Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Al-Qaida Positioned to Surpass Islamic State Among Jihadis VOA 19 Jul 2022 -- Al-Qaida, boosted by leadership stability and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, appears to be positioning itself to once again be seen as the world's preeminent terror group and as the greatest long-term threat to the West.
• Former Trump Aides to Testify Before Panel Investigating Attack on US Capitol VOA 19 Jul 2022 -- U.S. news outlets say the congressional committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6 of last year will hear testimony from two aides to then-President Donald Trump about his reaction to the insurrection as it was unfolding.
• Justice Department Seizes and Forfeits Approximately $500,000 from North Korean Ransomware Actors and their Conspirators US Dept. of Justice 19 Jul 2022 -- The Justice Department today announced a complaint filed in the District of Kansas to forfeit cryptocurrency paid as ransom to North Korean hackers or otherwise used to launder such ransom payments. In May 2022, the FBI filed a sealed seizure warrant for the funds worth approximately half a million dollars. The seized funds include ransoms paid by health care providers in Kansas and Colorado.
• US Disrupts North Korea Ransomware Group, Recovers Nearly Half a Million in Payments VOA 19 Jul 2022 -- U.S. law enforcement authorities have disrupted a group of North Korean hackers, recovering nearly half a million dollars in ransom payments it received from a Kansas hospital, a Colorado health care provider and other victims, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said on Tuesday.
• Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on malicious cyber activities conducted by hackers and hacker groups in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine EC/CEU 19 Jul 2022 -- Russia's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine has been accompanied by a significant increase of malicious cyber activities, including by a striking and concerning number of hackers and hacker groups indiscriminately targeting essential entities globally.
• US State Department says human trafficking worsened in Cambodia, Vietnam Radio Free Asia 19 Jul 2022 -- Human trafficking worsened in Cambodia and Vietnam over the past year, according to a report issued Tuesday by the U.S. State Department, which placed them in its lowest ranking alongside 20 other countries including China, accused of widespread forced labor and mass incarceration in Xinjiang.
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken At the 2022 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report Launch Ceremony US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2022
• MFA statement condemning cyberattacks of pro-Russian hacker groups Republic of Poland 19 Jul 2022 -- "Today, on behalf of the 27 Member States, the European Union published a Declaration on malicious activities conducted by hackers and hacker groups in the context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine."
• Ghana Allays Fears Over Marburg Outbreak VOA 19 Jul 2022 -- Ghana's Health Service says more than a third of the people quarantined after an outbreak of the Marburg virus, a relative of Ebola, have been cleared to leave isolation. Authorities quarantined 98 people this week following two deadly cases of the virus in Ghana.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

United States

• Joint Statement on the COVID-19 Global Action Plan Foreign Ministerial Meeting US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2022 -- The following is the joint statement released by the Secretary of State of the United States and the Foreign Minister of Japan.
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken At a Virtual COVID-19 Global Action Plan Foreign Ministerial Meeting US Dept. of State 19 Jul 2022
• U.S. still not prepared for next pandemic: report People's Daily 19 Jul 2022 -- As COVID-19's new Omicron subvariant BA.5 spreads quickly across the country, the U.S. government has once again been caught flat-footed against the virus that has taken the lives of over a million Americans, showing that the country's public health infrastructure still has some gaping holes, reported The Boston Globe on Sunday.

China

• 20 provincial-level regions report COVID-19 cases with multiple surpassing 400 on daily basis Global Times 19 Jul 2022 -- More than 20 provincial-level regions in the Chinese mainland have reported locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, and daily caseloads have begun to tick up in recent days. Epidemiologists said this new wave is challenging the coping ability of more inland and small cities, which are not as well equipped as metropolises, and emerging subvariants of Omicron further press anti-virus efforts as they spread faster and are harder to detect.
• New subvariants of Omicron found in China result in roughly same symptoms as other subvariants: CDC expert Global Times 19 Jul 2022 -- New subvariants of Omicron, such as BA.4 and BA.5, recently found in China result in roughly the same symptoms as other subvariants, said a virologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), noting that China's current antivirus measures are effective in fending off those subvariants.
• Chinese mainland reports 199 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 19 Jul 2022 -- The Chinese mainland Monday reported 199 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 134 in Guangxi and 32 in Gansu, the National Health Commission said Tuesday.
• China's Anhui strives to ensure daily supplies amid COVID-19 resurgence People's Daily 19 Jul 2022 -- East China's Anhui Province is taking a number of measures such as increasing supplies and monitoring prices to ensure the stable supply of daily necessities for those who are affected by the latest COVID-19 resurgence.

India

• India's Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 200.33 Cr India PIB 19 Jul 2022 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 200.33 Cr (2,00,33,55,257) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,64,01,846 sessions.
• COVID - 19 Vaccination Update - Day 550 India PIB 19 Jul 2022 -- India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 200.59 Crore (2,00,59,04,277) today. More than 23 lakh (23,89,774) 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 19 Jul 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 19 Jul 2022

Iran

• COVID-19 kills 19 more Iranians in past 24 hours IRNA 19 Jul 2022 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran increased to 141,532 with 19 more Iranians killed by the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 27,146 new COVID-19 cases, 37 deaths CNA 19 Jul 2022 -- Taiwan reported 27,146 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, all but 367 cases imported, and 37 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

North Korea

• Anti-epidemic Campaign Intensified in DPRK KCNA 19 Jul 2022 -- Sariwon City, North Hwanghae Province of the DPRK is focusing efforts on the ideological work for enhancing the voluntary unity and civic responsibility of the masses.
• Epidemic Spread and Treatment Results in DPRK KCNA 19 Jul 2022 -- According to information of the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters, more than 250 fever cases, with over 380 recoveries, were reported from 18:00 of July 17 to 18:00 of July 18 throughout the country.
• Anti-epidemic System and Code of Conduct Improved in DPRK KCNA 19 Jul 2022 -- The work system and code of conduct have been further perfected in each area and sector of the DPRK amid the work for implementing the state anti-epidemic policy to completely defuse the current public health crisis and steadily protect the people's health and lives.