TIG Post

Author: Abigail Ampofo

  • Texas sends migrants to the vice president’s mansion in Washington

    In the midst of an escalating political debate about immigration, two buses transporting migrants were sent from Texas to a location near Vice President Kamala Harris’ house in Washington, DC, on Thursday.

    The Republican governor of the state claimed that the action was deliberate and called for stricter immigration regulations.

    It happens the day after Florida transferred migrants to an island off the coast of Massachusetts.

    Both states seem to be intensifying a strategy that has seen migrants sent from Republican states to Democratic regions.

    As political tension over the number of people arriving at the US-Mexico border grows, states such as Texas and Arizona have sent thousands of migrants to cities such as Chicago, New York, and Washington DC, which they accuse of failing to fully enforce immigration laws.

    While legal experts say the tactic will likely be challenged in court, it remains unclear what the legal basis for such a challenge would be.

    Immigration groups in both Washington DC and the wealthy Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard said they were not given an advance warning about the arrivals.
    Footage shown on Fox News showed two buses – reportedly carrying between 75 and 100 people – arriving near the vice-president’s residence and migrants, who were mostly from Venezuela, gathering their belongings and standing nearby. A non-governmental organisation later came and reportedly transported them to a church.

    “Harris claims our border is ‘secure’ [and] denies the crisis,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott later wrote on Twitter. “We’re sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job and secure the border.”

    ‘We’re in limbo’

    Among the migrants on the buses in Washington were Delinyer Mendoza and his partner Maybel, a young Venezuelan couple who arrived in the US five days ago after an arduous trek through Central America and Mexico.

    While officials in Texas told the couple they were headed to Washington, the pair only learned that they were at the vice-president’s house when told by journalists.

    “We didn’t know,” Maybel said. “We’re finding out about this from you all… we’re in limbo and were just going to walk around not knowing where we were.”

    The pair said they planned to spend the day with a local humanitarian organisation before heading north to New York, where Mr Mendoza has family.

    Another migrant, Cuban national Leonardo Perdomo, told Reuters that he had boarded a bus in Texas after officials offered him passage to Washington “free of charge”.

    A local volunteer helping the migrants, Carla Bustillos, was quoted as saying that immigration organisations were only told about the arrivals at the last minute. “While we’re doing this political show, we have human beings feeling that their suffering is being exploited,” she said.

    The migrants, including children, arrived in Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday afternoon

    In a similar move on Wednesday, two planes carrying migrants were flown to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. The resort is a traditional summer destination for Hollywood stars and former President Barack Obama is among those who have holiday homes in the area.

    The migrants, including children, arrived at about 15:00 (11:00 GMT) on Wednesday without any warning, according to Massachusetts State Senator Julian Cyr.

    Officials and volunteers then “moved heaven and earth” to set up the response like “we would do in the event of a hurricane”, he said. Migrants were given food and clothing as well as being tested for Covid.

    Many did not know where they were, according to Massachusetts state Representative Dylan Fernandes. They had been told they would be given housing and jobs, he said.

    On Twitter, Mr Fernandes described the move as an “evil and inhumane” plot to use “human lives – men, women and children – as political pawns”.

    Places like “Massachusetts, New York, and California” will better care for migrants, Taryn Fenske, a spokesman for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in a statement.

    Christina Pushaw, a spokesperson for Mr DeSantis’ re-election campaign, said Martha’s Vineyard should be “thrilled”. “They vote for sanctuary cities – they get a sanctuary city of their own. And illegal aliens will increase the town’s diversity, which is strength. Right?”

    So-called sanctuary cities are cities that have policies to aid undocumented immigrants.

    Aleksander Cuic, an immigration lawyer and the director of the Immigration Clinic at Case Western Reserve University’s school of law, said that while he believes efforts to relocate migrants in this way will be legally challenged, it is still unclear what – if any – laws may have been broken.

    “The big question is what they are being told, and if there is any sort of fraud or inducement,” he told the BBC. “But how would anyone know if there’s nothing in writing? It could be that they [the migrants] are willingly saying they’ll go if there are jobs and opportunities.”

    Mr Cuic added that authorities in Texas and Florida are likely to argue they “are doing the same thing” as the government, which regularly moves detained migrants around the country.

    Governor Ron DeSantis has previously cited Martha’s Vineyard as a possible destination for migrants being sent out of his state, telling reporters last year that if they were, the “border would be secure the next day”. This year, Florida representatives set aside $12m (£10.4m) for transporting migrants.

    It is unclear how many migrants Florida plans to send to other states. The BBC has reached out to Governor DeSantis’ office for comment.

  • Eddie Butler: Former Wales rugby captain and renowned broadcaster passes away at age 65

    Former captain of the Wales rugby union and a renowned broadcaster and pundit, Eddie Butler passed away at the age of 65.

    Butler played 16 times for Wales between 1980 and 1984 after becoming well-known with the local team Pontypool. He captained the team six times and scored two tries.

    The British and Irish Lions team that toured New Zealand in 1983 called up the number eight.

    He rose to prominence as a rugby broadcaster after retiring.

    On a charitable excursion in Peru, Butler passed away in his sleep.

    He was a pivotal part of the Pontypool side that was created by Ray Prosser and dominated Welsh club rugby in the late 1970s and early 1980s, captaining the side between 1982 and 1985.

    Butler had also played for Cambridge University from 1976-1978 while studying French and Spanish at Fitzwilliam College.

    Butler’s first cap came in Wales’ 18-9 Five Nations win against France in January 1980.

    He retired from international rugby in 1985 aged 27 and has worked as a teacher in Cheltenham for three years, Butler then joined Radio Wales as a press and publicity officer in 1984.

    While still playing for his beloved Pontypool, Butler went on to work for a property development company.

    Eddie Butler played in three consecutive Varsity matches for Cambridge University against Oxford University – 1976-78

    He started his newspaper journalism career with the Sunday Correspondent in 1988 before stints with Observer and the Guardian and returned to BBC Wales in 1990 after being brought back in by the new head of sport Gareth Davies.

    Current BBC Director-General Tim Davie paid tribute to “a wonderful wordsmith” who had shaped so much of the organization’s output.

    “Everyone at the BBC is shocked and saddened by this very sad news,” Davie said. “Eddie was a brilliantly gifted commentator, writer, and reporter whose passion for the game of rugby union shone through every broadcast.

    “A wonderful wordsmith with a rich, iconic voice, he provided the definitive soundtrack to some of the greatest moments in rugby’s history. He will be much missed by all of us and our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”

    Welsh Rugby Union chairman Rob Butcher said of Butler: “He proudly represented his country as a player, was a mainstay in press boxes around the world long after he retired from the game, and has been prolific in the way in which he has served Welsh rugby in both the written and spoken word over decades.

    “Our thoughts and prayers go to his family, who we also know well and cherish, and his close friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time.

    “He was a unique individual and the game in Wales owes him a debt of gratitude for his contributions both on and off the pitch.”

    Butler started his commentary career alongside the great Bill McLaren.

    After McLaren’s retirement, Butler became the BBC rugby lead commentator where he formed a notable partnership with the likes of former England hooker Brian Moore and ex-Wales fly-half Jonathan Davies.

    Butler will be remembered for his brilliant prose that accompanied montages of major sporting and political events, with the final one marking the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

    He also commentated on Olympic sports and the Invictus Games, as well as lending his voice to stirring montages for the BBC’s NFL highlights programmes.

    In 2010, Butler joined a host of former Wales captains who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for Velindre Hospital, Cardiff’s specialist cancer treatment centre.

    Butler presented history series on the BBC including Wales and the History of the World, Hidden Histories, Welsh Towns at War in 2014, and two series of Welsh Towns in 2015.

    He was also an author after publishing three novels and two non-fiction books.

    Away from rugby and broadcasting, Butler campaigned for Welsh independence in recent years.

    His passing prompted tributes and condolences from inside and outside rugby union.

     

  • Queen’s procession was difficult for William because of his memories of Diana

    In Norfolk, the Prince of Wales told well-wishers that seeing the Queen’s casket “brought back a few memories” of the funeral of his mother.

    As he and the Princess of Wales observed floral offerings left in front of Sandringham House, Prince William said that it had been “difficult.”

    In a nod to Princess Diana’s funeral procession, he and his brother followed the gun carriage on Wednesday.

    Members of the Royal Family conducted visits as official mourning continued.

    After viewing some of the hundreds of tributes to the late monarch, who died last week, outside the gates at Sandringham, Prince William and Catherine spoke to those gathered there.

    Speaking to one woman, Prince William said: “I mean the walk yesterday was challenging, it brought back a few memories…”

    Among those he spoke to was receptionist Jane Wells, from Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, who said she had told the prince how proud his mother would have been of him.

    “He said how hard it was yesterday because it brought back memories of his mother’s funeral,” she said.

    Caroline Barwick-Walters, of Neath in Wales, said she told Prince William “thank you for sharing your grief with the nation”, and that he replied, “she was everybody’s grandmother”.

    Prince William, then 15, and his brother, Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex, then 12, walked with their father, King Charles III, behind the coffin of their mother, Princess Diana, in September 1997.

    They were side by side again as they solemnly escorted the Queen’s coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster on Wednesday.

    The sight of Prince William and Prince Harry walking side-by-side behind the Queen’s coffin in Wednesday’s procession to Westminster Hall evoked immediate memories of the two brothers at the funeral of their mother.

    The comments to well-wishers in Sandringham suggest it’s something also felt by Prince William, now the Prince of Wales, as he said how hard it was for him when it “brought back a few memories”.

    It’s 25 years since the death of Princess Diana, but it’s an image of loss that still resonates. It’s a reminder of the traumatic impact on the young lives of the two brothers – and both of them have often spoken of how much the loss of their mother is still in their thoughts.

    Bereavement at such a young age has been previously described by Prince William as a “pain like no other pain”.

    And Prince Harry has spoken of his mother’s continuing influence. “I feel her presence in almost everything that I do now,” he said earlier this year.

    Speaking in 2017, Prince Harry described walking behind his mother’s coffin as a child as something that would not happen now.

    He told Newsweek: “I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today.”

    Princes William and Harry at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997
    They joined their father King Charles in walking behind the Queen’s coffin on Wednesday

    Sandringham House has been a royal residence for four generations of British monarchs for a period of more than 150 years and has traditionally been where the Queen spent her Christmas break.

    She gifted Anmer Hall, a Georgian country house that is part of the Sandringham estate, to Prince William and Catherine after their wedding.

    Prince and Princess of Wales meet the Sandringham crowd

    Meanwhile, the King returned to Highgrove, his country home in Gloucestershire, where a spokesman said he was attending to state business.

    Other members of the Royal Family have also been on visits on Thursday.

    The Earl and Countess of Wessex – the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie – met well-wishers and viewing tributes in Manchester’s St Ann’s Square.

    The couple were shown a book of condolence at Manchester’s Central Library, before lighting a candle in memory of the Queen at Manchester Cathedral.

    Princess Royal – the Queen’s only daughter Princess Anne – travelled to Glasgow to meet representatives of organisations of which the Queen was patron.

    On Wednesday, members of the Royal Family marched behind the Queen’s coffin as it travelled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she is lying in state.

    Thousands have queued for hours to view the coffin, which people can visit 24 hours a day until 06:30 BST on 19 September – the day of her funeral.

  • New Zealand bodies in a suitcase: South Korean authorities detain woman over child deaths

    Police in South Korea has detained a lady who is charged with killing her two children, who were discovered in suitcases in New Zealand last month.

    Strangers who had purchased the abandoned luggage from an Auckland storage facility were the ones who found the victims in a case that rocked the entire nation.

    It was thought that the bodies had been kept in storage for a while. The ages of the victims were 7 and 10, according to Korean police.

    New Zealand has applied for the woman’s extradition from South Korea.

    Police in Auckland said they had worked closely with South Korean authorities in their search for the woman, after saying last month they believed she was in South Korea.

    The woman had fled to South Korea in 2018 after the children’s deaths, South Korean police said. She is a 42-year-old New Zealand national of Korean descent.

    A global Interpol warrant had been issued for her arrest. Officers arrested her on Thursday in a midnight raid on an apartment in the south-eastern city of Ulsan.

    It followed a stakeout after investigators received tips about her whereabouts, Seoul’s National Police agency said.

    Last month, New Zealand police said they were searching for the woman after they managed to identify the children, whose names have not been disclosed.

    “To have someone in custody overseas within such a short period of time has all been down to the assistance of the Korean authorities and the coordination by our NZ Police Interpol staff,” said New Zealand Police Detective Inspector Tofilau Fa’amanuia Vaaelua on Thursday.

    Forensic investigators outside the home in Auckland’s suburbs where the bodies were found last month

    Police have requested the suspect be denied bail prior to her extradition to New Zealand where she faces murder charges.

    Local media there reported the family had lived in Auckland for a few years and the children’s father had died of cancer prior to their deaths. They reported the children’s grandparents still live in New Zealand.

    The children’s bodies were discovered in early August after a separate family bought a trailer-load of goods, including the suitcases, in an online auction.

    That family had no connection to the deaths and had suffered great distress in the period following the discovery, officers said.

  • Queen Elizabeth II: Hong Kong’s grief, a message to Beijing

    Hong Kong residents have been waiting in line for hours to pay their respects to the Queen this week, in what is arguably the largest show of support for the late monarch outside of the UK.

    The collective outpouring of sadness, however, coincides with Beijing’s increasing hold over the country and tells as much about the present as it does the past.

    In contrast to the more subdued responses observed in other former British colonies, the Admiralty section of the city witnessed lengthy lines and mountains of flowers and cards.

    Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule under “one country, two systems”, which promised that the city’s way of life – including civil liberties unavailable in the mainland – would be kept for at least 50 years.

    But a crackdown on protests, Beijing’s imposition of its national security law and only allowing “patriots” to govern are seen by many as reneging on that promise.

    “There is a mix of complex emotions,” said Dr Li Mei Ting, a cultural and religious studies lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

    Outside the British consulate, mourners opened umbrellas to hide from the scorching sun while “God Save the Queen” played softly from a mobile phone.

    Parents brought their children along, and one father even wrapped his seven-month-old daughter in a Union Jack flag.

    “I don’t remember ever seeing Hong Kongers doing this to any leader who passed away,” Ted Hui, a former Hong Kong MP who now lives in Australia, told the BBC.

    Nostalgia for a ‘golden age’

    In the city, the Queen was affectionately called si tau por, which means “boss lady” in Cantonese.

    Many in the queue were older people, among them Mr Lee, aged in his 60s, who had brought chrysanthemums. “I hadn’t bought any flowers before, not even when I was courting girls.”

    He said he was grateful for the Queen as Hong Kong’s economy flourished and society became liberal and open under colonial rule. Others said the education and medical systems were hugely improved and the city also enjoyed the rule of law under British rule.

    Queen Elizabeth II visited Hong Kong twice during her reign. She is affectionately called “boss lady” in Cantonese

    Hong Kong became a British colony after two Opium Wars in the 19th century and colonial rule lasted for 156 years. Meanwhile, mainland China was swept by political turmoil including the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution.

    “Hong Kong was peaceful during those days,” said Ms Fung, 75.

    When Hong Kong people reminisce about the colonial era, they are often referring to the period from the mid-1970s to the 1990s, says Dr. Li.

    “People who experienced this period see it as Hong Kong’s golden age,” she said.

    The British colonial government changed its governance model as a response to deadly anti-colonial riots in 1967, which were sparked by a labour dispute and supported by Beijing. More public housing was built and free primary education was introduced, partly in a bid to ward off further social movements, Dr Li says.

    But US-based activist Jeffrey Ngo says the last three decades of the colonial period do not give the full picture – and that the British empire had played a “very big role” in paving the way for the current situation.

    “Plenty of activists have been prosecuted, especially since 2019, under laws that were put in place by the colonial government and were never repealed before 1997.”

    Last week five speech therapists were convicted under the colonial-era sedition law, for publishing children’s books that portray the Chinese government as wolves and Hong Kongers as sheep. The judge said it was a “brainwashing exercise”, while critics say the sentence was a blow to freedom of speech.

    The UK also did little to democratise the city for much of the colonial period, Mr Ngo said.

    Current day discontent

    For some, commemorating the Queen is a way to express their unhappiness at the Hong Kong government. Protest is no longer possible under Beijing’s sweeping national security law and stringent Covid rules.

    Mr Tse, who brought his pet Corgi on a leash with a Union Jack, said the mourning was an “alternative form of political expression”.

    Mr Tse says he is surprised by the number of people waiting outside the consulate

    Flying that flag on another day could risk arrest or even prosecution under the national security law – but it is being tolerated for now because of the Queen’s death, he added.

    Mr Chan came with his wife and two children. He said the family felt close to the Queen as all members were born at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which was opened in 1963.

    “We will pay tribute to whoever merits our respect. [Authorities] should not easily accuse people of collusion with foreign forces but not reflect on their own behaviour that causes so much unhappiness among Hong Kongers,” he said.

    Some in the line were also planning to leave the city. Hong Kong’s population has shrunk by almost 200,000 in two years – and many of those leaving plan to settle in the UK.

    “Hong Kongers are queuing under such heat. We share the same ideas and no words are needed to explain,” said Ms Lee, who came with her 21-year-old daughter.

    “There is a huge contrast between the past and the present… Now we have lost what we had and many people I know are emigrating,” she added before confirming that they plan to leave too.

    This father says he will teach his daughter about Hong Kong’s colonial history when she grows up

    Hong Kong’s identity

    Younger people without direct experience of the colonial era were also in the queue. Some said they were worried that Hong Kong’s colonial past would be buried under Beijing’s drive to reshape the city.

    New textbooks now say Hong Kong was never a British colony but was merely occupied by a foreign power.

    Law student Sam said his grandmother fled mainland China by swimming to the city. “Immigration officers said to my grandma that our si tau por was also a woman, so she would be taken care of in Hong Kong.”

    Christopher, 15, said traces of Hong Kong’s colonial history are still visible – such as the old banknotes and street signs. “But it feels like they are fading.”

    “No matter our criticism, the colonial period was part of our Hong Kong identity and history,” said Dr Li.

  • God Save the King was sung for the first time at the closing of the Queen mourning ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral

    At the service where King Charles gave his first speech to the country, no members of the Royal Family were present.

    The Queen’s memorial ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral ended with the first formal performance of “God Save the King.”

    The lyrics to the national anthem have changed from “Queen” to “King” and “her victorious” to “him victorious” to mark King Charles III taking over as the new monarch.

    It comes after crowds spontaneously sang the version of the song outside Buckingham Palace on Friday as the King arrived with the Queen Consort Camilla.

    The anthem is also expected to be sung at the Kia Oval cricket ground on Saturday as England and South Africa’s Third Test Match resumes. The match was paused on Friday following the Queen’s death.

    No members of the Royal Family were present at the service but audio of King Charles’s first address to the nation was played to the congregation.

    The King said he was speaking with “feelings of profound sorrow” as he told the country: “Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”

    King Charles went on to say: “As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.

    “And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavor to serve you with loyalty, respect, and love, as I have throughout my life.”

    Prime Minister Liz Truss and senior ministers were also in attendance along with 2,000 members of the public who collected wristbands on a first-come-first-serve basis.

    Ms Truss, who met King Charles for a brief audience in person at Buckingham Palace earlier, gave a brief reading from the Bible.

    She said: “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”

  • North Korea makes the “irreversible” decision to declare itself a nuclear-armed state

    In a move that its leader Kim Jong Un calls “irreversible,” North Korea has enacted new legislation proclaiming itself a nuclear weapons state.

    Kim vowed the country would “never give up” its nuclear weapons and said there could be no negotiations on denuclearization as he hailed the passage of the law, North Korean state media reported Friday.
    The new law also enshrines Pyongyang’s right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself — updating a previous stance under which it had said it would keep its weapons only until other countries denuclearized and would not use them preemptively against non-nuclear states.
    Nuclear weapons represent the “dignity, body, and absolute power of the state,” Kim said as he welcomed the decision by the country’s rubber-stamp parliament — the Supreme People’s Assembly — to pass the new law in a unanimous vote.
    “The adoption of laws and regulations related to the national nuclear force policy is a remarkable event as it’s our declaration that we legally acquired war deterrence as a means of national defense,” Kim said.
    “As long as nuclear weapons exist on Earth, and imperialism and the anti-North Korean maneuvers of the US and its followers remain, our road to strengthening our nuclear force will never end.”
    The new law also bans the sharing of nuclear technology with other countries.
    It comes amid rising regional tensions over North Korea’s expansion of its nuclear weapons and missiles program.
    Kim has made increasingly provocative threats of nuclear conflict toward the United States and its allies in Asia in recent months.
    At the same time, the US has become increasingly concerned that North Korea may be preparing to carry out its first underground nuclear test in years
    Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the law demonstrated Pyongyang’s hopes of strengthening its relations with China and Russia at a time of heightened global tensions.
    “North Korea mentioning the possibility of using nuclear weapons if and when an attack on the state and leader is imminent is significant, even though it states nuclear weapons as a defensive last resort,” Yang said.

  • King Charles vows to serve with ‘loyalty, respect and love’ in first address to nation

    Despite his grief, the King has already started carrying out royal duties, holding his first audience with and greeting well-wishers gathered outside Buckingham Palace earlier on Friday.

    King Charles vowed to serve the people of the United Kingdom with “loyalty, respect, and love” during his first televised address to the nation.

    Offering words of comfort following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the King paid tribute to her “love, affection, guidance, understanding and example” in a speech from Buckingham Palace.

    “Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today,” he said.

    “Throughout her life, Her Majesty The Queen – my beloved mother – was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother.”

    A memorial service for the Queen is being held at St Paul’s Cathedral, with 2,000 members of the public joining politicians, including the prime minister, to watch his address.

    Speaking from the Blue Drawing Room of the palace, where his mother recorded some of her Christmas messages, His Majesty dedicated part of his speech to other senior royals, including his wife and children.

    (left - right) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry stand on the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in central London.

    Of Camilla, now the Queen Consort, he said: “I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much.”

    Speaking about his eldest son Prince William, who is now the Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Wales, and heir to the throne, the King said he would “continue to inspire” alongside his wife, Catherine.

    He expressed his love for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan “as they continue to build their lives overseas” – in what could be considered a symbol of his bid for reconciliation amid past troubles with the couple.

    As he begins his reign, the King also set out his changing role, saying it will “no longer be possible” for him to give as much “time and energies to the charities and issues” he cares “so deeply” about.

    ‘To my darling Mama…’

    Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles stand on a balcony during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, marking the end of the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, June 5, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool

    King Charles sat to deliver his address, with a posy of sweet peas mixed with rosemary placed on a desk in front of him, which represents remembrance.

    “On behalf of all my family, I can only offer the most sincere and heartfelt thanks for your condolences and support,” the King said.

    “They mean more to me than I can ever possibly express.

    “And to my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you.”

    He thanked the Queen for her “love and devotion” before concluding his address with a quote from the William Shakespeare play Hamlet.

    “May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest,” His Majesty said.

    Monarch already carrying out royal duties

    The address was broadcast after King Charles was seen meeting well-wishers waiting outside Buckingham Palace.

    He shook hands with dozens of people and was also hugged and kissed before walking through the palace gates with his wife by his side.

    Despite his grief, the monarch has already started carrying out royal duties, holding his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier on Friday.

    He returned to London with the Queen Consort, after spending Thursday at Balmoral to be with the Queen before she died.

    Dressed in a black suit and tie, the grieving King left the royal residence seated in the back of a car, with his wife in the front passenger seat, as they were driven to Aberdeen airport.

    The monarch is due to be proclaimed at the Accession Council at 10 am on Saturday in the State Apartments of St James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace has said – with the process televised for the first time in history.

  • Queen’s memorial service: Liz Truss gives a reading

    Prime Minister Liz Truss now delivers a reading at the service at St Paul’s.

    Wearing the black dress she was pictured in earlier when she attended the audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, she stands in front of the congregation to read from the Book of Romans.

    “We do not live to ourselves and we do not die to ourselves; if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.”

    “So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s,” she reads.

  • King Charles III’s first address to the nation

    King Charles III on Friday delivered his first televised address to the nation as sovereign following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

    Here is a transcript of his prerecorded speech:
    I speak to you today with feelings of profound sorrow. Throughout her life, Her Majesty The Queen — my beloved Mother — was an inspiration and example to me and to all my family, and we owe her the most heartfelt debt any family can owe to their mother; for her love, affection, guidance, understanding and example.
    Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.
    Alongside the personal grief that all my family are feeling, we also share with so many of you in the United Kingdom, in all the countries where The Queen was Head of State, in the Commonwealth, and across the world, a deep sense of gratitude for the more than 70 years in which my Mother, as Queen, served the people of so many nations.
    In 1947, on her 21st birthday, she pledged in a broadcast from Cape Town to the Commonwealth to devote her life, whether it be short or long, to the service of her people.
    That was more than a promise: it was a profound personal commitment that defined her whole life. She made sacrifices for duty.
    Her dedication and devotion as Sovereign never waivered, through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss.
    In her life of service we saw that abiding love of tradition, together with that fearless embrace of progress, which makes us great as Nations. The affection, admiration, and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign.
    And, as every member of my family can testify, she combined these qualities with warmth, humour and an unerring ability always to see the best in people.
    I pay tribute to my Mother’s memory and I honour her life of service. I know that her death brings great sadness to so many of you and I share that sense of loss, beyond measure, with you all.
    When The Queen came to the throne, Britain and the world were still coping with the privations and aftermath of the Second World War, and still living by the conventions of earlier times.
    In the course of the last 70 years we have seen our society become one of many cultures and many faiths.
    The institutions of the State have changed in turn. But, through all changes and challenges, our nation and the wider family of Realms — of whose talents, traditions, and achievements I am so inexpressibly proud — have prospered and flourished. Our values have remained, and must remain, constant.
    The role and the duties of Monarchy also remain, as does the Sovereign’s particular relationship and responsibility towards the Church of England — the Church in which my own faith is so deeply rooted.
    In that faith, and the values it inspires, I have been brought up to cherish a sense of duty to others, and to hold in the greatest respect the precious traditions, freedoms, and responsibilities of our unique history and our system of parliamentary government.
    As The Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the Constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.
    And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the Realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life.
    My life will of course change as I take up my new responsibilities.
    It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energy to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.
    This is also a time of change for my family. I count on the loving help of my darling wife, Camilla.
    In recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago, she becomes my Queen Consort.
    I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much.
    As my Heir, William now assumes the Scottish titles which have meant so much to me.
    He succeeds me as Duke of Cornwall and takes on the responsibilities for the Duchy of Cornwall which I have undertaken for more than five decades.
    Today, I am proud to create him Prince of Wales, Tywysog Cymru, the country whose title I have been so greatly privileged to bear during so much of my life and duty.
    With Catherine beside him, our new Prince and Princess of Wales will, I know, continue to inspire and lead our national conversations, helping to bring the marginal to the centre ground where vital help can be given.
    I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their lives overseas.
    In a little over a week’s time, we will come together as a nation, as a Commonwealth, and indeed a global community, to lay my beloved mother to rest.
    In our sorrow, let us remember and draw strength from the light of her example.
    On behalf of all my family, I can only offer the most sincere and heartfelt thanks for your condolences and support.
    They mean more to me than I can ever possibly express.
    And to my darling Mama, as you begin your last great journey to join my dear late Papa, I want simply to say this: thank you.
    Thank you for your love and devotion to our family and to the family of nations you have served so diligently all these years.
    May ‘flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest.
    Source: CNN

  • The Queen: Around the World in 70 Years

    In early 1952, the then Princess Elizabeth visited Kenya – the first stop on a planned journey to numerous commonwealth countries. She was to leave the country as a queen, however, after learning that her father, King George VI, had died during her trip. From then until the end of her reign upon her own death 70 years later, Queen Elizabeth ll visited 117 countries in an official capacity, covering well over a million miles in the process.

    As this infographic illustrates, the queen covered a large proportion of the globe during her time on the throne. From her first stops in the Caribbean on a 1953/54 royal tour – setting sail as queen for the first time – to her final visit in 2015 to Malta. Since that final trip, Queen Elizabeth II passed on international travel duties to other senior members of the royal family.

    Source: statista.com

  • Boris Johnson claims to have broken down in tears during interview about Queen

    Speaking in the House of Commons the former prime minister paid tribute the Elizabeth II and recounted what he described as “a personal confession”.

    “A few months ago the BBC came to see me talk about Her Majesty the Queen. And we sat down and the cameras started rolling. And they requested that I should talk about her in the past tense,” he said.

    “And I’m afraid I simply choked up and I couldn’t go on. I’m really not easily moved to tears, but I was so overcome with sadness, that I had to ask them to go away.”

    Mr Johnson, who went to see the Queen at Balmoral to resign just three days ago, added: “I know that today there are countless people in this country and around the world, who have experienced the same sudden access of unexpected emotion.”

    He was speaking at a packed house of parliament on Friday as MP after MP stood up to pay tribute to the monarch with dedications expected to continue into the evening and on Saturday.

    In an earlier statement, Mr Johnson branded the Queen “Elizabeth the Great”, on account of her being “the longest serving and in many ways the finest monarch in our history”.

    Speaking in the Commons on Friday he said: “That impulse to do her duty carried her right through into her 10th decade to the very moment in Balmoral, as my right honourable friend [Liz Truss] has said, only three days ago, when she saw off her 14th prime minister and welcomed her 15th.

    “I can tell you, in that audience, she was as radiant and as knowledgeable and as fascinated by politics as ever I can remember and as wise in her advice as anyone I know, if not wiser.”

    The ex-PM, who was forced out by his party after a series of sleaze scandals, told MPs the Queen had “humility” and a “refusal to be grand”.

  • To honor the Queen, the Cabinet convenes in Downing Street

    Senior ministers will gather before a special session of Parliament where peers and MPs will share their memories of the Queen.

    To honor the Queen, Liz Truss’ cabinet gathered in Downing Street.

    A number of senior ministers, many of whom were only appointed this week, including Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and Education Secretary Kit Malthouse, were seen arriving for the gathering.

    “Cabinet was united in their support for His Majesty the King, as he and the United Kingdom continue to mourn the passing of his mother. There was a moment of silence at the conclusion of the meeting.”

    The gathering comes before a special session of Parliament, starting at midday, in which MPs and peers will share their memories and praise for the monarch, who died at Balmoral on Thursday aged 96.

    Ms Truss became the Queen’s 15th prime minister when she was appointed at Balmoral on Tuesday.

    The meeting became the last public appearance of the monarch.

    Later on Friday, Ms Truss will meet the King when he returns to London from Scotland, where he had been since the Queen’s health deteriorated.

  • 1996 Manchester city centre bombing: Man arrested at Birmingham Airport in connection

    The suspect was detained on Thursday night on suspicion of participating in the bombing on June 15, 1996, through acts of terrorism.

    In relation to the 1996 IRA bombing in Manchester’s city center, a man has been detained at

    He was arrested on suspicion of terror offenses on Thursday night and remains in custody, according to Counter Terrorism Policing for the North West (CTPNW).

    Head of investigations at CTPNW Detective Superintendent Andrew Meeks said: “Although thankfully no one was killed during the 1996 Manchester bombing by the IRA, hundreds of people were left with injuries – many of which were life-changing – and many more across Greater Manchester and the North West were affected by what happened on that day.

    “We have always been committed to holding those responsible for the attack to account and bringing them to justice and have been reinvestigating for several years; with a team of dedicated detectives re-examining the original case files and pursuing new lines of inquiry.”

    Police also asked anyone who had been affected by the bombing who had not been contacted by police to access the Major Incident Portal at mipp.police.uk/operation/06GMP20S33-PO1.

  • Bernard Shaw: CNN anchor dies at 82

    Bernard Shaw, a former CNN anchor, passed on Wednesday from pneumonia unrelated to Covid-19 at a hospital in Washington, DC, his family reported on Thursday. Shaw was aged 82,

    Shaw served as CNN’s initial chief anchor and was a part of the network on June 1, 1980, when it launched. On February 28, 2001, he left CNN after working there for more than 20 years.

    During his storied career, Shaw reported on some of the biggest stories of that time — including the student revolt in Tiananmen Square in May 1989, the First Gulf war life from Baghdad in 1991, and the 2000 presidential election.
    “CNN’s beloved anchor and colleague, Bernard Shaw, passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Bernie was a CNN original and was our Washington Anchor when we launched on June 1st, 1980,” Chris Licht, CNN Chairman, and CEO said in a statement Thursday.
    “He was our lead anchor for the next twenty years from anchoring coverage of presidential elections to his iconic coverage of the First Gulf War live from Baghdad in 1991.
    Even after he left CNN, Bernie remained a close member of our CNN family providing our viewers with context about historic events as recently as last year. The condolences of all of us at CNN go out to his wife Linda and his children.”
    Funeral services for Shaw will be closed to family and invited guests only, with a public memorial service planned at a later time, his family said.
    The family requested donations to a scholarship fund in lieu of flowers, according to a statement provided by former CNN CEO Tom Johnson. “The Shaw family requests complete privacy at this time,” the family added in the statement.
    In a statement, Johnson said Shaw “exemplified excellence in his life” and will be “remembered as a fierce advocate of responsible journalism.”
    “As a journalist, he demanded accuracy and fairness in news coverage. He earned the respect of millions of viewers around the world for his integrity and independence. He resisted forcefully any lowering of ethical news standards or any compromise of solid news coverage.
    He always could be trusted as a reporter and as an anchor,” Johnson said.
    “Bernie was my personal friend and colleague for more than 55 years. I will miss him enormously,” he added. “My wife Edwina and I extend our most genuine condolences to Bernie’s wife Linda and to his family.”

  • Ugandan landslides caused by heavy rains kills at least 16

    According to tweets from the Uganda Red Cross, a landslide early on Wednesday triggered by heavy rains in the Kasese district on Tuesday night killed at least 16 persons in western Uganda.

    Most of the recovered bodies were women and children, the red cross said. Six people were also injured and are receiving treatment at a local hospital, the red cross spokesperson Irene Nakasiita tweeted.
    Emergency workers have been shoveling through the mud in search of survivors. Kasese district, where the disaster occurred, is prone to landslides, especially during the rainy season, because it sits in the foothills of the Rwenzori mountains that straddle the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
    After a prolonged drought, heavy rains have fallen on much of Uganda since late July, causing deaths and flooding, and the destruction of crops, homes, and infrastructure.
    In July, flooding caused by heavy rains killed at least 24 people in the Mbale district in eastern Uganda.
    The country’s weather agency had warned it would be hit by unusually strong and destructive rains in the August-December season and advised people living in mountainous areas to be vigilant or evacuate to safer areas
    Many parts of Uganda are prone to flooding after heavy rains, but the whole country is vulnerable to natural disasters.
    More than 300,000 people have been affected by floods and landslides in Uganda’s eastern and western regions, according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. An estimated 65,000 people have been displaced, the report added.

  • King Charles leaves Balmoral to fly to London following Queen’s death

    The 73-year-old, who was by his mother’s side at her beloved Scottish Highlands home as her health deteriorated, will return to the capital to hold his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss as king before he addresses the nation on television at 6 pm.

    King Charles III, the Queen’s son and a successor has left Balmoral en route to Aberdeen airport where he will fly to London.

    Dressed in a black suit and tie, the grieving king, left the estate seated in the back of a car, with his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, in the front passenger seat, as they were driven in convoy to the airport where he was pictured boarding the flight.

    The couple spent the night at Balmoral following the death of the 96-year-old monarch, who he described as a “cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother”.

    The King will return to the capital to hold his first audience with Prime Minister Liz Truss before he addresses the nation on television at 6 pm.

    The 73-year-old was by his mother’s side at her beloved Scottish Highlands home for much of Thursday after catching the royal helicopter from Dumfries House in Ayrshire.

    Following news that the Queen’s health was deteriorating, other senior royals also rushed to be by her side, including the next in line to the throne, Prince William.

    His brother Prince Harry, was the first to leave the Royal Family’s Scottish residence this morning and boarded a British Airways flight from Aberdeen to London after he traveled to Scotland alone.

    Prince William did not join his father, as it is a royal protocol that the monarch and heir to the throne do not travel together.

    He, Princess Royal, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Prince Andrew remain in Scotland.

    King Charles III acceded to the throne immediately following the death of Elizabeth II on Thursday, and described losing his mother as “a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family”.

    During this period of mourning, he said he and his family would be “comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which the Queen was so widely held”.

    The new monarch – born Charles Philip Arthur George – became heir to the throne at the age of three, a title he would hold for 70 years.

    He has been preparing to be King for his entire life, and has chosen to use his Christian name for his title as monarch, just like his late beloved mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

    Source: skynews

  • How Queen Elizabeth II won over millions of Indians

    The path from the Delhi airport to the official residence of the Indian president was allegedly jam-packed with approximately a million people when Queen Elizabeth II paid her maiden visit to India in January 1961.

    “Indians forgot their troubles this week. Not completely, of course, but economic hardship, political squabbling and worry about Communist China, the Congo and Laos seemed to fade into the background. Queen Elizabeth II was here, and the capital, at least, appeared determined to make the most of it,” reported The New York Times.

    The Times said trains, buses, and oxcarts ferried people to the capital. Here they wandered on the streets and loitered on lawns hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal couple. “They seemed to look upon the Queen and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, as impresarios who made it possible to forget and have fun,” the report said.

    At the same time, the newspaper reported that “Elizabeth came not as a patronizing ruler on a tour of an empire, but an equal” – she was the first British monarch to take the throne after India’s independence from British rule in 1947.

    Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in Delhi during a state visit to India in January 1961

    The trip also offered a chance for India to show a British ruler “that they had not done so badly since her people left”: its “jet-age airports, their new homes and office buildings, steel mills and their nuclear reactors”, for example.

    For the royal couple, the six-week tour of the subcontinent was also a rich discovery of India. British Pathe footage from that trip offers a fascinating insight into the warm reception that the couple received.

    The Queen toured the cities of Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata (then known as Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta) and visited historic landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, the Pink Palace in Jaipur, and the ancient city of Varanasi. She attended a number of receptions and spent two days at a hunting lodge of a maharajah and rode an elephant. The royal couple was guests of honour at the grand Republic Day parade on 26 January.

    At Delhi’s sprawling Ramlila Maidan, the Queen addressed a rapturous gathering of several thousand people. She rode to the Taj Mahal in Agra in an open car waving to the crowds. She visited a steel plant in West Bengal built with British aid and met its workers.

    In Kolkata, she visited a monument built in memory of Queen Victoria. A horse race at the thriving local course was organized for the couple and the Queen presented the cup to the owner of the winning horse. Covering the Queen’s ride in an open car from the airport in Kolkata to the city, a reporter of the state broadcaster AIl India Radio (AIR) quoted a Yorkshire Post editorial that she might not be the empress of India, but the enthusiasm of Indian crowds proved she was still empress of millions of Indian hearts, according to an account of the trip.

    Queen Elizabeth II met then India PM Indira Gandhi in Delhi in November 1983

    Nearly two decades later, in November 1983, the Queen made her second trip to India, timed with a summit of Commonwealth leaders.

    The couple stayed in the visitors’ suite at the opulent presidential palace which, according to a newspaper, had been stripped of its Indian furnishings and restored to the Viceregal décor. “Dusty period furniture found in offices and museums had been dusted off and repaired to deck the suite. Bed linen, curtains, and tapestries have been changed to blend with the regal past,” officials said. The menu included “old, Western-style dishes” because the Queen apparently liked “simple meals”.

    Her final visit in October 1997 happened against the backdrop of a tragedy. Timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the independence of India and Pakistan, it was the Queen’s first public engagement since the funeral of Princess Diana.

    The trip was also touched by some controversy. She was to visit Jallianwala Bagh – a memorial park that was the scene of one of the bloodiest massacres in British history – amid calls for an apology. Hundreds of Indians were shot by British troops while attending a public meeting at the site in 1919.

    The night before she visited the site in the northern city of Amritsar, the Queen told a banquet reception in Delhi: “It is no secret that there have been some difficult episodes in the past – Jalianwala Bagh, which I shall visit tomorrow, is a distressing example. But history cannot be rewritten, however much we might sometimes wish otherwise. It has its moments of sadness, as well as gladness. We must learn from the sadness and build on the gladness.”

    Queen Elizabeth II presented the Order of Merit to Mother Teresa in Delhi in November 1983

    The speech – while it did not satisfy all those calling for an explicit apology from Britain – appeared to placate relatives of those killed who called off a planned demonstration at the airport in Amritsar. Instead, the 10-mile route from the airport to the city was reportedly lined with “cheering flag waving” people. At the city’s Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, the Queen was allowed to enter wearing socks after taking off her shoes.

    The royal dress was a subject of unending fascination and speculation in the Indian media. During her 1983 visit, speculation was rife, reported a correspondent in India Today magazine, about almost everything the Queen wore. Sunil Sethi reported of the visit:

    “The hat, the hat,” cried one of the reporters. “What is it made of?”

    “Straw actually”, said an Englishman, regaining his composure.

    “And the dress? What material?”

    “Crepe de chine, actually”.

    “Are you the Queen’s designer?” I asked.

    “Just another reporter,” he said. “He was, as I found out later, the Delhi-based correspondent of the Times of London.”

    The Queen cherished her time in India during her three state visits.

    “The warmth and hospitality of the Indian people and the richness and diversity of India itself have been an inspiration to all of us,” she later said.

  • Queen Elizabeth II: King Charles readies to address nation for first time as monarch

    Following the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III is expected to address the nation for the first time in his capacity as monarch later.

    At Balmoral in Scotland, the longest-reigning monarch of Britain passed away quietly on Thursday. She was surrounded by her family.

    Gun salutes will be fired and church bells will be tolled on Friday as the UK pays tribute to her reign.

    There have been spontaneous gatherings and outpourings of emotion at Balmoral, Buckingham Palace, and Windsor.

    Members of the public have traveled to leave flowers, messages of thanks, and condolence for the Queen and Royal Family, with many visibly tearful or overcome with emotion.

    Union jacks are being flown at half-mast and Parliament will gather later to pay tribute to her momentous reign.

    The bells of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle are expected to toll at noon in tribute to her life and service.

    A gun salute in London’s Hyde Park has been arranged for the following hour, with 96 rounds to mark each year of her life to fire around 13:00 BST.

    There will be a remembrance service at St Paul’s at 18:00 BST, attended by Prime Minister Liz Truss and other senior ministers.

    It will be open to the public, with 2,000 tickets to be released on a first-come-first-served basis.

    Those wishing to attend must visit in person the City of London tourism office on Carter Lane in London to collect a wristband from 11:00.

    A police officer appears to cry as he stands guard in front of Buckingham Palace
    People gathered to pay tributes to the Queen in London

    The King and his wife, Camilla, now Queen Consort, will later on Friday return to London, where the monarch is expected to address the nation after holding an audience with the new Prime Minister Liz Truss.

    All of the Queen’s children and grandchildren, the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex, traveled to Balmoral, near Aberdeen, on Thursday after the Queen’s doctors became concerned about her health.

    Prince Harry left Balmoral on Friday morning to travel to Aberdeen airport, where he was seen placing an arm around a member of staff.

    Prince Harry places his arm around a member of staff before boarding a plane at Aberdeen International Airport

    On Friday, the palace released some details of plans for the coming days, with King Charles declaring a period of Royal mourning is observed for seven days after the funeral of his mother.

    There will be no physical book of condolences for members of the public to sign, but the palace has opened an online book of condolences for those who wish to leave messages.

    The government has said it expects large crowds to gather in central London and other Royal Residences as a mark of respect, warning there could be some travel disruption, traffic delays, and significant crowding,

    A man wipes away tears next to floral tributes laid by an entrance to Balmoral Castle

    Tributes to the Queen will also be paid by MPs and peers in the Houses of Commons and Lords from midday, with normal politics to be put on hold for a period of mourning which is due to last until late into Friday evening.

    The Cabinet met on Friday morning, with the only item on the agenda to pay tribute to the Queen.

    There will also be a rare Saturday sitting of the House of Commons, where senior MPs will gather to take an oath of allegiance to the new King from 14:00, with condolences continuing again until the evening.

  • Death of Queen Elizabeth II: The moment history stops

    This is the moment history stops; for a minute, an hour, for a day, or a week; this is the moment history stops.

    Across a life and reign, two moments from two very different eras illuminate the thread that bound the many decades together. At each a chair, a desk, a microphone, a speech. In each, that high-pitched voice, those clipped precise vowels, that slight hesitation about public speaking that would never quite seem to leave her.

    Quote: 'I shall not have the strength to carry out this resolution alone'

    One moment is sun-dappled, though the British people were suffering through a terrible post-war winter. A young woman, barely more than a girl really, sits straight-backed, her dark hair pulled up, two strings of pearls around her neck. Her youthful skin is flawless, she is very beautiful. A life opens out ahead of her.

    She pledges that life to her audience around the world. She tells them: “I shall not have the strength to carry out this resolution alone.” And she asks for their company in the years to come.

    Two moments from two eras – the Queen makes a broadcast on her 21st birthday, top, and on the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe

    The other speech is more formal. More than seven decades later, on the 75th anniversary of the day the war in Europe ended, she sits behind a desk, a picture of her father, the late King, in uniform, to her right.

    Her hair – still pulled up – is white now. She wears a blue dress, two brooches, and three strings of pearls. The many decades have left their mark, but her eyes still sparkle and her voice is still clear. The desk is practically empty but for the photo and to the right, in the foreground, a dark khaki cap, with a badge on its front.

    “All had a part to play,” she says of a long-ago war.

    The cap belonged to Second Subaltern Windsor, of the Auxiliary Territorial Service; the young Princess Elizabeth nagged her adoring father to allow her to join, so she could serve in uniform, even as the war that defined her – and for many decades her nation – drew to an end. Now, 75 years on, the cap has pride of place as she speaks to the nation on the anniversary of a great and heroic victory.

    Two pictures of the Queen, the top one showing her inspecting Grenadier Guards in 1952, the bottom one inspecting RAF crews in 1957

    The cap is a simple reminder of what she admired most – service: the service she offered that golden day decades beforehand, the service she saw in her formative years as nation, Commonwealth and Empire gave life and limb so that others could be free; the service that she believed lay at the heart of the Crown she inherited and devoted her long life to.

    Three decades on from that vow of service, she would allow herself a rare moment of public introspection; “Although that vow was made ‘in my salad days when I was green in judgement’,” she told the Guildhall on her Silver Jubilee, “I do not regret or retract one word of it.”

    Quote: 'I have to be seen to be believed'

    Over the decades she spoke little, and revealed even less, about herself in public. She – a child of the broadcast age – never gave an interview. Once or twice she would be filmed “in conversation” with a trusted friend, talking amicably about something uncontroversial, like the royal jewellery collection.

    Her words would be scoured for a hint of controversy or an opening into her character. But she was too careful – and her friends too loyal – for anything important to slip out.

    She did not neglect the medium that came of age as she did. It was her decision to allow her coronation to be televised, her decision to televise the Christmas Broadcast, and her decision to speak live to the nation after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. “I have to be seen to be believed,” she would say.

    Service to the nation – being crowned in 1953, and with then Prime Minister Edward Heath at a concert in 1973

    Broadcast and newspaper coverage, the endless pictures of her in well-chosen gowns and dresses – these were part of what it was to be Queen, part of the job she had pledged her life to. Talking about her feelings publicly was not.

    And she came from a generation – and from a nation – that did not feel the need to share its feelings. The nation would change. She would not.

    Here fate and character would collide. It was her fate to take the Crown as the country moved into far-reaching change. But the Queen was open about her liking for tradition, for the ways things had always been done, and her dislike of change.

    Quote: 'I find that one of the sad things is that people don't take on jobs for life'

    Her heart was in the countryside, and there, with horses and dogs and amongst those who loved animals as she did, was the reassurance of a place that changed incrementally, if at all.

    “I find that one of the sad things,” she would say in the late 1980s, is “that people don’t take on jobs for life, they try different things the whole time.”

    Monarch and monarchy fitted hand-in-glove; a sovereign who relished tradition leading an institution established upon it.

    Two pictures of the Queen, one with Prince Charles and Princess Anne and two corgis, walking in Windsor Great Park in 1956, the other with Prince Philip standing next to a white horse on a farm on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland in 1972
    A life-long love of the countryside – in Windsor Great Park with Prince Charles and Princess Anne in 1956, and with Prince Philip at a farm on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland in 1972

     

    Beyond the palace gates, a whirlwind of change would transform Britain. She came to the throne at a tipping point in British history. Victorious in – but exhausted by – war, the country was no longer a global, military, or economic power.

    The rise of trade unions, the collective provision of services, and the creation of a universal welfare state signalled a sea-change in the organization of state and economy. The stately withdrawal from Empire became a hurried exit.

    As her reign progressed, the old order – Church and aristocracy, the gradations of class and knowing your place – crumbled. Financial success and celebrity overtook accident of birth as a measure of societal achievement.

    Consumer goods – fridges, washing machines, televisions, and vacuum cleaners – transformed homes and social lives. Women joined the workforce; old working-class communities were swept away with the slums that housed them; a society once cohesive and homogeneous became mobile, atomized, and diverse, uprooted from old certainties and loyalties.

    There was some change at the Palace too, especially early in the reign – the end of the debutante “season” would mean the daughters of the “best” families would no longer be presented at court, and fresh faces were seen among those invited to lunch and dinner, and television meant Britons could see their Queen and how she lived – first for the Christmas broadcast, then for a full-length documentary in the late 1960s.

    But this was changed with a very small “c”; as her seventh decade on the throne drew to a close, the rhythm of the monarchy remained one which would be recognizable from the first, one which her father or even her grandfather would be unsurprised by Christmas and New year at Sandringham, Easter at Windsor, the long summer break in Balmoral, Trooping the Colour, Royal Ascot, the Investitures, the Changing of the Guard, Remembrance Sunday.

     

    Changing times – riding the London Underground in 1969, and preparing to deliver her televised Christmas message in 1967, the first to be delivered in colour.

     

    Changing times – riding the London Underground in 1969, and preparing to deliver her televised Christmas message in 1967, the first to be delivered in colour

    When change pressed in all around, she resisted. Her fate was to inherit the crown as the country stood on the cusp of change, and to reign as change swirled around the palace. Her character dictated that she would not change with it, would not bend to fashion. That resistance, that deep appreciation – love, even – of tradition, was her greatest strength, and led to perhaps her greatest test and gravest crisis, as her family unravelled.

    Family always came second to the Crown. When her first two children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, were little more than toddlers, they were left behind – as she and her sister Princess Margaret had been left behind by their parents two decades earlier – as the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh went on a six-month world tour.

    She was not an unfeeling mother, but she was a remote one. The Crown and its responsibilities had come to her when she was just 25, and she took those responsibilities very seriously. Many decisions about the children were delegated to the duke.

    Three of her four children’s marriages would end in divorce. She believed in marriage, it was part of her Christian faith and her understanding of what knitted society together. “Divorce and separation,” she once said, “are responsible for some of the darkest evils in our society today.”

    No doubt that view, held by many in the late 1940s, mellowed as the years went by. But no parent relishes seeing their child’s marriage fail. The Queen’s self-proclaimed “annus horribilis” in 1992 saw the separation of the Duke and Duchess of York, the divorce of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips and the separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

    “A low point in her life,” wrote one biographer, not because of what had led to the rare public admission of tough times, “but because of the lack of gratitude, even derision, with which her 40 years of dedication appeared to have been crowned.”

    Her first decade had passed in a dazzle of adulation, at home and abroad. Vast crowds turned out for her on international tours. Back home, some proclaimed a new Elizabethan Age, although the Queen was clever enough to immediately disavow it.

    Two pictures of the Queen, one of her with Prince Philip, on a sofa, surrounded by their children, from left to right: Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and Prince Charles, the other picture is the Queen standing next to a fireman after a fire at her home in Windsor

    Family time and personal loss – with Prince Philip and their four children in 1972, and looking at fire damage to Windsor Castle in 1992.

    The 1960s saw a slow cooling off – the Queen was more involved with her family, the novelty of a new monarch had passed, and the generation of the post-war baby boom now coming of age was gripped by different passions than their parents. The 1970s and 80s saw no let-up in her service, but the focus of some Royalty enthusiasts – and the media – shifted to her children, their marriages, and their partners.

    By the mid-90s, the monarchy seemed to some to be out of touch with the popular mood; in the newspaper comment columns, there was a direct criticism of the Queen, and contemplation of the monarchy’s future. Her reign at times seemed associated with another epoch. What was her place – and the monarchy’s – in the new “Cool Britannia” and the informal style embraced by Tony Blair? How did the Palace – repository of tradition – fit in with the popular demand for change expressed in Labour’s crushing election victory?

    Just months after that victory, one hot August night in Paris, came the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. A broiling carpet of flowers soon stretched out in front of Kensington Palace. The flag pole above Buckingham Palace remained bare. Many in the nation found themselves desolate at the loss of the Princess.

    “Show us you care, Ma’am” bayed the Daily Express headline. “Where is our Queen? Where is her flag?” demanded the Sun. For five long days, the Queen remained in Balmoral, seemingly unaware of the spasm sweeping parts of the country. Perhaps, as the Palace would brief afterward, it was to protect and console the young Princes William and Harry.

    But given her character, that deep dislike of change appears to have driven the decisions taken at the time; Balmoral was not to be interrupted, no flag ever flew from Buckingham Palace in her absence, and the Royal Standard never flew at half-mast.

    It was a terrible misjudgement. She hurried back to the capital, back to Buckingham Palace. She stopped to look at the flowers piling up all around. “We were not confident,” one former official told a biographer, “that when the Queen got out of the car, she would not be hissed and jeered.” It was that bad.

    Joy and tragedy Рthe Queen with Prince Charles and his then-fianc̩e Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and with Prince Philip among the floral tributes following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997

    She had refused to broadcast at first, then yielded, then agreed to speak live. She spoke to the nation, just before the BBC Six O’clock news. She – who had once driven broadcast executives to despair with her wooden delivery – barely had time to prepare.

    Her performance was flawless, her speech brief but perfectly pitched. She spoke of “lessons to be learned”; she spoke “as a grandmother”; she spoke of the “determination to cherish” Diana’s memory.

    It was a triumph, pulled from the jaws of deep crisis. The poison swirling around the Royal Family, around the Palace and around the very institution of the monarchy, was drawn. Once in her reign – just once – fate and character had collided with near-disastrous consequences.

    They would combine more happily in the Queen’s international role. By the time of her death, she had not toured for many years. But for decades she was not only a global celebrity like no other but also a subtle instrument of influence.

    Nothing would compare to the first dazzling decade of her reign, before television made her image commonplace and her tours accessible from the living room. On her long 1954 tour of Australia, two-thirds of the country is thought to have turned out to see her; in 1961 two million people lined the road from the airport to the Indian capital Delhi; in Calcutta three-and-half million would stand and wait to see the daughter of the last Emperor.

    Fate would dictate that she would oversee the long twilight of the Empire, though not once did the Queen attend a flag-lowering ceremony. Many times in the 1950s and 60s, a member of the Royal Family would stand as the Union flag came down over a former colony, the national anthem playing one last time.

    A determination that something should emerge from the imperial family that she had pledged to serve, would mean that she would build a new association on the ashes of Britain’s imperial legacy.

    In palaces and houses dotted across the capital and the country, lived her blood family. Across the world was spread her territorial family – a group of wildly diverse nations, vast and tiny, rich and impoverished, republics and monarchies – that she charmed and cajoled and nudged to remember what bound them together, and what together they might achieve.

    International tours were taken on behalf of the government of the day; they were tools of foreign policy – if not explicitly, then on the understanding that the Queen’s influence would be beneficial to the relationships between Britain and the places she visited.

    It looked glamorous – the Royal Yacht, the Queen’s Flight, banquets, and galas – and before international air travel became commonplace, it was an extraordinary experience. But it was always hard work, long days and weeks of receptions, exhibitions, openings, lunches with officials, state dinners and speeches given and listened to patiently. Those who have observed a royal tour find it hard to imagine it is any fun for those at the heart of it.

  • ‘This is our country’s saddest day’: Former PM Johnson

    Former prime minister Boris Johnson – who left the top job on Tuesday after meeting with the Queen – has paid tribute to the monarch.

    In a lengthy statement, he says there is “an ache at the passing of our Queen” in “the hearts of every one of us”.

  • Rainbow appears as people gather outside Buckingham Palace

    As the news has spread, the crowds have grown significantly outside Buckingham Palace.

    Many people have come alone to take at the moment, while others have come in groups with friends.

    Australian Chloe Hogan pictured with her two friends outside Buckinham Palace

    Australian Chloe Hogan made her way to the palace after hearing the news about the Queen’s health in her family group chat down. She says: “I think it’s quite scary that we don’t know what’s going to happen.” The Queen is also the monarch of Australia.

    Chloe adds: “I think if anything did happen Australians would be just as devastated as when Princess Diana died, the exact same thing.

    “It would be devastating, and everyone would be like people in the UK would be.”

    Facing the Queen Victoria monument Liran Shufman, from Italy, is joining dozens of people in taking a picture of a rainbow.

    The 40-year-old says the rainbow is hopefully a sign that the Queen will return to good health.

    Liran Shufman, from Italy takes a picture of the rainbow that appeared outside the palace

    Source: bbc.com

  • Crowds begin to gather outside Buckingham Palace

    As news of the Queen’s health travel, some citizens are already gathered in front of Buckingham PalaceTourists stand in the rain outside Buckingham Palace in LondonTourists stand in the rain outside Buckingham Palace in London

    Tourists have started gathering in the rain outside Buckingham Palace in London, following news that the Queen is under medical supervision at Balmoral
    People are keeping across the latest news on their phones

     

    Some people have congregated on the stone steps up to The Queen Victoria Memorial, opposite the palace

     

    Tourists stand in the rain outside Buckingham Palace in London

  • Meghan and Harry travelling separately from other royals to Balmoral

    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were already in the UK for a planned visit, are understood to be on their way to Balmoral separately from other royals, reports PA. But they have reportedly been “in coordination” with the plans of other family members.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Some tourists in tears outside Buckingham Palace

    At Buckingham Palace, some tourists are in tears at the news about the Queen’s health.

    Sue and Andy Alderman from Somerset were visiting London and decided to head to Buckingham Palace when they heard the announcement that the Queen was unwell.

    They said they were stunned by the news but that they thought the Queen had been looking frail since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. They hoped there would be better news about her health.

    Pam told me crying that: “She’s the only Queen we’ve had. All of my life. She’s such a lovely lady. It’s such a shock.” They added they were both thinkings of the Queen’s family at this time.

    As would be expected, journalists, photographers, and camera crews from across the world are now reporting from outside Buckingham Palace, where just months ago the Queen appeared waving from its balcony during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Prince William, Andrew and Edward land in Aberdeen

    The plane that landed in Aberdeen was carrying the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of York, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the BBC understands.

    Figures were seen disembarking the plane and getting into cars on the airport runway. It’s expected they will now travel to Balmoral Castle – a journey of around an hour.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Political leaders send best wishes to Queen following health concerns

    As a result of worries over the monarch’s health, Prime Minister Liz Truss stated that the UK’s citizens’ thoughts are with the Queen and her family.

    The Queen was being watched upon by doctors, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace.

    The news interrupted a Commons debate, where the PM’s plan to limit energy bills was being discussed.

    Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened to say that the “thoughts and prayers” of MPs were with the Queen’s family.

    Minutes before both Ms Truss and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had been informed of the news and had left the chamber.

    Ms Truss later tweeted: “The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime.

    “My thoughts – and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom – are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time.”

    Her words were echoed by other politicians.

    Labour leader Sir Keir said he was “deeply worried” by the news and that he joined “everyone across the United Kingdom in hoping for her recovery”.

    Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “All of us are feeling profoundly concerned at reports of Her Majesty’s health.

    “My thoughts and wishes are with the Queen and all of the Royal Family at this time.”

    Mark Drakeford – the first minister of Wales – said he was concerned to hear the news and that he sent his “best wishes to Her Majesty and her family on behalf of the people of Wales”.

    Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey tweeted: “The whole nation’s thoughts and prayers are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family as we all hope and pray for her full recovery.”

    Former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “deeply concerned by the news this afternoon from Buckingham Palace.

    “I send my heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family at this worrying time.”

    Tony Blair – Labour prime minister from 1997 to 2007 – also said he was “deeply concerned” by the news and that his “thoughts and prayers” were with the Queen and her family.

    On Wednesday, an online meeting between senior politicians and the Queen was postponed.

    Buckingham Palace said the Queen had been advised to rest after “a full day” on Tuesday during which she met the outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson and his successor Ms Truss.

    BBC political editor Chris Mason says: “It’s been a busy week for the monarch with that handover of power, her playing that crucial constitutional role in the resignation of one prime minister and the assumption of office of another.

    “And we’ve also known in terms of her interactions with political leaders that they have dialled down a little bit, certainly in terms of the physical exertions required of her to perform them have dialled down in recent months.

    “The overriding impression here at Westminster is the same it will be around the country – one of deep concern from our political leaders and politicians more broadly.”

     

  • Murder: Life sentence for Swedish teen for killing teachers with axe and knives

    Two teachers at a secondary school in Sweden were killed by an 18-year-old student in March of this year. The culprit has been given a life sentence.

    Fabian Cederholm was convicted guilty of the attack in which he used knives and an axe. His purpose is uncertain

    About 50 students locked themselves inside classrooms during the attack at the Malmo Latin School.

    Cederholm is believed to be the first 18-year-old to be given a life sentence in Sweden.

    The attacker – who had no previous criminal records – carried out the attack on 21 March in the creative arts school, where he was a student.

    The teachers, Victoria Edstrom and Sara Book were found 10 minutes after police were alerted.

    “These are two very brutal murders where the victims greatly suffered and experienced severe fear of death,” said Judge Johan Kvart.

    The attacks were “particularly ruthless”, said the judge when giving his reasoning for the sentence.

    A life sentence in Sweden is normally a minimum of 20 to 25 years in prison.

  • With a landmark bill, Australia sets new climate goals

    Australia has passed legislation establishing a climate target, promising to reduce emissions by at least 43% by 2030.

    The objective puts the nation, which ranks among the top polluters globally per capita, more in line with other wealthy nations.

    But critics say government plans to reach the target are lacking detail.

    Some have been demanding a higher goal as well as a ban on new fossil fuel projects in the country.

    But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had lauded the new law – the Climate Change Bill – as an end to a decade of climate policy inaction.

    The Labor government’s climate bill cleared the Senate by 37 votes to 30 after accepting minor amendments by independent David Pocock.

    Climate change minister, Chris Bowen, told parliament “today is a good day for our parliament and our country, and we’re going to need many more of them”, The Guardian reported.

    The former government had angered allies with its short-term emissions reductions target – which was about half what the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says is needed if the world has any chance of limiting warming to 1.5C.

    But there is strong support within the parliament for greater action on climate change.

    Many independents campaigned on the issue of climate change and wanted a 2030 target of at least 50%.

    Meanwhile, the Greens party said the passing of the bill was a “small step” in tackling the climate crisis.

    Most also want a ban on new coal and gas projects – something they say the target cannot be achieved without.

    Mark Howden, vice chair of the IPCC, told the BBC in June the new commitment is a big improvement on the previous target.

    “[It] would be equivalent to taking all of our cars off the road or taking agriculture out of our economy,” he said.

    It could take Australia’s carbon emission from 24 tonnes per person down to around 14 tonnes per person, he said.

    While it won’t make Australia a global leader on the climate, “we’re no longer a laggard”, Mr Howden said.

    Canada is aiming for a reduction of 40% by 2030 from 2005 levels, while the United States has a target of up to 52%.

    In recent years, Australia has suffered severe drought, historic bushfires, successive years of record-breaking floods, and six mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef.

    The country is racing towards a future full of similar disasters, the latest UN IPCC report warns.

    New research also shows that natural disasters have cost Australian households on average more than A$1,485 (£870; $1,000) in the past year.

    A report by the Insurance Council of Australia blames the soaring costs of catastrophic flooding in the east of the country in February and March. The report says costs will continue to rise for years to come because of extreme weather.

  • Ukraine is considering shutting down Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station – Chief nuclear inspector

     The head state inspector for nuclear and radiation safety of Ukraine, Oleh Korikov, stated that due to the deteriorating security situation, Ukraine is thinking of closing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.

    If conditions requiring the plant to be shut down arise, the plant and power unit No. 6 will be shut down,” Korikov said on Wednesday.

    Zaporizhzhia is the largest nuclear power station in Europe.

    “The continued deterioration of the situation, the prolonged lack of power supply from an external source of electricity will force us to deploy standby diesel generators, and it is extremely difficult to top up the diesel fuel supply during the war,” Korikov added.

    Korikov said maintaining the diesel generators running would not be sustainable.

    Diesel generators are backups to cool fuel and keep things operational, but there are caveats to using them for an indefinite time and it’s a “dangerous” situation to be in, he explained.

    “Reliability questions could be an issue … because in this case, they could be required to work for an indefinite time, and they have limited capacity to constantly be in work mode,” Kotin added.

    Korikov’s concerns are along the same lines as tensions continue at the plant.

    “Four huge diesel fuel tanks are needed per day,” Korikov explained. “Potentially, we can find ourselves in a situation with no diesel fuel; it can give rise to an accident, damaging the active zone of reactors and releasing radioactive products into the environment. It will not only affect the territory of Ukraine but also produce cross-border effects.”

    Currently, the plant “generates electricity and supplies it for its own needs” through an exceptional process called islanding where the plant — although disconnected from a power grid — uses its own energy to power cooling systems, according to Korikov.

  • Queen receiving medical care at Balmoral

    Buckingham Palace says the Queen is being monitored by medics at Balmoral after they started to worry about her health.

    “Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” they said in a statement.

    “The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.”

    Her immediate family has been informed.

    The announcement comes after the Queen, 96, pulled out of a virtual Privy Council on Wednesday, with doctors advising her to rest.

  • Smiling William and Kate enroll “the whole gang” in a new school, and even Louis was well-behaved

    While Charlotte tightly gripped her father’s hand as they walked up the steps into the entrance, Prince George appeared a little contemplative as the headteacher greeted him.

    The Cambridge kids, including the occasionally cheeky Prince Louis, behaved admirably as they were all welcomed to the new school they will all attend.

    Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis will all start at Lambrook school, near Windsor in Berkshire, on Thursday morning.

    But ahead of the big day a small press pack of one TV camera, one photographer, and one reporter, were invited into the grounds, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took their three children for a settling-in session.

    The five of them were filmed walking along a path in front of the school to meet the headteacher, Jonathan Perry.

    Four-year-old Louis, who’s beginning full-time education, and his nine-year-old brother and seven-year-old sister, all looked confident and happy, and even mum and dad were smiling too as they all seemed to chat away.

    EMBARGOED TO 2230 BST WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 7 Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, accompanied by their parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are greeted by Headmaster Jonathan Perry as they arrive for a settling in afternoon at Lambrook School, near Ascot in Berkshire.

    William called his children “all the gang” as he ushered them up the steps of the large white 19th-century country mansion, and said the three of them were looking forward to starting.

    “Welcome to Lambrook,” Mr Perry told the children. “It’s lovely to have you with us. We’re very excited for the year ahead.”

    Shaking them each by the hand in turn, he asked: “Are you excited?” with all three replying “Yes.”

    William remarked: “We’re looking forward to it,” adding the children had “lots of questions”.

    The open afternoon was a chance for the children to meet some of the other new pupils, and also no doubt an opportunity for new parents to get used to the fact they may see Prince William and Kate at the school gates.

  • In pictures: Ruins of psychiatric hospital

    A psychiatric hospital in Kramatorsk has been destroyed in Russian shelling. 

    The attack happened in the early hours of this morning.

  • Government attorneys say the Rwandan migrant planes plan is legitimate

    According to the government’s attorneys, the contentious relocation program the government is implementing gives it the legal right to send migrants to Rwanda.

    Attorneys for the Home Secretary said that concerns raised by the United Nations were unfounded on the third day of a court challenge to the program.

    The plan to fly migrants to Rwanda is on hold until the outcome of the case.

    Liz Truss and her new Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, support the plan begun by Priti Patel and Boris Johnson.

    The government is facing a highly unusual five-day legal challenge to the policy involving at least 10 migrants, campaign groups Care4Calais and Detention Action, and the Public and Commercial Services Union, which represents the vast majority of UK Border Force staff.

    The claimants argue the home secretary has no legal right to send migrants to Rwanda and, furthermore, deciding the country is safe was irrational.

    Evidence already aired in court has included warnings from a handpicked government adviser that the African country’s regime has murdered political opponents.

    But opening the government’s defence of the policy, Lord David Pannick QC said it was clear the home secretary could send migrants to another country provided she could show it was safe under a law dating back to Tony Blair’s Labour government.

    That 2004 legislation gave ministers the power to identify “safe third countries” and to relocate asylum seekers there, rather than handle their claims for refuge in the UK.

    The law could only be used if the government was sure migrants would not be sent on to another more dangerous country – and Lord Pannick said the government had obtained those assurances.

    “There is no other criteria stated by Parliament,” said Lord Pannick.

    “It is not for the court to insert more criteria so as to limit the [home secretary’s powers].

    “The [international law] obligation on the UK is to either assess the claim or return the asylum seeker to a safe third country,” said Lord Pannick.

    “If we choose to return the individual to a third country that is safe, then we, the UK, have complied with our obligations under the Refugee Convention.”

    On Tuesday, the court heard the UN’s Refugee Agency believes Rwanda has neither the capacity nor the expertise to deal with the numbers that could be sent.

    Furthermore, it warned the government of Rwanda may not abide by the agreement it had struck with the UK.

    But government lawyers said documents from the Rwandan government showed it has given point-by-point assurances that all migrants will be fairly treated.

    “The home secretary has received detailed assurances from the government of Rwanda regarding both the processing of relocated individuals’ asylum claims and the reception and ongoing treatment of relocated individuals,” said written submissions.

    “The court can and should place great weight on those assurances. Rwanda is a signatory to both the Refugee Convention and the UN Convention Against Torture and a key Commonwealth partner of the UK.”

    The case continues until Friday – with a second stage expected to take place in October.

  • Chris Kaba: Met Police accused of racism by family of guy shot by officer

    The Met Police has been accused of racism by the family of a man who was shot dead by an officer.

    Chris Kaba, who was only a few months away from becoming a father, passed away on Monday night in Streatham Hill, south London, following a police pursuit.

    The 23-year-old’s father Prosper Kaba claimed the shooting was “totally racist and criminal”.

    The Met Police said it understood the incident was “extremely concerning to the local community”.

    Mr Kaba was a rapper known as Madix or Mad Itch and was part of the MOBO-nominated drill group 67.

    Speaking to BBC London, Prosper Kaba said: “For us, it is totally racist and criminal and we want all the community, especially the minority community, to see this as a racism case.”

    Commander Alexis Boon, from the Met, said: “I understand that this incident is extremely concerning and I would like to reassure the community that the Met is co-operating fully with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as they carry out a thorough and independent investigation.”

    The shooting is being investigated by the IOPC, as is standard in deaths following police contact.

    The independent body, which oversees police complaints in England and Wales, confirmed one shot was fired from a police-issue firearm.

    IOPC investigators said they were examining police footage and CCTV from the area, as well as carrying out house-to-house inquiries.

    The pastor of a church that Mr Kaba attended as a child said there were discussions in the community about organising a vigil.

    Floral tributes were laid at the scene of the shooting in Streatham Hill

    Reverend Siaa-Liane Mathurin, of New Park Road Baptist Church, said: “Chris came to the church when he was little. He was from round here, he lived just over the road.

    “The community is scared. I’ve had young people come to me asking ‘why did they shoot him?’ There are families who didn’t send their kids to school today.”

    Sal Naseem, IOPC London regional director, said: “When the police use fatal force it is important that there is a robust, independent investigation to establish all of the circumstances surrounding what happened.

    “It is natural that the community wants answers quickly but I would ask that people refrain from speculation that may be unhelpful to all of those affected.”

    A post-mortem examination, which will determine a provisional cause of death, is set to take place.

  • Peppa Pig: The first same-sex couple for a kids’ program

    One of the most recognizable and well-liked cartoon animals in the world, Peppa Pig is adored by young children in the UK, US, Australia, and Latin America.

    Thus, it should come as no surprise that the decision to include the show’s first same-sex couple has generated controversy.

    During an episode titled Families, which first aired on Tuesday on Channel 5 in the UK, where Peppa Pig is made, the eponymous character was introduced to friend Penny Polar Bear’s mother.

    While drawing a portrait of her family, Penny explained: “I live with my mummy and my other mummy. One mummy is a doctor and one mummy cooks spaghetti.”

    The programme, created by British animators Mark Baker and Neville Astley, has been running since 2004. This is the first time in its 18-year history a same-sex couple has been featured.

    It comes two years after a petition was created on a US-based website, demanding a “same-sex parent family on Peppa Pig”. It has garnered almost 24,000 signatures.

    “Children watching Peppa Pig are at an impressionable age,” the creators of the petition wrote. “Excluding same-sex families will teach them that only families with either a single parent or two parents of different sexes are normal.”

    Robbie de Santos, director of communications and external affairs at LGBT rights charity Stonewall, described seeing a same-sex family in fictional Peppatown as “fantastic”.

    “Many of those who watch the show will have two mums or two dads themselves and it will mean a lot to parents and children that their experiences are being represented on such an iconic children’s programme,” he told the BBC.

    Peppa Pig is by no means the first children’s programme to feature same-sex couples. US cartoon Arthur, aimed at four to eight-year-olds, won praise back in 2019 after it showed a gay wedding during its 22nd series.

    At the time, Maria Vera Whelan of PBS KIDS – where Arthur ran until it ended earlier this year – said in a statement PBS believed it was “important to represent the wide array of adults in the lives of children”.

    Other popular cartoons to have touched on LGBT relationships have included Adventure Time and Steven Universe – both are also from the US but aimed at audiences aged 10 and above.

    Following the latest episode of Peppa Pig, Twitter was alive with debate about the introduction of Penny Polar Bear’s family. “Lesbians in Peppa Pig… can’t kids shows just be for kids?” one man wrote, accusing the show of “box-ticking”.

    Another disagreed, saying: “Well what do you know? My kids saw the first same-sex couple on Peppa Pig and the world didn’t end.”

  • ‘There was so much blood’: Railway blast survivor describes losing her leg

    A teen who suffered significant injuries in a horrific Russian attack on a train station has spoken about her experience.

    Anastasiia Shestopal, 19, lost her leg after being injured in the rocket strike on the Kramatorsk train station on April 8’s morning.

    The strike left 61 people dead and 121 injured, according to the Security Service of Ukraine.

    Speaking to the Kyiv Independent, Ms Shestopal said she had traveled from her native city of Druzhkivka to get away from attacks there.

    While waiting for a driver to pick her up and take her to a safer part of the country, she decided to find an empty bench at the train station and do some reading.

    Thousands of civilians were waiting to evacuate at the station at the time.

    Without warning, a powerful blast knocked her off the bench and she found herself laying on the ground.

    “I was lying there in a huge pool of blood. I had jeans on, but nothing was visible. I just felt that my leg was wounded,” she said.

    “There was so much blood, dead people everywhere.”

    She recalled seeing people running around the train station in a panic and she almost lost consciousness.

    A rescue worker spotted her and a team began treating her before she was taken to a nearby hospital. Ms Shestopal later found out she could have died from her injury if she had not received medical assistance quickly.

    The teenager later had to have her leg amputated and is recovering in Germany, where a couple has kindly rented an apartment for her and her mother.

  • After being told to rest by doctors, the Queen postpones the Privy Council meeting

    The 96-year-old queen, who has chronic mobility challenges, will not need to stay in the hospital according to the most recent recommendation.

    According to Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s appointment with the Privy Council has been postponed because doctors have recommended her rest.

    A palace spokesman said: “After a full day yesterday, Her Majesty has this afternoon accepted doctors’ advice to rest.

    “This means that the Privy Council meeting that had been due to take place this evening will be rearranged.”

    The Queen remains at Balmoral Castle, where she appointed Liz Truss as the new prime minister on Tuesday.

    The Queen appointed new prime minister Liz Truss on Tuesday

    The latest advice does not involve a hospital stay for the 96-year-old monarch, who has ongoing mobility issues.

    During the proceedings, Ms Truss would have taken her oath as First Lord of the Treasury and new cabinet ministers would have been sworn into their roles, and also made privy counselors if not already appointed as one in past.

    The Queen appointed the new prime minister at Balmoral for the first time in her reign, in a break from tradition.

    She would normally appoint prime ministers from Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle

    However, the monarch was advised to remain at her Balmoral residence in Aberdeenshire, where she was enjoying her summer holiday.

    It was thought to be best for the Queen not to travel back to London due to her intermittent mobility issues.

    Since last autumn, Her Majesty has suffered from mobility issues and now regularly uses a walking stick.

    This year, she has been forced to cut several official engagements short, and notably missed much of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, only appearing briefly on the palace balcony.

    In June, she missed Royal Ascot for the first time since her coronation, with the Duke of Kent taking her place in leading the royal carriage procession.

    Earlier in May, the Queen missed the State Opening of Parliament for the first time in 59 years on doctors’ orders after experiencing “episodic mobility issues”.

    And she withdrew from the traditional Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor this year.

    The Queen also contracted COVID-19 back in February, and later spoke about how it left her feeling “very tired and exhausted”.

     

     

  • Child trafficking: Woman arrested for trafficking 15 children

    A 44-year-old woman was detained by the Nigerian police for allegedly stealing 15 kids in the southern state of Rivers.

    The woman, who pretended to be a nun running an orphanage, is accused by the authorities of kidnapping the kids in order to sell them.

    The children are reportedly aged between four and 15 years.

    The police said they were working to reunite the children with their parents.

    State Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka, said investigations revealed that some had been abducted years ago, including a nine-year-old boy who had been taken from a market in 2020.

    He said some of the children had recounted to the police their experiences of torture and mistreatment.

    He said a further probe into the incident was ongoing with a view to arresting other suspects linked to the crimes.

    Human trafficking is common in Nigeria.

  • US: Cineworld files for bankruptcy protection

    The British organization had hoped that blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick, The Batman, and Thor: Love And Thunder would help it recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, but the films’ box office performance fell short of expectations.

    In order to give its heavily indebted company more time to restructure, Cineworld Group has applied for bankruptcy protection in the US.

    The British company said it has filed for Chapter 11 – a type of US bankruptcy which means it will be allowed to stay in business while it tries to bounce back from its problems.

    The world’s second-biggest cinema chain operator said it is “confident that a comprehensive financial restructuring is in the best interests of the group and its stakeholders, taken as a whole, in the long term”.

    Current shareholders are likely to see their positions diluted significantly, Cineworld admitted, but shares are expected to continue trading on the London Stock Exchange.

    The business plans to emerge from bankruptcy in the first quarter of next year and said it would use the restructuring to try to negotiate better lease terms with its landlords in the US.

    It was saddled with £4bn of debt by the end of the last financial year and had pinned its hopes on blockbusters such as Top Gun: Maverick, The Batman, and Thor: Love And Thunder to aid its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Last September, it struck an agreement to pay £141m to disgruntled Regal shareholders who were angry about the price it paid to buy the chain in 2017.

    In December it was ordered to pay £720m by a court over a decision not to go through with a takeover of Canadian rival Cineplex as the pandemic broke out.

    Chief executive Mooky Greidinger appealed the court ruling, claiming the company acted in “good faith”.

  • US cruise passenger dies from shark attack

    According to regional officials, a US cruise ship passenger was killed by a shark on Tuesday while snorkeling close to the Bahamas.

    The incident happened while the Pennsylvanian woman, 58, was on a trip at Green Cay, which is close to Nassau.

    Police later said that the family identified the shark as a bull shark. A similar incident in the area took the life of a 21-year-old American in 2019.

    Despite gripping public attention, shark attacks are exceedingly rare.

    Bahamian police spokeswoman Chrislyn Skippings told reporters that the woman was on an excursion with a local tour company, which took her to the popular snorkelling area.

    Family members and tour company staff saw her being attacked and managed to pull her from the water. A local news outlet, Eyewitness News, quoted Ms Skippings as saying that the victim suffered wounds to her “upper extremities”.

    The victim was declared dead by authorities after being taken to shore.

    Her cruise ship, the Harmony of the Seas, was docked in Nassau at the time of the attack. It had just begun its seven-day cruise of the western Caribbean from Port Canaveral in Florida on 4 September.

    Cruise operator Royal Caribbean International said in a statement that they are “providing support and assistance to the guest’s loved ones during this difficult time.”

    The incident is the first fatal shark attack in the Bahamas since 2019, when a 21-year-old woman from California was attacked by sharks near Rose Island, about half a mile (0.8km) away from Tuesday’s attack.

    In another recent incident, an eight-year-old British boy was injured after being attacked by three sharks in another part of the Bahamas. His father later told The Sun that the attack “was like a scene out of Jaws”.

    In total, statistics from the Florida-based International Shark Attack File show that only about 32 shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1749, the highest number in the region.

    Michael Heithaus, a marine biologist at Florida International University in Miami, told the Associated Press that the relatively high number of shark attacks in the area is likely due to the high number of people in the waters, which are home to a vibrant marine ecosystem.

    Globally, there were 73 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in 2021, including nine which resulted in death.

  • Cyberattack: Albania ends diplomatic relations with Iran

    Albania has severed diplomatic ties with Iran and ordered Iranian embassy staff to leave, accusing it of orchestrating a major cyber-attack.

    Prime Minister Edi Rama said a review had discovered “incontrovertible evidence” that Iran “hired four organizations to mount the attack on Albania” on 15 July.

    The hackers tried to paralyse public services, delete and steal government data, and incite chaos, he added.

    Mr Rama described Albania’s response as “extreme… but entirely forced on us”.

    The United States said it strongly condemned the cyber-attack on a Nato ally and vowed to hold Iran accountable for actions that threatened Albania’s security and “set a troubling precedent for cyber-space”.

    There was no immediate comment from the Iranian government. But relations between Tirana and Tehran have been tense since Albania offered asylum to thousands of Iranian dissidents nine years ago.

    Mr Rama said the goal of the hacking groups had been “the destruction of the digital infrastructure of the government of the Republic of Albania, as well as the theft of data and electronic communications of governments systems”.

    But he added: “The said attack failed its purpose… All systems came back fully operational and there was no irreversible wiping of data.”

    The prime minister nevertheless said the Albanian government’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Iran was “proportionate to the seriousness and danger posed by the cyber-attack”.

    US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said American experts had also concluded that Iran “conducted this reckless and irresponsible cyber-attack” and that it was “responsible for the subsequent hack and leak operations”.

    Iran’s conduct, she warned, “disregards norms of responsible peacetime state behaviour in cyber-space”, including one on refraining from damaging critical infrastructure providing public services.

    Earlier this month, US cyber-security firm Mandiant said it had concluded “with moderate confidence” that “one or multiple threat actors who have operated in support of Iranian goals” were involved in the attack.

    Mandiant noted that the disruption had come days before the start of a conference in the Albanian town of Manez that was affiliated with the exiled Iranian opposition group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK). The event was subsequently postponed following warnings of “terrorist” threats.

    The firm likewise cited a video featuring the Albanian residence permits of purported MEK members that was posted on the Telegram channel used by a group named “HomeLand Justice” to claim credit for the cyber-attack.

    It said a ransomware sample also included the text: “Why should our taxes be spent on the benefit of DURRES terrorists?” Manez is a town in Durres County and is the location of a camp where about 3,000 MEK members have been allowed to live since 2013 at the request of the US and United Nations.

  • Pakistan’s largest lake overflows, fear grip villagers

    “There is too much water. We are going to drown.”

    That was the warning from the villagers of Sehta Sehanj, where flooding caused by the overflow of Pakistan’s largest lake has left many residents trapped by rising water levels and fearing for their lives.
    Lake Manchar — which has swelled to an area hundreds of square kilometers wide due to the combined effects of a heavy monsoon and melting glaciers — breached its banks for what was at least the third time on Tuesday, leaving nearby villages under several feet of water.
    Pakistani authorities are in a desperate race against time to lower water levels at the lake in Sindh — the country’s second most populous province, home to nearly 48 million people — fearing that a full-scale breach of its banks could inundate nearby cities.

    Noor Mohammad Thebo said parts of his village have been cut off by the water from Lake Manchar.

    Noor Mohammad Thebo said parts of his village have been cut off by the water from Lake Manchar.
    In a bid to avert that scenario, they allowed the lake to overflow twice on Sunday in an attempt to divert some of the lake’s waters into less densely populated areas. But this has led to flooding in smaller villages that has affected around 135,000 people, Sindh province’s irrigation minister Jam Khan Shoro told CNN on Wednesday. Shoro said the move was necessary to avoid wider flooding in the district of Dadu, home to around 1.55 million people.
    The lake also overflowed on Tuesday, in what officials said was a natural occurrence and not part of efforts to divert the water.
    Shoro said officials had on Sunday tried to warn people in towns near the lake that it would overflow and had urged people to leave the area.
    “We are trying our best to provide relief to the people but the scale of the disaster is so high and the number of people affected is also so high,” he said. “It’s nearly impossible for our government to provide everyone with shelter, food, and medicine. It’s difficult.”
    Shoro added that the army and navy were being enlisted to help the relief efforts and authorities were communicating with elected officials in the villages.
    Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh, said Wednesday he did not want the lake to overflow but if authorities had not diverted the water, cities up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the lake — such as Sehwan, Dadu, and Mehar — would have been put in danger.
    While those areas have been spared, at least for now, villages nearby are bearing the brunt.
    “(Our) village is submerged. There is no way to go (to it),” said Noor Mohammad Thebo, who spoke to CNN on a roadside as rapidly flowing water swirled around his ankles.
    Thebo said 10 to 15 families had been cut off by the rising waters in his village near the lake and that water up to 1.5 meters (five feet) deep now covered its main access road — making any rescue efforts a dangerous affair.
    “There are no rescue teams that could help (the trapped families) and there is no way for (the families) to come out,” Thebo said.
    In Bachal Chana, another nearby village, resident Yar Mohammad said people had been caught completely off guard when overflowing water from Lake Manchar rushed in.
    “It destroyed our crops and houses. The breach took place suddenly and we were unaware (it was about to happen.) No one had informed us,” said Yar Mohammad, standing knee-deep in murky water.
    Around him, cattle were almost completely submerged, with only their heads peaking through and gasping for air.
    Many villagers must now choose between staying put and taking their chances with further floods or leaving their homes and seeking shelter and aid elsewhere.
    New satellite images from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Sentinel Labs show how the lake has swelled over the past two months into an area covering hundreds of square kilometers following record levels of rain. What were once islands and peninsulas in the lake have disappeared and the surrounding land has been swallowed up.
    The satellite images also show that despite the breaches water levels at the lake remain dangerously high –– suggesting there may be more misery to come for nearby villagers.
    Ghulam Murtaza, 35, from Sehta Sehanj, said the government had warned his village that it remained in danger as it was naturally downstream of the lake.
    “They say that there is no other way. But it has left our area inundated,” Murtaza said.
    Source: CNN.com

  • Murder: Nurse Rebecca Searing who murdered husband jailed for life

    The defendant attacked Paul Searing, 57, in February several hours after he returned from the pub to their home in Harlow, the court heard.

    A nurse who stabbed her husband to death as he lay in bed has been sentenced to life.

    Rebecca Searing, 52, who must serve 17 years in prison before she can be considered for parole, told a 999 call handler: “I’ve stabbed my husband twice.”

    She had also sent a message to someone saying “it’s time to kill”.

    She attacked Paul Searing, 57, on 12 February several hours after he returned from the pub to their home in Harlow, Essex, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

    Judge Christopher Morgan said the defendant, who had also been drinking, helped her husband upstairs and then returned downstairs to their home in Ryecroft.

    “Shortly before 2.30 am you took a knife from the kitchen, you made your way upstairs and you stabbed your husband as he lay in bed,” the judge said.

    He said Searing had later said: “Tonight I took my chance.”

    The judge said the defendant’s husband had “presented no threat” and “in all probability he was asleep”.

    He said Searing had suggested that her husband called her “worthless” or “useless”.

    The judge said: “At whatever stage, those words were no justification for what you were to do later on.”

    Paul Searing was described in court as ‘happy-go-lucky and football-mad

    Searing was found guilty of murder after an earlier nine-day trial.

    Allan Compton QC, for the prosecution, read a statement from Mr Searing’s sister Karen Krokou, in which she said he had “worked hard as a cabinet maker and took pride in his work”.

    She described him as “happy-go-lucky and football-mad, he loved Tottenham Hotspur”.

    Mr Searing, who had children, was an “exceptionally loyal man, caring, warm and kind”, Ms Krokou said.

    She described the defendant’s 999 calls as “chilling”, adding: “She may have been a good nurse but that doesn’t make her a good person.”

    Sasha Wass QC, mitigating, said the married couple had a “complex relationship”.

    She said: “She loved him despite the complexity of that relationship and she still loves him.”

    Ms Wass said it was “a relationship that involved regular domestic violence”.

    Searing, who wore a grey prison-issue tracksuit, looked straight ahead as the judge sentenced her to life in jail

  • Russian-Ukraine war: EU proposes to regulate Russian gas prices

    The EU is preparing its own kind of response after Russia shut down the main Nord Stream 1 pipeline a few days ago, but it acknowledges that consumers and businesses are already paying “astronomical rates.”

    A new confrontation between the European Union and Russia over gas supplies appears to be imminent.

    The bloc has revealed plans for a price cap on Russian gas imports in retaliation for the war in Ukraine and measures to help member states cope with the energy squeeze.

    Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, laid out five proposals on Wednesday, hours after Russia’s leader threatened to turn off the taps to any Western nations moving to impose price caps on his country’s energy.

    She said Russia had become an “unreliable supplier” after state-run Gazprom’s decision to turn off the taps on the major Nord Stream 1 pipeline indefinitely last week, adding that the EU’s reliance on Russian gas had fallen significantly since the invasion and stocks were back at 82% across the bloc.

    One of the other measures however betrayed the perilous position the bloc continues to face ahead of winter.

    She also planned a cap on the revenue of non-gas fuelled generators – bolstered by record raw energy costs – to re-channel their “unexpected profits” into measures that support households and companies.

    Ursula Von Der Leyen
    Image: Ursula von der Leyen said consumers across the EU were facing ‘astronomic’ bills

    A windfall tax on fossil fuel firms was also on the cards, she said, along with aid for utility providers struggling under the weight of wholesale prices.

    The plans, which will have to be agreed upon by member states, may face opposition.

    Some EU countries are wary of capping Russian gas prices in case that costs them the dwindling supply they still receive from Moscow.

    It follows confirmation that the UK is planning to bring down its own energy bills through a taxpayer-funded bailout. The details are expected this week.

    Ms Von der Leyen explained that the planned cap on wholesale prices from Russia was now possible after the bloc had eased its reliance on Russian energy.

    “We have increased our preparedness and weakened Russia’s grip on our energy supply through demand reduction – which allowed our common storage to be at 82%,” she said.

    “Through diversification, we have increased deliveries of LNG or pipeline gas from the US, Norway, Algeria, Azerbaijan, and others. For example, Norway is now delivering more gas to the EU than Russia.”

    The UK has also been pumping record volumes to the EU via interconnectors for months as part of EU efforts to bolster storage.

    Ms Von der Leyen said Russian gas accounted for 9% of imports, down from 40% in February before the invasion of Ukraine.

  • Death by Firing squad and electric chair executions: They are ‘torture’ – US judge rules

    The judge was informed that the bullets used in executions are intended to shatter inside the heart and that the effects of the electric chair on the body’s interior organs are comparable to frying.

    Executions via lethal injection or firing squad are unlawful and constitute “torture,” according to a US judge.

    Lawyers for four inmates in South Carolina who took legal action against the state had argued prisoners would feel terrible pain whether their bodies were “cooking” by electricity or when their heart was stopped by a marksman’s bullet – assuming they are on target.

    And on Tuesday, Judge Jocelyn Newman ruled that both the state’s newly-created firing squad and its use of the electric chair should desist.

    The state’s governor, Republican Henry McMaster, said he planned to appeal her decision.

    From 1995 to 2011 – when the state’s last execution was performed – South Carolina carried out the death penalty with lethal injections on 36 prisoners.

    But, as the state’s supply of lethal injection drugs expired in 2013, an involuntary pause in executions resulted from pharmaceutical companies’ refusal to sell the state more.

    Condemned inmates technically had the choice between injection and electrocution, meaning that opting for the former would in essence leave the state unable to carry out the sentence.

    Execution ‘ought to be humane’

    Struggling to implement new execution protocols, prison officials sought help from state lawmakers, who for several years had considered adding the firing squad as an option to approved methods, but the debate on it never advanced.

    Last year, Democratic Senator Dick Harpootlian and Republican Senator Greg Hembree, both of whom previously served as prosecutors, again argued in favour of adding the firing squad option.

    “The death penalty is going to stay the law here for a while. If it is going to remain, it ought to be humane,” Mr Harpootlian had said.

    ‘The death chamber’ at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas – the state which executes more people than any other

    During last month’s hearing before Judge Newman, lawyers representing the state provided evidence from their experts who appeared to agree with them and said death by the yet-to-be-used firing squad or the rarely used electric chair would be instantaneous and the condemned would not feel any pain.

    The ultimately approved measure, signed into law by Mr McMaster last year, made South Carolina the fourth state in the United States to allow the use of a firing squad, and made the state’s electric chair – built in 1912 – the default method for executions, thereby giving prisoners a new choice.

    The South Carolina Supreme Court subsequently blocked the planned executions of two inmates by electrocution, however, saying they could not be put to death until they truly had the choice of a firing squad option set out in the state’s newly revised law.

    Ammunition ‘splits up in the heart’

    Earlier this year, the state rolled out its updated execution protocols, to include the new method.

    During last month’s trial, a Corrections Department official said he devised the firing squad protocols after consulting a prison official in Utah, the location of the only three inmates to die by firing squad since 1977.

    Colie Rushton, the department’s security director, testified the 308 Winchester ammunition to be used is designed to fragment and split up in the heart to make death as fast as possible.

    In her ruling, Judge Newman recalled the testimony of two physicians, who said an inmate “is likely to be conscious for a minimum of ten seconds after impact”.

    During that time, the judge wrote, “he will feel excruciating pain resulting from the gunshot wounds and broken bones,” a sensation that “constitutes torture” as it is “exacerbated by any movement he makes, such as flinching or breathing”.

    Dr  Jonathan Arden testified the electric chair caused “effects on parts of the body, including internal organs, that are the equivalent of cooking”.

    Just three prisoners in South Carolina have chosen the electric chair since lethal injection was made available in 1995.

    Officials with the state Corrections Department told the Associated Press they were “assessing the ruling”.

     

  • Multiple stabs in chest: Man, 23, admits killing Canadian girlfriend he met on dating app

    Three months after arriving in the UK, Ashley Wadsworth’s boyfriend fatally stabbed her.

    A 23-year-old Essex resident has confessed to killing his young Canadian lover.

    Jack Sepple killed 19-year-old Ashley Wadsworth, from Vernon in British Columbia, at a house in Chelmsford in February after meeting her on a dating app.

    Jack Sepple

    Paramedics tried to save Ms Wadsworth but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

    An inquest hearing was told that she died of “stab wounds to the chest”.

    Christopher Paxton QC, for Sepple, said that the “issue of fitness is now resolved” and requested that the defendant be asked to enter a plea.

    The court clerk read the single charge of murder and Sepple, standing in the secure dock in a long white sleeved top and with tattoos on his face and hand, replied: “I’m guilty.”

    Judge Christopher Morgan told Sepple: “By your plea of guilty to murder there’s only one sentence that can be passed and that’s a life sentence.”

    He remanded the defendant in custody until a date is found for sentencing.

    Ms Wadsworth moved to Chelmsford in November 2021, she wrote on Facebook.

    Earlier this year she posted photos online of her “amazing trip to London”, where she had been sightseeing.

     

  • Vietnam karaoke bar: At least 14 dead

    In southern Vietnam, close to Ho Chi Minh City, a massive fire at a karaoke complex resulted in at least 14 fatalities and numerous injuries.

    On Tuesday night, a fire broke out on the establishment’s top floor, trapping numerous clients inside of their rooms.

    To escape, four people jumped from the second and third floors, local media said. They were injured but survived.

    Firefighters reached the scene shortly after alarms went off.

    Crews say the blaze took just under an hour to bring under control. Investigators are still determining the cause.

    The An Phu karaoke bar, located in the Binh Duong region just north of the city, occupied a significantly sized building with 29 rooms.

    About a third of the building had been on fire, local officials said.

    It had several decorations and wooden decor, BBC Vietnamese reported.

    This is not the first time a fire has broken out at a karaoke bar in Vietnam. Last month, three firefighters died after trying to extinguish a fire at a karaoke venue in the capital Hanoi.

  • Pakistan floods: Biggest lake subsides amid race to help victims

    After last-ditch efforts to keep it from bursting its banks, officials say the water levels in Pakistan’s largest lake are beginning to decrease.

    In Sindh province, Manchar Lake is dangerously filled following record-breaking monsoons that submerged a third of Pakistan.

    Its banks were deliberately breached to protect surrounding areas and more than 100,000 people have been displaced.

    Teams are racing to rescue thousands still stranded in Pakistan’s worst climate-induced disaster in years.

    “We see the water is now starting to come down,” provincial minister Jam Khan Shoro told the BBC. “If we didn’t make the breaches, several towns with big populations would have been destroyed and many more people in danger.”

    Floods in Pakistan have affected some 33 million people and caused at least 1,343 deaths, Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Agency said.

    Officials have said a little over a quarter of a million people are in shelters, a fraction of those who need help.

    Damaged infrastructure is also hampering aid and rescue operations, which cannot keep pace with demand. Some connecting roads in Sindh province have either collapsed, are flooded or are backed up for days with queuing traffic.

    Manchar Lake straddles two districts – Jamshoro and Dadu – with an urban population of more than 1 million.

    A man rows a boat with submerged houses in the background, following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Mehar, Pakistan August 31, 2022.
    REUTERS

    Towns that became virtual islands – Mehar (pictured here) west of Lake Manchar, and Johi to the north-east

    Johi, a town near the lake, has been surrounded by water and now resembles an island. Its residents have built an improvised dyke to slow down water coming into the area, as they did during floods in 2010. Authorities told the BBC they do not know yet if the measure will work this time.

    Meanwhile, the UN children’s agency UNICEF has said more children are at risk of dying from the disease in Pakistan because of the shortage of clean water.

    This year’s floods – Pakistan’s worst climate-induced natural disaster in years – have been caused by record torrential rainfall and melting glaciers in the country’s northern mountains.

    Pakistan’s climate change minister, Sherry Rehman, told the BBC that richer countries needed to do more to help poorer countries faced with the devastation caused by climate change.

    “Richer countries have got rich on the back of fossil fuels… and have been burning their way to kingdom come,” she said in an interview with BBC News.

    The disaster has highlighted the stark disparity between countries that are the largest contributors to climate change and countries that bear the brunt of its impact. Pakistan produces less than 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions but its geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change.

    Low-emission countries like Pakistan, Ms Rehman said, “are now feeling the heat – quite literally of other people’s development and greed”.

    “We have made an appeal to the developed world that this is the time to actually do more.”

    She acknowledged flood aid from countries including the US, Qatar, and Turkey – but said international support would be needed to help make Pakistan’s infrastructure climate resilient.

    “We neither have the money or the technical capacity.”

  • Reported missing: Venezuelans on spiritual mountain retreat

    A group of persons who vanished while on a spiritual retreat in the Andes are being sought by emergency personnel.

    In Venezuela’s Táchira state, dogs and drones are being used to search the rugged region surrounding La Grita.

    An official with the civil protection team said between 16 and 20 people were missing, but local media suggest the number could be higher.

    Relatives say they have not heard from their loved ones since they left for the retreat on 22 August.

    Neighbors told local paper La Nación that a number of local families had packed food and camping mats and set off into the mountains on what they described as a four-day spiritual retreat.

    A priest in La Grita said the group had followed a woman who claimed to have received a revelation by the Virgin Mary.

    In his Sunday sermon, the priest warned of the dangers of believing in “fanatics” who made claims about the end of the world being nigh.

    Yesnardo Canal of the local civil protection authority said a newborn and a number of children were among the missing.

    On Tuesday, a search team combed through the area where locals had reported seeing the group but found nothing.

    La Grita is located at a height of 1,440m (4,725ft) but the surrounding moorlands reach a height of 3,000m.

    The mayor of the area said that the families’ disappearance was “very suspicious”. “There are several theories [of what may have happened] but we won’t know what really happened until the investigations have been concluded,” the official added.