Nato increases Black Sea deployment amid escalating deadly Russian attacks 20 October 2026 at 13:43

Nato increases Black Sea deployment amid escalating deadly Russian attacks

By: Peter Beaumont Senior international correspondent

20 October 2026 at 13:43

Mounting anxiety as Russia’s war on Ukraine reaches Nato’s borders with targeting of vessels transporting agricultural cargo

Nato is deploying additional military assets to the Black Sea amid the recent deadly escalation of Russian attacks on merchant shipping, as five more vessels were attacked on Tuesday.

Russia’s military said it ⁠struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine’s ⁠port of Reni and two ⁠other cargo vessels en route ‌to ‌Odesa.

Ella Baron on the aftermath of the riots in France – cartoon 20 October 2026 at 13:13

Ella Baron on the aftermath of the riots in France – cartoon

The Guardian

By: Ella Baron

20 October 2026 at 13:13

Why are French police so violent? Their job is to protect the state, not the people 20 October 2026 at 12:49

Why are French police so violent? Their job is to protect the state, not the people

The Guardian

By: Jon Henley in Paris

20 October 2026 at 12:49

Officers are instruments of state whose job is to repress, rather than manage, public dissent

Familiar images of teargas clouds drifting across Paris squares, police baton charges against masked protesters and terrified teenagers floored – and worse – by stun grenades have once again focused the world’s attention on France’s policing methods.

While most of its western European neighbours generally favour police tactics that prioritise crowd containment and de-escalation, France has long responded to social movements that take to the streets with, at times, shocking physical force.

European air fares could rise by as much as 20% in 2027, Ryanair boss predicts 20 October 2026 at 10:28

European air fares could rise by as much as 20% in 2027, Ryanair boss predicts

The Guardian

By: Joanna Partridge

20 October 2026 at 10:28

Conflict in Middle East is pushing jet fuel costs higher and many carriers are not hedged against such increases, Michael O’Leary says

Ryanair’s chief executive has predicted a record increase in European air fares next year, as airlines grapple with fuel bills pushed higher by the Middle East conflict.

Many carriers are not hedged against rising jet fuel costs, Michael O’Leary said, which he predicted would lead to airline bankruptcies and takeovers. He forecast these pressures would result in the price of plane tickets rising by as much as 20%.

Explosive births, talking foxes and the devil in a trenchcoat – the Sitges fantastic film festival in all its creepy glory 20 October 2026 at 10:10

Explosive births, talking foxes and the devil in a trenchcoat – the Sitges fantastic film festival in all its creepy glory

The Guardian

By: Anne Billson

20 October 2026 at 10:10

Olivia Colman goes vulpine, Rupert Grint’s newborn is a monster and Joko Anwar makes a warmhearted violent ghost story set in an Indonesian prison

If I’d ever wanted children, the films showing at the 59th edition of the International Fantastic film festival of Catalonia in the coastal town of Sitges, south of Barcelona, would have soon set me straight. This year’s recurring themes were explosive parturition, chewed-up nipples and the fruit of the womb turning out to be at best sociopathic, at worst inhuman.

The theme was celebrated in an evil-kiddy exhibition at the Miramar Cultural Centre, marking the 50th anniversary of Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s “fantaterror” classic Who Can Kill a Child?, some of which was filmed in Sitges itself. The expo traced the subgenre from 1956’s The Bad Seed, via Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, to this year’s Nightborn, in which poor Rupert Grint, as the hapless husband, is no match for the developing folk-horror bond between his depressed wife, their newborn “child”, and the spooky forest surrounding their house. Finnish director Hanna Bergholm, in her introduction, confessed it was inspired by her experiences of motherhood. Only up to a point, one hopes.

Italy poised to approve tougher security measures in response to protests – Europe live 20 October 2026 at 08:55

Italy poised to approve tougher security measures in response to protests – Europe live

The Guardian

By: Yohannes Lowe (now) and Jakub Krupa (earlier)

20 October 2026 at 08:55

Italy’s deputy prime minister said police will be able to detain under-18s for 12 hours, even if they have not committed a crime

Nordic correspondent

As well as Steve Witkoff, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also meet the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre and the Finnish president Alexander Stubb and Norway’s new King Haakon during his visit to Oslo.

‘Unguarded moments’: a lost archive of street photography – in pictures 20 October 2026 at 07:00

‘Unguarded moments’: a lost archive of street photography – in pictures

The Guardian

By: Briana Ellis-Gibbs

20 October 2026 at 07:00

Little-known photographer John Baer captured everyday life before putting down his camera in 1954. His son discovered the images decades later after his death, and John Baer: The Extraordinary Ordinary / A Memoir in Photographs, 1945–1954 marks their first public release

After the violence and chaos in France, there’s only one beneficiary: Marine Le Pen | Paul Taylor 20 October 2026 at 05:59

After the violence and chaos in France, there’s only one beneficiary: Marine Le Pen | Paul Taylor

The Guardian

By: Paul Taylor

20 October 2026 at 05:59

The far-right leader’s promise to restore order will appeal to many ahead of next year’s presidential elections – the stakes are suddenly much higher

There is only one clear winner so far from France’s chaos: Marine Le Pen. The violence and rioting that engulfed towns and cities across the country over the weekend, six months before a pivotal presidential election, is a godsend for the hard-right, Eurosceptical, anti-immigration candidate. As buildings burned, shops were looted and police attacked, the rioting largely drowned out peaceful mass protests over the dilapidated state of schools , fuel prices and the cost of living.

Across France and the rest of Europe, people are in shock at scenes of arson and pillage in city centres, the wrecking of symbols of the republic such as the 19th-century town hall in peaceful provincial Limoges and the bust of Marianne in Marseille’s city hall, and the looting of more than 2,000 shops.

Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre

Excessive wealth, extreme emissions – and ecocide: what I learned at Europe’s big superyacht show 20 October 2026 at 05:00

Excessive wealth, extreme emissions – and ecocide: what I learned at Europe’s big superyacht show

The Guardian

By: Sam Wollaston

20 October 2026 at 05:00

These yachts are highly popular with the ‘super-bourgeoisie’ – and getting bigger. Can anything be done to stop them destroying our seas?

Who knew? Apparently everyone did, apart from me: you don’t wear shoes on a superyacht. Now, about to step on to my first teak deck at the Monaco Yacht Show, I’ve got to take my trainers off, and I’m having a sock panic. Have they got holes? Do they even match? Do they smell?

To be honest, I’ve come dressed all wrong for Europe’s big annual superyacht trade exhibition. The code for men seems to be crisp and tucked in, blazers and chinos, navy and white, sculpted hair and designer sunnies. (I went colourful, loose, casual). For women, it’s something like Riviera elegance. Everyone – whether they’re Italian, French, English, German, American, exhibitors, buyers, brokers, charterers – seems to know each other. The international superyacht community seems to be a close-knit one, and I’m not part of it. Yet.

Serbian prosecutor who investigated Belgrade Trump tower project ‘targeted with spyware’ 20 October 2026 at 05:00

Serbian prosecutor who investigated Belgrade Trump tower project ‘targeted with spyware’

The Guardian

By: Tom Burgis

20 October 2026 at 05:00

Apparent attempt to hack Rade Bajić’s iPhone comes amid efforts to undermine landmark criminal case

A Serbian prosecutor who investigated the authorities’ allegedly illegal scheme to help the Trumps build a tower in Belgrade has been targeted with advanced spyware, expert analysis indicates.

The finding suggests a disturbing new element in the authoritarian Serbian regime’s campaign to undermine what is believed to be the first criminal case related to global moneymaking drive of the US president’s family, which critics describe as a “pay to play” scheme trading the Trump administration’s favour for business opportunities.

Getting Ziggy with it: David Bowie’s alter egos inspire dance show that will transform his songs 20 October 2026 at 03:30

Getting Ziggy with it: David Bowie’s alter egos inspire dance show that will transform his songs

The Guardian

By: Chris Wiegand Stage editor

20 October 2026 at 03:30

Subject to Change: A Dance for David Bowie will explore how the musician ‘practised a form of artistic reincarnation’, says choreographer Marcos Morau

‘Let’s dance,” sang David Bowie in 1983, commanding: “Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.” That call is to be answered – with footwear TBC – by an international dance production featuring new choral arrangements of songs from throughout his career.

Subject to Change: A Dance for David Bowie will be staged at Sadler’s Wells in London in autumn 2028 after a world premiere in Luxembourg. It will visit Tokyo in 2029. The show will explore how Bowie “practised a form of artistic reincarnation” according to Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau who is taking inspiration from the superstar’s transformations into personas such as Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke.

Do not be distracted by global crises. Nature cannot wait for a better year – we must act now | Steven Guilbeault 20 October 2026 at 03:00

Do not be distracted by global crises. Nature cannot wait for a better year – we must act now | Steven Guilbeault

The Guardian

By: Steven Guilbeault

20 October 2026 at 03:00

In 2022, I helped push through the international agreement to protect biodiversity. Wars and economic pressures can make nature seem like a ‘nice-to-have’. But it is a critical asset, and Cop17 must deliver real action

When I was five, property developers came to cut down the woods behind my home in La Tuque, Quebec. My mother encouraged me to climb one of the trees in protest, then told the developers, straight-faced, that there was nothing she could do when they asked her to get me down. A few days later, the tree was cut down anyway.

I thought about that tree in the early hours of a freezing Montreal morning in December 2022, as the gavel came down on a global agreement between nearly 200 countries to halt and reverse the loss of nature by 2030. I thought about how important nature is for our health, our food security and our economies, but also how much passion there is around protecting it, and how it has the power to inspire people all around the world.

Google Reports Cloud Disruptions in Europe 20 October 2026 at 09:04

Google Reports Cloud Disruptions in Europe

NYT: Technology

By: Leo Sands

20 October 2026 at 09:04

The disruptions began around 7 a.m. in London after what the tech giant called a “power event.”

A Google office in London. Its cloud services were experiencing intermittent network failures in the region, the company said on Tuesday.

The ‘Finger cutter’ and the ‘Brazilian Escobar’: the men accused of bringing cocaine cartels to Europe 20 October 2026 at 02:00

The ‘Finger cutter’ and the ‘Brazilian Escobar’: the men accused of bringing cocaine cartels to Europe

The Guardian

By: Andrei Netto in Brussels and Paris

20 October 2026 at 02:00

A Belgian criminal organisation’s links with a Brazilian cocaine gang have been the focus of a major trial in Brussels, where smuggling links have been alleged between European players and the drug cartels of Latin America

In the early hours of 7 September, a convoy of heavily armed police swept through the sleeping streets of central Brussels towards the Haren district, on the city’s north-eastern outskirts. They made their way to 22 Avenue du Bourget, a militarised bunker-like complex that was the former headquarters of Nato.

The modernist complex, with its austere and functional architecture, was hastily built in 1967 and houses the Justitia courtroom, where Belgium’s federal trials are now held. It was here that the perpetrators and accomplices of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks and the 2016 Brussels attacks were tried in 2022.

‘The last bastion is gone’: the US right idolised Orbán’s Hungary. Can they recover now he has fallen? 20 October 2026 at 00:00

‘The last bastion is gone’: the US right idolised Orbán’s Hungary. Can they recover now he has fallen?

The Guardian

By: Brian Goodman

20 October 2026 at 00:00

Over the past decade, Hungary has been a beacon for the ‘postliberal’ right, with pro-Trump thinkers making regular pilgrimages to Budapest. Now Orbán is gone, how will the movement adapt?

A longer version of this article first appeared in The Drift

Espresso Embassy, a third-wave coffee shop in Budapest’s diplomatic and governmental quarter, is where visiting reporters and academics come to talk politics. On the way in for my morning coffee on 18 March, I passed a poster for Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party that had been vandalised with a marker pen: “the safe choice” had become “the certain way to get fucked”. From across the cafe, I spotted the American journalist and historian Anne Applebaum locked in conversation, possibly with a source. I heard someone exclaim: “Just like Mussolini!” It was election season in Hungary.

It was also a couple of days before Cpac Hungary, a satellite event of the US-based conservative conference. As members of the international right arrived in town, the notorious Orbánist thinktank known as the Danube Institute was hosting an event called On Censorship, Tolerance, the Left and God. The official line would be: bad, good, bad, good.

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy claims US deliberately delaying interceptor missile deliveries to Kyiv 19 October 2026 at 20:44

Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy claims US deliberately delaying interceptor missile deliveries to Kyiv

The Guardian

By: Guardian staff and agencies

19 October 2026 at 20:44

Ukrainian president tells US senators the delayed missiles have already been paid for by European countries, amid growing rift. What we know on day 1,700

Italy to deploy 500 troops to Milan after days of protests and looting 20 October 2026 at 12:13

Italy to deploy 500 troops to Milan after days of protests and looting

The Guardian

By: Angela Giuffrida in Rome and Jon Henley in Paris

20 October 2026 at 12:13

Government planning tougher security measures as France also says military forces will be deployed

Why are people protesting across Europe?

Italy’s government is sending 500 soldiers to Milan and vowed a “firm response from the state” after protests against the cost of living descended into clashes with police, vandalism and looting. Further demonstrations are planned on Saturday.

The government of the far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is also planning to swiftly approve tougher new security measures, including extending preventive detention for minors, cracking down on youth gangs and banning gatherings for people deemed a threat to public order, Italian media reported on Tuesday.

‘Crucial opportunity to act’ as study finds most of Europe’s wild bee species in decline 19 October 2026 at 15:00

‘Crucial opportunity to act’ as study finds most of Europe’s wild bee species in decline

The Guardian

By: Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent

19 October 2026 at 15:00

As Cop17 kicks off, records since 1921 show more bee species declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the Alps

Most of Europe’s wild bee species and about half of its hover fly species have declined over the last century, a study has found, as a UN biodiversity summit begins in Armenia.

Records since 1921 show more bee species are declining than increasing in all parts of Europe except the Alpine region. The richness of bee and hover fly species suffered a persistent drop in the Atlantic and Continental regions, the study found, though trends in other regions were mixed or even positive.

The Guardian view on France’s protests: a polarised country is in a perilous political moment | Editorial 19 October 2026 at 13:30

The Guardian view on France’s protests: a polarised country is in a perilous political moment | Editorial

The Guardian

By: Editorial

19 October 2026 at 13:30

The scenes of social unrest and violence at the weekend are an ominous portent, ahead of elections which may deliver a far-right presidency

In Emmanuel Macron’s book Revolution, published ahead of the 2017 presidential election that he went on to win, he promised to restore hope to a country that was losing faith in its future. As Mr Macron’s lame-duck second term enters its last phase against a quasi-insurrectionary backdrop of torched public buildings and looted shops, the failure of that political project appears total.

The worst scenes of urban violence for years overshadowed a weekend of protest that gravely undermined what is left of the French president’s authority. As police lost control of the streets, more than 2,000 shops were ransacked. Far-left groups targeted town halls and local buildings, and engaged in pitched battles with the police, whose disastrously heavy-handed response to last week’s high school protests has succeeded only in escalating tensions.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

The Guardian view on Trump and Putin: Ukraine’s future is not theirs to bargain away | Editorial 19 October 2026 at 13:25

The Guardian view on Trump and Putin: Ukraine’s future is not theirs to bargain away | Editorial

The Guardian

By: Editorial

19 October 2026 at 13:25

Russia wants America and China to decide Ukraine’s future without Kyiv. Europe must challenge this dangerous return to diplomacy of the strong for the strong

Does Vladimir Putin know exactly how to play Donald Trump? The history of chummy phone calls, high-profile meetings and attempts to bring Russia in from the cold certainly suggests that Moscow’s thuggish ruler has a hold on this American president. If Mr Trump agrees to negotiate Ukraine’s future with Mr Putin and China’s Xi Jinping without Ukraine at the table, he will have handed the Russian leader a victory before talks begin. The message will be that strongmen are ruling the world and determining the fate of weaker nations.

Ukraine has the right to determine its future. That right cannot be waved away by a self-serving Russian proposal, however much it indulges Mr Trump’s belief that world affairs should be settled by powerful men. The scales are falling from European eyes. Trumpian America is raising doubts about whether it will help deter aggression or even honour its Nato commitments. If Washington now rewards Moscow and pressures Ukraine to accept a raw deal, it would be a betrayal. European governments would wonder where America might be in the future when their own security is threatened.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

We need to stop disinformation in UK political adverts. Here’s a chance to do so | Letter 19 October 2026 at 13:17

We need to stop disinformation in UK political adverts. Here’s a chance to do so | Letter

The Guardian

By: Guardian Staff

19 October 2026 at 13:17

Alex Tait on a proposed amendment to the representation of the people bill, and Dr Joseph Mullen on Russian interference in the Brexit referendum

Andy Burnham’s comments about Russian interference in Brexit (Report, 11 October) and the warning by the MI5 chief, Ken McCallum, against exaggerating its impact (Report, 13 October) risk overlooking another serious threat to electoral integrity: disinformation from our own political parties and campaigners.

Foreign interference deserves scrutiny, but misleading factual claims in electoral advertising are unregulated, unlike in commercial advertising. We have four sets of rules to ensure an advert for a packet of sausages is accurate, but none for the most important advertising of all – ads that influence how we vote.

Ben Jennings on the violent protests in France – cartoon 19 October 2026 at 12:48

Ben Jennings on the violent protests in France – cartoon

The Guardian

By: Ben Jennings

19 October 2026 at 12:48

Shall we have another EU referendum? Maybe – but not yet | Polly Toynbee 19 October 2026 at 11:17

Shall we have another EU referendum? Maybe – but not yet | Polly Toynbee

The Guardian

By: Polly Toynbee

19 October 2026 at 11:17

We saw last time what reckless reliance on close polling led to. The omertà on rejoining has now been broken, but it would be folly to move too soon

When I hear that word again, a shudder runs down my spine. I want to groan, hold my head in my hands and wail. The horror! No, never again, not another referendum. But the idea is back in play as Andy Burnham looks for ways to reverse a decade of economic stagnation.

As the prime minister dared to unlock the door to a Brussels reunion, you could hear Ode to Joy burst out from all remainers. But the prospect of a re-run of the most self-destructive vote in our history is dismaying.

Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist

Albania accused of rushing through Trump-linked resort in formerly protected landscape 19 October 2026 at 09:53

Albania accused of rushing through Trump-linked resort in formerly protected landscape

The Guardian

By: Helena Smith

19 October 2026 at 09:53

Dutch MEP says government is trying to avoid EU environmental rules as protests over luxury development turn violent

MEPs have accused Albania of deploying “sneaky” practices to fast-track a proposed Trump-linked luxury resort in the country amid protests that have turned increasingly violent.

As the prime minister, Edi Rama, pledged to “listen to the voices of young people” taking to the streets, there was mounting criticism of his failure to address demonstrators who had long opposed the controversial project peacefully.

France imposes partial curfews in several cities, including parts of Paris 19 October 2026 at 14:16

France imposes partial curfews in several cities, including parts of Paris

The Guardian

By: Jon Henley in Paris

19 October 2026 at 14:16

Interior minister concedes police ‘lost control’ of weekend protests as PM vows to restore public order

Partial curfews have been issued for a number of French cities, including parts of Paris, after the government admitted police had “lost control” during violent weekend protests around the country.

Sébastien Lecornu, the French prime minister, said after an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday he was “fully resolved to restore public order” and had called for “local and partial” curfews if needed. There was “no question” of imposing a full curfew on entire cities, he said.

Four years ago countries made a historic deal to save nature. Is it dead in the water? 19 October 2026 at 06:16

Four years ago countries made a historic deal to save nature. Is it dead in the water?

The Guardian

By: Patrick Greenfield

19 October 2026 at 06:16

So far not a single target of the plan has been met. As negotiators convene for Cop17, the pressure is on to find a way to honour the commitments made at previous summits

Cop17 at a glance: everything you need to know about the UN’s nature summit

Passersby could smell the dead fish before they saw them. In August, more than 3,000 pike, roach, carp and rudd were found lifeless along the River Wensum in Norwich. Some gasped for air in their final moments, desperate for the oxygen that heatwave conditions had depleted in the water. Investigators believe that the die-off was triggered by heavy rainfall that flushed through high concentrations of pollution at a time when wildlife were already struggling.

The 45-mile (70km) chalk river is one of about 250 in the country. They are a geological accident almost unique to Britain – and one of Earth’s rarest habitats. They emerge from chalk aquifers and are home to species such as freshwater shrimp, otters and stoneflies, also providing drinking water for millions of people. But just 11 have formal protection, with many ravaged by sewage pollution and overextraction. The Norfolk river is one of the few that does have legal protection, but it is in poor ecological health.

US gave us no warning of Russian strikes on Kyiv power plants, Zelenskyy says 19 October 2026 at 05:03

US gave us no warning of Russian strikes on Kyiv power plants, Zelenskyy says

The Guardian

By: Andrew Roth in Kyiv

19 October 2026 at 05:03

Ukrainian president accuses Washington of ‘denial of reality’ in ongoing row with Trump over apparent support for Moscow

Ukraine did not receive a warning from the US about an impending Russian missile attack on Sunday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, reviving concerns that Washington is withholding intelligence in order to bully Kyiv into capitulating to Moscow.

Yuri Ihnat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force, said on television on Monday morning that Ukraine had not received a warning before a Russian missile barrage hit power plants in Kyiv at about 11pm. Earlier, a Ukrainian government official had told the Guardian the US had not warned the capital about the impending missile strike.

French authorities announce partial curfews as PM blames ‘ultra-left’ for exploiting protests – Europe live 19 October 2026 at 15:41

French authorities announce partial curfews as PM blames ‘ultra-left’ for exploiting protests – Europe live

The Guardian

By: Lucy Campbell (now) · Nadeem Badshah, Jakub Krupa and Martin Belam (earlier)

19 October 2026 at 15:41

Curfews to apply to parts of cities including Paris, Nice and Lyon after days of violence on French streets

Macron criticises ‘unbridled violence’ after 2,400 arrests across France

French PM Lecornu says he has asked prefects to implement “a number of partial curfews” in certain “localised” urban areas to stop further disorder, which he attributes to “the extreme-left” and some criminal elements.

We will no doubt hear more on this from local authorities, as in the example of Marseille (10:32).

The housing crisis is now global. It shows just how undemocratic our nations have become | Leilani Farha 19 October 2026 at 01:00

The housing crisis is now global. It shows just how undemocratic our nations have become | Leilani Farha

The Guardian

By: Leilani Farha

19 October 2026 at 01:00

When we can’t even afford to rent or buy somewhere to live, we have to ask: did we give the financial sector too much power?

Leilani Farha is the former UN special rapporteur on adequate housing

In the summer of 2021, I visited a homeless community in a park in Toronto, Canada, and spoke to one of the residents. He was living in a tent in the shadow of brand new skyscrapers, and had been homeless for about five years. At one point he swivelled around, pointed up at a crane on the skyline, and said: “Who are they building those for? Definitely not for me.”

He was right. And he captured something experienced by ordinary people around the world: the growing conviction that the housing system is no longer tethered to their needs. What he was pointing at is not just a housing crisis. It is a crisis of democracy.

Leilani Farha is the 2026 CBC Massey lecturer. This piece is based on her new book: Housing Inc.: A Global Takeover and Our Fight for Home. She is the former UN special rapporteur on adequate housing and the global director of the international human rights organisation, The Shift

Tap water no longer drinkable in Norwegian town as climate-related thawing releases heavy metals 19 October 2026 at 01:00

Tap water no longer drinkable in Norwegian town as climate-related thawing releases heavy metals

The Guardian

By: Karen McVeigh

19 October 2026 at 01:00

Warning for other Arctic communities as residents told not to use water in Longyearbyen in Svalbard, one of the fastest-warming places in the world

Residents of a remote town in Norway that is in one of the fastest-warming places in the world have been told they must no longer drink tap water due to heavy metal contamination that scientists have linked to the thawing permafrost.

Longyearbyen, in the archipelago of Svalbard, gets its main drinking water supply from a 1.5 mile-long (2.5km) dammed lake called Isdammen, or “ice pond”. Higher temperatures as a result of the climate crisis have thawed permafrost, leading to newly exposed bedrock leaching metals into the pond.

Cop17 at a glance: everything you need to know about the UN’s nature summit 19 October 2026 at 00:00

Cop17 at a glance: everything you need to know about the UN’s nature summit

The Guardian

By: Patrick Greenfield

19 October 2026 at 00:00

This month’s biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia, aims to push governments to meet the 23 targets agreed at Cop15 in 2022

This month, nearly every country on Earth will return to the question of how to stem the rapid destruction of the natural world. Humans are driving it, but so far we have not found a way to stop it.

In late 2022, governments reached an ambitious once-in-a-decade deal to better protect nature amid scientific warnings that the planet is going through the largest loss of life since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Now, they are assessing their progress on the targets for the first time.

‘Narcos have one language – violence’: the activist defying France’s biggest drug cartel after his brothers’ murder 19 October 2026 at 00:00

‘Narcos have one language – violence’: the activist defying France’s biggest drug cartel after his brothers’ murder

The Guardian

By: Angelique Chrisafis in Marseille

19 October 2026 at 00:00

Amine Kessaci, 23, lives under constant threat as trial of five men becomes focus of nation’s battle with mafia-style crime

At 23, he is one of the most heavily protected people in France, constantly sleeping in different locations to escape the threat of contract killers from the country’s biggest drug cartel.

“Narcos and drug traffickers only have one language, one method: violence,” said Amine Kessaci, a young law student from a Marseille housing estate, who, after the murder of his two brothers, has become the most outspoken voice against the Latin American-style narco gangs expanding their reach across France.

Core values: the Austrian scheme bringing forgotten apple varieties back to life 19 October 2026 at 00:00

Core values: the Austrian scheme bringing forgotten apple varieties back to life

The Guardian

By: Deborah Cole

19 October 2026 at 00:00

Spar pilot scheme will test whether heirloom fruit can thrive in today’s commercial and environmental conditions

Only about 10 of the 2,000 types of apples growing in Austria can be found in supermarkets among the polished, pristine fruit usually on display – a sad ratio according to fans of historic varieties being primed for a comeback.

One of the country’s biggest retail chains has embarked on a pilot rollout of unusual and long-forgotten apples enjoyed in previous centuries, riding an international trend of reviving heirloom fruit and vegetables.

Britain cannot deal effectively with geopolitical crises without rejoining EU, says thinktank 19 October 2026 at 00:00

Britain cannot deal effectively with geopolitical crises without rejoining EU, says thinktank

The Guardian

By: Kiran Stacey

19 October 2026 at 00:00

‘Sovereignty without the ability to act on it is not autonomy,’ paper by Institute for Public Policy Research says

Britain cannot deal effectively with geopolitical crises such as Russian aggression and political turmoil in the US without rejoining the EU, according to an influential thinktank.

The Institute for Public Policy Research has become the latest organisation close to the Labour party to call for the UK to re-enter the bloc, after Andy Burnham said he wanted to examine all possible options.

A spy charge, a Russian jail and a swap for an assassin: the story of Evan Gershkovich – podcast 18 October 2026 at 22:00

A spy charge, a Russian jail and a swap for an assassin: the story of Evan Gershkovich – podcast

The Guardian

By: Presented by Annie Kelly with Evan Gershkovich · produced by George McDonagh, Guy Szafman and Brian McNamara · executive producer Sami Kent and Homa Khaleeli

18 October 2026 at 22:00

American journalist Evan Gershkovich talks about his arrest by the Russian intelligence services in 2023, his 16-month detention, and the swap deal that eventually took him home. Get in touch at tif.questions@theguardian.com

Evan Gershkovich was in an American-style steakhouse – with fake deer heads on the walls – talking to a contact in an eastern Russian city when masked agents of the Russian intelligence service burst in. ‘It was a trap from the start,’ he says. The American journalist who was working for the Wall Street Journal was detained, beaten and charged with espionage.

Evan talks to Annie Kelly about his arrest, what happened during his detention in a high-security jail, and the swap deal that finally took him home.

Electricity costs put UK steelmakers in worst position in three years against EU rivals 18 October 2026 at 19:01

Electricity costs put UK steelmakers in worst position in three years against EU rivals

The Guardian

By: Jasper Jolly

18 October 2026 at 19:01

Premium paid over French counterparts has risen to almost £30 a megawatt hour, analysis by lobby group finds

British steelmakers have been pushed further behind European rivals on electricity costs after the US-Israeli war on Iran caused a surge in global gas prices.

The premium paid by the British industry over its French counterpart has risen to almost £30 a megawatt hour (MWh), its highest level in three years, according to analysis by the lobby group UK Steel.

Shabana Mahmood to hold talks with EU over law enforcement cooperation 18 October 2026 at 14:13

Shabana Mahmood to hold talks with EU over law enforcement cooperation

The Guardian

By: Lisa O’Carroll senior correspondent

18 October 2026 at 14:13

UK home secretary’s meeting comes after PM said he wanted to rejoin European law enforcement databases

The UK home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, will meet the EU’s home affairs commissioner on Monday for further talks just days after Andy Burnham said he wanted to rejoin European law enforcement databases from which the UK has been locked out of since Brexit.

According to the European Commission, they will discuss “migration, border management, law enforcement cooperation and counter-terrorism”, with the latest Frontex data published on Monday showing a 43% decline in small boats crossing the Channel.

Zelenskyy thanks Trump for resumed intelligence sharing after US Starlink ‘message’ 18 October 2026 at 12:37

Zelenskyy thanks Trump for resumed intelligence sharing after US Starlink ‘message’

The Guardian

By: Andrew Roth in Kyiv and Sam Jones

18 October 2026 at 12:37

Two people killed and at least 17 injured as Russia and Ukraine continue to trade strikes on power infrastructure

Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday thanked the Trump administration for resuming intelligence sharing between the two countries, but maintained the US had intentionally throttled its Starlink satellite internet access so that Donald Trump could send a “message” in his ongoing feud with the Ukrainian president.

In an interview on NBC, Zelenskyy said the US had “unblocked” intelligence on impending Russian ballistic missile strikes, which have pounded the country’s energy infrastructure as winter draws in.

The Guardian view on plague in Russia: what is most worrying is the lack of information | Editorial 18 October 2026 at 12:30

The Guardian view on plague in Russia: what is most worrying is the lack of information | Editorial

The Guardian

By: Editorial

18 October 2026 at 12:30

In the three weeks since a health worker’s death in Siberia, officials have stonewalled the WHO – setting a worrying precedent for future pandemics

Is there a plague outbreak in Russia? If the answer were a clear yes, there shouldn’t be much reason to worry. With swift medical intervention, plague is treatable. But in the nearly three weeks since a worker at a Siberian plague research unit died of a mysterious respiratory illness, state officials have been consistently tight-lipped about what happened and whether there were any further cases.

It is this uncertainty that has the World Health Organization (WHO) and international community worried: partly because there is a – very small – risk of an outbreak, and partly because it is yet another warning that the international coordination we rely on to prevent pandemics is fraying along with the rest of international politics, and could easily fail to protect us in the future.

Nicola Jennings on Trump’s new White House press secretary – cartoon 18 October 2026 at 12:28

Nicola Jennings on Trump’s new White House press secretary – cartoon

The Guardian

By: Nicola Jennings

18 October 2026 at 12:28

Macron criticises ‘unbridled violence’ after days of unrest and 2,400 arrests across France 18 October 2026 at 14:57

Macron criticises ‘unbridled violence’ after days of unrest and 2,400 arrests across France

The Guardian

By: Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

18 October 2026 at 14:57

Ministers, officials and police under pressure over response to protests as government holds crisis talks amid ‘colossal failure of the state’

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has criticised “unbridled violence” after one of the most violent days of unrest in years left public buildings burned, hundreds of shops destroyed and looted and at least 2,400 people arrested in cities across the country.

“Watching these images, we have all asked ourselves how could French people do this to France?” he said in a televised address.

I saw rioting, looting, above all, anger. If French leaders think more violence will solve this, they’re mistaken | Oliver Haynes 18 October 2026 at 11:06

I saw rioting, looting, above all, anger. If French leaders think more violence will solve this, they’re mistaken | Oliver Haynes

The Guardian

By: Oliver Haynes

18 October 2026 at 11:06

It’s a perfect storm of protesters with heartfelt grievances and others set on conflict. The key here is the sense of betrayal that united them on the streets

The first thing I learned on the streets of Paris this weekend is that there is no arguing with teargas. I arrived at Place de la République just after 1pm yesterday. The mood was festive until police started firing volleys of teargas into the square from Rue du Faubourg-du-Temple.

I didn’t see the inciting incident – if there even was one – and tried walking into the cloud of CS gas hanging in the air. It was impossible. The gas clings to your nose and burns your eyes, and you quickly start struggling to breathe. I retreated towards the Boulevard de Magenta, blinking furiously to stop the stinging.

Oliver Haynes is a journalist and co-host of Sacré Bleu: the French presidential election podcast

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.

‘We are suffocating’: protests spread to Lisbon and Milan as housing and living cost tensions intensify 18 October 2026 at 07:02

‘We are suffocating’: protests spread to Lisbon and Milan as housing and living cost tensions intensify

The Guardian

By: Sam Jones in Madrid and agencies

18 October 2026 at 07:02

Hundreds at Lisbon tent camp demand action, as Giorgia Meloni says march in Italy was exploited by ‘hooligans’

The angry protests that have convulsed Spain and France in recent weeks have spilled over to Italy and Portugal, with rioters clashing with police and setting property on fire in Milan, and a tent encampment springing up in Lisbon over the weekend.

A march in central Milan on Saturday to protest against rising living costs began peacefully but ended with masked rioters throwing stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police and setting fire to barricades made from bar tables.

‘How do we welcome the stranger, with humanity or anger?’ The forgotten Germans who found refuge in Ireland 18 October 2026 at 02:00

‘How do we welcome the stranger, with humanity or anger?’ The forgotten Germans who found refuge in Ireland

The Guardian

By: John Kampfner

18 October 2026 at 02:00

A new play revisits the story of Ireland’s 18th-century German refugees, whose experience of prejudice and exclusion resonates with today’s debates over immigration

In the early 18th century, a few thousand Germans fled religious persecution and near starvation in their homeland and ended up in remote rural Irish villages. The Irish Palatines, as they were known, were poor, conservative homesteaders who couldn’t speak the language and were the object of suspicion and violence – precursors to the displaced Syrians or Afghans of the past decade.

Their story is told in Refuge, a co-production between Staatstheater Mainz and the Irish company Fishamble. Part love story, part social commentary, it is performed by a mixed cast, mainly in English but with some German interludes.

Intensifying drone attacks on ships in Black Sea bring war ever closer to Nato shores 18 October 2026 at 01:00

Intensifying drone attacks on ships in Black Sea bring war ever closer to Nato shores

The Guardian

By: Peter Beaumont Senior international correspondent

18 October 2026 at 01:00

Six attacks in 10 days by suspected Russian drones mark dramatic escalation in maritime conflict

The first the crew of the Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria knew of an attack on a cargo ship in their country’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea in the early hours of 6 October was a distant explosion 70 miles off the coastal town of Byala.

The Turkish-owned Alfa Watan, heading for the Romanian port of Sulina, had been struck by suspected Russian air and naval drones. Arriving on the scene, Dioscuria found an overturned lifeboat and lifejackets in the water. There was no sign, however, of Alfa Watan’s crew of 10.

‘I felt disgusted’: MEP speaks out over nude deepfakes and urges EU action 18 October 2026 at 00:00

‘I felt disgusted’: MEP speaks out over nude deepfakes and urges EU action

The Guardian

By: Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspondent

18 October 2026 at 00:00

Lena Schilling of Austrian Greens says images are ‘digital violence against women’ and a threat to democracy

An Austrian MEP has spoken out about her experience of being “stripped naked” online without her consent and has urged the EU to take action, as a report found that one in six female MEPs had been targeted by sexualised AI-generated content.

Lena Schilling of the Green party said she had learned last month about nude deepfakes of herself circulating online. When she opened the links, she found herself staring at images from one of her first ever press conferences – but the images had been digitally altered to remove her clothing.

Is sisterhood the secret to a long life? The Sardinian village that could hold key to women’s longevity 18 October 2026 at 00:00

Is sisterhood the secret to a long life? The Sardinian village that could hold key to women’s longevity

The Guardian

By: Angela Giuffrida in Bolotana

18 October 2026 at 00:00

Meet some of the elderly residents of Bolotana, in line to be the world’s sixth ‘blue zone’ for its high number of female centenarians

When Giovanna Marras opens the door to her home in Bolotana, a mountain village in central Sardinia, her eyes are bright with curiosity as she sizes up her visitors. Her sister, Mariangela, peeks out too, soon ushering her guests inside and handing out dishes of ice-cream. The sisters are full of life, talking animatedly. Giovanna is 101 and Mariangela is 99.

Sitting in their living room, Giovanna swiftly recaps her life story: she excelled at school before moving to Cagliari, the capital of the Italian island, at 18 to train as a seamstress. The sisters went on to run a successful tailoring business in Bolotana before travelling the world after retirement. Neither married.

Trump’s pause on Russia sanctions is ‘reward’ for Putin, Zelenskyy says 17 October 2026 at 10:46

Trump’s pause on Russia sanctions is ‘reward’ for Putin, Zelenskyy says

The Guardian

By: Andrew Roth in Kyiv

17 October 2026 at 10:46

Ukrainian president warns it will embolden Russian leader and intensify war as Moscow hits country’s power plants

Power plant attacks reflect Russian blueprint to make Ukrainian cities unlivable

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described Donald Trump’s decision to roll back sanctions on Russia as a “reward” for Vladimir Putin and warned it will embolden the Russian leader and intensify the Kremlin’s war, as Moscow launched one of its worst strikes yet on Ukraine’s power plants in an attempt to black out the country’s cities before winter.

The Ukrainian president also said he expected the Trump administration to lift more sanctions against Russia in the future and called for Europe to establish its own negotiations with Moscow as the US has sought better ties and business deals with the Kremlin.

Pope Leo discharged from hospital after cancer operation 17 October 2026 at 09:41

Pope Leo discharged from hospital after cancer operation

The Guardian

By: Angela Giuffrida in Rome

17 October 2026 at 09:41

Doctors say pontiff is ‘fit for discharge’ after operation to remove cancerous tumour from his lung

Pope Leo lung cancer surgery: what kind of operation did he have and what happens next?

Pope Leo has been discharged from hospital in Rome after undergoing an operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his lung.

Leo, 71, was deemed “fit for discharge”, his doctors, Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritora, said in a statement published by the Vatican.

Buildings set ablaze and more than 1,200 arrested as police clash with protesters across France 17 October 2026 at 20:01

Buildings set ablaze and more than 1,200 arrested as police clash with protesters across France

The Guardian

By: Kim Willsher in Paris and William Christou

17 October 2026 at 20:01

Police fire teargas in Paris and Limoges town hall ‘largely lost’ to fire – with officials blaming violence on ‘ultra-left’

More than 1,200 people were arrested in France on Saturday after protesters supporting high school students clashed with police, with some demonstrations later spiralling out of control as buildings were set ablaze and shops looted.

Police fired teargas in confrontations with protesters, as demonstrations across France were boosted by other groups angry about high prices and the fraying of a social welfare system. While hundreds of thousands protested peacefully in street marches in scores of cities, violent fringe groups targeted public buildings, luxury boutiques and supermarkets and attacked police vehicles and officers.

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