Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Media Background Briefing on the Air Force Inspector General's Investigation of RC-26B Operations, 1-4 June 2020 DoD 21 Aug 2020 -- Senior Defense Official
• USS Nitze Recovers Over 3,000 Pounds of Marijuana US Navy 21 Aug 2020 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) with embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) seized 725 kilograms of suspected cocaine and 3,190 pounds of suspected marijuana, August 4.
• U.S. Will Seek To Reinstate Death Penalty For Boston Marathon Bomber, Says Attorney General RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- The U.S. Justice Department will seek to reinstate the death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the ethnic Chechen convicted of killing three people and injuring hundreds of others during the 2013 Boston Marathon.
• Traumas of terrorism cannot be erased, but victims' voices must never be forgotten UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- The impact of terrorism on victims can "last a lifetime and reverberate across generations", the UN chief said on Friday during a virtual commemoration for International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
• Crime Boss Of Post-Soviet Underworld Shot Dead In Turkey RFE/RL 21 Aug 2020 -- The killing of a notorious crime boss from the Caucasus region is echoing across the criminal underworld of the former Soviet Union, with reverberations reaching an alleged Uzbek crime boss in Turkey who is the nephew of the former international amateur boxing chief.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Weekly Operational Update WHO 21 Aug 2020
• WHO Head Hopes Pandemic Will End Within Two Years VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- The head of the World Health Organization says he hopes the coronavirus pandemic will end in less than two years – less time than it took to stop the 1918 Spanish flu.
• WHO Chief Says COVID-19 Straining World's Health Care Systems VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- The chief of World Health Organization WHO said Friday that as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and hospitalizations remain high, health systems around the world are strained at the expense of other health needs.
• WHO stresses need for quick action amid reports of fresh COVID-19 outbreaks UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- With several countries experiencing fresh COVID-19 outbreaks after periods of little or no transmission, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday highlighted the need for authorities to be able to move quickly to prevent further spread of the disease.
• More research needed on coronavirus mutations, WHO says SPA 21 Aug 2020 -- Much more research is needed on the impact of mutations in the coronavirus, Reuters cited World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove as saying on Friday.

United States

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 21 Aug 2020
• Biden Outlines COVID Plan As Experts Warn of Global Food Shortages VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said he has a plan to help the U.S. fight the coronavirus outbreak.
• U.S. CDC Reports 173,490 Deaths from Coronavirus SPA 21 Aug 2020 -- The number of deaths due to the new coronavirus had risen in the United States of America by 1,074 to 173,490 and reported 5,551,793 cases, an increase of 44,864 cases from its previous count, Reuters quoted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as saying today, on Friday.
• UPDATE: The United States Continues to Lead the Global Response to COVID-19 US Dept. of State 21 Aug 2020 -- The United States is leading the global response to COVID-19 with foreign assistance funding.
• Acquisition Enterprise Capabilities to Continue Post Pandemic DoD News 21 Aug 2020 -- When the COVID-19 virus developed into a pandemic in the United States, the nation needed large quantities of medical supplies that were not readily available. In response, the Defense Department stood up the COVID-19 Joint Acquisition Task Force to help other government agencies meet their needs by tapping into the department's acquisition enterprise.

China

• HK set to provide free citywide testing for COVID-19 from Sep 1 Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- Hong Kong is set to conduct free citywide tests for COVID-19 on September 1 with the central government's help, which will likely take two weeks, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on Friday, the day when 50 Chinese mainland testing professionals arrived in Hong Kong.
• Respiratory expert shares China's experience of combating pandemic Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- Renowned Chinese respiratory specialist Zhong Nanshan shared China's experience of combating the coronavirus with 158 diplomatic missions in China via an online meeting, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Thursday.
• Chairman of Beijing-based pharmacy jailed for selling fake 3M masks Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- The chairman of a well-known Beijing-based pharmacy has been sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 4 million yuan ($578,400) for selling fake 3M masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the court upholding the same verdict as the first trial held in June, Beijing Youth Daily reported Friday.
• Chinese inactivated COVID-19 vaccine starts phase-3 clinical trials in Peru Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- A Chinese inactivated COVID-19 vaccine has started phase-3 clinical trials in Peru, according to the vaccine developer China National Biotec Group (CNBG) affiliated to Sinopharm.
• Hong Kong plans to launch 2-week massive COVID-19 testing People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- Hong Kong plans to start a mass screening for COVID-19 on Sept. 1 and aims to complete the testing in two weeks in an effort to bring the severe epidemic situation under control as recent support from the central government has boosted its testing capacity.
• Chinese mainland reports 22 new imported COVID-19 cases People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- The Chinese mainland reported 22 new imported COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 2,368, the National Health Commission said Friday.
• Chinese mainland reports no new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- No new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported Thursday across the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said Friday.

Europe

• WHO Europe head warns young people as COVID-19 infection rates soar People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge on Thursday called on young people to "spread fun, not the virus" as the number of COVID-19 infections steadily rise in the region by 26,000 daily.
• Concerns raised in France over school reopening as infections surge People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- Despite stricter anti-coronavirus measures in recent weeks, France is witnessing higher infections and faster virus transmission, fuelling fears of a second epidemic wave and raising concerns particularly over uncertain sanitary situation when millions of students will return to schools in less than two weeks.
• Officials are optimistic of overall positive trend of infections across the UK Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- Despite the large spike in the number of positive tests reported by England's test and trace service earlier, the level of coronavirus in the community has remained stable during the past week according to the Office for National Statistics.
• UK COVID-19 R rate rises to 0.9-1.1, epidemic could be growing SPA 21 Aug 2020 -- The reproduction "R" number of COVID-19 infections in the United Kingdom has risen and may now be above 1, the Government Office for Science said on Friday, indicating a risk that the overall epidemic is growing, according to Reuters.
• Officials are optimistic of overall positive trend of infections across the UK Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- Despite the large spike in the number of positive tests reported by England's test and trace service earlier, the level of coronavirus in the community has remained stable during the past week according to the Office for National Statistics.

Russia

• Russia to begin COVID-19 vaccine trials on 40,000 people next week Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- Mass testing of Russia's first potential COVID-19 vaccine to get domestic regulatory approval will involve more than 40,000 people and will be overseen by a foreign research body when it starts next week, backers of the project said on Thursday.

Mexico

• Mexico to take part in clinical trials of Russian COVID-19 vaccine People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- Mexico has been offered at least 2,000 doses of a Russian COVID-19 vaccine and is to take part in its clinical trials, said Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard on Thursday.
• Mexico Could Test Russian COVID-19 Vaccine by Next Month VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Mexico could begin testing a Russian-licensed coronavirus vaccine as early as next month.

India

• India's incapacity in dealing with COVID-19 embodied by surging daily infection number Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- As a developing country with insufficient medical resources, India's incapacity in dealing with COVID-19 has been shown by its skyrocketing daily infection numbers, observers said, after the country set a fresh record for the number of infections registered in a single day, which surpassed the number of the US.
• India reaches another record of highest single day recoveries India PIB 21 Aug 2020 -- On a continuous path of registering high single day recoveries, India has touched another peak of posting the highest recoveries of COVID-19 cases in a single day. 62,282 have recovered and been discharged in the past 24 hours.

Iran

• Official: COVID-19 kills 112 more in Iran IRNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Friday that some 112 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 20,376.
• Iran 'Mourning Groups' Unhappy With Strict Coronavirus Measures Restricting Month-Long Ceremonies Radio Farda 21 Aug 2020 -- Some religious mourning groups in Iran have criticized health authorities for imposing "too-strict" measures that seriously restrict the month-long ceremonies during the Islamic month of Muharram this year.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 1,213 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, 1,591 New Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 21 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 1,213 new confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 305,186 cases, including 24,539 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• COVID-19 brings Taiwan's travel income, expenses to new low in Q2 CNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Border controls resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic caused Taiwan's travel income and expenses to plunge for the second quarter of this year to a new low since the data started to be collated in 1984, according to the central bank.
• Taiwan an 'exporter' of COVID-19 Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- Netizens and media outlets in Taiwan who called the island an "exporter" of COVID-19 cases said the "epidemic control myth" of the island that has been boasted by the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has turned to a broken dream, after several countries and regions have reported confirmed cases from the island.

North Korea

• Anti-Epidemic Measures Toughened in Coastal Areas of DPRK KCNA 21 Aug 2020 -- Anti-epidemic measures have been toughened in the DPRK to thoroughly check the maritime inroads of the malignant virus.

Other Countries

• AU launches continental campaign to mitigate COVID-19 impact in Africa People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- The African Union (AU) Commission on Thursday launched a flagship campaign to intensify the continental fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic toward protecting African economies and livelihoods amid the easing of lockdowns.
• WHO urges safe reopening of schools in Africa amid COVID-19 risks People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday urged African countries to put solid COVID-19 prevention measures in place before embarking on reopening of learning institutions.
• Somalia focused on confronting COVID-19 pandemic: UN envoy Global Times 21 Aug 2020 -- Somalia, like the rest of the world, is focused on confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, said the top UN envoy for the country on Thursday.
• Australia's COVID-safe states urged to open domestic borders People's Daily 21 Aug 2020 -- The premier of South Australia (SA) has urged the nation's COVID-safe states to open their borders and reunite families.
• Latin America passes 250K COVID-19 death toll amid warning of poverty surge Press TV 21 Aug 2020 -- The number of coronavirus fatalities across Latin America has surpassed the 250,000 mark as the pandemic continues to overwhelm the region that has become the world's worst-hit so far.
• Coronavirus Forces Lao Workers to Postpone Return to Thailand as Poverty Looms Radio Free Asia 21 Aug 2020 -- Hundreds of thousands of Lao migrant workers who returned from Thailand after losing their jobs when their host country shut down businesses to fight the COVID-19 pandemic are now pining for the border to reopen after finding no work in their impoverished homeland, sources in Laos told RFA.
• Indonesia reports 2,197 new coronavirus infections, 82 deaths SPA 21 Aug 2020 -- Indonesia reported 2,197 new coronavirus infections on Friday, taking the total number of cases to 149,408, data from the country's health ministry showed.
• Kenya Police Fire Tear Gas at COVID-19 Corruption Protesters VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Kenyan authorities have arrested protesters who allege equipment to fight COVID-19 is being mismanaged. Police used tear gas to disperse the activists at a park in central Nairobi.
• Peru to Host Clinical Trials for Coronavirus Vaccine VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- China's Sinopharm Laboratory will begin human clinical trials for a possible vaccine against COVID-19 in Peru on Monday.
• COVID-19 Spreads Inside Ethiopian Detention Centers VOA 21 Aug 2020 -- Ethiopia arrested thousands of protesters, opposition members and journalists during July's sectarian unrest. Health workers and local officials say some of those detained have contracted COVID-19 and are concerned the virus is spreading in overcrowded prisons and makeshift detention centers.
• Rohingya crisis needs lasting solutions, renewed commitment amid COVID-19 pandemic, UN refugee agency UN News 21 Aug 2020 -- Three years after violence in Myanmar forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas to seek refuge in Bangladesh, the international community must adapt its assistance to the critical needs of those displaced and the host communities supporting them, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.