Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• READOUT: At Strategic Dialogue on Illicit Finance, United States and Mexico Agree to Work on Anti-Corruption, Revitalize Illicit Finance Cooperation US Treasury 13 May 2022
• Treasury Announces 2022 National Illicit Finance Strategy US Treasury 13 May 2022 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the 2022 National Strategy for Combatting Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing (2022 Strategy), which identifies measures to increase transparency in the U.S. financial system and strengthen the U.S. anti-money laundering/counter the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.
• Alaska Guard provides flood assistance to Manley Hot Springs Army News 13 May 2022 -- The Alaska National Guard is helping the Interior Alaska community of Manley Hot Springs recover from flooding from the Tanana River.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

• WHO Chief: 'Misguided to Think This Pandemic Is Over' VOA 13 May 2022 -- The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Thursday at the second U.S.-led virtual COVID summit, co-hosted by Belize, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal.
• G7 Foreign Ministers' Action Plan on COVID-19 Germany Federal Foreign Office 13 May 2022 -- "We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, have endorsed the following Action Plan:"

United States

• Biden says 1 mln American lives lost to COVID-19 "a tragic milestone" People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- Commemorating 1 million American lives lost to COVID-19, the highest in the world, U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday described the number as "a tragic milestone."
• Department of the Army announces updated COVID-19 vaccination statistics US Army 13 May 2022 -- The U.S. Army announced updated COVID-19 vaccination rates and exemption requests as of May 12, 2022.

China

• China immigration authorities debunk disinformation over alleged heavy-handed border controls Global Times 13 May 2022 -- China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) and the General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspections in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou on Friday debunked rumors surrounding passenger passports or green cards being confiscated when entering or exiting the country. Authorities said that such disinformation aims to undermine China's COVID-19 prevention measures and regulations.
• Immigration authority refutes false info slandering China's entry-exit policies People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) on Friday dismissed false overseas media reports on its border control practices, saying such rumors aim to distort and discredit the country's entry and exit policies.
• COVID-19 kills 8 Iranians over past 24 hours IRNA 13 May 2022 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran increased to 141,209, with eight more Iranians killed by the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Friday.
• Health, wealth no zero-sum game in China's COVID battle People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- In the face of mounting uncertainties due to COVID-19, one thing remains certain -- China will stick to its dynamic zero-COVID policy that has proven pragmatic and effective.
• 614 COVID-19 patients discharged from hospitals on Chinese mainland People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- A total of 614 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery on the Chinese mainland on Thursday, the National Health Commission said in its Friday report.
• Chinese mainland reports 312 new local COVID-19 cases, 227 in Shanghai People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- The Chinese mainland on Thursday reported 312 confirmed local COVID-19 cases, of which 227 were in Shanghai, the National Health Commission said on Friday.
• Shanghai reports 227 confirmed, 1,869 asymptomatic local COVID-19 cases People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- China's Shanghai reported 227 confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 1,869 local asymptomatic cases on Thursday, the municipal health commission said Friday.
• Beijing to conduct 3 more rounds of mass COVID-19 testing People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- Beijing will conduct three additional rounds of mass nucleic acid testing in 12 districts from Friday to Sunday, as the Chinese capital races against time to contain the latest resurgence of COVID-19 infections.
• Hong Kong's third-dose COVID-19 vaccination rate reaches 50 pct People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government announced Thursday that about 3.38 million people had received their third COVID-19 vaccine dose as of Thursday, accounting for 50 percent of the population aged 12 or above.

Europe

• Coronavirus: Commission secures an agreement with BioNTech-Pfizer to adapt delivery schedules to Member States' needs European Commission 13 May 2022 -- Today, the European Commission and the vaccine developers, BioNTech and Pfizer, reached an agreement to better address Member States needs for COVID-19 vaccines for the months ahead.
• COVID-19 death toll in Europe tops 2 mln: WHO People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths has exceeded two million in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe said on Thursday.

India

• India's Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 190.99 Cr India PIB 13 May 2022 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 190.99 Cr (1,90,99,44,803) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,38,51,277 sessions.
• COVID - 19 Vaccination Update - Day 483 India PIB 13 May 2022 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 191 Crore landmark milestone (1,91,14,04,078) today. More than 13 lakh (13,21,762) Vaccine Doses have been administered till 7 pm today. The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late tonight.
• Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Availability in States/UTs India PIB 13 May 2022 -- The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The nationwide COVID 19 vaccination started on 16th January 2021. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from 21st June 2021. The vaccination drive has been ramped up through availability of more vaccines, advance visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them, and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
• COVID-19 UPDATE India PIB 13 May 2022

Iran

• Spirited Fight: Iran's latest COVID-19 map has no red, orange zones Press TV 13 May 2022 -- After a spirited fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, lasting more than two years, the new virus map released by Iran's health ministry on Friday has brought a big cheer to people across the country.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 65,011 new COVID-19 cases, 41 deaths CNA 13 May 2022 -- Taiwan saw its single-day COVID-19 cases surpass 60,000 for the second straight day on Friday, with the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reporting 65,011 new cases and 41 deaths from the disease.
• Taiwan COVID-19 News Brief: May 13 CNA 13 May 2022 -- Taiwan reported 65,011 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday -- 64,972 domestically transmitted and 39 imported -- and 41 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

North Korea

• North Korean soldiers spread COVID-19 during April 25 military parade Radio Free Asia 13 May 2022 -- A massive military parade in North Korea has been identified as a COVID-19 super-spreader event, after several servicemen who marched in it tested positive for the virus, sources in the country told RFA.
• Maximum Emergency Epidemic Prevention System Comes into Force, State Emergency Measures Taken KCNA 13 May 2022 -- The state epidemic prevention system was immediately switched over to the maximum emergency epidemic prevention system according to the decisions of the 8th Political Bureau Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
• DPRK leader calls for quick action to contain COVID-19 People's Daily 13 May 2022 -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on Thursday called for quick action to contain the spread of COVID-19, when visiting the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
• N.Korea reports first death from COVID-19; China stands ready to help it combat outbreak Global Times 13 May 2022 -- North Korea on Friday reported the first death from COVID-19 and said more than 350,000 people got fever since late April as COVID-19 "explosively spread nationwide," as the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that its leader Kim Jong-un visited the country's national emergency quarantine command center on Thursday to inspect antivirus efforts.
• Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Visits State Emergency Epidemic Prevention Headquarters KCNA 13 May 2022 -- A fever whose cause couldn't be identified explosively spread nationwide from late April and more than 350 000 people got fever in a short span of time and at least 162 200 out of them were healed completely. On May 12 alone, some 18 000 persons with fever occurred nationwide and as of now up to 187 800 people are being isolated and treated. Six persons died (one of them tested positive for the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron.)