Today's edition of quick hits:
* Egypt: "A large bomb exploded early Thursday near a national security building in the Shubra neighborhood of Cairo, wounding at least six people including at least one police officer, Egyptian security officials said."
* The Korean Peninsula: "North Korea fired a projectile towards a South Korean loudspeaker that has been blaring anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts -- and South Korea fired back, officials said. Seoul's Defense Ministry said in a statement that the South Korean military responded by firing 'tens' of 155mm artillery rounds."
* Political tumult in Greece: "Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras resigned on Thursday, calling snap elections in his economically embattled nation in a bid to combat dissent within his own party's ranks."
* Missouri: "A black 18-year-old fleeing from officers serving a search warrant at a home in a crime-troubled section of St. Louis was shot and killed Wednesday by police after he pointed a gun at them, the city's police chief said."
* Two brothers from South Boston ambushed and badly beat an older homeless man because he's Hispanic. It's a gut-wrenching story, with an unfortunate political twist: "One of the brothers said he was inspired in part by GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump."
* California: "Global warming caused by human emissions has most likely intensified the drought in California by roughly 15 to 20 percent, scientists said Thursday, warning that future dry spells in the state are almost certain to be worse than this one as the world continues to heat up."
* On a related note: "For planet Earth, no other month was as hot as this past July in records that date back to the late 1800s, NOAA says. And the globe is well on its way to having its hottest year on record."
* Carter: "Former President Jimmy Carter, 90, said Thursday that doctors had found cancerous spots on his brain, and he will receive his first radiation treatment later in the afternoon."
* Quite a milestone: "The House's special panel to investigate the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, has been running for 469 days as of Thursday, making it officially longer than the Church Committee that overhauled federal oversight of American spy agencies."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.