patient in a fresh wave of the outbreak, the city is seeing signs of the outbreak easing, as zero confirmed infections were reported for the second consecutive day on Monday.
• China's first patent granted for COVID-19 vaccine People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- China's first patent for a COVID-19 vaccine has been granted by the National Intellectual Property Administration.
• Chinese mainland reports no new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- No new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported Monday across the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.

Europe

• Germany's Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Rise by 1,390 to 225,404 SPA 18 Aug 2020 -- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 1,390 to 225,404, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
• Merkel Urges Germans to Follow COVID Restrictions as Cases Surge VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday urged citizens to wear masks and abide by social distancing and other COVID-19 prevention rules if they want to see restrictions lifted in the country.
• Thousands in Spain Protest Mask Law VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- A movement that denies the existence of COVID-19 has split Spanish society as the country is battling to control the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe.

Russia

• Russian Energy Minister Novak Tests Positive for COVID-19 Sputnik 18 Aug 2020 -- Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who was himself diagnosed with COVID-19 in May and successfully completed treatment, was the one to deliver the news.

India

• India tests a new record- nearly 9 lakh tested in one day India PIB 18 Aug 2020 -- India has set another record in COVID-19 tests conducted per day. Nearly 9 lakh (8,99,864) testes have been conducted in a single day, the highest tests/day so far. With this, the cumulative tests have reached 3,09,41,264.

Pakistan

• Pakistan Approves Phase III Human Trials Of Experimental Chinese Coronavirus Vaccine RFE/RL 18 Aug 2020 -- Pakistani regulators have approved final-phase testing of a Chinese-developed potential vaccine against the coronavirus.

Iran

• ICRC: 600 violent cases recorded against healthcare providers due to COVID-19 IRNA 18 Aug 2020 -- More than 600 incidents of violence, harassment, or stigmatization against healthcare workers, patients, and medical infrastructure in relation to COVID-19 cases have been recorded by the International Committee of the Red Cross during the first six months of the pandemic, ICRC announced.
• COVID-19 kills 168 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 18 Aug 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Tuesday that some 168 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours.

Saudi Arabia

• Recovery Rate of COVID-19, Exceeds 90%, in Saudi Arabia, says Health Ministry SPA 18 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced that the rate of recoveries from the COVID-19 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has exceeded 90%.
• Health Ministry: 4,526 New Recoveries Reported, 60,712 Lab Tests Conducted, in Saudi Arabia SPA 18 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 1,409 new confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 301,323 cases, including 24,942 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports new COVID-19 case, updates status of Malaysian case CNA 18 Aug 2020 -- The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday reported a new case of COVID-19 imported from the Philippines and provided updates regarding the test results of contacts of a Malaysian man who was confirmed to have the disease after he had already left Taiwan.
• Yunlin man breaks home quarantine, caught at local karaoke club CNA 18 Aug 2020 -- A man in Yunlin County was caught over the weekend for violating his home quarantine restriction after returning from a recent trip abroad, the county's Police Bureau said on Tuesday.

North Korea

• North Korea Folds COVID-19 Response Organization into Military Radio Free Asia 18 Aug 2020 -- The agency in charge of North Korea's response to COVID-19 has been upgraded and reorganized as a military organization, a move that sources in the country told RFA was meant to use fear of the coronavirus as a tool to exert more control over the population.
• Anti-Epidemic Work Further Intensified in DPRK KCNA 18 Aug 2020 -- A brisk anti-epidemic campaign is underway in the DPRK to cope with the worldwide pandemic, true to the idea of the 16th meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Australia

• Coronavirus dominating U.S. pandemic rages in Australia's Victoria, NSW People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- Genomic testing has shown that the virus leading a second wave of infections in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales (NSW) is the same as the one that has dominated the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported Friday.
• Australian virus outbreak stemmed from failed hotel quarantine scheme: inquiry People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- A deadly outbreak of COVID-19 in Australia's state of Victoria stemmed almost entirely from a hotel quarantine scheme intended to house returned overseas travellers, an inquiry has found.
• Australia Probes COVID-19 Cruise Ship Infection Scandal VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- Federal officials will face a parliamentary committee Tuesday over a cruise ship scandal that fueled Australia's coronavirus crisis. More than 2,500 passengers were allowed to leave the Ruby Princess without being tested after it docked in Sydney in March despite suspected COVID-19 cases on board.

New Zealand

• New Zealand's PM rejects Trump's coronavirus 'big surge' claim Press TV 18 Aug 2020 -- New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has described as "patently wrong" a claim by US President Donald Trump that her country is experiencing a "big surge" in coronavirus outbreak.
• Trump's Comments on Coronavirus 'Patently Wrong', New Zealand PM Says VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern Tuesday dismissed as "patently wrong" U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that her nation is experiencing a big surge in coronavirus cases, saying there was no comparison between the two countries.

South Africa

• S. Africa begins second COVID-19 vaccine trial People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- South Africa's University of Witwatersrand on Monday started the second COVID-19 vaccine trial in the country, said the institution.
• US Company to Begin Second Phase of Human Trials in South Africa for COVID-19 Vaccine VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- A U.S. based vaccine development company is set to begin the second phase of human testing for its COVID-19 vaccine in South Africa, which is in the midst of a surge in coronavirus cases.

Other Countries

• Zimbabwe registers record daily COVID-19 recoveries amid surge in cases Global Times 18 Aug 2020 -- Zimbabwe recorded 47 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the country's total to 5,308, while a record 1,756 people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours, raising the total recoveries to 3,848.
• 90 Chinese workers catch COVID-19 in Israel: Chinese embassy Global Times 18 Aug 2020 -- The Chinese embassy in Israel warned local Chinese against the risk of COVID-19 on Tuesday, after around 90 people were confirmed coronavirus positive at a Chinese construction worker residential community in Petah Tikwa, Israel.
• China plays major role in Latin America amid COVID-19: report People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- China has played a major role in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, said a recent CNN report.
• China donates masks, COVID-19 preventive posters for Sri Lanka's public buses People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- The Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka has donated face masks and COVID-19 prevention posters for public buses belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) amidst a pandemic which has so far infected over 2,800 people in the island country, a statement from the embassy said Tuesday.
• China, Syria highlight cooperation against COVID-19 People's Daily 18 Aug 2020 -- Chinese Ambassador to Syria Feng Biao discussed medical cooperation against COVID-19 pandemic with Syrian Health Minister Nizar Yazigi in the capital Damascus on Monday.
• HRW Urges Kazakhstan to Bolster COVID-19 Aid To Ease Poverty Fears RFE/RL 18 Aug 2020 -- Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Kazakh government to extend and bolster economic relief for those negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent hundreds of thousands of people from facing poverty.
• Philippines reports 4,836 new coronavirus cases, seven deaths SPA 18 Aug 2020 -- The Philippines' health ministry on Tuesday confirmed 4,836 novel coronavirus infections, the seventh straight day of reporting more than 3,000 cases, and seven additional deaths, Reuters reported.
• 'Stop Partying:' Libyan Doctors Warn Public as COVID Cases Surge VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- Doctors in Libya have raced for a surge in serious coronavirus cases, as the infection rate has jumped in recent weeks.
• Panama Resumes Reopening of Businesses and Places of Worship Amid COVID-19 Outbreak VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- Panama is resuming the gradual reopening of businesses and places of worship after five months of lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Haiti Schools Reopen for First Time in Five Months Since Coronavirus Outbreak VOA 18 Aug 2020 -- Haiti school children are returning to class for the first time in five months after the government closed schools because of the coronavirus outbreak.