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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Top House Republican Opposes New Probe of January 6 Attack on US Capitol VOA 18 May 2021 -- The leader of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives said Tuesday he opposes creation of a commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
• Pakistani Held For 16 Years At Guantanamo Prison Approved For Release RFE/RL Gandhara 18 May 2021 -- A 73-year-old man from Pakistan has been notified that he has been approved for release from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after more than 16 years in custody on suspicion of helping facilitate two of the conspirators in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, his lawyer said.
• SVR Chief Denies Russia Was Behind Solarwinds Cyberattack RFE/RL 18 May 2021 -- The head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has denied that his agency was behind the SolarWinds cyberattack, which was blamed on Moscow by both U.S. and British intelligence officials and resulted in U.S. sanctions against Russia.
• Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS and Attempting to Commit an Attack at a Toledo-Area Synagogue US Dept. of Justice 18 May 2021 -- Damon M. Joseph, aka Abdullah Ali Yusuf, 23, of Holland, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, aka ISIS, and attempting to commit a hate crime, for planning an attack on a synagogue in the Toledo, Ohio area.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 18 May 2021
• UNICEF chief asks G7 to donate excess vaccines to cover COVAX shortfall People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore on Sunday asked the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries to donate excess COVID-19 vaccines to the COVAX Facility, a global tool to procure and deliver vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.
• UN development system responds with 'solid score' in face of COVID-19 test UN News 18 May 2021 -- As the world continues to tackle the multiple impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, from pushing some 131 million people into extreme poverty to reversing years of development progress, the UN chief said on Tuesday that a more coordinated approach is key to moving forward.

United States

• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 18 May 2021
• US on Path Out of Pandemic, CDC Chief Says VOA 18 May 2021 -- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky Tuesday said the United States appears to be on a path out of the pandemic, noting the most recent seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases and deaths is the lowest since the pandemic began.
• DOD Awards $56 Million Contract to Rhino Health, Inc. to Increase Domestic Production Capacity of Nitrile Gloves DoD 18 May 2021 -- On May 18, 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of and in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a $56 million contract to Rhino Health, Inc. to increase domestic production of nitrile gloves.
• Biden Boosts Vaccine-Sharing, Says U.S. Soon Will Outpace Donations By Russia, China RFE/RL 18 May 2021 -- The United States will send millions more COVID-19 vaccines to other countries to help those struggling to get their populations vaccinated, President Joe Biden has announced.
• US Charts Its Own Path Forward on Masks and COVID-19 VOA 18 May 2021 -- The United States is one of the only countries worldwide to allow fully vaccinated people to go without masks while the rate of COVID-19 infections remains relatively high.
• Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials The White House 18 May 2021

China

• Why can China confine flare-ups to dozens cases? Global Times 18 May 2021 -- One and a half years after human beings identified the SARS-CoV-2, a majority of the world is still struggling with infected cases, and some countries and regions once exemplary in handling the COVID-19 are facing the risk of being devoured by virus variants. This prompted a question: Why can China withstand more than 10 rounds of domestic resurgences, and reduce the scale of outbreaks from the Xinfadi outbreak that involved hundreds in Beijing to the latest infections of dozens in East China's Anhui and Northeast China's Liaoning provinces?
• US' new vaccine donation pledge receives cautious welcome in China, believed to aim at 'weaponizing doses to contain China, Russia' Global Times 18 May 2021 -- After snapping up some 2.6 billion doses of vaccines and leaving hundreds of millions of unused vaccine doses piled up in the warehouses, the US has finally decided to donate 80 million of them to the world, while China has been offering vaccines and medical supplies to developing countries for nearly half a year.
• Beijing 'very close' to become 1st Chinese city with herd immunity: experts Global Times 18 May 2021 -- More than 80 percent of Beijing residents over the age of 18 have received their first shot of COVID-19 vaccine, a move amid an accelerated national campaign that has delivered at least 400 million vaccine doses.
• China hits 400 mln vaccine doses following recent COVID-19 outbreaks People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- China is working at full throttle to vaccinate its people against COVID-19, as over 400 million doses had been administered as of Sunday, just nine days after the figure surpassed 300 million doses.
• Nearly 422 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in China People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- Nearly 422 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China as of Monday, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday.
• Chinese mainland reports 4 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Monday reported four new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in Liaoning Province, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Tuesday.
• China hits 400 mln vaccine doses following recent COVID-19 outbreaks People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- China is working at full throttle to vaccinate its people against COVID-19, as over 400 million doses had been administered as of Sunday, just nine days after the figure surpassed 300 million doses.
• Chinese city raises COVID-19 alert level in 4 neighborhoods People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- The city of Lu'an in east China's Anhui Province has raised the COVID-19 alert levels from low-risk to medium-risk in four residential communities, the city's health commission said on Monday.

Europe

• Indian COVID-19 Variant Could Scupper June 21 End Date for UK Lockdown Sputnik 18 May 2021 -- One of the hotspots for the feared "indian variant" of COVID-19 is Bolton in Greater Manchester, a town with a high population of British Pakistanis — an ethnic group that has been reluctant to be vaccinated against the deadly virus.
• British Leader Says No Virus Variant Will Delay Easing COVID-19 Restrictions VOA 18 May 2021 -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday said there is, so far, no conclusive evidence a COVID-19 variant will affect the government's schedule for lifting restrictions in the country, after warning last week it could do so.
• Over 2,300 cases of India-related coronavirus variant recorded in UK: health secretary People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- A total of 2,323 cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in India have been recorded in Britain, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Monday.

Russia

• Russia's Aeroflot Cancels Flights To Turkey As It Watches COVID-19 Numbers RFE/RL 18 May 2021 -- Aeroflot has canceled nearly all flights to Turkey in June in an extension of a suspension of flights imposed last month because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

India

• Pandemic's Second Wave Inundates Rural Areas in India VOA 18 May 2021 -- In India, the health care crisis triggered by the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is shifting from big cities to small towns and rural areas. But as ill-equipped medical infrastructure in villages leaves people struggling to cope with the deadly virus, health experts say combating its spread in rural areas has emerged as the country's new challenge.

Iran

• Iran reports 14,319 new COVID-19 cases, 2,765,485 in total People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- Iran reported on Monday 14,319 new COVID-19 cases, raising the country's total number to 2,765,485.
• COVID-19 kills 310 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 18 May 2021 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran exceeded 77,532 with 310 more Iranians who died from the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Tuesday.
• Iran avoids reciprocating Turkey's land border opening Press TV 18 May 2021 -- Iran's customs office IRICA has denied reports suggesting that land borders to Turkey have reopened following more than a fortnight of closure over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.

Japan

• Japanese Medical Group Calls for Cancellation of Tokyo Olympics VOA 18 May 2021 -- With little more than two months to go before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games, a major Japanese medical association is calling for the cancellation of the event due to the current surge of new COVID-19 infections.

Saudi Arabia

Taiwan

• Taiwan confirms 240 new domestic COVID-19 cases, two deaths (update) CNA 18 May 2021 -- Taiwan on Tuesday confirmed 245 new cases of COVID-19 and two deaths, with 240 infections classified as domestic transmissions.
• Taiwan seeking vaccines from U.S. amid COVID surge CNA 18 May 2021 -- Taiwan is trying to secure more COVID-19 vaccines from the United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday after United States President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. will send 20 million vaccines overseas by the end of June.
• Kaohsiung bans indoor gatherings amid COVID-19 cluster CNA 18 May 2021 -- Kaohsiung further tightened its COVID-19 restrictions Tuesday, including prohibiting all indoor meetings of more than five people after a hospital reported a second confirmed COVID-19 patient earlier in the day.
• Taiwan to obtain more COVID-19 vaccines as infections spike CNA 18 May 2021 -- More AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered to Taiwan soon, the GAVI Vaccine Alliance said Monday, as the number of domestic infections in the country continued to rise.
• Taiwan schools to close until May 28 amid COVID-19 surge CNA 18 May 2021 -- Schools at all levels across Taiwan will be closed from May 19 to May 28, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced Tuesday, amid a recent surge of COVID-19 cases.
• Taiwan's COVID-19 death toll rises to 13 People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- A COVID-19 patient died on Tuesday in New Taipei City, bringing Taiwan's coronavirus death toll to 13 since the outbreak began in early 2020.
• Mainland willing to aid Taiwan compatriots on COVID-19: spokesperson People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Monday expressed the mainland's willingness to provide assistance to Taiwan compatriots in quickly defeating the COVID-19 epidemic.

Other Countries

• Indonesia starts private COVID-19 vaccination scheme using Chinese vaccines People's Daily 18 May 2021 -- Indonesia on Tuesday kicked off a private COVID-19 vaccination program using Chinese vaccines with a mutual cooperation scheme locally known as "gotong royong" in 19 private manufacturing companies in West Java province.
• Vaccinations Delayed in Kenya as No New Doses Arrive from India VOA 18 May 2021 -- Kenyan health authorities say they will not be able to give a second dose of COVID-19 vaccines until at least June, due to a shortage of AstraZeneca doses. Kenya has vaccinated less than 2 percent of its people so far, but the Ministry of Health says efforts are underway to acquire millions of doses.
• Ukrainian Lawmakers Sack Health Minister Over Pandemic Response RFE/RL 18 May 2021 -- Ukraine's parliament has voted to dismiss Health Minister Maksym Stepanov over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and approved the resignations of the economy and infrastructure ministers.