Italy tightens security as students, unions launch nationwide protests
Rallies across the country target living costs, investment in education and the wars in the Middle East.
Poverty and Development
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Albanian police fire rubber bullets as protests against Rama escalate
Five days of clashes rock Tirana as students join a wider movement demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s resignation.
Thousands rally for biggest protest in years against Tunisia’s Saied
Unions, opposition groups unite to demonstrate against poor living conditions and restrictions on political freedoms.
Tear gas and unrest as hundreds of thousands protest for reforms in France
More than 500,000 gather in Paris and other cities for protests uniting students, teachers, unions and ‘yellow vests’.
IMF urges support for poorer nations facing high inflation, war spillovers
Low-income countries spend up to 14 percent of their revenue on debt repayments, IMF chief says.
A group of boys takes part in the cleaning of Medina Gounass Elementary School in a suburb of Dakar, Senegal. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
Students, members of environmental associations and volunteers clean a primary school in the Medina Gounass area in advance of the new academic year in Dakar, Senegal. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
The school year 2026-27 starts on October 5 for staff and October 6 for students. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
Public schools in Senegal often serve large numbers of children from low-income families, with classrooms that are regularly overcrowded and short on resources. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
Community initiatives and parent associations frequently step in to improve facilities, organise cleanups and support teachers in public schools across Senegal. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
French and math lessons from the summer school sessions are written on a blackboard. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
Many schools in Senegal struggle with ageing infrastructure, inadequate sanitation and limited access to clean water, especially in poorer urban neighbourhoods and rural areas. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
Despite these challenges, families place a high value on education, and children often travel long distances or study in difficult conditions to attend school. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
The government and local partners have launched programmes to expand access to primary education, but persistent gaps remain in quality, infrastructure and teacher numbers, particularly outside big cities like Dakar. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
Children and adult volunteers collect rubbish and clear drains as part of a community-led effort to clean. [Jerome Favre/EPA]
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Tens of thousands protest in Spain after failed housing reforms
Latest demonstrations deepen a days-long crisis after parliament struck down two affordable housing decrees.
Spain’s parliament rejects gov’t housing decrees amid mass protests
Both decrees to tackle housing affordability crisis shot down as critics say measures would tighten the housing market.
EU unlocks humanitarian aid for crises worldwide
EU allocates majority of aid to sub-Saharan Africa to fund actions related to migration, conflict and food insecurity.
![European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives ahead of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, September 22 [Stefan Jeremiah/AP]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26265454261348-1790464759.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
LONG READ
Lebanese in Brazil, Brazilian in Lebanon
Their families left Lebanon generations ago. For some Lebanese Brazilians, Lebanon’s pull never disappeared.
At least 41 die as boat capsizes in DRC’s Lake Tanganyika
Forty-nine passengers have been rescued and a search is under way for the missing.
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