Rebeca Grynspan widens her lead as the Security Council’s seventh straw poll leaves the decisive question of possible vetoes unanswered. By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 31 October 2026 (IDN) — Rebeca Grynspan has strengthened her claim to become the next United Nations Secretary-General, winning support from 11 of the Security Council’s 15 members in its […]
ESSAY: The World to Come
Jewish Mysticism and the Politics of Emancipation By Sam Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 30 October 2026 (IDN) — What if the world we hope for is not somewhere in the distant future? What if, in some strange sense, it already exists? This is one possibility opened by the Zohar, the great masterpiece of Jewish mysticism. […]
OPINION: Country Before Party: Israel’s Opposition Must Not Fail This Moment
The election has opened a path away from Netanyahu’s disastrous rule. Israel’s opposition must now choose: build a Jewish-Arab governing partnership or risk surrendering the country’s future to the forces tearing it apart. By Alon Ben-Meir*| NEW YORK | 30 October 2026 (IDN) — Israel stands at a historic crossroads. The government that emerges from […]
EEPA reports on Situation report thousands displaced from Moyale
BRUSSELS | 29 October 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on the situation in Ethiopia, the migration and refugee situation, the situation in Sudan, the international and regional situation, thousands displaced from Moyale, TPLF forces accuse Major General of defecting to ENDF, drone strikes hit Nyala market in Sudan. Migration […]
Latecomers Crowd the Race for the Next UN Chief
UAE candidate Lana Nusseibeh faces questions over Sudan as Türkiye weighs a last-minute entry by former foreign minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu. By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 29 October 2026 (IDN) — The contest to succeed António Guterres as United Nations Secretary-General should be moving toward a decision by now. Instead, it is growing more crowded—and harder […]
The Weight of Gold: Capitalism and the Limits of Rebellion
By Sam Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 28 October 2026 (IDN) — At first glance, Padraic McKinley’s The Weight (2026), starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe, appears to be a familiar Depression-era adventure: a group of convicts, desperate for freedom, must transport a fortune in gold through the treacherous wilderness of Oregon. Dangerous river crossings, betrayals, […]
OPINION: Ending Nuclear Weapons
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 28 October 2026 (IDN) — Moscow and Washington urgently need to resume talks on a new framework for controlling nuclear weapons, said Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, on 20 October. “The absence of a treaty-based framework is creating a very dangerous situation”, he said. Indeed, there has been no […]
EEPA reports on new indictment introduced in Kidane court case
BRUSSELS | 28 October 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on new indictment introduced in Kidane court case, list of witnesses submitted by the Dutch prosecutor and the summary of the hearing Summary of the hearing (per 28 October 2026) A preparatory court hearing in the case of alleged Eritrean […]
OPINION: Protecting the Sacred City of Anuradhapura
By Dr. Asoka Bandarage* COLOMBO. Sri Lanka | 27 October 2026 (IDN) — Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka in Anuradhapura in the 3rd century BCE by Arahant Mahinda, the son of the Indian Emperor Asoka. For nearly 1500 years, Anuradhapura remained Sri Lanka’s capital and the intellectual and spiritual centre of Theravada Buddhism […]
40 years in the spirit of Assisi
By Benoit Lannoo* ASSISI. Italy | 27 October 2026 (IDN) — Today, it has been exactly forty years since John Paul II brought together different religions in Assisi for the first time for an interreligious prayer for peace. In his recently published book (in Italian, French and German) entitled Assisi – The Origins of a […]