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This week, tensions between the United States and North Korea reach a fever pitch; the United States expels two Cuban diplomats following an "acoustic attack"; Israel moves to ban Al Jazeera; and more.

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Americas

Officials serving at the U.S. embassy in Cuba returned home after suffering a variety of physical symptoms including hearing loss after being subject to an "acoustic attack" from a covert sonic weapon. In a news briefing, the State Department confirmed the incidents, which occurred in late 2016, but declined to give the specific number of Americans affected by the unexplained illness. Although many of the details surrounding the sicknesses remain unclear, the State Department has responded by expelling two Cuban diplomats from the United States this week and reminding Cuba of its agreement in the Vienna Convention to protect foreign diplomats.

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• Taiwan gives Guatemala over $600 million and Belize $60 million in funding – Adele Ramos, Amandala

Central & South Asia

In dozens of cities in India, thousands gathered to march in support of science, demanding that their government increase funding for scientific and technological research. Organizers of the march, known as the Breakthrough Science Society, issued a statement asking for the allocation of at least three percent of GDP to scientific and technological research and 10 percent towards education. According to the World Bank, India’s expenditure on research and development has remained stagnant at about 0.8 percent of GDP over the last few years. In addition to funding, the organizers also called for the end to "propagation of unscientific, obscurantist ideas and religious intolerance."

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• Tajikistan accuses Iran of involvement in killings – Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty

China & East Asia

In response to fresh sanctions imposed by the UN, the North Korean government has vowed to exact "thousands-fold" revenge against the United States for "violent violation of our sovereignty" as part of a "heinous plot to isolate and stifle" the country. President Trump responded to the provocation, threatening to unleash "fire and fury" against North Korea, a remark that was echoed by Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who warned North Korea to stop actions that could lead to the "destruction of its people." Following President Trump’s remarks, North Korea announced plans to attack American military forces in Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sought to allay fears of a military confrontation by emphasizing the possibility of a diplomatic solution to the standoff over North Korea’s efforts to build long-range nuclear weapons. Experts now believe North Korea has successfully produced a miniature nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles.

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• China leaning on Singapore to keep ASEAN calm over South China Sea – Greg Torode, Reuters

Europe & Russia

Germany has sent asylum seekers back to Greece for the first time since 2011, when returns were suspended because conditions in Greek camps were judged to be inhumane. The migrants are being sent back to Greece in accordance with the EU’s Dublin Convention, which says an asylum claim should be processed in the country where the migrant first entered the EU. Most migrants hoping to settle in the EU arrive in Greece and Italy, and both countries have urged their EU partners to help ease the pressure. An EU plan to move 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to other parts of the bloc has been dogged by delays and opposition. The European Commission said just 25,438 had been relocated as of August 4. Greek Migration Minister Ioannis Mouzalas said Greece had agreed to take some asylum seekers back in a goodwill gesture, as there had been "pressure" from some EU countries to do so.

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• UK says EU offers restricted post-Brexit residency rights to Britons – Kylie MacLellan, Gabriela Baczynska, Guy Faulconbridge, and Andrew Bolton, Reuters

Middle East & North Africa

Israel has moved to ban Al Jazeera, a popular Arabic-language news channel in the Middle East and one of the few willing to broadcast from Israel, from operating in the country and in the occupied territories. In doing so, Israel joins the boycott by Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, which have all accused the Qatari-owned network of sponsoring terrorism. Israel’s communications minister, Ayoub Kara, announced plans on Sunday to close Al Jazeera’s Jerusalem office, revoke its journalists’ media credentials, and work with cable and satellite companies to stop Al Jazeera’s TV broadcasts. The move further aligns the interests of the Netanyahu government and the Gulf States, which have become closer in recent years primarily because of common views over Iran and, more recently, the Muslim Brotherhood, which has links to Hamas.

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• Turkey begins building border wall with Iran – Associated Press

Southeast Asia & Oceania

The United States has promised Vietnam a visit from a U.S. aircraft carrier and deeper defense cooperation, as Vietnam’s strained relationship with China intensifies over the disputed South China Sea. The aircraft carrier visit will be the first since the Vietnam War ended in 1975. Vietnam is one of the few countries in the region to challenge Chinese territorial claims to the vast majority of the disputed waters. Just last month Vietnam was forced to suspend offshore drilling in the area after facing intense pressure from Beijing, which has been irritated by Vietnam’s growing defense relationship with the United States and rival Asian powers, including Japan and India.

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• UN warns aid workers of rising Buddhist hostility in western Myanmar – Simon Lewis and Wa Lone, Reuters

Sub-Saharan Africa

President Jacob Zuma of South Africa survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Tuesday, making it the fourth no-confidence vote Zuma has won during his eight year term. The divisive president won by a narrower margin than expected, with 198 votes in his favor versus 177 against. Zuma has been embroiled in corruption allegations since taking office in 2009, yet has remained at the helm of the country’s dominant ANC party. Meanwhile, the economy of South Africa—a member of the exclusive G20 club of nations—is now growing at half the worst-case scenario rate envisaged by the experts Zuma appointed five years ago.

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• Clashes in Kenya after opposition leader’s election fraud claim – Jason Burke, The Guardian

Stay informed. We’ll see you here again next week.