Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Counter ISIS Finance Group Leaders Issue Joint Statement US Treasury 28 Aug 2020 -- On July 29, 2020, the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS hosted the thirteenth meeting of the Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG). This meeting was convened via conference call for participants to discuss ongoing global efforts to counter ISIS financing. The CIFG was established in January 2015 as a working group of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and is co-chaired by Italy, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
• Statement from Attorney General William P. Barr on the Ninth Circuit's Stay in the Case Concerning the Federal Courthouse in Portland US Dept. of Justice 28 Aug 2020 -- Attorney General William P. Barr issued the following statement on the Ninth Circuit's stay in Index Newspapers LLC, et al v. United States Marshals Service, et al:

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Weekly Operational Update WHO 28 Aug 2020
• COVID-19 pandemic affects mental health of millions of people: WHO chief People's Daily 28 Aug 2020 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of millions of people, in terms of the anxiety and fear it has caused, and disruption to mental health services.

United States

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 28 Aug 2020
• U.S. Reports 46,393 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, 1,239 Deaths SPA 28 Aug 2020 -- The United States of America reported today 46,393 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,239 death cases.
• Operation Warp Speed More Than Halfway to Enrolling Participants in Vaccine Trials DoD News 28 Aug 2020 -- Two of the six candidate vaccines for COVID-19 are now in Phase III trials. Each of those trials will require about 30,000 participants, and Operation Warp Speed is about half finished finding participants for the clinical trials, the deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services said.
• Health Officials Call On US Government to Reverse COVID-19 Test Guidelines VOA 28 Aug 2020 -- Public health departments throughout the United States are calling on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reverse changes the federal agency recently made to its public coronavirus testing guidelines.
• Trump Says US Will Have COVID Vaccine Before End of 2020 VOA 28 Aug 2020 -- President Donald Trump said Thursday the U.S. will have a vaccination for the coronavirus "before the end of the year or maybe even sooner."

China

• Cai Li steps down as Wuhan Central Hospital Party chief amid speculation Global Times 28 Aug 2020 -- Cai Li no longer serves as Party chief of Wuhan Central Hospital in Central China's Hubei Province, Chinese media reported on Thursday.
• Chinese mainland reports 9 new imported COVID-19 cases People's Daily 28 Aug 2020 -- The Chinese mainland reported nine new imported COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 2,464, the National Health Commission said Friday.

Europe

• EU signs first deal with AstraZeneca to buy COVID-19 vaccines Global Times 28 Aug 2020 -- The European Commission (EC) signed its first deal to buy COVID-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said on Thursday.
• UK to Revise Laws to Allow Use of COVID Vaccines Before Licensing VOA 28 Aug 2020 -- The British government announced Friday plans to fast-track any viable COVID-19 vaccine, allowing the emergency use of the drug before it goes through the formal licensing process, if it meets certain safety and quality standards.
• Germany's Merkel Expects More Difficult COVID-19 Fight VOA 28 Aug 2020 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday she expects managing the COVOD-19 pandemic will become more difficult as the year progresses.
• Italy's coronavirus trend "under control" despite surge in infections People's Daily 28 Aug 2020 -- The COVID-19 epidemic situation in Italy was "under control" despite a recent surge in new infections, according to the scientific body counseling the Italian cabinet on the emergency.

India

• India records 77,266 new COVID-19 cases, 1,057 deaths in single day Global Times 28 Aug 2020 -- India's COVID-19 tally reached 3,387,500, and deaths reached 61,529 on Friday, showed the latest data released by the federal health ministry.
• India tests more than 9 lakh samples each day, two days in a row India PIB 28 Aug 2020 -- India has tested more than 9 lakh COVID-19 samples each day for the second consecutive day, keeping a sharp focus on "TEST, TRACK AND TREAT" strategy of the Union Government. India has already created a capacity of doing 10 lakh tests per day. 9,01,338 samples were tested in the last 24 hours.
• Active cases only 22% of total COVID cases India PIB 28 Aug 2020 -- In pursuance of the Centre's strategic and graded TEST, TRACK and TREAT approach, India is registering continuous progress on the recovery front and reduction in the fatality rate. In the past five months, more than 3/4 of COVID-19 cases have recovered and less than 1/4 is active now.
• In India, Coronavirus Infections Among Endangered Tribe Raise Concerns VOA 28 Aug 2020 -- The coronavirus has hit a threatened tribe in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, raising concerns about the impact the pandemic could have on other endangered tribes in the archipelago that lies off the mainland.

Iran

• Official: 112 more Iranians die from COVID-19 over past 24 hours IRNA 28 Aug 2020 -- Some 112 people in Iran have died as a result of the coronavirus disease over the past 24 hours, Iranian Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Friday.

South Korea

• S.Korea to tighten social-distancing measures on COVID-19 resurgence People's Daily 28 Aug 2020 -- South Korea on Friday announced a plan to tighten social-distancing measures, including the restriction on running practices of coffee shops and restaurants, in the Seoul metropolitan area amid a growing worry here about the COVID-19 resurgence.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: Coronavirus Critical Cases Decreased, 1,148 New Cases Recovered, in Saudi Arabia SPA 28 Aug 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 1,069 new confirmed cases of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 312,924 cases, including 21,708 active cases undergoing treatment.

Other Countries

• Ethiopia's COVID-19 cases reach 46,407 Global Times 28 Aug 2020 -- Ethiopia's confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 46,407 after 1,186 new COVID-19 positive cases were confirmed on Thursday, the country's Ministry of Health said.
• Actual cases of COVID-19 in Syria may exceed official figures: UN official People's Daily 28 Aug 2020 -- A senior UN official said Thursday that the actual cases of COVID-19 in Syria may far exceed official figures.
• Ukraine Closes Border To Foreigners Amid Coronavirus Outbreak RFE/RL 28 Aug 2020 -- The Ukrainian government has tightened lockdown measures, including closing its borders to foreigners, in an effort to contain the country's coronavirus outbreak.
• Afghanistan Hit By New Wave Of Polio Cases Amid Coronavirus Pandemic RFE/RL 28 Aug 2020 -- Afghanistan's long battle to eradicate the crippling polio virus has been thwarted by conflict, migration, and myths over the vaccine.
• Canada extends international travel ban to Sept. 30 SPA 28 Aug 2020 -- Canada extended a measure barring most foreign travelers from entering the country amid continued efforts to limit the introduction and spread of the coronavirus, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said on Friday on Twitter, Reuters reported.
• Malawi to Reopen Schools in Phases on September 7 VOA 28 Aug 2020 -- Malawi has announced plans for a phased reopening of schools beginning on September 7, as the rate of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has dropped. But health officials warn the lower infection rates are not because the pandemic is waning, but because of a decrease in testing rates due to a shortage of testing kits.
• Nigeria Delays Saturday's Planned Restart of International Flights VOA 28 Aug 2020 -- Nigeria on Thursday postponed the resumption of international flights for another week. The flights had been set to resume Saturday.
• Cuba to Launch New Measures to Curb Surge in Coronavirus Cases VOA 28 Aug 2020 -- Cuban officials say the capital, Havana, is set begin a new ban on the movement of people and vehicles as part of an effort to slow a new surge in coronavirus cases.
• Myanmar Army Restrictions, COVID-19 Border Closure Pose Hunger Threat to Kachin War Refugees Radio Free Asia 28 Aug 2020 -- More than 400 people living in displaced persons camp in a remote border town under the control of a rebel army in northern Myanmar's Kachin state are facing a severe food shortages because government forces have cut off supplies to the insurgent controlled area, a local Kachin humanitarian leader said Friday.