Zambia
A former cabinet minister was shot dead in Zambia when security forces raided the home of opposition leader Brian Mundubile a day after the August 13 presidential election, police revealed in a statement today. Mutotwe Kafwaya, 49, an opposition MP who had previously been works minister and later transport minister, was killed in the operation, which the government said was aimed at dismantling a militia that posed "a serious threat to State security." President Hakainde Hichilema won a second term in the election, with about 60 percent of the vote, but Mundubile says his NRPUP party has discovered “serious irregularities.” Zambia has largely been a stable democracy since 1991.
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Syria
Israel and Turkey are trading barbs two days after Israel bombed a Syrian airbase where it said Turkish troops were about to deploy. Israel accused Turkey of “dangerous adventures in Syria,” while Turkey shot back that Israel should cease its “reckless” attacks. The row underlines increasing regional competition between Tel Aviv and Ankara, with Israel worried about Turkey’s influence over Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa since a lightning rebel offensive on the capital Damascus toppled then-President Bashar al-Assad after 14 years of civil war.
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DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), fighting the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record, is to receive 70,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine for the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Though the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is no vaccine, is responsible for the epidemic, there are early indications that Ervebo may have some impact. “It is not known whether Ervebo may be protective against the Bundibugyo virus in humans,” WHO said, adding clinical trials would provide new evidence. Some 2,476 people are confirmed to have died so far, according to local health authorities.
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