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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• China Calls Canadian Intel Report Alleging Cyber Threat From Beijing, Moscow 'Absurd' Sputnik 19 Nov 2020 -- China has condemned a report by Canadian intelligence naming Beijing and Moscow as cybersecurity threats and claiming that state-sponsored actors are invested in developing cyber tools to disrupt the nation's electricity grid, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Thursday.
• New UK National Cyber Force to Combine Assets From Multiple Agencies, Ministry of Defence Says Sputnik 19 Nov 2020 -- The United Kingdom's proposed new National Cyber Force (NCF) will bring together assets and personnel from multiple intelligence agencies, including MI6, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, the Ministry of Defence said in a press release on Thursday.
• Mexican Government Threatened to Expel US Agents Over Arrest of Ex-Defence Chief - Reports Sputnik 19 Nov 2020 -- The reason the United States dropped charges against Mexico's former defence secretary is because the country's government threatened to expel US federal drug enforcement agents, The New York Times reported.
• Pakistani Militant Leader Convicted Of Terror-Financing Charges RFE/RL Gandhara 19 Nov 2020 -- A Pakistani court has sentenced the alleged mastermind of the deadly 2008 attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai to 5 1/2 years in prison on terrorism-financing charges.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Mink-Related COVID-19 Mutations Detected in 9 More Countries Sputnik 19 Nov 2020 -- On Wednesday, Danish Minister for Food and Agriculture Mogens Jensen resigned as the government declared the culling of all farmed mink across the country illegal since it had only been allowed in affected areas. Meanwhile a number of media outlets reported that at least a dozen people had been diagnosed with something called "mink coronavirus".
• Future of an entire generation at risk, as COVID-19 pandemic drags on UN News 19 Nov 2020 -- While symptoms among children infected with COVID-19 mostly remain mild, infections are rising and the longer-term impact on the education, nutrition and well-being of an entire generation of young people can be life-altering, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
• Remdesivir no COVID-19 silver bullet, says UN health agency UN News 19 Nov 2020 -- An advisory body of the UN health agency is not recommending the use of the high-profile antiviral drug Remdesivir for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, saying on Thursday there is insufficient evidence that it improves survival outcomes or cuts down on the need for patients to be put onto ventilators.
• Third Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promising Results VOA 19 Nov 2020 -- Thursday brought further good news from the global effort to produce a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

United States

• Nevada Guard continues to fight COVID during surge of cases Army News 19 Nov 2020 -- Over 50 Guardsmen joined with the Clark County Fire Department mobile surge command to help Las Vegas during this uptick in coronavirus cases. According to staff reports, over 1,900 people were screened on the first day of operations at newly opened Texas Hotel and Casino.
• Statement by Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Jonathan Rath Hoffman on Lithuanian Defence Minister Visit and Subsequent COVID Diagnoses DoD 19 Nov 2020 -- The department was made aware by the Lithuanian Embassy today that Lithuanian Minister of Defence Raimundas Karoblis has tested positive for COVID-19.
• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Announces Updated COVID-19 Micro-Cluster Focus Zones New York State 19 Nov 2020
• Press Briefing by Vice President Pence and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force | November 19, 2020 The White House 19 Nov 2020
• US Surpasses 250,000 Coronavirus Deaths as New Cases Rise Sharply VOA 19 Nov 2020 -- The United States has surpassed 250,000 coronavirus deaths as new cases surge in many parts of the country.
• North Carolina Guard continues COVID-19 response efforts Army News 19 Nov 2020 -- For some Americans, life is slowly getting back to normal with more people returning to work and school across the country.
• DOD Awards $12.38 Million Contract to Siemens Healthineers to Increase Domestic Production Capacity of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Tests DoD 19 Nov 2020 -- On Nov. 19, 2020, the Department of Defense (DoD), in coordination with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a $12.38 million contract to Siemens Healthineers to expand U.S. based industrial production capacity of its SARS-CoV-2 antigen test, run on the ADVIA Centaur® and Atellica® testing platforms.
• NYC schools to close as COVID-19 test positivity rate reaches 3 pct: mayor Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- New York City has reached the threshold of 3 percent COVID-19 test positivity rate on 7-day average, which "means public school buildings will be closed as of tomorrow," tweeted Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday.
• US coronavirus deaths surpass 250,000 as New York closes schools Press TV 19 Nov 2020 -- The United States has surpassed yet another grime milestone in the coronavirus fatalities, with more than 250,000 deaths, at the beginning of a cold winter, which is expected to bring new COVID-19 challenges for the nation.
• CDC Warns Against Travel For Thanksgiving as Coronavirus Cases Projected to Rise Sputnik 19 Nov 2020 -- The CDC has that "newly reported COVID-19 deaths will likely increase over the next four weeks" with 7,300 to 16,000 new deaths predicted for the week ending December 12, 2020. In return, the body is urging US citizens to avoid travel during the holiday period.
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 19 Nov 2020

China

• Nearly 1 million receive vaccine developed by Sinopharm Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- Chinese vaccine makers said that China's full-throttled development of COVID-19 vaccines remains in the lead among a roster of effective vaccines, although some Western media and politicians have questioned China for delays in releasing late-stage trial data after US drug makers Pfizer and Moderna's successes. The fact is, however, at least three out of five types of Chinese vaccines against the coronavirus have entered final stage trials, with the latest beginning phase-III trials in central China's Hunan Province on Thursday.
• What potential risks lay ahead for China's COVID-19 vaccine export? Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- Brazil's sudden suspension of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine trials on November 9 raised concerns about obstacles China faces in exporting its vaccines. Although clinical trials of the vaccine soon resumed in Brazil, political wrangling behind multi-layered stakeholders and commercial interests in host countries pose increasing potential risks to Chinese vaccines' distribution abroad.
• Chinese vaccines also very effective: China's CDC director Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- China's vaccines for COVID-19 are also very effective, Gao Fu, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in an online seminar on Thursday.
• Hong Kong loosens COVID-19 lockdown, exempts some returnees from 14-day quarantine Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- Hong Kong started to loosen the COVID-19 lockdown for its citizens on Wednesday, months after the city began requiring all inbound people to undergo a 14-day quarantine in mid-March.
• Wuhan confirms coronavirus detected on Brazil-imported frozen beef Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- The city of Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, detected on Wednesday the coronavirus on a package of frozen beef from Brazil which had been imported through a port in Tianjin, and had been distributed in the local market. No other positive tests for the virus have been reported.
• China to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Africa to support virus control: FM Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- China supports the establishment of a free trade zone in Africa and will actively consider providing COVID-19 vaccines to African countries in need after the vaccine is developed and put into use, Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday, in response to a call by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for support from the international community.
• Chinese mainland reports no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- The Chinese mainland on Wednesday reported no new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said Thursday.
• China's Xinjiang reports no new COVID-19 cases for 11 days People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- No new confirmed COVID-19 cases or asymptomatic cases were reported in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Wednesday, the regional health commission said Thursday.
• Wuhan finds COVID-19 on imported beef packaging People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- Authorities in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, found that an imported frozen beef packaging sample tested positive for COVID-19, local health authorities said Wednesday.
• Tianjin reports one new asymptomatic COVID-19 case People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- North China's Tianjin Municipality reported one new asymptomatic COVID-19 case on Wednesday, local health authorities said.

Europe

• France's COVID-19 cases top 2 mln, epidemic indicators improving Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- France on Tuesday became the first European country to record over two millions of confirmed COVID-19 cases, although epidemic indicators were gradually improving, said Health General Director Jerome Salomon.
• France's COVID-19-related deaths and cases decreasing People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- France on Wednesday reported 425 COVID-19-related deaths, compared to Tuesday's 437, pushing up the country's death toll caused by the coronavirus to 46,698, according to the country's health authorities.
• Germany's daily COVID-19 count continues rising People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- Germany registered 17,561 new COVID-19 infections in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 833,307, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Wednesday.
• Germany still has too many new COVID-19 infections, health official says SPA 19 Nov 2020 -- The number of new COVID-19 infections in Germany is still much too high and is causing a serious pandemic situation, the head of the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases (RKI), Lothar Wieler, said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
• German Health Official Says Coronavirus Restrictions Are Working VOA 19 Nov 2020 -- The head of Germany's disease control agency said Thursday that while the coronavirus infection rate in the country remains serious, there are signs a partial lockdown is working.

Russia

• 'The Lying Is The Most Upsetting': Medical Care In Russian North Buckles Under COVID Surge RFE/RL 19 Nov 2020 -- On November 1, an ambulance picked up Aleksei Krasheninin, who was experiencing COVID-19-like symptoms, including fever and difficulty breathing.
• Russian Health Minister Calls For Further Curbs As COVID-19 Cases Top 2 Million RFE/RL 19 Nov 2020 -- The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Russia has surpassed 2 million as the number of daily deaths and infections hit new highs, prompting the country's health minister to urge regional leaders to take further steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

India

• Delhi Battles Twin Health Emergencies, Pandemic and Pollution VOA 19 Nov 2020 -- COVID-19 cases are surging to record highs in India's capital, New Delhi, even as they drop sharply in the rest of the country.
• Daily trend of Recoveries outpacing New Cases ensures continuous shedding of Active Caseload India PIB 19 Nov 2020 -- In the last 24 hours, 45,576 persons were found to be infected with COVID in India. During the same period, India has registered 48,493 new recoveries ensuring a net reduction of 2917 cases from the Active Caseload.
• Centre rushes High Level Central teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur India PIB 19 Nov 2020 -- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has deputed high level Central teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur. With the surge in the daily new cases and the spike in the daily fatalities in UT of Delhi, the spillover effect is being observed in the NCR regions within the states of Haryana and Rajasthan where the number of COVID positive patients is on the rise.

Iran

• Official: 476 more Iranians die from COVID-19 over past 24 hours IRNA 19 Nov 2020 -- Some 476 people in Iran have died as a result of the coronavirus disease over the past 24 hours, Iranian Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Thursday.

Japan

• Tokyo raises virus alert to highest as daily COVID-19 cases set record People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- The Japanese capital of Tokyo reported 534 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, renewing a record number of daily infections and exceeding the 500-mark for the first time, as the local government raised its virus alert by one notch to the highest level.
• Japan's daily COVID-19 cases top 2,000 for first time People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- Japan on Wednesday recorded 2,189 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, renewing a record number of daily infections and exceeding the 2,000-mark for the first time, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 319 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 19 Nov 2020 -- The Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 319 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 354,527 cases, including 6,842 active cases receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 796 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable.

Taiwan

• Taiwan to allow self-paid COVID-19 test for arriving passengers CNA 19 Nov 2020 -- All passengers arriving in Taiwan who are unable to provide a report of a negative COVID-19 test result within three days prior to boarding a plane as requested, will be allowed to pay for a test upon arrival, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said on Thursday.
• Two new imported cases of COVID-19 recorded in Taiwan CNA 19 Nov 2020 -- Taiwan reported two new imported cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number in the country to 609 since the pandemic began late last year, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said.

North Korea

• Newspapers on Importance of Emergency Anti-epidemic Campaign KCNA 19 Nov 2020 -- Leading newspapers of the DPRK on Thursday recall that the 20th Enlarged Meeting of the Political Bureau of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea made a decision to further reinforce the state emergency anti-epidemic system to cope with the ever-worsening global health crisis after discussing the issue in depth.

Other Countries

• Surge in Africa COVID-19 Cases Due to Large Gatherings, WHO Says VOA 19 Nov 2020 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) says the continent of Africa surged past two million total COVID-19 cases this week because of large family gatherings, workplace interactions, and gatherings related to elections occurring in several countries.
• Africa on alert of 2nd wave as COVID-19 cases top 2 million People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- African countries are on high alert of a second wave of COVID-19 outbreak as the number of confirmed cases in the continent hit 2 million on Thursday.
• Argentina working on mass COVID-19 vaccination scheme, says president Global Times 19 Nov 2020 -- Argentine President Alberto Fernandez on Wednesday said his government is devising a mass vaccination scheme against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) to be launched by the end of 2020 or first weeks of 2021.
• New Zealand confirms to purchase 5 mln COVID-19 vaccines People's Daily 19 Nov 2020 -- The New Zealand government has confirmed an in-principle agreement to purchase up to 5 million COVID-19 vaccines from Janssen Pharmaceuticals after clinical trials and regulatory approval.