World politics

World politics

Writing on New Year's Day 2026, I feel the need to try to make some sense of the worst year of my 73-year life. I don't mean worse personally. My close family and I live in the relative safety and affluence of London, England, and we are all healthy and have fulfilling jobs. I mean, worst in the global sense.

The year we are leaving behind has been plagued from the start by a series of social, economic, environmental, technological and institutional challenges, all happening with such speed and intensity that we are yet to fully comprehend their impact on our lives, let alone on future generations. As the overwhelming strain of domestic and geopolitical changes continues to build up, I cannot help but remember the man's words. Too much pressure. Unstable, uncertain and replete with deep inequalities.

Mass protests in Nepal and Madagascar toppled both governments this year, even when the young people at the forefront of the demonstrations were faced with heavily armed police and the threat of arrest. Many called 2025 the year of the protest although the revolution in Bangladesh in 2024 that unseated the authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina is often credited with inspiring young people to take to the streets across parts of Asia and Africa.

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 latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.

We haven't resolved everything, but I think we are making progress in the right direction, and we have to keep up the momentum, he said.

On December 25, 1914, British and German soldiers stopped fighting and met in the middle of "no man's land" to socialize, exchange gifts, and play soccer. In what has become known as theChristmas Truce of World War I, the men, for a moment, returned to being normal people. Perhaps the holiday made them nostalgic for their families and the joy of the season. From inside the cold, wet, snow-filled trenches, one side started singing Christmas carols, and then the other side joined in.

Television host Rabi Lamichhane, the 51-year-old chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra party (RSP), and the 35-year-old rapper turned Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah pledged to address the demands of the younger generation following September's deadly anti-corruption protests. At least 77 people were killed during the 8-9 September youth-led uprising that was triggered by anger over a brief government ban on social media, building on public frustration after years of economic stagnation and allegations of entrenched political corruption.

The planet is experiencing a veritable global wave of autocratisation, according to the report 25 Years of Autocratisation: Democracy Trumped?, by the Swedish University of Gothenburg's V-DEM Institute. The world now has 88 democracies compared to 91 autocracies, which is a radical change from last year, according to the report. Liberal democracies have become the least common type of regime globally. Almost three out of four people, or 72% of humanity, now live in autocracies, the report points out.

Military ruler Mamady Doumbouya is set to legitimise his rule after barring key opposition challengers. Four years after military leader General Mamady Doumbouya led a coup that toppled the civilian government of the day and derailed the country's fragile democracy, Guineans will head to the polls in a Sunday vote that will likely not deliver any surprises. The young military leader, known for his signature wraparound sunglasses,

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday he had agreed to a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the "near future." "A lot can be decided before the New Year," he posted on social media. The announcement follows weeks of stepped-up diplomatic efforts to end Ukraine's war with Russia. On Thursday, Zelenskyy gave a positive assessment of his conversation with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about ending the war.

A tariff is a tax paid by consumers, and if there's one thing the past four years have taught us, it's that the public will not forgive a politician who presides over a period of rising prices, no matter what the cause. Luckily for the political fortunes of the world's leaders, there is a better way to respond to tariffs. Tit-for-tat tariffs are a 19th-century tactic, and we live in a 21st-century world

It's not possible to have a real impeachment; however, they want to make a record that President Lai would be the first president considered impeached in the history of Taiwan's democracy, said Yen-tu Su, an expert in constitutional law and democratic theory at Academia Sinica, Taiwan's top research institution. It's a way to register their protest. It's a way to humiliate the president, and also a way to retaliate against the executive branch refusal to promulgate legislation passed by the legislators, he told Al Jazeera.

The old world is dying, Antonio Gramsci once wrote. And the new world struggles to be born. In such interregnums, the Italian Marxist philosopher suggested, every act, even the smallest, may acquire decisive weight. In 2025, western leaders appeared convinced they and we were living through one such transitional period, as the world of international relations established after the second world war crashed to a halt.

In a season of peace we speak to those who have been denied peace. Using these billboards, we: Reclaim the truth, honoring the Palestinian refugee born in Bethlehem; challenge the ongoing erasure of Palestinian identity, culture and rootedness to the land; highlight the reverence for Jesus in Islam, fostering interfaith understanding against forces that seek to divide us; and proudly assert our truth in the most visible public space, refusing silence.

Good morning, and happy whatever-you're-celebrating today. There may come a moment later perhaps shortly after someone has eaten their body weight in roast dinner when the family begins to drift into nap mode. That is your cue. Produce this quiz from your pocket. Read the questions aloud in your best posh BBC continuity announcer voice. Watch as the room divides over how much ice has been lost in the Antarctic, exactly when Donald Trump and Elon Musk fell out,

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said Tehran would not permit inspections of facilities struck by the US until the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) establishes a clear framework for such visits, according to Iran's semiofficial Tasnim news agency. If there are established procedures for the post-war situation, the agency should announce them so that we can act accordingly, Eslami said.

China's rising economic influence in the Middle East Money Works China's economic influence is growing, reaching into regions that were long dominated by the West.

There are people who argue that Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine is not motivated by fears or imperial ambitions, but by other countries' disrespect. Russia once commanded authority as one of the world's two superpowers, but it has since forfeited that status. It knows it has lost the respect of other countries (Barack Obama famously dismissed Russia as just a regional power), and the Ukraine war is its way of winning it back.

China wants to have a number of UN staff that they feel is representative of their population and the amount of money they contribute,

Fifteen years have passed since Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor whose cart was confiscated by the police, set himself on fire to protest against police harassment and the authorities' neglect. His act of desperation triggered nationwide protests by millions facing a crushing reality of increased unemployment, corruption, and a decades-old political system with little room for expression or change.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared total victory. "Without a doubt, the Iranian nation defeated the Americans and the Zionists in the 12-day war," he said triumphantly on November 26. "They failed to achieve any of their goals." Speaking a day earlier, Hassan Rouhani, a former president and a rival of Khamenei, recommended instead that Iran stop underestimating its adversaries and focus on using diplomacy to deter another war.

Over the past two months, Israel has violated the ceasefire almost daily, killing and injuring hundreds of Gazans. What is the risk that the ceasefire might collapse? The ceasefire has indeed been violated by both sides and on many occasions. Over 350 Palestinians have been killed and several Israeli soldiers wounded. There are also reports of Palestinians dying of cold due to exposure in and around Rafah.

The dowry, which is negotiated before marriage and legally treated as debt, can be claimed by the wife at any time during a marriage or when getting divorced. The new, more lenient policy sharply lowers the threshold for the amount a man must pay his wife in the event of divorce to avoid imprisonment from 110 gold coins to just 14.

In a letter announcing her withdrawal from the Hay festival Cartagena, the acclaimed Colombian author Laura Restrepo described Machado as an active supporter of US military intervention in Latin America. The author of Delirium added: No platform should be given or audience facilitated for someone who, like Ms Machado, promotes positions and activities that subject our peoples and undermine the sovereignty of our countries. Imperialist intervention is not something to debate, but something to reject outright.

On December 3, Israel announced that the Rafah border crossing with Egypt would reopen in the coming days, allowing Palestinians to leave Gaza for the first time in months. The statement was, of course, framed as a humanitarian gesture that would allow those in urgent need to travel for medical care, education or family reunification to leave. However, Israel's announcement was met almost immediately with Egypt's denial, followed by a firm rejection from several Arab and Muslim states.

I'm slightly curious and concerned why the leader of the free world who's got so many challenges in the Middle East, in Ukraine, issues around the climate emergency, issues around trade, is spending time talking about me, and giving the impression he's obsessed with me and, for him, it's to explain why.

Navies across the world contribute to international security by protecting maritime trade routes. A strong navy is capable of projecting national power far beyond a country's borders. Each navy reveals a nation's resources and priorities, and goals. These groups of men and women range from small coastal patrol forces to massive fleets with a variety of technologically advanced vessels like aircraft carriers, submarines, and destroyers. Aside from military purposes, navies also aid in things like disaster relief.