International Policy
Leadership from several federal government agencies signed an agreement to collaborate to prevent products that pose a threat to public health from entering the U.S. through International Mail Facilities.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) -- signed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Todd Young (R-IN) are urging the Trump Administration to extend the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia.
The senators said it's vital to preserve the New START agreement for national security and nuclear stability with Russia.... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) said the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has been ratified by 50 nations and will enter into force early next year.
The initiative serves as a call to action, accelerating progression to a world without nuclear weapons.
NTI CEO Ernest J.... Read More »
Law enforcement authorities in the United States and Mexico are seeking to identify individuals lasing aircraft along the U.S.-Mexico border from Del Rio, Texas/Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila to Eagle Pass/Piedras Negras.
During multiple evening operations earlier in October, aircraft operated by the... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Andy Barr (R-KY), Michael McCaul (R-TX) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) introduced the China Task Force Act, which includes bills and recommendations laid out by the House China Task Force (CTF) to combat economic, military, political and technological threats from China.... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bill that would give the president the authority to sanction foreign nations that try to steal American research on COVID-19.
The Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act authorizes sanctions that would specifically target a... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) hosted a special session of its Executive Board this week, providing an opportunity for discussion and review with Member States and seeking their guidance regarding strategic response efforts for COVID-19.
While President Donald Trump announced earlier this... Read More »
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials said the agencies have invited airports to participate in the Preclearance program for the first time in four years.
“Preclearance is an excellent passenger facilitation program that complements our... Read More »
Three lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) requesting insight regarding efforts to address foreign biomedical research influence.
Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Rep. Greg Walden... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) convened a meeting of more than 40 experts worldwide to address the need for better oversight of biotechnology research.
Biotechnology research is essential for reducing pandemic threats and supporting global health. However, scientific advances in the life... Read More »
Under a new agreement with the European Commission, Sanofi and GSK will provide up to 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union in exchange for manufacturing scale-up support.
The vaccine in question is based on a mix of Sanofi’s recombinant protein-based technology --... Read More »
Global leaders gather for a virtual session of the 75th United Nations General Assembly this month, and as proceedings got underway, the World Health Organization (WHO) took the opportunity to push for three actions it deems key to the collective future.
Foremost among these concerns a weight on... Read More »
International Air Transport Association (IATA) officials maintain governments should initiate planning with the industry to ensure preparedness when COVID-19 vaccines are approved and ready for distribution.
“Safely delivering COVID-19 vaccines will be the mission of the century for the... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) are urging the Trump administration to investigate Russia’s alleged use of chemical weapons in the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny.
This request triggers an investigation into Russia’s alleged violation of... Read More »
The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) issued a statement about the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, any poisoning of an individual through the use of a nerve agent is considered a use of... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently introduced a measure they said is designed to hold foreign nations accountable for suppressing or distorting information concerning international public health crises.
Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) joined Reps. John Curtis (R-UT), Mike Gallagher... Read More »
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the global COVAX initiative can now count 172 national economies and nine potential COVID-19 vaccines under its banner, seven of which have entered clinical trials.
The goal of the COVAX facility is to bring the... Read More »
National Security Forum (NSF) and Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) personnel are espousing the benefits of a recent dialogue session focusing on efforts to track drug cartels.
“An exciting development for our upcoming programs is a new collaboration NSF is building with... Read More »
A group of Congressional Republicans is urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to require media company Al Jazeera to register as a foreign agent.
The lawmakers said that Al Jazeera, which is owned by the Qatari government, have engaged in activities that align closely with the priorities of... Read More »
Doubling down on the increasingly rocky relationship between the United States and China, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) introduced the Transparency in Chinese Government Investment Act last week, which would require any publicly traded companies to reveal connections with China’s governing... Read More »
A study by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) examined the effectiveness of government travel bans in Europe on slowing the spread of COVID-19.
The study found that international flight connections played a particularly important role in the early stages of the... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials recently conducted its initial China Working Group session as a means of addressing response to evolving threats posed by China.
“The Chinese threat is intensifying at an alarming rate through CCP’s malign activity in the trade, cybersecurity,... Read More »
While treatments for COVID-19 remain under research, Novartis announced a new initiative for low- and middle-income countries this week that will supply 15 generic and over-the-counter medicines at zero-profit as a way of treating symptoms.
The policy is only meant as a hold-over until a vaccine... Read More »
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has derailed economics, killed more than 569,000 people, and left entire nations on lockdown, and last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the formation of an independent panel to investigate the world’s handling of the disease.
The Independent... Read More »
The executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) voted to condemn the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian Arab Republic in 2017.
The vote followed an investigation by the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), which concluded that there are... Read More »
A bill designed to identify and combat efforts by the Chinese government to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Preventing China from Exploiting COVID-19 Act calls upon the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to investigate how the Chinese... Read More »
House members of the Northern Border Caucus are pushing for a phased reopening of that United States-Canadian border, which has been shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In all, 29 Congress members, led by caucus co-chairs Brian Higgins (D-NY) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), called for... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators called on the leaders of Central Asian nations to release detainees imprisoned for peaceful activism who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19.
The Senators sent letters to the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Tajikistan Emomali... Read More »
BAE Systems Applied Intelligence and Acuminor are developing new technology to help banks identify transactional behavior linked to human trafficking.
They are working on a trial with a major Nordic bank for their new solution to test the effectiveness of its financial crime detection systems.... Read More »
A bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers is urging European Union (EU) member states to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
The lawmakers state that Hezbollah is using Europe as a launching pad for its criminal and terrorist activities, including money laundering, drug... Read More »
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Ministry of Health declared this week that an Ebola outbreak which has ravaged the eastern portion of the country since 2018 has finally reached its end.
The news was hailed by global and U.S. health officials, still themselves battling the worldwide... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and Israel Ministry of Public Security (MOPS) officials are touting the Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation collaboration.
The BIRD Foundation is soliciting collaborative project proposals... Read More »
The U.S. government has reached agreements with both Canada and Mexico to limit all non-essential travel across borders to limit the further spread of coronavirus.
The Department of Homeland Security is a crucial part of this North American approach to stop the spread of the virus, as will the... Read More »
The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is endorsing Rep. Bryan Steil’s bill, the Stop Evasion of Iran Sanctions Act.
The RSC’s backing of the measure is in accordance with the group’s National Security Strategy: Strengthening America and Countering Global Threats.
“The United States... Read More »
More than 30 countries and international partners/institutions have rallied behind the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), a new initiative from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Costa Rica designed to make scientific tools to fight COVID-19 universally available.
The show of unity... Read More »
