Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Acting Secretary Wolf Condemns Attempted Kidnapping of Governor's Whitmer and Northam after Tuesday's Federal Hearing DHS 13 Oct 2020
• Anti-Government Groups Discussed Kidnapping Virginia Governor, FBI Agent Testifies VOA 13 Oct 2020 -- An FBI agent testified in court Tuesday that members of anti-government militant groups discussed kidnapping Virginia Democratic Governor Ralph Northam in a meeting four months ago.
• Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary 'Doing Next To Nothing' To Fight Foreign Bribery RFE/RL 13 Oct 2020 -- An anti-corruption watchdog has ranked Russia, Bulgaria, and Hungary among 19 leading global exporters that are doing little or even nothing to enforce rules meant to prohibit companies from paying bribes in foreign markets.
• Department of State Offers Reward for Information to Bring Mexican Transnational Criminal to Justice US Dept. of State 13 Oct 2020 -- Today the U.S. Department of State announces a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Jose Rodolfo Villarreal-Hernandez.
• Norway Says Moscow Behind Cyberattack On Parliament RFE/RL 13 Oct 2020 -- Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide has said that Russia was behind a cyberattack launched against the Norwegian parliament in August, an accusation rejected by Moscow as "a deliberate provocation."

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• COVID-19 Induces Deep Global Recession for 2020, Says IMF VOA 13 Oct 2020 -- The International Monetary Fund is projecting a deep global recession in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with global economies expected to shrink by 4.4%.
• Transcript of October 2020 World Economic Outlook Press Briefing IMF 13 Oct 2020
• Transcript of October 2020 Global Financial Stability Report Press Conference IMF 13 Oct 2020
• Herd immunity against COVID-19 "scientifically and ethically problematic": WHO chief People's Daily 13 Oct 2020 -- The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday termed herd immunity against COVID-19 "scientifically and ethically problematic."
• Worldwide Coronavirus Cases Cross 37.74 Million, Death Toll At 1,078,572 SPA 13 Oct 2020 -- More than 37.74 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 1,078,572 have died, according to a Reuters tally.
• 'Time for global solidarity' to overcome COVID's health, social and economic challenges UN News 13 Oct 2020 -- The COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to a "dramatic loss" of human life but also constitutes an "unprecedented challenge" to public health, food systems and employment, a group of leading UN agencies said on Tuesday.

United States

• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 13 Oct 2020
• DOD Awards $481 Million Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to Cue Health to Increase Domestic Production Capacity of Point-of-Care Testing DoD 13 Oct 2020 -- On October 13, the Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded an Other Transaction Agreement to Cue Health Inc., San Diego, California, to expand U.S. production capacity of point-of-care COVID-19 tests.
• U.S. COVID-19 cases surpass 7.8 mln: Johns Hopkins University People's Daily 13 Oct 2020 -- COVID-19 cases in the United States totaled 7,802,281 with 214,045 deaths as of 7:24 p.m. local time (2324 GMT) on Monday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
• Trump tests negative for COVID-19, set to hold rally in Florida People's Daily 13 Oct 2020 -- White House physician Sean Conley said on Monday that President Donald Trump has tested negative for COVID-19, 12 days after the president tested positive with the virus.
• Johnson & Johnson pauses COVID-19 vaccine trial over patient illness People's Daily 13 Oct 2020 -- U.S. pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson said Monday it had paused its COVID-19 vaccine trial because one of its participants had become sick.
• Johnson & Johnson Pauses Late-Stage COVID-19 Vaccine Trial After Volunteer Becomes Sick VOA 13 Oct 2020 -- U.S. pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson paused its late-stage clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine after a participant was diagnosed with an unexplained illness.
• Nearly 75,000 COVID-19-related deaths in U.S. may be unreported: study People's Daily 13 Oct 2020 -- Fatalities linked to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States may have gone underreported by nearly 75,000 from March to July, according to a study published Monday in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association.
• COVID-19 cases at NYC public schools up 67 pct in past week Global Times 13 Oct 2020 -- The number of COVID-19 cases among New York City public school staff and students has gone up 67 percent in the last week, the city's Department of Education said Monday.
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 13 Oct 2020

China

• Qingdao to test 9m in 5 days despite 'low risk' of COVID-19 wide spread Global Times 13 Oct 2020 -- After a small cluster of COVID-19 infections was detected, the tourist city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province became a new battleground against the coronavirus, having received over 4.47 million visitors during the National Day holidays. However, health experts said the risk of the flare-up in Qingdao spreading to other parts of China is relatively low.
• Qingdao COVID-19 cases may be due to cross-infection in hospital Global Times 13 Oct 2020 -- With no clear sign pointing to the source of a recent flare-up of COVID-19 in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, health experts speculated that there might have been a cross-infection within a local hospital, and the apparent absence of other new infections beyond this transmission chain is a good sign.
• China does not manipulate COVID-19 data, say experts Global Times 13 Oct 2020 -- China does not manipulate any data related to the number of its COVID-19 infections or deaths, said experts.
• Shanghai strengthens measures over people coming from Qingdao Global Times 13 Oct 2020 -- Shanghai will implement new measures that mean those entering the city from COVID-19 medium-risk regions in China will have to undergo 14-day community health management, after new cases were found in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, according to Shanghai Fabu, the official social media account of the municipal government, on Tuesday.
• Update: Over one third of 9 million people tested in Qingdao, no new cases found Global Times 13 Oct 2020 -- After a small cluster of COVID-19 infections was detected, the tourist city of Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province became a new battleground against the coronavirus, having received over 4.47 million visitors during the National Day holidays. However, health experts said the risk of the flare-up in Qingdao spreading to other parts of China is relatively low.
• Chinese mainland reports 13 new confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 13 Oct 2020 -- Chinese health authority said Tuesday that it received reports of 13 new confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Monday, including six that were domestically transmitted.

Europe

• Europe Again Considers Whether to Lock Down Amid Coronavirus VOA 13 Oct 2020 -- "Liverpool is full of the kind of people who go out on a Monday, and couldn't care less about Tuesday morning," George Harrison, lead guitarist of the Beatles, once said of his hometown.
• Europe eyes stricter measures as countries set all-time daily records People's Daily 13 Oct 2020 -- From new alert system to local lockdown, European countries have been stepping up efforts to contain the resurgent wave of COVID-19 as they record the highest daily cases ever and the cumulative cases in the region exceed seven million.
• Norway Vows to Make Coronavirus Vaccination Free for Citizens Sputnik 13 Oct 2020 -- The vaccination against COVID-19 in Norway will be free of charge and might begin as early as in the beginning of the coming year, Norwegian Health Minister Bent Hoie said on Tuesday.
• British Opposition Leader Calls for Three-week 'Circuit Breaker' Lockdown VOA 13 Oct 2020 -- Britain's opposition Labor Party Leader Keir Starmer on Tuesday called on the government to implement a three-week temporary nationwide "circuit breaker" lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 throughout Britain.
• London Could See Harsher Coronavirus Restrictions Imposed This Week, Says Mayor Sputnik 13 Oct 2020 -- The United Kingdom has introduced a new three-tier system that will see more stringent lockdown levels introduce on areas depending on the severity of coronavirus outbreak.
• UK unemployment rate surges as pandemic ravages the economy Press TV 13 Oct 2020 -- The UK unemployment rate has increased to its highest level in over three years as the full economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic begins to be felt.
• Boris Johnson criticized as local virus lockdowns loom for UK People's Daily 13 Oct 2020 -- The United Kingdom's main opposition party accused the government on Monday of "treating local leaders with contempt" as Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepared to unveil a three-tier novel coronavirus warning system that will be used to trigger regional lockdowns.
• Merkel on second wave: Europe must show it has learned its lesson SPA 13 Oct 2020 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday referred to Europe's second wave of coronavirus infections as "serious," adding that the bloc had to show it had learned its lesson from the onset of the pandemic earlier this year, according to dpa.

Russia

• Death And 'Deception:' When A Young Russian Nurse's Aide Died Of COVID-19, Her Hospital Pretended She Didn't Exist RFE/RL 13 Oct 2020 -- Among the 75 people whose portraits gaze out from a makeshift memorial to medical workers who have died of COVID-19 in St. Petersburg since the pandemic began, the youngest is 30-year-old Maria Tyshko.
• Russian Sputnik V Vaccine Trials on People Aged 60+ to Finish in Mid-2021, Gamaleya Institute Says Sputnik 13 Oct 2020 -- The trials of Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V on volunteers aged over 60 are set to be completed in mid-2021, and after that, the vaccine will be tested on children, Alexander Gintsburg, the head of the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, said on Tuesday.

India

• Indian State Governor, Chief Spar Over Temple Re-Opening as PM Modi Expresses Concern Over COVID-19 Sputnik 13 Oct 2020 -- India's federal government has lifted the lockdown imposed to contain COVID-19 gradually, allowing the tentative opening of public places. Maharashtra state continued to be one of the hotspots, with 212,905 active cases as of Tuesday, while the cumulative mortality in the state was 40,514, accounting for 36.9 percent of the national tally.
• India continues to be among the countries with lowest per million cases & per million deaths, and high testing India PIB 13 Oct 2020 -- With its focussed strategies and effective calibrated measures of the Union Government along with the States and UTs, India has sustained its global position of being the country with one of the lowest cases per million and reported deaths per million.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 21st meeting of Group of Ministers (GOM) on COVID-19 India PIB 13 Oct 2020 -- Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare chaired the 21th meeting of the high-level Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 by a video-conference, here today.

Iran

• Cmdr: IRGC adopts war array to combat COVID-19 IRNA 13 Oct 2020 -- Commander of Islamic Revolution Guard Corps Major-General Hossein Salami said on Tuesday that the IRGC has adopted a war array in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
• Official: COVID-19 kills 254 more in Iran IRNA 13 Oct 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Tuesday that some 254 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours.
• Cmdr. Salami: All IRGC facilities at health sector's disposal as coronavirus infections continue to rise Press TV 13 Oct 2020 -- Chief Commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami says the military force will employ the full range of its capacities to help the health sector combat a sharp surge in coronavirus cases in the capital, Tehran, and across the country.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 500 New Recoveries, 474 Cases Detected, in Several Regions SPA 13 Oct 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 474 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 340,089, including 8,663 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• Taiwan confirms first imported COVID-19 case from China in 8 months CNA 13 Oct 2020 -- A Taiwanese national returning from China was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Tuesday, becoming the first case recorded since February that the virus has been imported from that country, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.

Other Countries

• Malaysia reintroduces movement restrictions as COVID-19 cases spike Global Times 13 Oct 2020 -- Malaysia on Monday announced the reintroduction of movement restriction measures in several areas including the capital city of Kuala Lumpur in a bid to contain the recent spike of COVID-19 cases.
• Kenyan schools reopen amid concern over COVID-19 flare-ups Global Times 13 Oct 2020 -- Kenya commenced phased reopening of basic learning institutions on Monday amid concern over a spike in COVID-19 infections.
• Brazil registers 201 coronavirus deaths over 24 hours SPA 13 Oct 2020 -- Brazil confirmed 201 coronavirus deaths over the last 24 hours and 8,429 new cases, the nation's Health Ministry said on Monday, according to Reuters.
• Peru Coronavirus Infections Drop More Than 50% in Some Areas VOA 13 Oct 2020 -- Peru's social insurance system announced the rate of weekly coronavirus infections nationwide dropped between 50 to 70 percent in several regions during a recent two week period.
• Cuba Eases COVID-19 Restrictions in Hopes of Boosting Economy VOA 13 Oct 2020 -- Cuba is easing coronavirus restrictions in an effort to jumpstart the economy by reopening retail businesses, government offices and resuming airports operations across the island except in the capital, Havana, where an outbreak occurred in August.
• Panama Resumes International Flights Nearly Seven Months After Imposing COVID-19 Restrictions VOA 13 Oct 2020 -- International flights are arriving and departing Panama's Tocumen airport again after nearly seven months of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.