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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• 1,000 Virginia National Guard members remain on duty in DC Army News 25 Jan 2021 -- Approximately 1,000 Virginia National Guard members are among more than 7,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from dozens of states remaining in Washington following the presidential inauguration to support local and federal authorities.
• Army and National Guard Leaders Host Briefing on Status of Guard Support to Washington D.C. DoD 25 Jan 2021 -- Acting Army Secretary John E. Whitley; Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief, National Guard Bureau; Army Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, Commanding General, District Of Columbia National Guard
• Army Leaders Provide Update of Guard Activities in Washington DoD News 25 Jan 2021 -- The National Guard will be a force of last resort. Law enforcement will take the lead and be the force of choice should it be necessary, Acting Army Secretary John E. Whitely, said referring to keeping the peace and allowing for peaceful protests in Washington, D.C.
• South Korea Culled Nearly 22Mln Farm Birds in 2 Months Due to Bird Flu, Reports Suggest Sputnik 25 Jan 2021 -- Outbreaks of avian influenza at poultry farms across South Korea have prompted the culling of 21.7 million birds since late November, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Monday, citing the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
• Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Provide Material Support to ISIS US Dept. of Justice 25 Jan 2021 -- In San Antonio today, 22-year-old Cost resident Jaylyn Christopher Molina, aka Abdur Rahim, admitted to conspiring to provide material support to the designated foreign terrorist organization Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham/Syria (ISIS), announced Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas Gregg N. Sofer and FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio Division Christopher Combs.
• Alleged Leaders of Gangster Disciples Indicted on Federal Racketeering Charges US Dept. of Justice 25 Jan 2021 -- Seven alleged members of the violent Gangster Disciples gang, including top national and state leaders, are in custody after multiple arrests this morning for their alleged participation in a years-long interstate racketeering conspiracy involving multiple murders, drug trafficking, and other crimes.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Moderna Says Its Vaccine Is Effective Against COVID-19 Variants VOA 25 Jan 2021 -- U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna said Monday its COVID-19 vaccine appears to produce virus-neutralizing antibodies against new variants of the coronavirus found in Britain and South Africa.
• Amidst surging COVID numbers, WHO chief urges: 'take heart and take action' UN News 25 Jan 2021 -- The sheer scale of the numbers involved in the COVID-19 pandemic can "make us numb to what they represent", the UN health agency chief said on Monday, reminding journalists in his latest briefing, that each one stands for "a person, a story". As of late Monday, confirmed cases were nearing 99 million, and yet another grim milestone as 100 million cases looms.
• New COVID-19 strains 'poised to unleash' more severe infections – Security Council hears UN News 25 Jan 2021 -- Since September, the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened, infecting close to 100 million people, costing more than $3 trillion in lost wages and intensifying obstacles for peace and security around the world, the UN political chief told the Security Council on Monday.
• COVID's led to 'massive' income and productivity losses, UN labour estimates show UN News 25 Jan 2021 -- Job losses or reduced working hours due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic cost the world the equivalent of 255 million jobs in 2020, the UN International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Monday, noting that the "massive impact" was nearly four times the number lost during the 2009 global financial crisis.
• UN Chief: COVID Vaccine Must Quickly Reach Rich and Poor Nations VOA 25 Jan 2021 -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday for massive and speedy COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in both developed and developing countries, urging rich nations to make their excess doses available to poorer ones.
• WHO Cites Two Studies Showing Economic Impact of Equitable Access to COVID-19 Vaccines VOA 25 Jan 2021 -- The World Health Organization on Monday said two new studies illustrate how it makes economic sense to provide equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.

United States

• Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Non-Immigrants of Certain Additional Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting Coronavirus Disease The White House 25 Jan 2021
• U.S. still in brutal battle against COVID-19 with infections top 25 mln People's Daily 25 Jan 2021 -- A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States is still fighting a brutal battle against the virus as its total number of infections topped 25 million on Sunday.
• US surpasses 25 million COVID-19 cases as Biden set to reinstate travel ban Press TV 25 Jan 2021 -- The number of coronavirus cases in the United States has surpassed 25 million just days after new President Joe Biden assumed office.
• US to Track COVID-19 Variants, Study Whether Vaccines Remain Effective VOA 25 Jan 2021 -- The U.S. is increasing efforts to track the several coronavirus variants emerging as the virus continues to spread throughout the world, a health official said Sunday.
• Nebraska National Guard assists with COVID-19 vaccinations Army News 25 Jan 2021 -- The Nebraska National Guard is vaccinating eligible residents in support of the Department of Health and Human Services' statewide response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Michigan expands its COVID-19 response Army News 25 Jan 2021 -- The Michigan National Guard (MING) is deploying almost 300 additional members to expand its COVID-19 response force for vaccination and testing efforts across the state.

China

• A few discharged COVID-19 patients test positive again in Shanghai Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- A few people in Shanghai tested positive for COVID-19 again after being discharged from hospitals, the local health authority said on Monday.
• Chinese regulators make vaccine reviews devoid of political, public pressure: top advisor Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- Chinese authorities responsible for drugs approval made review of Chinese vaccine candidates through careful assessments and devoid of political, public pressure, a top Chinese disease control and prevention expert told the Global Times, revealing the rare insight of the process of vaccine approval.
• Chinese vaccines effective for mutations, could be redesigned in 2 months: top advisor Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- Chinese inactivated vaccines are effective for all coronavirus mutants spread to China from overseas in recent outbreaks, according to lab tests conducted by Chinese scientists, Shao Yiming, a leading expert advising on China's vaccine research and development, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview, noting that China is prepared for wider mutations and is able to redesign an inactivated vaccine against the mutants in as quickly as two months.
• BioNTech vaccine given emergency use authorization in HK; first 1 mln doses to be delivered in Feb Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- The COVID-19 mRNA vaccine developed by BioNTech was approved for emergency use in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Monday.
• Nine samples from food company in Heilongjiang test positive for COVID-19 Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- Local authorities in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province said Monday they had found coronavirus on the outer packaging of nine products of a local meat-processing company co-established by the Thai conglomerate CP Group, after the firm reported dozens of confirmed cases and asymptomatic infections last week. Relevant products have been removed from the shelves, according to media reports.
• Beijing mulls local legislation on infectious diseases amid COVID-19 outbreak Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- Beijing's legislature is mulling local legislation on infectious diseases prevention and treatment, and legislators in the Chinese capital have voted to pass 10 health related laws since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020.
• Chinese FM rejects idea of China-India vaccine competition, calls for joint effort to fight pandemic Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- It is up to each country to decide which COVID-19 vaccine it wishes to use, and there should not be vicious competition or confrontation, as China welcomes more countries to produce effective vaccines to benefit more people, Chinese Foreign Ministry said in response to reports that India was pursuing "vaccine diplomacy" to counter China.
• Chinese mainland reports 124 new COVID-19 cases People's Daily 25 Jan 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Sunday recorded 124 new COVID-19 cases – 117 local transmissions and seven from overseas – the National Health Commission said on Monday.
• China Reports 124 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 25 Jan 2021 -- China reported 124 new COVID-19 cases on Jan. 24, the country's national health authority said on Monday.
• Jilin suspends all gatherings amid resurgence of COVID-19 cases Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- Northeast China's Jilin Province has suspended gatherings and closed cultural or entertainment venues province-wide on Sunday after the province reported 12 confirmed and 29 asymptomatic cases on Saturday, bringing the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 206 in the province.
• Samples of China's vaccination sites test positive for non-infectious inactivated coronavirus used in vaccines: CDC Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- Some regions in China have detected inactivated coronavirus used in vaccines at COVID-19 vaccination sites and is not contagious, China's national Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Sunday, but urged the sites remain vigilant for infectious versions of the virus.

Europe

• Europe Split on 'Vaccine Passports' VOA 25 Jan 2021 -- European governments are split over whether to introduce vaccine passports with the tourist-dependent southern member states of the bloc touting them as a possible way to reopen international borders and encourage a resumption of travel.

Russia

• Russia Reports 19,290 New Coronavirus Cases, 456 Deaths SPA 25 Jan 2021 -- Russia registered fewer than 20,000 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since Nov. 11, the country's coronavirus crisis response centre said on Monday, according to Reuters.

India

• India steadily sustains its trajectory of very low Active Cases India PIB 25 Jan 2021 -- India's active caseload has fallen to 1.84 lakh (1,84,182) today. The share of Active Cases in the total Positive Cases has further shrunk to 1.73%.
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccination India PIB 25 Jan 2021 -- The countrywide COVID-19 vaccination program was conducted successfully on the tenth day in the States and UTs.

Iran

• Iran, China stress continuation of cooperation in fighting COVID-19 IRNA 25 Jan 2021 -- Speaker of Majlis (Iranian Parliament) Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Speaker of China's National People's Congress Li Zhanshu emphasized cooperation in fighting coronavirus and producing vaccines.
• COVID-19 causes 98 more deaths in Iran IRNA 25 Jan 2021 -- Some 98 deaths were caused by COVID-19 in Iran over the past 24 hours, spokeswoman for Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education Sima Sadat Lari said on Monday.
• Official: Iran to receive 1st COVAX shipment soon IRNA 25 Jan 2021 -- Iran will receive first batch of foreign vaccines from COVAX, an affiliate to the World Health Organization, in the next few weeks, Secretary of national anti-COVID-19 Task Force Mostafa Ghaneie said on Monday.

South Korea

• South Korea Reports 437 New Coronavirus Cases SPA 25 Jan 2021 -- South Korea reported today 437 more COVID-19 cases, including 405 locally transmitted infections, raising the total caseload to 75,521, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), Yonhap News Agency reported.

Saudi Arabia

• 213 New Confirmed Covid-19 Cases, 198 Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 25 Jan 2021 -- The Ministry of Health announced, in a statement, here today that 213 new confirmed cases of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) have been reported, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 366,584, including 2,092 active cases undergoing treatment.

Taiwan

• Infection source of two latest domestic COVID-19 cases remains unknown CNA 25 Jan 2021 -- Taiwan health officials said Monday that they have not yet identified how the two latest domestic COVID-19 cases became infected, though they will conduct more tests to try to determine the infection source.

Turkey

• Turkey to receive 6.5 mln Chinese vaccines on Monday: Turkish minister Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Sunday that 6.5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines would arrive in Turkey from China on Monday.
• Turkey to receive 6.5 mln more doses of COVID-19 vaccines from China; Israel bans int'l flights to prevent arrival of new coronavirus variant People's Daily 25 Jan 2021 -- Turkey announced on Sunday that 6.5 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccines would arrive in Turkey from China. Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet approved a ban on international flights in a bid to prevent the arrival of new COVID-19 variants.

Other Countries

• Egypt starts vaccinating medics with Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine Global Times 25 Jan 2021 -- Egypt started on Sunday vaccinating medical staff with Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in the northeastern province of Ismailia, according to a vaccination program by the Egyptian Health Ministry.
• Australia approves first COVID-19 vaccine for use People's Daily 25 Jan 2021 -- Australia's medical regulator has provisionally approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in the country.
• Mexican president tests positive for COVID-19 People's Daily 25 Jan 2021 -- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has tested positive for COVID-19, he said on Sunday, adding that his symptoms were mild and that he was receiving medical treatment.
• Canada's fight against COVID-19 in critical stage: top doctor People's Daily 25 Jan 2021 -- Canada is in a critical stage against the COVID-19 pandemic and Canadians should not to let up, said Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, on Sunday.
• Kuwait Announces 492 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 25 Jan 2021 -- Kuwait ministry of health announced that 492 new coronavirus cases have been reported during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 161777.
• Jordan Announces 845 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 25 Jan 2021 -- Jordanian ministry of health announced that 845 new coronavirus cases have been recorded in Jordan during the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 321298.
• UAE Announces 3,591 New COVID-19 Cases, 3,820 Recoveries, 6 Deaths in Last 24 Hours SPA 25 Jan 2021 -- The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 140,477 additional Covid-19 tests, over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.
• Sri Lanka: 'Forced' cremation of COVID victims' bodies must stop - UN rights experts UN News 25 Jan 2021 -- The Sri Lankan Government should end its policy of compulsorily cremating victims of COVID-19, independent UN human rights experts said on Monday.
• Malawi Recruits Healthcare Workers to Combat Surge in COVID-19 VOA 25 Jan 2021 -- Malawi says it is recruiting hundreds of healthcare workers to address a shortage as the country deals with a surge in COVID-19 cases. Healthcare workers welcome the move but say the government needs to do more than just hire more nurses.
• Israel to Shut Down International Airport to Keep out Coronavirus Variants VOA 25 Jan 2021 -- Israel says it plans to shut down its international airport by the end of the week to keep out highly contagious coronavirus variants.