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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• US House Votes to Back Probe into January Attack on Capitol VOA 19 May 2021 -- The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved creation of an independent commission to investigate the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 when a mob of supporters of former president Donald Trump tried to block lawmakers from certifying that he had lost last November's election to Democrat Joe Biden.
• Remarks by President Biden at United States Coast Guard Academy's 140th Commencement Exercises The White House 19 May 2021
• Biden Floats Bigger Role for US Coast Guard VOA 19 May 2021 -- The U.S. Coast Guard will play a greater role in making sure "every country" respects international norms on the seas, President Joe Biden declared Wednesday.
• NATO Deputy Secretary General highlights collaboration as key to strong cyber defence at ''Defence Disrupted'' conference NATO 19 May 2021 -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană discussed NATO's role in cyber defence, its approach to cyber security, and the Alliance's responsibility in driving technological innovation in remarks to the ''Defence Disrupted'' conference on Wednesday (19 May 2021).
• US, UN Officials Hail Uzbekistan's Repatriation of IS Families VOA 19 May 2021 -- U.S. and U.N. envoys to Uzbekistan have praised the country's repatriation of Islamic State wives and children in the Middle East, saying other nations should follow suit as a part of a global effort to reduce the risk of IS reemergence in Syria and Iraq.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

United States

• Statement on misinformation about NIH support of specific "gain-of-function" research NIH 19 May 2021
• US to Distribute 80 Million Vaccine Doses Globally, on Basis of Need VOA 19 May 2021 -- The United States announced this week that it will share an additional 20 million coronavirus vaccine doses with other countries, in addition to the 60 million it has already committed. The unanswered question: where will the vaccines go?

China

• New batch of 4000 liter Sinovac vaccine raw material to arrive in Brazil on May 26 for 7m doses Global Times 19 May 2021 -- Brazil-based Butantan Institute who locally produces the Chinese-developed inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, in partnership with China's Sinovac, has confirmed the reception of a batch of 4000 liters of materials from China for the production of about 7 million doses of vaccine on May 26, after a news claim that their production line was halted on last Friday due to China's export clearance delay.
• At least 7 provincial-level regions begin single-dose vaccination, to achieve herd immunity by year-end Global Times 19 May 2021 -- CanSino's vaccine, the only single-dose vaccine approved in China, is set for high levels of production, raising hopes that the country can achieve herd immunity by year-end. Residents of at least seven provincial-level regions have begun the inoculation process, and there is no upper age limit.
• Over 435 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered in China People's Daily 19 May 2021 -- More than 435 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in China as of Tuesday, the National Health Commission said on Wednesday.
• More areas classified as COVID-19 medium-risk in China's Shenyang People's Daily 19 May 2021 -- Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, raised its COVID-19 alert level from low-risk to medium-risk in three residential communities, local authorities said on Tuesday.
• Shanghai starts administering single-dose COVID-19 vaccine People's Daily 19 May 2021 -- Shanghai has started administering a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese company CanSino Biologics, according to local health authorities.
• China catching up with developed nations in COVID-19 vaccination rate: media People's Daily 19 May 2021 -- With surges in the number of people inoculated in recent few weeks in China, the country "is catching up with the developed world" in COVID-19 vaccination rate, media have reported.
• China's Lu'an reports one new asymptomatic COVID-19 case People's Daily 19 May 2021 -- The city of Lu'an in east China's Anhui Province reported one new asymptomatic COVID-19 case on Tuesday, according to the city's health commission.
• Chinese mainland reports 14 imported COVID-19 cases People's Daily 19 May 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 14 new COVID-19 cases, all of which were imported, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Wednesday.
• Chinese military provides COVID-19 vaccines to Serbian military PLA Daily 19 May 2021 -- For the implementation of President Xi Jinping's important declaration on making China's COVID-19 vaccine a global public good, with the approval of the Central Military Commission and at the request of the Serbian military, a batch of COVID-19 vaccines assisted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was delivered to the military of the Republic of Serbia on May 19.

Europe

• EU Could Ease Restrictions on Nonessential Visitors VOA 19 May 2021 -- The European Union announced Wednesday it would recommend its member countries allow fully vaccinated visitors from outside the bloc.
• Take COVID-19 Vaccine or Face Discipline, the UK Army Reportedly Warns Troops Sputnik 19 May 2021 -- Late last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called to accelerate the country's COVID-19 vaccination programme to contain the rapid spread of the Indian variant of the coronavirus, which has now formed clusters in various parts of Britain.

Russia

India

• India Posts Record-Setting One-Day COVID-19 Death Toll VOA 19 May 2021 -- India is reporting the world's highest single-day death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Daily Recoveries Outnumber Daily New Cases for the 6th Consecutive Day India PIB 19 May 2021 -- India's Daily Recoveries outnumber Daily New Cases for the sixth consecutive day. 3,89,851 recoveries were registered in the last 24 hours.
• COVID-19 Vaccination Update- Day 124 India PIB 19 May 2021 -- The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 18,69,89,265 as per the 8 pm provisional report today.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan addresses virtual conference on "COVID-19 Pandemic: A Call for Health Security and Peace in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region" India PIB 19 May 2021 -- Dr
• Dr. Harsh Vardhan reviews Public Health Response to COVID-19 and Progress of Vaccination with West Bengal and the 8 States of the North-East India PIB 19 May 2021 -- Dr
• Update on COVID Relief Aid India PIB 19 May 2021 -- Government of India has been receiving international cooperation of COVID-19 relief medical supplies and equipment since 27th April 2021 from different countries/organisations
• Government of India provides advance information on Vaccine Doses Supply availability till 15th June 2021 to States and UTs India PIB 19 May 2021 -- The Liberalised Pricing & Accelerated National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy has been implemented from 1st May 2021
• New AIIMS started under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana are providing advanced COVID Care in States India PIB 19 May 2021 -- Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), a Central Sector Scheme, was announced in August 2003 to address imbalances in availability of tertiary care hospitals and improve medical education in the country.

  The scheme received a fresh impetus to fulfil Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of quality medical education in the underserved States, and many new All India Institutes of Medical Sciences are being set up under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana

• Oxygen Expresses deliver nearly 11800 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen in more than 727 tankers to the Nation India PIB 19 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
• COVID-19 devastates rural India People's Daily 19 May 2021 -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said last week that the COVID-19 pandemic that had claimed over 280,000 lives across the country was rapidly spreading in its rural areas.

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 233 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 19 May 2021 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran exceeded 77,765 with 233 more Iranians who died from the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Wednesday.

Taiwan

• Taiwan, Once an Icon for COVID Control, Grapples Now with First Serious Outbreak VOA 19 May 2021 -- Taiwan, which captured world attention last year for going more than 200 consecutive days without a local COVID-19 case, is shutting things down for the first time to contain its worst coronavirus outbreak since the global pandemic began.
• Taiwan reports 267 new domestic COVID-19 cases CNA 19 May 2021 -- Taiwan on Wednesday confirmed 275 new cases COVID-19, of which 267 were classified as domestic infections, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
• Level 3 COVID-19 alert introduced across Taiwan (Update) CNA 19 May 2021 -- Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday raised the COVID-19 alert to Level 3 nationwide after the country recorded over 100 locally-transmitted cases for the fifth consecutive day.
• Taiwan receives 400,000 COVID-19 vaccines CNA 19 May 2021 -- Taiwan took delivery of 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday, which may be available to the public in a week amid an escalation of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
• New domestic COVID-19 cases in Kaohsiung revised down to 7 CNA 19 May 2021 -- The number of new domestic COVID-19 cases reported in Kaohsiung on Wednesday was revised down to seven from eight after one of the cases was found to have a false positive test result, according to the city's health department.
• Local governments list places visited by COVID-19 patients CNA 19 May 2021 -- Local governments in Taiwan on Wednesday released detailed information about the places visited by people recently confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.
• Taiwan to set up testing sites at COVID-19 hotspots CNA 19 May 2021 -- Taiwan will begin to set up more COVID-19 testing sites at places frequented by people confirmed to have the disease, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said at a press conference Wednesday.
• Taiwan Steps up COVID-19 Alert, Shutters Non-Essential Workplaces Radio Free Asia 19 May 2021 -- The democratic island of Taiwan on Wednesday moved into a Level 3 coronavirus alert as a community outbreak of COVID-19 spread across the country.

Other Countries

• COVID-19 pandemic 'feeding' drivers of conflict and instability in Africa: Guterres UN News 19 May 2021 -- Women and young people must be part of Africa's plans to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which is feeding factors driving conflict on the continent, UN Secretary-General told the Security Council on Wednesday.
• Building back better from COVID-19 and building lasting peace across Africa UK FCDO 19 May 2021 -- Statement by Minister James Duddridge at the Security Council open debate on addressing root causes of conflict while promoting post-pandemic recovery in Africa
• Vietnam Sees Hundreds of New COVID Cases, With Two Provinces Largely Locked Down Radio Free Asia 19 May 2021 -- Vietnam's northeastern provinces of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh now lead in new cases of COVID-19 infection in Vietnam since the fourth outbreak of the disease began on April 27, with both provinces under partial lockdown to control the spread, official sources say.
• Misinformation Clouds Uganda's Effort to Vaccinate Refugees VOA 19 May 2021 -- Uganda, which hosts nearly 1.5 million refugees and asylum-seekers, began coronavirus vaccinations this week in the camps and settlements. But vaccine hesitancy among refugees poses a challenge.
• Malawi Burns Expired COVID-19 Vaccine Amid Concerns of Low Uptake VOA 19 May 2021 -- Malawi has burned nearly 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine after slow uptake led to their expiration. Malawi authorities are struggling to administer more doses set to expire in June and are training heath workers to visit and inoculate people in villages.