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The Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the deadliest in the country’s history. According to government figures, there have been 4,945 confirmed cases and 2,325 fatalities as of Aug. 16. Over the previous 24 hours, health officials documented 101 new confirmed infections. The death count now exceeds the 2,299 deaths recorded during the Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020 in the country.

On the morning of August 13, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook northeastern Pakistan, particularly affecting Gilgit-Baltistan close to the northern border. Intense shaking was felt in Hunza and Nagar districts, with Chipurson Valley in Upper Hunza among the hardest-hit areas. Landslides and rockfalls occurred in parts of the valley, including a rockslide that obstructed the Chipurson Valley road near Ramanji, hindering access to remote mountain settlements. Initial assessments by local authorities indicated no casualties and no confirmed structural damage. However, the earthquake caused considerable ground movement across steep terrains, with falling rocks impacting local roads.

International Youth Day 2026 highlights youth inclusion, skills and shared global aspirations. The UN highlighted key challenges facing younger generations, including economic instability, digital access issues, and climate change—problems that often transcend borders and demand coordinated global responses, as stated in the Secretary-General’s message. Guterres praised youth for their creativity, energy, and leadership, describing them as innovators and organizers actively contributing to their communities and public life. The message linked youth engagement with broader goals for sustainable development. Enhancing skills was another core element of the 2026 message. Guterres urged young people to develop critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and digital literacy, emphasizing these skills as vital for shaping the future and fostering societal participation. He called on institutions to treat youth as equal partners and to involve them more actively in decisions at local, national, and international levels. The UN continues to prioritize investment and inclusion as essential for youth worldwide.

A federal appeals court in the United States has authorized over 3,000 lawsuits alleging social media addiction to proceed. On Aug. 10, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed appeals by Meta Platforms and TikTok, which challenged prior rulings that allowed the litigation to move forward. The court determined their appeals were premature, stating they sought review too early. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers manages the consolidated federal cases in Oakland.

Fujian Province, approximately 167,900 residents were evacuated from vulnerable land and coastal zones by 7 a.m. Monday. Meanwhile, in Shanghai, roughly 215,600 people from high-risk areas had been relocated by late Sunday. Dolphin made two landfalls in Zhejiang Province on Sunday before heading inland and gradually weakening.

Late Saturday, a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck in the southeastern region of Atka in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. The Alaska Earthquake Center logged the event at 7:36 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time on August 8, which corresponds to 03:36 UTC on August 9. The quake’s epicenter was approximately 48 miles, or 77 kilometers, southeast of Atka, at a depth of about 10.6 miles, or 17 kilometers, according to seismologists.

Over 20,000 residents evacuated communities surrounding Okanagan Lake after the Bald Range wildfire rapidly spread through southern British Columbia over the weekend. Provincial officials declared a state of emergency on Saturday as flames advanced toward Summerland and nearby Peachland. By Saturday night, the fire had grown beyond 10,300 hectares, destroying homes and damaging property along its path. Emergency responders utilized helicopters to reach dozens of residents stranded by the blaze. Evacuation orders persisted across multiple communities and rural zones on Sunday.

BEIJING / RankWire.AI / – A magnitude 4.9 quake struck southwestern China on Friday, impacting Gao County in Yibin City within Sichuan province. According to official data from the China Earthquake Networks Center, the tremor hit at 1:08 p.m. local time, originating from a shallow depth of six kilometers. CCTV confirmed that a single individual lost their life after a collapsing exterior wall struck them during the tremors.

Hiroshima marks 81 years since the atomic bombing with renewed calls for nuclear abolition. Using the city’s Peace Declaration, Matsui urged national leaders to shift away from reliance on nuclear deterrence. He called for nuclear-armed nations to confront the human toll of atomic warfare. Additionally, Matsui encouraged political figures to visit Hiroshima and Nagasaki and listen to hibakusha—survivors whose testimonies remain central to Hiroshima’s annual remembrance. For decades, the city has used this ceremony to advocate for nuclear abolition and preserve the history of the bombing. Approximately 50,000 individuals attended this year’s event, which included representatives from 121 countries and regions, along with the European Union. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made her first appearance since becoming Japan’s leader, stating that Japan would pursue a pragmatic path toward a world free of nuclear weapons. She emphasized the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a key framework for progress and reaffirmed Japan’s three non-nuclear principles. Challenges Persist in Nuclear Arms Diplomacy The memorial coincided with less than three months after the 2026 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference concluded without a consensus document, marking the third consecutive NPT review to end without agreement. Hiroshima used this moment to call for enhanced disarmament efforts. While Japan continues to back the NPT system, it has not signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and depends on extended nuclear deterrence through its

India Investigates Meta’s Role in Child Sexual Abuse Material on Instagram. Instagram has been found to run paid advertisements in India that promote access to child sexual abuse material, according to a report published in July. Some of these ads directed users from Instagram to Telegram channels offering illegal content for sale. Meta Platforms later confirmed that these ads violated its policies against child exploitation. The findings prompted Indian authorities to take action and raised concerns about enforcement within Instagram’s paid advertising system. India has since requested explanations from Meta and increased official scrutiny of the issue.