- 6d ago
UNESCO: impunity for journalist killings rises to 86%, first increase since 2012
UNESCO puts the impunity rate for journalist killings at 86%, a one-point rise after years of decline. The report counts 189 killings in 2024 and 2025, 67% of them in conflict countries.
- Oct 31
Mexico City unveils Guinness-certified 33-metre Catrina as Day of the Dead begins
Mexico City has displayed a Catrina that Guinness World Records certified as the largest in the world, while the island of Janitzio closed its pantheon to tourists for the first time.
- Oct 29
Three dead and five injured as rocks collapse in Cappadocia, Turkey
A landslide brought down rock formations near an open-air museum in Göreme on Thursday, 29 October. Turkish officials confirmed three deaths and five injuries once rescue operations ended.
- Oct 26
Bayeux Tapestry ticket sale drew more spending than blockbuster opening mornings
Monzo card data shows payments to the British Museum ran at 48 times a normal Wednesday morning in the first hour of a second public ticket release, with buyers skewing young.
- Oct 15
Felipe VI urges Catalonia, Valencia, Balearics and Aragón to cooperate at Poblet Monastery
The first board meeting at Poblet Monastery in 15 years was chaired by King Felipe VI on 15 October 2026, the 35th anniversary of the site's UNESCO listing. Aragón's Jorge Azcón proposed rotating annual meetings starting in 2027.
- Oct 15
Indonesia's top Islamic council seeks cancellation of Andrea Bocelli's Borobudur and Jakarta concerts
Indonesia's Ulema Council wants Andrea Bocelli's 31 October concert at Borobudur and 3 November show in Jakarta cancelled. Magelang police have also withdrawn their recommendation for the Borobudur permit.
- Oct 13
Iguazú Falls restrict access as El Niño-driven flood tops 12,000 cubic metres per second
Both the Argentine and Brazilian sides of the falls have restricted walkways after the Iguazú River passed 12,000 cubic metres per second. The limits apply to Wednesday, 14 October, as forecasts point to flows above levels considered safe.
- Oct 7
Amsterdam museum returns 2,300-year-old looted terracotta vase to Sicily after wedding photograph solves provenance
The Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam has handed over a third-century BC Centuripe pyxis to Sicilian authorities, completing a voluntary restitution process after a 1976 wedding photograph proved the artefact had been looted.
- Oct 4
Kraków opens 120 million PLN Kazimierz-Ludwinów footbridge across the Vistula
The 130-meter pedestrian and cycling crossing reconnects the Kazimierz and Ludwinów districts after more than a century, completing a construction project launched in early 2024.
- Oct 2
Greece marks UNESCO listing of Mount Olympus with 400 million euro mountain fund
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Litochoro and hiked the mountain slopes on Friday to celebrate Mount Olympus becoming Greece's third mixed UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Oct 2
Mitsotakis tours Pieria and Thessaloniki to promote regional projects and shore up northern support
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis launched a two-day tour of Pieria and Thessaloniki on 2 October 2026, meeting local officials in Kolindros before events at Mount Olympus and a relic handover with Bulgaria.
- Oct 2
Romanian Schools Will Close on 5 October for World Teachers' Day Holiday
Students and teachers across Romania will receive a three-day weekend starting 3 October 2026, as pre-university institutions suspend all classes on Monday, 5 October, to observe World Teachers' Day.
- Oct 1
In Bordeaux, 168 dancers perform French cancan on Miroir d'eau for world record
A troupe of 168 dancers performed a synchronized French cancan at the Miroir d'eau in Bordeaux, submitting the three-minute routine to Guinness World Records as part of a campaign for UNESCO recognition.
- Oct 1
Greece adds 10 cultural traditions to intangible heritage inventory, bringing total to 199
The Greek Ministry of Culture added 10 regional traditions, dances, and culinary practices to its National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, expanding the register to 199 recognized elements.
- Sep 26
Pope Leo XIV draws 700,000 to Paris open-air Mass during four-day visit to France
Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass at Place de la Concorde following a youth vigil at Stade de France and meetings with state leaders and migrants.
- Sep 26
Pope Leo XIV begins four-day France visit with warnings on AI and multilateral diplomacy
Pope Leo XIV landed at Paris-Orly Airport on Friday for his first trip to France since his May 2025 election, meeting President Emmanuel Macron and visiting the restored Notre-Dame Cathedral.
