ONS: 01 September 2014

By TRG Alerts Admin

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: An employee of Doctors Without Borders held hostage for more than a year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was freed, announced the organization.
AMERICAS: Mexican authorities announced that a Los Zetas cartel chieftain was arrested near the border with the US.
ASIA: Japanese officials confirmed at least 22 cases of dengue fever, marking the first outbreak of the infection since World War II.
EUROPE: In Turkey, dozens of police officers, including a former chief of a police financial unit, were detained on accusations of plotting against the government.
MIDDLE EAST: Iraqi security and volunteer forces broke the siege of Amerli and entered the town.
TECHNOLOGY: The NATO alliance is expected to ratify a pledge on joint defense in case of major cyber-attacks.

TOP STORY

Protests in Pakistan turned deadly as PM Sharif resists public pressure to resign.

A TV station was back on air after being stormed by crowds and recovered by government forces.
Protesters demanding the resignation of PM Sharif engaged in running battles with police near government offices in Islamabad.
The country’s Supreme Court called for a constitutional solution to the crisis.
Coverage: WSJ, LAT, BBC, CNN, NYT, IBTimes

AFRICA

DRC: An employee of Doctors Without Borders held hostage for more than a year was freed, announced the organization. (AFP)
Lesotho: The country’s political leaders were summoned by South African President Zuma for emergency talks after the military carried out a coup. (Bloomberg)
Libya: A commander of the Dawn of Libya militia group said it is guarding the US embassy compound after expelling rival militia who temporarily seized it. (Guardian)

AMERICAS

Region: Honduran authorities and US lawmakers met in to discuss the structural causes of child immigration to the US. (EFE)
Cuba: Cuba is bringing in new rules limiting personal imports of foreign goods into the country. (BBC)
Mexico: Authorities announced that a Los Zetas cartel chieftain was arrested near the border with the US. (AFP)

ASIA

Region: South Korea and China announced a bilateral summit of their leaders on the sidelines of November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Beijing. (Yonhap)
Japan: Officials confirmed at least 22 cases of dengue fever, marking the first outbreak of the infection since World War II. (AFP)
Korea, North: The country fired a short-range missile into East Sea from a new location near the Chinese border. (Yonhap)

EUROPE

Regional: Russian FM Lavrov called for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. (Guardian)
Bulgaria: Police at the border with Turkey seized two batches of heroin weighing 46.361 kg destined for the Netherlands. (Xinhua)
Germany: The government reached a decision to send anti-tank missiles and machine guns to Iraqi Kurds, a controversial decision for the country. (EFE)
Turkey: Dozens of police officers, including a former chief of a police financial unit, were detained on accusations of plotting against the government. (Reuters)

MIDDLE EAST

Golan Heights: Fighting erupted between the Syrian army and Islamist rebels on Golan Heights. (Reuters)
Iran: Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the first vice president under former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was sentenced to prison and fined, most likely on corruption charges. (AFP)
Iraq: Iraqi security and volunteer forces broke the siege of Amerli and entered the town. (CNN)
Yemen: Shiite rebels protested in the thousands in Sanaa against the government, defying UN calls to end disturbances. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Cyber security: The NATO alliance is expected to ratify a pledge on joint defense in case of major cyber-attacks at summit. (NYT)

WORLD

Cases as of 24JUL: 837 (Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Italy, Iran, France, Germany, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, UAE, United Kingdom, Egypt, US, Yemen)
Deaths as of 24JUL: 291 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman)
Sourcing: WHO, WHO-1

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (02SEP)

END