Ebola fatality rate in DR Congo tops 50 percent as death toll reaches 5,372

The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had reached 5,372 as of Friday, with a case fatality rate of 51.6 percent, according to the latest official report released on Sunday.

The situation report from the DRC's National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) showed that the country had recorded 10,414 confirmed Ebola cases as of Oct. 30.

A statement noted that the significant increase in reported deaths was due to a retrospective adjustment of data between the local data processing team and the Ituri Province outbreak management team, rather than a single-day surge.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has never refused to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov on Sunday.

Ushakov said negotiations to resolve the Ukraine crisis should be held in the form of tripartite talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine. There may also be European representatives at the negotiating table, but in the initial stage of negotiations, it must be in the form of Russia, the United States and Ukraine.

He also revealed that Zelensky is sending signals that Ukraine is willing to talk to Putin through different channels.

On the same day, Zelensky said in an interview that he is willing to hold a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Türkiye and hopes that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could use his communication channels with Putin to facilitate this direct negotiation.

Zelensky said the delegations and technical teams could not decide on some issues, and that the two countries' top leaders, who hold decision-making power, could resolve these issues through direct dialogue. He expressed support for holding the meeting in Türkiye and said he valued the communication channel between Erdogan and Putin.

Zelensky stressed that he wants direct talks with Putin himself, because the final decision-making power on relevant matters rests with Putin.