Qatari mediators return to Tehran as US strike fears grow before midterms Binance loses $6.3bn in record crypto theft, North Korea blamed Tech rout deepens as Amazon and Intel results stoke AI spending fears Limpet mines hit Hormuz tanker as Iran blames ships for using unauthorised routes Ukraine resumes refinery strikes as Russian attacks kill about 20 Hundreds leave Oleshky under truce as Europe fears exclusion from talks Oil and gas stay high as eleven EU states release oil reserves Study links 3,560 Indonesian deaths in September to fire smoke as Singapore widens haze probe Spain blames control-centre errors for Toledo train crash Coalition talks begin in deadlocked Israel as foreign-funding probe widens Saudi Arabia reports Houthi drone near Mecca as Taiz and Aden suffer Protests over prices and youth prospects reach Italy and Germany after French unrest Novaya Gazeta to close after eviction and loss of donations Bank of Japan holds rates but says 2% goal reached, as Fed and ECB signal hikes Tech stocks slide after Blackstone flags junk rating for Anthropic Justice Department widens Alaska and California election probes as Trump restores rallies African health ministers keep borders open as Ebola spreads Drone strikes on displaced-persons camp in Ethiopia's Amhara kill 14 to 16 BP profit jumps as Middle East war lifts refining margins US moves to bar Chinese testing labs and curb telecoms as China denies Nvidia spy report AI demand lifts chip and electronics firms across Asia Israel blows up homes in Hebron as siege forces 5,000 to flee El Salvador sends more than 2,000 troops to Haiti after ambush Nigerian probe finds 33 detainees died in civil-defence custody French economy contracts 0.1% as German growth beats forecasts G20 foreign ministers divided over wars; group photo cancelled Canada and EU launch 'Alliance for the Future' at Montreal summit Kim demands drone expansion as Seoul vows firm response to border breaches Xi urges EU and Germany to stay anchored in partnership as trade curbs loom UN bodies warn of war crimes and ethnic cleansing fears in Gaza despite ceasefire Serbia's Student List pushes to review institutions after election win Senior RSF commander defects as investigation maps wartime rape in Sudan Brčko mourns four EUFOR members killed in Italian helicopter crash China's party plenum ends with purge of 33 and PLA anti-graft expansion Volkswagen pauses electric Golf as Audi profit falls 87% and guidance is cut Mayon volcano erupts in the Philippines, evacuations ordered Machado returns to Venezuela urging 2027 elections as Rodríguez promises a vote without a date China stages military patrols and coastguard drills in disputed South China Sea Flávio Bolsonaro flees to Miami and draws ridicule as Trump reportedly will not back his claim Hong Kong officials apologise over Tai Po fire, survivors say it came too late Russia-Africa summit in Moscow ends as Putin turns to bilateral talks Polish president turns back from Senegal as Constitutional Court chief is suspended Irish government to assess possibility of unity with Northern Ireland Dockworkers strike in ports across 22 countries over arms shipments Qatari mediators return to Tehran as US strike fears grow before midterms Binance loses $6.3bn in record crypto theft, North Korea blamed Tech rout deepens as Amazon and Intel results stoke AI spending fears Limpet mines hit Hormuz tanker as Iran blames ships for using unauthorised routes Ukraine resumes refinery strikes as Russian attacks kill about 20 Hundreds leave Oleshky under truce as Europe fears exclusion from talks Oil and gas stay high as eleven EU states release oil reserves Study links 3,560 Indonesian deaths in September to fire smoke as Singapore widens haze probe Spain blames control-centre errors for Toledo train crash Coalition talks begin in deadlocked Israel as foreign-funding probe widens Saudi Arabia reports Houthi drone near Mecca as Taiz and Aden suffer Protests over prices and youth prospects reach Italy and Germany after French unrest Novaya Gazeta to close after eviction and loss of donations Bank of Japan holds rates but says 2% goal reached, as Fed and ECB signal hikes Tech stocks slide after Blackstone flags junk rating for Anthropic Justice Department widens Alaska and California election probes as Trump restores rallies African health ministers keep borders open as Ebola spreads Drone strikes on displaced-persons camp in Ethiopia's Amhara kill 14 to 16 BP profit jumps as Middle East war lifts refining margins US moves to bar Chinese testing labs and curb telecoms as China denies Nvidia spy report AI demand lifts chip and electronics firms across Asia Israel blows up homes in Hebron as siege forces 5,000 to flee El Salvador sends more than 2,000 troops to Haiti after ambush Nigerian probe finds 33 detainees died in civil-defence custody French economy contracts 0.1% as German growth beats forecasts G20 foreign ministers divided over wars; group photo cancelled Canada and EU launch 'Alliance for the Future' at Montreal summit Kim demands drone expansion as Seoul vows firm response to border breaches Xi urges EU and Germany to stay anchored in partnership as trade curbs loom UN bodies warn of war crimes and ethnic cleansing fears in Gaza despite ceasefire Serbia's Student List pushes to review institutions after election win Senior RSF commander defects as investigation maps wartime rape in Sudan Brčko mourns four EUFOR members killed in Italian helicopter crash China's party plenum ends with purge of 33 and PLA anti-graft expansion Volkswagen pauses electric Golf as Audi profit falls 87% and guidance is cut Mayon volcano erupts in the Philippines, evacuations ordered Machado returns to Venezuela urging 2027 elections as Rodríguez promises a vote without a date China stages military patrols and coastguard drills in disputed South China Sea Flávio Bolsonaro flees to Miami and draws ridicule as Trump reportedly will not back his claim Hong Kong officials apologise over Tai Po fire, survivors say it came too late Russia-Africa summit in Moscow ends as Putin turns to bilateral talks Polish president turns back from Senegal as Constitutional Court chief is suspended Irish government to assess possibility of unity with Northern Ireland Dockworkers strike in ports across 22 countries over arms shipments

Symbolic image: Congo's Ebola outbreak becomes second-largest on record

Symbolic image

Congo's Ebola outbreak becomes second-largest on record

4 sources

Congolese authorities reported 3,532 confirmed Ebola cases and 1,556 deaths on Friday, making the outbreak the second-largest ever recorded. The UN calls it the fastest-escalating Ebola crisis it has seen.

What happened

Congo declared its 17th outbreak on 15 May; it involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, with no approved vaccine.
Cases span five eastern provinces; Ituri holds nearly 90 percent of them, according to the WHO.
UN coordinator Julien Harneis said this week that case numbers are doubling every 20 days.
Only the 2014-16 West Africa outbreak was larger: 28,616 cases, 11,310 deaths.
The Guardian reported lower figures on Friday: 3,360 cases, 1,487 deaths, a fatality rate near 45 percent.

The view from outside

Le Monde and FAZ place the response inside eastern Congo's wars and local hostility: ADF fighters killed more than 30 civilians in Ituri in recent days, and residents blame international responders for the outbreak, with staff reportedly attacked. Daily Sabah, citing Reuters, adds the WHO's estimate that the true scale could be four times higher than official figures.

What could happen next

Africa CDC estimates $1.4 billion is needed; Congo's May-August plan has $213.9 million pledged of $242.4 million.
Bundibugyo vaccine trials began in early July with about 20 people enrolled; results could take up to four months.
Hilleman Laboratories said Thursday it will develop the candidate the WHO calls most promising.
Uganda declared its outbreak over on Tuesday, 12 days after its last case; the WHO says risk persists.