Protests swept across France, Albania, Portugal, Belgium and Italy over the weekend, driven by anger over rising living costs, housing shortages, education concerns and government policies. Demonstrations in several countries escalated into violent clashes with police.
In France, nationwide protests over rising living costs, inequality and declining public services escalated into violent riots on Saturday, 17 October. Around 550,000 people took part in demonstrations, according to the interior minister, while a trade union estimated the turnout at 800,000. Clashes with police, fires, looting and attacks on public buildings were reported across several cities, including Paris, Marseille and Lyon. More than 1,200 people were arrested, while President Emmanuel Macron vowed to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.
In Albania, student-led protests demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation escalated into violent clashes with police in the capital, Tirana, on Saturday, 17 October. Police appeared to fire rubber bullets at demonstrators as unrest intensified over alleged government corruption, unemployment and poor education standards. More than 1,000 people have been arrested, while seven police officers have been suspended over alleged misconduct. Rama has rejected calls to step down, pledging to uphold the right to protest.
In Portugal, tens of thousands of protesters marched through central Lisbon on Saturday, 17 October, demanding action over soaring living costs and a worsening housing crisis. Demonstrators say low wages are failing to keep pace with rising rents, property prices and everyday expenses. House prices have more than doubled since 2017, while inflation reached 3.6 per cent in September. Despite growing public pressure, the centre-right government says it will not give in to street protests and insists measures are already being implemented to address the crisis.
In Belgium, hundreds of mostly young protesters gathered in Brussels, 17 October, to demonstrate against rising education costs and proposed reforms, with tensions escalating into violent clashes with police. Police used tear gas and water cannon after clashes broke out, while some demonstrators overturned a car. Student groups fear the reforms could make higher education less accessible. The unrest, partly inspired by protests in neighbouring France, also spread to the eastern city of Liège.
In Italy, cost-of-living protests escalated into violent clashes with police in Milan and Bologna on Saturday, 17 October. Police used tear gas in Milan after demonstrators reportedly threw stones near the city's famous cathedral, while officers in Bologna deployed water cannon and arrested seven people. Shops were forced to close, tourists fled the area and several injuries were reported in Milan. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence, saying, “Demonstrating is a right. Turning our cities into battlegrounds is not.”
Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday (8 November) and police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in ...
Security measures have been stepped up in Antalya, Türkiye, ahead of the COP31 United Nations climate summit, which begins on Monday, 9 Novemb...
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dismissed a new U.S. military operation targeting the movement of weapons and sanctioned materi...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv early on Saturday, 7 November, injuring two people and damaging residential buildings, just three days before U.S.-led peace talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
New Zealand’s ruling centre-right National Party has taken a narrow lead over the opposition Labour Party in Saturday’s general election, with the country’s current three-party coalition projected to retain power.
India's delivery of guided Pinaka rockets to Armenia is drawing renewed attention as analysts assess the military and strategic significance of one of New Delhi's most prominent defence export deals.
Azerbaijan, the United States and Armenia have launched trilateral technical planning groups to advance the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), marking another step towards implementing the regional connectivity project agreed at the Washington peace summit in August 2025.
Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday (8 November) and police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków that the government said was likely inspired by far-right ideology.
Security measures have been stepped up in Antalya, Türkiye, ahead of the COP31 United Nations climate summit, which begins on Monday, 9 November, with thousands of additional personnel deployed across the Mediterranean city.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dismissed a new U.S. military operation targeting the movement of weapons and sanctioned materials on Sunday, 8 November, saying Washington would fail to isolate the Iranian economy despite expanding restrictions on maritime and land routes.
A Russian overnight attack on energy infrastructure in Ukraine's eastern Dnipropetrovsk region left more than 600,000 people without electricity on Sunday, 8 November, Ukrainian energy company DTEK said.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
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