Ebola Update: DR Congo’s health ministry says confirmed Ebola cases have climbed to 710, with 149 deaths, as authorities deny lockdown rumors and push surveillance, contact tracing, targeted vaccination, and community engagement. G7 Health Security: G7 leaders call for a “firm and coordinated” response to the DRC and Uganda outbreaks, urging faster vaccine, diagnostics, and treatment support amid insecurity in the northeast. Digital ID & Finance: Kinshasa launched RDC-Pass, a national digital identity platform under a 20-year PPP with Trident Digital Tech, aimed at e-government services, e-KYC, and reducing document fraud. Mining Data Fight: DR Congo is pressing Belgium and EU partners over digitising and returning colonial-era geological records that could unlock new copper, cobalt, and lithium deposits—while Kinshasa tightens control over cobalt exports. Cobalt Output Risk: Energy constraints are threatening cobalt production stability, as grid unreliability forces miners toward costly self-generation or reduced processing. Minerals for Infrastructure Debate: Civil society groups urge a review of the China “minerals for infrastructure” deal, citing tax exemptions, transparency concerns, and revenue risks for Kinshasa. Conflict & Trade: An NGO reports looted coltan from eastern DRC is smuggled via Rwanda into global supply chains, feeding electronics and other industries. Justice: A military court in Kinshasa sentences 54 people to death over the 2017 killings of two UN investigators in Kasai. Politics: Opposition protests in Kinshasa intensify the referendum battle over constitutional reform and a possible third term.