US News

• Legendary reporter Mark Parry passes away. [Link]
• The Pentagon is failing to track and provide oversight for the mercenaries it hires. [Link]
• Two Myanmar nationals have been arrested in New York and are charged with plotting a hit on Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN. The ambassador represents the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was overthrown in a coup. [Aink] 

Korea

• South Korea plans to move forward with war games in August. The war games are with the US and North Korea views the operations as a threat. [Link]

Afghanistan

• The UN says fighting in Afghanistan has left 27 children dead over three days. [Link]
• Five Afghan provincial capitals fall to the Taliban, including Kunduz. [Link]
• An Afghan helicopter pilot was killed by a targeted Taliban bombing. The pilot was at least the eighth to be killed by the Taliban in recent weeks. The Taliban have announced an operation to target pilots. Five civilians were injured by the bomb. [Link]
• A radio station manager was killed and a journalist was kidnapped in Afghanistan. The government blamed the Taliban for both attacks and the Taliban denied the accusations. [Link]
• US airstrikes targeting Helmand, Afghanistan have destroyed a clinic and school. Twenty civilians have been killed by the US strikes. [Link]

Israel

• Hezbollah’s leader Nasrallah warns that his group could escalate against Israel. Israel bombed Lebanon several times over the past few weeks, including last week in response to rocket fire from Lebanon. Hezbollah responded to the Israeli bombing with rocket fire into an empty area. [Link]
• Israel bombed what it claimed were Hamas targets in Gaza. [Link]
• Israel’s Ambassador to the US and UN says Israel wants regime change in Iran. [Link]

Yemen

• Houthi officials say it would be pointless to meet with the new UN envoy to Yemen unless the conditions of the peace proposal are changed. [Link]
• Saudi airstrikes killed at least 45 Houthi fighters as they push to take key cities in central Yemen. [Link]

Africa

• The US sanctioned five Africans it says are commanders of jihadists groups by adding them to the global terror list. [Link]
• The Ethiopian government threatens to attack Tigray if its forces won’t leave neighboring areas. The Tigrayian forces are refusing to withdraw. [Link]
• Sudan recalled its ambassador from Ethiopia after the Ethiopian government refused a Sudanese proposal to help ease tension in Ethiopia. [Link]
• Fighting in South Sudan leaves scores of soldiers dead. [Link]
• In Burkina Faso, 12 soldiers were killed and seven are missing after an attack by militants. [Link]
• At least 51 people were killed when militants raided three villages in Mali. [Link]
• A politician and a Swiss national were kidnapped in separate events in Nigeria. [Link]
• Rwandan forces in Mozambique report making gains against insurgents. [Link]