On Friday, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) called for menopause to be recognized as a workplace issue within European Union (EU) legislation, linking its effects to the gender pay and pension gaps.

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The request was made on the occasion of World Menopause Day, observed on October 18. The trade union organization warned that this life stage remains largely unrecognized in European policies, due to the lack of harmonized legislation and the fact that the European Commission has no plans to develop a specific strategy.

According to the ETUC, nearly 30% of women experience symptoms that affect their ability to work, including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, hot flashes, joint pain, and anxiety.

Citing various studies, the confederation noted that women’s earnings decline by 7.4% in the four years following the onset of menopause. This drop is attributed to reduced working hours, medical leave, and the loss of promotion opportunities.

“The taboo surrounding menopause at work must end. The loss of wages, missed promotions, and lower pensions are the price millions of women pay because workplaces have not been adapted to menopause,” stated Isabelle Schömann, Deputy General Secretary of the ETUC.

Semana Europea para la Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo: Avancemos. Compromiso con la Prevención de los Riesgos Psicosociales@EU_OSHA #SemanaEuropeaRESST #SemanaEuropeaSST_JCyL #Euhealthyworkplaceshttps://t.co/qQ1RZOp7yQ pic.twitter.com/3TIH5xJKxo

— Trabajo y Prevención Castilla y León (@prevencionjcyl) October 7, 2026

The text reads, “European Week for Safety and Health at Work: Let’s Move Forward. A Commitment to Preventing Psychosocial Risks”

Proposed measures

The ETUC has put forward a set of measures to adapt workplaces to the needs of women going through this stage. These include:

1- Workplace risk assessments that take into account temperature, ventilation, and facilities.

2- Flexible working hours and remote work.

3- Training for managers, human resources staff, and the broader workforce.

4- Policies agreed upon with trade unions, which are then implemented and monitored.

5- Physical adjustments to the workplace. Paid leave for symptoms, with no penalty for the employee.

6- Free menstrual and menopause-related products in the workplace.

Schömann pointed out that too many women have to lose wages or leave their jobs because very little consideration has been given to an experience shared by half the population.

The organization highlighted that many labor unions are already negotiating collective agreements that include temperature adjustments and flexible work arrangements. It also called for labor regulations—currently “geared toward male-dominated jobs”—to be adapted to the reality of the entire workforce.

#Belgium | At least 50,000 workers marched through Brussels against PM Bart De Wever's austerity plans, rejecting proposed cuts and demanding greater taxes on large fortunes.
Unions warn of further strikes.#WorkersRights #Austerity #teleSUREnglish pic.twitter.com/2ITyaadSGG

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 9, 2026

The World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam begin with the absence of Russia’s Angelina Melnikova—who was denied an entry visa by Dutch authorities—at a time when the first qualification spots for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games are up for grabs.

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The absence of Melnikova, the reigning world and European champion, will significantly impact the course of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Rotterdam, which begin this Saturday in the Netherlands. The competition will award direct Olympic qualification spots to the three countries that reach the podium in the team event, in both the men’s and women’s categories.

Russia’s participation will be severely limited; in addition to Melnikova, the team will be without Anna Kalmykova—the all-around runner-up at the most recent European Championships—and Viktoria Listunova, a member of the gold-medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics. All three gymnasts were denied entry visas.

The Russian Gymnastics Federation described the decision as discriminatory and a violation of the principles of equality that should govern any sporting competition. Meanwhile, the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands accused Dutch authorities of deliberately denying the visas to weaken the Russian team.

The Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport rejected these accusations, stating that athletic performance plays no role whatsoever in the evaluation of visa applications, which are governed by the European Union’s Visa Code.

Welcome to #Rotterdam2026 ❤️‍🔥

🎥 A little taste of the action on the first day of Podium Training at the Ahoy Arena.#WorldGymnastics #Gymnastics pic.twitter.com/222XeJkdM6

— World Gymnastics (@gymnastics) October 15, 2026

At the same time, attention will also be focused on the return of Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade, a four-time medalist at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This will be the gymnast’s first major international competition since stepping away from the sport over the past year to recover—both physically and mentally—from the previous Olympic cycle.

Her return will be gradual: Andrade plans to compete, at least initially, on the balance beam and vault. The Brazilian—a silver medalist in the all-around at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games—leads the Brazilian team alongside Flavia Saraiva; the squad earned a bronze medal in the team event in Paris.

The absence of Melnikova and American Simone Biles—the most decorated gymnast in history, who has not competed since the Paris Games—positions Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour as the top contender for the all-around title.

Nineteen-year-old Nemour won the Mediterranean Games this summer with a total score of 57.750, the highest mark recorded by any gymnast this season. However, she will face stiff competition from 16-year-old Qinqin Ke of China, the reigning Asian champion, and 18-year-old American Hezly Rivera, who will be making her World Championship debut.

In the men’s competition, Japan’s Daiki Hashimoto will aim for his fourth consecutive world all-around title. Should he succeed, the 25-year-old gymnast will move closer to the record held by his compatriot Kohei Uchimura, who won six consecutive gold medals between 2009 and 2015.

His primary rival may well be his teammate Shinnosuke Oka, the reigning Olympic champion. Also in the mix is ​​Croatia’s Illia Kovtun, the current European champion and a world medalist in 2021 and 2023. China’s Boheng Zhang—an Olympic and world silver medalist—will not participate due to a last-minute injury.

Japan enters as the favorite for the men’s team gold, led by Hashimoto and Oka, though they will face a strong challenge from the Chinese squad. The United States and Great Britain—the latter having won the European title in Zagreb—emerge as the top contenders for the third spot and Olympic qualification.

In the women’s division, a revamped United States team will aim to secure its eighth consecutive world team title. Italy—an Olympic silver medalist in Paris—and Brazil, which took bronze at the same event, will be their main rivals

#Sports | Olympic champion Angelina Melnikova will lead the Russian women’s artistic gymnastics team at the European Championships in Zagreb following Croatia’s last-minute reversal of her visa ban, amid an administrative dispute and neutrality protocols.https://t.co/ky7mmLCXdJ

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) August 12, 2026

The 2026 World Skate Games, taking place in Paraguay through October 18, bring together 2,004 women among more than 8,000 athletes, showcasing both established stars and rising talents in the world of skating. Now in its fifth edition, the event features 11 sports, one esports title, and 40 skating-related disciplines.

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After ten days of competition, Aina Florenza, Gabriela Rueda, Mizuho Hasegawa, and Nicolly Candeu are leading the way for women in disciplines such as rink hockey, speed skating, skateboarding, and roller freestyle.

Spaniard Aina Florenza, 24, was a key figure on the women’s rink hockey team that secured its ninth world title—and second consecutive one—after defeating Argentina 3–1.

The Catalan forward competed in her fourth World Championship in Paraguay and finished as Spain’s top scorer with six goals, in a tournament where the Spanish squad achieved a perfect winning record. With this result, Spain reaffirmed its status as the most decorated team in the sport’s history.

Florenza has amassed three world titles and three European titles in eight years with the Spanish national team. Additionally, she was named Best Athlete of 2025 by the Royal Spanish Skating Federation and has won five “Golden Ball” awards as the top scorer in the OK Liga Femenina.

Así va el medallero de los Juegos Mundiales de Patinaje.

La velocidad mundial le ha dado 10 oros a Colombia. https://t.co/PXdIUbRaBI pic.twitter.com/eJcLDng3ac

— Óscar David Ríos Gil |🎙️✍️📹 Periodista Deportivo (@OriosDeportes) October 13, 2026

The text reads, “Here is the medal tally for the World Roller Skating Games. World speed skating has given Colombia 10 golds.”

Meanwhile, Colombian skater Gabriela Rueda—known as “La Gaviota” (The Seagull)—won two gold medals in speed skating: the 5,000-meter points race and the 10,000-meter elimination race. At 26 years old, she has now reached a total of 17 world titles.

Rueda arrives in Paraguay after winning gold in the 5,000 meters at the Santa Fe South American Games in September and another title at the 25th Central American and Caribbean Games in July. Her record also includes three golds and two silvers at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, the 1,000-meter sprint title at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, and three golds at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games in Cali.

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Japanese skater Mizuho Hasegawa won two gold medals at the World Skate Games. On October 3, she triumphed in vert skateboarding, and seven days later, she won the park event with a score of 91.00 points, finishing ahead of Britain’s Sky Brown.

Hasegawa had previously won the park title at the World Skate World Cup in Rome in June and repeated that success at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held in Japan in September. The young skater has amassed 13 medals over the course of her X Games career.

At the same time, 15-year-old Brazilian Nicolly Candeu was crowned champion in roller freestyle street, becoming the only woman from her country to win gold at these Games so far. Brazil claimed 9 of the 12 medals up for grabs in that discipline.

Candeu is cementing her international standing after winning bronze in the junior women’s park event at the 2024 World Skate Games in Italy.

#Paraguay | Rising Paraná River waters are forcing evacuations in riverside communities, threatening homes and livelihoods.
Emergency teams are assisting affected residents as flooding continues.#Flooding #ParanaRiver #teleSUREnglish pic.twitter.com/7ScWUuK0tF

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 13, 2026

Formula 1 will return to Africa with the addition of the Rwanda Grand Prix to its calendar in the early 2030s, event organizers announced in a statement this Monday. A ten-year agreement will end the sport’s more than three-decade absence from the continent. The last race took place on March 14, 1993, at the Kyalami circuit in South Africa, where Frenchman Alain Prost won.

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The race will be held on a new circuit to be built in Bugesera, approximately 40 kilometers south of Kigali, the Rwandan capital. According to Formula 1, the facilities are expected to be ready by the beginning of the next decade, the scheduled time for the Grand Prix’s debut on the global calendar.

The track will be designed to meet the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Grade 1 standards, a requirement for hosting top-tier motorsport competitions. The project is part of a broader initiative for sports, tourism, infrastructure, and commercial development led by the Rwanda Development Board.

The venue will not be used solely for the race. Formula 1 stated that the complex will host international motorsport competitions, major events, conferences, and shows throughout the year, aiming to foster economic growth and long-term investment in the region.

In recent years, Rwanda has positioned itself as an African sports hub by hosting events such as the Cycling World Championships, the 2023 FIFA Congress, and the Basketball Africa League.

Africa, we’re back. 🌍

From the early 2030s, the African Grand Prix will join the calendar and take place in Bugesera, Rwanda 🇷🇼#F1 pic.twitter.com/c5gSRl7FNt

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 13, 2026

Rwandan President Paul Kagame highlighted that the agreement represents a long-term investment for the country. “This ten-year partnership is also an investment in Rwanda’s future. The Bugesera circuit, alongside the new international airport, will generate jobs, training, tourism, and new business opportunities for our country and our region for decades to come,” he stated.

For Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, the return to Africa marks a historic moment, as it will allow the competition to have a presence on every continent. “Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the start, we were determined to return in the right way—with the right partner, a long-term commitment, and a clear vision to create a meaningful impact,” he declared.

The championship organizers maintain that Africa represents “one of the most promising growth opportunities for the sport,” with over 100 million fans. Furthermore, nearly 60 percent of followers in key sub-Saharan African markets are under the age of 35.

#Sports | George Russell (Mercedes) set the fastest time in the only free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, the seventeenth round of the Formula One World Championship and the season’s final sprint race.https://t.co/gRM4MmvLfV

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 12, 2026

The Hellenic Hoteliers Federation (HHF) acknowledges the significance of establishing the special spatial planning framework for Tourism as a necessary tool for national sector planning, according to a relevant announcement. However, the HHF has expressed concern that key provisions of the framework continue to rely on horizontal restrictions, that fail to adequately take into account […]

The post Greek Hoteliers Federation: Tourism spatial framework lacks realism appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.