Opinion

Already suspicious of the Congolese state following decades of neglect and conflict, many in the outbreak's epicentre in the northeastern Ituri province are split between criticism of the government's response and denial of the disease's very existence.

According to the court ruling, no citizen is allowed to demand documentation or tell others where they can live or work. That responsibility lies solely with the state.

Forecasters say a potentially "super" El Nino is rapidly taking shape in the Pacific -- but whether it evolves into a history-making event could hinge on fickle winds and other volatile atmospheric shifts.

The laborious work, carried out mainly by women, involves wading at low tide, barefoot and often chest-deep in muddy water and stifling heat, to reach rocks and mangroves where wild oysters cling.

Unearthing small boats from under the sand at dawn before launching them towards Britain packed with people, migrant smugglers are increasingly operating from Belgium -- to the concern of local authorities.