Author: staff

Published on 15/10/2026 – 16:11 GMT+2 Protesters and police clashed in Albania’s capital Tirana on Thursday for the third consecutive day, as Prime Minister Edi Rama condemned the “chaos” following violent protests that damaged government buildings. “We will all get through these difficult hours together because Albania will continue to climb, because Albania will continue on its path to Europe,” Rama said in a video message, referring to Albania’s EU accession bid, which the European Commission aims to conclude by 2027. “No one can grab Albania by the throat. Anyone who thinks the law does not apply to them is…

At the fair, Benjamin Lallier’s Mother Needham invites visitors to toss coins and make a wish, while Yuli Serfaty’s Who’s A Good Girl explores the relationship between gender and technology. Greek artist Theo Triantafyllidis presents Feral Metaverse (Spider), a giant climbable sculpture that doubles as a multiplayer game. Up to six visitors can enter a shared virtual world, where they must work together to create shapes such as human towers and wheels. But behind the playful installations, Frieze remains a major commercial event. Art critic Tabish Khan says a struggling market is prompting galleries to favour more conventional displays, with…

Published on 15/10/2026 – 9:46 GMT+2 Gross domestic product rose 0.1% in August from the previous month, beating analysts’ consensus forecast for a 0.1% contraction. The figure still marked a slowdown from the 0.4% expansion recorded in July. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who has made easing the cost of living a key focus for his Labour government, has set the stage for difficult decisions to be made in the 28 October budget presentation. With inflation rising and government bond yields reaching multi-decade highs, Healey, who will unveil the budget, has pledged to maintain strict fiscal discipline. But he has not…

The Plaza Hotel has been a landmark on New York City’s Fifth Avenue for more than a century, instantly recognisable thanks to its iconic façade. Now that façade is getting a facelift, with works set to take at least four years to complete. The hotel will close its doors in January 2027. In a statement, The Plaza Hotel management said: “The undertaking reflects the complexity of maintaining a property of such architectural and historical significance, with careful consideration given to preservation requirements and the building’s long-term care, as well as the safety of our guests, employees, and the wider community.…

The North Atlantic Council will discuss the crisis after series of attacks on cargo ships in the region, Romanian President Nicușor Dan tells POLITICO.  Listen AI generated Text-to-speech

In France, police and gendarmerie services recorded 136 violent deaths within couples in 2025, a slight 1% decrease compared with 2024 (138 deaths). On average, one person dies like this every three days. That is the finding of the National Study on violent deaths within couples, published by the Interior Ministry. Looking at the breakdown by gender, women remain the main victims of this violence. In 2025, 111 women were killed by their partner or ex-partner, compared with 107 in 2024, a 4% rise. Women account for 82% of all victims. Conversely, the number of men killed fell by 19%…

Rescue teams rushed to the scene, where classrooms were left strewn with rubble, school bags, books and children’s shoes. Injured pupils were taken by ambulance to Lady Reading Hospital, where medical staff treated survivors as distressed relatives gathered outside. Images from the school show abandoned belongings scattered across the floors, offering a stark glimpse of the devastation left behind by the collapse. Peshawar’s police chief said the roof had been weakened by thebuilding’s poor structural condition and the weight of construction work. Heavy rain may also have played a role, but the exact cause remains under investigation. Questions have emerged…

Wartime is posing new challenges for the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund. A new recommendation could open the door for Norway’s €2 trillion wealth fund to invest in major Western defence groups that are currently banned from its portfolio because of their involvement in nuclear arms production. A government-appointed commission proposed the change as part of a review of the fund’s ethical rules on Thursday. Under its current ethical guidelines, the fund excludes 14 companies because they develop or make nuclear weapons or their components, including industry giants Airbus, BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Safran. The Norwegian government ordered…

Protests in France rage on, as students and teachers continue to raise awareness of staff shortages, poor school infrastructure, defective equipment, and deeper anxieties over diminishing prospects and the cost-of-living crisis. This week, on Tuesday, more than 480,000 protestors took to the streets across France (according to the inter-union of high-school and university group), with placards which read: “Nos lycées tombent en ruines, comme nos espoirs” (“Our schools, like our hopes, are falling into ruin”) and “Diplômés aujourd’hui, précaires demain” (“Graduates today, insecurity tomorrow”). Since the nationwide movement began in September, acts of violence have been reported, with one teenager…

Researchers discovered critical details of the hacking tools by analyzing devices belonging to journalists and staff at the Al Jazeera media network, finding that 45 devices of journalists and staff were targeted and some infected with Israeli-made spyware known as Candiru. At the heart of the hacking campaign is the Israeli company Discover-Tech that describes itself as an advertising business. Citizen Lab researchers said the company facilitated surveillance for commercial spyware operators. Its platform, called Controlium, allegedly allowed spyware makers like Candiru — which in 2025 was acquired by Integrity Labs — to identify, track and target devices by loading…