Europe

Canary Islands – October 30, 2026 -- STARMUS VIII, the eighth edition of the science-and-music festival, ran for six days from 17 to 22 October 2026 across Tenerife and La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands.

Musicians and scientists share the same stage

The programme paired music with science. Sir Brian May played his Red Special guitar, and Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman performed. Nobel Prize-winning scientists presented their discoveries.

NASA's Artemis II astronauts, who are preparing for humanity's return to the Moon, also took part. The festival, titled "The Search for Truth," included tributes to Stephen Hawking and Jane Goodall.

Two medals mark the festival's milestones

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. The festival also inaugurated the Jane Goodall Earth Medal, which links space exploration with protecting the planet.

FORT LAUDERDALE – October 30, 2026 -- Atlas Ocean Voyages has announced its 2027 Epicurean Expeditions lineup. Food Network champion Crista Luedtke and Food & Wine Contributing Editor Anthony Giglio join as guest experts on Mediterranean and European sailings aboard World Traveller, World Navigator and World Voyager.

Fewer than 200 guests share each yacht with the chefs

Each yacht carries fewer than 200 guests. Passengers can join cooking demonstrations, tastings and interactive discussions, as well as the popular Yachtsman Cook-Off. Itineraries range from Moroccan spice markets and Portuguese vineyards to the coastal kitchens of Italy and the Adriatic.

CEO James A. Rodriguez said the chefs let guests experience each destination "beyond the traditional sights."

BOSTON – October 30, 2026 -- When the clocks fall back on the night of Sunday, November 1, Americans will sleep only about 11 minutes longer than on a typical Saturday, according to new Withings data, and by the following weekend they sleep less than usual.

Withings data shows the bonus hour mostly disappears

Withings analyzed 237,480 nights of sleep data from US users aged 18 and over, covering the autumn clock changes of 2023, 2024 and 2025. On the night itself, sleep was also more broken than usual, with slightly more frequent wake-ups.

In the week afterward, people woke around 16 minutes earlier and went to bed around 15 minutes earlier by the clock. By the next Saturday they slept about four minutes less than usual, with a slightly lower sleep score. Sleep quality returned to its pre-change level over the following two weeks.

In Europe, where clocks change a week earlier, people gain between 10 and 15 minutes.

Munich – October 29, 2026 -- Home buyers in the euro area should not expect cheaper or pricier mortgages right away: the European Central Bank (ECB) held its key interest rate at 2.5 percent, and ten-year building loan rates recently stood at around 4.4 percent.

Mortgage rates follow capital markets, not the ECB directly

Building loan rates track long-term capital market rates more closely than the ECB's key rate. Expected central bank moves can therefore already be priced into loan terms before the ECB announces a decision.

Eight in ten banks expect no change

The latest Interhyp bank panel points mostly sideways. For the next one to two months, 80 percent of the surveyed institutions expect unchanged mortgage rates, while 20 percent expect falling terms. No panel member currently expects a short-term increase.

One panelist noted that markets have already priced in several possible ECB rate hikes.

LISBON – October 29, 2026 -- A seven-day cycling trip through Portugal's Alentejo region has won Gold in the Tour Operators, Overall category at the 2026 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards. Operator Live Love Ride also took Silver in Tour Operators, Service, for its "Alentejo Cycling Experience: A Boutique Slow Travel Journey in Portugal."

The route starts in a medieval hilltop village

The Alentejo Heritage & Wine Country Bike Tour begins in Marvão. Cyclists then pass through cork oak forests, olive groves and vineyards, with stops in Castelo de Vide, Estremoz, Monsaraz and Évora.

Daily rides cover roughly 45 to 80 kilometers. Each day is paired with Alentejo cuisine and wines, distinctive accommodations, local producers and cultural experiences.

LONDON – October 29, 2026 -- Pet owners moving between the US and Europe can now book Vicuna Air flights through December 5, 2027, with Brussels as the airline's European hub.

First Brussels flights carried more than 14 pets

Vicuna Air flew its first continental European services on October 7 and 9, between New York and Brussels. Two of the animals leaving New York were rabbits in Biscuit Class. They travelled in the cabin without their owners, accompanied by a Vicuna Concierge for the whole journey.

Seven bookings continued beyond Brussels. Vicuna's connecting service, Waypoints, took those pets onward by road, some to Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Others arrived from as far away as Stockholm to join the return flight. On the New York to Europe route, a pet never enters the hold.

Schwalbach am Taunus – October 29, 2026 -- Pampers baby wipes are alcohol-free, and the Aqua Soft Touch, 99 % Water Wipes and Sensitive variants are also fragrance-free. The company says it checks ingredients, production and finished products for safety and skin compatibility, and adds checks by outside organizations.

Pampers says a pH buffer system helps restore skin after contact with urine and stool

The wipes are designed for newborns' sensitive skin and for daily use in the diaper area. Pampers says the buffer system helps restore the skin's naturally slightly acidic pH after contact with urine and stool, and that plain water and cotton often fall short. Gentle emulsifiers dissolve oily dirt that water alone cannot fully remove. Exact composition varies by product variant, and the water content depends on the product.

NEW YORK – October 28, 2026 -- Two episodes of NBC's 1st Look Presents: Extra Mile Club are now streaming on Peacock. In them, two luxury travel advisors compete to design a Belgium getaway for Bravo personality Bozoma "Boz" Saint John and her fiancé, Keely Watson.

Two Global Travel Collection advisors compete for the couple's future travel business

June Kleier and Julie Shotmeyer, both advisors with Global Travel Collection (GTC), must build a personalized luxury trip that reflects the couple's interests and personalities. The prize is the chance to win the couple's future travel business.

The episodes cover Belgium, including Brussels, where filming took place at Corinthia Brussels, the restored former Grand Hotel Astoria. Kleier and Shotmeyer approach the same destination in different ways.

Jena – October 28, 2026 -- ESET has updated its ESET HOME Security and ESET Small Business Security packages to protect users against AI-driven scams, and the new features are available now. The update also brings ESET Mobile Security to iOS devices for the first time.

The security vendor cites a concrete threat: since March 2026, its researchers have found 3,000 malicious AI skills, the add-ons that extend what AI tools can do. Stefan Heitkamp, Director of Retail, Etail and OEM Partnerships at ESET, says many users now trust AI answers about as much as search results, and attackers are trying to exploit that trust.

Chicago – October 28, 2026 -- UK traders can now open accounts on NinjaTrader, a futures-only platform that accepts deposits in GBP or USD and runs on desktop, web, and mobile.

Direct exchange access for UK traders

The platform gives UK users access to global futures markets, including U.S. equity index, energy, metals, and FX futures on CME and EUREX. NinjaTrader says the offering includes exchange-listed contracts, a public order book, and transparent per-contract pricing.

The UK launch follows NinjaTrader's earlier 2026 expansion into Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and other EU markets.

Tools built around futures

The platform offers SuperDOM order entry, stop-loss and bracket orders, and strategy automation through NinjaScript. A native TradingView integration brings familiar charting into NinjaTrader's futures markets.