Cambodia’s king has appointed army chief Hun Manet to succeed his father and long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen as the nation’s leader later this month

Britain’s King Charles III was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey

Police say a man dressed in black who works for a group that conducts opposition research on Democrats was stopped while climbing a bluff near the Michigan governor's summer home in August

Rex Heuermann is currently locked up in a Suffolk Couty jail while he awaits trial

A three-day search of a remote Portugal reservoir has resulted in the reported discovery of a “relevant clue” linked to the disappearace of Madeleine McCann. Officers concluded their search of the Algarve reservoir on Thursday, where key suspect Christian Brueckner reportedly visited “some days” after the three-year-old vanished on May 3, 2007. Using sniffer dogs and a tractor-based tree-cutter, authorities scoured Barragem do Arade reservoir in the Algarve - around 31 miles inland from where the McCanns were staying in the Praia de Luz resort. Police in Portugal said: “[The search] resulted in the collection of some material that will be subject to the competent expertise. The material collected will be handed over to the German authorities.” During the search, a “relevant clue” was found which led to police officers concentrating on a specific paper, according to the Correio de Manhã newspaper. Brueckner has denied any involvement and is currently behind bars in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same part of Portugal. Read More Madeleine McCann police give update as they end search of Portugal reservoir Police flatten area of woodland and dig holes in Madeleine McCann searches Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance

By Steve Holland and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) -An unfolding crisis over the U.S. debt ceiling prompted President Joe Biden

Girls miss more school or college days due to periods than any other reason – including colds, mental health or truancy, according to a new report. Periods cause girls to be absent from school or college for three days a term on average, compared with colds and flu (2.6 days), mental health (1.9 days) and truancy (1.2 days), the data released by washroom provider phs Group has revealed. This equates to 54 lost education days over the course of their teen years, the equivalent of 11 academic weeks. The findings form part of phs Group’s Period Equality: Breaking the Cycle report, now in its third year, for which Censuswide polled 1,262 girls aged 13-18 years across the UK. The majority (82%) cited cramps as the main reason for this, while almost one in five (19%) said they stay away from lessons because they’re embarrassed about being on their period, and one in 12 (8%) said it’s because no period products were available to them. This is despite the introduction of period equality measures in recent years, designed to improve access to free period products in education settings. “It’s important to recognise that huge advances have been made in giving girls access to free period products in schools across the UK. What we must do now is close the gap between providing schools with all the products they need and getting them into the hands of any girls that need them, for whatever reason,” said Kelly Greenaway, period equality lead at phs Group. “We know from our own data providing schools with products, that they have more than enough for their girls, so we need to tackle the misconceptions around free access to products in washrooms, and the stigma and shame that goes hand-in-hand with failing to have open conversations about menstruation.” Since the launch of the Government’s Period Product Scheme in January 2020, which provides free period products to education settings in England, via phs Group, 99% of secondary schools and 94% of post-16 organisations have ordered products through the scheme. However, the report published today highlights how periods remain a barrier to education for many girls – with the number of girls missing school due to their periods almost the same for the 2023 findings (54%) as the findings in 2019 (52%), before free sanitary product schemes were introduced. Despite the roll-out of such schemes, over half (52%) of the students surveyed said they did not find period products freely available in their school and college settings, while one in seven (14%) said they did not know if they were available. To help tackle the issue and raise awareness, phs Group is launching a new period equality podcast – called The Blobcast: Free The Period – hosted by menstrual wellbeing and confidence educator Kasey Robinson. Robinson said: “I know too well about the barriers facing so many of us when it comes to our menstrual health. It’s simply not enough to blame absenteeism figures on access to products alone. “On the ground, the story is clear: we aren’t being educated, supported and informed enough about periods. Menstruation is still a taboo subject, and our experience is a secret to keep to ourselves and something we feel forced to hide. In education settings, this is leading to more and more girls staying away from school. “Without workshops, learning resources and the support for and from teachers and caregivers, this issue will stay the same, or get worse,” Robinson added. “It should not be a revolutionary act to teach people about periods, it’s a right. We need to break the cycle of shame and encourage open and honest conversations about periods – exactly what The Blobcast is seeking to do.” The Blobcast: Free The Period launches on all free streaming platforms on October 18. More information can be found at www.phs.co.uk/TheBlobcast.

A gunman who killed California shop owner Laura “Lauri” Carleton after making “disparaging remarks” about her LGBTQ+ flag has been named by authorities. Travis Ikeguchi, 27, shot the 66-year-old mother-of-nine dead outside of her Mag.Pi store in Cedar Glen, 83 miles east of Los Angeles, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement on Monday. Deputies found Carleton outside the store suffering from a single gunshot wound at 5pm (PT) on Friday. She was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical responders. The suspect was located nearby near Torrey Rd and Rause Rancho Rd armed with a handgun, and was shot dead by deputies. The shootings remain under investigation. San Bernardino Sheriff Shannon Dicus confirmed the suspect’s identity at a press conference on Monday afternoon. He confirmed that the suspect had “Pulled down a pride flag and yelled many homophobic slurs towards Carleton” before shooting her. Officials say that the gun used to kill Carleton was a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol, that was not registered to the suspect. And the sheriff added that the suspect’s family had reported him as missing the day before the murder took place. Carleton has been remembered by family and friends as a staunch ally of the LGBTQ+ community who died while standing up to homophobic hate speech. Carleton, who was married to husband Bort for 28 years, was “murdered over a pride flag that she proudly hung on her storefront”, daughters Ari and Kelsey wrote on Instagram. “Make no mistake, this was a hate crime,” the daughters wrote. Vandals had ripped down rainbow flags several times from the store that Carleton opened in 2021, and each time she would replace them with bigger ones, the daughters said. Ghostbusters director Paul Feig wrote on Instagram that his “wonderful friend” had been murdered by a man who “didn’t like that she had a large pride flag hanging outside of her shop”. “This intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people,” Mr Feig said. The Lake Arrowhead LGBT+ community group is planning to hold a vigil for Carleton once Tropical Storm Hilary passes. Read More Laura Carleton shooting – latest: Mag.Pi store owner and ‘true LGBTQ ally’ killed in row over Pride flag A murder over a Pride flag is sadly no surprise to anyone paying attention Daughters describe store owner slain over Pride flag as ‘fearless’

Baby Alien said women often looked down upon him because of his height

An Indiana man was jailed for 110 years for gunning down his ex-girlfriend and her grandmother in front of each other in a parking lot. Gary Cecil Ferrell II, 28, will spend the rest of his life in a state correctional facility for the murders of 21-year-old Promise Mays and 62-year-old Pamela Sledd. Prosecutors say that the August 2021 killings were captured by security cameras at an automotive seating factory in Frankfort. Clinton Superior Court Judge Justin Hunter wrote in his sentencing order that the crime had been “brutal and heinous” and it was appalling that the victims had “watched the other being shot.” “With respect to the murder he inflicted upon Pamela Sledd, defendant shot Ms Sledd after she had turned her back and was retreating from the scene of the offense she had witnessed against her granddaughter,” he wrote in the document, reported WISH-TV. “[Ferrell] acted out an entitlement to control and possess Promise Mays, whether in life or in death, even though she had demonstrated only kindness for the many people whom she encountered in her short and precious life.” Both women were killed with a semiautomatic handgun as they had arrived for their work shift at the NHK factory. Police quickly identified Ferrell as the suspect and eventually caught him after he crashed his vehicle in a construction zone. Ferrell was sentenced to serve 45 to 65 years for each count of murder, running consecutively. He must serve at least 80 years before he is eligible for release. Read More Police officer jailed for one year for stomping on handcuffed man’s face during arrest Boy, 5, accidentally kills himself after caretaker with gun falls asleep Prosecutor asks Indiana State Police to investigate dog deaths in uncooled rear of truck

At least 17 people have been killed and dozens more wounded after a Russian missile struck a crowded outdoor market in eastern Ukraine – the attack coming as Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, was in Kyiv for an unannounced visit. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack in the city of Kostiantynivka, saying that a child was among the dead. Kostiantynivka – which had a pre-war population of around 70,000 – sits about 20 miles (30km) from the ruined city of Bakhmut, the scene for some of the bloodiest fighting of Russia’s invasion. Police said that nearly 30 stalls, a pharmacy, an apartment block, a bank, and a number of cars were damaged as the missile hit at 2pm local time. Officials said more than 30 people were injured. Video footage of the strike showed people looking up to the sky as they heard a missile approaching. Seconds later they are running for cover or falling to the ground after a huge explosion. Another video released by police showed rescuers searching through the kiosks and, as bodies were taken out in black sacks, people shouting: “Who have you found?” It also showed the floor of the pharmacy covered in blood, as a police spokeswoman can be heard saying: “At the moment of the strike civilians were here, they were buying medicines and this is what happened. People died here.” “This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible,” Mr Zelensky said on the Telegram messaging app. “When someone in the world still attempts to deal with anything Russian, it means turning a blind eye to this reality. The audacity of evil. The brazenness of wickedness. Utter inhumanity.” He later told a press conference in Kyiv that he believed it had been a deliberate attack on “a peaceful city”. Hours before the strike on Kostiantynivka, booms could be heard in the capital Kyiv as the train carrying Mr Blinken wound its way to the city, the Russians appearing to want to herald his arrival with a missile attack. No casualties were reported in the capital but local officials said one person was killed in the Odesa region where Russian missiles also fell. Mr Blinken’s two-day visit is a show of Washington’s continued support for Mr Zelensky and the Ukrainian war effort. The secretary of state is the first senior US official to visit Kyiv since its counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin’s forces began in early June. Mr Blinken met with Mr Zelensky on Wednesday and also held talks with foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba. Mr Blinken is also expected to announce a new package of US assistance. The total package will be worth up to $1 billion (£800 million), but may not all be announced by Mr Blinken in Kyiv. “We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counteroffensive, but has what it needs for the long term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent,” Mr Blinken said standing alongside Mr Kuleba. A US State Department official said Washington wanted to discuss how the counteroffensive was going and assess battlefield needs as well as any steps that might be required to shore up Ukraine’s energy security before winter. “I think what’s most important is that we get a real assessment from the Ukrainians themselves,” the official told Reuters. “We want to see, and hear how they intend to push forward in the coming weeks.” When asked about Mr Blinken’s visit, Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, said that Moscow believed Washington planned to continue funding Ukraine’s military “to wage this war to the last Ukrainian”. During his train ride to Kyiv, Mr Blinken held talks with Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen, who was conducting her own visit to Kyiv. The US secretary of state thanked Ms Frederiksen for Denmark’s donation of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and its membership of a coalition of nations – including the UK – training Ukrainian pilots. Denmark and the Netherlands announced last month they would supply more than 60 US-made F-16s as soon as pilots are trained to fly them. They are the first countries to offer the jets. Also on Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliament approved the appointment of Rustem Umerov as the country’s new defence minister. Mr Umerov replaces Oleksii Reznikov, who helped secure billions of pounds of Western military aid, but was sacked by Mr Zelensky. Mr Reznikov’s ministry was dogged by a number of scandals involving corruption allegations. The former minister did not face corruption allegations himself, but says he is the victim of a smear campaign. Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Russian missile turns Ukrainian market into fiery, blackened ruin strewn with bodies US lawmakers visiting The Hague say Russian President Putin is committing genocide in Ukraine Paul Whelan seen for first time in years in rare video inside Russia prison

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