DR Congo records 7,672 confirmed Ebola cases, 3,699 deaths

Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached 7,672, with 3,699 deaths, according to the latest figures released Monday.

According to the report from the country's National Public Health Institute, the overall case fatality rate stands at 48.2 percent, with 1,879 patients have recovered and 886 hospitalized or in quarantine.

The outbreak has now affected 63 health zones in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo, Bas-Uele, and Sud-Ubangi.

The current outbreak, declared in May, has since become the country's largest and deadliest Ebola epidemic on record and the second-largest globally, behind the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.

Hiyane Yusuke, a photographer from Japan, uses his photography and short videos to connect with Japanese audiences and bridge the cultural gap across the Asia-Pacific region.

Having studied and worked in China for about four years, he now focuses on photographing China's natural landscapes and historic cities with their centuries-old streets and alleyways, as well as the everyday lives of local people. Yusuke shares these moments and stories through social media.

"Through photography and video, I hope to introduce China to a wider Japanese audience and showcase the many beautiful sides of the country that are still waiting to be discovered. I look forward to exploring more of China, seeing the country through my own eyes and experiencing it firsthand, then sharing the unique beauty and character of this land with people around the world through my work," Yusuke said.

"Over the years, I've had the chance to travel to many parts of China. From bustling modern cities like Shanghai and Chongqing, with their impressive skylines, to places like Yunnan and Qinghai provinces, where nature reveals its breathtaking beauty. I've come to realize that what makes China so fascinating is the way its dynamic modern cities coexist with its vast and magnificent natural landscapes. Beyond that, each region has its own distinctive history and culture. Together, they make China a country of extraordinary diversity and richness," he said.

Yusuke believes firsthand experiences and digital cooperation, especially social media and short videos, can deepen Japan-China cultural understanding, and he hopes to continue fostering these connections through his photography.

"While photography and video have allowed me to share the beauty of China, I believe there's something irreplaceable about visiting a place in person. It's through these firsthand experiences that we can truly come to understand one another. One area I'm particularly interested in is digital cooperation between Japan and China. I believe that introducing the unique appeal of both countries through social media and video content can create more opportunities for younger generations to learn about each other's cultures and engage in deeper exchanges," Yusuke said.

"Through Chinese social media platforms, I can easily discover travel destinations and get useful information about visiting China. I have also noticed that more and more Japanese people, even if they don't speak Chinese, are turning to Chinese social media to discover content related to beauty, entertainment and other interests. Social media and short-form videos have the power to transcend borders and language barriers. They allow people from different countries to discover each other's cultures and see the beauty in their differences. For young people across the Asia-Pacific, I believe (social media) creates exciting new opportunities to share their own cultures with the world and connect with people from other countries. As a photographer, I hope to continue using my work to help build greater understanding and stronger connections between Japan and China," he said.

He's just as likely to be found capturing how a baseball game brings together people of different ethnic backgrounds in Pu'er, southwest China's Yunnan Province, or exploring the digital ties between China and Japan. And after all these years, he said the secret to real exchanges is to understand the differences and find the common ground.

Yusuke hopes that Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will open up more doors for people across the region to share their cultures, build connections and truly understand each other. "Looking ahead, I hope APEC will create more opportunities for people from Japan, China and other economies across the Asia-Pacific region to learn about one another's cultures and further strengthen mutual understanding and exchange," he said.

China will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen in south China in November this year, which will mark the country's third hosting of the event following Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014. The theme of this year's summit is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together," while China has identified openness, innovation and cooperation as the three priority areas for this year's APEC cooperation.