Nearly half a million Russian soldiers have died since the invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. The figure, one of the highest Western estimates made public so far on the human cost of the war for the Kremlin, was revealed this Wednesday by Anne Keast-Butler, the director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), one of the country's three security agencies.

The negotiating teams of the United States and Iran have reached a preliminary agreement to unblock the Strait of Hormuz and extend the ceasefire for 60 days, during which negotiations will begin on other issues such as Iran's nuclear program. The document already has the green light from the Iranian regime, but Donald Trump's final approval is still pending, according to Axios, and later confirmed by US government sources to various media.According to Axios,

“Netanyahu’s promises of victory over Iran end in a glorious capitulation by the United States”. “Israel entered the war as a partner of the United States and ends it on the sidelines.” These have been some headlines in the Israeli press in recent days to describe the negotiations between Washington and Tehran to agree on an end to the war. The military campaign that Israel presented as an existential battle against Iran would be closing with an uncomfortable image for Tel Aviv: Israel has gone from being a key player to being progressively left out of the talks. Israel's leader "will do whatever I want him to do," Trump said last week to the press. These were statements that in Israel were interpreted as an explicit demonstration of the current relationship between both governments. The divergence between the objectives of the United States and those of Israel is evident: Washington prioritizes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and regional stabilization, while Tel Aviv continues to defend a strategy of sustained pressure on Iran and its allies. “Trump wants to see if it is possible to reach an agreement with Iran, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was waiting to resume military action”, Leonie Fleischmann, an expert in Israeli policy at Saint George’s University of London, explains to ARA. According to her, in Israel there is an increasingly clear perception that the United States prioritizes regional containment above Israeli strategic objectives.The feeling that Netanyahu had been sidelined was further accentuated when Trump, last Saturday, had a conversation with several regional leaders to inform them about the negotiations with Iran without including the Israeli prime minister. Netanyahu and Trump spoke later. In parallel, Reuters has cited two Israeli officials according to whom the prime minister would have admitted in private conversations the difficulty of influencing the White House's decisions while negotiations with Tehran advance. According to these sources, the Israeli leader has expressed concern about the content of the agreement.In this regard, several Israeli political and security officials have described the emerging pact as a “bàd deal” because, as they claim, it does not address key issues such as Iran's ballistic missile program or the network of Tehran's allied groups in the region. Others warn that the understanding “dòes not serve Israel's interests” and could give Iran time to recover economically and militarily, according to the Israeli media outlet Channel 12. All of this, for the moment, is based on information published by various media outlets, but still without any official document. Internal criticism is growing

The Israeli opposition has also taken the opportunity to lash out at the government. Opposition leader Yair Lapid has stated that the supposed agreement "is bad for Israel, bad for the region, and even bad for the Iranian citizens." Lapid accuses Netanyahu of having allowed Washington to negotiate practically without coordination with Israel and affirms that the Israeli government is "at the lowest point of its influence capacity in Washington."This perception is compounded by growing criticism within Israel, particularly from sectors of the political right and the security establishment, who believe that Netanyahu's initial promises have not been fulfilled. The Iranian regime remains, retains a significant part of its ballistic arsenal, and maintains its regional influence.At this time, the agreement is not yet finalized but, according to the latest information, Iran could agree to hand over its enriched uranium reserves and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and the end of the American blockade on Iranian ports. The most sensitive issues of the nuclear program would remain pending negotiation for a period of sixty days and it is not yet clear whether the agreement will address Iranian missiles or support for regional armed groups, one of the main red lines for Israel.The Lebanon front, a political objective for Netanyahu

It is precisely in this context that the Lebanon front has acquired central importance. In the last few hours, Israel has intensified military operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and in the Bekaa Valley.“There are real security concerns on the northern border, but at the same time, Israel must hold elections before October and Netanyahu is also acting with internal political calculations”, describes Fleischman. According to the analyst, the prime minister's image as “Mr. Security” has been greatly eroded since the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and now also by the results of the war with Iran. “The escalation in Lebanon can be understood as an attempt to rebuild this image and maintain political relevance”, he concludes. In this fragile balance, while Washington and Tehran continue to define an agreement and Israel seems to have little capacity for direct influence, Lebanon functions as a political space. A space where Netanyahu tries to preserve his power through the most active front: the northern one.

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Israel is demonstrating with actions that the ceasefire in Lebanon, supposedly in effect, has no real value. On Monday, the Hebrew army initiated a strong escalation of bombings, and two days later it has made it clear that it does not intend to ease up. This Wednesday, the Arabic spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, urged all residents of southern Lebanon to forcibly relocate north of the Zahrani River, about 40 kilometers from the border.

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After weeks in which Russia has attacked Ukraine with force and announced it will bomb command centers of the Ukrainian state in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky sent a letter this Wednesday to Donald Trump requesting to address the shortage of air defense missiles that Kyiv claims to be suffering from. This was reported by the media The Kyiv Independent and later confirmed by Zelensky's communication advisor, Dmytro Lytvyn. In a text also addressed to the United States Congress, the Ukrainian president states that the current rate of missile delivery "is not enough" to intercept Russian attacks.

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The Ebola crisis is worsening in Central Africa. Ugandan authorities ordered this Wednesday to close the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo "with immediate effect" due to the increase in cases of a rare variant of the virus in the neighboring country. The first infections have also begun to appear in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, located between 400 and 500 kilometers from the initial focus of the outbreak.

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The Iranian state broadcaster said on Wednesday that it had obtained the draft of a preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the lifting of the US naval blockade. According to this information, which referred to the agreement as "initial and unofficial," Iran would manage the strait in cooperation with Oman, so that both "consolidate their power" in the area.

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“In Gaza, right now, we no longer control 50%, but 60%”. With this sentence, uttered during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly voiced what various humanitarian organizations, geospatial experts, and Israeli media had been denouncing for months: Israel is consistently changing the map of Gaza despite the ceasefire brokered by the United States in October 2025.

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Since it was detected, the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is of particular concern to experts and health authorities. The number of suspected cases has already climbed to 900, and deaths under scrutiny exceed 200. Beyond the logical increase in figures once the virus was detected and medical attention and resources were allocated to contain the epidemic, the speed at which it is spreading keeps the WHO on alert. In a region with high levels of public insecurity and a considerable number of people living in shacks and tents in displacement camps, the health task becomes complicated, and the virus remains out of control for now. "Hunger and disease go hand in hand. People weakened by hunger are much more vulnerable to infections," stressed the WHO Secretary-General, Tedros Adhanom, this Monday.

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Peacekeeping missions are facing an unprecedented crisis. The number of international personnel deployed has fallen to 78,633, the lowest figure since 2000 and a 49% decrease from 2016. This is the main conclusion of a report by the prestigious Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which warns that the viability of multilateral peacekeeping is at risk. While the number of deployed personnel has been decreasing throughout the decade, 2025 saw the steepest year-on-year drop (17%), coinciding with the start of Donald Trump's second term in the United States. Last year, there were a total of 58 active operations in 34 countries, three fewer than in 2024.

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The fragile ceasefire that since April had partially contained the violence in Lebanon is once again faltering following a strong Israeli escalation that began Monday night, the most intense since the first weeks of the offensive. The new troop movements respond to the call of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to "press the accelerator even harder" against Hezbollah. While Donald Trump tries to keep indirect negotiations with Iran open, and Washington insists on the possibility of a regional agreement – despite the United States' bombings of Iranian positions this Tuesday in the early morning –, on the ground the weapons do not fall silent. Israel has expanded operations, mobilized reservists and multiplied attacks from the south to the Bekaa Valley, in the east of the country, a key area for Lebanese agriculture. In parallel, the Shiite militia Hezbollah has responded in recent hours with 22 drone and rocket attacks on Israeli positions. Their targets have included Israeli soldiers, tanks, barracks and buildings. Direct combat has also been recorded north of the Litani River. The Shiite organization continues to carry out a dynamic that, according to analyst Lina Khatib, associated with Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa program, also responds to directives from Iran, interested in keeping Lebanon within the broader negotiation framework with the United States.

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Change of political cycle in the United Kingdom after fourteen years of Conservative governments. Keir Starmer's Labour Party has achieved a resounding victory in Thursday's general election. With the results from two constituencies still to be announced, Labour has secured 412 seats, which comfortably surpasses the threshold for an absolute majority, set at 326. The party led by Starmer since spring 2020 has thus brought about a spectacular turnaround in the figures from the last election, held in 2019 (202 MPs), at the peak of Boris Johnson's popularity. Starmer has thus brought about a spectacular turnaround in the figures from the last election, held in 2019 (202 MPs), at the peak of Boris Johnson's popularity.

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No time to lose. The transfer of power in the United Kingdom is immediate. At five in the morning this Friday, the Labour Party managed to surpass the threshold of an absolute majority (326 seats; it has obtained 412, with the result of two constituencies yet to be known), and seven and a half hours later, Keir Starmer, accompanied by his wife, Victoria, entered Downing Street after having received the commission from King Charles III to form a new executive, and having thus become the 58th premier in the country's history.

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A passenger train collided this Tuesday morning with a school minibus at a level crossing in the Flemish town of Buggenhout, Belgium, causing four deaths, as confirmed by the Belgian Minister of Transport, Jean-Luc Crucke. Seven secondary school students, a chaperone, and the driver were traveling in the school vehicle, heading to a special education school, according to the Belgian newspaper "HLN". The fatalities are the two adults and two of the adolescents.

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The United States launched new attacks against southern Iran early Tuesday, targeting missile bases and ships attempting to lay mines, the U.S. Central Command reported. In a statement, it affirmed that these were "self-defense" attacks designed to protect American troops from "threats posed by Iranian forces." Iranian media reported that three explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, on the coast of the Strait of Hormuz, a major port and Iranian naval base.

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The Israeli army has been repeating the same message for months, but now the tone is more alarming. It warns that it is missing at least 12,000 soldiers, a figure that could quickly grow to 17,000 troops in the coming months. In a country where military service is almost an identity pillar, the problem is no longer just military: it is political and social. The crisis comes after more than two years of sustained war on multiple fronts such as Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria, and Iran, with a system heavily reliant on reservists, which shows growing signs of exhaustion.The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, has warned the government several times that the army needs soldiers "immediately", but in recent days has called for the mandatory military service for men to be extended again to thirty-six months, after it was reduced to thirty months in 2024. A few days after Zamir's call, General Shay Tayeb, head of army personnel planning, has detailed that the soldier deficit "will increase considerably" and that if it is now 12,000 soldiers, it could reach 17,000. The concern within the army is particularly great because in January 2027 the first cohort affected by this reduction in service will be demobilized. This could mean the departure of about 4,000 soldiers at once and further aggravate the staff shortage.“This war on seven fronts [Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Syria, the Houthis, pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Iran] has a direct impact on our soldiers. We need to extend mandatory military service again from 30 to 36 months – Ephraim Lapid, an Israeli military analyst and former army spokesperson, explains to ARA–. Despite everything, motivation remains high because the population understands the threats Israel faces. Israeli society's support remains solid”.One of the most pressing problems is the weariness of reservists: approximately 70% of the total military force and nearly half of some combat units are made up of reservists. Initially, the army planned to mobilize them for about 55 days during 2026. The reality has been very different. After the war against Iran, many soldiers already accumulate between 80 and 100 days of service. In this context, the army has warned that the reservist system could "collapse" if legislation is not passed to resolve the personnel shortage.

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One of the most evoked poems to highlight London's uniqueness is by the romantic William Wordsworth. It is titled Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802, and it is a lyric sonnet that reflects the calm that emanates from the city at dawn as seen from Westminster Bridge. Wordsworth wrote it after crossing the Thames near the Houses of Parliament, and not, as the title suggests, that he "composed" it from the bridge.

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Italy activated the health surveillance protocol this Monday pthe Ebola outbreak declared in the Democratic Republic of CongoHowever, the Italian government has wanted to send a message of reassurance to the public. Through a statement, it assured that the national system for the prevention and response to infectious emergencies is "fully operational" and that the risk in the country "remains very low".

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As soon as we set foot in the student residence in Starobilsk, in the occupied Luhansk region, it became clear that this was not a command post of the elite drone branch of the Russian army, as Kyiv claims. Last Friday, Ukrainian aircraft killed 21 young people there, mostly girls, who were sleeping at the time of the attack, and injured dozens more. Ukraine's denial and the West's silence pushed Russian diplomacy to organize a guided tour for foreign journalists to the scene of the tragedy. The expedition, in which ARA participated and which took place hours after a massive retaliatory bombing by Moscow, became an attempt by the Kremlin to accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of a war crime and to impose its narrative on the international community. Last Friday, Ukrainian aircraft killed 21 young people there, mostly girls, who were sleeping at the time of the attack, and injured dozens more. Ukraine's denial and the West's silence pushed Russian diplomacy to organize a guided tour for foreign journalists to the scene of the tragedy. The expedition, in which ARA participated and which took place hours after a massive retaliatory bombing by Moscow, became an attempt by the Kremlin to accuse Volodymyr Zelensky of a war crime and to impose its narrative on the international community.

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When the agreement between the United States and Iran seemed imminent, Donald Trump has made a new U-turn and has conditioned the understanding on the Gulf countries normalizing relations with Israel, its historic regional rival. In a message on his Truth Social network, the American president has urged the mediating states, starting with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to sign the so-called Abraham Accords – which explicitly include this normalization – if they want the pact that would allow the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened to prosper.

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