Russia’s pragmatic retreat from the Middle East

In March 2023, the Kremlin unveiled its latest Foreign Policy Concept (FPC) document proclaiming Russia’s return as a world power with “a unique mission in maintaining a global balance of forces”. As part of this, it envisioned Moscow acting as an...

Bill Gates urges global shift in climate strategy before COP30

Published on: October 28, 2025 4:38 PM Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has urged world leaders to rethink their climate strategies ahead of the upcoming COP30 summit, calling for a focus on adaptation and human welfare over temperature...

JD Vance calls Israel's vote on West Bank annexation an 'insult'

US Vice President JD Vance criticised a symbolic vote in Israel's parliament the previous day about annexing the occupied West Bank, saying that it amounted to an “insult” and went against the Trump administration policies. Hard-liners in the...

Holcim Foundation Awards celebrate sustainability with 20 winners; Sou Fujimoto explains all

The Holcim Foundation Awards have just announced 20 winning projects for the honour's 2025 cycle. The accolade, which flags ambition and inspiration in ongoing schemes in the realm of architecture and sustainability, was designed to highlight work...

This week from Bagley: GOP gerrymandering, Trump vs. Lady Liberty, Gaza peace plan, global warming, fascism vs. the pope

Pat Bagley Self-Portrait for "This week from Bagley" Flim Flam Men Pat Bagley | Flim Flam Men No Kings Peace Plan Weather Man Stand with Humanity Pat Bagley | Stand with Humanity A Pulitzer Prize finalist in the cartoonist category, Pat Bagley has...

Further Legal Consequences of Obligations Erga Omnes (Partes) in the ICJ Climate Change Advisory Opinion: Duty of Non-Recognition and Article 62 Intervention

In its Climate Change Advisory Opinion, the International Court of Justice held that certain climate-related obligations of States under customary international law and climate change treaties are erga omnes (partes). One important consequence –...

Columbia student activist Mohsen Mahdawi condemns 'attack on human rights' in Gaza

The war in Gaza is a “genocide” and a “destruction of the international order,” pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi told community members at Dartmouth on Oct. 23. The event, entitled “Mohsen Mahdawi @ Dart,” was co-hosted by the Palestine...

Dar, Turkish FM discuss Gaza situation; Islamabad invited to key ministerial meeting in Türkiye

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday received a telephone call from Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss the evolving situation in Gaza and explore next steps for achieving lasting peace in...

Hundreds of writers unite to boycott New York Times for enabling Israel’s atrocities in Gaza

Over 300 writers, scholars and public figures have collectively refused to contribute to the New York Times Opinion section, citing the paper’s complicity in abetting the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the human toll of Israel’s relentless...

Use Your Illusion

FOUNDED TO BOOST the economy of Lower Manhattan after 9/11, the Tribeca Festival has developed a reputation for premiering major documentary films. But it has always stretched beyond cinema to embrace “storytelling in all its forms,” including...

Ben & Jerry’s owner stopped brand developing flavour for peace in Gaza

The co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s has accused its owner of being part of a movement of “corporate butt kissing” of Donald Trump and says management blocked the ice-cream brand from producing a flavour in support of peace in Gaza. Ben Cohen told the...

Women and peace-making are essential, not an 'add-on' - as Gaza proves

The United Nations on Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) was adopted 25 years ago — its anniversary falls on 31 October. It was a landmark commitment to include women meaningfully in conflict prevention and...

Vance, Netanyahu Blast Israeli Bill Applying Sovereignty to West Bank as Trump Warns of Risk to US Support

The owner of a vegan kosher food chain in Washington, D.C., said boycotts that targeted his business for its ties to Israel led to the permanent closure this month of his last two restaurants. This development is the latest chapter in an ongoing...

Egypt, Germany Discuss Enhancing Co-op, Upcoming Gaza Recovery Conference

Tue 28 Oct 2025 | 02:32 PM Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration and Expatriate Affairs, received, on Monday, a phone call from Svenja Schulze, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development. ​Tamim Khallaf,...

BBC Gaza Documentary Sparks Controversy Over Translation Discrepancies

A single mistranslated phrase in a BBC documentary has reignited the decades-old debate over how Western media covers the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, raising fundamental questions about journalistic objectivity in an era of information warfare....

Arab, Palestinian outrage over Israeli move to annex West Bank

The two Knesset bills are part of broader moves within Israeli politics to formalise annexation of the occupied West Bank [MOSAB SHAWER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images] Palestinian factions and Arab states have denounced Israel’s latest...

What does the Israeli proposal to annex the West Bank involve after JD Vance hits out at ‘stupid political stunt’

Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

Saudi envoy urges Security Council to halt Israeli settlements, end Gaza siege and protect holy sites

Kingdom’s representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, reaffirms his country’s long-standing support for a two-state solution to Palestinian question Suffering in Gaza prompted Saudi Arabia to intensify its efforts to ‘restore normalcy, begin...

Israel under pressure over West Bank annexation vote

Middle East countries were taking a renewed stand against Israel on Thursday after its parliament backed the annexation of the West Bank and two people were killed in a bombing in Lebanon. More than a dozen Islamic nations, including the UAE,...

How Colonial France Reinvents its Empire by Proxy

Whatever the outcome of the vote in the Security Council on the American draft resolution on Western Sahara, the essential part has already been decided. Because this text, whether it is adopted or rejected, has revealed a deeper dynamic: how a...