देश-विदेश

Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have intercepted a river boat carrying more than 300 passengers near Kinshasa to perform emergency screening following the death of a passenger suspected of having contracted Ebola. The vessel was stopped in Maluku, located approximately 65 kilometres upstream from the capital, where public health teams deployed a mobile laboratory to conduct clinical evaluations and temperature checks on all individuals aboard. Medical personnel collected blood samples from four passengers exhibiting feverish symptoms, with laboratory results expected to confirm whether the virus is present. The precautionary intervention follows the death of a 32-year-old man who travelled on the boat and later tested positive for suspected symptoms of the disease. Health officials face conflicting accounts regarding the origin of the vessel and where the deceased passenger boarded, as discrepancy remains between regional health directors regarding whether the trip originated in Mongala province or in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, where an active Ebola outbreak is ongoing. In response to the broader regional health emergency, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced plans to expand the administration of vaccines and antiviral treatments, including remdesivir, across affected provinces to contain further transmission.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned the export of copper and cobalt concentrates, accelerating national efforts to enforce in-country mineral processing and retain greater economic value from its natural resources. The ministerial decree, signed by Mines Minister Louis Kabamba Watum, Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku Kahongya, and Economy Minister Daniel Mukoko Samba, takes effect immediately. The regulation revokes a previous 2023 framework and its associated exemptions, replacing them with a comprehensive structure governing mineral exports alongside a new tax regime on mining by-products. Following news of the export ban, benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange rose by up to 1.8 per cent to $14,369.50 per metric ton, approaching historic record highs. While the prohibition is absolute, the decree allows for temporary one-year waivers under specific strategic circumstances. Major mining operators, including Ivanhoe Mines, which runs the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex in partnership with Zijin Mining,indicated that domestic processing facilities, such as the on-site smelter and the Lualaba copper smelter in Kolwezi, process the majority of local yields. Analysts note that because the vast majority of Congolese copper and cobalt is already refined locally into cathodes and hydroxides prior to shipment, the new policy primarily aims to eliminate remaining concentrate exports while standardising royalty collections across trace mineral by-products.

The Moroccan government has announced its willingness to collaborate with Spain and European authorities to identify and repatriate unaccompanied minors who crossed into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta during a recent surge in border crossings. According to state news agency MAP, King Mohammed VI directed the interior and foreign affairs ministries to coordinate the identification and safe return of the young migrants to their families in Morocco. The official statement follows diplomatic discussions aimed at addressing the logistical and legal challenges surrounding under-age migrants, who cannot be immediately turned back under standard border control agreements. The initiative comes in the wake of a massive border influx that saw tens of thousands of individuals attempt to enter European territory on foot and by sea. Spanish officials estimated that 72,000 migrants crossed the border during the height of the crisis, while Moroccan estimates placed the figure closer to 40,000. Although the vast majority of adult migrants have since returned or been repatriated to Morocco, local authorities in Ceuta report that at least 1,100 unaccompanied minors remain in government reception facilities. The diplomatic agreement marks a pivotal step toward relieving pressure on regional welfare services in Ceuta while establishing formal bilateral protocols between Rabat and Madrid to ensure child protection standards are met during repatriation procedures.

Federal prosecutors have indicted 60-year-old Vincent Lang of Philadelphia for deliberately setting fire to the Northeast Philadelphia Islamic Center. A federal grand jury charged Lang with one count of malicious damage by fire to a building used in interstate commerce and one count of damage to religious real property. The Department of Justice confirmed that the indictment explicitly alleges Lang carried out the arson because of the religious character of the building, specifically targeting it because it was a Muslim place of worship. According to court documents and surveillance footage, the perpetrator approached the mosque on Tyson Avenue during the early hours of 5 July, ignited an improvised incendiary device, and threw it into the entryway. Local authorities reported that no injuries occurred during the blaze. Lang has remained in federal custody following his initial arrest on 16 July. If convicted on the federal civil rights charges, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and up to a maximum penalty of 40 years.

US President Donald Trump has signed a executive proclamation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, introducing a 15 per cent tariff and minimum import price floors on products made from polysilicon. The critical raw material forms the foundational supply chain for both semiconductor chips and solar panels, a sector currently dominated by Chinese manufacturing. The executive action establishes clear import price thresholds across key processing stages. Under the new policy, raw polysilicon is set at a minimum price floor of $21 per kilogram, while polysilicon ingots and wafers are capped at a floor of $100 per kilogram. Solar cells face a minimum price of $0.22 per watt, and finished solar modules or panels carry a minimum threshold of $0.38 per watt. The order also directs the Commerce Department to establish targeted incentive programs for domestic companies investing in polysilicon production facilities. While semiconductor manufacturing accounts for roughly 2.4 per cent of global polysilicon demand, the material’s economic viability depends directly on the volume scale maintained by solar manufacturing. US solar manufacturers and polysilicon producers, including Corning, Hemlock Semiconductor, Wacker Chemie, First Solar, and Qcells, welcomed the strategic protections as essential for safeguarding domestic supply chains necessary for advanced computing and renewable energy. The new trade protections take effect on 4 December 2026, granting buyers a four-month window to adjust existing supply contracts before the higher price thresholds apply.

US President Donald Trump has signed two new executive orders aimed at restricting birthright citizenship, five weeks after a 6-3 Supreme Court decision rejected his administration’s broader attempt to end automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. The newly issued directives attempt a narrower approach by targeting specific exceptions under the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. The primary focus of the orders is a total ban on birth tourism, a practice where pregnant foreign nationals travel to the US to give birth so their children acquire automatic citizenship. The directives also place restrictions on children born in the US to foreign government employees, foreign combatants classified as alien enemies, and residents of US territories pending potential congressional legislation. Speaking alongside White House aides Stephen Miller and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during an Oval Office ceremony, Trump criticised the high court’s prior 30 June ruling and argued that non-citizens were taking advantage of constitutional protections established following the Civil War. Legal experts and civil rights advocacy organisations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and UnidosUS, noted that the executive actions do not carry the authority of statutory law and will face immediate challenges in federal court for attempting to bypass constitutional precedent and Supreme Court authority.