Israel
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Streeting tackled over ‘be-ready’ plan in Question Time ‘scaremongering’ debate
Wes Streeting defended the government’s campaign urging the public to prepare themselves for emergencies. The defence secretary told BBC Question Time that he wants people to be “alert but not alarmed”, adding there was a not a “specific thing” in mind when it comes to potential emergency incidents, but said the advice might help during power cuts or if a local shop is subject to a cyberattack. Put to him by an audience member that it could be “scaremongering” and push people towards panic buying like during the Covid-19 pandemic, he said: “We did have this debate though, just to reassure … because we want people to be alert but not alarmed, and the truth is we looked around the rest of Europe, ‘what are our friends doing across the continent?’ “They are way ahead of us on some of this stuff. So actually, my reaction as Defence Secretary wasn’t, ‘Is this the right thing to do?’ It’s ‘why haven’t we done this before, and why are we playing catch up compared to lots of other European countries’?”
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Streeting cites Churchill after Trump envoy calls Putin ‘humanitarian’
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said there is a “clear line between appeasement and a peace process” after Donald Trump’s chief negotiator on the Ukraine war described Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian”. Speaking on BBC Newsnight on Thursday (22 October), the defence secretary said: “I understand when people are undertaking, you know, the path of diplomacy, that sometimes you might feel the need to be gracious to the host sitting in front of you. “But I’ve got to say there is a very clear line between appeasement and a peace process, we should be in no doubt that Vladimir Putin is a cold-blooded killer.” Asked if he was saying this is appeasement by the US, he said: “I’m saying don’t feed the crocodile”. The phrase refers back to a comment Winston Churchill made on neutral nations during the early stages of the Second World War, most commonly cited as “an appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last”.
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Four Italian activists held during West Bank olive harvest
Italy's Foreign Ministry is seeking information on the detention of several Italian activists in a West Bank village as they accompanied Palestinian olive farmers. #EuropeNews
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Trump blocked me from the press pool today — but he can’t silence me
White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg explains why he won’t be covering Donald Trump’s Sioux City rally tonight — after the president attacked him in a very personal way and then had him disinvited from Air Force One — and why Team Trump’s efforts to bully him won’t stop his reporting
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Stocks rattled by fears over tech sell-off and rising oil prices
In London, the FTSE 100 index ended down 27.85 points, 0.3%, at 10,725.03.
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Gulf nations brace for possible return to all-out war
The volatility around the Israeli and US midterm elections is fueling fears of renewed US-Israeli strikes on Iran in a short and intensive military campaign to push Tehran into concessions, with Iran vowing a devastating response against the Gulf nations.
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A man with Down syndrome killed in an Israeli raid in southern Syria, residents say
Israeli forces have killed a developmentally disabled man during a raid in Syria's Daraa province, according to state media and residents
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‘Nobody believes you!’ Megapastor destroys GOP senator’s wild gas price excuses
Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall said Wednesday that Ukraine’s war with Russia — and not the U.S. war with Iran — was to blame for high diesel prices
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Stephen Flynn accused of 'hiding' as union hits out over Israel links to ScotRail
The Scottish organiser for the train drivers' union has accused Stephen Flynn of "tenuously hiding" behind process after it was decided a company linked to illegal Israeli settlements will not be removed from a ScotRail tender process
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Waze rejects Malaysia’s data risks claims after civil servants barred from using the app
Waze has rejected Malaysia's claims that it collects sensitive government information or allows exploitation of personal user data
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How Arab parties could hold critical balance of power in Israeli election
Disaffection has often driven down turnout among Arab Israelis, but there is a strong push to get rid of the right-wing governing coalition.
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Macron condemns ‘seditious acts’ by ‘ultra-left’ and says he will seek to ban some protests – Europe live
French government will show ‘absolute’ determination to stop the riots, Macron says
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Trump says Google refused request to rename Atlantic ‘American Ocean’
Donald Trump has claimed that Google has turned down his request to rename the Atlantic Ocean the “American Ocean.” The US president told supporters at a rally in South Carolina on Wednesday (21 October) that the company’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, had refused his suggestion. Trump says he called Pichai, who told him, "Oceans are different, sir. You know, they cover, they cover a lot of, they cover really a lot of countries." "So I'll probably pass... I think let's keep it the Atlantic Ocean, right? Pacific Ocean, we're gonna call it the American Ocean,” Trump added.
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Israel using US-made electroshock weapons on Palestinian detainees
An American company is still supplying Taser weapons linked to prisoner abuse by Israeli forces
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PHOTO ESSAY: Inside an elite ultra-Orthodox school as Israel's draft dispute looms over election
In Israel’s recent years of war, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population has become a central point of friction. A deal made at the country’s creation between political and religious leaders exempted what was then a small number of ultra-Orthodox men from compulsory military service. The act was meant to help Jewish scholars recover from the devastation of the Holocaust.
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Trump moans about not winning Nobel Prize at rally - then says he deserves a Pulitzer
Trump also claimed that he should have won a Pulitzer Prize in addition to the Nobel Peace Prize
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Iran says 7 oil tankers are on fire or damaged in a key strait as fears grow of a return to war
Iran's government says seven oil tankers have caught fire or were been damaged in the strategic Strait of Hormuz
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Netanyahu’s far-right coalition to lose majority in Israeli elections, poll suggests
Exclusive: A poll of 4,000 Israelis shows that it is unlikely that Netanyahu’s bloc will hold on to power when the country votes next week
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How an Orthodox Jewish scholar found an unexpected home among the Amish
When Rivka Neriya-Ben Shahar, an Orthodox Jew who lives in Jerusalem, first arrived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 2011 to research Amish communities, she had only visited the U.S. once and could barely speak English
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Some US diplomats told to leave Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks
Reports emerge of similar withdrawals in UAE, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain amid concerns about a return to conflict with Iran after US midterm elections
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US orders some diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks escalate
The warning to US officials comes as at least three people die in the latest strikes at an airport and an oil field.
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Heidi Levine recounts how Palestinian youths helped save her in settler attack
US photojournalist describes ‘protective shield’, vows to return to work in West Bank and criticises Netanyahu comments on incident
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Macron accuses foreign leaders of exploiting French riots for political gain
The comment is an apparent swipe at Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump, who both face elections in coming weeks.
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South Korea tests Cheongwang laser air defense weapon
South Korea unveils 50kW Cheongwang armored laser vehicle — Hanwha expands global export push for mobile beam weapons designed to crush drone swarms
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Israeli forces detain and then release US congressional candidate at West Bank harvest
Israeli forces have detained Democratic congressional candidate Brad Lander as he helped Palestinian farmers harvest olives in the West Bank
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Four workers killed after fall at TSMC’s 2nm fab construction site — accident marks at least nine construction deaths since 2024, broken bolt on a steel connection plate suspected as cause behind tragic accident (updated)
Four contract workers fell with steel parts during Phase 4 hoisting work, which is now halted.
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Campaigners to protest at RAF Menwith Hill over US military role
Campaigners will gather at RAF Menwith Hill on Saturday (24 October 2026) to call for the closure of the North Yorkshire intelligence base over its links to
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Fury of French youth explodes across borders: Bel Trew unpacks the chaos
Battles near the Louvre, graffiti over Place de la République, protests along the Champs-Élysées, and shopkeepers trying to fight off looters and plumes of tear gas. Long-standing fury from youth in France has exploded into these fiery scenes. Rage has spread across borders, with protests erupting in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Albania. Why is this happening, and what does it mean? The Independent's Chief International Correspondent unpacks the chaos as more protests are planned.
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Trump’s special envoy tells Vladimir Putin he is a ‘humanitarian’
Steve Witkoff, the United States’ special envoy, lauded Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” for releasing a “wrongfully detained” American as Moscow continued bombing civilians in Ukraine. “You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again,” said Witkoff in a clip posted by Russian state media as he met with Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff is continuing attempts to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday (October 20). On Wednesday, Russia released 74-year-old teacher Stephen James Hubbard, who had been held for four years over claims he was a Ukrainian mercenary. Russia has continued its bombing of Ukraine, killing 328 civilians in September alone.
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Israeli military detain US and UK volunteers in West Bank including Democratic NY politician Brad Lander
About 80 US, Israeli and British volunteers held near Nahalin in West Bank and taken to police station
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Europe weighs energy-saving measures as Middle East crisis deepens
EU Energy Ministers will consider demand cuts if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed in the months ahead, according to a document seen by Euronews. #EuropeNews
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Antisemitism review settles debate over banning pro-Palestine badges in schools
It comes after a rise in antisemitic incidents across schools and colleges
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Powell promises change after ‘shocking scale’ of antisemitism in schools revealed
The independent review, led by Sir David Bell, found that around one in five pupils said they had witnessed antisemitism – and the figure rose to three in five of Jewish pupils who participated in the survey
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Macron calls for extreme caution in Gulf, secures critical gas deal in Qatar state visit
French president concludes his state visit by reinforcing the strategic partnership with Qatar. He declares his Gulf tour objectives achieved after securing a crucial gas deal with Qatar as he seeks to lower tensions over living costs in France.
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US congressional candidate detained by Israeli authorities in West Bank
One of the detained volunteers said the group had offered to leave the area but was instead put on buses by Israeli forces and taken to a police station
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Google staff resign in backlash over its AI contracts with military
The BBC speaks to several current and former Google DeepMind employees about their concerns with AI use on the battlefield.
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Author defends views after Edinburgh bookshop cancels talk over social media posts
Mr Sayarer’s talk was cancelled after the bookshop became aware of social media posts which violated the venue’s 'safe spaces' policy.
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Trump calls affordability a ‘hoax’ while JD Vance admits Americans are struggling
Depending on which Republican figure is addressing the public, Americans hear contrasting descriptions of the current economic reality
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Marco Rubio’s unusual India stop puts billionaire’s vast oil empire in the spotlight
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Jamnagar, India, home to one of the world's largest oil-refining complexes
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In The Room
France is reeling after a weekend of unrest that escalated dramatically. Hundreds of thousands marched peacefully, but elsewhere shops were looted, cars burned, police attacked and public buildings set alight. What began with schoolchildren furious about missing teachers, crumbling classrooms and a system they believe is failing them quickly became something much bigger. People of all ages joined demonstrations driven by anger over the cost of living, deteriorating public services and a future that feels increasingly out of reach. With France approaching a presidential election, the unrest exposes a deeper political crisis. But this is not just a French story. Across Europe, established parties are struggling to retain the confidence of increasingly disillusioned electorates. And Britain has experienced its own moments when public anger has spilled into violence. Helen MacNamara, who was inside government during the 2011 riots and has attended countless COBR meetings, examines what happens when governments begin to lose control of the streets, and what France's crisis might tell us about the pressures building closer to home. New episodes of In The Room come out weekly. Listen to the latest on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube.
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Tommy Robinson voicemail left on Daily Mail journalist’s phone played in court
Audio of a voicemail Tommy Robinson left on a Daily Mail journalist’s phone has been played to jurors at Southwark Crown Court. The 43-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is on trial for allegedly harassing journalists Jacob Dirnhuber and Andrew Young, causing them fear of violence, in August 2024 after they worked on a story about him while he was on holiday in Cyprus. The voicemail, released by the Metropolitan Police and played in court on Tuesday (20 October), was left on Ted Verity’s phone. It said: “If it’s legitimate journalism then expect me to come knocking,” adding: “I’ve already located every f****** one of you.” Mr Yaxley-Lennon entered not guilty pleas to two charges of harassment causing fear of violence in July last year.
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‘What are you implying?’: El-Sayed confronts critics head-on as attacks ramp up
Against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia, Michigan Senate hopeful has challenged premise of repeated questions on Muslim Brotherhood, Israel and faith
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Malaysia bans civil servants from using navigation app Waze, citing data risks over Israeli links
Malaysia has banned civil servants from using the navigation app Waze due to data security concerns linked to its Israeli origins
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Fifth foreign firm pulls out of controversial Israeli cable car project to East Jerusalem
Rights groups say the planned 1.4km route, which ends at compound run by far-right settler group Elad, will displace Palestinians and reshape the cultural landscape
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Trump says he will have spent $400m to support Republicans in midterms – as it happened
This live blog is now closed.
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Don Jr. opposed Iran war and told his dad not to start one: report
Top administration figures, including Vice President JD Vance and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, also raised early concerns regarding the strategy and scope of the military effort
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Man ordered to pay more than £2,000 for act after getting parking ticket
A man was ordered to pay £2,270 in fines and costs after he threw a parking fine notice on the ground in Cornwall. Stephen Lang, of St Martins Crescent, Camborne, was found guilty of littering at Exchequer Quay car park in Penryn on 20 November 2025. The court heard that the 58-year-old was issued with a penalty charge notice after his vehicle was found parked outside a marked bay. Lang approached the officer and challenged the notice before removing it from the vehicle and throwing it to the ground. The officer picked up the notice and placed it back on the vehicle before Lang removed it again and threw it in her direction. Lang was issued with a £250 Fixed Penalty Notice for littering, which he failed to pay despite a reminder. He was ordered to pay a £250 fine, £1920.90 in costs and a £100 victim surcharge.
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Trump and Zelensky appear at loggerheads despite Oslo optimism
The Ukrainian leader's hug with Steve Witkoff in the Norwegian capital is unlikely to dispel misgivings about US policy towards his country, writes Paul Adams.
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ADL condemns Trump’s antisemitic slur but fails to mention him by name
Anti-Defamation League post decries ‘shylock’ slur but does not explain that president used it at Kansas rally on Monday
