Arrests over France protests rise to 1,800, with whole streets in Paris ‘devastated’ – Europe live 18. October 2026 (11:15) Interior minister says ‘the Republic will not yield’ to France’s worst protests in yearsMore than 1,800 people have been arrested in France over protests on Saturday, the country’s interior minister Laurent Nunez has said.Nunez, in a post on X, said “the Republic will not yield” as more than 500 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters have been injured in the demonstrations.Protesting is a fundamental right.Causing disorder through violence and in a coordinated manner is not. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hilarious quips and ‘100,000-volt’ energy: the hypemen (and women) redefining Afrobeats music 18. October 2026 (11:00) Style of emceeing based on high-octane, ad-libbed vocals has flourished thanks to its unique way of captivating crowdsFor the 2015 freshmen cohort of the history degree programme at the University of Lagos, their classmate’s first-semester presentation was so captivating that they began calling him Toby Shang, after the 16th-century Chinese dynasty he had focused on.His crowd engagement that day had been harnessed from his high school days as a ginger-man (energiser) in a three-man band and as a private tutor. By his final year at university, his viral catchphrases and infectious energy had resulted in a hit song, Shedibalabala. Today, he is one of the self-acclaimed “evangelists and pioneers” in the Afrobeats sub-genre some are now calling Afrohype or lamba. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Police officer rushed to hospital after being shot in city centre - as police launch search for man and woman