DR Congo, Taiwan, Syria
Today's three stories you should know
DR Congo
Here I am again with the latest worrying numbers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record continues to spread. Out of a total of 4,381 confirmed cases, 2,011 people have died, according to government data published overnight, marking another grim milestone. It took about nine weeks for the outbreak to reach 1,000 deaths, but it’s taken just three weeks for that figure to double. The epidemic is already the second worst of all time after the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak that killed more than 11,000. The response has been hampered by the fact that there is no approved vaccine for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which has caused the crisis.
More from AP here.
Regarding my regular reporting of the numbers, on a recent episode of The Proximities Podcast, Dr. Abdou Sebushishe, currently on the Ebola frontlines in Ituri province, pointed out that there are real people behind the death tolls that are coldly reported in the news media. He told us about some of those people in a moving conversation you can listen to on Apple Podcasts here, Spotify here and YouTube here.
Taiwan
The Chinese and Indonesian navies are to hold a drill together in waters to the east of Taiwan this month as Beijing continues a campaign of intimidation against Taipei. In June, China rang alarm bells when it began coast guard patrols off the east coat of Taiwan, which it views as its own territory. "The exercise will focus on communication drills and at-sea replenishment, aiming to enhance the joint operational capabilities of the two navies, deepen practical cooperation, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability," China’s defense ministry said.
More from Reuters here.
Syria
Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad, both living in exile in Russia, have been sentenced to death by a Damascus court for crimes against humanity committed during the country’s 14-year civil war. A cousin, Atef Najib, who is in custody in Syria, also received a death sentence. Assad, who fled in the face of a lightning rebel offensive in 2024, was found guilty of premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity. Najib, the former head of political security in Deraa province, was convicted of murder, “the intentional killing of children under 15” and “torture leading to death.”
More from Al Jazeera here.