A UN official on Friday called for greater international support to urgently scale up Ebola response operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), warning that the outbreak is spreading exponentially and outpacing current containment efforts.
Briefing journalists from the Ebola epicenter in Bunia, Ituri province, Julien Harneis, UN senior Ebola coordinator said the Ebola outbreak in the country is growing exponentially. In the last three months, 2,500 people have died and half of those in the last 20 days.
Since the outbreak was declared on 15 May, 5,290 people have been infected and 2,516 have died, according to latest health authority data published on Friday.
Years of armed conflict, insufficient medical resources and attacks on medical staff and medical facilities are further increasing the difficulty of epidemic prevention and control.
"We're only covered for the next weeks, and very soon funding will run out. So, we need to scale up, we need to have far greater investment, far greater support from the international community. And every delay in funding and implementation makes this epidemic more deadly, more difficult to stop and more expensive. So, we need that international support immediately," Harneis said.
UN calls on more int’l support as Ebola outbreak spreads exponentially in DR Congo
Thai exporters are leveraging this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE) to seek new opportunities in China as innovation and shifting consumer demand reshape how Thailand's traditional agricultural products are grown, produced and brought to market.
For generations, families in Thailand have made a living from coconut palms, harvesting the fruit by hand and shipping it far beyond the orchards where it is grown.
Natthasak Manusrungsri's family has been exporting aromatic coconuts for more than two decades. But growing demand from China has transformed the scale of their business, driving production, expanding exports and inspiring new ways to bring this familiar fruit to consumers.
"Almost every factory that packs fresh coconuts depends on China as its main market, almost entirely. After Thailand received permission to export coconuts to China, volumes kept rising, driven by trends and by customers becoming more knowledgeable and health-conscious," said Natthasak Manusrungsri, managing director of K-Fresh Co.
But as demand grows, so does the pressure to innovate. Generations of agricultural knowledge are meeting a new generation of ideas.
For Thai producers, China offers enormous opportunities, but competition is intensifying. As consumer preferences change, exporters are shifting their focus beyond simply increasing sales to developing innovative products that offer greater convenience and bring more value to an increasingly competitive industry.
That transformation begins long before the coconuts leave the trees. Across a network of plantations, precision agriculture is helping farmers monitor growing conditions, identify problem areas, and improve yields, while maintaining the quality of Thailand's renowned coconuts.
Inside the factory, innovation takes a different form. Even the simple act of opening a coconut has been redesigned. A patented mechanism allows consumers to open it with a push.
"Innovation matters for both the farm and production, so we can deliver the highest quality to our customers. So, we practice precision agriculture. And in the factory, we focus on innovation to make it easier for consumers to open and enjoy, bringing quality products to consumers around the world and in China," said Manusrungsri.
For the farmers who tend these palms, the rhythm of life remains much as it has for generations. But beyond the orchards, almost everything else is changing.
And at CIIE 2026, Thailand's humble coconut is showing how an age-old harvest can find new value in a world of changing tastes and possibilities.
Thai coconut exporter taps CIIE to promote industry innovation
