Globalsecurity.org

COVID-19 is not a pandemic for now although there are very concerning signs, the chief of World Health Organization (WHO) said here on Thursday, expressing his deep concern about the spread of the coronavirus into an increasing number of countries with weaker health systems over the past few days.

A Chinese study on the globally-spread epidemic caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19) that first appeared in late 2019 in China's Wuhan, suggests there should be different control approaches between men and women, including a longer quarantine isolation period for women.

Chinese health authorities said Friday that China must not relax its vigilance or lower the level of work in epidemic prevention and control as the number of imported cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) increases.

Iran says the death toll from the new coronavirus has risen to 124 in the Islamic republic, including a former deputy foreign minister who reportedly died after being infected with the virus.

South Korea confirmed 322 more cases of the COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon, raising the total number of infections to 6,088.

European Union health ministers held an extraordinary meeting to discuss the latest developments regarding the coronavirus outbreak. The continental bloc is trying to improve its collective response to the coronavirus outbreak, aside from some members' decision to ban the export of protective equipment such as masks.

Cameroon confirmed the central African state's first case of COVID-19 on its territory Friday. Officials say it was discovered in a French citizen who arrived in Cameroon on Feb. 24.

The World Health Organization urges continued vigilance to prevent flareups of the deadly Ebola virus as the epidemic in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo moves closer to being officially declared over.

Afghan political leader Abdullah Abdullah has escaped unhurt after gunmen attacked a ceremony in the capital Kabul, that left at least 27 people dead and dozens injured.

Gunmen have opened fire at a ceremony in Kabul, killing at least 32 people in the first major attack in the Afghan capital since the United States and Taliban agreed to a troop withdrawal.

U.S. President Donald Trump says the Taliban could "possibly" overrun the Western-backed government in Kabul after the United States withdraws from Afghanistan.

Officials in Afghanistan say at least 32 people were killed and around 60 injured Friday when gunmen opened fire on a gathering in Kabul, with high-profile opposition politicians in attendance.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other of violating the fragile cease-fire along their border for a second time in less than two weeks.

Urgent resources are needed to support countries in southern Africa and the Great Lakes region which are hosting more than 900,000 refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and partners said in a $621 million appeal launched on Friday.

Kenyan authorities say one person is dead and 11 others injured after clashes in Somalia this week spilled across the border into Kenya. Now local leaders from Kenyan border areas are demanding action.

An ongoing dispute in Guinea-Bissau over December presidential election results, is casting a military shadow over the West African country. After rival parties both inaugurated different presidents, troops this week occupied the Supreme Court building and shut down state broadcasters, raising concerns of a possible coup.

The 2018 Defense Department cyber strategy prioritizes the challenge of great-power competition and recognizes that DOD must defend forward to counter U.S. competitors' long-term, coordinated campaigns of malicious activity to gain political, economic and military advantage, a DOD official said on Capitol Hill.

Multinational forces joined with the Royal Thai Armed Forces (RTARF) to conduct the second annual Cyberspace Field Training Exercise as part of Cobra Gold 2020 Feb. 24 - March 6.

In March 2012, a 25-year-old Russian computer whiz named Yevgeny Nikulin sat with several others in a conference room in a hotel in eastern Moscow. A video taken by a Ukrainian named Oleksandr Ieremenko showed them discussing plans for an Internet cafe business and other matters.

The United States, Britain, and Estonia have accused Russian military intelligence of conducting massive cyberattacks against the Georgian government and media websites in a bid "to sow discord and disrupt the lives of ordinary Georgians."