Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• What is Seditious Conspiracy? VOA 01 Dec 2022 -- The conviction on Tuesday of militia leader Stewart Rhodes in connection with the January 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol marks the first time in more than two decades that the Justice Department has successfully used a criminal charge known as "seditious conspiracy."
• Targeting Hizballah Financial and Weapon Facilitators US Dept. of State 01 Dec 2022 -- The United States is designating two individuals and two companies based in Lebanon for providing financial services to Hizballah, along with an individual facilitating weapons procurement for Hizballah.
• Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Accountants and Weapons Facilitator US Treasury 01 Dec 2022 -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against two individuals and two companies based in Lebanon for providing financial services to Hizballah, along with an additional individual involved in facilitating weapons procurement for Hizballah. These designations target individuals and companies that manage and enable Hizballah's overarching financial apparatus operating throughout Lebanon, including Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH) and Hizballah's Central Finance Unit. U.S.-designated AQAH is Hizballah's quasi-financial institution, and Hizballah's Central Finance Unit oversees the terrorist group's budget within Hizballah's Executive Council at the direction of Hizballah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
• Spain Investigating Letter Bombs Sent to Prime Minister, Ukraine Embassy VOA 01 Dec 2022 -- Ukraine's foreign minister said Thursday a letter bomb sent to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid was act of terror and pledged to ensure that those responsible receive the maximum punishment.
• US embassy targeted amid string of letter bombs in Spain Press TV 01 Dec 2022 -- The embassy of the United States has been targeted by a letter bomb in Spain, officials say, following the discovery of a series of letter bombs in the European country.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

China

• For China, No Easy Way Out of 'Zero-COVID' Policy VOA 01 Dec 2022 -- As much of the world returned to some kind of new normal in 2022, China remains the only country sticking to a strict "zero-COVID" policy to control the spread of a global pandemic. While credited with saving lives, the policy slowed the economy, exacerbated supply-chain disruptions, cost millions of jobs, forced a large portion of Chinese residents into some form of lockdown for months, and is now, experts say, forcing Beijing's leadership to seek a way out of a problem they don't admit having.
• Chinese cities further optimize COVID response amid new realities Global Times 01 Dec 2022 -- Chinese cities including Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, where the virus is rife, have continued to optimize their anti-epidemic policies in recent days, with Guangzhou resuming businesses, allowing dine-in services in low-risk areas; and shopping malls gradually opening in Beijing starting Thursday. Some cities have also started to allow close contacts to have home quarantine under certain conditions and exempt some groups from routine nucleic tests.
• Vice premier stresses optimizing COVID-19 response People's Daily 01 Dec 2022 -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Wednesday underlined the importance of constantly optimizing the country's COVID-19 response.
• China steps up security, eases COVID-19 restrictions in wake of Jiang Zemin's death Radio Free Asia 01 Dec 2022 -- Authorities in China are stepping up security and easing COVID-19 restrictions following the death of late Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin, as political commentators said public mourning activities could become the focus of further unrest in the country.
• Silence on China Protests, but Analysts Say Africa Watching VOA 01 Dec 2022 -- With China seeing the biggest anti-government protests since 1989, analysts say African governments are watching closely, mainly with economic concerns.
• Shijiazhuang to resume normal life and production after transmission chains at community level basically cut off Global Times 01 Dec 2022 -- Major urban area of Shijiazhuang in North China's Hebei Province announced on Wednesday to resume normal life and production in an orderly manner starting from Thursday, after five rounds of city-wide nucleic acid testing with the results showing that the transmission chains at community level have basically been cut off.
• China to further upgrade its virus control policy People's Daily 01 Dec 2022 -- China's COVID-19 prevention and control work is facing new situations and new tasks, with the weakening pathogenicity of Omicron, increasing uptake of vaccination and growing disease response experiences, Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan said on Wednesday.
• Chinese mainland reports 4,080 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 01 Dec 2022 -- The Chinese mainland on Wednesday reported 4,080 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said Thursday.

Europe

• New COVID-19 variant drives virus surge in France, says immunologist People's Daily 01 Dec 2022 -- The BQ.1.1 subvariant of COVID-19 is currently taking precedence over the BA.5 subvariant in France, immunologist Brigitte Autran, president of the Committee for Monitoring and Anticipating Health Risks (COVARS), told the news channel BFMTV on Wednesday.

Iran

• Iran posts single Covid death in past 24 hours IRNA 01 Dec 2022 -- Iran's Health Ministry on Thursday announced that one person had died due to COVID-19 over the past 24 hours.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 15,651 new COVID-19 cases, 53 deaths CNA 01 Dec 2022 -- Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported 15,651 new COVID-19 infections Thursday, all but 56 were domestically transmitted, and 53 deaths from the disease.