L’Oreal SA shares fell after the cosmetics maker reported weaker-than-expected sales growth, hurt by a challenging travel retail

An inflation-induced tax boom has left UK government borrowing on track to come in significantly below official forecasts

UK retail sales tumbled more than expected as unusually warm weather deterred shoppers from spending on clothes for

Ukrainian forces are fighting off a new Russian military onslaught in the bombarded eastern city of Avdiivka where intense fighting has been concentrated this month, senior military officials said. "The enemy is not relenting in attempts to break through our defences and surround (Avdiivka)," Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhnyi said in a video posted on Telegram in which he is seen conferring with officers in Avdiivka and Kupiansk. The Ukrainian Army said they have continued to make gains in the southern part of the war-hit nation. The region has been hit by massive Russian attacks as the fighting has been intensified in recent weeks. "The enemy is actively bringing in assault units and large amounts of armoured equipment and using aircraft and artillery,” the Ukrainian general said. Ukrainian forces have faced constant pressure on Avdiivka where Russia has regrouped and launched new assaults, Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for the southern group of Ukrainian forces, said on Thursday. The city, about 20km (12 miles) west of Russian-held Donetsk saw a lull in the fighting in the last few days after witnessing heavy shelling and missile attacks last week. Russia said its forces destroyed a command point near Avdiivka and repelled 11 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk. Ukrainian general Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian forces around Kupiansk were "maintaining their defence in the most difficult of conditions". A town next on radar for Russian forces to recapture, Avdiivka has seen months of attacks since Russia’s full-scale military assault in February last year. Known for its large coking plant, Avdiivka held out in 2014 against Russian-backed separatists who secured swathes of eastern Ukraine and it. Only 1,600 residents remain from a pre-war population of 32,000, officials said. Kupiansk was recaptured by Ukrainian troops late last year in a lightning advance through the country’s northeast, but Russian forces have stepped up attacks in a bid to retake it. In continued signs of progress, Ukrainian spokesperson Shutpun said the troops had made a degree of headway in the southern part of the frontline.The Ukrainian troops have advanced 400m (a quarter mile) to the southwest village of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia region. The troops fighting off Russian attacks in the southern part are looking to advance to the Sea of Azov and sever a land bridge linking Russian positions in the east and south. In another gain this week, Ukrainian forces have broken through the eastern bank of the Dnipro river in southern Kherson region – in an offensive that can rupture Russia’s military lines across the critical river. When Ukrainian troops retook parts of Kherson region last year, Russian forces abandoned its biggest city, also called Kherson. They now shell the city from the opposite bank. Read More Ukraine makes ‘breakthrough’ on Dnipro river - latest updates Biden calls to maintain ‘American leadership’ with aid package for Ukraine and Israel Trump attacks Biden’s ‘incompetence and weakness’ ahead of presidential address

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Ukrainian forces have advanced on the Dnipro River onto the opposite bank, crossing into Russian-occupied territory, Russian sources have claimed. A prominent Russian milblogger ‘Rybar’ claimed Ukrainian troops pushed through Russian defences as they landed on the east bank of the Dnipro river. He claimed they temporarily occupied the village of Poyma and positions on the northern outskirts of Pishchanivka on the afternoon of 17 October. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the milblogger later claimed that Russian forces pushed Ukrainian forces back from these positions towards the Dnipro River. He also claimed that a Ukrainian sabotage group is still operating in Pishchanivka as of the afternoon of October 18, according to ISW. It comes as Ukrainian defence forces made first use of a US supplied long-range weapon by striking two Russian military airfields, successfully destroying nine helicopters and an ammunition base. Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, described Washington’s decision to supply the ATACMS as “reckless” and “a grave mistake” that would not alter the war’s outcome. Read More Russian fighters ‘scrambled over Black Sea to prevent British warplanes approaching Russian airspace’ Biden calls to maintain ‘American leadership’ with aid package for Ukraine and Israel Ukraine's parliament advances bill seen as targeting Orthodox church with historic ties to Moscow Putin says Russia ‘will be able to repel’ Ukraine’s new weapons used to damage Kremlin’s air assets

Jim Jordan failed Thursday to sway holdouts who have opposed his bid to be the next US House

The US State Department on Thursday advised all US citizens worldwide "to exercise increased caution" due to "increased tensions in various locations around the world, the potential for terrorist attacks, (and) demonstrations or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests."

Two Russian fighter jets were scrambled on Thursday to prevent three British warplanes from entering Russian airspace over the Black Sea, the Russian defence ministry has claimed. The Su-27 fighter jets were sent to intercept “three air targets” near the border, with Russia claiming to have identified them as a British RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft and two Typhoon fighter planes. “As the Russian fighters approached, the foreign military aircraft turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation,” the statement claimed. It was not clear how close the planes came to each other. The Black Sea has become an increasingly important theatre in the war between Russia and Ukraine, now nearing the end of its 20th month. President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he had ordered Russian planes armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to patrol over the Black Sea. Russia has previously reported a number of incidents in which its fighter jets were scrambled to intercept military planes from Norway, another NATO member, over the Barents Sea. In September last year, a Russian pilot fired two missiles towards an RAF surveillance plane after mistakenly believing he had permission to fire. Russia claimed it had been caused by a “technical malfunction” with the UK’s Ministry of Defence publicly accepting their explanation. After firing, the first missile missed the RAF plane while the second failed to launch successfully. If it had reached its target, it could potentially have drawn a Nato member into a military confrontation with Russia. The two Russian SU-27 fighter jets had encountered the RAF plane, which was carrying a crew of up to 30 people, as it was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on 29 September 2022. The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment. Read More Ukraine-Russia war - live: Kyiv makes ‘breakthrough’ on Dnipro river as Moscow warns US of ‘grave’ mistake Ukraine has used long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia, Zelensky says Putin says Russia ‘will be able to repel’ Ukraine’s new weapons used to damage Kremlin’s air assets The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Tel Aviv for a two-day visit to the wider region, as the

Sri Lanka is taking an unfavorable view toward a proposal by foreign dollar bondholders for restructuring its debt,