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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• US National Security Officials Investigating Hacker Intrusions VOA 13 Dec 2020 -- U.S. National Security Council officials met Saturday at the White House to discuss reports that a "sophisticated hacking group," believed to be working for Russia, has infiltrated the country's Department of the Treasury and other government agencies and stolen information related to internet and telecommunications policymaking.
• US Treasury Hacked by 'Sophisticated' Foreign Government-backed Actors, Report Says Sputnik 13 Dec 2020 -- The alleged hack attack comes following reports last week that FireEye, a major US cybersecurity firm, had been attacked by a "nation with top-tier offensive capabilities," which was said to have made off with its internal hacking tools.
• Indonesian Police Arrest Militant Leader Associated with al-Qaida VOA 13 Dec 2020 -- Authorities in Indonesia announced on Saturday the arrest of a top leader of the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, an extremist group that has carried out deadly attacks in pursuit of an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia.
• More Than 20 People Wounded In Pakistani Blast RFE/RL Gandhara 13 Dec 2020 -- Pakistani officials say that at least 23 people were wounded in an explosion near a police station in the garrison city of Rawalpindi on December 13.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Global COVID-19 deaths surpass 1.6 mln: Johns Hopkins University People's Daily 13 Dec 2020 -- Global COVID-19 deaths reached 1.6 million on Saturday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

United States

• US Launches Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution VOA 13 Dec 2020 -- Super-cooled shipments of a newly approved coronavirus vaccine rolled out of a Pfizer manufacturing facility in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Sunday for rapid air freight distribution to regional hubs across the United States.
• U.S. states to start getting COVID-19 vaccine Monday: media People's Daily 13 Dec 2020 -- The first shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine will begin arriving in U.S. states Monday, U.S. media quoted an official as saying on Saturday.
• State Officials Announce Latest COVID-19 Facts California Department of Public Health 13 Dec 2020

China

• Beijing reports 3 new imported coronavirus cases Saturday Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- Beijing reported another three imported coronavirus cases on Saturday, with two confirmed cases and one diagnosed as an asymptomatic case of COVID-19.
• District in NE China's Heihe offers reward for info on illegal crossing amid COVID-19 resurgence Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- The Aihui district of Heihe, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province which borders Russia issued a notice offering a reward of up to 50,000 yuan ($7,636) for information on illegal border crossings, amid the epidemic control pressure as multiple cities in the province have seen coronavirus resurgence.
• COVID-19 rebounds in 4 Chinese cities, massive testing rolled out Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- COVID-19 outbreaks with unknown sources of infection are taking place in at least four Chinese cities - Dongning and Suifenhe in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Turpan in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Chengdu in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. To fight the virus, the cities have all rolled out massive nucleic acid testing programs and three have entered quasi-lockdown mode.
• 45 close contacts of confirmed asymptomatic COVID-19 case quarantined after arrival in S.China resort Sanya Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- A South China's tourist city has identified two tourists who recently stayed at a hotel in the city as close contacts to a confirmed asymptomatic COVID-19 case in Northwest China's Shaanxi, the city 's anti-epidemic control command office said.
• Production capacity of COVID-19 vaccine from Sinopharm subsidiary CNBG to reach 1 billion next year Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- China National Biotec Group (CNBG), a subsidiary of Sinopharm, said Saturday that it expects the production capacity of its COVID-19 vaccine to reach 1 billion doses next year. It has carried out phase III clinical trials in 10 countries and regions worldwide, with 60,000 subjects included in the testing, Beijing Daily reported.
• Manzhouli to implement cold-chain food purchase restrictions Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- Group purchases of cold-chain food in Manzhouli, North China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, must be reported for further investigation, and local citizens are advised to avoid purchasing cold-chain food online, according to a post from the official WeChat account of the Manzhouli government on Sunday.
• Hong Kong to receive COVID-19 vaccines in January: SAR government Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong SAR Cheung Kin-chung said in an official government blog on Sunday that the first batch of vaccines for COVID-19 will arrive in Hong Kong next month.
• China's dry ice equipment sector in full swing to meet US COVID-19 vaccine transport needs Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- As US President Donald Trump hailed the launch of COVID-19 vaccines, dry ice and its machine suppliers in China are working in full swing to respond to soaring demand for the cold chain, in which ice dry plays an indispensable part, with some companies' export orders to the US jumping by an unprecedented 10 to 20 times year-on-year.
• Beijing reports 2 new imported COVID-19 cases People's Daily 13 Dec 2020 -- One imported asymptomatic COVID-19 case and two confirmed cases were newly reported in Beijing on Saturday, the municipal health commission said on Sunday.
• Beijing sees rise in people receiving flu shots this year People's Daily 13 Dec 2020 -- Beijing has seen a major rise in people receiving the flu vaccine this year, according to a Saturday press briefing on epidemic prevention and control.
• Authorities race to stop latest COVID-19 cases People's Daily 13 Dec 2020 -- Pidu district, Chengdu, Sichuan province, has begun free nucleic acid testing for all its residents after 10 confirmed COVID-19 cases and two asymptomatic cases were detected in the district, home to more than 800,000.
• Chinese mainland reports 19 new imported COVID-19 cases People's Daily 13 Dec 2020 -- The Chinese mainland reported 19 new imported COVID-19 cases Saturday, with its total number of imported cases reaching 4,021.
• Chinese mainland reports 5 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 13 Dec 2020 -- China's National Health Commission said Sunday that it received reports of 24 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on the Chinese mainland Saturday, including five domestically transmitted cases and 19 imported ones.
• 11 COVID-19 patients newly discharged from hospitals on Chinese mainland People's Daily 13 Dec 2020 -- A total of 11 COVID-19 patients were newly discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland Saturday, the National Health Commission said in a daily report Sunday.

Europe

• Europe Goes into Reverse and Slams on Christmas Brakes VOA 13 Dec 2020 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ordered a Christmas lockdown amid an alarming rise in coronavirus cases in the country.
• Germany enters partial lockdown to curb 'exponential growth' of virus Press TV 13 Dec 2020 -- Germany has announced plans to go into a partial lockdown from Wednesday, as Europe's largest economy battles a surge in coronavirus infections.
• Germany to Introduce Stricter Lockdown Measures Ahead of Christmas Season Sputnik 13 Dec 2020 -- The country has been in partial lockdown for six weeks, with bars and restaurants closed, while stores and schools have remained open. While the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, some regions have imposed tougher measures to curb the infection.
• In The Balkans' Most Divided Country, COVID Vaccine Cuts Both Ways RFE/RL 13 Dec 2020 -- From its rotating, three-member presidency based on ethnicity to the parallel executive and legislative councils that alternately coax it forward and impede it, Bosnia-Herzegovina is a deeply divided country.

Russia

• Russia Detects Its COVID-19 Patient Zero, Health Chief Says Sputnik 13 Dec 2020 -- The COVID-19 patient zero, who launched the infection dissemination in Russia, has been detected, he emerged on March 1, and by March 17, Russia already registered 100 cases, Russian public health chief Anna Popova said on Sunday.

India

• India's Active Caseload further retracts to 3.62% of Total Cases India PIB 13 Dec 2020 -- Steadily following the trend set over the past few weeks, India's active caseload has fallen to 3.62% of the total active cases.

Iran

• Iran to provide safest COVID-19 vaccine: Health Minister IRNA 13 Dec 2020 -- Iran's Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki said on Sunday that the Iranian government will provide the safest coronavirus vaccine for the Iranian people.
• Some 247 more Iranians die from COVID-19: official IRNA 13 Dec 2020 -- Some 247Iranians died from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 52,196, Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry Spokesman: 139 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 13 Dec 2020 -- Assistant Minister of Health and Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Mohammed Al-Abdulaali affirmed that the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) carries out very strict and precise procedures to ensure the strength of studies and all aspects related to the safety and effectiveness of vaccines before they are allowed, pointing out that the steps taken by the Kingdom in approving the Coronavirus vaccine are the steps followed by the authority which is one of the most important bodies at the global level.
• Saudi Press: Registration Mechanism of Taking COVID-19 Vaccine to be Announced Soon, Health Ministry SPA 13 Dec 2020 -- Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a number of issues at local, regional and international arenas.

Taiwan

• Taiwan adds three new imported COVID-19 cases, all from Indonesia CNA 13 Dec 2020 -- Taiwan confirmed three new imported cases of COVID-19 infections on Sunday, all from Indonesia, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 736, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

North Korea

• Emergency Anti-epidemic Work Further Intensified in DPRK KCNA 13 Dec 2020 -- All sectors and units are further intensifying the emergency anti-epidemic work, keeping the utmost vigilance.

Bahrain

• More countries to dispense pilotical bias as UAE, Bahrain approve Chinese vaccines Global Times 13 Dec 2020 -- Following the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain is the second country to approve a Chinese vaccine for COVID-19, announcing on Sunday that it has approved a vaccine developed by the China National Biotec Group (CNBG) under the China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).
• Bahrain's National Health Regulatory Authority approves Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine SPA 13 Dec 2020 -- The National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) of Bahrain today announced it has officially approved the registration of Sinopharm's COVID-19 vaccine after the submission of all related documentation by G42 Healthcare, the company's exclusive distributor in the Middle East and North Africa, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.

Mexico

• Mexico Reports 12,057 New Coronavirus Cases, 685 More Deaths SPA 13 Dec 2020 -- Mexico's health ministry on Saturday reported 12,057 new confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and 685 additional fatalities, bringing the total in the country to 1,241,436 cases and 113,704 deaths, Reuters reported.
• Mexico City Cuts Shopping Hours in Center to Combat Coronavirus SPA 13 Dec 2020 -- Mexico City's government today, on Saturday said shops in the center of the capital and other busy areas would temporarily have to close at 5 p.m. to reduce the risk of coronavirus infection as authorities battle a surge in cases, according to Reuters.

Other Countries

• Afghanistan Battered by COVID, Conflict, Climate Change VOA 13 Dec 2020 -- The United Nations is calling for increased support for Afghanistan in response to increasing humanitarian needs due to COVID-19, conflict and climate change.
• Nations Breaking Daily COVID-19 Records for Cases and Deaths VOA 13 Dec 2020 -- As more countries approve a coronavirus vaccine, the urgent need for inoculation continues to grow with COVID-19 cases and deaths spiking to record highs in several countries.
• Brazil's Bolsonaro Branded as 'Homicidally Negligent' Over COVID-19 Vaccine Planning, Reports Say Sputnik 13 Dec 2020 -- Jair Bolsonaro has reportedly been accused of ignoring the experimental Chinese COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac for what many suspect are political reasons.