DR Congo

Some (very tentative) positive news from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The U.N. today said it was starting to see some good signs in the fight against the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, which has already killed a confirmed 3,510 people, according to government figures, with the true toll likely to be higher. "It remains a deadly and a massive epidemic. There ‌are some areas of progress, but nonetheless, in other areas, we continue to see growth in cases," Julien Harneis, the U.N. special Ebola coordinator, said. Harneis’s comments came after DRC Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said over the weekend that there were "encouraging signs" and a peak may have been reached.

More from Reuters here.

Gaza

Israel is showing “no respect for the dead” with its ongoing bulldozing of Gaza’s ruins and is hindering Palestinian efforts to recover bodies under the rubble, most of them women and children, U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said. “The remains of what appears to be entire families are now being unearthed at locations that were pulverized by Israeli attacks. It is heartbreaking that the loved ones of those missing for so long are only now having their worst fears confirmed,” Türk said, adding that the clearance was destroying evidence of potential war crimes. “These attacks must be effectively investigated … I urge all States to press for greater cooperation and coordination to ensure the recovery of bodies across all of Gaza in a dignified and humane way.”

More from the U.N. here.

South Africa

Police in South Africa have issued a public warning after the body of a murdered woman was found in the same area east of Johannesburg where six other women have been discovered dead in the past two months. The South African Police Service said women should be careful when undertaking activities outside such as jogging. While stopping short of saying the murders were the work of a serial killer, police said the cases appeared to be linked and that "the similarities are sufficiently concerning.” The murders have reignited a debate over women’s safety in a country with high rates of gender-based violence. “Women should not have to be killed before an area receives heightened attention,” Javu Bali, spokesperson for South Africa’s Commission for Gender Equality, said.

More from AP here.

DR Congo, Gaza, South Africa