Renewed fighting between Ethiopia’s federal forces and Tigrayan fighters has spread from Tigray into Afar and Amhara, prompting Ethiopia to accuse Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt of backing armed groups. Tigrayan forces reportedly captured airports and the town of Erebti, while an estimated 150,000 people have been displaced in Afar. The United Nations has warned of civilian casualties from airstrikes and a mortar attack, worsening danger from communications and road disruptions, and allegations of forced recruitment by both TPLF and government forces. The escalation revives fears of a return to the 2020–2022 war, whose peace agreement remains incompletely implemented and whose displacement crisis is unresolved.

Ukraine reportedly launched its largest drone barrage on Moscow and nearby areas, with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin saying about 1,900 drones were involved, including 450 aimed at the capital. Some reportedly breached Russian defenses, damaging a residential building and an oil refinery; the attack was also reported to have killed at least two people and wounded 20. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukraine used domestically produced weapons, while additional reports cited cruise missiles and winged drones, including the Pelican in its first combat deployment. Sobyanin accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt Russia’s parliamentary elections. The report places the strike amid intensified Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, which Zelensky said had included more than 2,000 drones, 1,700 guided bombs and 19 missiles over the preceding week.

The United States and Iran resumed attacks after weeks of reduced fighting and the expiration of a June ceasefire. Iran launched missiles and drones at US facilities across the Gulf, while US strikes targeted infrastructure associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran reported civilian deaths, including five people killed at a wedding in Sirik; the US military said it was reviewing the reports and denied deliberately targeting civilians. Regional governments reported interceptions and damage, while claims of US troop casualties and some attacks remain unconfirmed. The conflict began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28; a preliminary US investigation found American forces were likely responsible for a school strike that killed at least 175 children and teachers, but the Pentagon has not issued its final report.

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross are urging governments to negotiate a binding agreement limiting autonomous weapons, warning that machines could select and attack people without human approval and make accountability for violations of humanitarian law harder. Although discussions through the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons have clarified some principles since 2014, binding standards remain largely absent as technology advances. The United States and Russia oppose a new legal instrument, and the forum’s consensus requirement could prevent negotiations from moving forward.

The U.S. Department of Defense is drafting a nuclear strategy that would give greater weight to shorter-range tactical weapons in potential regional conflicts involving Russia or China. Led by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, the proposal is intended to offer political leaders more credible response options during a crisis involving allies, rather than forcing a choice between non-nuclear responses and full-scale nuclear intervention. The review follows the expiration of New START in February 2026, which ended binding limits on U.S. and Russian deployed strategic warheads. Critics in Congress and foreign policy circles warn that expanded reliance on tactical weapons could lower the threshold for nuclear conflict and fuel arms races in Europe and East Asia.

Thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain’s Ceuta enclave amid a sudden surge, with a police source estimating about 40,000 arrivals in recent days in a territory of roughly 80,000 residents. Eighteen people reportedly died attempting the crossing. Spain sent troops and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez planned a visit, while France announced tighter checks along its border with Spain. The influx triggered diplomatic tensions: Italy called for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen zone, and Madrid summoned the Italian ambassador. The cause of the surge was unclear; the report notes that earlier crossings in 2021 occurred amid a diplomatic dispute between Spain and Morocco over Western Sahara, while relations with Algeria had recently begun to thaw.

UN Women reports that foreign aid cuts since early 2025 have left at least one million women and girls without essential support, forcing many women-led organizations in crisis zones toward collapse. Demand for services has risen sharply while funding shortages have pushed staff to work unpaid and driven widespread burnout. The agency highlights rising gender-based violence, increased humanitarian needs in conflict areas, and diminishing participation of women in community leadership. Aid reductions, including cuts implemented by the US government, are described as worsening conditions for survivors, displaced women, and families reliant on critical support systems.

US and Iranian officials began indirect talks in Doha aimed at ending the Middle East war, following a memorandum of understanding brokered by Qatar and Pakistan that includes a 60‑day ceasefire, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a roadmap toward a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. The discussions build on progress from the Lake Lucerne Summit, though Iran denied US claims of any direct negotiations. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Qatar’s prime minister ahead of the technical talks, while Iranian officials confirmed their delegation would participate but without engaging directly with the US side.

More than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded in Europe since June 21 as extreme heat grips the continent, according to the World Health Organization. France alone reported around 1,000 additional deaths in recent days, while temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius are affecting nearly 200 million people. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that climate change is turning once‑rare heatwaves into regular events, stressing that European infrastructure is ill‑equipped for such temperatures. WHO urged governments to implement heat‑health action plans and strengthen systems to manage rising heat‑related risks.

Liberal feminism is portrayed as having transformed women’s emancipation from a collective struggle against patriarchy into an individualistic market project centered on employment, self-realization and commodification. The article argues that consumer culture and corporate inclusion rhetoric have narrowed feminist debate, marginalized working-class and non-Western women, and replaced communal forms of social contribution with paid productivity. Italy is presented as adopting this model through postwar Americanization, while its media are criticized for simultaneously sexualizing women and promoting rigid gender narratives. The piece also condemns Western portrayals of Afghanistan and Islamic societies as culturally prejudiced, using examples involving Oriana Fallaci and Lucia Goracci. It concludes that a supposedly neutral liberal feminism reinforces consumerism, Western dominance and existing social hierarchies rather than delivering genuine emancipation.