The UN health chief said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which has claimed more than 200 lives can be stopped, as he arrived to oversee the fight against the highly infectious disease, France 24 reported.

World Health Organization (WHO) head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s plane landed in the capital Kinshasa on Thursday evening. He is set on Friday to travel to Ituri province in the northeastern DRC, the epidemic’s epicenter.

“That thing can be stopped,” Tedros said, adding that the WHO did not support travel bans to combat the outbreak because they “don’t help much”.

“Together, we will overcome this outbreak,” he said earlier, vowing to do “everything in my power to help you”.

The WHO has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the DRC since the outbreak was declared on May 15, out of more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases, according to its latest figures up to May 24.

No vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is behind the current outbreak.

But the head of African Union’s health agency said on Thursday that one should be ready by the end of the year.

“What we can tell you for sure, by the end of this year, 2026, Africa CDC will make sure that we have a vaccine and medicine against Bundibugyo,” Jean Kaseya, head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told reporters in an online briefing.

Neighboring Uganda, which has recorded one death confirmed to be from Ebola and six additional cases, announced it was shutting its border with the DRC with immediate effect.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is working to open a treatment facility for afflicted US citizens in Kenya, instead of facilitating their return for treatment on American soil, as has been done in previous Ebola outbreaks.

A Kenya rights group filed a court petition on Thursday, seeking to halve operations at any such facility, while health officials have warned that such a center could put another burden on Kenya’s stretched health system.

No U.S. aircraft were shot down near Bushehr, Iran, despite a claim made ⁠on Iranian state TV, the U.S. military said.

Iran’s state TV said early on Friday that a U.S. aircraft was destroyed in Iran’s Jam ‌governorate ⁠in Bushehr, citing its governor Masoud Tangestani.

“No U.S. aircraft were shot down. ⁠All U.S. air assets are accounted for,” the U.S. ⁠Central Command said in a post ⁠on X.

NATO member Romania said on Friday that a drone injured two people in a southeastern city during an overnight Russian attack on neighboring Ukraine, the ‌first time in the war that a drone had hit a densely populated area in Romania and caused injuries, Reuters reported citing local authorities.

The drone hit the roof of a 10-storey block of flats in Galati and caused an explosion, the authorities said.

Romania, which shares a 650-km (400-mile) land border with Ukraine, has experienced Russian drones breaching its airspace 28 times since Moscow began attacking Kyiv’s ports across the Danube river, Romania’s ⁠defense ministry said.

The ministry said it had recovered drone fragments that fell in Romania 47 times.

“Romania will take the necessary diplomatic measures in response to this serious violation of international law and its airspace,” Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said on X.

“Romania has informed the Allies and the NATO Secretary General of the circumstances and has requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania.”

The defense ministry said it scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a military helicopter to monitor the attack, adding the pilots were authorized to shoot down any drones. The residents of border counties Braila, Galati and Tulcea were warned to take cover.

Romanian law allows it to shoot down drones during peacetime if lives or property are at risk, but it has not yet done so.

In Friday’s incident, a fire broke out in a 10th-floor apartment after ‌the drone ⁠struck the building’s roof and exploded, Romania’s emergency response agency said. Two people were receiving medical treatment on site, it said, adding 70 people had evacuated.

The United States and Iran reached an agreement on Thursday to extend their ceasefire and lift restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported citing sources, though U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to approve ‌it and Iranian state media said it had not been finalized.

According to four sources familiar with the matter, the agreement would extend the truce for another 60 days and allow traffic to flow through the strategic waterway while negotiators tackle difficult issues such as Iran’s nuclear program.

If approved by leadership in Washington and Tehran, it would amount to the biggest step towards peace since the conflict began on February 28. News of the possible agreement came after a round of tit-for-tat attacks between the two countries, the latest such incident since the ceasefire took effect in early April.

Trump has not yet approved the deal, the sources said. Iran has yet to comment on news of the proposed deal, which was first reported by Axios.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, said the text of the agreement had not been ⁠finalized or confirmed.

The Armenian men’s ice hockey team will compete in the 2027 IIHF World Championship in Division IV Group A.

According to a press release issued by the Armenian Ice Hockey Federation, the Council of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) has approved India and Morocco to participate in the Championship. As a result, Division IV now includes eight national teams, and the federation has decided to split it into two subgroups, A and B.

The Armenian national team will compete in Group A of Division IV against Kuwait, Indonesia, and Singapore.

The top-performing team will be promoted to Division IV Group B in 2028.

Kuwait and Indonesia have submitted bids to host the tournament.

The host will be announced later.

Russian authorities have banned the sale of a famous Armenian mineral water brand, Jermuk, on sanitary grounds.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, the consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor flagged 64.5 million bottles and banned them from sale across Russia, claiming that they contain excessive levels of hydrocarbons, chlorine, and sulfates.

Earlier last week, the watchdog had also banned the import of Jermuk, again citing the same reason.

Russian authorities had earlier announced temporary bans on the import of flowers produced in Armenia, as well as some alcoholic beverages, vegetables, and strawberries, again citing phytosanitary reasons.

Parliament again failed to convene a plenary session on Friday, as lawmakers were absent for registration, as on two previous occasions earlier this week.

With only three MPs in attendance, the quorum required to start the session was not met, and Vice Speaker Hakob Arshakyan called for an adjournment of four hours. 

Arshakyan said that MPs are busy campaigning across the country ahead of the June 7 elections.

The Supreme Eurasian Economic Council — the highest body of the Eurasian Economic Union — convened on Friday in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev opened the summit, which was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of other EAEU member states. Armenia, however, was represented at the summit by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan instead of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who said he was busy with the campaigning period and skipped the event.

In his opening remarks, Tokayev highlighted the significance of convening the summit on May 29 — the day the treaty establishing the EAEU was signed in 2014.

A separate meeting between Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Russian President Vladimir Putin is not planned during the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, scheduled to take place on May 29, TASS reported, citing the Kremlin spokesperson.

Grigoryan is representing Armenia at the summit instead of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who earlier said he would not attend due to the campaigning period in Armenia.

“No, a separate meeting is not planned; however, if they wish, they can have a conversation on the platforms of the summit,” TASS quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying when asked at a press briefing about a possible meeting between the Armenian deputy prime minister and Putin.

Russian Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov has stated that restrictions on the import of certain goods from Armenia will not have a negative impact on the Russian economy.

Reshetnikov, in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestiya, claimed that Armenian imports had “relatively low consumption.”

“I am ready to speak on behalf of our market. Of course, it will not affect our market. Yesterday I was asked what will happen with inflation and so on. These are goods with relatively low consumption. We have always met the main demand through our own domestic production where necessary. In those areas, we have a fairly diversified system of suppliers in our market. Of course, we value everyone, but there will be no problems for our economy,” the Russian minister said when asked about the potential impact on the Russian economy of its recently announced ban on imports from Armenia.

Russia recently banned imports of flowers produced in Armenia, as well as Jermuk mineral water, some alcoholic beverages, vegetables (including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and greens), and strawberries.