‘Soul caps’ permitted: The governing body for aquatics worldwide – FINA, allowed swim caps specifically designed for dreadlocks, hair weaves or extensions, and voluminous hair to be worn in all water sports competitions. ‘Soulcaps’ were previously banned at the Summer 2020 Olympics, provoking the widespread response that this discouraged black swimmers from participating in the sport.
New Prime Minister: Liz Truss was elected leader of the conservative party upon beating her rival- Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest. She travelled to Balmoral where she met Queen Elizabeth II to receive the official offer to become Prime Minister, replacing Boris Johnson at Number 10 Downing Street.
Queen Elizabeth II’s death: The monarch died aged 96 after reigning for an unprecedented 70 years in the UK – her son, now King Charles III, immediately succeeded to the Throne following the death of his mother. Her funeral was held two weeks later at Westminster Abbey.
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European migrant crisis: One woman, three children and two babies were killed after a boat transporting migrants sank off the coast of Turkey. After leaving the coast of Lebanon in pursuit of Italy, four lifeboats were rescued after those on them stopped to refuel in Greece where a coastguard proceeded to leave them in Turkish territorial waters.
Russia-Ukraine war: Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of four areas of Ukraine at the end of September – nearly a fifth of its territory. This was the largest forcible annexation of land in Europe since 1945 as Russia overtook Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia.
