Ebola makes it way to Kenya
Kenya confirmed its first ever death from Ebola on Tuesday after a Kenyan citizen returned to the country from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The DRC has been fighting the second deadliest outbreak of the virus on record, with over 4,000 people killed since the outbreak began in May. Ebola is a contentious issue in Kenya, and many have worried the virus could breach its borders. Earlier this year, protests erupted over Kenyan President William Ruto’s decision to allow the US to build an Ebola quarantine facility for American health workers 125 miles outside of Nairobi. Construction was later halted. Since then, Kenya has implemented travel restrictions from the DRC to keep the virus out. People who were in contact with the man who died are also being traced, but there is still no approved vaccine for the rare strain of Ebola behind the outbreak.
Houthis lose control of important port near the Red Sea
Just days after officially declaring war on the Houthis, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said they retook control over a strategic port in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. It’s a big win for Saudi Arabia. Four weeks ago, the Houthis seized the port, Mocha – choking Saudi’s next best option for shipping oil while Iran disrupted exports through the Strait of Hormuz. Regaining control now puts the Bab al-Mandeb and its access to the Red Sea back in play for Saudi Arabia, the region’s largest oil producer. But the fighting is unlikely to stop here. The Houthis promptly retaliated, claiming responsibility for attacks on Riyadh’s airport. Meanwhile Saudi and Yemeni government forces are expected to keep pressing the offensive, and Riyadh’s new allies, Turkey and Pakistan, have been discussing how best to support the efforts under the recently signed Mecca agreement.
Germany and France ready a powerful new trade weapon
Europe’s largest economies have proposed a new mechanism that would make it easier for the EU to punish other countries that engage in unfair trade practices. The new measure, modeled on the US’s expansive “Section 301” trade law, would update existing EU trade instruments that are powerful but too cumbersome, giving the European Commission more latitude to impose tariffs and other barriers without securing majority consensus from individual member states. The EU has struggled to position itself between a US that is suddenly more hostile on trade measures itself, and a China whose state-subsidized industries are eroding core parts of European industry — especially Germany’s vaunted car manufacturers. Notably, the proposal comes ahead of an EU-China trade meeting in Beijing this week. China is the EU’s third largest trade partner after the US and UK. Last year, the Union’s trade deficit with China was $400 billion, the second highest figure ever.
