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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Trump fires U.S. top cybersecurity official over election security statement People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday that Chris Krebs has been terminated as director of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) over the official's recent statement on the security of the 2020 presidential election.
• Trump Fires Security Chief Who Said 2020 Vote Was 'Most Secure' in US History VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- Barely two weeks after the polls closed in an election he is now projected to lose, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to fire the official responsible for spearheading efforts to secure the vote.
• US drops drug case against ex-Mexican defense minister, allows inquiry at home Press TV 18 Nov 2020 -- The United States has decided to drop drug trafficking charges against a Mexican ex-defense minister in US custody, allowing his prosecution in his home country, due to "sensitive" foreign policy considerations.
• Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo's Equateur Province is Over VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- The World Health Organization has officially declared an end to the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo's Equateur Province, nearly six months after the first cases were reported.
• Latest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo is declared over, with lessons for COVID-19 UN News 18 Nov 2020 -- An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus disease in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is over, the government announced on Wednesday, after a five-month response supported by the UN's World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners.
• Extortion, bio-warfare and terrorism: Extremists are exploiting the pandemic, says UN report UN News 18 Nov 2020 -- Criminals and violent extremists are exploiting the pandemic to build their support networks, undermine trust in government and even weaponize the virus, according to a research report published on Wednesday by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).
• Canadian Intelligence Agency Claims China, Russia Pose Greatest State-Sponsored Cyber Threat Sputnik 18 Nov 2020 -- China, Russia, Iran and North Korea pose the greatest cybersecurity threat to Canada, a division of the country's Communications Security Establishment (CSE) intelligence agency said in a Wednesday report.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Vaccines Alone Won't End Pandemic, WHO Official Says VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- The World Health Organization's emergencies program director said Wednesday that vaccines alone would not end the COVID-19 pandemic and would do nothing to stop the current global surge in coronavirus infections.
• Pfizer Says Its Coronavirus Vaccine is 95% Effective VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- The pharmaceutical company Pfizer said Wednesday that its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective and caused no serious side effects as it plans to seek federal approval for the vaccine's emergency use.

United States

• Biden Says Battle Against Coronavirus Needs Commander in Chief VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday declared that the battle against COVID-19 "is like going to war. You need a commander in chief."
• Biden team says transition delay hurts plans on COVID-19 Press TV 18 Nov 2020 -- The members of President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus advisory board have warned that the administration's refusal to allow the transition would hurt their anti-COVID plans in different ways.
• New York City Closes Schools Amid COVID-19 Surge VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- New York City Wednesday ordered schools to close, as the city recorded a seventh-straight day with a COVID-19 positivity rate of over 3%.
• U.S. approves first self-administered COVID-19 test People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Tuesday that it had authorized the country's first COVID-19 diagnostic kit for self-testing at home.
• Los Angeles to tighten pandemic restrictions amid COVID-19 surge People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- Los Angeles County, the most populous county in the United States with a population of over 10 million, will tighten pandemic safeguards and restrictions amid COVID-19 surge, authorities said Tuesday.
• US daily coronavirus-related death toll hits highest level since May SPA 18 Nov 2020 -- The United States has recorded its highest daily coronavirus-related death toll since May, as the pandemic rages across the country and strains health care systems, dpa reported.
• All NYC Schools to Close From Thursday as COVID Infection Rate Soars Sputnik 18 Nov 2020 -- Some 300,000 children in New York City will go back to learning from home, just eight weeks after schools reopened for the first time since the initial peak of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Bill de Blasio denied that teaching unions had dictated the trigger threshold of infection rates.
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Announces Updated COVID-19 Micro-Cluster Focus Zones New York State 18 Nov 2020
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 18 Nov 2020

China

• COVID-19 patients should not donate blood for 6 months after they recover: Chinese health authority Global Times 18 Nov 2020 -- China's National Health Commission has issued new guidelines on blood donation recently, saying people who have contracted COVID-19 should not donate their blood for six months after they recover.
• Chinese-developed COVID19 vaccine CoronaVac heard progress in Turkey seeing more than 600 volunteers injected with no serious adverse reactions Global Times 18 Nov 2020 -- Chinese-developed COVID19 vaccine CoronaVac has made progress in its late-stage clinical trials in Turkey as there have been 1,111vaccinations in 638 volunteers - all healthcare workers - across local 25 medical centers as of November 16, the trials study coordinator Professor Murat Akova of the Infectious Diseases department at Hacettepe University, where the clinical tests were launched on September 17, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
• Couple in NE China's Jilin test positive for COVID-19 again after recovering Global Times 18 Nov 2020 -- A couple in Yanbian of Northeast China's Jilin Province tested positive for COVID-19 again on Monday after recovering and being discharged from a hospital in Shanghai as imported cases from Japan about 18 days ago, according to a Wednesday announcement from Yanbian epidemic control authority.
• Beef packages from Brazil test positive for coronavirus in N. China's Shanxi Global Times 18 Nov 2020 -- Three batches of beef imported from Brazil have been found to carry coronavirus on their inner packaging in Taiyuan, North China's Shanxi Province, local authorities said on Tuesday. The 20 beef products in question were sealed off before they could enter the market.
• Cold-chain imports from India, Russia and Argentina test positive for COVID-19 in one day in China Global Times 18 Nov 2020 -- China reported 5 new cases of coronavirus-contaminated cold-chain imports on Wednesday. Two Indian frozen butterfish packages, one Russian frozen salmon packaging sample, and two Argentina frozen beef samples tested positive for COVID-19.
• China, BRICS partners work on COVID-19 vaccines: Xi People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- Chinese companies are carrying out phase-III clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines with Russian and Brazilian partners, said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.
• Chinese mainland reports 1 new locally transmitted COVID-19 case People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- China's National Health Commission said Wednesday that it received reports of eight newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, including one that was domestically transmitted and seven imported.
• 37 COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals on Chinese mainland People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- The National Health Commission said Wednesday that 37 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland Tuesday.
• Chinese mainland reports 7 new imported COVID-19 cases People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- The Chinese mainland reported seven new imported COVID-19 cases Tuesday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 3,723, the National Health Commission said Wednesday.
• Xinjiang downgrades Shufu County to low-risk COVID-19 area People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- Authorities of Kashgar Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region decided to downgrade Shufu County to a low-risk area for COVID-19 starting from Wednesday, local health authorities said.
• Hong Kong to tighten testing, isolation arrangements for inbound consular, diplomatic officers People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced Tuesday that the testing and isolation arrangements for consular and diplomatic officers who are currently exempted from quarantine upon arriving in Hong Kong will be tightened with effect from Wednesday.
• Chinese mainland reports 1 new locally transmitted COVID-19 case People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- China's National Health Commission said Wednesday that it received reports of eight newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Tuesday, including one that was domestically transmitted and seven imported.

Europe

• UK records highest daily coronavirus-related death toll since May 6 Global Times 18 Nov 2020 -- The coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 598 to 52,745, marking the highest daily number of fatalities since May 6, according to official figures released Tuesday.
• France's Catholics Protest Lockdown Measures VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- In many countries, COVID lockdowns have included bans on gatherings in places of worship. In France, the current restrictions on services at churches have prompted protests from the country's Catholics, and they have been taking to the streets.
• Thousands in Berlin Protest COVID-19 Restrictions VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- Thousands of demonstrators rallied Wednesday in central Berlin to protest the parliamentary vote that would give Chancellor Angela Merkel's government powers to enforce restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
• Germany tallies 833,307 COVID-19 cases People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- Germany's confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 17,561 to 833,307, said the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the federal government agency for disease control and prevention, on Wednesday.

Russia

• Putin advocates more BRICS cooperation to fight pandemic People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- The BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- should step up joint efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
• Russia's Vector Develops Three More COVID-19 Vaccines Apart From EpiVacCorona, Watchdog Says Sputnik 18 Nov 2020 -- Russia's research centre Vector is developing three coronavirus vaccines apart from the one that has been already registered, they are in different phases of trials, the country's consumer rights watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, said on Wednesday.

India

• India's COVID-19 tally reaches 8,912,907 Global Times 18 Nov 2020 -- India's COVID-19 tally reached 8,912,907 on Wednesday as 38,617 new cases were registered across the country in the past 24 hours, said latest data released by the federal health ministry.
• India continues to record more Daily Recoveries than Daily cases for 46th day India PIB 18 Nov 2020 -- India has continued the unbroken trend of the daily new recoveries outpacing the daily new additions for more than 1.5 months. The country also reported less than 50,000 new daily cases for the eleventh continuous day.
• Turning Crisis into Opportunity: Dr. Harsh Vardhan reveals how India's preparation for containing the COVID-19 Pandemic can be repurposed to eradicate TB by 2025 India PIB 18 Nov 2020 -- Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare digitally addressed the 33rdStop TB Partnership Board meet, here today through Video Conference.

Iran

• Iranian government to pay $2.25bn in direct staples subsidies amid virus surge Press TV 18 Nov 2020 -- Iran's Guardian Council, a watchdog supervising legislative procedures in the country, has approved a parliament motion that orders the administrative government of President Hassan Rouhani to pay nearly $2.25 billion in direct subsidies for food and basic goods to people amid a surge in coronavirus cases that has triggered fresh restrictions on economic activity in the country.
• Official: COVID-19 kills 480 more in Iran IRNA 18 Nov 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Wednesday that some 480 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 42,941.
• President hopes lockdown to lead to refreshment of medical personnel IRNA 18 Nov 2020 -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that he hoped that the lockdown on cities categorized as red zones would lead to refreshment of the medical personnel.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 290 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 18 Nov 2020 -- The Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 290 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 354,208 cases, including 6,983 active cases receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 808 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable.

Taiwan

• Taiwan to require masks at most public venues from Dec. 1 CNA 18 Nov 2020 -- Taiwan will mandate the wearing of face masks at eight types of public venues from Dec. 1, with fines of NT$3,000 (US$105.16)-NT$15,000 for non-compliance, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.
• Taiwan records two new imported cases of COVID-19: CECC CNA 18 Nov 2020 -- Taiwan on Wednesday reported two new cases of COVID-19, both imported, bringing the total number in the country to 607 since the outbreak started late last year, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Wednesday.
• Negative COVID-19 tests compulsory for all arrivals next month CNA 18 Nov 2020 -- All people arriving in Taiwan from abroad must present a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding a plane to Taiwan, starting next month, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Wednesday.
• Over 20,000 volunteers sign up for Taiwan COVID-19 vaccine trials CNA 18 Nov 2020 -- More than 20,000 volunteers had signed up with the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) as of Wednesday morning to participate in clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Taiwanese companies, according to the CECC.

North Korea

• Emergency Anti-epidemic Activities Intensified in DPRK KCNA 18 Nov 2020 -- Emergency anti-epidemic units at all levels are taking measures for further tightening the state emergency anti-epidemic system in order to implement the tasks set forth at the 20th Enlarged Meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Other Countries

• Coronavirus Cases in Africa Surpass 2 Million Mark - Reuters Tally SPA 18 Nov 2020 -- Total coronavirus cases in Africa surpassed the 2 million mark today, on Wednesday despite the slow addition of reported infections compared to other regions around the world, Reuters reported.
• Africa's confirmed COVID-19 cases surpass 1.98 mln: Africa CDC People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the African continent has reached 1,986,864, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Tuesday.
• Philippines logs 1,383 new COVID-19 cases, staying below 2,000 for 9 days People's Daily 18 Nov 2020 -- The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines on Wednesday reported 1,383 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number in the country to 412,097.
• Ukraine Faces 'Severe' COVID-19 Winter As Coronavirus-Related Deaths Exceed 10,000 RFE/RL 18 Nov 2020 -- Ukraine has passed a milestone of 10,000 deaths caused by COVID-19 as the country faces what the health minister called a "very severe" winter of coronavirus cases.
• Envoy welcomes restart of Israeli-Palestinian coordination amid COVID-19 rise UN News 18 Nov 2020 -- With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the Middle East following weeks of decline, the top UN official in the region has welcomed the Palestinian Authority's decision to resume coordination with Israel.
• South Australia State Enters Six-week Lockdown as New COVID-19 Cluster Grows VOA 18 Nov 2020 -- A six-day lockdown took effect Wednesday in the South Australian state after a cluster of new COVID-19 cases in the capital, Adelaide, grew to 22 people.