Ukraine and Russia

• Having just secured his first firm commitments for F-16s from the Netherlands and Denmark, Pres. Zelensky joined Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis - who's been a strong supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia - for an "informal" dinner with the leaders of the European Commission, European Council, and nine Eastern European / Balkan states (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia).
• If he secured more pledges of weapons, they haven't been publicized yet.

• While Pres. Zelensky was charming European and Balkan leaders, the head of Iran's ground forces went to Moscow to visit his Russian counterpart. They pledged to increase military cooperation between their countries.

• The African Union (AU) suspended Niger until "the effective restoration of constitutional order," with immediate effect.
• Algerian state radio sparked rumors about a possible French intervention in Niger when it reported that authorities had denied a French request to fly through Algerian airspace for a military operation.
• France denied it made any such airspace request, but the AU preemptively declared that it "strongly" opposes intervention in Niger from any non-African militaries.
• The AU seemed more open to the idea of an ECOWAS military coalition intervening in Niger: it said its commission would consider any requests ECOWAS makes for approval for a mission in Niger.

• The UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a new report finding that the Taliban committed at least 800 human rights violations against former Afghan government officials and security personnel - including over 200 extrajudicial killings - since they took power two years ago.
• The Taliban dismissed the report, saying that UNAMA's documented findings "have not been reported" (except, apparently, to UNAMA).

• As Kim Jong Un looked upon the damage annual summer floods caused on North Korea's west coast, he lambasted his premier, Tok Hun, for showing "the attitude of an onlooker" in response to the floods.
• Kim's rebuke of Tok was harsh and broad: "In recent years the administrative and economic discipline of Kim Tok Hun's Cabinet has become seriously out of order, and, consequently, the idlers are spoiling all the state economic work with an irresponsible work manner."
• Analysts say Kim is trying to deflect blame for his policy failures (e.g. deforestation, poor drainage) so the North Koreans who repeatedly suffer from them will link them to Tok instead of Kim. Some think Kim is reacting to murmers of discontent that are already bubbling up.

• Cambodia's national assembly formally "elected" longtime leader Hun Sen's hand-picked successor - his son Hun Manet, a four-star general in Cambodia's military and West Point graduate - to replace him as prime minister.
• Critics fear Hun Manet's reign is going to be at least as autocratic as his father's, despite Hun Manet's Western education. They're probably right, especially since Hun Sen plans to stay deeply involved in governance.