Major clashes are taking place in the Northern Mali town of Anefis, as elements of the Malian Army and Russia’s Africa Corps attempt to defend against wave after wave of fighters with the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). Russian and Malian positions are totally surrounded, with reinforcements, including helicopter gunship support, having between destroyed or turned back by attacks from the FLA.

According to the Associated Press, two Tennessee National Guard soldiers assigned to the Trump administration's Memphis Safe Task Force fatally shot an armed man during a foot pursuit early Sunday morning.

Authorities say the soldiers, who were assisting Memphis Police in responding to reports of gunfire, opened fire after the suspect allegedly turned toward them with a firearm. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts by two National Guard medical specialists. No law enforcement personnel were injured.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation. The incident marks the first fatal shooting involving National Guard personnel deployed under the administration's crime-reduction mission in Memphis, where the federal deployment has faced legal and political opposition since it began last year.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/memphis-tennessee-national-guard-shooting-0ee15a07db84a17d709a1f0345858465

According to a release from the UK Ministry of Defense, on July 2, a Russian Tu-142 “Bear” anti-submarine warfare and patrol aircraft flew excessively close to the HMS Prince of Wales (R09) as it participated in a NATO exercise in the Norwegian Sea. Per reports, the aircraft deployed disposable sonar monitoring buoys near the Prince of Wales. The carrier scrambled its F-35Bs to intercept and escort the Russian aircraft away.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has released its latest Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) advisory announcing an expanded southern transit corridor through the Strait of Hormuz.

While use of the corridor and coordination with authorities remain voluntary, vessels are advised the route is open 24 hours a day. The bulletin also encourages ships to keep AIS active, maintain radar and navigation lights, and continuously monitor VHF radio while transiting.

A review of commercial shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz over the past 24 hours, visible via http://MarineTraffic.com
, shows the vast majority of vessels continue to transit via the Iranian (northern) traffic separation scheme, with only a small number opting for the U.S.-supported southern corridor through Omani waters.

AIS use is not mandatory, so the number of vessels that transited is likely higher.

Poland’s Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced Monday that several thousand U.S. Soldiers will arrive in Poland within the coming weeks, as the United States has committed to resuming its rotation of combat forces on NATO’s Eastern Front. This announcement comes amid reports that Russia is preparing to carry out “armed provocations” against Poland and other countries in Eastern Europe, in an effort to test NATO’s resolve on the defense of its allies and support for Ukraine.

Despite the separate Chinese NOTAMs being issued for today’s SLBM test that landed in the Pacific’s nuclear-weapon-free zone, Taiwanese Secretary General of the National Security Council Joseph Wu said that the trajectory of the test launched passed just north of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, calling the move a “provocation.” In addition to the statement, Japan’s Kyodo News has said that the missile did not fly over Japan’s exclusive economic zone or its airspace, which lends some credence to Secretary Wu’s claims that the launch originated in the South China Sea, passing Luzon, and not the Bohai Sea. This post will be updated should additional information come out.

Per reporting from @KyivIndependent, Ukraine has effectively exhausted its supply of Patriot PAC-3 interceptors, leaving Kyiv with little ability to defend against Russia's ballistic missile attacks.

During Russia's latest large-scale strike, Ukrainian officials say 23 ballistic missiles and six 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missiles reached their targets, while air defenses were still able to intercept 37 cruise missiles and 326 drones. Ukrainian officials attribute the disparity to a shortage of PAC-3 interceptors, which remain one of the few systems capable of defeating ballistic missiles.

The shortage comes as global demand for Patriot interceptors has surged, with U.S. inventories strained by commitments in the Middle East and elsewhere. As a result, Russia appears to be placing increasing emphasis on ballistic missile strikes against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.

Power outages are being reported across the Belgorod Oblast of Western Russia this evening, as several explosions have occurred and large fires burn at the Belgorod Thermal Power Station, following multiple missile strikes from Ukrainian M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

Videos posted online by residents show fires burning at the Belgorod Thermal Power Station, following strikes tonight against energy infrastructure in the Belgorod Oblast of Western Russia by Ukraine.

In addition to the Belgorod Thermal Power Station, Ukrainian missile strikes tonight also targeted Belgorod International Airport, setting several fuel tanks at the airport ablaze, tanks which are used for attack and transport helicopters operated by the Russian Armed Forces.

Today, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the preferred bidder for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project will be Germany’s TKMS over South Korea’s Hanwa Ocean. In a procurement effort expected to cost up to $100 billion in its totality, Canada’s biggest such effort, Canada will procure up to 12 Type 212CD diesel-powered submarines in a joint effort with Norway. Additionally, Prime Minister Carney said that TKMS had agreed to shift existing production slots for Norwegian and German orders to prioritize Canada to ensure that they can field 4 of the new submarines by 2034.

An Mi-17 “Hip” Attack/Transport Helicopter operated by Russia’s Africa Corps flies at low-altitude over the desert of Northern Mali, near the besieged Russian and Malian military barracks in Anefis, which has been under constant air and ground assault over the last several days by elements of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). Yesterday, militants of the FLA successfully downed a Russian Mi-24 Hind that was attempting to support besieged forces in Anefis.

Independent journalist Desiree Townsend is reporting that 84-year-old Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was mysteriously hospitalized last month after suffering an apparent episode of “cardiac arrest” and has not been publicly seen since at least June 14, is on life support and “brain dead,” though nothing has been officially confirmed by the family or office of the Kentucky Senator.

During remarks this morning, President Donald J. Trump said the new White House helipad will be funded by Sikorsky, the manufacturer of the VH-92A "Patriot" helicopter that is replacing the aging VH-3D in the "Marine One" role.

According to the President, the project will cost approximately $5–6 million, and the new helipad will feature the Seal of the White House in granite.

Cuba's humanitarian and energy crisis continues to worsen after the near total collapse of the island's national electrical grid today, leaving much of the country without power. Cuban authorities are gradually restoring service, but this is the eighth major nationwide blackout since October 2025 and the third this year, highlighting the deteriorating state of the country's energy infrastructure.

According to a report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre, a vessel 8nm east of Limah, Oman was struck by an unknown projectile as it traveled southbound away from the Strait of Hormuz. No casualties have been reported at this time. @_MartinKelly_ reported earlier that the vessel, a Nakilat Shipping Qatar Limited tanker, which was loaded, reported being struck in the engine room.

Based on position of the strike, it’s fair to assess that the vessel was traveling in the proposed Oman-International Maritime Organization (IMO) transit lanes and not the lanes proposed by Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA). This may have induced an Iranian strike, as Iran continues to maintain that their PGSA transit routes are the only viable option for commercial maritime traffic.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) fired at least two missiles earlier at a pair of commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with both ships being hit and suffered significant damages, but no casualties, according to Axios’ Barak Ravid.

The U.S. State Department has published a statement responding to yesterday’s test launch of a nuclear-capable submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile towards the Southern Pacific Ocean by China, with the statement reading:

“The United States monitored China’s test launch from a submarine of an unarmed intercontinental-range ballistic missile, which landed in the Southern Pacific Ocean. At a time when the United States is working harder than ever to prevent nuclear proliferation, China is doing the opposite. Beijing’s rapid and opaque nuclear weapons buildup is of great concern to the region and the world. We continue to urge China to engage in meaningful arms control discussions and commit to a regularized notification arrangement for all intercontinental-range ballistic missile and space launches consistent with commitments made by all other P5 members. The United States remains steadfast in our defense commitments to our allies and partners.”