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Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• US House Votes 222-208 to Refer Contempt Charges Against Top Trump Aide VOA 15 Dec 2021 -- The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a resolution that calls on the Justice Department to formally charge Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trump's chief of staff, with criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to testify to the special committee investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump's supporters.
• Letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate on Imposing Sanctions on Foreign Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade The White House 15 Dec 2021
• Combating Transnational Crime and Imposing Sanctions on Persons Involved in the Global Illicit Drug Trade US Dept. of State 15 Dec 2021 -- When transnational criminal organizations engage in drug and firearms trafficking, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, cybercrime, and money laundering, among other illicit activities, they threaten global public health, safety, and U.S. national security, while facilitating corruption that undermines the stability and security of partner nations.
• Treasury Uses New Sanctions Authority to Combat Global Illicit Drug Trade US Treasury 15 Dec 2021 -- Today, President Biden signed a new Executive Order (E.O.) to modernize the U.S. Department of the Treasury's sanctions authorities used to combat the illicit drug trade.
• National Cyber Strategy: Foreign Secretary's statement UK FCDO 15 Dec 2021 -- The Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has released a statement on the launch of the UK's National Cyber Strategy.
• New Blueprint to protect UK from Cyber Threats UK MOD 15 Dec 2021 -- A new National Cyber Strategy has been announced, setting out how we will protect and promote UK interests in rapidly evolving online world
• AFNORTH's CAP takes flight to assist tornado recovery US Air Force 15 Dec 2021 -- AFNORTH Civil Air Patrol aircrews are flying storm surveys to assist the National Weather Service and the Kentucky Emergency Management Agency in gauging the official intensities of the deadly tornadoes that ripped into the Midwest on Dec. 10.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

United States

• Press Briefing by White House COVID-19 Response Team and Public Health Officials The White House 15 Dec 2021
• US CDC: Omicron Now About 3% of All COVID-19 Cases VOA 15 Dec 2021 -- The White House COVID-19 Response team Wednesday said early data indicates the omicron coronavirus variant is spreading in the U.S., but current vaccine boosters appear to be effective in fighting it.
• Omicron likely to become dominant COVID-19 variant in U.S.: Fauci People's Daily 15 Dec 2021 -- The newest Omicron variant is likely to become a dominant COVID-19 variant in United States, said top U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci on Tuesday.
• 'A defining tragedy': US passes 800,000 Covid deaths, highest in the world Press TV 15 Dec 2021 -- The US death toll from Covid-19 has passed 800,000, a figure that represents the highest reported toll of any country in the world.
• U.S. Records 201,786 New Cases, 1,350 Deaths of COVID-19 SPA 15 Dec 2021 -- The United States of America recorded 201,786 new infections, along with1,350 deaths of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
• Navy Starts Administrative Separations for COVID-19 Vaccine Refusers US Navy 15 Dec 2021 -- The Navy issued guidance to commanders to move forward with administrative separations for service members continuing to refuse the COVID-19 vaccination, while leaving the door open for those who change their minds.

China

• China Promotes Vaccines Around the World, but Critics Point to Lower Efficacy VOA 15 Dec 2021 -- COVID-19 was first discovered in China, which became the first country to produce a vaccine. Sinovac and Sinopharm are China's leading vaccine makers, and both manufacture World Health Organization-approved COVID-19 vaccines.
• Sinovac booster shot shows 94% neutralization efficacy against Omicron: company Global Times 15 Dec 2021 -- The latest study shows a third shot of Chinese biotech firm Sinovac's inactivated vaccine can more than double the vaccine's neutralizing antibody positive rate against the Omicron variant, the Global Times learned from the company on Wednesday.
• Chinese mainland's second Omicron case imported from Canada Global Times 15 Dec 2021 -- The case of Omicron variant detected in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, was an imported case flying back from Canada on November 27, authorities in Shanghai revealed on Wednesday.
• Hong Kong reports 9th case of Omicron COVID-19 variant People's Daily 15 Dec 2021 -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) confirmed one additional case of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
• East China city reports 39 new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 15 Dec 2021 -- An eastern Chinese city registered 39 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday amid the latest resurgence, local authorities said.
• Chinese mainland reports 50 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases People's Daily 15 Dec 2021 -- The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 50 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said in its daily report on Wednesday.
• East China city reports 171 COVID-19 cases in latest resurgence People's Daily 15 Dec 2021 -- An eastern Chinese city has registered 171 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and one asymptomatic carrier, as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, in the latest COVID-19 resurgence since Dec. 7, local authorities said.
• China's Guangzhou reports Omicron COVID-19 variant case People's Daily 15 Dec 2021 -- The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou has detected a COVID-19 case involving the Omicron coronavirus variant, local health authorities said at a press conference Tuesday.

Europe

• European Commission President Warns Omicron Could Dominate Continent by Mid-January VOA 15 Dec 2021 -- The president of the European Commission is warning that the omicron variant could become the dominant coronavirus variant across the 27-nation bloc by mid-January.

India

• India's Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 134.61 Cr India PIB 15 Dec 2021 -- With the administration of 68,89,025 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 134
• COVID-19 Vaccination Update - Day 334 India PIB 15 Dec 2021 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 135 Crore landmark milestone (135,17,97,270) today
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs India PIB 15 Dec 2021 -- The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country
• COVID-19 UPDATE India PIB 15 Dec 2021

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 52 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 15 Dec 2021 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran increased to 130,883 with 52 more Iranians killed by the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia

• Ministry of Health Reports 88 New COVID-19 Cases, 76 Recoveries in Saudi Arabia SPA 15 Dec 2021 -- The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced the registration of 88 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 76 recoveries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the past 24 hours.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports seven COVID-19 cases, one death CNA 15 Dec 2021 -- Taiwan reported on Wednesday seven new cases of COVID-19, all contracted overseas, and one death from the disease, which is the first reported since Nov. 9, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).
• Taiwan to offer second Pfizer-BNT dose to 12-17 age group Thursday CNA 15 Dec 2021 -- Taipei, Taichung, and Yilan County will begin administering second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to the 12-17 age group from Thursday, the first to do so after a delay stemming from concerns over myocarditis and pericarditis.

North Korea

• Analysts Say New COVID Pills Could Be Game Changer for North Korea VOA 15 Dec 2021 -- Public health experts say promising COVID-19 treatment pills could play a key role for North Korea, one of the only countries yet to begin coronavirus vaccinations.

NATO

• Coronavirus Response: NATO donates ventilators to Tunisia NATO 15 Dec 2021 -- On 15 December 2021, Tunisia received 10 ventilators from NATO's Pandemic Response Stockpile to help the country respond to coronavirus infections. NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre and Hungary coordinated the donation to provide pandemic relief to Tunisia.

Other Countries

• Jordan Records 4,341 New Cases of COVID-19 SPA 15 Dec 2021 -- Jordan recorded 4,341 new infections with the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 1,024,032.
• Palestine Records 386 New Cases of COVID-19 SPA 15 Dec 2021 -- Palestine recorded, in the past 24 hours, 386 new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), two deaths, and 360 recoveries, in all Palestinian governorates.
• Mexico Confirmed COVID-19 Death Toll Nearly At 297,000 SPA 15 Dec 2021 -- Mexico's health ministry on Tuesday reported 262 more fatalities from COVID-19, bringing the country's official death toll since the pandemic began to 296,983, Reuters reported.
• COVID-19 leads to over 50 million more hungry people in Asia-Pacific UN News 15 Dec 2021 -- COVID-19 led to rising food insecurity for around 54 million people living in the vast Asia-Pacific region during 2020, according to a joint UN agency report published on Wednesday.
• UN agency begins COVID vaccine rollout for 7,500 stranded migrants in Yemen UN News 15 Dec 2021 -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has begun a COVID-19 vaccination campaign for migrants stranded in Yemen. The goal is to inoculate around 7,500 people at its Migrant Response Points in Aden and Ma'rib.
• COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Americas triple in 2021 UN News 15 Dec 2021 -- Compared to the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was "undoubtedly worse" for the Americas, where infections and deaths tripled, the top UN health official there reported on Wednesday.