Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Trump to Nominate Acting Homeland Security Head to Permanent Position VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would nominate Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Homeland Security Department, to serve permanently in the position.
• US Cyber Forces Go Hunting for Election Trouble VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- U.S. forces are taking an aggressive approach in cyberspace ahead of November's presidential election, aiming to wipe out threats from foreign countries and other actors before they have a chance to disrupt voting or other critical, election-related systems.
• Russian National Arrested for Conspiracy to Introduce Malware into a Nevada Company's Computer Network US Dept. of Justice 25 Aug 2020 -- Before Attempting to Flee the United States, Defendant Allegedly Plotted with Co-Conspirators to Pay $1 Million to Company Employee to Surreptitiously Insert Malware
• Turkish Police Detain Daesh Militant Plotting Terrorist Attack in Istanbul, Reports Say Sputnik 25 Aug 2020 -- The Istanbul police have detained a member of the Daesh* terrorist organization, who was plotting a terrorist attack in the city, the Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing a law enforcement source.
• Designation of People's Republic of China (PRC) Foreign National and Hong Kong Entity under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act US Dept. of State 25 Aug 2020 -- Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated one of the most significant drug traffickers in the world – Chinese national Zhang Taotao.
• Treasury Sanctions Chinese National for Shipping Fentanyl to the United States US Treasury 25 Aug 2020 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified Chinese national Taotao Zhang as a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). OFAC also designated Hong Kong-based Allyrise Technology Group Co., Limited, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or acting for or on behalf of, Taotao Zhang.
• Treasury Delists Former Honduran Money Launderer and Associated Companies US Treasury 25 Aug 2020 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) delisted one individual and five associated companies from the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List).
• Tennessee National Guard keeps fighting COVID-19 Army News 25 Aug 2020 -- Since March 26, Soldiers and Airmen with the Tennessee National Guard have been working diligently alongside Tennessee's Department of Health, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and other state and local agencies to combat the spread of COVID-19. Their main focus: test as many people as possible.
• Michigan National Guard provides drive-thru COVID-19 testing Army News 25 Aug 2020 -- The Michigan National Guard brought drive-thru community COVID-19 testing to Three Rivers, Baldwin and Newago Aug. 13-14.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• WHO Says COVID Reinfection Only Slim Possibility VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- Officials with the World Health Organization (WHO) are downplaying a confirmed case of a Hong Kong man who became reinfected with COVID-19, saying chances of that happening on regular basis are slim.
• COVID-19 reinfection seems not to be a 'regular event', says UN health agency UN News 25 Aug 2020 -- There is likely only a slim possibility of people being reinfected with COVID-19, the UN health agency said on Tuesday, following reports in Hong Kong that a man had contracted new coronavirus for a second time after an interval of more than four months.
• COVID-19 vaccine may be unable to prevent second infection after several months: HK virologist Global Times 25 Aug 2020 -- The COVID-19 vaccine that countries around the world are racing to acquire may not be able to provide permanent protection, and recipients who recover from the infection may become reinfected even after getting the COVID-19 vaccine, a Hong Kong virologist told the Global Times after a recent study in Hong Kong found the world's first case of reinfection after recovery.
• 172 countries engaging with largest COVID-19 vaccine campaign: WHO chief People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- Up to 172 countries have been engaging with the "largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolio" coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN health body's chief said on Monday.

United States

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 25 Aug 2020
• Global COVID-19 deaths surpass 810,000 -- Johns Hopkins University People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- Global COVID-19 deaths surpassed 810,000 on Monday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

China

• COVID-19 cases trigger second 'circuit breaker' for Etihad Airways flight to China Global Times 25 Aug 2020 -- The Civil Aviation Administration of China triggered the second "circuit breaker" for Etihad Airways flight EY862 on Tuesday as five passengers flying from Abu Dhabi to Shanghai tested positive for COVID-19 on August 15, according to Shanghai Fabu, Shanghai municipal government's official WeChat account, on Tuesday.
• Chinese medical experts train South Sudanese medics on COVID-19 response People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- A team of medical experts sent by the Chinese government to South Sudan on Monday kicked off training for frontline health care workers tackling the COVID-19 pandemic in the east African country.
• Expert: Severe epidemic won't happen in China in autumn and winter People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- With the summer coming to an end, many people are worried about the rebound of the COVID-19 epidemic in China in autumn and winter.
• Carrie Lam eyes massive COVID-19 screening to help Hong Kong return normal People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Monday that the sole purpose of the upcoming massive COVID-19 screening is to protect people's health and help Hong Kong get rid of the epidemic soon.
• Urumqi relaxes management rules for "epidemic-free" neighborhoods People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has relaxed management rules for some "epidemic-free" residential communities, starting Sunday, due to the easing of the recent outbreak of COVID-19 infections.
• Chinese mainland reports no new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- No new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported Monday across the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.

Europe

• EU concludes talks with Moderna for potential COVID-19 vaccine People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- The European Commission on Monday concluded exploratory talks with Moderna, an American biotechnology company focused on drug discovery, drug development and vaccine technologies, to purchase a potential vaccine against the COVID-19, the Commission said in a statement.
• Italy starts human trial of COVID-19 vaccine amid spike in cases People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- Phase one of the clinical trial of an Italian-developed GRAd-COV2 coronavirus vaccine kicked off on Monday with the inoculation of the first, officials and scientists said.
• Spain PM Pledges to Flatten Nation's Second COVID-19 Surge VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged Tuesday to beat the latest surge in COVID-19 cases that has hit the nation, and he urged the Spanish people to remain "alert but serene" as the country works to flatten the increase.

Russia

• Russia's COVID-19 cases up 4,696 to 966,189 People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- Russia registered 4,696 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its total to 966,189, the country's COVID-19 response center said in a statement Tuesday.
• Head Of Russia's Tyva Was 'Reinfected' With COVID-19 RFE/RL 25 Aug 2020 -- The head of Russia's Tyva region in southern Siberia says he has been infected with coronavirus for a second time -- three months after he was first hospitalized with a confirmed case of COVID-19.

India

• India's Bihar state to build two 500-bed makeshift COVID-19 hospitals Global Times 25 Aug 2020 -- Two 500-bed COVID-19 makeshift hospitals will be established in India's eastern state of Bihar, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said Monday.
• Following "TEST, TRACK, TREAT" strategy, India tests nearly 3.7 crore India PIB 25 Aug 2020 -- Keeping the focus on "Test, Track and Treat" strategy, India has tested nearly 3.7 crore cumulative COVID-19 samples so far. With India's strong resolve to rapidly increase the number of daily tests, the cumulative testing as on date has reached 3,68,27,520.
• Highest ever single day recoveries of 66,550 in last 24 hours India PIB 25 Aug 2020 -- Collaborative and strategic measures led by the Union Government and implemented by the States/UTs are showing results.

Iran

• Official: COVID-19 kills 125 more in Iran IRNA 25 Aug 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Tuesday that some 125 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 20,901.
• Tehran Council Member Says COVID-19 Killed More Than 10,000 In Capital Radio Farda 25 Aug 2020 -- A member of the Tehran City Council said on Sunday that Tehran's COVID-19 death toll has risen to 10,200 residents since the outbreak began in February, with the Health Ministry's official death toll for the country reaching 20,643.

South Korea

• Seoul City Reports 134 New Cases, Infections with Unknown Routes on Rise SPA 25 Aug 2020 -- New coronavirus cases in Seoul reached 134 today, on Tuesday, marking a triple-digit figure due to a continued rise in cluster infections across the capital and cases coming from unknown transmission routes, Yonhap reported.
• COVID Surge in South Korea Prompts School Closures VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- South Korea is closing schools in the Seoul metropolitan area as it copes with a nearly two-week surge in coronavirus infections.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 58,707 Lab Tests Conducted, 1,044 New Cases Recovered, in Saudi Arabia SPA 25 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 1,114 new confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 309,768 cases, including 22,114 active cases undergoing treatment.
• MoH: No need for laboratory tests to confirm recovery from COVID-19 SPA 25 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health (MoH) has said that there is no need to conduct laboratory tests to confirm recovery from the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Taiwan

• Some contacts of COVID-19-infected Taiwanese in Shanghai test negative CNA 25 Aug 2020 -- Taiwan has listed 33 people as contacts of a Taiwanese national reported in Shanghai on Sunday to have contracted COVID-19, and 14 of them have tested negative for the virus while testing is ongoing for the remainder.
• Mass-testing for COVID-19 could strain Taiwan's health system: CECC CNA 25 Aug 2020 -- Taiwan has avoided instituting large-scale testing for COVID-19 because of the strain that a glut of false positive and false negative test results could put on the nation's health system, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) reiterated Tuesday.

Other Countries

• COVID-19 Crisis Complicates Dengue Prevention Efforts in Southeast Asia Radio Free Asia 25 Aug 2020 -- The COVID-19 crisis has complicated efforts to combat the seasonal spike in dengue fever infections during the Southeast Asian monsoon season due to the burden the coronavirus pandemic has placed on health authorities in the region, experts say.
• Majority of Australians back int'l flights ban, COVID-19 patients tracking: poll People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- CANBERRA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A majority of Australians support banning all international flights to the country and compulsory tracking for COVID-19 patients to prevent the spread of virus, according to a poll.
• New Zealand confirms 7 new cases of COVID-19, masks mandatory on Aug. 31 People's Daily 25 Aug 2020 -- WELLINGTON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand confirmed seven new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, all related to the community outbreak in Auckland, the country's largest city.
• Brazil registers 565 coronavirus deaths on Monday SPA 25 Aug 2020 -- Brazil registered 17,078 additional cases of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours and 565 deaths, the nation's health ministry said on Monday.
• COVID Could Bring Fundamental Changes to Mideast, Analysts Say VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- The coronavirus pandemic is the third major crisis to hit the Middle East in a decade following the tumult of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings and the start of oil price declines in 2014 and regional analysts suggest the health emergency has lessons that could help in bringing fundamental change to the region. They say innovation both in the Middle East's economies–in particular, for Gulf Arabs who have relied heavy on oil exports--and educational systems is needed to confront new challenges as the world moves into more renewable energy sources and is increasingly tech-driven.
• Zimbabwe Struggles to Provide Clean Water During Pandemic VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- City authorities in Zimbabwe's capital say they are facing a severe water shortage, and public health concerns, as water levels in dams supplying Harare have "drastically" dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Charities have stepped-up free water deliveries to poor neighborhoods but, authorities say social distancing is a challenge at public water points.
• El Salvador Supreme Court Ruling Clears the Reopening of All Businesses Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- Businesses in El Salvador are operating without restrictions for the first time in nearly six months, since measures were put in place to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
• COVID Infections Delay Syria Constitution Talks VOA 25 Aug 2020 -- UN sponsored talks to draft a new constitution for war-torn Syria have been suspended one day after they began, after four representatives of the 45-member constitutional committee tested positive for COVID-19.