Activists call for people to make their anger known over poor public services including education and housing
Street protests sweeping Europe are expected to spread to Germany and reignite in France on Saturday, with police mobilised to stop potential looting and rioting on the fringes of what organisers hope will be peaceful rallies.
Weeks of, at times violent, student demonstrations have rocked Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania and France, where activists on Halloween have again called for people to make their anger over the cost of living and deficient public services felt across the country.
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© Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
The mayor of the German city of Frankfurt (Oder), Axel Strasser, has called on residents to demonstrate greater civic courage after bystanders did nothing as a group of teenagers repeatedly punched and kicked a 14-year-old student, including to the head, while he lay on the ground outside a high school earlier this month. Now, critics are calling his statement a recognition of the failure of state authority.
After a security conference with police, prosecutors, schools, youth welfare, and immigration authorities, Strasser, an independent, said it was unacceptable that people stood by without intervening. “We truly appeal to this urban society to show civic courage,” he said.
The attack occurred on Oct. 14 outside the Heinrich-von-Kleist High School. Video of the assault, which circulated widely on social media, showed roughly 10 teenagers surrounding the victim, striking him and continuing the assault after he fell.
The German government implemented a policy of mass migration, which has resulted in mob beatings and bullying of German students across the country. Now, government officials are calling on citizens to put their lives on the line and intervene in these mob beatings, including in this latest case in Frankfurt (Oder).
A commentary published by Lennart Zielke in Ostdeutsche Allgemeine, titled “Youth Violence in Brandenburg: The State Gives Up – The Citizen Is Supposed to Put Himself in Mortal Danger,” calls the appeal an admission of state failure. The piece argues that urging ordinary bystanders to intervene shifts the risk onto unarmed civilians who lack training, protection, or backup in confrontations with groups of attackers.
“You just have to imagine the scene in concrete terms. A group of violent youths, the perpetrators outnumbered the witnesses, the situation is confusing, and there are possibly knives or firearms involved. And now the average citizen is supposed to intervene – without training, without protection, without support. Anyone who intervenes is highly likely to end up in the hospital,” wrote Zielke.
Individuals on social media also highlighted the absurdity of asking the general public to step in to perform law enforcement actions.
“Since politics is failing—or, better said, has no desire to change anything—Mayor Strasser from Frankfurt/Oder is calling for more civic courage to be expected. He can go ahead and stand up to a horde of 20 migrants if he feels like it. I won’t!” wrote one user.
Weil die Politik versagt oder besser, keine Lust hat etwas zu ändern, ruft OB Strasser von Frankfurt/Oder dazu auf, dass mehr Zivilcourage erwartet wird. Der kann sich ja mal einer Horde von 20 Migranten entgegen stellen, wenn er Lust hat. Ich nicht!
— Das Nordlicht
Remix News broadly covered the beating video, including police statements threatening prosecution for publishing the video.
Authorities are investigating nine suspects, ages 13 to 15, who hold Polish, Russian, Syrian, and German nationality. They face allegations of dangerous bodily harm; earlier reports also referenced robbery. Police have spoken with the suspects and their families.
Strasser described the incident as “the first case of this dimension” in the city and said everyone immediately recognized the drama of the situation. Unlike recent group attacks in Potsdam that involved more entrenched youth structures, this case does not, according to officials.
The city and police plan heightened presence near schools after the autumn holidays, parent conferences, and anti-bullying efforts. An investigative team is active. The victim is receiving intensive support through the school and relevant authorities; youth welfare is examining further measures. “Offers of help are available and will be accepted,” Strasser said.
Residence-law options are under review, but Strasser said he sees little prospect of success. He added that there will be no simple solutions to rising youth violence in Germany or the influence of social media.
Brandenburg Integration Minister René Wilke (SPD) is pressing for accelerated reviews of protection status for Syrian suspects. He said 16 cases linked to violence incidents in Potsdam and Frankfurt (Oder) — including five minors in the latter — have been reported to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees so their status can be checked more quickly. “We have asked that the examination be brought forward,” Wilke said. Revocation of protected status can lead to deportation but does not automatically do so; each case requires individual assessment that can take months.
“If a child is out of control and the family shows no integration efforts, it can become tight,” he noted.
Interior Minister Jan Redmann (CDU) has spoken of influence from the “gangster-rapper milieu” and people who boast about their acts online. Redmann has also pointed to integration shortfalls in some cases and said authorities will use available tools of criminal and residence law, while stressing rapid action to stop the violence.
The attack prompted an AfD demonstration that drew up to a thousand people. The party pointed to migrant violence and called for deportations, including the families of perpetrators.
Strasser has said the city will not simply return to business as usual. He has also emphasized that protection granted in Germany is not deserved by those who abuse it so brutally, while stressing coordinated action by security authorities regardless of the origin of the suspect.
As Remix News has reported in the past, 40 percent of all violent crime suspects in German schools are foreigners.
The post After 10 youths beat German teen, mayor’s calls for more ‘civic courage’ is widely mocked as example of ‘state failure’ appeared first on Remix News.
On Thursday, 16 civilians were killed and 22 injured following a drone attack on the Hyiq Jari 2 camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia, according to residents and accounts gathered by the Ethiopian newspaper Addis Standard. The incident comes amid ongoing clashes between the federal army and rebel groups in the north of the country.
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The camp, located in the South Wollo administrative zone, was struck by as many as five drone attacks, occurring at intervals of approximately fifteen minutes. Witnesses reported that the explosions hit the site while the displaced people were inside their shelters.
“The drone attacked the camp at least five times, at fifteen-minute intervals, while the internally displaced people were inside their shelters. We never expected a drone to attack the camp,” one witness told Addis Standard.
The victims include children, women, and the elderly. The attack also resulted in the burning of around twenty dwellings, though these details have not been independently verified.
NEW COMMENTARY | Containing the New War in Northern Ethiopia
— Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup) October 16, 2026
War has returned to northern Ethiopia, raising fears of a wider conflict involving Eritrea. In our EU Watch List, we explain how the EU can facilitate talks and prevent escalation.https://t.co/Q6hzxtsqGD pic.twitter.com/mGhDJVkh0A
Humanitarian crisis
The camp houses more than 1,800 internally displaced people, who are facing a severe humanitarian crisis. Humanitarian organizations have significantly scaled back their assistance, limiting access to food, shelter, and medical care.
“We have neither shelter nor food. Perhaps the best thing to do is to go to the city and sleep on the streets, hoping that someone might take pity on us and help. We have no other choice right now,” said one of the displaced individuals.
Those affected also noted that regional authorities have failed to respond to their pleas for support. Neither the Ethiopian government nor the insurgent groups have commented on who was responsible for the attack. The violence is taking place as the Ethiopian Army battles rebel groups in the north of the country. On September 23, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) announced a defensive war from that region, following months of escalation and recurring drone strikes.
AMHARA FANO NATIONAL MOVEMENT
— Amhara Fano National Movement – Foreign Affairs (@AFNM_FA) October 23, 2026
Foreign Affairs Department Urgent Call for International Action regarding Indiscriminate Aerial Attacks in Ethiopia pic.twitter.com/q2uBGl9EUj
Since then, federal forces have made gains, particularly in Tigray, though fighting persists in other areas. An alliance of seven rebel and opposition groups—including the TPLF, the Amhara nationalist movement Fano, and the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA)—was recently formed with the stated goal of toppling the Ethiopian government.
Ethiopia has also accused Eritrea of supporting the rebels and conducting incursions into its territory—an accusation that Asmara denies. This escalation has reignited fears of a new, large-scale war, similar to the 2020–2022 conflict between the TPLF and the federal government, which, according to the African Union, resulted in at least 600,000 deaths.
Activists call for people to make their anger known over poor public services including education and housing
Street protests sweeping Europe are expected to spread to Germany and reignite in France on Saturday, with police mobilised to stop potential looting and rioting on the fringes of what organisers hope will be peaceful rallies.
Weeks of, at times violent, student demonstrations have rocked Italy, Spain, Portugal, Albania and France, where activists on Halloween have again called for people to make their anger over the cost of living and deficient public services felt across the country.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
© Photograph: John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images
Britain must prepare for a decade of pain as the country faces the worst decade for household income on record after John Healey’s "tinkering" Budget, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned.
The post Prepare for Decade of Pain, Warns IFS appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Andrea Egan calls for same political focus on teachers, care sector and NHS and says Jackdaw decision ‘a serious misstep’
The leader of the UK’s biggest trade union has called for the same political focus to be given to NHS, education and care sector workers as there has been on those employed in North Sea oil and gas.
Andrea Egan, the general secretary of Unison, said too often public sector workers were treated as an “afterthought” by the government compared with the “massive political focus” on protecting jobs in the North Sea.
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© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer
© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer
© Photograph: Gary Calton/The Observer
Constitutional expert Jorge Miranda has given an interview to Lusa news agency in which he concedes there is an opportunity to improve the rental law – but the government’s current
The post Constitutional elder warns government’s rental reform “won’t fix housing crisis” appeared first on Portugal Resident.
Healthcare authorities in Ceuta have confirmed five known Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) cases among the thousands of illegal migrants that invaded the city in July, a report published on Friday states.
The post Report: Ceuta Confirms 5 HIV Cases Related to Mass Migrant Invasion appeared first on Breitbart.
Prime minister says room for manoeuvre was limited by geopolitical crises and Labour’s 2024 manifesto
Andy Burnham has admitted his first budget as prime minister was not as radical as he would have liked because of the economic uncertainty facing the country.
He said he would have liked to have gone further with this week’s announcement – including with higher energy support payments – but felt hemmed in by external events such as the war in Iran, which has pushed up borrowing costs.
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© Photograph: Darren Staples/PA
© Photograph: Darren Staples/PA
© Photograph: Darren Staples/PA
Manila, 30 oct (Prensa Latina) El Gobierno de Filipinas aseguró hoy estar preparado para afrontar posibles emergencias, incluidos desastres naturales y amenazas a la seguridad, ante las alertas internacionales sobre escenarios de crisis.
The post Filipinas asegura preparación gubernamental ante posibles crisis first appeared on Noticias Prensa Latina.
US President Donald Trump said that Vice President JD Vance’s outreach to Iran was about helping the country get medical supplies, after US media reported Vance had written to Tehran’s top security official to revive peace talks.
Iran has received a letter from Vance but it has not responded to it yet, the country’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday, while adding that Tehran wants the US to meet its conditions and “any position that contradicts this framework is unacceptable.”
Also on Thursday, the US military’s senior officer overseeing the Middle East, Admiral Brad Cooper, met Trump at the White House to outline military options in Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials and other people with direct knowledge of the meeting.
Reuters could not immediately independently verify this report.
Vance sent the letter to Iranian Security Council chief Mohsen Rezaei in a bid to revive peace negotiations, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Vance sent the letter at Trump’s direction. When asked by reporters later on Wednesday if he directed Vance to reach out to Iran to restart peace negotiations, Trump said: “No.”
“What that is is they need help with medical supplies and various things. He (Vance) asked me what I thought. I said, if you want to do that, that’s okay. Basically, it’s getting supplies in to help people that are not well,” Trump told reporters.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter and Trump’s remark. Vance’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
TEHRAN’S CONDITIONS
Iran’s parliament speaker said on Thursday that Tehran’s conditions had been repeatedly and clearly communicated to mediators and that progress can only be achieved if Iran’s seven conditions are met.
The “carrot-and-stick approach has no effect on Iran,” Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf added.
Conditions Iran says must be met before it will reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping route include, among other demands, lifting the US blockade on Iranian ports, lifting US sanctions on Iranian oil exports and ending hostilities on all regional fronts.
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran at the end of February. The US has also since imposed a naval blockade on Iran to starve it of oil export revenue and escalated efforts to economically isolate Iran.
Iran has long blamed US sanctions for hindering civilian access to medical supplies.
In an August letter to the UN Security Council, Iran accused the US of intentionally depriving civilians “of access to food, medicines, medical equipment, energy and other necessities, with grave consequences for their rights to life, health, food and a decent standard of living.”
Qatari mediators presented Iran with a new draft deal on Sunday to end the war, but a senior Iranian official said Doha had only put forward unacceptable ideas that did not amount to an offer.
The war’s impact on global energy costs has also weighed on support for Republican candidates and hurt Trump’s approval ratings ahead of the US midterm elections that decide control of Congress. Trump’s Republican Party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress.
A series of demonstrations involving young people across Europe has developed into a wider political phenomenon, as students and younger workers challenge governments over living costs, public services and their expectations for the future.
Protests have taken place in France, Belgium, Italy, Albania and several other countries, while a student-led movement in Serbia has achieved a particularly consequential political outcome.
In Serbia, nearly two years of demonstrations culminated in a parliamentary election victory for a student-backed political movement, ending the electoral dominance of President Aleksandar Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party.
The outcome, reported by Reuters on 29 October, has given the movement a prospective parliamentary majority, although final certification of the election results remains outstanding.
Elsewhere, protesters have secured fewer immediate political concessions.
Nevertheless, their campaigns share a recurring concern: that conventional channels of political representation have failed to address problems affecting younger generations.
The grievances vary between countries, but housing affordability, insecure employment, education funding and living costs feature prominently.
A European Parliament youth survey published in February 2025 found that 40 per cent of respondents aged 16 to 30 considered rising prices and the cost of living a priority for the EU.
Almost one-third identified economic conditions and job creation as a principal concern, while education also ranked prominently.
More recent figures illustrate the financial pressures confronting younger Europeans.
According to Eurostat data published in June 2026, 24.2 per cent of EU residents aged 15 to 29 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion in 2025.
That compares with 20.9 per cent for the population as a whole.
These figures do not establish that economic hardship is the cause of every protest. They do, however, provide context for the dissatisfaction expressed by participants.
In Brussels, demonstrations have focused partly on the condition of schools and the availability of educational resources.
Students have criticised deteriorating facilities, shortages of teachers and government decisions affecting education funding.
Nineteen-year-old student Maya Gourdel told Reuters that peaceful attempts to draw attention to these concerns had attracted little response from political leaders.
Her account reflects a wider frustration among demonstrators who believe that public attention has increased only after protests became more disruptive.
Belgium’s education system is organised primarily at community level, meaning decisions concerning funding, staffing and school infrastructure are divided among different authorities.
The demands of protesters consequently involve both national political debates and decisions taken by regional and community institutions.
In France, demonstrations concerning the cost of living and public services have involved students alongside trade unions and other organisations.
Recent protests have also been accompanied by violence, including attacks on commercial premises and confrontations with police.
The involvement of younger demonstrators does not mean that every participant supports violent tactics.
Rather, the events illustrate how movements with economic and political grievances can encompass groups with different objectives and methods.
Italy has experienced similar tensions, particularly in Milan, where demonstrations against rising living costs have followed earlier episodes of unrest.
The Italian government has faced pressure over household expenditure, wages and the affordability of essential services.
These disputes have developed against a background of high energy prices and concerns about the broader economic outlook.
In Albania, student-led protests have challenged Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government over alleged corruption, limited employment opportunities and education standards.
Demonstrations that began in Tirana have spread to other cities.
On 29 October, opposition lawmakers disrupted proceedings in parliament following weeks of protests and confrontations between demonstrators and police.
The government has offered measures intended to address economic concerns while condemning violence associated with the demonstrations.
For many younger Albanians, employment prospects are closely connected to the possibility of emigrating.
The perception that professional opportunities depend on political connections or personal networks has become another source of dissatisfaction.
However, the Albanian movement cannot be treated as identical to protests in EU member states, given the country’s different economic conditions and political institutions.
Serbia provides the most substantial example of youth-led protest translating into electoral change.
The movement emerged after the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad in November 2024, which killed 16 people and prompted allegations of corruption and negligence.
Students organised prolonged demonstrations demanding accountability and institutional reform.
Their campaign subsequently developed into an electoral challenge to the governing Serbian Progressive Party.
Preliminary results from the October 2026 parliamentary election indicate that the student-backed list has secured a majority of seats.
However, electoral certification and the formation of a new government remain incomplete.
The movement now faces a different challenge: converting protest demands into administrative decisions, legislation and economic policy.
Its success will be judged not only by the election result but also by its ability to govern.
It would be misleading to describe Europe’s demonstrations as a unified political campaign.
Participants have different objectives, national circumstances and ideological positions.
Some demand increased public expenditure, while others concentrate on corruption, political accountability or employment opportunities.
What connects them is a recurring concern about whether established institutions respond adequately to younger citizens.
The political consequences will depend on whether demonstrations produce lasting organisations, influence elections or secure changes in government policy.
Serbia suggests that student mobilisation can translate into substantial political change.
For governments elsewhere in Europe, the question is whether the grievances driving these movements can be addressed through existing political institutions before dissatisfaction generates further unrest.
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Italy has accused Germany of contributing to the latest surge in European natural gas prices by delaying the replenishment of its underground storage facilities, reopening a debate about national energy policies and their consequences for the EU’s single market.
The dispute emerged on 29 October after the European benchmark gas price briefly exceeded €100 per megawatt hour the previous day, its highest level since December 2022.
Germany’s gas storage facilities were just 61.7 per cent full, compared with almost 91 per cent in Italy and an EU average of approximately 75 per cent.
The difference has become politically sensitive because European countries purchase gas in an interconnected market, meaning decisions taken by one major consumer can influence prices paid elsewhere.
Speaking at the Montel Italian Energy Day conference in Milan, Alessandro Noce, director general for energy markets and infrastructure at Italy’s Energy Ministry, criticised Germany’s approach to preparing for winter.
According to Reuters, Noce argued that Italy had spent €300 million securing additional gas reserves, only to face higher market prices as Germany attempted to replenish its comparatively depleted stocks.
He also questioned whether Germany had delayed purchases because of preparations to privatise energy companies involved in the storage process.
Germany’s Economy Ministry did not immediately respond to the criticism.
The German government’s approach has attracted particular attention because of its role in the operations of Uniper and Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE).
Both companies became important components of Germany’s energy-security arrangements following the disruption of Russian gas supplies in 2022.
Plans concerning their future ownership have coincided with renewed questions about how Berlin balances commercial considerations against the need to maintain strategic reserves.
At the Milan conference, an energy analyst suggested that preparations for privatisation had contributed to delays in storage purchases.
That assessment has not been established as the definitive explanation for Germany’s comparatively low reserves.
Nevertheless, the resulting political dispute demonstrates the difficulties of managing energy security through a system in which national governments retain considerable discretion while their purchasing decisions affect a common market.
Europe’s latest price increase has several causes extending beyond German storage policies.
Disruptions to liquefied natural gas shipments associated with the conflict involving Iran have constrained supplies from the Middle East.
At the same time, European countries entered the summer storage-refilling period with unusually low reserves following the previous winter.
The EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) reported that underground gas storage was only 28 per cent full at the end of winter 2025–26.
By 21 October, that figure had risen to 75 per cent, still below historical levels.
In its latest gas-market monitoring report, ACER estimated that disruption linked to the Middle East conflict had added between €18 billion and €33 billion to Europe’s gas-import bill.
The agency also found that American liquefied natural gas accounted for roughly 30 per cent of EU gas supplies, reflecting Europe’s growing reliance on transatlantic energy imports.
Although this diversification has reduced dependence on Russian pipeline gas, it has also increased Europe’s exposure to international competition for LNG cargoes.
European buyers must compete with customers in Asia, particularly when colder weather or geopolitical disruptions increase demand.
The disagreement has implications for the European Union’s gas-storage framework.
Following the 2022 energy crisis, the EU introduced mandatory storage requirements intended to reduce the risk of supply shortages during winter.
The arrangements were subsequently extended until the end of 2027.
Under the revised rules, member states retain a 90 per cent storage-filling target but have greater flexibility over when and how it is achieved.
Countries may reach the target between 1 October and 1 December, rather than being bound to the previous 1 November deadline.
Further flexibility is available in difficult market conditions.
These provisions were designed partly to prevent governments from creating artificial demand peaks by purchasing gas simultaneously to meet rigid deadlines.
However, the present dispute suggests that delayed purchases can create another problem if several major consumers need additional supplies as winter approaches.
Germany’s current storage level does not, by itself, establish a breach of EU requirements. The applicable deadlines and permitted exemptions must also be considered.
The Italian government has meanwhile been seeking permission from the European Commission to use public funds to reduce energy costs for households and businesses.
Rome’s concerns reflect the economic consequences of sustained high gas prices, particularly for industries dependent on energy-intensive manufacturing.
Italy faces a general election expected in 2027, adding a domestic political dimension to the debate over energy subsidies.
Noce warned that prices could rise to between €150 and €180 per megawatt hour if January brings particularly cold weather.
Such an outcome remains a scenario rather than a forecast.
Energy markets will also be influenced by developments in the Middle East, LNG deliveries, industrial demand and winter temperatures.
Europe has expanded its LNG import infrastructure and diversified energy sources substantially since 2022.
However, the latest price increases demonstrate that greater import capacity does not necessarily insulate consumers from global supply disruptions.
The German–Italian dispute also exposes the limits of national energy planning within an integrated European market.
Germany’s storage policies affect its neighbours, just as decisions taken elsewhere influence the price German consumers pay.
The central question for Brussels is whether existing coordination arrangements provide sufficient incentives for governments to safeguard their own winter supplies without transferring additional costs to other member states.
With the heating season approaching, that issue is becoming an immediate economic concern rather than a theoretical dispute about European energy solidarity.
People diagnosed with ADHD and those travelling with them can get a third off their train tickets with disabled railcards, it has emerged.
The post People With ADHD Get Third Off Train Tickets appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
So far, so good: political parties emerging from today’s hearings with President Seguro appear, in the main, to be ready to ‘do more’ to find solutions for the housing crisis/
The post MPs emerge from meetings with president ‘ready to do more’ on housing appeared first on Portugal Resident.
A dramatic reduction in opioid prescriptions and addiction and overdose deaths is being accomplished during the Trump administration, according to new analysis announced this week by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The post EXCLUSIVE — RFK: Trump Administration Making Historic Wins in Battle Against Opioid Crisis, Lowest Deaths in a Decade appeared first on Breitbart.
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