Optiv security

Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said Thursday that security will remain tight because of intelligence that some militia groups that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 have threatened to "blow up" the complex when President Biden Joe Biden Biden 'disappointed' in Senate parliamentarian ruling but 'respects' decision Taylor Swift celebrates House passage of Equality Act Donald Trump Jr. calls Bruce Springsteen's dropped charges 'liberal privilege' MORE delivers a joint address to Congress. A date for when Biden will deliver a joint address to Congress in a State of the Union-like speech has not yet been established. But Pittman said that officials want to maintain the current security posture while that threat remains. ADVERTISEMENT "We know that members of the militia groups that were present on Jan. 6 have stated their desires that they want to blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible with a direct nexus to the State of the … [Read more...] about Capitol Police head cites Biden speech threat for keeping security high

The World Health Organization, the global health initiative UNITAID and a consortium of partners Tuesday announced a new task force to secure oxygen supplies for COVID-19 patients in low and middle-income nations. Speaking to reporters at the United Nations’ Geneva headquarters, UNITAID spokesman Herve Verhoosel said low-and-middle-income nations have faced challenges maintaining oxygen supplies since the pandemic started. He said some hospitals have simply run out, resulting in preventable deaths. Verhoosel said more than 500,000 people in low- and middle-income countries currently need more than 1.1 million cylinders of oxygen per day, equal to eight million cubic meters. Based on assessments provided by WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, Verhoosel said UNITAID and another task force member group, the health research foundation WELLCOME, will provide the initial $20 million, and they will determine the most urgent, short-term needs as well overall funding needed for the next … [Read more...] about WHO, UNITAID Form Task Force to Secure Oxygen for COVID Patients

close Video Pentagon response to Capitol riot under scrutiny ahead of hearing FOX News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the details on 'The Story' Members of the Washington D.C. City Council called Wednesday for the removal of three miles of security fencing placed around the U.S. Capitol as a defensive measure in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the councilmembers said a "hardened security perimeter," with fencing and razor wire, was the "wrong solution." The security fencing has created logistical problems within the city, impacted local legislative operations and limited public access to the Capitol complex, they added. "We offer our full support and partnership to both investigate the deficiencies that led to the failures on January 6 and implement any changes in command or planning needed to ensure those events will never be … [Read more...] about DC City Council calls for Capitol security fencing to be removed

WASHINGTON - The Islamic State terror group appears to be exploiting security gaps across Syria and Iraq to reposition its forces and help fuel an increase in violence that is reenergizing fighters and supporters. Officials with U.S.-backed forces in northeastern Syria tell VOA the recent surge in violence across the region, including attacks on civil servants and execution-style killings at the al-Hol displaced persons camp, are linked to an influx of operatives from areas nominally under the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as well as from neighboring Iraq. The assessment of U.S. partners on the ground is consistent with Washington’s own findings in recent months, which warn that IS fighters and operatives enjoy freedom of movement across much of Syria while finding ways to shape the environment to the terror group’s advantage. “ISIS is not finished yet,” Mazloum Abdi, the general commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), told VOA’s Kurdish … [Read more...] about Islamic State Exploiting Security Gaps to Step Up Violence, US Partners Warn

A militia of some one hundred armed men stormed into a girls boarding school in northwest Nigeria on Thursday night and abducted over 300 of the schoolgirls. It was the second such kidnapping in less than a week. The attack took place at the Jangebe secondary school in Zamfara state, a region where mass kidnappings are on the rise. Riding motorcycles and off-road vehicles, the men entered the school grounds around midnight. “The armed men came into the school with vehicles, then they forced some of the girls to walk with them,” said Sulaiman Tunau Anka, a local government spokesperson. One of the teachers said that 600 teenage girls had been in the dormitories during the attack, and that only “about 50” have since been accounted for, adding that the missing girls may have been kidnapped or escaped. “The Zamfara State Police Command in collaboration with the military have commenced a joint search and rescue operation with a view to rescuing the 317 students kidnapped by … [Read more...] about 317 Schoolgirls Kidnapped by Bandits in Northwest Nigeria