Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Man Who Attacked Paris Police Officer Sentenced to 28 Years VOA 14 Oct 2020 -- A Paris court on Wednesday handed down a 28-year jail term to the Algerian man who attacked a police officer with a hammer in 2017 as officers guarded Notre Dame Cathedral.
• Twenty-Four Defendants, Including Alleged Aryan Circle Gang Members and Associates Indicted on Racketeering, Firearms, and Drug Charges in Multiple States US Dept. of Justice 14 Oct 2020 -- Five indictments in three different states were unsealed today indicting a total of twenty-four defendants, including alleged Aryan Circle (AC) gang members and associates, on charges of racketeering conspiracy, violent crimes in aid of racketeering, drug conspiracy, and unlawful firearms trafficking.
• 94th Civil Support Team trains on Army News 14 Oct 2020 -- The thick air inside a musty shipping container feels well over 100 degrees in the midday Guam heat. Still, a team of three 94th Civil Support Team members from the Guam National Guard are in full HAZMAT suits, working away as cool as cucumbers.
• Iran denies cyber attacks on government systems was massive Press TV 14 Oct 2020 -- Iran's telecoms ministry has dismissed reports that the country's computer systems were target of a massive and coordinated cyber attack on Tuesday, saying the attack only targeted systems in two government agencies.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• FAO warns on devastating effects of COVID-19 on most vulnerable populations ISNA 14 Oct 2020 -- World Food Day 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of FAO in an exceptional moment as countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It's a time to look into the future we need to build together.
• Global COVID-19 cases surpass 38 mln: Johns Hopkins University People's Daily 14 Oct 2020 -- Global COVID-19 case count reached 38,006,121, with a total of 1,083,875 deaths worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.

United States

• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Announces State Will Withhold Funds for Localities and Schools in COVID-19 Cluster Zones If They Fail to Enforce Public Health Law New York State 14 Oct 2020
• Michigan Air National Guard supports California wildfire response US Air Force 14 Oct 2020 -- Members of the 110th Operations Group at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base volunteered to assist firefighters battling the California wildfires that began in late August. This year alone, more than four million acres have burned in California, leaving families and communities in ruins.
• Trump Administration Expands Collaboration With AstraZeneca to Develop and Manufacture an Investigational Monoclonal Antibody to Prevent COVID-19 DoD 14 Oct 2020 -- To meet the Trump Administration's Operation Warp Speed goals, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DOD) today announced an agreement with AstraZeneca for late-stage development and large-scale manufacturing of the company's COVID-19 investigational product AZD7442, a cocktail of two monoclonal antibodies, that may help treat or prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
• New York City mayor calls for complying with COVID-19 restrictions against possible 2nd wave Global Times 14 Oct 2020 -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio late Monday defended the city's recent restriction policies and called on people to continue to comply with them as a precaution against a possible second wave of COVID-19, which has cost the Big Apple a lot.
• U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly pauses antibody trial over safety concerns People's Daily 14 Oct 2020 -- U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly said Tuesday it has paused its trial of a combination antibody treatment for COVID-19 for safety reasons.
• Eli Lilly Becomes 3rd Pharmaceutical Company to Halt Testing on COVID-19 Drug VOA 14 Oct 2020 -- Another pharmaceutical company halted testing of an experimental COVID-19 drug treatment because of safety concerns.
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 14 Oct 2020

China

• Qingdao COVID-19 cases related to relaxation in anti-epidemic work in hospitals: experts Global Times 14 Oct 2020 -- Chinese medical experts pointed out that the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province may be due to relaxation in daily anti-epidemic work in medical institutes, such as unthorough disinfection, after the local health authority said the source of infection for this outbreak was linked to a hospital.
• Beijing requires 3 nucleic acid tests for overseas travelers Global Times 14 Oct 2020 -- Beijing's COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control authorities are requiring three nucleic acid tests for travelers from overseas after the capital city resumed direct international flights.
• Latest COVID-19 outbreak in Qingdao exposes shortcomings; 'wartime status' required Global Times 14 Oct 2020 -- The latest COVID-19 outbreak in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, exposed shortcomings and loopholes in epidemic prevention and control, and the city needs to maintain a "wartime status" to battle the virus, the local Party committee said on Tuesday.
• Over 7.5 million people sampled for COVID-19 testing in Qingdao People's Daily 14 Oct 2020 -- Over 7.5 million people had been sampled for nucleic acid testing by 9:30 am Wednesday in East China's Qingdao city, after it began a city-wide testing campaign on Monday.

Europe

• Europe toughens COVID-19 measures as WHO warns of spike in deaths Press TV 14 Oct 2020 -- Several European countries have announced plans to impose tougher measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of a spike in the number of deaths caused by the virus.
• Submarine Coronavirus Outbreak Reported on UK's HMS Vigilant Stationed in US Sputnik 14 Oct 2020 -- The submarine crew reportedly left the vessel to go to bars and restaurants in Georgia, United States, where the Kings Bay US base is located.
• UK records highest daily number of coronavirus-related deaths since June People's Daily 14 Oct 2020 -- The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 143 to 43,018, marking the highest daily figure since June, according to official figures released Tuesday.
• UK to be 'Trailblazer' for COVID Pre-Flight Isolation - but no Test on Arrival Sputnik 14 Oct 2020 -- Travel industry group ABTA called for urgent government action to save jobs, including a new region-by-region approach to quarantine rules, while Airlines UK has already welcomed a pre-travel testing system.
• British PM Resists Lockdown Idea, But Rules Out Nothing VOA 14 Oct 2020 -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Wednesday resisted a call from his political opposition for a nationwide, temporary "circuit breaker" lockdown to halt the spread of COVID-19, but said he rules out nothing.

Russia

• Russia to Bring COVID-19 Vaccine Production to 15Mln Doses Monthly in Spring, Senior Official Says Sputnik 14 Oct 2020 -- Russia is expected to boost its monthly coronavirus vaccine production to 1.5 million doses in December, 3-3.5 million doses in January and up to 15 million doses in the spring, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said on Wednesday.
• Putin Says Second Russian Anti-COVID Vaccine Registered by Vector Centre, After Gamaleya's Sputnik V Sputnik 14 Oct 2020 -- Vector's vaccine is the second one registered in Russia after the Gamaleya Institute's coronavirus treatment. The latter was the first one registered in the world, and is called Sputnik V.
• Four Companies Are Working on COVID-19 Vaccines Production in Russia, Health Minister Reveals Sputnik 14 Oct 2020 -- Four companies are currently working on the coronavirus vaccine production in Russia, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Wednesday.

India

• Severe air pollution adds to New Delhi's challenges in fight against COVID-19 Global Times 14 Oct 2020 -- A sharp deterioration in air quality in the Indian capital city of New Delhi has prompted concerns among Chinese observers that it will lead to an increase in the COVID-19 infections, adding difficulty to the South Asian nation's already tough battle against the pandemic during the winter season.
• India crosses a New Landmark in Testing India PIB 14 Oct 2020 -- India has demonstrated an exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 cumulative tests since Jan 2020. It has crossed the landmark of 9 crore total tests today.

Iran

• Official: COVID-19 kills 279 more in Iran IRNA 14 Oct 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Wednesday that some 279 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 29,349.
• Iran imposes coronavirus travel restrictions on 5 cities IRNA 14 Oct 2020 -- Iranian Minister of Health, Treatment and Medical Education Saeed Namaki said on Wednesday that travel restrictions would be imposed in five Iranian cities with the highest rate of coronavirus infection, namely Tehran, Karaj, Mashad, Isfahan and Orumiyeh.
• Amidst Coronavirus Charity Donations Drop In Iran Radio Farda 14 Oct 2020 -- The Director-General of the state-run Endowment (Awqaf) Organization in Golestan province, Ruhollah Soleimani Fard, says that the coronavirus epidemic has sharply reduced donations to the imamzadehs, or mausoleums, attributed to the descendants of the Twelver-Shi'ite Imams.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 501 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 14 Oct 2020 -- The Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 501 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 340,590 cases, including 8,662 active cases receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 830 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable.

Taiwan

• 3 arrivals from Taiwan test positive for COVID-19 in Japan CNA 14 Oct 2020 -- Three people tested positive for the COVID-19 virus upon arrival in Japan from Taiwan recently, although they were asymptomatic, officials from the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) told a news conference Wednesday following notification from Japan.

Other Countries

• Report: COVID-19 Used As Pretext To Crack Down On Internet Freedom RFE/RL 14 Oct 2020 -- Internet freedom has declined for the 10th consecutive year as governments around the world are using the coronavirus pandemic as a "cover" to expand online surveillance, crack down on dissent, and build new technological systems to control society, Freedom House says in a new report.
• Report Tracks How Governments Fighting COVID Are Increasing Surveillance VOA 14 Oct 2020 -- Governments around the world have used the COVID-19 pandemic as their reason for expanding digital surveillance and collecting more data from their citizens, according to a report published Wednesday.
• Mexico Ensures Vaccine for more than 100 Million Mexicans SPA 14 Oct 2020 -- In the framework of the press conference led by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the Secretary of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon, reported on the progress in Mexico's strategy to guarantee universal access and fair prices to the vaccine against COVID- 19.
• Trials of Russian COVID-19 Vaccine Start in Venezuela, President Maduro Says Sputnik 14 Oct 2020 -- The first batch of Russia's Sputnik-V vaccine against the novel coronavirus was delivered to Venezuela in early October, and 2,000 volunteers have been selected to participate in the trials.
• Coronavirus-Related Lockdown in Israel Extended Until 18 October Sputnik 14 Oct 2020 -- The period of the general quarantine to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Israel has been extended until October 18, the prime minister and the health minister said in a joint statement.