World in brief: October 2, 2026

HAITI: More than 5,700 people have been killed or injured by militia violence in Haiti between January 1 and September 11 2026, the United Nations said today. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk added that more than 230 people have also been kidnapped. An estimated 1,000 women and girls have been raped — although Mr Turk noted that the actual figure is “likely much higher.”   CONGO: The Ebola outbreak has now recorded more than 4,000 deaths, authorities said as they struggle to contain the spread of the virus. The latest figures, released by the health ministry on Thursday, show that 4,018 people have died from among 8,300 confirmed cases, making up nearly half of the confirmed cases in what has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history. ALGERIA: Lawmakers passed a bill on Thursday reintroducing the death penalty for arson following this summer’s deadly wildfires. Algeria has not carried out an execution since 1993, but human rights groups say courts continue to impose death sentences. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune warned in August that those responsible for the fires that devastated large parts of the country would face the death penalty. NEPAL: Rescuers discovered eight bodies at the base camp of Mount Himlung in Nepal on Thursday, raising the total number of deaths to 15 following an avalanche during severe weather on Sunday. The Nepal National Mountain Guide Association, which is leading the search, said rescuers dug through snow on Mount Himlung to find eight bodies in tents at the base camp, where one person remains missing. Disaster prompts president to lift moratorium on death penalty, a move human rights groups say is ‘a retreat into barbarism’