Good Morning Australia!! - A helicopter crashes atop a New York skyscraper - Iran ramps up uranium enrichment - An unusual show of solidarity in Putin's Russia - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:

The pilot was killed in the crash of a helicopter on top of a Manhattan skyscraper, an incident that brought Midtown to a standstill.  This happened atop the Equitable Building at 787 7th Avenue, a tower taller of 54 floors in the busiest part of America's busiest and biggest city and quite close to the first Trump Tower.  The copter was an AgustaWestland AW109, a sturdy twin-engine executive aircraft with room for eight passengers, although the pilot was apparently alone.  NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and FDNY officials assured the public there is no nexus to terrorism, and no further danger to citizens and workers.

A helicopter was seen flying erratically over New York City in the moments before the crash, purportedly caught on video by an alert resident.  And there are other troubling aspects:  The crash happened in rainy conditions with a very low cloud ceiling; The Federal Aviation Authority says that the LaGuardia Airport tower was not in control of this flight; helicopter flights are generally not allowed over Manhattan, and the only three heliports are on the East and Hudson Rivers, where most helicopter traffic is supposed to be.  It's believed the aircraft had taken off from the 34th Street Heliport on the East River and was bound for New Jersey, and there's no indication why it would have been where it crashed.  The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate this crash.

Anyway..

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is confirming that Iran is increasing its production of enriched uranium, but it is not clear when it will reach the limit set in the 2015 international nuclear deal.  IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said he is worried about the escalation of rhetoric because of worsening relations with the US - which was the first to withdraw from the nuclear deal - and he is calling for dialogue before things get out of hand.

The government of Mali says "suspected terrorists" massacred a village inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group, killing and burning a hundred people and leaving around twenty missing.  "About 50 heavily armed men arrived on motorbikes and pickups," said a survivor who described tactics common to jihadist groups in the region.  "They first surrounded the village and then attacked - anyone who tried to escape was killed," the witness continued, "No-one was spared - women, children, elderly people."  The Dogon have been farming in the region for centuries; their rivals, the semi-nomadic Fulani herders are suspected of having links to Islamic insurgents.

A plague of locusts has descended on the Italian island of Sardinia, destroying 2,000 hectares of crops and getting all over the place inside peoples' homes.  The bugs often appear on the island in June through August, but this year has seen blankets of the voracious creatures invading crops and livestock grazing lands, leaving nothing but dust in their wake.  Meanwhile in Northern Italy, an invasion of stink bugs are consuming swathes of fruit trees.

Three of Russia's top non-government newspapers have come out in support of a reporter who is charged with drug-dealing, allegations widely considering to be trumped up harassment of the journalist.  Vedomosti, RBC, and Kommersant all ran matching headlines reading, "We are Ivan Golunov", referring to the freelance journo who is now under house arrest.  And I'd show you those headlines right here - but there's something wrong with the image loader beta, so here's a link instead.  Critics say opposition figures, human rights activists, and journalists in Russia have been detained on obviously-fabricated drugs charges, which are widely seen as an attempt to quash political dissent.