Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• France Reels From Latest Terror Attack VOA 17 Oct 2020 -- France is reeling from its latest terrorist attack - the gruesome decapitation of Paris-area teacher Samuel Paty days after he showed his class controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Media identify the suspect as Abdoulakh A., an 18-year-old immigrant born in Moscow and of Chechen origin. Authorities say they shot him minutes after the attack.
• Macron condemns "Islamic terrorist attack" in Paris suburb Global Times 17 Oct 2020 -- Condemning the "Islamic terrorist attack" that took the life of a teacher in Paris northwest suburbs, French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday evening called on the French to stand together and pledged quick and firm action by the government to combat terrorism.
• French Police Say Ethnic Chechen From Moscow Responsible For Teacher's Beheading RFE/RL 17 Oct 2020 -- A French official has identified an 18-year-old ethnic Chechen man from Moscow as the attacker who beheaded a schoolteacher in a Paris suburb and who was shot and killed by police shortly after.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Divided world is failing COVID-19 test, says frustrated U.N. chief SPA 17 Oct 2020 -- A divided world has failed to rise to the challenge of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday and warned concerted action was needed to prevent millions of people being pushed into poverty and hunger.
• Global COVID-19 deaths surpass 1.1 mln: Johns Hopkins University People's Daily 17 Oct 2020 -- Global COVID-19 deaths surpassed 1.1 million on Friday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.
• Global coronavirus cases rise by one-day record of 400,000 SPA 17 Oct 2020 -- Global coronavirus cases rose by more than 400,000 for the first time late on Friday, a record one-day increase as much of Europe enacts new restrictions to curb the outbreak.

United States

• DOD, HHS Name Partners to Administer COVID-19 Vaccines in Long-Term Care Facilities DoD News 17 Oct 2020 -- As part of the Operation Warp Speed effort - a partnership between the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services - long-term care facilities across the U.S. will be able to sign up to have one of two major U.S. pharmacy companies come to their facilities and administer COVID-19 vaccines to residents at no charge.
• US touted COVID-19 cure, Remdesivir, fails WHO trials as US confirmed cases surge past 8m Global Times 17 Oct 2020 -- A World Health Organization study confirms Remdesivir, Trump administration's much-touted COVID-19 treatment, is not a miracle cure according to its trials involving more than 10,000 patients. Experts worry misleading and ineffective measures in the US are helping the spread of the pandemic, which has killed 218,000 people and infected more than 8 million in the US.
• US begins large clinical trial to test immune modulators for COVID-19 treatment Global Times 17 Oct 2020 -- The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched an adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three immune modulator drugs in hospitalized adults with COVID-19, said a statement of the agency on Friday.
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Announces Most Movie Theaters Outside of New York City Can Reopen on October 23 New York State 17 Oct 2020
• Experts warn U.S. already in fall, winter surge as COVID-19 cases surpass 8 mln People's Daily 17 Oct 2020 -- Leading experts warned that a new COVID-19 surge has already hit the United States as the country's case count topped 8 million on Friday.
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 17 Oct 2020

China

• China's Qingdao completes city-wide COVID-19 sampling People's Daily 17 Oct 2020 -- Qingdao, a coastal city in east China's Shandong Province, has completed a citywide nucleic acid testing covering all its 11 million residents starting Monday, after a new cluster of local COVID-19 infections emerged.
• China willing to help more countries access to COVID-19 vaccine: FM People's Daily 17 Oct 2020 -- China has made it clear that it is willing to make efforts within its capacity in vaccine development, and give priority to the needs of developing countries including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday.

Europe

• France Begins COVID Curfew as Cases Climb Worldwide VOA 17 Oct 2020 -- Portions of France begin the implementation of new restrictions Saturday to try to curb the coronavirus. Paris and at least seven other cities, including Lyon, Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier, Lille, Rouen and Saint-Étienne will be under curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The curfew is scheduled to be in place for at least four weeks.
• France Posts Record Number of New COVID-19 Cases SPA 17 Oct 2020 -- The French health ministry reported a record number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, on Saturday at 32,427, after reporting 25,086 yesterday, according to Reuters.
• Closed Restaurants, Curfew as Belgium Battles Resurgent Virus SPA 17 Oct 2020 -- The rising number of coronavirus infections in

India

• India crosses a Significant Milestone India PIB 17 Oct 2020 -- India has leaped across a significant milestone in its fight against COVID. The active caseload of the country has fallen below 8 lakh for the first time after one and a half months.
• Prime Minister chairs meeting on the COVID-19 pandemic situation and vaccine delivery, distribution and administration. India PIB 17 Oct 2020 -- PM Shri Narendra Modi, today reviewed the Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country and the preparedness of vaccine delivery, distribution, and administration. The meeting was attended by Union Health Minister, Shri Harsh Vardhan, Principal Secretary to PM, Member (Health) NITI Aayog, Principal Scientific Advisor, Senior Scientists, officers of PMO, and other Departments of Government of India.

Iran

• Official: COVID-19 kills 253 more in Iran IRNA 17 Oct 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Saturday that some 253 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours.

South Korea

• New Virus Cases Bounce Back Above 50; Sporadic Cluster Infections Worrisome In S. Korea SPA 17 Oct 2020 -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases rebounded above 50 today, on Saturday on cluster infections, putting health authorities on alert over a potential uptick in daily infections amid eased virus curbs, Yonhap reported.
• South Korea Reports 73 New Coronavirus Cases SPA 17 Oct 2020 -- South Korea's new coronavirus cases rose by a double-digit number for the second straight day Saturday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 359 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 17 Oct 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 359 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 341,854, including 8,524 active cases undergoing treatment.

Other Countries

• COVID-19: Iran Announces Death Toll Passes 30,000; Serbia Begins Tighter Restrictions RFE/RL 17 Oct 2020 -- The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 1.1 million, with more than 39 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
• Mexico's Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses 85,700 SPA 17 Oct 2020 -- Mexico's health ministry on Friday reported 6,751 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 419 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 841,661 cases and 85,704 deaths, according to Reuters.