Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, and the Israeli retaliation, the United Nations has struggled to come up with an effective response to the Gaza conflict. Several ceasefire resolutions raised in the security council have been vetoed by either Russia and China on the one hand or the US and UK on the other. A non-binding resolution calling for a humanitarian truce was passed by the UN general assembly at the weekend, but the US and Israel voted against it and many other countries abstained. Meanwhile Israel’s bombardment of Gaza continues, as it tries to negotiate the release of hostages.

Despite Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, which has led to an arrest warrant being issued against Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes, his country may be the major power best placed to play peacemaker in the Middle East – and there are reasons why it might want to. It has diplomatic relations with all parties involved, including Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Iran and Syria, and has a relatively cordial relationship with Israel. Far-fetched as it may sound – and whether or not it allows Putin to score points – at this point it may be a straw worth grasping at.

We also present evidence which suggests that humans may not be hard-wired to be as egocentric as we had previously thought. And, in the wake of the destructive Hurricane Otis in Mexico, we look at the way in which extreme weather events are happening faster than forecasters can predict them.

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