Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• DOD Expands Hacker Program to All Publicly Accessible Defense Information Systems DoD News 04 May 2021 -- Ethical hackers now have many more targets within the Defense Department, DOD officials announced. The department is expanding its Vulnerability Disclosure Program to include all publicly accessible DOD information systems.
• US Transfers Remaining Prisoners Out of Secretive 'Camp 7' at Guantanamo, Pentagon Says Sputnik 04 May 2021 -- The United States has transferred all of the remaining detainees out of the notorious Camp 7 at Guantanamo Bay and consolidated the 40 remaining prisoners in two units at the prison camp on the eastern edge of Cuba, the Defence Department said on Tuesday.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 4 May 2021

United States

• Biden Sets New Independence Day Goal for COVID-19 Vaccinations VOA 04 May 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden announced a new national COVID-19 vaccination goal of 70% of Americans having received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose by July 4 — a new benchmark for returning the country to a semblance of normalcy in conjunction with the celebration of the anniversary of America's independence.
• Remarks by President Biden on the COVID-19 Response and the Vaccination Program The White House 04 May 2021
• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 04 May 2021
• U.S Reports 32,452 New COVID-19 Cases, 423 Deaths SPA 04 May 2021 -- The United State of America reported 32,452 new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), and 423 deaths.

China

• Chinese vaccines under WHO assessment for emergency use, data published Global Times 04 May 2021 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has released data from its recent assessment of the Chinese COVID-19 vaccines developed by Sinopharm and Sinovac for the WHO Emergency Use Listing Procedure.
• Chinese mainland reports 17 new COVID-19 cases, all imported People's Daily 04 May 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Monday reported 17 new COVID-19 cases, all of which were imported, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Tuesday.
• Chinese Censors Delete Meme Mocking COVID-19 Deaths in India Radio Free Asia 04 May 2021 -- Censors in China have deleted a post from an account backed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that drew a mocking comparison between the fires under a Chinese rocket and mass cremations of COVID-19 victims in India.

Europe

• EU Formally Delivers COVID-19 Vaccines To Balkans RFE/RL 04 May 2021 -- The European Union's Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi is on a three-day visit to the Western Balkans to formally deliver EU-funded coronavirus vaccines.

Russia

• Russia Reports 7,770 New COVID-19 Cases, 337 Deaths SPA 04 May 2021 -- Russia reported 7,770 new COVID-19 cases and 337 deaths during the last 24 hours.

India

• India 'On Brink' as 2nd COVID Wave Devastates Major Cities VOA 04 May 2021 -- As India reels from a second wave of COVID-19 infections that is devastating major cities, stockpiles are falling short of surging demand in the country, health experts warn. The country's mass immunization bid to expand its vaccination drive to all adults is posing to be a herculean task, they say.
• India Surpasses 20 Million Total COVID-19 Infections VOA 04 May 2021 -- India has now surpassed 20 million total confirmed COVID-19 cases amid a disastrous second wave of the disease that has essentially broken the country's health care sector.
• Indian Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi Urges Modi to Introduce Nationwide Lockdown to Curb COVID Sputnik 04 May 2021 -- Over the last month, India has faced a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases, leading to massive criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government's handling of the pandemic.
• India's Cumulative Vaccination Coverage exceeds 15.89 Crore as Phase-3 of Nationwide Vaccination Drive commences India PIB 04 May 2021 -- The Liberalized and Accelerated Phase-3 Strategy of Covid-19 Vaccination has come into force from 1st May 2021
• COVID-19 Vaccination Update- Day 109 India PIB 04 May 2021 -- India has scaled another peak in its effort to contain the COVID-19 virus with the administration of more than 16 Cr vaccine doses to its citizens
• Govt. of India has so far provided more than 16.69 crore vaccine doses to States/UTs Free of Cost India PIB 04 May 2021 -- The Government of India is leading the fight against the COVID19 pandemic in collaboration with the States and UT through a "Whole of Government" approach
• Effective Allocation by Government of India of COVID -19 supplies received from the Global Community for Fight against the Global Pandemic India PIB 04 May 2021 -- The Government of India is leading the fight against the COVID19 pandemic in collaboration with the States and UT through a "Whole of Government" approach. There has been an unprecedented surge in the number of COVID19 cases across the country. The health infrastructure of several States and UTs has been overwhelmed by the very high number of daily cases and increased mortality.
• Union Government Did Not Waste Time in Effective Allocation and Distribution of COVID Pandemic Relief material India PIB 04 May 2021 -- India Today in its news story has alleged that while the first consignment of Covid-19 assistance arrived in India on April 25, 2021 the Centre took seven days to frame the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of distributing these life-saving medical supplies.

  The story misinterprets factual information and is totally misleading.

  While the Standard Operating Procedure for allocations was issued by the Health Ministry on 2nd May, 2021, the work for receipt, allocation and distribution to the States and UTs through the Central and other Health Institutions started immediately as the global community started to support the Government of India efforts for fighting the global pandemic.

  The Coordination Cell under Addl

• Railway deploys 19 Isolation Coaches at Sabarmati & Chandlodiya as per demand of State Govt. of Gujarat India PIB 04 May 2021 -- In the relentless fight against Covid, the Ministry of Railways are undertaking movement of Isolation Coaches to places of demand by respective states on a war-footing, mobilising workforce and material for this task through rapid action
• Delhi to receive 244 tonnes more Oxygen Today; With this, Oxygen Expresses would deliver nearly 450 MT of LMO to Delhi alone in 24 hours, counting from deliveries that took early hours today India PIB 04 May 2021 -- Overcoming all hurdles and finding new solutions, Indian Railways is continuing its journey of bringing relief by delivering Liquid Medical Oxygen(LMO) to various states across the country
• DRDO to install five Medical Oxygen Plants in Delhi & Haryana India PIB 04 May 2021 -- In order to tackle the surge in Covid-19 cases & subsequent requirement of oxygen, PM-Cares has allocated funds for the installation of 500 Medical Oxygen Plants across the country
• India's COVID-19 tally crosses 20 million People's Daily 04 May 2021 -- India's COVID-19 tally crossed the 20-million mark, reaching 20,282,833 on Tuesday, as 357,229 new cases were registered during the past 24 hours, confirmed the federal health ministry.
• Second wave of COVID-19 batters India's economy People's Daily 04 May 2021 -- India is going through the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as the single-day spike crossed 400,000 cases last week, and the total tally almost reached 20 million.
• India's Coronavirus Cases Pass 20 Million SPA 04 May 2021 -- As many as 357,229 coronavirus cases were recorded in India in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 20,282,833, according to the country's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 344 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 04 May 2021 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran exceeded 73,219 with 344 more Iranians who died from the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia

• Health Ministry: 999 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, 1,005 Recoveries Reported in Saudi Arabia SPA 04 May 2021 -- The Ministry of Health announced today in a statement that 999 new confirmed cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number to 421,300, including 9,587 active cases.

Taiwan

• Largely Spared Since 2020, Taiwan Now Grapples with Small COVID Cluster VOA 04 May 2021 -- Taiwan, largely spared from the global coronavirus pandemic since it began last year, is grappling with a small but still uncontained outbreak that appeared last month.
• Taiwan reports two new CAL COVID-19 cases, source unconfirmed CNA 04 May 2021 -- A pilot and a flight attendant at China Airlines (CAL), one of Taiwan's largest carriers, tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing to 28 the number of cases linked to the carrier and an airport hotel in Taoyuan, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
• CECC reveals pre-diagnosis whereabouts of two COVID-19 patients CNA 04 May 2021 -- The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Tuesday released details of places visited by two people recently reported to have COVID-19 before testing positive for the disease.
• Visits to hospital patients banned in 3 cities amid COVID spread CNA 04 May 2021 -- Over the next two weeks, visits to patients hospitalized in Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan will not be allowed, as part of an effort to stop the spread of domestic COVID-19 infections, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said Tuesday.
• Infected man returns to Taiwan with forged COVID report: CECC head CNA 04 May 2021 -- A Taiwanese businessman infected with COVID-19 is likely to face a heavy penalty for returning to Taiwan from overseas with a forged negative COVID-19 test statement, Health Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Tuesday.
• Ministry warns against travel to India amid COVID-19 crisis CNA 04 May 2021 -- Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday issued a red travel advisory for India, the highest level on its four-tier warning system, as that country's medical system continues to struggle under skyrocketing COVID-19 cases.

Other Countries

• Kazakhstan Extends Suspension Of Visa-Free Visits By Citizens Due To Pandemic RFE/RL 04 May 2021 -- Kazakhstan has extended until December the suspension of visa-free visits for citizens of 54 countries that were introduced last year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
• Africa's COVID-19 Cases Close to 4.58 Million SPA 04 May 2021 -- Africa's coronavirus infections approached 4,578,902 cases, as reported today.
• Iraq Records 6143 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 04 May 2021 -- Iraq recorded 6,143 new cases of the novel Coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 1,086,141.
• Lebanon Records 748 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 04 May 2021 -- Lebanon recorded 748 new cases of Covid-19, in the past 24 hours, raising the tally of cases to 529,205.
• Algeria Records 282 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 04 May 2021 -- Algeria recorded, in the past 24 hours, 282 new cases of Covid-19 and 159 recoveries, along with 9 deaths.
• Morocco Records 373 New COVID-19 Cases SPA 04 May 2021 -- Morocco recorded 373 new cases of Covid-19, in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 512,285.
• Egypt Reports 1,078 New Covid-19 Cases SPA 04 May 2021 -- Egypt reported 1,078 new cases of Novel Corona Virus, and 62 deaths during the past 24 hours.
• Tunisia Reports New 1,004 Coronavirus Infections SPA 04 May 2021 -- Tunisia reported as many as 1,004 new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), in the last 24-hour and 47 deaths, as well.
• Trudeau Slams Anti-Lockdown Protests for 'Prolonging' Health Measures, Pandemic Sputnik 04 May 2021 -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said anti-lockdown protests are prolonging the duration of the restrictive public health measures and the coronavirus pandemic itself.
• Brazil Ready to Support Dialogue With Russia on Sputnik V Certification Amid Vaccine Spat Sputnik 04 May 2021 -- The Brazilian foreign and health ministries are willing to continue the conversation about Russia's coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V so it can be authorised for use in the country.
• COVID Wave Hitting Northeastern Syria, Aid Group Reports VOA 04 May 2021 -- A new wave of COVID-19 is breaking out in war-torn northeastern Syria, according to a Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) news release.
• Mass COVID Inoculation Programs Begins in Papua New Guinea VOA 04 May 2021 -- The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has started in Papua New Guinea, as infection numbers continue to rise. Experts say Australia's nearest neighbor is also fighting a sea of misinformation and concerns over the safety of vaccines.
• Myanmar Faces Third Wave of COVID-19 Infections Amid Anti-Coup Protests Radio Free Asia 04 May 2021 -- As neighboring countries face rising numbers of coronavirus cases, Myanmar health officials have expressed concern that a third wave of COVID-19 could hit the Southeast Asian nation under a military junta that seized power three months ago.