Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Cybercom's Partnership With NSA Helped Secure U.S. Elections, General Says DoD News 25 Mar 2021 -- Being both the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency improves the ability to provide the nation with speed, agility and flexible responses to adversaries who are increasingly modernizing, getting quicker and getting more sophisticated, the agencys' director said.
• Border Issue Dominates Biden's First News Conference VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden took questions from reporters for one hour Thursday during his first formal news conference, an encounter partly intended to refute conservative critics who had predicted the oldest man ever elected U.S. president would not be up to the task.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Global COVID-19 cases continue to rise for fourth consecutive week: WHO People's Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said in its latest weekly epidemiological report that confirmed COVID-19 cases have continued to increase globally for a fourth consecutive week.
• AstraZeneca Issues Revised Information on COVID-19 Vaccine VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- The ongoing drama surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine developed jointly by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford took another turn late Wednesday when the drugmaker released updated information about its effectiveness.
• Another Misstep Clouds AstraZeneca's Otherwise Effective Vaccine VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- The world's most widely distributed COVID-19 vaccine is back in the news, and not for a good reason.

United States

• Biden Sets New US Vaccination Goal VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- During his first formal news conference as U.S. president, Joe Biden on Thursday announced a new nationwide coronavirus vaccination goal: 200 million shots in arms during the first 100 days of his administration.
• U.S. CDC voices concern over new surge in COVID-19 cases due to easing of restrictions, more travel: media People's Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- The United States could be headed for an avoidable surge in COVID-19 cases as more states relax prevention measures and more people travel around the country, a top U.S. health official was quoted by VOA news as saying in a recent report.
• U.S. COVID-19 cases surpass 30 mln -- Johns Hopkins University People's Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- The total number of COVID-19 cases in the United States topped 30 million on Wednesday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University.

China

• Nation prepares mass domestic COVID inoculations People's Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- China had administered nearly 82.85 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday as it prepares a campaign to vaccinate its entire population, the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism said on Wednesday.
• Over 80 mln COVID-19 vaccine doses administered across China People's Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- More than 80.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered across China as of March 22, according to the latest figures released by the State Council's COVID-19 response inter-agency task force.
• PLA's vaccine assistance no geopolitical purpose or political strings: Defense Spokesperson PLA Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- The vaccine assistance provided by the Chinese military is neither for any geopolitical purpose, nor attached with any political strings, said the Chinese defense spokesperson at a regular press conference on Thursday.

Europe

• Denmark Extends AstraZeneca Suspension for Three Weeks VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- Denmark health officials Thursday announced they were extending their suspension of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for another three weeks to allow for more time for safety tests in connection to a fatal blood clot in a vaccine recipient.
• Denmark Extends Suspension of AstraZeneca for 3 Weeks Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- Denmark decided to extend the suspension AstraZeneca vaccination by another three weeks, Soren Brostrom, the director general of the Danish health authority, said on Thursday.
• EU tightens COVID-19 vaccine export rules People's Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- The European Commission presented on Wednesday a revised version of its export transparency mechanism for COVID-19 vaccines, with Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis claiming that it does not constitute an export ban.
• Germany's Merkel Says Europe Needs More Vaccine Independence VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday defended a European Union (EU) decision to limit exports of coronavirus vaccine to make sure the bloc has enough for its own people.
• Serbia to Start Producing Russia's Sputnik V Vaccine by May, RDIF Says Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) on Thursday announced that it had reached an agreement with Serbia's Torlak Institute to produce Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus in the country, with production expected to start by May 2021.
• UK Records 63 Deaths From COVID-19, 6,397 New Cases SPA 25 Mar 2021 -- The United Kingdom recorded a further 63 deaths of people who had tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 28 days, and 6,397 new cases, Reuters cited official data as showing.

Russia

• Russia Officially Launches Production of Its Third COVID-19 Vaccine Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- Russia's Chumakov research centre officially launched production of the country's third coronavirus vaccine, CoviVac, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education said on Thursday.
• Lavrov: Russia in Talks With African Union About Sputnik V Vaccine Supply Sputnik 25 Mar 2021 -- Russia has been in talks with the African Union and national governments about getting its anti-coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V approved for use on the continent, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday.

India

• Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat report a hike; account for 81% of Daily New COVID Cases India PIB 25 Mar 2021 -- Six States, Maharashtra, Punjab, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, are reporting a surge in daily new cases. They together account for 80.63% of the new cases reported in last 24 hours.
• COVID19 Vaccination-Day 69 India PIB 25 Mar 2021 -- The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 5.46 Crore today.
• India halts AstraZeneca vaccine exports, EU considers own controls Press TV 25 Mar 2021 -- India puts a halt to exports of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and the European Union considers it own export bans as the cases of the deadly respiratory rise in their communities.
• Number of COVID-19 Cases in India Rises by 53,476 Over Past 24 Hours SPA 25 Mar 2021 -- India has confirmed 53,476 new cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, with the total number of those infected having reached 11,787,534, the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Thursday, according to Sputnik News Agency.

Iran

• COVID-19 claims 97 lives in Iran over past 24 hours: Official IRNA 25 Mar 2021 -- Some 97 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 62,142 Iran's Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Thursday.
• 2nd batch of Russia's Sputnik V on way to Iran IRNA 25 Mar 2021 -- Iran will receive second batch of Russia's COVID-19 vaccine- Sputnik V on Thursday.

South Korea

• South Korea Reports 430 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 25 Mar 2021 -- South Korea reported 430 new COVID-19 cases during the past 24 hours.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 482 New Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 25 Mar 2021 -- The Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 482 new confirmed cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 386,782 confirmed cases, including 4,321 active cases, currently receiving necessary medical care. Of these, there are 622 critical cases.

Taiwan

• Taiwan confirms 3 new imported COVID-19 cases CNA 25 Mar 2021 -- Taiwan on Thursday confirmed three new imported cases of COVID-19 -- one from the United States and two from the Philippines -- bringing the total number of cases in the country to 1,012, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

North Korea

• North Korean Survey Reveals More than 100 Deaths, 13,000 'Suspected' COVID-19 Cases in One Province Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- A North Korean statistical survey of the nation has revealed more than 100 deaths and 13,000 "suspected" coronavirus cases in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong, undercutting the government's claim that the country remains totally "virus-free," sources in the province told RFA.
• North Korean Survey Reveals 13,000 'Suspected' COVID-19 Cases in North Hamgyong Province Radio Free Asia 25 Mar 2021 -- A North Korean statistical survey of the nation has revealed 13,000 "suspected" coronavirus cases in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong, further casting doubt on the government's claim that the country remains totally "virus-free," sources in the province told RFA.

Palestine

• U.S. Humanitarian Assistance for the Palestinians in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic US Dept. of State 25 Mar 2021 -- The U.S. government is pleased to announce $15 million in humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• UN envoy calls for more support to aid Palestinian COVID-19 response UN News 25 Mar 2021 -- COVID-19 continues to have a devastating effect on Palestinians, the Secretary-General's envoy for the Middle East peace process told the Security Council on Thursday, urging greater support for vaccination efforts.

Other Countries

• Africa's Access to COVID-19 Vaccines Remains a Challenge VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- The World Health Organization reports the African continent is lagging in the race to vaccinate its people against the deadly coronavirus. WHO says Africa needs far greater access to COVID-19 vaccines to reach its goal of vaccinating 60 percent of the population by June 2022.
• First COVID-19 Vaccines Arrive in Juba, South Sudan VOA 25 Mar 2021 -- The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in South Sudan's Juba International Airport on Thursday. The 132,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be offered first to health care workers, including doctors and nurses, along with other vulnerable groups.
• Western countries hoard large quantities of COVID-19 vaccines, creating stark inequity: media People's Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- Western countries have stockpiled large quantities of vaccines against COVID-19, creating stark inequity between rich countries and poor countries, U.S. media has reported.
• Gabonese president gets first shot of China's Sinopharm vaccine against COVID-19 People's Daily 25 Mar 2021 -- Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba and his wife Sylvia Bongo Ondimba received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Sinopharm on Tuesday in Libreville, said a press release from the Presidency.
• UAE Announces 2,043 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 25 Mar 2021 -- The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced that it conducted 235,564 additional COVID-19 tests over the past 24 hours, according to Emirate News Agency (WAM).