US News

• Journalists Charles Glass and John Goetz and attorneys Margaret Kunstler and Deborah Hrbek sued the CIA headed by former Director Mike Pompeo. The plaintiffs had meetings with Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London and were spied on. Reuters

Russia

• Hundreds of Ukrainians are receiving infantry training in the UK as the British have pledged to train up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops within 120 days, The Associated Press reported. AWC
• A Moscow-installed official in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian Oblast of Zaporizhzhia on Monday accused Ukraine of shelling the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and areas around the plant. AWC
• A Nature Food study says 5 billion people could die of starvation if nuclear war breaks out between Russia and the US. The Hill

China

• China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) started fresh drills around Taiwan on Monday in response to a congressional delegation that visited the island. AWC
• The US, South Korea and Japan engaged in war games in Hawaii. The drills simulated detecting and tracking incoming missiles. DoD

Afghanistan 

• The Red Cross calls on governments to allow aid to flow into Afghanistan. Reuters 
• The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the Biden administration has decided not to release any of the $7 billion in Afghan central bank reserves that are held in the US as millions of Afghans are facing starvation. The administration also suspended talks with the Taliban on the funds. AWC

Syria

• The US condemned what they called an “ineffective” drone attack Monday on a US base in southeast Syria, which houses troops and US-backed Syrian forces. No casualties were reported. UPI AWC
• The US says it is in direct communication with Syria over captured American Austin Tice. AJ

Iran

• State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, “The only way to achieve a mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA is for Iran to drop further unacceptable demands that go beyond the scope of the JCPOA. We have long called these demands extraneous.” He added the US is reviewing the text of the final agreement proposed by the EU. Reuters The Institute

Africa

• The last soldiers belonging to France’s Barkhane operation in Mali have now left the African country, the French chiefs of staff said. France 24
• The Treasury Department announced sanctions on three Liberian government officials, including President George Weah’s chief of staff, for corruption. Reuters