• Military
• WMD
• Intelligence

• Security Menu                     

• Systems
• Industry
• Operations
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Space

Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Mexico Takes a Step Toward Legalizing Marijuana VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- Mexico is a step closer to becoming one of the world's largest legal marijuana markets.
• Defense Official Calls Cyber Resilience Critical to Protecting Systems, Continuing the Mission DoD News 20 Nov 2020 -- While the U.S., allies and partners are working diligently to defend against malicious and destabilizing activities in cyberspace, those defenses may not be robust enough and adversaries are taking advantage of that, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy said on Thursday.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Weekly Update WHO 20 Nov 2020
• UN chief to press G20 for greater solidarity and support during pandemic UN News 20 Nov 2020 -- When he addresses leaders of the world's richest countries at the G20 summit on Saturday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will deliver a simple message on the COVID-19 pandemic: "We need solidarity and cooperation. And we need concrete action now — especially for the most vulnerable."
• COVID cases surge amid growing threat from antimicrobial resistance – WHO chief UN News 20 Nov 2020 -- More cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the past four weeks than in the first six months of the pandemic, the UN health agency chief told journalists on Friday as he launched a new report on the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance.
• WHO: More COVID Cases in Past Month Than in First 6 Months of Pandemic VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- The head of the World Health Organization said Friday that more COVID-19 cases had been reported worldwide in the past four weeks than in the first six months of the pandemic.
• Partners Pfizer, BioNTech Seek Emergency Vaccine Authorization From FDA VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- Pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, said Friday they have filed for emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use their COVID-19 vaccine, saying they are poised to begin distribution within hours after authorization.
• WHO warns against remdesivir for COVID-19 treatment People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- The antiviral drug remdesivir should not be used to treat COVID-19 patients no matter how ill they are as there is no evidence it works, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
• WHO Advises Against Use of Remdesivir on COVID Patients VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- The World Health Organization says the antiviral drug remdesivir is not beneficial and should not be used in treating patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

United States

• Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Announces New Record-High Number of Covid-19 Tests Reported to New York State New York State 20 Nov 2020
• Statement by Department of Defense on Increased Restrictions for the Pentagon Reservation DoD 20 Nov 2020 -- DOD Chief Management Officer Lisa Hershman has approved additional restrictions for the Pentagon Reservation, which will move the Pentagon Reservation to Health Protection Condition Bravo-Plus effective 5 a.m. EST, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020.
• This Week in Operation Warp Speed - Nov. 20, 2020 DoD 20 Nov 2020
• DOD Awards $11.6 Million to Puritan Medical Products Company, LLC to Increase Domestic Production of Swabs for Cue Health's Point of Care Tests DoD 20 Nov 2020 -- On Nov. 19, 2020, the Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a contract action with a not-to-exceed value of $11.6 million to Puritan Medical Products Company, LLC, to expand industrial production capacity of Cue's sample wand nasal swabs.
• US Undersecretary of Defense Tests Positive for COVID-19 as Pandemic Continues to Surge VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- The Pentagon has confirmed that acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Anthony Tata has COVID-19.
• Pentagon Says Testing Personnel Who Had Contact With COVID-Infected Lithuanian Minister Sputnik 20 Nov 2020 -- The US Department of Defence (DoD) says it is testing staff members, who had contacts with the Lithuanian delegation headed by Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis as the latter tested positive for COVID-19.
• Pentagon Imposes New COVID-19 Restrictions to Contain Outbreak, Reports Say Sputnik 20 Nov 2020 -- The US Defense Department will impose new COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions at the Pentagon in an effort to slow the outbreak among senior officials, Politico reported on Friday, citing an official.
• High mortality rate among severe COVID-19 cases an alert for US: Chinese experts Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- The mortality rate among patients critically ill with COVID-19 in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province reached around 40 percent, respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said at a biological products conference on Friday.
• Americans urged to stay home for Thanksgiving amid COVID-19 surge People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- U.S. authorities have advised Americans not to travel for Thanksgiving next week as the country's COVID-19 cases are surging, warning travel may increase chances of getting and spreading the virus.
• No shutdowns in U.S. Texas as COVID-19 cases surge: governor People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- As the U.S. state of Texas is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, Governor Greg Abbott said Thursday that there will not be a new economic shutdown soon.
• NYC COVID-19 infection rate reaches 3.01 pct: mayor People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- The COVID-19 infection rate in New York City reached 3.01 percent, up from 3.00 percent one day earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted on Thursday.
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 20 Nov 2020

China

• Tianjin announces high risk level for community with four local COVID-19 cases Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- North China's Tianjin has raised a residential community to "high risk level" for contracting COVID-19, after four local residents tested positive for the virus.
• Chinese troops get COVID-19 vaccine Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- Many Chinese military personnel, including peacekeeping personnel, have received a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Tianjin-based CanSino Biologics, and none of them got infected after vaccination, Yu Xuefeng, CanSino chairman and CEO, told a forum on Friday.
• Binhai New Area in Tianjin enters 'war time' mode after COVID-19 cases found Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- Binhai New Area in North China's Tianjin announced on Friday it would enter "war time" mode and activate its emergency response mechanism to combat COVID-19, after four confirmed cases were reported in a local community, and positive environment samples were found at a kindergarten in the area.
• Shanghai reports 2 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- Shanghai reported two local confirmed cases of COVID-19 in its Pudong New Area on Friday, according to local health authorities.
• Epidemiological investigations on Tianjin suggest Wuhan COVID-19 outbreak may have come from abroad Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- The latest batch of confirmed and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases in North China's Tianjin Municipality, among which the earliest reported ones had been proven to be connected with exposure to imported cold-chain food, suggests that the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan may have come from overseas, virologists and public health specialists told the Global Times on Friday.
• Hong Kong will implement compulsory COVID19 testing among certain groups as situation worsens Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- Hong Kong will implement mandatory COVID-19 testing among certain groups of people, including those with symptoms, nursing home employees and taxi drivers, as the pandemic worsens rapidly, Chan Siu-chee, director of Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau said at a press conference Friday.
• One more Chinese COVID-19 vaccine enters late-stage human trials People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- Chinese vaccine maker Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has commenced phase-3 clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine, planning to recruit 29,000 volunteers across the world.

Europe

• Italy plans to vaccinate 1.7 mln people by end-January Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- Some 1.7 million Italians will get vaccinated against coronavirus by the end of January 2021, the country's Extraordinary Commissioner for the COVID-19 Emergency Domenico Arcuri said at a press conference here on Thursday.
• Germany's COVID-19 cases rise by 23,648 to 879,564 People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- Germany's COVID-19 cases rose by 23,648 to 879,564, said the federal government agency for disease control and prevention Friday.
• Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Dies Of COVID-19 RFE/RL 20 Nov 2020 -- The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church has died after being infected with the coronavirus, President Aleksandar Vucic said on November 20.
• New Coronavirus Cases in France Stable, Hospitalisations Drop SPA 20 Nov 2020 -- The number of new coronavirus infections in France rose by 22,882 to 2.11 million today, on Friday, slightly higher than the 21,140 reported on Thursday, while hospital numbers eased again, according to Reuters tally.
• UK Getting Ready to Roll Out Dual COVID-19, Flu Vaccination Program, Health Minister Says Sputnik 20 Nov 2020 -- The UK health minister, Matt Hancock, said on Friday that the National Health Service was getting ready to deliver a COVID-19 vaccination program in parallel with the flu inoculation within weeks, after the encouraging news from the developers of the Oxford and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine candidates.

Russia

• Russian COVID-19 cases top 2 mln People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- Russia added a record number of 23,610 coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 2,015,608, the country's COVID-19 response center said Thursday.
• Leader Of Orthodox Christians In Russia's Tatarstan Dies Of Coronavirus RFE/RL 20 Nov 2020 -- The leader of Orthodox Christians in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan, Metropolitan Feofan of Kazan and Tatarstan, has died of complications caused by the coronavirus.
• Phase 3 Trial of Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Shows High Effectiveness, Healthcare Official Says Sputnik 20 Nov 2020 -- Phase 3 of the clinical trial of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine has shown that it is highly effective, the head of the Health Ministry's department for medical help to children, Elena Baibarina, said Friday.

India

• India's COVID-19 tally surpasses 9 million Global Times 20 Nov 2020 -- India's COVID-19 tally surpassed 9 million on Friday, said the federal health ministry.
• Centre rushes High Level Teams to 4 States; contemplating for others too India PIB 20 Nov 2020 -- The Union Government has rushed four high level teams to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Manipur.
• India's COVID-19 tally reaches 8,958,483, Japan reports record-high daily cases People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread in Asia-Pacific countries as India's COVID-19 tally reached 8,958,483 on Thursday, while Japan reported its record-high daily cases as Tokyo raised the virus alert.

Iran

• Iran Tightens Restrictions Amid Sharp Rise In COVID-19 Cases, Deaths RFE/RL 20 Nov 2020 -- The Iranian government is to impose tougher restrictions nationwide from November 21 as the country hardest hit in the Middle East by the coronavirus battles a new wave of infections.
• COVID-19 kills 479 more people in Iran: Official IRNA 20 Nov 2020 -- Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Friday that some 479 more Iranians have died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours.

Japan

• Japan reports record-high daily COVID-19 cases as Tokyo raises virus alert People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- Japan reported 2,208 new daily COVID-19 cases on Thursday, renewing a record number of daily infections for a second consecutive day, according to the latest figures from the health ministry and local authorities.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 286 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, 448 Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 20 Nov 2020 -- The Ministry of Health announced in a statement here today that 286 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 354,813, including 6,664 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• Taiwan could buy Oxford COVID-19 vaccine: CECC CNA 20 Nov 2020 -- Taiwan could buy the COVID-19 vaccine Oxford University is developing with British drugmaker AstraZeneca, a second vaccine showing promising results that the nation will be able to acquire through the COVAX allocation platform, a Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) official said Friday.

Other Countries

• US, India, Brazil Top COVID Infections List VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- The U.S. continues to top the list of countries with the most COVID-19 infections. The U.S. has 11.7 million cases, followed by India with 9 million infections and Brazil with nearly 6 million cases.
• Mexico becomes 4th country to reach 100,000 COVID-19 deaths People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- Mexico said Thursday its COVID-19 death toll had exceeded 100,000, becoming the world's fourth country to reach the grim milestone after the United States, Brazil and India.
• Bangladesh's COVID-19 cases rise to 441,159, death toll to 6,305 People's Daily 20 Nov 2020 -- Bangladesh reported 2,364 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 30 more deaths on Thursday, making the tally at 441,159 with 6,305 deaths, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.
• Canada's Trudeau Urges Residents to Stay Home as COVID Cases Spike VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday urged Canadians to stay home, avoid contact with others and follow public health rules to help slow the spread of COVID-19, after health officials warned of a possible explosive surge in virus cases.
• South Australia Pizza Worker's Lie Triggers Statewide Lockdown VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- South Australia's premier told reporters Friday that the decision to put the state into a six-day lockdown was triggered by a "lie" to contact tracers from one individual.
• Sudan Considers Total Lockdown With More COVID Cases VOA 20 Nov 2020 -- Sudanese health authorities say a total lockdown is not out of the question after a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases across the country over the past four weeks.
• Myanmar Urges Citizens to Limit Movements Amid Coronavirus Surge Radio Free Asia 20 Nov 2020 -- Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and national health officials are urging people to limit trips outside their homes amid a surge in coronavirus infections in the developing Southeast Asian country, where large crowds defied COVID-19 restrictions by holding public gatherings to celebrate her party's victory following Nov. 8 general elections.