Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• US watchdog to probe if Justice Dept. officials sought to help Trump overturn election Press TV 26 Jan 2021 -- The US Justice Department's internal watchdog has announced an investigation into whether current or former department officials tried to improperly "alter the result of the November presidential election."
• US Capitol Riot Prompts Fresh Focus on Extremism in US Police Ranks VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- The January 6 deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol has renewed attention to what has long been an open secret in police departments across the country -- right wing extremists populating their ranks.
• DC National Guard Chief Says Pentagon Hamstrung His Ability to Command Prior to Capitol Insurrection Sputnik 26 Jan 2021 -- The former chief of US Capitol Police said that he called the Pentagon for assistance half a dozen times as his officers lost control of the deadly insurrection outside the legislature on January 6, but was rebuffed by senior defense figures reportedly over fears of how the public would react to the move.
• German Court Sentences Tajik Man To Seven Years On Terror Charges RFE/RL 26 Jan 2021 -- A court in Germany has sentenced an asylum seeker from Tajikistan to seven years in prison for membership in the Islamic State (IS) extremist group and plotting attacks in Albania and Germany.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Weekly Operationl Update WHO 26 Jan 2021
• Global coronavirus cases hit 100m, can humanity really learn from the apocalypse-like pandemic? Global Times 26 Jan 2021 -- It's beyond anyone's imagination that the world would be living under the shadow of COVID-19 for so long when the virus pushed it to "hit the pause button". Now, almost a year after the WHO announced the emergency status at the end of January 2020, global confirmed cases have topped the 100 million mark, indicating that one person in 70 worldwide is infected with the coronavirus.
• 100 mln COVID-19 cases worldwide expected this week: WHO chief People's Daily 26 Jan 2021 -- The number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is expected to reach 100 million within this week, said the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
• UN health agency panel issues key guidance on second COVID vaccine doses UN News 26 Jan 2021 -- A World Health Organization (WHO) expert panel issued its first guidance on the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, saying that it should ideally be given to people in two separate doses, 28 days apart. In exceptional circumstances this period could be extended to 42 days, said WHO's advisory group of experts on immunization, SAGE, amid supply shortages affecting many countries.
• WHO Chief Presses Case Against COVID-19 'Vaccine Nationalism' VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- The World Health Organization director-general on Tuesday continued to press his case against what he calls "vaccine nationalism," saying poor countries have had to "watch and wait," while wealthy nations forge ahead with vaccination programs.
• IMF Expects COVID-19 Vaccines to Fuel Global Economic Growth VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- Increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines is expected to fuel a stronger economic recovery worldwide this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted Tuesday.
• Data Inconclusive on Efficacy of Moderna Vaccine Against COVID-19 Variants VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- World Health Organization experts say more clinical evidence is needed to know whether the Moderna vaccine protects against COVID-19 variants. The conclusion came as WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, known as SAGE, issued interim recommendations for use of the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19.

United States

• Briefing With Acting Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Ian Brownlee And CDC Director for Global Migration and Quarantine Marty Cetron On New COVID Testing Requirements for International Travelers US Dept. of State 26 Jan 2021
• Remarks by President Biden on the Fight to Contain the COVID-19 Pandemic The White House 26 Jan 2021
• Biden: US Buying 200 Million More COVID-19 Vaccine Doses VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- President Joe Biden said Tuesday the United States was buying 200 million more doses of COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate nearly the entire U.S. population of 300 million people by early fall.
• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 26 Jan 2021
• Biden Will Purchase Extra 200Mln Vaccine Doses to Reach 600Mln by Summer Sputnik 26 Jan 2021 -- The Biden administration is working to purchase an additional 200 million additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines, to reach 600 million doses this summer and vaccinate 300 million people, the White House said in a press release.
• NYC COVID-19 test positivity rate down to 8.44 pct, new cases up to 4,743: mayor People's Daily 26 Jan 2021 -- New York City's COVID-19 test positivity rate on a seven-day average went down to 8.44 percent, compared with 8.82 percent one day earlier, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted on Monday.

China

• Shanghai's precise COVID-19 prevention and control measures ensure megacity's safety Global Times 26 Jan 2021 -- Responding to the public's concerns about the latest sporadic local COVID-19 cases in the city, Shanghai's medical experts assured the public of the city's ability to contain the epidemic with precise prevention and control measures on Tuesday.
• Jilin reports China's second COVID-19 patient death in latest outbreak Global Times 26 Jan 2021 -- Northeast China's Jilin Province reported one death caused by COVID-19 on Monday, the second coronavirus fatality after North China's Hebei Province reported its first in mid-January in the latest outbreak.
• Do Chinese COVID-19 vaccines need redesign to tackle variants? Global Times 26 Jan 2021 -- With worrisome signs that some recent coronavirus mutations may dampen the effectiveness of current vaccines, US drugmaker Moderna and Oxford scientists are mulling new vaccines to tackle mutant strains. Meanwhile, concerns have emerged in China as to whether there's a need to update vaccines and whether vaccine exports will be affected.
• Chinese mainland reports 69 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 26 Jan 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Monday reported 82 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 69 locally transmitted and 13 arriving from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.
• China's Heilongjiang reports 53 new confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 26 Jan 2021 -- China's Heilongjiang Province reported 53 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and 24 asymptomatic infections on Monday, the provincial health commission said Tuesday.
• Chinese mainland reports 13 new imported COVID-19 cases People's Daily 26 Jan 2021 -- The Chinese mainland reported 13 new imported COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 4,624.

Europe

• Britain Surpasses 100K COVID-19 Deaths VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- Britain's health department reported Tuesday the nation's death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 100,000 people.
• UK passes grim milestone of 100,000 Covid-19 deaths Press TV 26 Jan 2021 -- The Covid-19 pandemic has now claimed more than 100,000 lives in the UK, thus bringing the government's mishandling of the crisis into even sharper relief.
• Merkel Says Pandemic Out of Control, Urges Stricter Curbs Sputnik 26 Jan 2021 -- Angela Merkel has called on party colleagues to take stronger action against the coronavirus pandemic amid fears that new COVID-19 strains, including those discovered in the UK and South Africa, are increasing the incidence of the disease in Germany.
• Netherlands Police, Protesters Clash for 3rd Straight Night Over COVID-19 Restrictions VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- Police and protesters in the Netherlands clashed for a third consecutive night Monday after the government imposed a curfew to slow the spread of COVID-19.
• Dutch police clash with anti-curfew protesters for 3rd night Press TV 26 Jan 2021 -- Police in the Netherlands have clashed with people protesting against a COVID-19 nighttime curfew throughout the country for a third night.
• Pfizer vaccine delays cost Poland 1 bln PLN a day: President Duda People's Daily 26 Jan 2021 -- The delay in Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine delivery is slowing the costly fight against the pandemic, Polish President Andrzej Duda told The Financial Times in an interview published on Monday.

Russia

• Russia Reports 18,241 New COVID-19 Cases, 564 Deaths SPA 26 Jan 2021 -- Russia on Tuesday reported 18,241 new COVID-19 cases, taking its official national tally to 3,756,931, Reuters reported.
• Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine Has Been Registered in Iran Sputnik 26 Jan 2021 -- Last week, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei stated that Iran had held talks with Russia, China, and India on the potential procurement of vaccines against the coronavirus.

India

• India records lowest New Cases after 8 months; 9,102 found positive in the last 24 hours India PIB 26 Jan 2021 -- India has crossed a crucial milestone in its fight against the global pandemic. The daily new cases have touched a new low today.
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccination India PIB 26 Jan 2021 -- The countrywide COVID-19 vaccination program was conducted successfully on the eleventh day.
• India Records 9,102 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 26 Jan 2021 -- India reported 9,102 new coronavirus cases in a day, as the infection tally reached 1,06,76,838, according to Union Health Ministry data on Tuesday.
• India meddling behind halt of Sinovac vaccine trials in Bangladesh: source Global Times 26 Jan 2021 -- A recent report in the Hindustan Times claimed that Bangladesh had to turn to India for help as Chinese vaccine producer Sinovac asked the Bangladeshi government to share cost of clinical trials. However, the report is different from what the Global Times has learned, and experts condemned Indian media for hyping what would be normal international cooperation on vaccine development.

Iran

• FM Zarif: Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine registered in Iran IRNA 26 Jan 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Tuesday that Iran has approved the Russian coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V.
• COVID-19 causes 79 more deaths in Iran IRNA 26 Jan 2021 -- Some 79 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 Tuesday.
• Iranian COVID-19 vaccine brings no side effect, official IRNA 26 Jan 2021 -- Chairman of the Executive Office of the Order of Imam Khomeini Mohammad Mokhber said on Tuesday that feedback of the first phase of Iranian coronavirus human trial were satisfactory and it has caused no side effect so far.
• Iran to begin 2nd phase of human trial on homegrown coronavirus vaccine within next weeks ISNA 26 Jan 2021 -- Chairman of the Executive Office of the Order of Imam Khomeini, Mohammad Mokhber announced on Tuesday that the second phase of human trial on homegrown coronavirus vaccine named COV-Iran Barekat is set to begin within next weeks.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 223 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 26 Jan 2021 -- The Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 223 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; thus bringing the total number to 366,807 confirmed cases, including 2,108 active cases, receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 338 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable.

Taiwan

• Taiwan's Ban on Chinese COVID-19 Vaccines Will Remain, Despite Report Radio Free Asia 26 Jan 2021 -- The democratic island of Taiwan has reiterated a ban on imports of COVID-19 vaccines made in China, as repeated incursions by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) into its air defense zone in recent days stoked simmering regional tensions.
• Taiwan records one new imported case of COVID-19 CNA 26 Jan 2021 -- Taiwan reported one new imported case of COVID-19 on Tuesday, a Taiwanese national who arrived from Mexico on Jan. 24, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Indonesia

• Indonesia's Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Exceed 1 Million SPA 26 Jan 2021 -- Indonesia's confirmed coronavirus infections since the pandemic began crossed 1 million on Tuesday and hospitals in some hard-hit areas were near capacity, the Associated Press reported.
• Indonesia's COVID-19 Cases Top 1 Million VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- Indonesia surpassed 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases Tuesday, when the Indonesian Health Ministry reported 13,094 new infections. Meanwhile, deaths are nearing 29,000 in the fourth most populous country in the world.

Other Countries

• Egypt begins inoculation as at least 4 African nations secure Chinese vaccines; more in talks Global Times 26 Jan 2021 -- At least four African countries have given its citizens Chinese vaccines or secured vaccines from Chinese developers as of Tuesday, with talks on cooperation underway in more countries. Despite the challenges involved, observers noted that China is striving to help the continent fill the immunity gap rather than hoard doses.
• President Declares Tajikistan Coronavirus-Free Despite Ministry Claims RFE/RL 26 Jan 2021 -- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has declared the country coronavirus-free, claiming there have been no new cases this month.
• Lebanon Reports 3505 New Coronavirus Cases SPA 26 Jan 2021 -- Beirut reported 3505 new coronavirus cases and 73 deaths in the past 24 hours.
• Argentina Set to Receive More Russian COVID-19 Vaccine VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- Argentina is set to receive another batch of a Russian vaccine against COVID-19 on Tuesday, just days after Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became the country's latest leader vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine.
• South African President Urges Wealthy Nations Not to Hoard COVID-19 Vaccines VOA 26 Jan 2021 -- South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday wealthy countries should not hold onto excess stockpiles of COVID-19 vaccines, and that the world needs to work together to fight the pandemic.