Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• US Capitol Police Want National Guard Troops to Extend Stay at Capitol VOA 04 Mar 2021 -- The U.S. Capitol Police, worried about threats of another attack on the Capitol, are asking the Defense Department to leave about 5,000 members of the National Guard stationed at the Capitol for another 60 days to provide security through mid-May.
• U.S. Capitol on alert over "possible plot" for March 4 attack People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- U.S. Capitol Police said on Wednesday that it has learned of a "possible plot to breach the Capitol" by a militia group driven by a conspiracy theory suggesting former President Donald Trump would return to power on March 4.
• Foreign Secretary Oral statement: Update on Counter Daesh UK FCDO 04 Mar 2021 -- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab updates the House of Commons on the ongoing campaign to counter Daesh.
• Downfall of Asia's 'Biggest Drug Lord' Seen Unlikely to Dent Regional Narcotics Trade VOA 04 Mar 2021 -- Given the estimated $70 billion being made each year in Asia's drug trade, regional experts say recent arrests of two key drug figures are seen as unlikely to dent the long-term flow of narcotics.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• COVID-19 Pandemic Sparks Rights Abuses Worldwide, HRW Says VOA 04 Mar 2021 -- Human Rights Watch has released a report saying the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic set off human rights crises worldwide. The report documents how government have allowed corruption to flourish, and used the pandemic to clamp down critics and the opposition.
• Vaccine cooperation essential for global anti-COVID-19 effort: experts People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- Public health experts from both China and the U.S. on Monday urged their respective nations to expand global access to COVID-19 vaccines in order to bring about a speedy global economy recovery, adding that vaccine cooperation is crucial to curbing the spread of the virus around the globe.

United States

• Oregon National Guard expands COVID-19 vaccinations Army News 04 Mar 2021 -- Oregon National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have vaccinated more than 100,000 people in the nearly two months since they were activated by Gov. Kate Brown to help the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) distribute the COVID-19 vaccine.
• Biden calls lifting mask mandates by two red states "Neanderthal thinking" People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday criticized Republican governors in southern states of Texas and Mississippi over their decisions to reverse mask mandates and other COVID-19 safety policies, calling these actions "Neanderthal thinking."
• Texas Gov. slams Biden, says new admin. imports Covid into US Press TV 04 Mar 2021 -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott has criticized Democratic President Joe Biden for calling his plan to lift coronavirus restrictions "Neanderthal thinking," blaming the ongoing pandemic there on undocumented immigrants.

China

• Output of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to top 1 bln doses in 2021 Global Times 04 Mar 2021 -- China has put the inactivated COVID-19 vaccines developed by state-owned pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm into mass production and this year's output is expected to surpass 1 billion doses, Yu Qingming, chairman of Sinopharm Group, said on Wednesday.
• China's Sinopharm to raise vaccine production to 3 billion per year Global Times 04 Mar 2021 -- China's pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm will expand COVID-19 vaccine production capacity to 3 billion doses per year, becoming the world's biggest vaccine producer for the virus, Chairman of Sinopharm Group Yu Qingming told the media.
• Top military infectious disease expert calls for deliberations on the national biosafety system Global Times 04 Mar 2021 -- Top Chinese infectious disease expert, Chen Wei, whose team developed China's first one-dose COVID-19 vaccine, made a call for reflection on the construction of the country's national biosafety system.
• China addresses disparities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- "United we stand, divided we fall" -- the choice that was put in front of the international community time and again now popped up once more in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed more than 2 million lives worldwide.
• Turkish university says China's Sinovac vaccine 83.5 pct effective People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- The COVID-19 vaccine made by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech has an efficacy of 83.5 percent based on third phase trials in Turkey, a Turkish university announced Wednesday at a press conference.
• Hong Kong reports 14 new COVID-19 cases People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported 14 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, taking its total tally to 11,046.

Europe

• WHO Reports Rise of New COVID-19 Cases in Europe VOA 04 Mar 2021 -- The World Health Organization's Europe director reported Thursday that new COVID-19 cases rose 9% to just over a million in the region last week.
• EU, Italy Block Shipment of 250,000 AstraZeneca Vaccines to Australia Over Supply Delays Sputnik 04 Mar 2021 -- Italy, in coordination with the European Union, has held up a shipment of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine bound for Australia following a spat with the manufacturer over delayed deliveries to the bloc, the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday.
• COVID-19 infections rise again in France as gov't mulls easing rules from mid-April People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- A total of 3,810,316 people in France have been diagnosed with COVID-19 after 26,788 positive cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, the biggest daily increase since Feb. 24, official figures showed on Wednesday.
• Greece implements emergency measures to support healthcare system as COVID-19 cases skyrocket Global Times 04 Mar 2021 -- Greek officials activated an emergency plan on Wednesday to support the healthcare system in the country -- and in the Attica region particularly -- in response to a steep spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases.
• UK study to test COVID-19 vaccine efficacy in people with low immunity Global Times 04 Mar 2021 -- A new study will be launched in Britain to research the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines in people with low immunity due to health conditions, including cancer, local media reported Wednesday.
• Approval For Vaccines Against COVID-19 Variants to Be Fast-Tracked, UK Regulator Says Sputnik 04 Mar 2021 -- COVID-19 vaccines that are modified to combat new coronavirus variants will not need to go through more time-consuming clinical studies to get approval, as long as manufacturers provide evidence that they produce an immune response, the UK regulatory agency announced on Thursday.
• Spain's COVID-19 deaths surpass 70,000, over 4 mln vaccine doses administered People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- Spain's total COVID-19 deaths surpassed 70,000 on Wednesday after the Ministry of Health reported that 446 people had lost their lives to the virus in the past 24 hours.
• EU Drug Watchdog Reviewing Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine RFE/RL 04 Mar 2021 -- Europe's medicines regulator says it has started a "rolling review" of the Russian-developed Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, a key step toward approval for use across the 27-nation European Union.
• Madrid's Vaccination of Essential Workers Causing Disruption as Sick Leaves Widespread Sputnik 04 Mar 2021 -- The mass vaccination of essential workers in Madrid has resulted in multiple disruptions, as many of them are unable to go to work due to side effects and poor health, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday.
• Finnish Armed Forces Facing 'Alarming' Coronavirus Situation Sputnik 04 Mar 2021 -- Despite a rise in infections and cancelled international drills, the Finnish military is not eligible for prioritised vaccination and will follow the same vaccination schedule as everyone else.

Russia

• Russia Can Supply Sputnik V Vaccine to 50Mn EU Residents After EMA Approval, RDIF Says Sputnik 04 Mar 2021 -- Russia will be able to supply its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to 50 million EU residents starting from June after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approves the vaccine, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said on Thursday, stressing that vaccine partnership should be above politics.

India

• Enthusiastic Seniors Rush to Get COVID-19 Shots as India Expands Vaccination VOA 04 Mar 2021 -- India's inoculation drive against Covid 19 has got a massive boost as it begins offering vaccines to older people.
• Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka continue to report a High Number of Daily New COVID Cases India PIB 04 Mar 2021 -- Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Karnataka continue to report a surge in the COVID daily new cases. They cumulatively account for 85.51% of the new cases reported in the past 24 hours.
• COVID19 Vaccination-Day 48 India PIB 04 Mar 2021 -- The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 1.77 Crore today.
• Number of COVID-19 Cases in India Rises by 17,407 Over Past 24 Hours SPA 04 Mar 2021 -- India has confirmed 17,407 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, with the total number of those infected having reached 11,156,923, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday, according to Sputnik News Agency.

Pakistan

• Pakistan Super League Suspended After Seven COVID-19 Cases RFE/RL Gandhara 04 Mar 2021 -- Pakistan has suspended its flagship cricket tournament after seven team personnel tested positive for COVID-19.

Iran

• COVID-19 claims 78 lives in past 24 hours in Iran: Official IRNA 04 Mar 2021 -- Some 78 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 60,431, Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Thursday.
• Official says satisfied with results of human trial of Iranian COVID-19 vaccine IRNA 04 Mar 2021 -- The results of the first phase of the human trial of an Iran-made COVID-19 vaccine – Cov-Iran Barekat – has proved to be very promising, a health official said on Thursday.
• Iran takes delivery of third batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccines Press TV 04 Mar 2021 -- Iranian customs authorities have taken delivery of a third batch of Russia's Sputnik V vaccines as the country moves ahead with a nation-wide immunization drive against the coronavirus pandemic.

Saudi Arabia

• 375 New Confirmed Covid-19 Cases, 336 Recoveries Reported, in Saudi Arabia SPA 04 Mar 2021 -- Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Health Dr. Mohammed Al-Abdulaali said in a press conference today that 375 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; thus bringing the total number to 378,708 confirmed cases, including 2,581 active cases receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 503 critical cases, while the health condition of the rest is stable.

Taiwan

• COVID-19 vaccine unlikely to be available within 7 days: CECC CNA 04 Mar 2021 -- The COVID-19 vaccine that arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday will not be distributed within seven days, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reiterated Thursday.
• Taiwan confirms two new imported COVID-19 cases CNA 04 Mar 2021 -- Taiwan on Thursday confirmed two new imported cases of COVID-19, one each from Nigeria and the Philippines, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Other Countries

• UN helps deliver COVID-19 vaccines to Africa Global Times 04 Mar 2021 -- The United Nations has delivered million of doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa through COVAX, the global tool to procure and deliver vaccines for low- and middle-income countries, said a spokesman on Wednesday.
• Sao Paulo bans most business, restaurant, park operations for two weeks People's Daily 04 Mar 2021 -- The Governor of the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo Joao Doria announced on Wednesday that starting on Saturday most store, bar and restaurant operations will be banned for two weeks, as a night curfew goes into effect, to prevent the collapse of the hospital system.
• UAE Announces 2,742 New COVID-19 Cases, 1,691 Recoveries, 17 Deaths in Last 24 Hours SPA 04 Mar 2021 -- The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 235,797 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, using state-of-the-art medical testing equipment.
• Laos Becomes 44th Country to Register Russian Vaccine Sputnik V Sputnik 04 Mar 2021 -- Laos has authorised Russia's COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V for emergency use, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) announced on Thursday.
• Sri Lanka Approves Russian Sputnik V Coronavirus Vaccine Sputnik 04 Mar 2021 -- Sri Lanka became the 43rd country to authorize Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said Thursday.
• Africa Making Important Inroads on Vaccine Coverage, WHO Says VOA 04 Mar 2021 -- The World Health Organization says COVID-19 vaccine distribution in African countries is accelerating and hopeful signs are emerging that a significant proportion of Africa's population will be covered by the end of the year. Latest figures put the number of infections in Africa at more than 3.9 million, with 104,000 deaths.
• Travel Restrictions Placed on Preah Sihanouk as February 20 Cluster Spreads VOA Khmer 04 Mar 2021 -- Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday night instructed Preah Sihanouk officials to restrict travel in the province, as the February 20 community COVID-19 cluster shows no signs of easing.