Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Pan Am Flight 103 Terrorist Suspect in Custody for 1988 Bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland US Dept. of Justice 12 Dec 2022 -- Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi (Mas'ud), 71, of Tunisia and Libya, made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on federal charges, unsealed today, stemming from the Dec. 21, 1988, civilian aircraft bombing that killed 270 people. The victims included 190 Americans, 43 citizens of the United Kingdom, including 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland, and citizens from the following countries: Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Trinidad and Tobago.
• DoJ: Suspect in 1988 Lockerbie Bombing Appears in US Court, Faces Life in Prison Sputnik 12 Dec 2022 -- A man suspected of involvement in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 made an initial appearance in a US court, facing life in prison if convicted, the Justice Department said in a Monday release.
• Alleged Pan Am Flight 103 Bombmaker in U.S. Custody US Dept. of State 12 Dec 2022 -- "Today is an important day for justice. Following an intensive diplomatic effort, Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir al-Marimi is in U.S. custody to face trial for his alleged role in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103."
• FBI: More Than 7,000 Hate Crime Incidents Reported in 2021 VOA 12 Dec 2022 -- The FBI said Monday it received more than 7,000 reports of hate crimes last year, even though thousands of police departments around the country failed to contribute any data to the bureau's new crime reporting system.
• Message to the Congress on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Global Illicit Drug Trade The White House 12 Dec 2022
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Global Illicit Drug Trade The White House 12 Dec 2022
• Niger: EU establishes a military partnership mission to support the country in its fight against terrorism EC/CEU 12 Dec 2022 -- The Council today adopted a decision establishing a Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) military partnership mission to support Niger in its fight against terrorist armed groups.
• Ketamine bust prompts calls for greater enforcement oversight in Cambodia Radio Free Asia 12 Dec 2022 -- Cambodian authorities in the resort town of Sihanoukville seized nearly 1 ton of ketamine over the weekend in the latest high-profile drug bust in this country, prompting calls from civil society groups for more transparency and stricter enforcement of measures used to target drug crimes.
• Iran thwarts hackers' attack on Imam Khomeini Airport City Press TV 12 Dec 2022 -- Iranian cybersecurity experts have foiled a hacking attack on Imam Khomeini Airport City in the south of the capital Tehran, preventing any major interruption in the airport's operations.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

United States

• Department of the Army updates Total Army COVID-19 vaccination statistics US Army 12 Dec 2022 -- The U.S. Army updated COVID-19 vaccination rates and exemption requests for the Total Army as of December 8, 2022.

China

• Upcoming travel rush highlights urgency of ramping up Chinese rural areas' preparedness for COVID-19 surge Global Times 12 Dec 2022 -- China announced plans to scrap the national COVID-19 tracking code starting from Tuesday, a move that will further boost domestic travel after the country optimized its COVID-19 response last week. This move, along with the upcoming Chinese New Year, highlighted the urgency of ramping up rural areas' preparedness for COVID-19 outbreaks, said epidemiologists.
• Beijing combats medicine supply shortage after surge in number of flu-like patients Global Times 12 Dec 2022 -- Beijing on Monday said the city's medicine supplies have faced great pressure at short notice, as the capital's second-class hospitals reported 19,000 patients with flu-like symptoms last week, 6.2 times higher than in the previous week.
• COVID-19 trace tracking system 'itinerary code' terminates service, drawing to close of pandemic-related controls Global Times 12 Dec 2022 -- The itinerary code, which people in China use in the course of everyday life tied to travel risks to move around different localities for almost three years since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be removed starting Tuesday, marking the Chinese society a step further toward end of COVID-related controls.
• Chinese mainland reports 2,171 new local confirmed COVID-19 cases People's Daily 12 Dec 2022 -- The Chinese mainland on Sunday reported 2,171 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said Monday.
• Beijing records surge in flights amid COVID-19 policy adjustments People's Daily 12 Dec 2022 -- The Chinese capital Beijing has reported a surge in the number of flights recently after the country fine-tuned its COVID-19 response.
• Top epidemiologist urges intensified COVID-19 vaccine booster drive People's Daily 12 Dec 2022 -- China's leading epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan has urged a scale-up in vaccination efforts to inoculate more people with COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, especially with the Spring Festival travel rush coming soon.

India

• India logs 159 new COVID-19 cases with no deaths reported People's Daily 12 Dec 2022 -- India's health ministry said on Monday that no COVID-19-related deaths have been reported across the country during the past 24 hours.

Iran

• Iran registers another zero COVID-19 death in 24 hours IRNA 12 Dec 2022 -- The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran stayed unchanged at 144,658 with another zero death day over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Monday.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 10,853 new COVID-19 cases, 31 deaths CNA 12 Dec 2022 -- Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported 10,853 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, all but 29 of which were domestic cases, and 31 deaths from the disease.

Other Countries

• Australia to focus COVID-response resources on most vulnerable in 2023 People's Daily 12 Dec 2022 -- The Australian government has revealed its plan to continue fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023, focusing support on the country's most vulnerable people.
• New Zealand logs 40,098 new COVID-19 community cases over past week People's Daily 12 Dec 2022 -- New Zealand recorded 40,098 new community cases of COVID-19 and 35 more deaths from the pandemic over the past week, the country's Ministry of Health said on Monday.
• Philippines logs 1,134 new COVID-19 cases, 24 more deaths People's Daily 12 Dec 2022 -- The Philippines reported 1,134 new COVID-19 infections on Sunday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 4,049,042.
• Malaysia reports 867 new COVID-19 infections, 10 more deaths People's Daily 12 Dec 2022 -- Malaysia reported 867 new COVID-19 infections, as of midnight Sunday, bringing the national total to 5,010,634, according to the health ministry.