In contrast to many Western nations, Spain is charting an independent path on migration and relations with Africa. While the USA, UK, France, and Germany are reducing development aid, prime minister Pedro Sánchez is deepening his country’s engagement with Africa through investment, diplomacy, and dialogue. The socialist-led government’s strategy emphasises shared prosperity, education, and sustainable growth, reflecting Madrid’s belief that Europe and Africa ‘form part of the same geopolitical space’. Alongside this vision, Spain continues to experience migration pressures, with 45,000 crossing from Africa to Spain or the Canary Islands in 2024. Yet unlike many European leaders, Sánchez acknowledges migrants’ contributions and backs ‘safe, orderly, and regular’ mobility schemes such as ‘circular migration agreements’ which give West Africans short-term visas to come to Spain for limited periods of seasonal work, mainly in agriculture, and then return. By coupling realism with empathy, Sánchez is seeking to balance security with solidarity, presenting a model of cooperation rooted in dignity, opportunity, and mutual benefit.
Greece is poised to introduce one of Europe’s most controversial labour reforms - a thirteen-hour workday for private-sector employees. The new legislation, expected to pass parliament despite widespread protests, would allow workers in industries such as manufacturing, retail, and hospitality to take on a sixth workday and extended hours, with higher pay for overtime. The government argues that this flexibility will help address labour shortages and support economic growth amid an aging population. However, unions and opposition leaders have condemned the move as a step backward, heightening job insecurity, disrupting work-life balance and legalising overexploitation. One in five Greeks works more than 45 hours a week, the highest rate in the EU, and outdone by only four other countries in the world; low salaries force many to work two jobs to cover the soaring cost of living, in particular high housing costs. Officials insist the extra hours will be voluntary and regulated, but many groups are deeply sceptical.
Israel and Hamas have taken a crucial first step toward ending the devastating two-year war in Gaza, releasing hostages and prisoners under a US-brokered ceasefire. The exchange brought immense relief and celebration across Israel and Gaza, even as both sides remain wary. Yet, the deeper challenges - Hamas’s refusal to disarm, Israel’s reluctance to accept a Palestinian state, and questions over Gaza’s future governance - still threaten the deal’s stability. For many, the sight of freed hostages reuniting with loved ones offered a rare moment of shared humanity amid years of grief. In Gaza, war-worn families welcomed returning prisoners but faced the grim reality of shattered homes and a crippled economy. As Donald Trump signed a declaration for peace, witnessed by twenty world leaders (see ), both Israelis and Palestinians have to grapple with the cost of vengeance and the fragile hope of renewal. The region stands at a crossroads between restoration and relapse into conflict.
Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed that the new Gaza ceasefire will not alter his country’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Speaking before parliament, he said South Africa remains committed to pursuing justice, adding that ‘true reconciliation requires accountability’. Filed in December 2023, the case accuses Israel of committing genocidal acts in Gaza and has drawn support from countries including Spain, Ireland, Turkiye, and Colombia. The ICJ has already ordered provisional measures for Israel to prevent further atrocities and allow humanitarian aid, though compliance has been limited. With more than 67,000 Palestinians reported killed since October 2023, global human rights organisations are continuing to press for justice. South Africa also co-chairs the Hague Group, a coalition formed in January 2025 to hold Israel accountable through legal, diplomatic, and economic measures beyond the ICJ proceedings.
Madagascar has plunged deeper into political turmoil after Colonel Michael Randrianirina announced that the military was seizing control of the nation, moments after parliament voted to impeach president Andry Rajoelina. He said that the armed forces would form a governing council and appoint a civilian-led government, suspending both the constitution and the constitutional court. The move followed weeks of youth-led protests over widespread poverty, power shortages, and corruption (see): a critical moment came on 11 October, when Colonel Randrianirina and soldiers from his elite CAPSAT unit joined the demonstrators and turned against the president. The crisis evokes painful memories of Madagascar’s history of coups, including the 2009 uprising that first brought Rajoelina to power. With 75% of citizens living in poverty, frustrations among the young have erupted into demands for reform and dignity. As soldiers and protesters fill the streets, Madagascar stands at a crossroads between renewed authoritarian rule and the hope for democratic renewal.
India is losing sunlight
17 Oct 2025
India is facing a quiet but alarming environmental shift: it is literally losing sunlight. Over the past three decades, scientists have recorded a nationwide decline in sunshine hours, with clouds and air pollution jointly dimming the skies. Aerosols from vehicle emissions, crop burning, and industrial growth scatter sunlight and change cloud behaviour, blocking more solar radiation. According to recent studies, aerosols have reduced sunlight reaching the ground by about 13%, while clouds contribute an additional 31–44% loss. The impact extends far beyond gloomy days: it threatens agriculture, health, and India’s booming solar energy sector. Pollution already cuts solar power output by up to 41%, costing hundreds of millions in lost energy each year. Cleaner air could unlock enormous renewable potential and protect crop yields vital for millions. The Earth’s surface has gradually been receiving more sunlight since the 1980s, a process known as global brightening, but India risks running on fumes instead of full power, beneath a shroud of smog.
Venezuela has announced it will close its embassies in Norway and Australia, days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The move, confirmed by Norway’s foreign ministry, came without explanation but follows years of diplomatic tension between Nicolás Maduro’s government and Western nations. Norway expressed regret at the decision, emphasising that the Nobel committee operates independently of its government. Machado, who remains in hiding, received the Peace Prize for her “extraordinary examples of civilian courage’. She dedicated the award to Donald Trump and the ‘suffering people of Venezuela’. Barred from last year’s disputed election, she remains a powerful symbol of resistance to Maduro’s rule. The closures underscore Venezuela’s shifting alliances amid growing isolation from democratic nations. For the White House’s reaction to the Peace Prize award, see
At least 64 people have died and 65 remain missing after torrential rains and floods devastated five Mexican states. The deluge, triggered by remnants of Hurricane Priscilla and Tropical Rainstorm Raymond, caused rivers to burst their banks and unleashed deadly landslides which wiped out entire communities. President Claudia Sheinbaum said that around 100,000 homes were damaged, and some had ‘practically disappeared’. She added that there had not been any meteorological signs ‘which could have indicated that the rain was going to be of this magnitude’. Thousands of soldiers and emergency responders have been deployed to deliver food, water, and medical aid, while power crews are working to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands affected. Officials said the rainfall, exceeding 280mm in some areas, was impossible to predict at such magnitude. As survivors search for missing loved ones, grief and exhaustion hang over devastated regions.