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• 08 Aug

KEY STORYLINES

• AFRICA: Rwanda and Congo are discouraging travel across their border, as officials try to prevent further spread of the highly contagious Ebola virus.
• AMERICAS: Speaking at a summit on Venezuela in Lima, Peru, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Washington was ready to impose sanctions on any international company doing business with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
• ASIA: Australia and NATO have signed a new “enhanced partnership agreement” with a greater focus on the Pacific region.
• EUROPE: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has spoken with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in shelling in eastern Ukraine.
• MIDDLE EAST: In Syria, regime loyalists captured a town and a village from extremists and allied rebels the northwest, after fierce clashes that killed nearly 30 combatants overnight.
• TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNICATIONS: Twitter said it may have used data for personalized ads without permission from users due to issues with the microblogging website’s settings.

TOP STORY

• Afghanistan: Suicide car bombing in Kabul ahead of next month’s elections.
  • A car bomb laid by a suicide bomber, exploded in Kabul wounding at least 95 people and at least 10 killed as of writing.
  • Taliban insurgents have claimed responsibility for the explosion.
  • The attack comes just one day after US diplomats and the Taliban talked about making progress in ongoing peace talks.
  • The Afghan Intelligence Agency had raided three cells belonging to Islamic State in Kabul and explosions were heard throughout midnight.
  • Reporting: AP, WaPo, NYT, Reuters, AFP

AFRICA

• Region: Rwanda and Congo are discouraging travel across their border, as officials try to prevent further spread of the highly contagious Ebola virus. (AP)
• Libya: The internationally recognized government has allocated 40 million dinars for its defense ministry, stepping up spending to fend off an eastern offensive. (Reuters)
• Uganda: A court charged pop star turned leading opposition figure Bobi Wine with “annoying” President Yoweri Museveni. (AFP)

AMERICAS

• Region: Speaking at a summit on Venezuela in Lima, Peru, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said Washington was ready to impose sanctions on any international company doing business with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (Reuters)
• Colombia: The government must pay $61 million to banks involved in Odebrecht construction projects that were shuttered during a bribery probe, an arbitration tribunal said. (Reuters)
• United States: The FBI said it launched a domestic terrorism investigation into the shooting at a California festival on July 28. (WaPo)

ASIA

• Region: Australia and NATO have signed a new “enhanced partnership agreement” with a greater focus on the Pacific region. (DPA)
• China: The country’s regulator said it was suspending mainland movies and their personnel from participating in Taiwan’s annual Golden Horse Film Festival without giving any reason. (Reuters)
• India: A protester died after being chased by police during a curfew in Kashmir’s main city, a police official said. (AFP)

EUROPE

• Region: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says he has spoken with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in shelling in eastern Ukraine. (RFE-RL)
• Italy: The top appeals court has confirmed the confiscation of some 49 million euros from the right-wing ruling League party over a decade-old corruption scandal. (Reuters)
• Republic of Ireland: The Prime Minister says a vote on Irish unity in the wake of a no-deal Brexit would be “divisive” and “not the right way forward”. (BBC)

MIDDLE EAST

• Regime: Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Wednesday that talks with the US aimed at averting the need for a Turkish military intervention into northern Syria had been “positive”, according to state news agency Anadolu. (AFP)
• Iran: Two members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed in clashes with militants in a northwestern region near the border with Turkey. (Reuters)
• Syria: Regime loyalists captured a town and a village from extremists and allied rebels the northwest, after fierce clashes that killed nearly 30 combatants overnight. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

• Social Media: Twitter said it may have used data for personalized ads without permission from users due to issues with the microblogging website’s settings. (Reuters)

WORLD

• Cyclones:
  • Tropical Storm Lekima
    • Location: 449 nautical miles south of Kadena Airbase, Japan
    • Winds: 60mph
    • Movement: N-NW at 3mph
    • Map
  • Tropical Storm Francisco
    • Location: 47 nautical miles SE of Busan, South Korea
    • Winds: 60mph
    • Movement: NW at 18mph
    • Map
• Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
• Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
• Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
• Global Disease Outbreaks:

• • Ebola Virus Disease:
    • Ebola Virus Disease:
    • Confirmed Cases as of 28JUL19: 2577 (DR Congo)
    • Suspected Cases as of 28JUL19: 94 (DR Congo)
    • Deaths as of 28JUL19: 1790 (DR Congo)

• • • Sourcing: WHO

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (08 AUG)

• Anguilla: August Thursday – 1833
• Tanzania: Farmer’s Day (Nane Nane) – unknown
• United States: Taiwanese and South Korean steel products exported via Vietnam subject to tariffs

END