Day News Recap: Ebola outbreak tops 4,000 as Middle East tensions and Ukraine war intensify

Health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo said the Ebola outbreak has passed 4,000 confirmed cases, prompting a major escalation in the response as there are concerns the virus may be mutating.  🔗

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In the Middle East, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz deepened as Iran enforced a near total closure of the waterway while indirect talks with Oman continued, and shipping groups warned against any compulsory transit charges.  🔗  🔗 Iran also tightened internal security at home, while President Masoud Pezeshkian said contact with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was very difficult after the reported wounding of the leader.  🔗  🔗

Israel and Gaza remained volatile. UNICEF said at least 300 children have been killed in Gaza in the roughly 300 days since the October 10, 2025 truce was announced, while Israel said its forces would keep operating proactively in Gaza despite debate over a US backed plan.  🔗  🔗 In southern Lebanon, the Israeli military said two reserve soldiers were killed in combat, and human rights groups accused Israel of targeting journalists after a Lebanese reporter was killed and another seriously wounded.  🔗  🔗

The wider regional conflict also spread through Yemen and the West Bank. Government sources in Yemen said Houthi missiles and drones hit military camps in Marib and Hadramawt, killing at least three people, while Israeli forces raided Qalandiya refugee camp near Ramallah, injuring eight Palestinians and arresting at least 20.  🔗  🔗 Saudi Arabia named Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Salem Al Shehri to lead a new multinational maritime defence coalition, and Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif travelled to Riyadh for talks on Gulf tensions and strategic coordination.  🔗  🔗

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Ukraine said it struck two oil refineries deep inside Russia and hit patrol boats and other vessels in the Black Sea, as Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least seven people and wounded dozens overnight.  🔗  🔗 Separately, a foreign flagged grain ship was damaged in the Black Sea, and reports said a North Korean missile unit is deploying to western Russia, underlining the widening military alignment with Moscow.  🔗  🔗

Elsewhere in Europe, Germany opened an investigation after an explosives laden drone was found near Leipzig/Halle Airport and destroyed by a bomb disposal robot, with officials examining whether it was a hybrid attack.  🔗 Europe also faced a severe heatwave, with record temperatures in Austria, red alerts in major Italian cities and fresh wildfire response efforts in southern areas.  🔗 In France, authorities said a Russian linked disinformation campaign targeted Gabriel Attal ahead of the presidential election.  🔗

In Africa, fighting returned to Ethiopia's Tigray region, according to Amnesty International, as accountability efforts unravelled.  🔗 In Nigeria, security forces rescued 308 abductees in a major joint operation in Niger and Kwara states.  🔗 South Sudan faced a worsening humanitarian emergency, with nearly eight million people at crisis level hunger and warnings over famine risk and aid worker killings.  🔗

Across Asia, North Korea fired a short range ballistic missile toward Japan, prompting an emergency security meeting in Seoul, while Min Aung Hlaing met Thailand's prime minister in Bangkok in a bid to re engage ASEAN.  🔗  🔗 Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina said she is ready to face arrest, prison or even death if she returns home amid extradition pressure and a death sentence row.  🔗 Malaysia said it would not return 5,000 Rohingya refugees to Myanmar if their lives would be at risk.  🔗

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In the Americas, the United States refunded about $100bn in tariffs after the Supreme Court ruled Donald Trump had exceeded his authority, while the State Department also notified Congress of plans to close five consulates and missions across Grenada, Japan, Indonesia, Cameroon and Canada.  🔗  🔗 Trump separately vowed to hunt down leakers after reports that US munitions stocks had been heavily depleted by the Iran war, and he amplified election claims and attacks on Truth Social.  🔗  🔗 The Senate committee also voted to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt over Covid 19 testimony, while a federal jury in Pensacola convicted Jovon Booker in an armed drug trafficking case.  🔗  🔗

Other developments included Guatemala saying the Fuego eruption had ended and more than 1,700 evacuees could return home, Australia moving to block gas only data centres and Simcoa saying it would exit the US market after a new tariff decision.  🔗  🔗  🔗 Brazil's federal prosecutors also charged two naval repair firms over illegal waste dumping in Guanabara Bay.  🔗

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