An Ebola outbreak that has plagued southern Congo in recent weeks is starting to be contained, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, with no new cases reported since the U.N. health agency’s last update on Oct. 1.

“As of Oct. 5, 2025, 10 days have passed without any newly reported cases, indicating potential control of transmission in the affected areas,” the agency said during a news conference.

The agency said a total of 64 cases, including 53 confirmed and 11 probable, have been reported in Congo’s Kasai Province as of Oct. 5. The WHO also reported 43 deaths, including 32 confirmed and 11 probable.

Congolese authorities announced an Ebola outbreak in Congo’s southern Kasai province on Sept. 4, the first in 18 years in the remote part of the country located more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the capital of Kinshasa.

Health authorities and organizations had recently sounded the alarm, warning they lack the funds and resources to mount an effective response to the crisis.

The WHO said improved logistics and field operations, including helicopter and ground deliveries of medical supplies and the decontamination of three health facilities, have helped contain the outbreak over the last week.

“This steady decline in transmission and improved case management reflect the impact of coordinated interventions led by the Ministry of Health with support from WHO and partners,” the agency said.

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The WHO still advised caution, as almost 2,000 contacts — people who may have been exposed to the disease — are being monitored and a “single missed contact could reignite transmission chains, especially in areas with high population movement or limited community surveillance.”

Israeli hostages may be released as early as Saturday under a U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza and the country’s military will complete the first part of a partial withdrawal from the enclave within 24 hours of the deal being signed, said a source briefed on details of the agreement.

The signing of the agreement on the first stage of U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative for Gaza is expected to take place at noon Israel time (0900 GMT) on Thursday.

Israelis and Palestinians rejoiced after Trump announced that a ceasefire and hostage deal was reached under the first phase of his plan to end a war in Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 people and reshaped the Middle East.

Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants’ cross-border attack that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave.

The signing of the ceasefire is expected at 12 p.m. Israel time (0900 GMT), said the source briefed on the details of the agreement. The accord, if fully implemented, would bring the two sides closer than any previous effort to halt a war that had evolved into a regional conflict, drawing in countries such as Iran, Yemen and Lebanon.

“Thank God for the ceasefire, the end of bloodshed and killing,” said Abdul Majeed abd Rabbo, a man in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.

“I am not the only one happy, all of the Gaza Strip is happy, all the Arab people, all of the world is happy with the ceasefire and the end of bloodshed.”

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But the agreement announced by Trump late on Wednesday was short on detail and left many unresolved questions that could yet lead to its collapse, as has happened with previous peace efforts. “I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,” Trump said on Truth Social.

“This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace,” Trump added.

Successful completion of the deal would mark a significant foreign policy achievement for the Republican president, who had campaigned on bringing peace to major world conflicts but has struggled to swiftly deliver, both in Gaza and on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his government on Thursday to approve the agreement.

“With the approval of the first phase of the plan, ALL our hostages will be brought home,” he said in a statement. “This is a diplomatic success and a national and moral victory for the State of Israel.”

The conflict upended the Middle East in Israel’s favour after it assassinated the leaders of Tehran-backed Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah and killed top Iranian commanders and pounded Yemen’s Houthis.

But global outrage has mounted against Israel’s assault. Multiple rights experts, scholars and a U.N. inquiry say it amounts to genocide. Israel calls its actions self-defence after the 2023 Hamas attack.

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Hamas confirmed it had reached an agreement to end the war, saying the deal includes an Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and a hostage-prisoner exchange.

“We affirm that the sacrifices of our people will not be in vain, and that we will remain true to our pledge – never abandoning our people’s national rights until freedom, independence, and self-determination are achieved,” Hamas said. Gaza authorities say more than 67,000 people have been killed and much of the enclave has been flattened since Israel began its military response to the Hamas cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.

Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials, with 20 of the 48 hostages still held believed to be alive.

“These are moments that are considered historic moments, long awaited by Palestinian citizens after two years of killing and genocide that was committed with arrogance against the Palestinian people,” said Palestinian Khaled Shaat in the city of Khan Younis in Gaza. Despite the hopes raised for ending the war, crucial details are yet to be spelled out, including the timing, a post-war administration for the Gaza Strip and the fate of Hamas.

Families of Israelis held hostage in Gaza gathered in what has come to be known as Hostages Square in Tel Aviv after the announcement.

“President Trump, thank you very much. We thank him, our children will not have returned home without him,” said Hatan Angrest, whose son Matan is among the hostages.

A Hamas source said the living hostages would be handed over within 72 hours of the Israeli government approving the deal. Hamas officials have insisted it will take longer to recover the bodies of dead hostages, believed to number about 28, from Gaza’s rubble.

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Trump told Fox News’ ‘Hannity’ program on Wednesday that the hostages will probably be released on Monday.

Netanyahu and Trump spoke by phone and congratulated each other on an “historic achievement,” and the Israeli prime minister invited the U.S. president to address Israel’s parliament, according to Netanyahu’s office. Hamas said earlier on Wednesday it had handed over its lists of the hostages it held and the Palestinian prisoners held by Israel that it wanted to be exchanged.

The Islamist group has so far refused to discuss Israel’s demand that Hamas give up its arms, which the Palestinian source said Hamas would reject as long as Israeli troops occupy Palestinian land.

Oil prices fell as the prospects of a ceasefire lessened one potential disruption to world supplies.

The next phase of Trump’s plan calls for an international body led by Trump and including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to play a role in Gaza’s post-war administration.

Afghanistan’s interim foreign minister arrived in India on Thursday, the first visit by a top Taliban leader since they returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces.

Amir Khan Muttaqi’s trip is expected to be closely watched by India’s arch-rival Pakistan, as New Delhi deepens its engagement with the Taliban administration.

“We look forward to engaging discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement, offering Muttaqi a “warm welcome”.

Muttaqi, who met with India’s top career diplomat Vikram Misri in January in Dubai, is set to hold talks with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Neither side has disclosed the agenda, but analysts say trade and security are likely to be at the forefront — though India is unlikely, for now, to extend formal recognition to the Taliban interim government.

“New Delhi is eager to establish its influence in Kabul… and not be left behind by its arch-rivals, China and Pakistan,” International Crisis Group analyst Praveen Donthi told AFP.

But while the Taliban are “seeking diplomatic recognition and legitimacy”, Donthi said, others noted that was some way off.

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“India is not in a hurry to provide diplomatic recognition to the Taliban,” Rakesh Sood, India’s former ambassador to Kabul, told AFP.

India has long hosted tens of thousands of Afghans, many of whom fled the country after the Taliban returned to power.

Afghanistan’s embassy in New Delhi closed in 2023, although its consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad continue to offer limited services.

India says its mission in Kabul is limited to coordinating humanitarian aid.

The Taliban governance may appear an unlikely match for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government, but India has sought to seize the opening.

Diplomatic dynamics in South Asia are driven by long-running distrust between India and Pakistan, with New Delhi seeking to exploit divisions between Islamabad and Kabul.

“Kabul will be walking the tightrope between Islamabad and New Delhi, with the latter trying to get the most from the engagement without offering formal recognition,” Donthi added.

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Islamabad accuses neighbouring Afghanistan of failing to expel militants using Afghan territory to launch attacks on Pakistan, an accusation that authorities in Kabul deny.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan fought a brief but deadly clash in May, their worst confrontation in decades.

“The visit would certainly make Pakistan angrier and more suspicious,” Faqiri said.

“Moreover, it would strengthen India’s position in Afghanistan and India would try to drive a wedge between Taliban and Pakistan.”

trtworld

Denmark said Tuesday it planned to introduce a social media ban for children under the age of 15.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did not specify which social media networks would fall under the ban, nor how it would work in practice, as she announced the initiative in a speech to parliament at the opening of its autumn session.

The bill, the timeline of which remains unspecified, would authorise parents to let their child use social media from the age of 13.

“The cell phone and social media are robbing our children of their childhood,” Frederiksen said, arguing that 60 percent of Danish boys aged 11 to 19 preferred to stay home over spending time with friends.

Australia has been a leader in global efforts to prevent internet harm among young people.

In late 2024, its parliament adopted a ban on social media for under-16s, though there are still almost no details on how the measure would be enforced.

Platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube fall under the Australian ban’s remit.

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And in June, Greece proposed setting an “age of digital adulthood” across the 27-country European Union, meaning children would not be able to access social media without parental consent.

The Conservative Party in the United Kingdom has faced criticism after chocolate bars handed out at its annual conference misspelled the word “Britain” on their wrappers.

The blue-wrapped confectionery carried a slogan attributed to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch that read: “When Labour negotiates, Britian loses.”

The chocolate was part of the conference goodies given to attendees in Manchester, according to The Sun.

Organisers have blamed the mistake on a printing error and confirmed that the bars were removed from the bags.

The goodie packs also included satirical items such as a mock version of Reform UK’s manifesto and a fake CV for Labour’s Rachel Reeves.

The typo quickly drew ridicule online. One social media user joked: “I’m hearing Wispas about Kemi’s leadership.”

The blunder came as Badenoch sought to rally support for her party amid poor polling numbers. She opened the conference on Sunday with a speech and is expected to deliver another on Wednesday, breaking from usual practice.

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Spelling mistakes are not unique to the Conservatives. Earlier this year, Scottish Labour faced similar embarrassment after campaign leaflets for a by-election in Glenrothes Central and Thornton misspelt the word “Scottish”.

The leaflet read: “Your Scotish [sic] Labour candidate for the Glenrothes Central and Thornton byelection Maciej Dokurno.”

In 2024, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson’s campaign material also contained a typo, naming him “Lee Andersin”. Anderson appeared unaware of the mistake and later shared a video of himself delivering the leaflets in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.

The Nigerian Tribune

Four elite team U.S. Army soldiers lost their lives when the MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed earlier this week near a military base in Washington state, Army officials reported on Friday.

The helicopter was conducting a routine training mission west of Joint Base Lewis-McChord when it went down at approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.…Click link for full details