Other Security News
COVID-19 Pandemic News

Other Security News

• Final Report on Jan. 6 Attack Points Finger at Trump VOA 22 Dec 2022 -- The committee formed by the House of Representatives to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday released its final report, an 845-page set of documents supporting the committee's claim that the attack was directly caused by former President Donald Trump and represented the final act in a "multipart conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 Presidential election."
• Biden White House Navigates January 6 Committee Recommendation to Prosecute Trump VOA 22 Dec 2022 -- The House select committee probing the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol is scheduled to release its final report Thursday, referring former president Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation and potential prosecution for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election won by President Joe Biden.
• US Military Reportedly Losing Personnel With Advanced Cyber Skills, Training Inadequate Sputnik 22 Dec 2022 -- The US armed forces are losing too many personnel trained to operate with cyber systems and its programs to prepare the number of experts it needs are inaccurate and patchy, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report on Thursday.
• Pennsylvania Guard conducts virtual winter storm exercise Army News 22 Dec 2022 -- Pennsylvania National Guard members from around the commonwealth participated in a winter storm tabletop exercise Dec. 20.
• Narcotrafficker Pleads Guilty to International Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy US Dept. of Justice 22 Dec 2022 -- Gerado Gonzalez-Valencia, aka Lalo, 45, pleaded guilty today to international cocaine trafficking.
• Australia Arrests Alleged Drug Lord After Decadelong Manhunt VOA 22 Dec 2022 -- Australian police said Thursday the suspected head of a global drug trafficking syndicate has been taken into custody. Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-born Canadian national, was one of the world's most wanted men.
• Uganda's Ebola Success Forces Revamp of Vaccines Trial VOA 22 Dec 2022 -- Uganda on Thursday received two more potential vaccines for a trial against the Sudan strain of the deadly Ebola virus. Uganda has recorded 142 confirmed cases and 55 deaths since the September outbreak but has had no new cases since late November. While having no active cases is welcomed, it also means the trial will have to be revamped to test the vaccines' effectiveness.

COVID-19 Pandemic News

China

• Former Judge on China's Top Court Suggests End to Prosecution of 'Zero-COVID' Violators VOA 22 Dec 2022 -- A former judge of the Supreme People's Court, the highest court in China, is calling for the suspension or revocation of cases against some 80 people found guilty of violating "zero-COVID" policy regulations since the advent of omicron, a less deadly variant that began spreading in December 2021.
• Chinese tech giant starts drug-sharing platform amid COVID-induced medicine shortage Radio Free Asia 22 Dec 2022 -- Chinese tech giant Tencent has set up a social media platform in a bid to help people source common fever medicines, which are in short supply as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 rips through the country's 1.4 billion population after the lifting of pandemic controls.
• China discloses COVID-19 info promptly and transparently, insists on informing WHO: FM Global Times 22 Dec 2022 -- China said since COVID began, it has been sharing information on the epidemic in a timely, open and transparent manner in accordance with the law and informing the WHO about China's COVID situation, in response to an appeal from WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus for detailed information, especially on severe cases.
• China calls for collaboration of city hospitals and rural clinics to cope with COVID surge Global Times 22 Dec 2022 -- As the COVID-19 outbreak in China gradually sweeps into rural areas where medical systems are relatively weaker, governments and medical experts are calling for coordinated collaboration between big hospitals and grassroots medical institutes. They ask the latter to upgrade their capacity of treating patients as the grassroots hospitals are facing shortages of medicine and medical staff.
• Patients admitted to Beijing fever clinics falls by 11% despite numbers still being elevated Global Times 22 Dec 2022 -- The number of patients admitted to fever clinics across Beijing's hospitals on Wednesday has fallen by 11 percent from its peak in recent days, according to local health officials Thursday, as medical treatment demand in fever clinics becomes more stable, despite remaining at an elevated level.
• Chinese cities roll out centralized quarantine service for those opting against home quarantine Global Times 22 Dec 2022 -- Several Chinese cities including Hangzhou, are now allowing people with COVID-19 to apply for centralized quarantine, after many expressed concern over passing the coronavirus to others under the same roof, especially the elderly and children.
• Chinese localities distribute free drugs to the public, split packages to meet surging demand amid COVID-19 flare-ups Global Times 22 Dec 2022 -- With the continuous optimization and adjustment of China's epidemic prevention and control policy, many cities across the country have begun to distribute free drugs including cold and fever medicines to the public and implemented open package dispensing, in a bid to meet spiking demand.

Iran

• Iran registers no new Covid deaths in past 24 hours IRNA 22 Dec 2022 -- Iran's Health Ministry on Thursday announced that no new fatalities from COVID-19 had been registered in the past 24 hours.

Japan

• Japan reports 206,943 new COVID-19 cases amid 8th wave of infections People's Daily 22 Dec 2022 -- Japan's health ministry and local governments said that 206,943 people had been newly infected with the COVID-19 virus nationwide, according to the latest figures released Wednesday, as the country grapples with an eighth wave of infections.

Taiwan

• Taiwan reports 19,891 new COVID-19 cases, 41 deaths CNA 22 Dec 2022 -- Taiwan on Thursday reported 19,891 new COVID-19 infections and 41 deaths from the disease, according to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

North Korea

• Agitation Activities for Raising Public Anti-Epidemic Consciousness Brisk in DPRK KCNA 22 Dec 2022 -- Women's union organizations at all levels in the DPRK are dynamically conducting the work to raise the popular anti-epidemic consciousness in keeping with the requirements of the intensified normal anti-epidemic system and the winter conditions.