South Africa’s central bank is reluctant to pivot away from policy tightening after raising its benchmark interest rate

Numerous US states have seen a large influx of pro-Palestinian protestors taking to the streets to express their outrage at Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says he plans to travel to NATO member North Macedonia later this week to attend a conference of a top trans-Atlantic security and rights group, a trip that would mark his first visit to a NATO country since Moscow sent troops to Ukraine

The devastating verdict voters deliver on President Joe Biden in a new CNN poll is especially stark ahead of the most unprecedented election in modern times.

Four people were injured in Los Angeles after gunfire broke out near a downtown apartment complex. Witnesses say a shooter fired from a white BMW SUV near the 100 block of Ingraham Street in Los Angeles. Three of the victims are described as black males between the ages of 25 and 30, with a fourth described as a 40-year-old Hispanic woman, Los Angeles police told Fox News digital. “[The victims] were standing in front of the thousand block of Ingraham Street when the suspects - four male Hispanics - approached the vehicle and fired multiple shots, striking the victims,” police told the outlet. The shooting reportedly occurred in the complex’s mail room.

Ketel Marte extended his postseason-record hitting streak to 19 games with a lined single in the sixth inning off Jon Gray in Game 3 of the World Series

Killings by militant Islamists have intensified since the military seized power in July.

Turkey has agreed to support Sweden's bid to join Nato after previously blocking the country from joining. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a briefing that he would forward Sweden's bid to join Nato to the Turkish parliament for ratification. It comes after the president previously appeared to suggest that Turkey would only back Sweden joining if it was re-considered for EU membership. Nato’s directory general Jens Stoltenberg said: “President Erdogan has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the Grand National Assembly [Turkey’s parliament] as soon as possible and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification.” Mr Stolenberg said this is a “historic step” but that a clear date could not be given for when Sweden officially joins. Turkey previously resisted Sweden joining the alliance after accusing Swedish authorities of being complicit in Islamophobic demonstrations. It also claims that Sweden allowed members of recognised Kurdish terror groups to operate, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party. Although Sweden changed its terrorism laws earlier this year to make it a crime to be part of these groups. As a member of Nato, Turkey has a veto on allowing other nations to join the alliance. But the Turkish president faced pressure from European and American allies to allow Sweden to join. Joe Biden spoke with Mr Erdogan while flying aboard Air Force One on Sunday, CNN reported. The US president conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into Nato as soon as possible, according to a readout from the White House. In a statement, the White House said: “I welcome the statement issued by Turkey, Sweden and the Nato secretary general this evening, including the commitment by President ErdoÄŸan to transmit the Accession Protocol for Sweden to Turkey’s Grand National Assembly for swift ratification. “I stand ready to work with President ErdoÄŸan and Turkey on enhancing defence and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area. “I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Kristersson and Sweden as our 32nd Nato Ally. And I thank secretary general Stoltenberg for his steadfast leadership.” From Tuesday, during a two-day meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, Nato allies will also discuss the prospect of Ukraine joining. It has been agreed that although Ukraine cannot join during the war, a measure has been removed to allow the nation to join more quickly after the conflict is over. The Membership Action Plan, which involves a host of bureaucratic and military reforms designed to ensure a prospective member is up to NATO standards, is no longer a requirement for Ukraine to join. However, the move has sparked outrage in Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "You know the absolutely clear and consistent position of the Russian Federation that Ukraine's membership in NATO will have very, very negative consequences for the security architecture, the already half-destroyed security architecture in Europe. "And it will be an absolute danger, a threat to our country, which will require from us a sufficiently clear and firm reaction." Read More Joe Biden meets King Charles at Windsor Castle as part of flying UK visit Why Ukraine’s plea for Nato membership is such a challenge for the West Biden news – live: Palace denies breach of royal protocol between King Charles and Biden during awkward moment Deadly flooding hits several countries, scientists said this will be increasingly common Swedish foreign minister optimistic Turkey will drop objections to NATO membership Former POWs welcomed back to Ukraine in ceremony headed by Zelensky

A prominent Russian hard-line nationalist who accused President Vladimir Putin of weakness and indecision in Ukraine has been detained on charges of extremism, a signal the Kremlin has toughened its approach with hawkish critics after last month’s abortive rebellion by the Wagner mercenary company

By Parisa Hafezi, John Irish and Arshad Mohammed DUBAI/PARIS The United States is holding talks with Iran to

'The Sopranos' star took to social media to call out the SCOTUS's recent decision and called it dehumanizing

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.