Independent · Printed Daily · Est. 2026

The Daily Dispatch

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Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo becomes fastest-growing ever recorded as deaths pass 700

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the fastest-growing on record, with the WHO and Africa CDC warning that roughly 80% of new cases are emerging from unknown chains of transmission — a sign the disease is spreading faster than health officials can track it. Congolese authorities say at least 1,926 people have been infected and 702 have died from the rare Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain across five provinces since the outbreak was declared on May 15, making it the third-largest Ebola outbreak ever. Many victims are dying in their communities without ever reaching a health facility, and cases have now been confirmed across the border in neighboring Uganda.

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US drops planned 20% Hormuz cargo toll, strikes investment deals with Gulf states instead

President Trump backed away from his proposal to charge a 20% toll on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz after shipping industry experts warned the fee would disrupt global trade, saying he has 'decided to replace' it with trade and investment deals from Gulf states. The reversal comes as the US naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in effect and American strikes on Iranian military targets continue for a fifth consecutive night, with Trump maintaining that the US will act as 'the Guardian of the Hormuz Strait' to keep the waterway open to all shipping except Iran's.

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Washington mourns Senator Lindsey Graham as tributes highlight decades of foreign policy influence

Tributes continue for Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the Senate Budget Committee chairman and close Trump ally who died at 71 after a 'brief and sudden illness' just days after returning from a trip to Ukraine. The Washington, D.C. medical examiner's preliminary findings attributed his death to an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Graham, who was seeking a fifth Senate term in November, was widely regarded as one of the chamber's most influential voices on defense and foreign policy, and his death has prompted questions in Washington over how it will affect Trump's legislative agenda and the succession for his seat.

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