Author: staff
Donald Trump has been immortalised by artists on countless occasions, with creatives using their talents to poke fun, criticise, educate, and even warn. From signs and murals to carnival floats, the divisive POTUS has inspired many to remind the public that the arts are a vital way to comment, inform and inspire. One artform which has been an effective favourite for many wishing to represent Trump is the sculpted figure. It makes sense since Trump has shown a clear preference for classical and gilded aesthetics; statues play on the man’s perception of monumentalism as being a reflection of power. Artists…
Published on 09/10/2026 – 15:25 GMT+2•Updated 19:55 Hundreds of youths faced off with riot police in the streets of Brussels on Friday in chaotic scenes on the sidelines of a workers’ march, with officers firing water cannons and tear gas at the crowd. Some 30,000 people turned out for the national strike against government austerity measures, police said, with tensions running high after days of student protests inspired by those in France. Dozens of protesters, many of them young, dressed in black and wearing masks, threw rocks and firecrackers at police at the central Brussels railway station, before setting several…
Published on 09/10/2026 – 21:43 GMT+2 US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to release diesel onto US and global markets, a move he said would help ease soaring energy costs amid the war with Iran. “Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 tons during the month of November,” Trump said on social media following talks with Putin. The US Treasury Department also said it was issuing a temporary licence allowing Russian diesel to enter global markets. The White House did not…
Published on 09/10/2026 – 15:51 GMT+2•Updated 15:52 Thieves in Italy took off with a €5 million haul consisting of 30,000 wine bottles after targeting a prestigious winemaker in Tuscany last weekend, Italian media reported. A group of at least seven individuals carried out the heist at a winery belonging to the Marchesi Antinori company in Cortona, making away with bottles of Solaia, Tignanello, and Guado al Tasso, per a report in the Corriere della Sera newspaper. The report said the thieves arrived in two large trucks and had deactivated the alarm system and disabled cameras at the site. Renzo Cotarella,…
Published on 09/10/2026 – 15:51 GMT+2•Updated 16:54 EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič announced a deal with China on Friday to curb imports of Chinese hybrid vehicles into the EU and facilitate access to rare earths. While the understanding signals a preference for a diplomatic resolution to the growing trade imbalance, European leaders are pushing for stronger measures to level the playing field. They are expected to review the details at a summit in Brussels next week. The EU has also floated retaliatory measures if the outcome falls short of expectations. Šefčovič travelled to Beijing on Wednesday for two days of…
Published on 09/10/2026 – 20:29 GMT+2 The co-pilot who attacked the captain of a flydubai jet on 30 September had planned to crash the aircraft into Tel Aviv’s international airport, according to the United Arab Emirates’ top prosecutor. The Omani co-pilot was inspired by Al-Qaeda’s September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and intended to cause “the greatest possible loss of life”, according to the prosecutor’s findings published by state media. “The findings showed that he had met the professional and security requirements for employment, including holding a pilot’s licence, providing a certificate of good conduct and completing the…
“We deeply regret that the compromise now on the table falls significantly short of the level of ambition needed,” Finance Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque told ministers during Friday’s public Ecofin debate in Luxembourg. “We need [the European Securities and Markets Authority] to become an effective supervisor. The current compromise text would not allow for that.” France spearheaded a last-minute push over dinner Thursday to strengthen the watchdog’s executive powers. Paris took issue with a rule that would allow nine national supervisors to force the watchdog’s executive board to submit draft decisions for further scrutiny before they’re adopted. The Irish EU…
Published on 09/10/2026 – 16:14 GMT+2 The United Nations (UN) said on Friday it was monitoring protests by high school students across France “with concern”, as nationwide demonstrations entered their fifth consecutive day. “We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent,” said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights agency. Nearly 7,000 people, of whom 86 percent are minors, have been taken into police custody since mid-September, according to France’s Justice Ministry. The students, mostly aged between 15 and 18, are protesting against teacher…
One of the worst-hit buildings was the Terrenove campus of Alcide De Gasperi school in Marsala, which its headteacher described as destroyed. All 273 children inside were moved to safety by staff, and no serious injuries were reported among pupils or employees. In Petrosino, a car was swept into a ravine, injuring both occupants. Early reports said nine people, including four children, had been treated for minor injuries at Marsala hospital. Later accounts put the total at 11, including two people taken to hospital in nearby Mazara del Vallo. Emergency teams remained at work as authorities assessed the damage to…
In May earlier this year, riot police were called to ensure security at Swatch stores from Paris to Mumbai when violence often erupted as queues of people stretched around the streets. The object of their frenzied desires was a €370 bioceramic pocket watch. The Royal Pop — the first time Audemars Piguet has let the Royal Oak design out of its own factory — turned people who had never owned a mechanical watch into speculators overnight. Within hours, resale sites were carrying listings above €7,400. Bad bet. Two months later, several models were selling for less than the €370 Swatch…