He had been living and working in Kabul as a civil engineer for 10 years. Mr Frerich’s sister, Charlene Cakora, said the family had never given up hope of getting him back.
“I am so happy to hear that my brother is safe and on his way home to us. Our family has prayed for this each day of the more than 31 months he has been a hostage,” she said in a statement.
“There were some folks arguing against the deal that brought Mark home, but President Biden did what was right. He saved the life of an innocent American veteran.”
The detention of the former navy officer has been a major impediment to improving relations between the US and the Taliban, whose government is still to be recognised by any country in the world.
President Biden said in January: “The Taliban must immediately release Mark before it can expect any consideration of its aspirations for legitimacy. This is not negotiable.”
At least one other American remains in Taliban hands. Filmmaker Ivor Shearer and his Afghan producer, Faizullah Faizbakhsh, were detained in Kabul in August.
Eric Lebson, a former national security official who worked as a volunteer to help the Frerichs family, said he hoped Mr Biden’s actions to secure Mr Frerichs’ release “are an indicator of his commitment to do the same on an urgent basis for other Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad”.
Bashir Noorzai told reporters in Kabul his release would bring peace with the US
Bashir Noorzai was given a hero’s welcome on his return to the Afghan capital, and was greeted by Taliban fighters carrying garlands of flowers.
“My release together with that of an American will make peace between the countries,” he told a news conference.
Noorzai was a close ally and friend of Taliban founder Mullah Omar and helped finance the first Taliban government in the 1990s.
He did not hold an official position but “provided strong support including weapons”, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the AFP news agency.
Noorzai had served 17 years in US custody for heroin smuggling. Prosecutors said he ran a vast opium-growing operation in Kandahar province, the Taliban’s traditional heartlands in the south of the country.
At the time of his arrest in 2005, he was considered one of the biggestdrug dealers in the world, controlling more than half of Afghanistan’s drug exports, which account for most of the world’s harvest.
In 2008, he was convicted by a court in New York of conspiring to smuggle more than $50m of heroin into the United States.
The United States has traditionally adhered to a strategy of “strategic ambiguity” and has not been explicit about how it would react to an attack in terms of military force.
In his clearest remarks to date on the subject, US President Joe Biden stated US military would defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese invasion.
Asked in a TV interview whether America would defend the self-ruled island, claimed by China, he replied bluntly: “Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.”
The US has long stuck to a policy of “strategic ambiguity” and has not made clear whether it would respond
militarily, to an attack.
Asked to clarify if he meant that, unlike in Ukraine, US forces would defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion, Mr Biden again replied: “Yes.”
The CBS 60 Minutes interview showed a president appearing to go beyond long-standing US policy onTaiwan, which states a commitment to a One-China policy, in which Washington officially recognises Beijing and not Taipei.
Biden’s remarks are sure to anger Beijing, which was enraged by a visit to Taiwan by US House speaker Nancy Pelosi back in August.
That visit prompted China to conduct its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to bring democratically-governed Taiwan under Beijing’s control and has
not ruled out the use of force.
Asked last October if the United States would come to the defence of Taiwan, the president said: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that,” but a White House spokesperson said he was not, in fact, announcing any change in US policy – and some experts denounced the comment as a “gaffe”.
Armed personnel is blocking the route from Westminster Abbey to the Commonwealth Memorial Gates at the top of Constitution Hill.
Mounties of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police lead the procession followed immediately by representatives of the George Cross foundations from Malta, the former Royal Ulster Constabulary, and four representatives from the NHS.
The coffin will be moved from the gun carriage to the statehearse and driven to Windsor as the procession reaches Wellington Arch.
As the procession leaves, the parade will give a royal salute and the national anthem will be played. The King and members of the Royal Family will then leave for Windsor.
Thousands of people are expected to line the route out of central London along Great West Road,past Heathrow Airport, and through Staines before reaching Windsor.
Reporter Jennifer Scott reports that Birmingham’s stunning and commandingSt. Peter’s Cathedral welcomed guests seeking shelter from the rain to watch the ceremony on a large screen.
The graveyard was strewn with flowers – and a few jars of marmalade – in memory of the Queen.
Inside, though, the religious element of the day – something which influenced Her Majesty’s life so strongly – was keenly felt.
The congregation joined in the Lord’s Prayer, dutifully said “amen” to every offering, and quietly sang hymns to themselves as the sacred music filmed the room.
And, as the service drew to a close, people stood unprompted to sing God Save the King, a few tears falling in memory of his predecessor.
But many seemed to find comfort from sharing it in the holy venue and, perhaps fittingly, the sun came out just as the Queen’s coffin was carried from Westminster Abbey and as people began to leave Birmingham Cathedral, too.
Matt and Corinne Wakefield came with their son Samuel to watch the funeral in the cathedral because they wanted to witness history.
“It was emotional,” said Matt, who saw the Queen once when she visited nearby Dudley.
“But there was a real sense of national pride, too.
Queen Elizabeth was a beautiful lady, a wonderful person and a gracious leader. She sought to unite and bring together persons from all factions of life . Rest well Lizzie and thank you ❤️
Penny
To my beautiful Queen. You taught us how to love God and people. You were so faithful in all your duties and roles. No one can be your equal. You will remain the Queen of our hearts 👑RIP my beautiful Queen .
ACC
I’ve spent the last week watching the news and reading these tributes. I’ve found it to be a surprisingly evocative time. As an avid fan of history and a royalist, that may not be a surprising comment, but unlike many leaving their tributes, I am not blessed to have had a touching moment with the Queen. What this is to me, is the end of an era – an unbelievable individual (regardless of royalty/background/family), who led by example (there is no more poignant moment than her, sat alone, at the funeral of her departed husband), and dedicated her life to the country, British Union, Commonwealth and wider global unity. She was in service until she died, carrying out her constitutional demands. She made a a promise on her 21st birthday, to spend her life serving the country. Without a doubt she did that. 70+ years of service. I believe that to be one of the reasons, regardless of being British, part of the Commonwealth or even a royalist, she generated the respect and admiration from all the world that she did! You were an inspiration and I was, and continue to be oh so very proud to have called you my queen! Thank you and you will be missed!
Gill PB
How lucky we’ve been to have you as our Monarch for 70 years. The thread that pulls us all together. Now time for you to rest and be with your beloved husband. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for our country, the Commonwealth and indeed the World. You will be missed but held in our hearts forever, and we know that King Charles will serve our Nation just as wonderfully as you have. Thank you for everything and may God Bless You.
A card in the flowers ontop of the Queen’s coffin read simply: “In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.”
The note was placed on top of a wreath of flowers.
Cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and Highgrove House, the flowers and foliage have been chosen for their symbolism.
They include rosemary, for remembrance, and myrtle cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle in the Queen’s wedding bouquet, an ancient symbol of a happy marriage.
On the eve of the Queen’s burial, Buckingham Palaceunveiled a never-before-seen portrait of her smiling brilliantly.
The image, taken by photographer Ranald Mackechnie in May prior to the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, depicts the late queen visiting Windsor Castle wearing a blue dress.
The portrait of her beaming at the camera was released as the Queen Consort paid a televised tribute on Sunday evening, recalling her “wonderful blue eyes” and “unforgettable smile”.
As well to her favourite three-strand pearl necklace, in the portrait, the Queen wore aquamarine and diamond clip brooches which were an 18th birthday present from her father, George VI, in 1944.
She wore the brooches when she addressed the nation on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020 and for her televised speech on her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Mr Mackechnie also took the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee portrait, which was released in June to mark the start of national celebrations for her 70-year reign, the longest of any British monarch.
Wu Zunyou, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) epidemiology department, issued a warning against “skin-to-skin contact with foreigners” in a post on Weibo.
The message sparked debate, with some calling it racist.
Comments on the original post have since been disabled from the platform.
“In order to prevent possible monkeypox infection and as part of our healthy lifestyle, it is recommended that 1) you do not have direct skin-to-skin contact with foreigners,” said Mr Wu on his Weibo page on Saturday.
In addition, Mr Wu also called for locals to avoid skin-to-skin contact with recent travelers who had returned from abroad in the last three weeks, and with strangers.
He posted the comments a day after the southwestern city of Chongqing reported its first case of monkeypox in an individual who arrived from abroad. It is not clear if the individual was a Chinese citizen or a foreigner.
“This is very inappropriate [to say]. At the start of the pandemic, some foreigners stood up and [defended us] by saying that Chinese people are not viruses,” wrote one commenter.
“How racist is this? What about the ones like me who have been living in China for almost ten years? We haven’t seen our families in like 3-4 years due to borders being closed,” wrote another user on Weibo, who appeared to be a foreigner.
China has imposed some of the world’s toughest Covid measures since the start of the pandemic, which have included snap lockdowns, border closures, mandatory testing, and travel restrictions.
The monkeypox virus, which is transmitted through close contact with infected people, animals, or contaminated materials, usually causes symptoms such as fever, headache, and rashes.
Around 90 countries where monkeypox is not considered endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, which the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency.
There have been more than 60,000 confirmed cases and some non-endemic countries have reported their first related deaths.
As the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II began, hundreds, if not thousands, of people stood up in London’s Hyde Park, according to reporter Victoria Seabrook.
Most of the crowd stood with their hands together, listening to the service as the previous chitchat subsided.
It is also striking how few people held up their phones to take photos or videos – now a familiar sight at big gatherings, especially music festivals.
Seeing everyone sitting down again gave a better sense of just how many people are there.
Other than the audio from the ceremony, booming through the speakers,it is staggeringly quiet for such a large crowd.
As far as the eye can see, there are people on Windsor’s The Long Walk, says journalist Becky Cotterill.
Screens have also been established so mourners can watch the state funeral take place.
Just after 3 pm this afternoon, The State Hearse will travel up The Long Walk to St George’s Chapel for the committal service.
There will be a procession led by a dismounted attachment of the Household Cavalry, with pipers and drums and a band from the Coldstream Guards. Members of the Queen’s personal staff will follow.
During the funeral, members of the Royal Family sat in front of the Queen’s coffin.
Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, and the Countess of Wessex were seated in the front row with King Charles III, the Queen Consort, and Princess Royal.
King Charles ordered specific flowers for the Queen’s funeral wreath, which also features a personal note from the new king.
The flowers and greenery were selected for their symbolic meaning and were taken from the gardens of the Queen-loved homes Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and Highgrove House.
They include rosemary, for remembrance, and myrtle cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle in the Queen’s wedding bouquet.
Myrtle is often seen as a symbol of a happy marriage and evokes images of the Queen’s 70-year marriage to Prince Philip.
Also included are English oak to symbolize the strength of love, pelargoniums, garden roses, autumnal hydrangea, sedum, dahlias, and scabious.
These are in shades of gold, pink and deep burgundy, with touches of white, to reflect the Royal Standard.
Also at the King’s request, the wreath has been made in a sustainable way, in a nest of English moss and oak branches.
Around 2,000 people are in attendance for the late monarch’s funeral service, which is been inaugurated by Dr. David Hoyle this morning.
He says: “With gratitude, we remember her unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and head of the Commonwealth.
“With admiration, we recall her lifelong sense of duty and dedication to her people. With thanksgiving, we praise God for her constant example of Christian faith and devotion.
“With affection, we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear.
Since Monday has been designated a bank holiday, many companies will be closed and many doctor appointments have been rescheduled.
Numerous stores, theatres, and educational institutions will be closed on Monday in observance of the Queen’s funeral.
A number of pub groups have said they will keep venues open during the day, with Stonegate saying it plans to show the Queen’s funeral on screens when it starts at 11 am.
A massive security operation will be in place during the funeral, and transport will be disrupted across the capital, with TFL saying it would be the “biggest event and challenge” in its history.
Some of the biggest retailers will be closed or partially closed, so workers can pay tribute to the Queen.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Lidl, and Aldi were among those closing their supermarket stores for the day.
“We want to express our deepest condolences to the royal family, as well as our gratitude to Her Majesty the Queen for her unwavering service,” said Tesco’s UK chief executive Jason Tarry.
Tesco said it would open its Express convenience stores from 5 pm, while a small number of convenience stores in central London and Windsor will remain open.
Asda said it will shut its stores for the funeral, but all its supermarkets will open from 5 pm, with colleagues working on Monday evening to receive double pay.
Retailers including Primark and Marks & Spencer and cinema chains such as Cineworld and Odeon will shut for the day.
Waterstones said it would close all its bookstores.
McDonald’s restaurants will be closed from midnight until 5 pm, while Greggs said almost all of its outlets would be shut.
What stays open
Downing Street has indicated it would be up to individual businesses to decide whether to be open or shut.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the day of the funeral will operate as “a standard bank holiday”.
“Obviously individual businesses will need to make the decisions about what’s right for them and discuss with their employees but there is obviously no one-size-fits-all approach.”
Among businesses choosing to stay open are Premier Inn hotels.
JD Wetherspoon said pubs in central London, railway stations and airports would open from 8am on Monday, while most of its pubs will only open from about 1pm, after the funeral takes place.
The Russian military is recruiting new members to fight in Ukraine and is presenting this as “the decision of a true man” by offering at least £2,300 a month as an incentive.
To recruit “contract soldiers” for the “special military operation,” as the Kremlin’s invasion of the neighbouring nation is known, the army has set up mobile offices.
At one location in Rostov, a city in southern Russia, soldiers in camouflage and black masks displayed their firearms to onlookers and distributed colour booklets with the heading “Military service on a contract – the option of a true man.”
Neither Russia nor Ukraine discloses their military losses, which western intelligence agencies estimate at tens of thousands on both sides.
Moscow has not updated the official death toll since 25 March, when it said 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded.
The Kremlin said last week there was no discussion of a nationwide mobilization to bolster its forces.
But the recruitment drive signals Moscow needs more men, coming in the wake of frontline setbacks.
The officer in charge of the Rostov truck said Russians and foreigners aged from18 to 60 with at least a secondary school education would be eligible.
“Patriotically-minded citizens are choosing to sign contracts for three or six months to take part in the special military operation,” major Sergei Ardashev said, promising training for everyone.
The minimum monthly wage on offer is 160,000 roubles (£2,292), which is almost three times the national average.
One potential recruit was musician Viktor Yakunin, who said: “I would love to serve in the airborne troops,” he said. “My parents brought me up since childhood to love my homeland, to protect the Russian world. I believe the power is with us.”
The Kremlin leader made his peace request as his troops carried on their gruesome assault after invading Ukraine.
Even Mr. Putin made a mediation offer.
The action took place while a tenuous ceasefire between the two Central Asian countries continued for a second day and as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reported that 71 people had died in recent combat.
The former Soviet republics have both accused each other of using tanks, mortars, rocket artillery, and assault drones to attack outposts and nearby settlements.
Central Asian border issues largely stem from the Soviet era when Moscow tried to divide the region between groups whose settlements were often located amid those of other ethnicities.
Tajikistan reported 35 of its people had been killed.
Mr Putin spoke by telephone to Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov and Tajik leader Emomali Rakhmon on Sunday, the Kremlin said.
He urged the sides to prevent further escalation and to take measures to resolve the situation “exclusively by peaceful, political and diplomatic means as soon as possible”, offering assistance, his office said in a statement.
The statement Prince Andrew made in honour of the Queen was accompanied by a black and white photo of his mother cradling him as a baby in March 1960. Prince Andrew is no longer a working royal.
“Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, and your confidence I will keep forever,” the Duke of York said in a tribute to the Queen.
In memory of his brother Charles, he concluded it with the phrase “God Save The King.”
The Duke of York said he would miss the late monarch’s “insights, advice, and humour”, saying he “found your knowledge and wisdom infinite”.
The statement read: “Dear Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one. Your Majesty, it has been an honour and privilege to serve you.
“Mother – of the nation, your devotion and personal service to our nation is unique and singular; your people show their love and respect in so many different ways and I know you are looking on honouring their respect.
“Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever. I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment.
Prince Andrew at vigil
“I will miss your insights, advice, and humour. As our book of experiences closes, another opens, and I will forever hold you close to my heart with my deepest love and gratitude, and I will tread gladly into the next with you as my guide.
“God save The King.”
Prince Andrew stepped down from public life over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2019.
He has been stripped of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and has given up his HRH style.
At one point during the commemorations for the Queen’s death, he was heckled by a man in the crowd.
The Duke of York has settled a civil sexual assault case against a woman he claimednever to have met. The exact amount of the settlement has not been disclosed, but some reports at the time put it at £12m.
Virginia Giuffre sued him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after she was trafficked by Epstein.
For a two-day visit to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II, President Joe Biden flew into London late on Saturday. According to the president, the long-reigning monarch “shaped an era.”
Biden, who visited the late sovereign last year and said later that she reminded him of his mother, is joining leaders from a considerable number of other countries to pay their respects to the late sovereign.
For Biden, it is an opportunity to think back on a monarch whose life was a timeline of the most important historical events of the last 100 years and who personified a dedication to public service.
When Biden first encountered the Queen in 1982, his own Irish American mother admonished him not to show her any respect.
He didn’t bow down then, or when he met the Queen as President last year while attending a Group of 7 summits in England. But his respect for a woman whose constancy on the world stage over the last century was unparalleled has been plain.
“She was a great lady. We’re so delighted we got to meet her,” Biden said on the day that she died.
The Queen’s surprise decision last year to travel to the Cornish coast to meet world leaders at the G7 summit was a signal of her desire to remain engaged in global affairs.
Later that week, when she hosted Biden and first lady Jill Biden for tea at Windsor Castle, she inquired about two authoritarian leaders, Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia, the President told reporters afterward.
“She had such curiosity. She wanted to know all about American politics, and what was happening. So, she put us at ease,” Jill Biden said recently in an interview with NBC.
At Sunday evening’s reception, Biden will see Charles for the first time since he became King. The two men have met previously and spoke last week by phone.
As Prince of Wales, Charles was a passionate campaigner for certain issues Biden has also championed, including combating climate change. It remains to be seen how involved the new King will be on those issues going forward.
Relatively close in age — Charles is 73, Biden is 79 — the two men have a shared experience of being in the public eye for decades before assuming their current roles as heads of state.
On his call with the King, Biden “conveyed the great admiration of the American people for the Queen, whose dignity and constancy deepened the enduring friendship and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” the White House said. “President Biden conveyed his wish to continue a close relationship with the King.”
Security in the British capital is at its highest level in memory as Biden and dozens of other world leaders convene to remember the late Queen, who met 13 sitting US Presidents during her reign.
White House aides have declined to provide specific security details for the President’s visit but say they are working well with their British counterparts to ensure the demands of presidential security are met.
Plans for the Queen’s funeral have been in place for years, allowing US advisers greater insight into precisely what will happen over the coming days as they make security arrangements.
The White House said it received an invitation only for the President and first lady, making for a slimmed-down American footprint.
Biden traveled with his national security adviser, communications director, and other personal aides aboard Air Force One to London.
When reports emerged last week that world leaders would be required to ride on a bus to the funeral, US officials were skeptical and shot down the suggestion Biden that would travel to Westminster Abbey in a coach.
In 2018, when other world leaders traveled together in a bus to a World War I memorial in Paris, then-US President Donald Trump traveled separately in his own vehicle. The White House explained at the time that the separate trip was “due to security protocols.”
The Queen’s death came at a moment of economic and political turmoil for the United Kingdom. A new prime minister, Liz Truss, entered office after months of uncertainty following the decision of her predecessor, Boris Johnson, to step down.
Truss invited several visiting world leaders to meet individually at 10 Downing Street this weekend. In the role for only a little more than a week, it will be Truss’ first time meeting face to face with many of her foreign counterparts.
While her office initially said Biden would be among the leaders visiting Downing Street, it was later announced that Truss and the President would meet for formal bilateral talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
A host of issues are currently testing the US-UK “special relationship,” which has been heralded repeatedly in the UK.
It was only two days after Truss traveled to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to formally accept the Queen’s appointment as prime minister that the long-reigning monarch passed away. Since then, the country has been in a formal period of mourning.
Truss inherited a deep economic crisis, fueled by high inflation and soaring energy costs, that has led to fears the UK could soon enter a prolonged recession. The challenges have been aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused volatility in the oil and gas markets.
While few in the Biden administration shed tears at Johnson’s resignation– Biden once described him as the “physical and emotional clone” of Trump — the US and the UK were deeply aligned in their approach to Russia under his leadership.
White House officials expect that cooperation will continue under Truss, even as she comes under pressure to ease economic pressures at home.
Less certain, however, is whether Truss’s hard-line approach to Brexit will sour relations with Biden. The President has taken a personal interest in the particular issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a post-Brexit arrangement that requires extra checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
The rules were designed to keep the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland open and avoid a return to sectarian violence. But Truss has moved to rewrite those rules, causing deep anxiety in both Brussels and Washington.
Biden, who makes frequent references to his Irish ancestry, has made his views clear on the issue, even though it does not directly involve the United States. Congressional Democrats have similarly expressed concern over any steps that could reignite the Northern Ireland conflict.
In their first phone call as counterparts earlier this month, Biden raised the matter with Truss, according to the White House.
A US readout of their conversation said they discussed a “shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the importance of reaching a negotiated agreement with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol.”
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA,) the UN’s nuclear watchdog, reports that Ukraine’s massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility has resumed power supply from the national grid.
Power lines connected to the plant were destroyed by shelling in the region.
The plant’s six reactors are all in a state of cold shutdown, but it still needs outside electricity to keep them cool and prevent a meltdown.
The situation at the plant, which is seized by Russian forces, has reportedly improved but is still unstable, according to the IAEA.
At the beginning of the month, a group of nuclear experts from the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) travelled to Zaporizhzhia, the biggest nuclear facility in Europe.
Russia and Ukraine both blamed each other for the shelling of the facility in southeast Ukraine.
After the IAEA’s first inspection, the agency announced it would maintain a permanent presence in order to monitor the situation.
Members of the team at the site on Saturday learned that one of the four main external power lines damaged by shelling had been repaired, allowing electricity to be received directly from the national grid, the IAEA tweeted on Saturday.
Further east in Ukraine, the discovery of mass graves in Izyum has led the European Union presidency to call for an international tribunal for war crimes to be carried out.
Hundreds of bodies have been discovered buried in a forest at the edge of the city, which recently came under the control of Ukraine after Russian forces retreated.
Many are said to be civilians, women, and children among them.
Ukraine says it believes war crimes have been committed.
“In the 21st Century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent,” said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic which holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
“We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals,” he wrote in a tweet. “I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression.”
The separatist mayor of Donetsk city said four people had been killed by Ukrainian government shelling of a central district while the Donetsk region’s Ukrainian governor accused Russian forces of shelling a thermal power plant in Mykolaivka, disrupting drinking water supplies in the area.
Ukrainian troops are continuing their counter-offensive in the country’s north-east, after successfully recapturing territory from Russia in recent days, the UK’s defence ministry says. It adds that Russia has established a defensive line protecting one of its main supply routes from Belgorod, near its border with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Ukrainian counter-offensives would not change Russia’s military plans in the east of Ukraine.
In order to prevent the first nationwide rail strike in 30 years, US freight rail corporations and the unions that represent their employees have negotiated a “tentative agreement.”
The agreement was reached after 20 hours of nocturnal discussions on working conditions and months of back-and-forth bargaining.
The result was hailed as “an important win for our economy and the American people” by President Joe Biden.
Millions of Americans would have been affected by the strike, which would have cost the economy an estimated $2 billion (£1.7 billion) day.
It would also have disrupted passenger services, as many of these trains run on tracks that are operated and maintained by freight carriers.
The agreement, which was announced early on Thursday, ensures that a strike that had been due to begin after midnight on Friday will no longer take place.
The deal includes a 24% wage increase and $5,000 bonuses, as well as changes to existing policies on time off which had been a crucial sticking point for workers.
“This is a win for tens of thousands of workers and for the dignity of their work,” Mr Biden said at a news conference. “They earned and deserve these benefits, and this is a great deal for both sides.”
“We reached an agreement that will keep our critical rail system working and avoid disruptions of our economy,” he added.
“We’re really excited about the progress,” Ford chief executive Jim Farley told the BBC after the deal was announced. “Any delay, like a real strike, even for a day or two will have a tremendous impact on an industrial company like Ford. And even if it only lasts for, you know, hours or a day, it could have impacts for weeks to come.”
Heated contract negotiations have been taking place for three years between railroad management and the dozen unions that represent more than 100,000 workers.
Ten unions had agreed to the most recent contract offer, but until Thursday two of the largest unions in the country – representing the engineers and conductors who make up two-person train crews – held out.
They complained that staffing shortages and workplace attendance policies have created punishing schedules for staff.
Workers say they are effectively on call throughout the year, with no paid time off in some cases even if they are unwell or have other personal emergencies.
More than one million Americans worked on the railroads in the 1950s, but the industry now employs fewer than 150,000 people, according to data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Cost-cutting has led to the culling of some 45,000 jobs over the last six years, putting pressure on those who have remained in their jobs.
Analysts had warned a strike would result in supply chain chaos and cost the economy more than $2bn a day. In anticipation of service interruption, the Amtrak passenger rail service canceled all of its long-distance services around the country for Thursday.
President Biden personally called rail unions and companies to try to broker a compromise earlier in the week. Labour Secretary Marty Walsh, a former union leader himself, secured the deal after the marathon talks.
The two holdout unions, BLET and Smart, credited the duo and other Democrats for “allowing for an agreement to be reached across the bargaining table, rather than through legislation”.
“The solidarity shown by our members, essential workers to this economy, who keep America’s freight trains moving, made the difference,” it added.
The agreement will now go before union members for a ratification vote.
Following a member of the public leaving the line of mourners and approaching the Queen’s coffin on Friday night, there were complaints of “a disturbance” in the solemn hall, according to the police.
The person “moved out of the queue and towards the catafalque (raised platform)” before they were “removed from the hall and the queue reopened with minimal disturbance,” according to a representative for the parliament.
The event took place while a quick cutaway in the live feed from within Westminster Hall occurred.
On Saturday night, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “A man who was arrested in Westminster Hall on Friday, September 16, has been charged.
“Muhammad Khan, 28, of Barleycorn Way, Tower Hamlets, was charged on Saturday, September 17, with an offense under Section 4A of the Public Order Act; behavior intending to cause alarm, harassment or distress.”
He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, the same day as the Queen’s state funeral.
Khan is the second person to be charged with committing an offense while in the queue to see the Queen’s coffin lying in state.
A 19-year-old man allegedly exposed himself and pushed mourners from behind as they waited in the line at Victoria Tower Gardens on Wednesday.
Adio Adeshine is said to have gone into the River Thames in an attempt to evade police before coming out and being arrested.
He was remanded in custody on Friday after appearingat Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Mahsa Amini, 22, passed away on Friday, days after Tehran police vehemently disputed claims that she had been abused in a police van by eyewitnesses there.
According to reports, several of the attendees of the ceremony took off their hijabs in opposition to the need that they do so.
Funeral goers shouted “death to the tyrant,” and films later showed police opening fire on a gathering.
The funeral was held in Saqez, Ms. Amini’s hometown in Kurdistan’s western province.
According to videos published on social media, locals gathered very early in the morning to prevent Iranian security forces from rushing through the burial in secret to avoid protests.
Reports suggested that some angry protesters marched toward the local governor’s office to protest the death. According to videos received and verified by the BBC Persian Service, the security forces opened fire on protesters.
Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police over forced hijab rules, was buried in her hometown of Saqqez, Kurdistan province, today.
Her funeral turned into a scene of large protests, violently confronted by security forces. pic.twitter.com/DqVjbSjIhE
There were also reports of injuries and arrests. In videos published on Twitter, security forces can be seen guarding the governor’s office and arresting protesters trying to get close to the building.
A picture of Ms Amini’s gravestone was published on social media. It reads: “You didn’t die. Your name will be a code [rallying call].”
Ms Amini was arrested on Tuesday by the morality police for allegedly not complying with the strict dress code on head coverings.
According to eyewitnesses, she was beaten while inside a police van and slipped into a coma later.
Iranian police denied the allegations, saying she had “suffered a sudden heart failure”.
Kasra Hospital in Northern Tehran said in a statement that Ms Amini was admitted on 13 September showing “no vital signs”.
The statement was later removed from the hospital’s social media after hardline social media accounts accused hospital staff of being “anti-regime agents”.
Iranian TV also aired CCTV footage of Ms Amini under arrest. Human rights activists accused state TV of censoring the footage to create a false story.
According to Netblocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, the internet connection has been disrupted in various locations in Iran since news of Ms Amini’s death came out, including in the capital, Tehran, and Saqez.
Many users said they could not upload videos on Instagram or send content over WhatsApp.
Iranian state-controlled Sharq newspaper reported that Tehran’s very low internet speed disrupted the stock market on Saturday.
There were also reports of injuries and arrests. In videos published on Twitter, security forces can be seen guarding the governor’s office and arresting protesters trying to get close to the building.
A picture of Ms Amini’s gravestone was published on social media. It reads: “You didn’t die. Your name will be a code [rallying call].”
Ms Amini was arrested on Tuesday by the morality police for allegedly not complying with the strict dress code on head coverings.
According to eyewitnesses, she was beaten while inside a police van and slipped into a coma later.
Iranian police denied the allegations, saying she had “suffered a sudden heart failure”.
Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s hardline president, has asked the ministry of the interior to launch an investigation into the death.
Kasra Hospital in Northern Tehran said in a statement that Ms Amini was admitted on 13 September showing “no vital signs”.
Iranian TV also aired CCTV footage of Ms Amini under arrest. Human rights activists accused state TV of censoring the footage to create a false story.
According to Netblocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, the internet connection has been disrupted in various locations in Iran since news of Ms Amini’s death came out, including in the capital, Tehran, and Saqez.
Many users said they could not upload videos on Instagram or send content over WhatsApp.
The appeal came from the Czech Republic, which is presently in charge of rotating the bloc’s presidency. It was made in response to the discovery of hundreds of graves in Izyum, a town that Ukrainian forces had just recaptured.
It is said that many of them are civilians, including women and children.
“We stand for the punishment of all war criminals,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said.
Ukraine says it believes war crimes have been committed in Izyum, where 59 bodies have been exhumed so far – with more expected from the graves in a forest at the edge of the city.
“In the 21st Century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent,” Mr Lipavsky said.
“We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals,” he said.
“I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression.”
In his regular address on Saturday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said investigators had discovered new evidence of torture used against the people buried in Izyum, in Kharkiv region.
He said the Russians would have to answer “both on the battlefield and in courtrooms”.
On Thursday, EU Commission President chief Ursula von der Leyen said she wanted Mr Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine.
Russia claims it is fighting to de-Nazify Ukraine, in a conflict it still refers to as a “special military operation” rather than a war.
It has not commented on the burial sites at Izyum. Moscow has previously denied targeting civilians.
On Saturday, the eight grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth will keep vigil by their grandmother’s coffin. James, Viscount Severn, the youngest grandchild of Her Majesty, will attend Westminster Hall for the 15-minute vigil with his older sister Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and their royal cousins the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie.
According to HOLA! USA’s sister brand HELLO!, Prince William will stand at the head, while his brother Harry at the foot. At the request of their father, King Charles III, both brothers will be in uniform. The Queen’s other grandchildren will be dressed in morning coats and dark formal dresses with decorations.
A vigil around the Queen’s coffin will also be held by the late monarch’s four children, King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward on Friday.
Earlier this week, Her Majesty’s children and grandchildren attended a service for the reception of the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall. The service marked the first time Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex’s 14-year-old son James had been seen since his grandmother’s death.
The Queen passed away at Balmoral on Sept. 8. Her Majesty’s state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, Sept. 19. In the evening, a private burial will be held in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The Queen will be buried with her husband Prince Philip, who passed away last year.
Following the compromising of several internal communications and engineering systems, the ride-hailing business declared that it was conducting an investigation.
After the hacker gave screenshots of the email, cloud storage, and code repositories to the newspaper, the New York Times was the first to publish the intrusion.
According to the story, which cited two employees, Uber employees were instructed not to use the professional messaging service Slack.
Shortly before the Slack system was taken offline, Uber employees received a message that read: “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach.”
It appeared that the hacker was later able to gain access to other internal systems, posting an explicit photo on an internal information page for employees.
Uber said it was in touch with authorities about the breach.
Uber’s computer network has been hacked.
The ride-hailing company said it was investigating after several internal communications and engineering systems had been compromised.
The New York Times first reported the breach after the hacker sent images of the email, cloud storage, and code repositories to the newspaper.
Uber staff were told not to use the workplace messaging app Slack, the report said, quoting two employees.
Shortly before the Slack system was taken offline, Uber employees received a message that read: “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach.”
Uber said it was in touch with authorities about the breach.
There has been no indication that Uber’s fleet of vehicles, its customers, or payment data has been affected by the hack.
Bug bounty hunters
Uber pays a subscription fee to HackerOne, a bug bounty platform based in California. Bug bounty programs are used by a lot of big businesses – essentially they pay ethical hackers to identify bugs.
Sam Curry, one of the bug bounty hunters, communicated with the Uber hacker. “It seems like they’ve compromised a lot of stuff,” he said.
Mr Curry said he spoke to several Uber employees, who said they were “working to lock down everything internally” to restrict the hacker’s access.
He said there was no indication that the hacker had done any damage or was interested in anything more than publicity.
Chris Evans, chief hacking officer for HackerOne, told the BBC: “We’re in close contact with Uber’s security team, have locked their data down, and will continue to assist with their investigation.”
Who is responsible?
The BBC has seen messages from someone who claims that various Uber admin accounts are under their control.
The New York Times reports the hacker is 18 years old, has been working on his cyber-security skills for several years and hacked the Uber systems because “they had weak security”.
In the Slack message that announced the breach, the person also said Uber drivers should receive higher pay.
The saying goes in cyber-security that “humans are the weakest link”, and once again this hack shows that it was an employee being fooled that let the criminals in.
Although the saying is true, it’s also extremely unkind.
The fuller picture emerging here shows that this hacker was highly skilled and highly motivated.
As we saw with recent breaches of Okta, Microsoft, and Twitter, young hackers with plenty of time on their hands and a devil-may-care attitude can persuade even the most careful employees into making cyber-security mistakes.
This form of hacking through social engineering is even older than computers themselves – just ask infamous former hacker Kevin Mitnick, who was sweet-talking his way around telephone networks back in the 70s.
The difference today is that hackers are able to combine the gift of the gab with very sophisticated and easy-to-use softwareto make their job even easier.
In the western Indian stateof Maharashtra, rock engravings from a hitherto undiscovered civilization have been discovered over time. Now, a cave in the same area is promising to reveal more about the life and works of these prehistoric artists. Mayuresh Konnur of the BBC Marathi reports.
Researchers last year found the cave, which is about 10 kilometres (six miles) from Koloshi hamlet in western Maharashtra’s Konkan region. Stone artifacts dating back tens of thousands of years were found in the cave during excavations earlier this year.
“Nowhere in the world can we find rock art of this kind,” says Dr Tejas Garge, who heads Maharashtra’s archaeology department. Archaeologists believe these artifacts can help us find out more about the way our ancestors lived.
Two rounds of excavations were conducted in the cave
The cave, which is situated in a secluded forest in Sindhudurg, was discovered by researchers who were studying rock carvings in nearby areas. Excavation work was conducted in two rounds, during which archaeologists dug two trenches inside the cave. Several big and small stone tools dating back to the Mesolithic period – also called the middle stone age – have been found.
“The microliths, or the small stone tools, date back to around 10,000 years, whereas the larger tools could be around 20,000 years old,” says Rutivij Apte, who has been researching the Konkan petroglyphs and was part of the excavation team.
Dr Parth Chauhan, an archaeologist, says chemical processes are used to analyse any residue that might be present on the edges of the artifacts. This can help determine what the object was used for.
“It will take a couple of months to find out the exact time period these stone tools belong to. But right now, we can say that these artifacts are between 10,000 to 48,000 years old.”
Maharashtra’s laterite-rich Konkan plateau where this cave was discovered is also a treasure trove of prehistoric art. In the past explorers have discovered rock carvings of animals, birds, human figures, and geometrical designs hidden under layers of soil in several villages here.
So far, 1700 petroglyphs – or rock carvings – have been found at 132 locations in 76 villages in Sindhudurg and the nearby Ratnagiri district.
Saili Palande Datar, a Pune-based art historian, and writer say these carvings offer great insights into the life and habits of prehistoric man.
She gives the example of an iconic rock carving of a human figure found near Barsu village in the Ratnagiri district.
Several petroglyphs – rock carvings – have been found in Maharashtra’s Konkan region
The carving is embossed on a rock and seems to be of a male figure who is holding what appears to be tigers and other wild animals in both hands.
“There is an amazing sense of symmetry in this carving, which points to a high level of skill. The picture also depicts the relationship man shared with animals,” Ms Datar says.
He says that seals of the Harappan civilisation – one of the oldest civilisations in human history that flourished in the Indian subcontinent – also depict the close relationship man shared with animals.
“The seals have images of large animals like tigers and buffaloes and of man hunting animals,” she says.
Experts say that mysteries around these prehistoric rock carvings are far from being solved, but a Unesco tag – natural and cultural landmarks from around the world are singled out for their “outstanding universal value” to humanity – can help preserve them for generations.
Eight rock carving sites in the Konkan region are already a part of Unesco’s tentative list of World Heritage sites, which is the first step towards getting the tag for any culturally-significant site.
In Japan, hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered to leave their homes because of “unprecedented” storm risks.
On Sunday, Typhoon Nanmadol is anticipated to make landfall on Kyushu Island.
Winds might gust as high as 270 km/h (168 mph), and some regions could receive 500 mm (20 inches) of rain in a single day.
A “special alert” is in force for Kyushu, with warnings of landslides and flooding. Train services and flights have been canceled.
Kyushu is the southernmost of the four islands that make up the main body of Japan and has a population of over 13 million people.
This is the first special alert ever issued outside the Okinawa Prefecture, which consists of the smaller, remote islands in the East China Sea, the Japan Times reports.
Once the typhoon makes landfall, it is expected to turn northeast and move up through central Japan towards Tokyo.
It is also expected to maintain much of its strength even after making landfall.
An official from Japan’s meteorological agency told reporters on Saturday: “There are risks of unprecedented storms, high waves, storm surges, and record rainfall.”
Nanmadol, the official added, had the potential to be worse than both Typhoon Jebi in 2018, which left 14 people dead, and Typhoon Hagibis, which caused widespread power cuts in 2019.
The agency also warned that some homes, particularly in southern Kyushu, would be at risk of collapse, and urged residents to seek refuge in sturdy buildings.
It, however, remains unlikely that it intends to use such weapons.
Tactical nuclear weapons are those which can be used at relatively short distances, as opposed to “strategic” nuclear weapons which can be launched over much longer distances and raise the spectre of all-out nuclear war.
In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley in the White House, President Biden was asked what he would say to President Putin if he was considering using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine.
“Don’t, don’t, don’t,” was President Biden’s response.
Mr Biden was then asked what the consequences would be for Mr Putin if such a line was crossed.
“You think I would tell you if I knew exactly what it would be? Of course, I’m not gonna tell you. It’ll be consequential,” Mr Biden responded.
“They’ll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been. And depending on the extent of what they do will determine what response would occur.”
The war in Ukraine has not gone as well as the Kremlin had hoped.
In recent days, Ukraine says it has recaptured more than 8,000 sq km (3,088 sq miles) of territory in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Despite the apparent setback, President Putin has insisted that Ukraine’s successful counter-offensive will not stop Russia’s plans of continuing its operations in the east of the country.
A Dutch town has filed a lawsuit against Twitter for spreading the rumour that a group of paedophiles who worship Satan formerly lived there.
In 2020, three men spread the first untrue information that Bodegraven-Reeuwijk was the scene of the abuse and murder of several children in the 1980s.
The primary perpetrator said he had seen the crimes when he was a young boy. He had grown up in a town close to The Hague.
Local authorities want to see all posts relating to the alleged events removed.
The claims have prompted dozens of people to travel to the town’s Vrederust cemetery to leave flowers and tributes at the graves of seemingly random dead children.
Twitter’s lawyer, Jens van den Brink, declined to comment ahead of a hearing at The Hague District Court on Friday.
Last year, the same court ordered the three original men to remove all tweets about the town, but the claims continue to circulate.
The town’s lawyer, Cees van de Sanden, said Twitter had not responded to a request inJuly that it find and remove all posts related to the claims.
Mayor Christiaan van der Kamp said that claims were “very painful and sometimes even threatening for the relatives of the deceased”, RTL Nieuws reported.
The three men behind the claims are currently serving jail sentences following convictions in separate cases for incitement and making death threats against a number of people, including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Those waiting in line to view the Queen lying in the state were surprised to see King Charles and Prince William.
The Prince of Wales told one young girl, “You’re over halfway,” as they praised people who had waited through the night.
William also mentioned how important it was to his family that there was a long line.
I hope you didn’t get too frozen, the King said to one in reference to the chilly overnight temps.
There were cheers of God Save the King, God Save the Prince of Wales, and hip hooray as the pair walked up and down the queue.
The queue time is now around 16.5 hours, with the line stretching five miles along the River Thames to Southwark Park.
One woman in the queue told the Prince of Wales she had been queuing for 13 hours already. He replied: “Thirteen hours? You’re looking very good on 13 hours.”
The Prince of Wales said he was sorry people had had to wait for so long
Those waiting in Lambeth, south London, told the pair the wait was “worth it” but William said he was sorry they had had to wait for so long.
The prince commented to one person waiting that their trainers were a good choice of footwear for the queue.
Several people cried after meeting Prince William, and one woman told him: “You’ll be a brilliant king one day.”
King Charles left around 20 minutes after arriving and was driven back to Buckingham Palace, but his son stayed longer to speak to more people.
King Charles shook people’s hands during the surprise visit
The beginning of King Charles’s reign has seen the Royal Family take part in several walkabouts and meetings with the public.
The Queen’s youngest son could be heard asking mourners where they had come from and whether they were making their way to Green Park to lay flowers.
The pair had come from a lunch held inside the palace by the King and Queen Consort for governors-general from Commonwealth countries.
Representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu were among those present, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales.
On Saturday evening, the Prince of Wales, his brother the Duke of Sussex and their cousins will stand guard around the Queen’s coffin, a day after their parents held their own vigil at the Palace of Westminster.
Prince Harry has been given permission by the King to wear a military uniform.
Saturday is the third full day the Queen’s coffin will lie in state in Westminster Hall, where she will remain until the morning of the funeral, on Monday.
Human rights activists have reacted angrily to Britain’s invitation of Mohammed Bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia‘s Crown Prince, to the Queen’s funeral.
According to a declassified CIA report, the crown prince gave the go-ahead for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Although the Saudi crown prince and his administration denied this, he has since been shunned in the West and hasn’t visited Britain, until now.
A Saudi Embassy spokesman confirmed that the prince, known as “MBS”, would be coming to London this weekend, but it was unclear if he would attend the actual funeral on Monday.
Hatice Gengiz, the fiancée of the murdered Saudi journalist, said the invitation was a stain on the memory of Queen Elizabeth II. She called for him to be arrested when he lands in London, although she doubted this would happen.
The pressure group Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) has accused Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchiesof using the Queen’s funeral as a way to – in their words – “whitewash” their human rights records.
The group estimates that since the start of the disastrous war in Yemen eight years ago, Britain has sold the Saudi-led coalition fighting there more than $23bn worth of arms.
Scant political freedoms have also disappeared completely since MBS became crown prince in 2017, with hefty prison sentences handed down to critics of the government, even just for social media posts.
At the same time, paradoxically, the crown prince has embarked on a massive programme of social liberalization. Cinemas and public entertainment, long banned in the Kingdom for being deemed “un-Islamic”, have reopened.
On MBS’s orders, women are now allowed to drive and the desert kingdom has played host to international sporting and music events, including a concert by the DJ David Guetta.
Saudi Arabia, despite its heavily-criticized human rights record, remains a staunch ally of Britain in the Gulf, where it is seen by the West as a bulwark against Iran’s aggressive expansionism.
It buys western weapons, employs thousands of expatriateworkers, hosts the annual Hajj pilgrimage, and helps to steady the oil price. All of these partly explain why international criticism of the crown prince is muted at most.
Reservists up to the age of 55 have been called up, they said.
Eritrea has compulsory, decades-long military service, which has been widely criticized by human-rights groups, but analysts say the latest mobilization efforts are linked to the civil war in northern Ethiopia – a conflict that recently flared up again after five months of relative peace.
The Eritrean government has not commented on the report.
Witnesses told BBC News Tigrinya that mobilization notices were distributed on Thursday in the capital, the second-largest city, Keren, the western town of Tessenai, and other areas.
They called on reservists to report to their respective head offices, while also advising that they should carry their own supplies, including blankets and water containers.
Mothers, children and wives were crying as they bid farewell to their sons, fathers, brothers, and husbands, sources told the BBC.
Those who do not heed the call-up have been warned of severe consequences, but some are reportedly ignoring it.
Eritrea has been fighting alongside Ethiopia’s central government troops since the civil war broke out in Tigray in late 2020.
Several human rights organisations have accused Eritrean soldiers of committing atrocities in Ethiopia, but these claims have been denied by Eritrean officials.
The US has imposed sanctions on the Eritrean Defence Forces and the ruling PFDJ party in response to their involvement in the conflict.
President Isaias Afwerki has ruled Eritrea since the country broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, but between 1998-2000 the two nations fought a brutal and costly war over a contested border area.
A 20-year military stalemate ensued until Abiy Ahmed became Ethiopia’s prime minister in 2018. The peace deal won Mr Abiy the Nobel Peace Prize a year later.
IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS Image caption, President Isaias Afwerki (left) welcomed Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Asmara in 2018
The two leaders later united against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a common foe, whose elites dominated Ethiopia for three decades before Mr Abiy came to power.
The Ethiopian government accuses TPLF leaders, who control the northern Tigray region, of plotting to destabilise the country, while Mr Isaias sees them as a sworn enemy.
Eritrea is isolated diplomatically and is a highly militarised state which controls almost all aspects of people’s lives.
The repression has led to many young people fleeing the country.
During Mr Isaias’ rule, apart from fighting Ethiopia, Eritrea found itself at war with all its neighbors at some point – Yemen in 1995, Sudan in 1996, and Djibouti in 2008.
Vladimir Putin has stated in his first public remarks on the subject that Russia’s plans will not be altered by the current counteroffensive by Ukraine.
In a quick counterattack, Ukrainian forces claim to have taken over 8,000 square kilometres (3,000 square miles) in the northeastern Kharkiv region in just six days.
However, Mr. Putin claimed he wasn’t in a rush, and the attack in the Donbass region of Ukraine is still on schedule.
Additionally, he pointed out that Russia has not yet sent out all of its forces.
“Our offensive operation in the Donbas is not stopping. They’re moving forward – not at a very fast pace – but they are gradually taking more and more territory,” he said after a summit in Uzbekistan.
The industrial Donbas region in east Ukraine is the focus of Russia’s invasion, which Mr Putin falsely claims is necessary to save Russian speakers from genocide.
Parts of the Donbas have been occupied by Russian-backed separatists since 2014. The Kharkiv region, where Ukraine’s recent counter-attack was launched, is not part of the Donbas.
“I remind you that the Russian army isn’t fighting in its entirety… Only the professional army is fighting.”
Russia initially denied sending conscript soldiers to Ukraine, but several officers were disciplined after cases came to light of conscripts being forced to sign contracts and in some instances being taken, prisoner.
So far, Russia has not officially declared war on Ukraine and only refers to its invasion as a “special military operation”.
But after Russia’s recent losses, some pro-Kremlin commentators have called for more forces to be mobilised. A recently leaked video that appears to show an attempt to recruit convicts to a private military company suggests Russia is struggling to find enough men willing to fight.
Later on Friday, US President Joe Biden reiterated his call on Russia to refrain from using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons.
Speaking during an interview with CBS News, Mr Biden said such action would “change the face of war unlike anything since World War Two”.
President Putin put the country’s nuclear forces on a “special” alert following its invasion of Ukraine in February.
This week’s visit to the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan – where he met the Chinese leader Xi Jinping – highlights his need to foster ties with Asian countries after being sidelined by the West.
But even there, leaders have expressed concern over the invasion.
“Today’s time is not a time for war,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Mr Putin.
And on the previous day, Mr Putin hinted that Xi Jinping also disapproved.
The Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex will be among the grandchildren of the Queen who will keep watch over her coffin this evening as she lies in state in Westminster Hall.
Prince Harry will don a military uniform for the first time in 2020 at King Charles’ request.
Since the Queen’s passing, Prince Harry has appeared in public wearing regular clothes.
The King and the Queen’s children manned the guard duty for around ten minutes on Friday night.
As they left the hall, members of the public applauded them.
The grandchildren’s vigil is expected to last around 15 minutes.
The King’s two sons will be joined by Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and James, Viscount Severn.
He served two tours in Afghanistan as part of the Army. He now lives in California with his wife Meghan and their two children.
Prince Harry wore a morning suit to walk behind the Queen’s coffin, while his brother wore a military uniform
Prince Andrew was also allowed to wear his military uniform as he stood guard on Friday. The 62-year-old stepped down as a working royal in 2019, after a Newsnight interview about his relationship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The prince was later stripped of his military titles.
Before the vigil, the Queen’s youngest child, Prince Edward, thanked the public for their support.
“We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us and the sheer number of people who have gone out of their way to express their own love, admiration and respect to such a very special and unique person who was always there for us,” he said.
“And now, we are there for her, united in grief.”
The Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday. The queue to see the coffin stretches as far as Southwark Park. Officials have said if the park reaches capacity, entry will be paused.
At the park, there is a queue for wristbands and to join the queue properly. Further along, an LED display warns people of how long they should expect to wait. Many are anticipating a long stay, wearing parkas, hats, and big jumpers.
At 14:00 BST on Saturday, the government website said the waiting time was now up to 16.5 hours.
Foreign dignitaries are traveling to London ahead of Monday’s funeral, which will be one of the biggest diplomatic events of recent years, with some 500 heads of state and other dignitaries expected to attend.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese laid flowers in Green Park, central London, before meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Saturday. Mr Albanese said it was a “great honour” to represent Australia and commemorate “a life well-lived”.
Meanwhile, King Charles is back in London, having completed a tour of the UK’s four nations.
On Saturday the King met the heads of the armed forces at Buckingham Palace and visited the Metropolitan Police’s headquarters, New Scotland Yard.
He then went to Lambeth Bridge, alongside Prince William, to shake hands and greet those queuing for the lying-in-state. He is meeting world leaders this afternoon.
A senior Metropolitan Police officer described the Queen’s funeral as “the largest single policing event [the force] has ever undertaken”.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said the “hugely complex” operation surpasses the London 2012 Olympics – which saw up to 10,000 police officers on duty each day.
Events, moments of reflection, and public screenings of the funeral are also taking place across the UK this weekend, outside London.
In Blackpool, the tower illuminations – which were changed to red, white, and blue for the period of mourning – will be switched off at 20:00 on Sunday, when a national one-minute silence will take place.
The second-richest person in the world, Jeff Bezos, has just dropped to third place as Indian business tycoon Gautam Adani rapidly advances up Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.
With $260 billion in his bank account, Elon Musk,who is still the richest person in the world, may need to be careful.
After beginning the year in position 14, Adani climbed from there to position 2 in less than ten months.
Since white tech entrepreneurs have long dominated Bloomberg’s list, a person from Asia has never placed so high on the list.
Adani’s $146.9 billion fortune, largely tied up in holdings of his sprawling Adani Group conglomerate, still trails well behind Musk’s $260 billion. The group operates a range of businesses including ports and coal that have thrived in recent years.
Shares of some Adani companies have jumped more than 1,000% since June 2020 — reflecting investor optimism about the conglomerate’s strength in areas like infrastructure and renewable energy that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prioritized for development. Shares of his flagship Adani Enterprises are up more than 115% in 2022.
In February, Adani overtook fellow Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani to become Asia’s wealthiest person.
Bezos’s net worth slumped to $145.8 billion, according to Bloomberg, as tech stocks were hit hard amid a broader equities selloff Friday. Amazon shares fell 3% in early trading, and the stock is down more than 25% this year.
The Amazon founder previously ranked No. 1 on the list, but his wealth took a hit after his 2019 divorce. Much of his wealth is tied up in Amazon stock. According to Bloomberg, the tech selloff has shaved $45 billion off Bezos’ net worth since January.
On Friday, a large fire broke out in a 42-story skyscraper in the Hunan province city of Changsha in central China.
The fire was out and there were no confirmed casualties as of 4:20 p.m. local time (4:20 a.m. ET), according to Chinese state television CCTV.
A fire that started in the China Telecom Building in the city’s Furong District was reported to the Hunan fire department at around 3:48 p.m. local time, according to a statement on its official Weibo account.
Changsha Fire and Rescue dispatched 36 fire engines and 280 firefighters to the scene, the statement said.
After a preliminary investigation, it found the outer wall of the building was on fire, it said.
Social media videos circulating Friday showed flames engulfing the skyscraper, which, according to the fire department, is 218 meters (715 feet) tall.
A section of the Teshie-Nungua Road was scheduled to be blocked to traffic effective Thursday, September 15, 2022, as stated by the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
To make room for the renovation of the bridge that crosses the Kpeshie Lagoon after the Labadi Beach Hotel, the road will be closed.
However, there was heavy traffic travelling over the three-lane bridge in both directions when the construction site was visited a day after the road was supposed to be closed.
It was indicated by the contractors on site that all was set for the dismantling of the existing steel bridge to pave way for the construction of the new 2/3 concrete bridge over the lagoon, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred metres away from the construction site.
According to the contractors, they are currently waiting on the Ghana Highways Authority to give the final green light by diverting traffic away from the bridge for the construction to begin.
The reconstruction of the Kpeshie Lagoon Bridge is expected to take some three months, with the new bridge expected to open to traffic on December 15, 2022.
Traffic continues to flow a day after the planned road closure of Kpeshie lagoon bridge
One person has been confirmed dead while three others are battling for their lives at the Sandema Government Hospital after they collided with their respective motorbikes, GhanaWeb reports.
The incident happened on Monday, September 12, 2022, between the hours of 7 PM and 8 PM on the Yizesi-Nangrumah stretch of the road in the Mamprugu Moaduri District of the North East Region.
The deceased, identified as Yakubu Sulley, 21, was confirmed dead by the health workers at the Yizesi health center in the Mamprugu Madurai District of the North East Region after he crashed with Saibu Kadri, 22, who was carrying two young girls from Yizesi to Nangrumah on a motorbike to allegedly prospect for gold.
Saibu Kadri and the two young girls all had their left legs fractured with various degrees of injuries.
According to the locals, the victims suffered for some hours before an ambulance could travel from Fumbisi in the Upper East Region to Yizesi to take them to Sandema due to the broken-down nature of the Yagaba-Kubori constituency ambulance as a senior brother of Kadri, Sombelungu Hamza attested to.
“Our District ambulance is not functioning so we had to call the ambulance servicethrough the Upper East Region to come. We told them that we have an accident case in Yizesi so they should quickly come and help us. They agreed, but they told us that we were going to pay Ghc400 but when they saw the two victims upon arrival, they asked us to pay Ghc500 instead of the agreed Ghc400 but what could we do?” he lamented.
However, the third victim was taken to the Sandema hospital by a pick-up vehicle. All three victims are currently responding to treatment at the Sandema Government Hospital in the Upper East Region.
This follows the successful discharge from the hospital, of the only survivor among those who contracted the virus.
The announcement was made by the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye at a press briefing on Friday, September 16.
“On this day, the 16th day of September 2022, I Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service on behalf of the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu together with our partners do hereby declare the initial outbreak of Marburg virus is over.”
He also said the only survivor has been reunited with his family.
“The only survivor of the three has since recovered from the disease following two negative tests carried out 48 hours apart on the 3rd and 6th of August 2022 respectively, by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR). Ghana, therefore, has no case of MVD,” he added.
Ghana recorded its first case of the disease on Monday, July 4.
In all, 198 contacts were identified in four districts (Adansi North and South, Prestea Huni Valley, and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba) of which 118 of them have completed the 21 days of mandatory follow-up and have since been discharged.
In line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, the outbreak will be declared over 42 days after the last negative test if there are no new cases.
Following the alleged murder of six of their coworkers in the previous five months, private security officers in the Wa municipality say that their lives are in danger.
Also reported missing in the previous two months were two more people.
The Council described the development as disturbing and highlighted that because school administrators fail to recognize “unwanted” individuals in the exam halls, such occurrences have risen in this year’s assessment.
Six schools had a total of reported occurrences of impersonation as of Friday, September 16.
Prince Boateng SHS in Nsawam recorded 15 cases, Vicar Trust SHS, Kasoa – three and St. John SHS, Asante Bekwai, two cases.
Winners SHS, Nkawkaw; Sunyani Business College and Mococo SHS, Nkawkaw all recorded a case each.
Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, the Head of Public Affairs at WAEC, Agnes Teye-Cudjoe, urged school authorities to “fish out any impersonators even before they are allowed into the examination room.”
She added that there is a number of syndicate cheating cases in schools where teachers extort money from candidates and provide answers to them in the examination halls.
“This practice involves…the execution of pre-arranged plans by these same persons to assist candidates to cheat by solving questions and distributing photocopies or printed solutions to the candidates.
“A number of cases from the following schools have come to our attention: Asawinso SHS, Action SHS, Madina; Juaben SHS, Aduman SHS, Sunyani Business College, Oxford Business SHS, Sunyani and Miracle SHS, SHS.”
“Through all the years of her reign, the land of Wales could not have been closer to my mother’s heart.
“I know she took immense pride in your many great achievements – even as she also felt with you deeply in time of sorrow.
“It must surely be counted the greatestprivilege to belong to a land that could inspire such devotion.
“I am resolved to honour that selfless example.”
The monarch added: “I take up my new duties with immense gratitude for the privilege of having been able to serve as Prince of Wales.
“That ancient title, dating from the time of those great Welsh rulers, like Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, whose memory is still rightly honoured, I now pass to my son, William, whose love for this corner of the Earth is made all the greater by the years he himself has spent here.
“Having visited the Senedd regularly since it was founded, and having heard your heartfelt words today, I know we all share the deepest commitment to the welfare of the people of this land and that we will all continue to work together to that end.”
The Vatican says Pope Francis will not be present at the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
The de facto foreign minister for the Pope will take his seat.
The Vatican says in a statement: “The Most Reverend Paul Gallagher, secretary for relations with states and international organizations, will represent Pope Francis at the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
“Over recent months the Pope has suffered ongoing knee trouble that hasimpacted his mobility. On a July trip to Canada, he spent much of his visit in a wheelchair.
A few days after the town was retaken from Russia, Ukraine claims hundreds of burials have been discovered outside of Izyum.
In a woodland outside of the town, advancing Ukrainian forcesfound wooden crosses, the majority of them bearing numbers.
Authorities announced that some of the tombs would be opened for exhumation on Friday.
Early reports indicate that some of the fatalities may have perished from shelling and a lack of access to healthcare, while it is yet unclear what happened to them.
There are also signs that some of the graves could belong to Ukrainian soldiers.
Regional police head Volodymyr Tymoshko told the BBC more than 400 bodies were thought to have been buried at the site.
Izyum, invaded in the early days of the war, was used by Russia as a key military hub to supply its forces from the east.
In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the “necessary procedural actions” had begun in the area.
“We want the world to know what is really happening and what the Russian occupation has led to. Bucha, Mariupol, now, unfortunately, Izyum… Russia leaves death everywhere,” he said. “And it must be held accountable for that.”
The Ukrainian leader was referring to alleged mass graves found this spring in Bucha, near the capital Kyiv, and also near Mariupol – the key south-eastern Ukrainian port now occupied by Russian troops.
Andriy Yermak, the head of President Zelensky’s office, tweeted a photo of the alleged mass burial site, also saying that more information was expected on Friday.
Much of Izyum lies in ruins, with one local politician telling reporters that up to 80% of the town’s infrastructure has been destroyed, and bodies are still being discovered in the rubble.
A mass burial was found in Izyum, Kharkiv region. Necessary procedures have already begun. All bodies will be exhumed and sent for forensic examination. Expect more information tomorrow.
Izyum and a number of other cities in the Kharkiv region were liberated earlier this month during a swift Ukrainian counter-offensive that appeared to have surprised Russian troops and left them unprepared to defend their positions.
Ukraine says it has identified more than 21,000 possible war crimes – including killing civilians and rape – committed by Russian troops since President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of the country on 24 February.
Investigators and journalists found what appeared to be evidence of the deliberate killing of civilians in Bucha and other nearby areas.
Ukrainian forces said they found mass graves and evidence that civilians had been killed after their feet and hands were bound.
The International Criminal Court has already sent a team of investigators and forensics experts to Ukraine to investigate this.
US President Joe Biden and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsonhave both accused Russia of carrying out war crimes in Ukraine.
The Russian government has repeatedly denied targeting civilians, accusing Ukraine and the West of fabricating evidence.
“It was like an earthquake.” said local mayor Ludovico Caverni to RAI state radio.
According to one local report, a mother who managed to escape her car with her child in her arms became separated from him after being overwhelmed by water when the River Misa burst its banks.
Emergency workers managed to rescue the woman overnight but her six-year-old child is one of several still missing, local outlets report.
In addition to 10 dead, Italian newspapers report that around 50 people were being treated at hospitals for hypothermia and other injuries sustained in the floods.
More than 180 firefighters are assisting in the rescue efforts, evacuating people who overnight were forced to climb up trees or get onto their roofs to escape the rising water.
Some of the rescuers used dinghy rafts and helicopters to reach trapped families, footage shows.
An unusually dry summer left nearby lands parched in the coastal area and unable to absorb the copious volumes of water falling down.
Although rain was forecast for the region – local officials say the ensuing flash floods took everyone by complete surprise.
“We were given a normal alert for rain, but nobody had expected anything like this,” Marche regional official Stefano Aguzzi told reporters according to Reuters.
Weather officials said the severity of the floods were explained by a combination of two things: unusually hot September temperatures, and a persistent drought over the summer.
The heat meant the sea was warmer than usual for this time of year putting more moisture into the air.
When a storm then released the moisture in the form of rain, a severe summer drought meant the land was too dry to absorb the falling water quickly enough.
Unusually hot weather and low rainfall levels have compounded northern Italy’s water shortages and heightened fears about the effects of climate change.
Authorities in Marche, Italy, have reported that at least 10 people have perished as a result of nocturnal flash floods.
Who can skip the line to pay their respects to the late Queen has sparked a dispute.
MPs and House of Lords members can each bring four guests to the lying-in-state without having to wait in line.
The majority of Parliamentary staff can also bypass the lines, although MP staffers are required to wait in line.
Contractors working for Parliament are required to wait up alongside cleaners and security personnel, prompting complaints that they are being treated like “second class citizens.”
There are hundreds of cleaners working across theParliamentary estate.An estimated 160 of their jobs have been outsourced. Because they don’t work directly for the parliamentary administration, they will not be entitled to gain access to the fast-track queue.
The PCS trade union said it was “time for them to be treated as equals”.
Shortly before 10:00 this morning, the government announced that the public queue was being paused for at least six hours after reaching capacity.
Mourners have been warned not to try to join the queue before 16:00 at the earliest.
The official estimate for queuing time has risen to at least 14 hours.
Former prime minister Theresa May, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, and deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner are among the MPs who have attended the lying-in-state at Westminster Hall.
Members of the public are able to attend 24 hours a day until 06:30 BST on Monday – the day of the Queen’s funeral – but the queue will close before then to ensure as many people as possible can get in.
‘Second-class citizens’
Many have waited more than eight hours for the opportunity to pay their respects.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS union, which represents civil and public servants as well as private sector workers on government contracts, said: “It’s symbolic that hard-working security guards, cleaners, and catering staff in Parliament are treated as second-class citizens.
“As we usher in a new era, it’s time for them to be treated as equals and at least given a pay rise to help them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.”
Those who work for MPs or peers must also queue with the public to attend the lying-in-state.
One MP staff member said many were upset by this, adding: “We’ve seen in the parliamentary response to a succession of scandals involving the bullying and sexual harassment of MPs’ staff that we are treated as an after-thought, and this is yet another example.”
According to an internal House of Commons memo, leaked to The Spectator, MPs’ staff have been told that “it is not possible to open up access further without the risk of impacting access for queuing members of the public”.
Some of the members of the public who had waited for several hours to pay their respects were infuriated by the fact MPs and peers were allowed to take four guests with them when they skipped the public queue.
“Personally, I think it’s outrageous,” said Christina from Balham in south London. ”I can understand that for security reasons MPs might not want to stand in the public queue but they shouldn’t be able to take four guests in and neither should the peers.”
Louise, from Keston in south-east London, also said she felt this was unfair, adding: “This day is supposed to be for the people.”
But other people who had just emerged from Westminster Hall did not mind.
“I’m not bothered, it’s one of the perks of their job,” said Alan, from Kent. He and his wife Sue were pleased to have progressed along the queue in five hours.
Alan and Sally Prince from London also said they ”weren’t fussed”, in part because they had really enjoyed being in the queue. “The atmosphere was fun. It felt like the nation was coming together,” they said.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, condemned the incident and called it “utterly appalling.”
After being attacked by a man with a knife in Leicester Square in the heart of London, two male police officers are receiving medical attention in a hospital.
According to the Metropolitan Police, a Taser was used in the early morning incident, and a man was detained on suspicion of causing serious bodily harm and assaulting a healthcare practitioner.
The condition of the two officers is not known and their families are aware of the incident, which is not being treated as terror-related.
The man arrested was taken to a hospital for treatment where he remains at this time.
Footage from the scene shows police officers guarding an area of Whitcomb Street which has been taped off.
A man has been arrested in connection to the incident
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said the service was called to reports of an incident in Great Windmill Street, near Shaftsbury Avenue at 6.01 am
The scene of the stabbings near Leicester Square
They added that three ambulances, a medic in a response car, and London’s air ambulance were dispatched to the scene and that three people were treated and taken to hospital.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has condemned the attack and called for anyone with information about the incident to contact the police.
He described it as “utterly appalling”, adding that the officers “were doing their duty and assisting the public at this momentous time for our country”.
“My thoughts and prayers are with them, their loved ones, and police colleagues following this disgraceful attack.
“Attacks against the police will not be tolerated and any perpetrators will be caught and prosecuted,” he said.
For a solitary day of reflection, King Charles has retired to his Highgrove palace in Gloucestershire.
A day was reserved for the incoming monarch to spend away from official duties at his family home as part of the London Bridge preparations for what would happen following the Queen’s passing.
Although it is thought he will be working in preparation for his new position and collecting his red boxes of state paperwork, he is not anticipated to attend any public events.
The King will spend his first day out of the public spotlight since the death of his mother at his beloved Highgrove House near Tetbury, Gloucestershire, a Georgian neo-classical house that serves as the private home for the monarch the Queen Consort.
A passionate gardener and environmentalist, King Charles has spent over 40 years transforming the gardens around the house.
over 40 years of transforming the gardens around the house.
The home has been owned by various families until it was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall from former prime minister Harold Macmillan’s son, Maurice Macmillan, in 1980.
Image:The Prince of Wales in the gardens of his home in Highgrove
He and his then-wife Princess Diana renovated the property with neo-classical additions in 1987 and the interior was stripped out and redecorated.
The Duchess of Cornwall with her dog Beth at Highgrove
The King’s passion project has been the estate’s gardens, which were overgrown and untended when he first moved in but have since been completely overhauled.
The green-fingered monarch introduced a wild garden, formal garden, walled kitchen, and a stumpery.
His environmental beliefs are echoed on the estate, which includes solar panels, biomass boilers, and air source heat pumps, while waste from the house is filtered through a natural reed bed sewage system.
The Prince of Wales flanked by his sons Princes William and Harry at Highgrove
Fruit and vegetables from the kitchen garden are used for meals at Charles and Camilla’s table, while flowers in the garden are used to decorate the house.
The King has also planted rare trees and plants for future generations and heritage seeds have been planted to ensure they flourish.
The monarch has said: “One of my greatest joys is to see the pleasure that the garden can bring to many of the visitors and that everybody seems to find some part of it that is special to them.”
Guests and the public have been able to tour the gardens since 1994 and thousands visit each year.
It remains to be seen where the King will live during his reign.
Traditionally the monarch would live at Buckingham Palace, though a friend previously told the Mail on Sunday: “Despite what everybody thinks about him not wanting to live there, he will certainly have accommodation there – but it will be a much more modest flat-above-the-shop situation akin to that of the Prime Minister at Downing Street.”
The house technically belongs to the Duchy of Cornwall, so has passed to Prince William who is the new Duke of Cornwall.
It means the King could pay his son an estimated £700,000 a year in rent to stay at Highgrove, according to the Daily Mail.
