Naypyidaw junta makes gains in civil war

MYANMAR: Myanmar’s military said it has recaptured two strategically important border towns — Tonzang, near the Indian border, and Mawtaung, on the Thai border — after operations lasting up to two weeks.

The advances mark a further consolidation of the junta’s position in the civil war, which has seen the army regain the upper hand since mid-2025 following China-brokered ceasefires and a conscription-driven troop increase.

Ebola outbreak may have killed 139 already

DRC: The World Health Organisation has warned that a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola could take up to nine months to develop, as the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo reaches 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths.

The organisation declared a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday but stopped short of classifying the situation as a pandemic, while health facilities in the affected eastern provinces report being overwhelmed.

Sierra Leone to take in Trump’s deportees

MIGRATION: Sierra Leone has become the latest African country to accept migrants deported from the United States under Donald Trump’s mass expulsion programme, with nine West African nationals arriving by charter flight this week.

Freetown has agreed to accept up to 300 US deportees per year, though critics warn that such third-country deportation deals violate international human rights standards and put vulnerable migrants at risk.

Failure to protect planet now against international law

CLIMATE: The UN General Assembly has voted 141 to 8 to endorse a landmark International Court of Justice ruling that countries’ failure to protect the planet from climate change constitutes a violation of international law.

The US, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia opposed the non-binding resolution, which calls for national climate action plans, a phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and reparations for climate-related damage.