Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Thursday, Sept. 27, that the likelihood of the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo spreading to other countries is now “very high.” The outbreak is already nearing Uganda and there have been 155 confirmed or probable cases, with 102 patients dead and 45 treated. The risk of Ebola spreading globally remains low, according to WHO. Original story by Donald G. McNeil Jr., Sept. 28, 2018. The New York Times.
Palu, Indonesia
The city of Palu was hit with an 18-foot tsunami Friday, Sept. 28, after the region had already been struck by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. As of Sunday, Sept. 30, at least 832 people had been confirmed casualties. A suspected reason for the lack of warning of the tsunami was that none of the 22 buoys spread over Indonesia’s open water that monitor for tsunamis have been operational for the past six years. Original story by Hannah Beech and Muktita Suhartono, Sept. 30, 2018. The New York Times.
Beijing, China
China has canceled the annual security meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that was planned for mid-October. The decision to cancel this high-level encounter is another sign of a seemingly troubled relationship between China and the U.S., and indicate the escalated tensions stemming resulting from the “trade war” are now influencing unrelated aspects of diplomacy between the two countries. Original story by Jane Perlez, Sept. 30, 2018. The New York Times.
Cairo, Egypt
An Egyptian activist has been sentenced to two years in jail for posting a video criticizing the government for failing to protect women from sexual harassment. Amnesty International was outraged by the verdict, and activist Amal Fathy of the now-banned April 6 youth movement was fined $562. The court said Fathy was spreading false information that threatened national security and was therefore not allowed to walk free. Original story by Reuters, Sept. 30, 2018. The New York Times.