CONGO: A mine collapse on Tuesday at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo left at least 200 dead, according to Congolese authorities, a number disputed by the rebel group that controls the mine.

The collapse took place Tuesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 militia, Congo’s Ministry of Mines said in a statement on Wednesday, the latest such accident in the country’s mineral-rich and militia-controlled territories.

UKRAINE: A new round of US-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine planned for this week has been postponed because of the war in the Middle East, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Meanwhile, the US and its allies in the Middle East are seeking Kiev’s expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones. Russia has fired tens of thousands of Shaheds at Ukraine since it invaded its neighbour just over four years ago. 

AFGHANISTAN: Nearly 66,000 people have been displaced in Afghanistan amidst continued heavy shelling and explosions as fighting continued along the country’s border with Pakistan, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

The UN’s International Organisation for Migration warned on Wednesday that “escalating cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan and their growing humanitarian impact on civilians and people on the move.”

ECUADOR: The US announced on Wednesday that it is collaborating with Ecuador to combat “terrorists” in the South American country.

US Southern Command posted to social media to say joint efforts had already begun in Ecuador.

US General Francis Donovan said: “On March 3, Ecuadorian and US military forces launched operations against designated terrorist organisations in Ecuador.”