Europe

San Mateo – October 09, 2026 -- Viki will stream the 10-episode Korean animated series The Painted Soul exclusively starting October 21 in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, India and Southeast Asia. Viewers can watch for free with ads or without ads through the Viki Pass Standard and Viki Pass Plus subscriptions.

A fantasy romance built around a sealed painting

The story follows Yun Hwa, an apprentice spirit painter who accidentally frees Seol Jin, a mysterious man who has been sealed inside a painting for decades. Legend says anyone who meets his gaze is doomed.

As Yun Hwa is drawn closer to the stranger, she must decide whether what she feels is fear or something more. The series blends fantasy and romance with Eastern inspiration.

Amsterdam – October 08, 2026 -- Subway is rolling out a redesigned restaurant concept called Blueprint to every new location and remodel across Europe, the Middle East and Africa starting January 1, 2027.

The first Blueprint restaurants already opened this summer in the Netherlands and the UK, giving an early look at what guests across the region can expect over the coming years.

Restaurants get digital ordering options and a redesigned layout

Blueprint locations feature warmer, more modern interiors with salad ingredients, sauces and freshly baked bread displayed at the center of the store. Guests can order at the counter with a Sandwich Artist, use self-order kiosks, or order ahead through the Subway app or delivery. An order-ready screen and a marked collection point are meant to speed up pickup.

Graz – October 07, 2026 -- XPENG's Next-Gen AI Flagship SUV G9L has completed its first production trial at Magna's vehicle facility in Graz, Austria, becoming the fourth XPENG model built in Europe alongside the G6, G9 and P7+.

The pre-production G9L will drive 1,324 kilometers from Graz to Paris before its global launch

The journey, undertaken ahead of the vehicle's global premiere at the Paris Motor Show on October 12, is designed to test the SUV's charging capability, safety systems and driving performance under real-world conditions.

Cologne – October 07, 2026 -- Segway unveiled two new e-scooters, the ZT3 MAX and MAX G3 Pro, at simultaneous launch events in Cologne and Paris, alongside a new standard for verifying advertised range claims.

Segway targets two common rider complaints with new models

The ZT3 MAX is built for mixed terrain and urban roads, using a new Intelligent Combined Braking System (ICBS) for more stable stopping on uneven surfaces. The MAX G3 Pro targets longer daily commutes with a high-capacity battery and built-in fast charging.

Albuquerque, N.M. – October 07, 2026 -- River cruising, once dominated by guests in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, is now drawing Generation X, Millennial, and family travelers, according to Craig S. Pavlus, founder and CEO of Pavlus Travel & Cruise.

River cruising accounts for about 7 percent of total overnight cruise capacity but is growing quickly, Pavlus says, citing data from Cruise Lines International Association. Global river cruise capacity sits at roughly 61,000 berths compared with about 776,000 lower berths for ocean cruising.

Younger guests are booking thanks to onboard tech upgrades.

Pavlus credits innovations like Starlink internet, enhanced entertainment, and mobile apps for broadening the guest mix beyond the traditional Mature Traveler and Baby Boomer base.

Miami – October 06, 2026 -- Silversea has unveiled its Voyage Collection 2028-2029, a lineup of 103 voyages across 219 destinations in 56 countries timed to line up with cultural moments like Carnival in Venice and Rio de Janeiro, New Year's Eve in Funchal and Sydney, and Europe's truffle season. General sales open October 8, 2026, following a preview for Venetian Society members on October 6.

The program, spanning September 2028 to May 2029, adds 29 new ports of call across the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and South America.

Podgorica – October 06, 2026 -- Montenegro, a country smaller than Connecticut, is positioning itself as Europe's next big travel destination ahead of a wave of luxury hotel openings in 2027, according to the National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro.

The country packs a fjord-like bay ringed by medieval towns, the largest lake in the Balkans, Europe's deepest river canyon and mountains topping 8,000 feet into a single Adriatic nation. The Bay of Kotor, listed by UNESCO as a Natural and Culturo-Historical Region, draws visitors to its medieval ramparts, stone churches and the Our Lady of the Rocks church in Perast.

New York – October 03, 2026 -- A new episode of the climate interview series Net Zero Speaks tackles a question coastal communities can no longer ignore: what happens when rising seas meet sinking land. The episode, produced by the Planet Classroom Network with the Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement, features Professor Marco Marani of the University of Padova, Director of the Centre for Climate Change Impacts (CRITICAL).

Hosted by youth climate advocate Ivan Ransom and produced by Gillian Cameron, the conversation centers on what Marani calls 'relative sea-level rise' -- the combined effect of ocean rise and land subsidence. He points to Venice and major river deltas as places where natural sediment compaction and human activity speed up sinking and worsen flood risk.

VIENNA – October 02, 2026 -- New research from CeraVe, surveying 6,000 adults across the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, finds a wide gap between what people know about skin health and what they actually do about it.

Nine in ten adults worry about their skin, but few take protective action

The study found 90% of respondents are concerned about at least one environmental factor affecting their skin, and 81% recognise that protection beyond sun exposure matters. Despite this, only 22% use products specifically designed to support the skin barrier.

Nearly half report their skin has become more sensitive in five years

Forty-seven percent of those surveyed say their skin is more sensitive than it was five years ago, and 50% report dryness they link to environmental or weather changes. Even so, just 10% adjust their skincare routine when pollution levels rise, and 55% say they will abandon a routine altogether if it isn't simple.

Geneva – October 02, 2026 -- Verisure is expanding its AI-powered GuardVision Outdoor video detector to more customers, bringing advanced outdoor protection to 12 of its 18 markets.

The device is the first of its kind to combine certification with embedded AI

GuardVision Outdoor is the world's first EN50131 Grade 2-certified device with embedded Computer Vision AI, according to Verisure. It integrates directly into the company's home alarm system to flag early signs of a threat before someone enters the house, using HD video, infrared night vision, image capture and two-way audio.