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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Coast Guard releases new plan to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing worldwide US Coast Guard 17 Sep 2020 -- The Coast Guard released a new strategy to enhance global safety, security and stewardship of the maritime domain by combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, Thursday.
• Russia Leading 'Drumbeat' of Disinformation Ahead of US Presidential Election VOA 17 Sep 2020 -- FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers Thursday that Russia is not letting up in its efforts to sway the outcome of the November presidential election, backing earlier assessments from U.S. counterintelligence officials that Moscow's main goal is to damage the campaign of Democratic candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden.
• DOD Works to Increase Cybersecurity for U.S., Allies DoD News 17 Sep 2020 -- Open and reliable access to the Internet is essential for global security and prosperity. However, growing cyber threats from state and non-state actors threaten those values, the Defense Department's principal director for Cyber Policy said.
• The United States Designates Hizballah Companies and Official US Dept. of State 17 Sep 2020 -- Lebanon's political leaders have long exploited the lack of transparency in Lebanon's economy to conceal their self-enrichment, while pretending they are defending the rights of their people. Despite its claims to the contrary, the terrorist group Hizballah is every bit as involved in this deception as other actors.
• Treasury Targets Hizballah Executive Council Companies and Official US Treasury 17 Sep 2020 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two Lebanon-based companies, Arch Consulting and Meamar Construction, for being owned, controlled, or directed by Hizballah. Additionally, OFAC designated Sultan Khalifah As'ad, a Hizballah Executive Council official, who is closely associated with both companies.
• Department of Justice and Partner Departments and Agencies Conduct Coordinated Actions to Disrupt and Deter Iranian Malicious Cyber Activities Targeting the United States and the Broader International Community US Dept. of Justice 17 Sep 2020 -- Starting on Sept. 14, 2020 and continuing through today, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of the Treasury have engaged in a coordinated effort to disrupt and deter malicious cyber activities by actors associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s (Iran) Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as other Iran-based individuals.
• U.S. Charges Two Iranians Over 'Cyberintrusion Campaign' RFE/RL 17 Sep 2020 -- U.S. prosecutors say they have indicted two Iranians on allegations they were hackers connected with a "coordinated cyberintrusion campaign" that targeted American and foreign universities, a Washington-based think tank, and other organizations in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
• State-Sponsored Iranian Hackers Indicted for Computer Intrusions at U.S. Satellite Companies US Dept. of Justice 17 Sep 2020 -- An indictment was unsealed today charging three computer hackers, all of whom were residents and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran), with engaging in a coordinated campaign of identity theft and hacking on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated foreign terrorist organization, in order to steal critical information related to U.S. aerospace and satellite technology and resources.
• US imposes sanctions on several Iranian entities and individuals Press TV 17 Sep 2020 -- The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on a number of Iranian entities and individuals over alleged attempts to launch a malware campaign.
• U.S. Places Sanctions On Hacking Group With Alleged Ties To Iranian Intelligence RFE/RL 17 Sep 2020 -- The U.S. Treasury Department has announced sanctions against an Iranian hacking group, a front company, and more than 45 individuals accused of carrying out a years-long campaign targeting Iranian dissidents, journalists, and international travel companies on behalf of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
• The United States Sanctions Cyber Actors Backed by Iranian Intelligence Ministry US Dept. of State 17 Sep 2020 -- The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the world's leading threats to cybersecurity and human rights online.
• Treasury Sanctions Cyber Actors Backed by Iranian Intelligence Ministry US Treasury 17 Sep 2020 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Iranian cyber threat group Advanced Persistent Threat 39 (APT39), 45 associated individuals, and one front company.
• US Charges 3 Iranians in Connection With State-Sponsored Identity Theft VOA 17 Sep 2020 -- The U.S. Department of Justice has announced criminal charges against three Iranian men for their alleged participation in state-sponsored identity theft and hacking by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
• US Sanctions Cyber Actors Linked to Iranian Intelligence Ministry VOA 17 Sep 2020 -- The U.S. has sanctioned entities and individuals associated with Iran's intelligence and security ministry for allegedly engaging in a malware campaign targeting Iranian dissidents, other individuals and companies, the U.S Treasury Department said Thursday.
• Kazakhstan's North Hit By Outbreak Of Bird Flu RFE/RL 17 Sep 2020 -- Kazakhstan's Agriculture Ministry says a bird flu outbreak was detected in the Central Asian nation's northern region bordering Russia.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Flu Season Looms as COVID-19 Rages VOA 17 Sep 2020 -- As if the COVID-19 pandemic isn't bad enough, flu season is about to begin in the Northern Hemisphere, adding millions of illnesses, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths to the already-strained American health care system.
• UN chief calls for more efforts to address global fragilities exposed by COVID-19 People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for more efforts to address the global fragilities that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed.
• UN chief urges int'l community to come together to defeat COVID-19 People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- "Many pin their hopes on a vaccine - but let's be clear: there is no panacea in a pandemic," says Antonio Guterres.
• Global Cases of COVID-19 Surpass 30 Million - Johns Hopkins Sputnik 17 Sep 2020 -- The total number of global COVID-19 cases has surpassed 30 million, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
• COVID pushes millions more children deeper into poverty, new study finds UN News 17 Sep 2020 -- The coronavirus pandemic has pushed an additional 150 million children into multidimensional poverty – deprived of education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation or water – a new UN study has found.

United States

• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 17 Sep 2020
• COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. public likely available in 2021, says CDC director People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- Even if a vaccine for COVID-19 was released, it would take "six to nine months" for enough people to get it to create immunity, the U.S. CDC director said.
• U.S. government releases COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) released two documents Wednesday outlining detailed strategy of the U.S. government to deliver COVID-19 vaccine doses to the American people.

China

• Chinese mainland reports no new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- No new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday across the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said Thursday.
• Chinese returnees from the Philippines lied about COVID-19 symptoms and positive test results Global Times 17 Sep 2020 -- Two COVID-19 patients returning to China from the Philippines were recently found to have hidden their symptoms before taking flights back home, said the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Wednesday.
• Rapid progress made in developing vaccine People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- Expert says it may be available for public use as early as November
• Hong Kong Finds Untraced Cases as Mass Coronavirus Testing Ends Radio Free Asia 17 Sep 2020 -- Hong Kong authorities on Thursday said they had discovered nine new cases of coronavirus, three of which came from unknown sources in the community, despite a controversial mass testing program since the start of September.

Europe

• WHO Warns Coronavirus Spreading Again in Europe at 'Alarming Rates' VOA 17 Sep 2020 -- The World Health Organization warned Thursday that the coronavirus has started to spread again across Europe at "alarming rates" and should serve as a "wake-up" call to European governments.
• UK Health Secretary Announces New Coronavirus Restrictions in Several English Towns Sputnik 17 Sep 2020 -- Earlier on Thursday, the minister said that the country continued to see a worrying rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.
• Britain Begins Strict Regional COVID-19 Lockdown VOA 17 Sep 2020 -- Britain's health secretary, Matt Hancock, has announced new lockdown measures on the northeast of England after a significant surge in coronavirus cases there.

Russia

• Russia to supply 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to India People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- Russia's sovereign wealth fund said Wednesday it had struck a deal with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. to supply the Indian pharmaceutical company with 100 million doses of the "Sputnik V" COVID-19 vaccine.

India

• India to Have COVID-19 Vaccine by Early 2021 Sputnik 17 Sep 2020 -- Indian Health and Family Welfare Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday that India would have a vaccine against the coronavirus disease by early next year.
• COVID-19 cases rise to 5,118,253 in India, death toll reaches 83,198 Global Times 17 Sep 2020 -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India Thursday morning rose to 5,118,253, India's federal health ministry said.
• India records more than 82,000 Recoveries for two days in a row India PIB 17 Sep 2020 -- India has been registering very high recoveries for two consecutive days. More than 82,000 COVID patients have been cured and discharged in the past two days.

Pakistan

• Nearly Two Dozen Pakistani Schools Closed For Flouting Coronavirus Rules RFE/RL 17 Sep 2020 -- Pakistani authorities say they have closed down almost two dozen educational institutions for failing to comply with rules aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 176 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 17 Sep 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Thursday that some 176 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours.
• Coronavirus Pushes Iran's Tourism to the Point of No Return Radio Farda 17 Sep 2020 -- With the rial, Iranian's national currency, recently setting a new low record against the U.S. dollar, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Abdol-Nasser Hemmati, says that, along with "heavily injecting" foreign currencies into the local forex market (NIMA), the bank has permitted the petrochemical, steel, and mineral conglomerates to sell their forex income from exports to the authorized exchange bureaus.

Taiwan

• Taiwan researchers develop rapid test kit for COVID-19 CNA 17 Sep 2020 -- A Taiwanese research team said Thursday that it has developed a COVID-19 test kit that can deliver results in about 15 minutes with 80-90 percent accuracy.
• Taiwan reports three new imported cases of COVID-19 CNA 17 Sep 2020 -- Three Taiwanese nationals who work overseas -- in Myanmar, the United Kingdom and the Philippines, respectively -- have tested positive for COVID-19 following their recent return to Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Thursday.

Australia

• Aussie domestic border restrictions eased as COVID-19 numbers drop People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- Restrictions on the border between Australian States of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria will be eased from Thursday to allow residents to move freely within the border region.
• Top Australian science agency reveals plan for economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic People's Daily 17 Sep 2020 -- Australia's national science agency has released a plan for the economic recovery from the COVID-19-induced recession.

Other Countries

• Tunisia reports 477 new COVID-19 cases, 8,100 in total Global Times 17 Sep 2020 -- The Tunisian health ministry has reported 477 new positive cases of COVID-19 and six additional deaths, according to an official statement released Wednesday night.
• Myanmar's Second Wave of Coronavirus Takes Toll on Under-60 Population Radio Free Asia 17 Sep 2020 -- A resurgence of coronavirus infections in Myanmar has been lethal for younger people in the Southeast Asian country, with 40 percent of those under the age of 60 who have tested positive dying from the highly contagious respiratory illness, a government health official said Thursday.
• Belarusian Health Ministry Has Received Documents for Trials of Russian COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik 17 Sep 2020 -- The Belarusian Health Ministry said on Thursday it had received all the documents needed for launching the clinical trials of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V.
• South Africa Easing Restrictions as Coronavirus Infections Drop VOA 17 Sep 2020 -- President Cyril Ramaphosa announced late Wednesday that South Africa will begin allowing travel in and out of the country beginning October 1 amid a substantial decline in coronavirus cases.