US Deputy Sec. of State Victoria Nuland met with senior officials of Niger's military leadershipas the Economic Community of West African States activated its stand-by force in preparation for a possible intervention,US military reinforcements arrived in the Persian Gulf,Iran claimed to be testing a supersonic cruise missile,and North Korea's Kim Jong Un fired his top general.Meanwhile, four Syrian soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike,nine people were killed in two separate bombings in Pakistan,at least 33 Syrian soldiers were killed in an Islamic State-claimed ambush,and armed clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Christian villagers in Lebanon left two dead.

On Tuesday, Russia launched missiles in the Donetsk city of Pokrovsk, killing at least seven people and injuring 88.This came as Moscow claimed successful gains in the northeastern region of Kharkiv,with Ukraine ordering the evacuation of around 12K residents in 37 towns in the area on Thursday.As Kyiv's long-anticipated counteroffensive fell short of expectations, US Pres. Joe Biden proposed an additional $24B in Ukraine aid later on Thursday.Meanwhile, amid a widespread corruption scandal that has plagued Ukraine's military, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed all of the heads of the nation's army recruitment centers on Friday.

A report claimed that the US pressured Pakistan to oust its former PM Imran Khan,as he was given a three-year jail sentence,and as the country's national assembly was dissolved,Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated,the UK's Electoral Commission admitted hackers have accessed electoral registers in the past,and Thailand's Pheu Thai Party agreed to form a government with the nation's conservative party.In India, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was reinstated to parliament,the government looked into scrapping several colonial-era laws,lawmakers passed a controversial data protection bill,and a court demanded a stop to the demolition of Muslim homes and businesses.Meanwhile, China arrested a suspected CIA spy,Biden called China a "ticking time bomb"as he signed an order to restrict US tech investments in China,and India barred military drone makers from using Chinese parts.In other news, five Americans were moved to house arrest in Iran as part of a Washington-Tehran agreement,the UK announced a deal with Turkey to tackle illegal migration,and dozens of migrants died after a ship capsized off Tunisia.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to the Hunter Biden probe,the House Oversight Committee revealed that the Biden family has brought in $20M of personal wealth from foreign entities,and Florida Rep. Greg Steube filed four impeachment articles against Biden.Meanwhile, lawyers for former Pres. Donald Trump sought to overturn a protection order in the federal election probe,Trump and an aide pleaded not guilty to new classified documents charges,Twitter was fined for delayed compliance with the Trump election probe,and Trump’s counterclaim in the E. Jean Carroll case was dismissed.In other news, Ohio voters rejected a measure to make it harder to change the state constitution,FBI agents killed a man accused of threatening Biden,and the FBI was accused of widespread targeting of Catholics.

Iraq banned media from using the term "homosexuality,"a poll found that over a third of Britons can't define "transgender woman,"SCOTUS voted to enforce restrictions on "ghost guns,"and China's cyberspace watchdog issued rules to restrict facial recognition.

Tesla's CFO Zachary Kirkhorn stepped down,the Australian Broadcasting Corporation closed most of its X accounts,Norway announced new measures to fine Meta $98.5k per day for privacy breaches,Rupert Murdoch's News Corp saw profits plunge 75% this fiscal year,and sales at vegan food firm Beyond Meat plummetted.

International Energy Agency warned that oil prices are set to soar,US mortgage delinquency rates hit a record low,Italy imposed a 40% windfall tax on banks' profits,and China's consumer prices fell in July.Meanwhile, credit rating agency Moody's downgraded the ratings of 10 US banks,an analysis found that the number of civil servants in the UK earning more than £100K has nearly doubled since 2016,and PayPal launched its first stablecoin cryptocurrency.

A new COVID variant was found to be spreading in the US,unsafe levels of carcinogens were detected at two US military facilities,and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that suicides reached an all-time high in 2022.Meanwhile, the Oxford Internet Institute found that Facebook isn't linked to psychological harm,and a study said that walking 4K steps a day lowers the risk of premature death.

Hawaii was ravaged by deadly wildfires,flooding in China left at least 30 dead,and Brazil hosted an Amazon rainforest summit.Meanwhile, Europe cracked down on "direct action" climate protests,and a study found that antibiotic resistance is linked to air pollution.

A UN judge ruled that a Rwandan genocide suspect is unfit for trial,a Colombian drug lord was sentenced to 45 years in a US prison,and a survey found that only 51.8% of solved crimes in the UK resulted in charges in 2022-23.

Scientists found potential evidence of a fifth force of nature,a study found that artificial intelligence (AI) can identify passwords by the sound of keys being pressed on a keyboard,and Disney reportedly launched an AI task force.

Virgin Galactic sent its first commercial flight to the edge of space,and Russia launched its first lunar mission in 47 years.

A K2 mountaineer denied allegations that her team ignored a dying porter..