Over 5,000 people have contracted the disease and 2,420 have died in an epidemic that is already the deadliest in the country’s history, hitting communities displaced by war Hubert Nendakala no longer describes Ebola as a distant threat. In three weeks, the 40-year-old architect has lost a cousin and her husband, both border police officers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), whose eastern provinces are enduring an outbreak that has already caused more than 5,100 infections and 2,420 deaths since it began circulating earlier this year. “Taking it lightly could decimate us,” Nendakala warns EL PAÍS. In the streets of Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and one of the outbreak’s epicenters, fear has seized local residents like Nendakala. “I ...

The world’s smallest countries may occupy tiny areas of land or water, but that doesn’t stop them from thinking big. They may also be the spiritual home to millions of believers; a high-stakes gambling mecca for the glitterati; or a perfect mix of sun, sand, and surf, drawing visitors from afar. So here are the smallest countries in the world, from largest to tiniest. Palau Floating in the western Pacific Ocean, Palau is composed of some 340 volcanic and coral islands comprising a total surface area of 188 sq. mi. (488 sq. km). Apparently, Long Island is 7.79 times as big as Palau, and Montreal Island is 1.07 times larger. Micronesia At 271 square miles (701 square kilometres) Micronesia is the most macro of the ...

The U.S. State Department has notified Congress that it plans to close five foreign missions in a rare downsizing of America’s global diplomatic footprint, according to people familiar with the notice. In the notice sent to some congressional committees late last week, the State Department said it planned to close its posts in St. George’s, Grenada; Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; Douala, Cameroon; and Winnipeg, Canada. The people familiar with the notice spoke on the condition of anonymity because the notice was not public. The expected closures, which have not been previously reported, represent a rare example of the U.S. closing multiple foreign missions in a downsizing that is not tied to a particular geopolitical event. Early last year, during ...