A Chechen police convoy was ambushed by unknown gunmen in the Russian North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia on Saturday (7/4). At least nine policemen were killed and another 10 wounded.

North Korea fired at least 7 "Scud-type" ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan (East Sea) today. This incident is being described an apparent act of defiance against the U.S. by the communist regime because today (7/4) is America's Independence Day.

This is the second round of missile test-firings this week.

On July 1, the U.S. Department of State issued a new Travel Warning for Iran. In general, the State Dept. continues to warn Americans to carefully consider the risks of travel to Iran. Dual national Iranian-American citizens may encounter difficulty in departing Iran. American citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and carefully consider non-essential travel.

The full Travel Warning can be found here on the travel section of the State Department website.

The Kremlin is going to allow the United States to transport military supplies to Afghanistan via Russian territory. A Kremlin aide has told RIA Novosti the deal, which includes land and air transit, is to be signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama next week when Obama visits Moscow.

On June 27, 9 local employees of the British Embassy in Iran were arrested and accused of playing a significant role instigating post-election violence on the streets of Tehran. Now, Iran's top legislative body, the Guardian Council, has announced these individuals confessed and will stand trial.

Hong Kong has joined Denmark and Japan as the three countries reporting a single case of Tamiflu-resistant A/H1N1 flu, aka "swine flu". Tamiflu is the main antiviral drug used to fight this virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on July 1 updated its list of laboratory confirmed cases. As of that date, there were 77,201 cases worldwide, including 332 deaths.

The US Geological Survey recorded an earthquake off the coast of Western Mexico in the Gulf of California at about 5 a.m. local time. The quake had a magnitude of 6.0 and was centered about 42 miles SW from Ahome, Sinaloa, Mexico.