Ukrainian drones force closure of all four Moscow airports overnight, cancelling dozens of flights
Moscow’s airports were closed for 101 hours in the first 14 days of October, more than double the total for all of September.
Italy: Nationwide air traffic control issues disrupt flights at Rome airport
Flight delays and cancellations disrupted Rome’s Fiumicino Airport on Friday 16 October after a fault in the data-transmission network supporting Italy’s nationwide air traffic control system.
KFC to switch to Coca-Cola beverages in U.S. restaurants for the first time in decades
KFC is switching from PepsiCo to Coca-Cola as its beverage supplier for U.S. restaurants.
Putin seizes five more European firms, continuing Russia's hostile asset crackdown
The decree covers a flooring manufacturer, a paper packaging firm, a hygiene products maker, and two metal- and plastic-packaging companies, all of which continued operating in Russia after the all-out invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Banks expect to be hit with higher taxes in Budget
Senior banking executives have told the BBC they expect to be "on the menu" in the chancellor's Budget tax later this month.
Flash floods destroy villages in central Nepal
Landslide blocks river and triggers downstream flooding, while summer temperatures persist in PortugalFlash floods have swept through Nepal’s central Gorkha district after a pre-dawn landslide on 11 October blocked the Budhi Gandaki River, triggering severe downstream flooding. Two villages in the worst-affected Chumanubri rural municipality were reportedly destroyed, with homes, roads and bridges washed away. Part of a hydropower station was also damaged.After river levels surged from 2 metres to nearly 8.5 metres within hours, the national disaster risk reduction and management authority reported that 204 homes were damaged, and more than 650 people had been affected. More than 100 foreign trekkers were stranded in the popular hiking region. The floods come just two months after catastrophic flooding and landslides devastated parts of the country on the border with Tibet, leaving thousands dead or missing. Continue reading...
Museum releases historical photos of island where Amelia Earhart may have crashed
Images from New Zealand aerial survey of Nikumaroro in 1938 offer new clues over aviator’s disappearanceA New Zealand museum has released nearly 50 photos from a 1938 aerial survey of the island where Amelia Earhart is believed to have crash-landed, offering amateur sleuths new evidence to scour for traces of the pioneering aviator and her plane.The black-and-white images were published by the Air Force Museum of New Zealand after renewed interest in one of the biggest mysteries of the 20th century, spurred by a US expedition to the Pacific atoll of Nikumaroro in search of new clues. Continue reading...
Latest news bulletin | October 16th, 2026 – Midday
Catch up with the most important stories from around Europe and beyond this October 16th, 2026 - latest news, breaking news, World, Business, Entertainment, Politics, Culture, Travel.
Military signals building: Is the US-Iran war about to escalate?
Two US aircraft carriers are in the Arabian Sea, tanker sorties over the region are running 50% above September’s rate and Trump has not ruled out intensified strikes after November’s midterm elections.
Penguin Colony review – an Antarctic odyssey of Nazis and Lovecraftian horrors
PC; Origame DigitalThis odd but absorbing adventure sends you waddling across Antarctica in search of an eldritch entity – uncovering a world far stranger than it first appearsA Nazi kneels down on frozen snow, staring at an endless Antarctic horizon. Another holds a gun to his head, ready to end his own life. I direct a small waddling penguin up to them, trying to imagine what it could be thinking. Dismay, perhaps. Likely bewilderment. But then a faint smile seems to break out across its beaky face, as if amused by these silly humans and their misguided belief that they could ever best this howling, harsh landscape.For most games, the idea of playing as a penguin observing Nazis losing the plot near the south pole would be weird enough. But Penguin Colony, developed by Origame Digital, pushes further. This is an audacious, frequently brilliant retelling of HP Lovecraft’s 1936 novella At the Mountains of Madness, in which eldritch horrors are just as common as Nazis. Further weirdness abounds: the many collectibles scattered about this place are not shiny gold objects à la Super Mario or Sonic. Rather, they are words. So tottering about as a semiaquatic bird, you have a unique mission: collect human language. Continue reading...
At least 12 dead after migrant boat sinks off Gambia
The IOM says increased controls in traditional departure spots in Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal have pushed some migrants seeking to reach Europe further south, towards countries such as The Gambia.
Ukraine unveils flying ambulance drone that could save lives in minutes
A Ukrainian company has demonstrated an unusual new battlefield rescue system: a drone capable of carrying a wounded soldier inside an enclosed cabin. Developed by SkyFall, the aircraft, named StarGate, was filmed taking off, flying and landing with a person on board.
Families of 34 children killed in Pakistan school roof collapse demand justice
A senior official in Peshawar told the AFP news agency that initial reports suggested the roof collapse was due to "weak infrastructure".
AI threatens democracy. But we are not powerless: here’s how to fight back | Carine Fouteau
Tech platforms pillage public-interest journalism for profit. But we have leverage as they sow the seeds of their own downfallCarine Fouteau is president and publishing director of the French investigative news outlet MediapartBig tech companies pose an immeasurable threat: socially, politically, militarily and ecologically. They are also causing a profound crisis of information. The tools they design now serve as weapons of mass destruction against democracy. There is so much at stake that an urgent and broad mobilisation is required.From the harvesting of personal data and the weaponisation of public opinion, to the destruction of jobs, the infringement of civil liberties and environmental damage, ordinary citizens are the main victims of this predatory economy – an economy with an agenda that aligns with the interests of the planet’s most authoritarian and reactionary states.Carine Fouteau is president and publishing director of the French investigative news outlet MediapartMediapart is hosting Hacking Big Tech, a public event about technology, AI and democracy in partnership with the Guardian, in Paris on Saturday 17 October 2026. The conference will be live-streamed free on Mediapart’s website, app and YouTube channel and can be accessed here from 1pm CEST on 17 October Continue reading...
Germany set to hike tobacco tax: Cigarette packs could reach close to €12 by 2030
With the planned tax increase, the German government is aiming to raise an additional €12 billion over four years.
Syria arrests 'Butcher of Baniyas' accused of 2013 coastal massacres
Ali Kayali, 70, known as Mihrac Ural, commanded al-Assad-affiliated militia forces that carried out summary executions of more than 450 civilians in Bayda and Baniyas in May 2013.
Houthi missile attack targets Yemeni presidential palace in Aden
Five people have been killed and 16 injured in a Houthi missile attack targeting the presidential palace in Aden, a port city in southern Yemen and the seat of the internationally recognised government, officials say.
Revealed: VW, Ford and Tesla batteries linked to destructive deforestation of indigenous lands
Mines in supply chains of western carmakers linked to widespread deforestation of primary rainforest in nickel-rich lands inhabited by Tolaki people in IndonesiaVolkswagen, Ford and Tesla are among the electric carmakers whose batteries may contain nickel mined in indigenous woodlands plagued by deforestation, an analysis has found, highlighting the struggle to make vehicles that are free from environmental destruction.Corporate disclosures and trade flows from the last two years show mines in the battery supply chains of automotive giants are linked to the loss of trees in Sulawesi, a wildlife hotspot in Indonesia that houses the world’s largest nickel deposits. The metal is widely used in cathodes in car batteries because it boosts energy density and increases range. Continue reading...
UK could quickly re-enter EU with ‘Switzerland plus’ deal, senior MEP says
Bernd Lange, who was involved in Brexit talks, says deal could be negotiated within months of any decision to deepen tiesThe UK could re-enter the EU in a “Switzerland plus” package that could be negotiated within months of any decision to deepen ties with the bloc, the head of a European parliament committee has said.Bernd Lange, who was heavily involved in Brexit negotiations, said: “I would love to see the UK back.” He said the EU missed the UK in decision-making because of its strong history of promoting open markets and democracy. Continue reading...
From Dallaglio’s medals to Cantona’s shorts, sporting memorabilia is big business | Emma John
Like transfer fees and ticket prices, mementoes are one more marker of sport’s rampant self-inflationThe auctioneer cradled his gavel in his palm like a pipe, the handle pointing towards him. It gave his patter the air of a Victorian gentleman holding forth by the mantelpiece in a period drama. “Are you bidding, Wilf? You’re waving at me.” Under the hammer was a Barclays Manager of the Month trophy, complete with travel case, but no indication of which Premier League luminary once owned it. It outstripped its estimate and sold for £700.An hour and a half into what Budds auction house dubbed its “Octoberfest” of sporting memorabilia, David Convery at the podium showed no sign of fatigue, save the occasional swig from a water bottle. There were 332 lots in total; Convery regularly manages sales with twice as many. In his three decades as an auctioneer he’s even secured some world-record prices, from the oldest surviving FA Cup to Pelé’s 1970 World Cup final shirt. Continue reading...
Turkey: Worst rainfall in 80 years unleashes deadly floods near Istanbul
Torrential rain has turned streets into rivers near Istanbul, overturning vehicles and cutting off power. At least 3 people have died and 5 remain missing as emergency crews clear the wreckage.
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia says China lacked 'proper' toilets
Zacharia is already under scrutiny over her legal credentials, after giving an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in the United States.
Homes with striking interiors for sale in England – in pictures
From a brick stable block renovated into an eco home to a Georgian townhouse painted in atmospheric shades of grey Continue reading...