A look at today’s biggest stories.
When pads are a luxury, getting your period means missing out on life
Roughly 1.8 billion people around the world menstruate. Some can’t afford sanitary products. Others have nowhere to buy them. And even if price isn’t an issue, stigma and taboo still stop many from fully participating in work and school during their periods.
Chinese warship made US destroyer ‘slam on the brakes,’ expert says
Aerial photos taken by the US Navy show just how close a US Navy destroyer came to colliding with a Chinese warship that had challenged the US vessel’s presence in the South China Sea.
US threatens to ‘take out’ Russian missiles if Moscow keeps violating nuclear treaty
The United States Permanent Representative to NATO, Amb. Kay Bailey Hutchison, warned Tuesday that the US could “take out” Russian missiles that are perceived to be in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty should Moscow continue to violate the agreement.
New Zealand to travelers: Hand over phone password at border or face $3,200 fine
Rights groups have denounced a new law in New Zealand under which travelers can be fined thousands of dollars if they refuse to allow border officials access to their phone.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb resigns in latest blow to Macron
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb has submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, according to okeswomen from the Elysee Palace and the Interior Ministry.
Melania Trump’s sunny message in Africa at odds with US policy
First lady Melania Trump’s solo swing through Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt should come as no surprise.
Fan Bingbing: China says missing actress fined for tax evasion
Chinese actress Fan Bingbing has been fined for tax evasion, state media reported Wednesday, the first public pronouncement about the star since she mysteriously disappeared from public view in June.
The hunt for Planet X turns up a new solar system object
While searching for the mysterious Planet X that some astronomers believe lurks on the edge of our solar system, researchers instead found an extremely distant object they dubbed “the Goblin.” And this object provides compelling evidence for the existence of Planet X.
Rape allegations against Ronaldo ‘not fake news,’ says accuser’s lawyer
A lawyer representing the woman claiming Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the world’s biggest soccer stars, raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009 has said the accusation is not “fake news.”
FBI ‘hasn’t spoken to Kavanaugh accuser’
The FBI team examining sexual misconduct claims against US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have not yet interviewed his main accuser, her lawyers have said. Writing to the FBI, attorneys for Professor Christine Blasey Ford said it was “inconceivable” that the agency could conduct a thorough investigation without interviewing her.
NY authorities examine Trump’s tax affairs
The New York State Tax Department has confirmed it is investigating claims by the New York Times that President Trump helped his parents dodge millions of dollars in taxes. The paper has alleged that the president was involved in “dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud”.
France blames Iran for Paris bomb plot
French officials say Iran’s ministry of intelligence was behind a plot to bomb a rally of Iranian opposition groups in Paris in June. In a statement, the French government said it had frozen the assets of two senior Iranian officials. Iran insists the alleged plot is a fabrication designed to discredit it.
Bacon and sausages ‘linked to breast cancer’
Regularly eating foods like bacon and sausages may raise the risk of breast cancer, according to researchers. A review of studies found women who ate high levels of processed meat had a 9% increased risk of the cancer compared with those who ate little of it.
Democrats dazzled by rising star in Texas
A rising star in the Democratic Party could pull off an unlikely victory in the upcoming US mid-term elections by unseating a big-name Republican in the traditionally conservative state of Texas. Robert Francis “Beto” O’Rourke is bouncing on a small stage in Edinburg, waving his arms wildly, all 6ft 4ins (193cm) of his gangly frame crackling with energy.
Wife of former Malaysian PM Najib arrested by anti-graft agency
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s anti-graft agency arrested former first lady Rosmah Mansor on Wednesday and she will be charged with money laundering, her lawyer told Reuters. Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, was detained after being questioned by the anti-graft agency, her lawyer, K.Kumaraendran, said.
South Africa finance minister: Zuma fired me for refusing to back…
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene told an inquiry into influence-peddling on Wednesday that former president Jacob Zuma axed him from his cabinet because he refused to sign off on deals that would have benefited Zuma’s friends, the Guptas.
Turkey inflation surges to nearly 25 percent in Sept, highest in 15…
Turkish inflation surged to nearly 25 percent in September from a year earlier, official data showed on Wednesday, hitting its highest in 15 years and sharpening focus on whether the central bank will be able to deliver another hefty rate hike.
Instagram back up after worldwide outage
(Reuters) – Facebook Inc’s () photo-sharing social network Instagram is back up for some users on Wednesday, after suffering a worldwide outage days after it installed a new head of the app. According to a check by Reuters, the mobile app and the website, which were temporarily down, are back up and users could post pictures and videos on to their feed.
Pompeo to visit North Korea again at weekend despite negative signals
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to North Korea at the weekend for denuclearization talks with the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, the State Department said on Tuesday, calling this “forward progress,” despite negative signals from Pyongyang. Pompeo will also travel to Japan, South Korea and China from Oct.
Woman sues Facebook, claims site enabled sex trafficking
A Texas woman, claiming that she was raped, beaten and sex trafficked at the age of 15 by a pimp who posed as a Facebook “friend,” has filed suit against the social network, alleging its executives knew minors were being lured into the sex trade on their platform.
Trump shamelessly mocks Ford at rally as more Kavanaugh dirt surfaces
If President Trump’s statement Tuesday morning that it’s a ” very scary time for young men in America” had you screaming into the void, just wait until you watch him mock Christine Blasey Ford.
Newly-discovered world on the edge of the solar system could lead us to Planet X
A newfound object nicknamed “The Goblin” lurking in the far reaches of our solar system could be yet another clue that points us toward the discovery of the theoretical Planet X, or Planet 9 – a large world thought to exist well beyond Pluto’s orbit.
New hack bypasses iPhone’s lock screen on iOS 12
Apple’s iPhone is advertised as a highly secure device, which is why it’s a bit funny when someone easily beats its security shortly after a major new version of iOS is released. A YouTube video posted last week alleges that it’s possible to bypass the lock screen of an iPhone running iOS 12 without knowing the password, and access both contacts and photos.
Amazon will now pay all of its U.S. employees at least $15
Amid increasing public pressure, Amazon has announced it will be raising the minimum wage of all its employees in the U.S. to at least $15 an hour. The increase in pay for Amazon workers will kick in almost immediately, with the new $15 wage beginning next month.
A woman has just won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the first time in 55 years
The Nobel Prize in Physics has just been awarded to three scientists for their “groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics.” And, for the first time in more than half a century, a woman – Donna Strickland – is one of the winners.
