Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• US Cyber Chief Goes to Europe to Enhance NATO's Cyber Resilience Amid Ukraine Crisis Sputnik 02 Feb 2022 -- Top US cyber official Anne Neuberger is traveling to Europe this week to explore ways of boosting national and alliance resilience in cyber space against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis.
• FBI asks US companies to report Russian hacking threats amid Ukraine standoff Press TV 02 Feb 2022 -- The top US intelligence and security agency has asked American business companies to report alleged Russian hacking threats amid escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow over Ukraine.
• U.S. Statement on the Hack of the ICRC US Dept. of State 02 Feb 2022 -- "We are concerned by the breach, announced last month, of sensitive data held by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). For 150 years, the ICRC and the wider Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement have played a unique and essential role in protecting vulnerable populations from the harms of armed conflicts, natural disasters, and other emergencies."
• Alleged Members Of REvil Ransomware Group Denied Bail In Russia RFE/RL 02 Feb 2022 -- A Moscow court has rejected the appeals of three men allegedly linked to the ransomware group REvil who were seeking to be released from pretrial detention.
• Department of State Offers Reward for Information to Bring Bolivian Narcotics Trafficker to Justice US Dept. of State 02 Feb 2022 -- The U.S. Department of State is announcing a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the conviction of Maximiliano Dávila Perez, a Bolivian national.
• Operation Allies Welcome Announces Departure of Last Afghan Nationals from Fort Pickett, Virginia DHS 02 Feb 2022 -- Yesterday, the last group of Afghan nationals temporarily housed at Fort Pickett, Virginia as part of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) departed the base. Fort Pickett is the sixth of eight Department of Defense (DOD) installations supporting the resettlement of Afghan nationals, also known as "safe havens," to complete OAW-related operations. To date, more than 68,000 Afghan evacuees have joined new communities across the country. These resettlement efforts are led by the Department of State in close coordination with more than 290 local resettlement affiliates.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• WHO Cautions Nations Against Dropping COVID Restrictions VOA 02 Feb 2022 -- As several European nations scale back or drop COVID-19 restrictions altogether, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging caution as the coronavirus remains.

United States

• Department of the Army to initiate separation of COVID-19 vaccination order refusers US Army 02 Feb 2022 -- The United States Army announced today that it will immediately begin separating Soldiers from the service who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
• With Over 96% Vaccination Rate, US Army Will Begin Discharging Soldiers Who Refuse Covid Shot Sputnik 02 Feb 2022 -- The US Army said on Wednesday that soldiers who refuse to be inoculated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, will be discharged from the service if they don't have a special waiver.
• US Army Announces Discharges for Unvaccinated VOA 02 Feb 2022 -- The U.S. Army announced Wednesday it will begin discharging soldiers who have refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
• US Donates 560,000 COVID Vaccine Doses to Ghana VOA 02 Feb 2022 -- The United States has shipped more than 560,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to the West African nation of Ghana, the White House told VOA on Wednesday.
• Press Briefing by White House COVID-⁠19 Response Team and Public Health Officials The White House 02 Feb 2022
• Omicron accounts for 99.9 pct of new weekly COVID-19 cases in U.S.: CDC People's Daily 02 Feb 2022 -- The highly contagious Omicron variant accounted for 99.9 percent of new weekly COVID-19 infections in the United States, according to data updated by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday.

China

• Hong Kong Health Officials Fear 'Tsunami' of New Cases Due to Lunar New Year Travels Sputnik 02 Feb 2022 -- China's southern Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has struggled to keep several small COVID-19 outbreaks under control as clusters of both Omicron and Delta variants continue to spread. Health experts have warned that the semi-autonomous city cannot handle the same mass testing regimen that has worked in mainland cities.
• China's Shenzhen reports three new confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 02 Feb 2022 -- South China's metropolis of Shenzhen reported three new confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the municipal health commission said.

Europe

• Some Coronavirus Restrictions to Be Lifted in France From February 2 Sputnik 02 Feb 2022 -- The first phase of lifting coronavirus-related restrictions begins in France on Wednesday due to the improvement of the COVID-19 situation.
• Germany Records 208,498 New COVID-19 Cases, 196 Deaths SPA 02 Feb 2022 -- Germany recorded 208,498 new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases and 196 new deaths in the past 24 hours.
• Czech Health Minister Expects All COVID Measures in Country to Be Lifted in March Sputnik 02 Feb 2022 -- The Czech Republic will be able to cancel all coronavirus restrictions next month, Health Minister Vlastimil Valek said on Tuesday.
• Omicron wave far from over in Netherlands: health authority People's Daily 02 Feb 2022 -- The Omicron wave is far from over in the Netherlands, with the country recording more than half a million COVID-19 cases in the last week, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said on Tuesday.

India

• India's Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 167.29 Cr India PIB 02 Feb 2022 -- With the administration of more than57 lakh Doses (57,42,659) vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 167
• COVID - 19 Vaccination Update - Day 383 India PIB 02 Feb 2022 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 167
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs India PIB 02 Feb 2022 -- 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 02 Feb 2022
• India Reports 161,386 New COVID-19 Infections, 1,733 Deaths in Last 24 Hours SPA 02 Feb 2022 -- India reported 161,386 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recorded cases to 41.63 million, the health ministry data showed.

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 59 more Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 02 Feb 2022 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran increased to 132,563 with 59 more Iranians killed by the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia

• Saudi Arabia Reports 4,092 New COVID-19 Cases, 4,604 Recoveries SPA 02 Feb 2022 -- The Ministry of Health (MoH) announced the registration of 4,092 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 4,604 recoveries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the past 24 hours.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 53 new COVID-19 cases CNA 02 Feb 2022 -- Taiwan reported 53 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, consisting of 16 domestically transmitted cases and 37 originating abroad, and no new deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

Other Countries

• Morocco Records 3,051 New Cases of COVID-19 SPA 02 Feb 2022 -- Morocco recorded, in the past 24 hours, 3,051 new cases of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of infections to 1,138,847.
• Americas: Pace of Omicron slows amid rising COVID infections UN News 02 Feb 2022 -- COVID infections and deaths in North America continue to rise, as hospitalizations increase throughout the whole continent, the head of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Office said on Wednesday.
• Disaster-hit Tonga to Enter Snap COVID-19 Lockdown VOA 02 Feb 2022 -- Tonga went into COVID-19 lockdown on Wednesday as it recovers from last month's devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami waves. The Pacific archipelago has reported two cases of coronavirus after previously recording just a single infection last October.