DR Congo

A horrible milestone. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the fastest-spreading on record, has passed 10,000 cases, according to new government figures. Almost half of that number have died. The watershed comes as concerns grow over the epidemic’s spread to other countries, with cases linked to the DRC outbreak confirmed in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria. The epidemic, which was formally declared in May, was caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no approved vaccine. The response has been hampered by conflict, distrust from local communities and a funding shortfall.

More from AP here.

Proximities Picks

There’s a new publication, with a fantastic concept, that I’m a genuine fan of and I’m pretty sure that if you read Proximities, you’re going to like it too. Break free from your monolingual media bubble with Translator – a new magazine of translated journalism from beyond the Anglosphere. Sign up to their free weekly newsletter for curated stories from around the world, summarised into English. Recent stories include an Arabic investigation into the disappearance of Sudan’s food aid and a Nepali op-ed about why the country needs to look inward at its own development model. Find Translator and the newsletter here.

Egypt

The editor of respected independent Egyptian news site Mada Masr, Lina Attalah, was detained for several hours and fined three million Egyptian pounds ($53,400) as a court ordered the site to shut down. Attalah, named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine in 2020, was convicted of running the outlet without a license. A statement from a collective of 119 rights groups and media outlets, including Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, called the ⁠case an "unprecedented attack on press freedom."

More from Reuters here.

West Bank

Israeli forces today destroyed nine memorials in the occupied West Bank dedicated to Palestinians killed by Israel, in what analysts say is an attempt to erase Palestinian history and symbols of identity and resistance. Such memorials are common across the West Bank, many standing for decades, but they are increasingly targeted by the Israeli military as attacks on Palestinians by Israeli troops and settlers spiral. Israeli authorities justify the destruction of memorials by saying they glorify “terrorism.” Almost 200 settler attacks against Palestinians have been reported since the beginning of the West Bank olive harvest on September 27, a cherished tradition and economic lifeline for Palestinians.

More from The New Arab here.

DR Congo, Egypt, West Bank