According to preliminary information from the Ukrainian Embassy in Israel, on June 14, as a result of a massive missile attack by Iran against Israel and a missile hitting a residential building in Bat Yam, five Ukrainian citizens were killed, including three minors, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported.
According to the ministry, the identities of the victims are currently being established.
Ukrainian diplomats and consuls are in close contact with the Israeli police and other services to identify and organize the repatriation of the bodies of the victims.
In his inaugural address this January, Donald Trump declared that his proudest legacy would be that of “a peacemaker and unifier”, pledging that US power would “stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable”.
Five months later, his second presidency is witnessing the spectacular unraveling of that lofty aspiration.
A president who vowed to end global conflicts – including one which he said he would resolve within his first 24 hours – has instead presided over their escalation – most recently the spiraling conflict between Israel and Iran.
The timeline of the latest conflict resuggests a stark disconnect between Trump’s aspirations and reality: the wave of Israeli airstrikes came just hours afterTrump urged Israel not to attack Iran.
Marco Rubio, Trump’s secretary of state, took pains to describe the Israeli attack as “unilateral”, stressing that the US was “not involved in strikes against Iran” – only for Trump to then insist he had been well informed of Israel’s plans – and warn that further attacks would be “even more brutal”.
Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has emerged as Trump’s primary diplomatic negotiator in the Middle East and Ukraine, still reportedly plans to go to Oman this weekend for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, but it appeared unlikely the Iranians would attend.
Trump’s muddled peace agenda was already disarray long before Thursday’s attacks.
The Gaza ceasefire his administration helped broker collapsed within weeks, with Israel resuming massive bombardments and imposing a three-month total blockade on humanitarian aid to the territory, where the death toll has now surpassed at least 55,000.
In Ukraine – a conflict Trump once bragged he would end on his first day back in office – Russian forces have pressed ahead with a summer offensive, entering the Dnipropetrovsk region for the first time in three years and accumulating more forces – evidence that Putin has no interest in Trump’s peace overtures and intends to expand the war further.
Meanwhile, Trump’s abrupt announcement of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan was met with fury in New Delhi, where officials denied his claims of brokering the deal.
And while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged to Congress that the Pentagon has developed contingency plans to seize Greenland and Panama militarily, it’s unclear how territorial conquest fits into Trump’s definition of peacemaking.
His first term ended no wars, nearly sparked conflict with Iran, and saw his signature “peace” achievement – the Abraham accords – normalize relations between Israel and countries that weren’t fighting it anyway.
Part of Trump’s appeal to voters was precisely a promise to avoid foreign entanglements. In the stands at the inauguration viewing party, supporters told the Guardian how they valued his restraint in military deployment and favored his America-first approach that prioritized domestic concerns over international aid and intervention. And there is a an argument that for Trump peace is not an absence of conflict but rather Washington’s distance from it.
There is one potentially optimistic interpretation for the latest strikes in Iran. Alex Vatanka, the Iran director from the Middle East Institute in Washington, suggested that Israel’s attack could be a calculated gamble to shock Iran into serious negotiations. The theory holds that Israel convinced Trump to allow limited strikes that would pressure Tehran without triggering regime change, essentially using military action to restart stalled diplomacy. On Friday Trump suggested that the strike on Iran might have even improved the chances of a nuclear agreement.
“This is not likely to bring Iran back to the negotiating table,” said Andrew Borene, executive director of global security at Flashpoint and a former staff officer at the US’s office of the director of national intelligence. “It marks the opening of yet another rapidly expanding flashpoint within the global context of a new hybrid cold war, one that will be fought both on the ground and in the darkest corners of the web.”
Whether this strategy succeeds depends entirely on Iran’s response. The regime could either return to negotiations chastened, or abandon diplomacy altogether and pursue nuclear weapons more aggressively. Early indicators suggest Tehran may not be in a conciliatory mood after having its facilities bombed and leaders killed.
But even if the more optimistic readings prove correct, it does not change the broader reality: every major conflict Trump inherited or promised to resolve has intensified on his watch.
Trump promised to be a peacemaker. Instead, he’s managing multiple wars while his diplomatic initiatives collapse in real time. From Gaza to Ukraine to Iran, the world appears more volatile and dangerous than when he took his oath five months ago.
Understanding what is happening in the Middle East is more important than ever.
It’s the Guardian’s job to decipher this, and with reporters sharing live updates around the clock, we’re well-placed to provide comprehensive, fact-checked reporting, to help us all make sense of the events reshaping global politics. But we can’t do it without your support.
Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner bankrolling us. We rely on the generosity of our readers, whose support helps to keep our correspondents on the ground and our reporting free from commercial or political influence.
We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for news, but if you can, can we count on your support in this perilous time? Here are three good reasons to make the choice to fund us today:
1. Our quality, investigative journalism is a scrutinising force.
2. We are independent and have no billionaire owner controlling what we do, so your money directly powers our reporting.
3. It doesn’t cost much, and takes less time than it took to read this message.
Choosing to back us on a monthly basis makes the most impact, meaning we can continue to cover the story from every angle: the conflict, the plight of those affected and what it all means for the future of the Middle East – and the world.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/14/trump-gaza-ukraine-iran-israel
Extreme heat now poses a greater threat to human life than floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes combined, according to Reinsurance News, citing a recently published report by global reinsurance company Swiss Re (Zurich, Switzerland) SONAR for 2025. In its annual report, which tracks new risks affecting insurers and global systems, extreme heat is considered a major problem not only because of its impact on health, but also on various industries and infrastructure.
According to Swiss Re, up to half a million people die each year as a result of extreme heat, which exceeds the combined death toll from other major natural disasters.
“Extreme heat used to be considered an ‘invisible danger’ because its effects are not as obvious as those of other natural disasters. Given the clear trend toward longer and hotter heat waves, it is important that we highlight the true cost to human life, our economy, infrastructure, agriculture, and healthcare systems,” said Swiss Re Group Chief Economist Jérôme Egeli, quoted in the report.
The data confirms this shift. In July 2024, for example, the three hottest days in recorded global history were observed. In the United States, heat waves have tripled in frequency since the 1960s, with each wave now lasting a whole day longer and reaching temperatures almost one degree Celsius higher.
The impact on public health is increasingly evident: approximately 480,000 deaths are recorded each year due to extreme heat. In addition, it can lead to exhaustion, heatstroke, and organ failure, as well as exacerbate chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The most vulnerable groups are the elderly and pregnant women.
Swiss Re points out that the consequences go far beyond health. In particular, heat waves combined with strong winds dramatically increase the likelihood of forest fires. For example, over the past decade, insurance losses related to forest fires worldwide have reached nearly $78.5 billion.
The report also identifies critical points of impact in key industries. For example, the telecommunications sector is vulnerable to disruptions as rising temperatures threaten the functioning of data centers and physical networks, including underground cables.
Ukraine’s negative foreign trade balance in goods in January-April 2025 increased by 48.5% compared to the same period in 2024, reaching $11.512 billion from $7.755 billion, according to the State Statistics Service (Gosstat).
According to its data, exports of goods from Ukraine during the specified period compared to January-April 2024 decreased by 6.9% to $13.312 billion, while imports increased by 12.6% to $24.824 billion.
The statistics agency specified that in April 2025, compared to March 2025, seasonally adjusted exports decreased by 4.4% to $3.369 billion, and imports decreased by 2.3% to $6.529 billion.
The seasonally adjusted foreign trade balance in April 2025 was negative at $3.161 billion, as it was in the previous month at $3.163 billion.
The export-to-import coverage ratio in January-February 2025 was 0.54 (in January-April 2024, it was 0.65).
The State Statistics Service reported that foreign trade operations were conducted with partners from 217 countries around the world.
Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical center released a video analysis of the Ukrainian and global economies, more details here –
https://youtu.be/LT0sE3ymMnQ?si=0Cstf1AY9xZ4Dxxx
Men are increasingly seeking official recognition through the courts of their sole responsibility for raising a minor child. At least 1,255 such cases have been found in the court registry search engine since the start of the full-scale. In over three years, the number of such cases has increased 67 times. This year, courts have already considered 400 cases concerning the independent upbringing of a minor child by a father.
The number of court cases establishing the fact of single parenting and care for a minor child by a father has increased 67 times since the start of the full-scale war, according to the Babusya court registry search engine. Let’s compare: only six such cases were recorded from January to May 2022, but by the same period in 2025, their number had increased to 400.
In total, at least 1,255 court cases involving men who decided to officially establish the fact of independent upbringing of a minor child have been found in the court register since the start of the full-scale war.
The number of cases is growing every year. In 2022, there were only 37 such cases. Within a year, their number increased fivefold to 180. The number of appeals from men to the courts to be recognized as single parents reached 625 cases in 2024.
This year, courts in Ukraine have already considered at least 400 similar cases. This is 3.1 times more than in the same period in 2024.
It should be noted that the status of a father raising a child alone allows him to travel abroad, which is currently restricted for men between the ages of 18 and 60.
Asters partner Talina Kravtsova notes that over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of requests for recognition of men as single fathers. This can be explained by mothers leaving the country, as well as the state of war and mobilization. At the same time, the term “single father” is not defined in legislation and is often equated in court practice with the status of “single mother.” Therefore, if we consider the characteristics of single mother status (which were defined back in 1992 by a resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Ukraine), a father is recognized as “single” if he:
1) is not married;
2) is raising and supporting a child on his own without the mother’s participation.
If the mother has died, is recognized as missing, or has refused to take the child from the maternity hospital, the father is obliged to take the child and acquires the status of a single father. If the mother is alive but does not participate in the child’s life, the status of a single father can also be acquired, although this will be more difficult.
“There is a myth that it is enough to obtain a court decision dissolving the marriage between the parents or determining the child’s place of residence with the father. In fact, this is not the case. In such situations, it is necessary to confirm/establish in court that the father is raising and supporting the child on his own. At the same time, the status of a “single parent” in Ukraine provides important social benefits and guarantees: additional paid leave, monthly state assistance, increased tax social benefits, deferral of mobilization, advantages in obtaining housing, places in kindergartens, etc.,” comments Talina Kravtsova.
The lawyer notes that due to attempts to abuse this mechanism to obtain deferrals, courts and other state bodies are more careful with such cases during martial law, which could potentially complicate access to the status for those who are actually entitled to it.
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/solo-fathers
The All-Ukrainian Bakers’ Association (VAP) and the Union of Millers of Ukraine In 2024, for the second year in a row, they refused to sign a memorandum with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and grain associations due to disregard for the interests and arguments of processors, said VAP head Alexander Taranenko in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“A memorandum is a document for which no one bears legal responsibility for violating. In addition, the VAP and the Ukrainian Millers’ Union opposed the volumes specified in the memorandum (a limit on grain exports of 16.2 million tons), as this leads to the export of very large volumes of food grain from Ukraine, which significantly affects domestic bread prices,” he explained.
Taranenko emphasized that processing enterprises insist on distinguishing between food and feed grain when fixing grain export volumes. At the same time, they have nothing against the export of feed grain in any quantity, since Ukraine grows more than enough of it.
Speaking about food grain, the expert noted that in recent years, as a result of various events – climate change, military actions and economic situations – the quality of the grain harvest in Ukraine has significantly deteriorated.
“While in 2020, food wheat accounted for 57% of the harvest, in 2024 it will account for only 27%. Accordingly, the volume of grain suitable for processing is even smaller, because the aforementioned 57% and 27% include wheat of the first, second, and third grades. Not all third-grade wheat is suitable for processing into flour. This means that less than 20% of the total harvest in 2024 was suitable for processing into flour,” Taranenko stated.
According to him, these nuances are completely ignored by grain experts. At the beginning of the harvest, the first wave of exports to foreign markets includes a large amount of food wheat, which causes an increase in domestic bread prices.
If the authorities had taken certain measures, such as introducing export segmentation, forming domestic reserves, creating state reserves or financing their creation, the rise in bread prices would not have been so significant and sharp, the head of the industry association is convinced.
Taranenko recalled that the State Reserve, the Agrarian Fund, and the State Food and Grain Company had previously operated on this principle. They bought grain at reasonable prices during mass sales, stored it, processed it, and when prices rose sharply, they intervened in the market by putting a certain amount of flour up for sale and holding back price increases.
“This mechanism existed and worked quite well. It was abandoned because mice ate tens of thousands of tons of grain. In fact, this does not indicate the ineffectiveness of the mechanism, but rather insufficient control. The mechanism itself is capable of ensuring the stability of bread prices and sales,” the head of the VAP summed up.
Bakers' Association, Rising bread prices, state intervention
