Three independent Russian journalists were murdered on July 31 in the Central African Republic (CAR) while filming a documentary on the Wagner Group, the mysterious Kremlin-linked military contractor operating in that country. The circumstances of their deaths are still unknown, but the incident follows the mysterious death of another Russian journalist who investigated the organization.
The big picture: With deployments in Ukraine, Syria and Sudan in addition to CAR, the Wagner Group has become an active, although still unofficial, component of Russia’s foreign policy and military toolkit at a time when the Kremlin is expanding its reach across Africa.
A Chinese company dropped its bid to acquire an advanced manufacturer in Germany after the German government prepared to veto the deal, reports Caixin Global.
The big picture: U.S. lawmakers are already working to strengthen reviews of foreign investments, primarily to block Beijing from acquiring U.S. tech and defense secrets. The fear that Chinese tech investments will give Beijing an economic and national security edge is now hitting Europe, too.
The Bank of England voted unanimously to increase interest rates from 0.5% to 0.75%, citing a strong labor market and credit growth, reports CNBC.
Why it matters: The Bank is projecting continued "modest" growth and expects to gradually increase rates in 2019, even as Brexit uncertainty and the possibility of a "no deal" scenario loom over the UK's economy.
During the second day of Paul Manafort's trial, an executive and a manager of luxury menswear stores testified that Manafort spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on clothing, regularly paying with wire transfers from foreign bank accounts, according to the Washington Post.
Why it matters: Paul Manafort is facing charges of tax and bank fraud — specifically laundering $30 million in income, secretly keeping money in offshore accounts, acting as a foreign agent during his work with Ukraine, obstruction of justice and making false statements.
Have you ever ordered your morning cup of coffee delivered to your office? I asked 28 colleagues — all based in the U.S. Just two said "yes," and two others that said they might. Twenty-four basically told me to get lost.
Not so in China, where a delivered cup of steaming-hot coffee, brought by motorbike, is the new new thing.
Senior Israeli officials have promised Trump administration officials the controversial "Jewish Nation State" law passed two weeks ago by the Israeli Knesset will not lead to discrimination against any minority groups based on race, religion or gender, a source with direct knowledge tells me.
Why it matters: Senior U.S. officials asked senior officials in the Israeli Prime Minister's office for clarification over the law, which is mostly symbolic but highly offensive to Israel's Arab citizens, who see it as another step by the government to prevent them from being treated equally. In the medium and long-term, it could be used as a legal basis for discrimination against non-Jewish citizens in Israel.
Three Russian journalists investigating a private military contractor called Wagner Group were ambushed and killed in the Central African Republic, reports BBC News.
The big picture: Those responsible for the ambush have not been identified.Wagner Group is a Russian paramilitary organization with contractors involved in conflicts all over the world, including the Syrian Civil War. Believed to have ties to the Russian oligarch known as "Putin's Chef," Wagner's mercenaries were involved in a February attack on U.S. troops in Syria that was the deadliest U.S.-Russia clash since the Cold War, according to WashPost.
North Korea provided U.S. forensics experts with just a single dog tag to help with identification after handing over the remains of 55 American military members who died during the Korean War, reports the AP.
Why it matters: The effort to provide the U.S. with the remains of Americans killed in the war was a delayed promise kept by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after his June summit with President Trump. Per an anonymous official who spoke to the AP, it could take "months if not years to fully determine individual identities from the remains, which have not yet been confirmed by U.S. specialists to be those of American servicemen."
