He wrote on his Facebook page: “We are saddened to hear the tragic news of the [women] who died in a road accident in the early hours of this morning…
“We send our message of condolences and prayers to the church and the affected families to find comfort in our Lord Jesus Christ. We also wish the injured, a quick recovery.”
Concern over the Iranian government’s handling of demonstrations caused by the death in detention of a woman being held for violating hijab laws has been expressed by the UN.
As men, women, and children took to the streets of Kurdistan province for a fourth day on Monday, security personnel reportedly opened fire, killing three people, according to human rights organizations.
Tehran also saw demonstrations.
The UN urged Iran’s leaders to allow peaceful demonstrations and launch an impartial probe into the woman’s death.
Women are holding the torch of the protests in #Iran, women in Saqez, taking off their headscarves, in Tehran they chasing a water cannon, to shouting to say that the riot police is running away… as many observers predicted, women are the leaders of the movement. #MahsaAminipic.twitter.com/h4XkvnMJ5e
She was with her brother in Tehran on Tuesday when she was arrested by the morality police, who accused her of breaking the law requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab, or headscarf, and their arms and legs with loose clothing. She fell into a coma shortly after collapsing at a detention centre.
Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif said there were reports that Ms Amini was beaten on the head with a baton by morality police officers and that her head was banged against one of their vehicles.
The police have denied that she was mistreated and said she suffered “sudden heart failure”. But her family has said she was fit and healthy.
IMAGE SOURCE, MAHSA AMINI FAMILY Image caption, The acting UN rights chief called for Mahsa Amini’s family to get “access to justice and truth”
“Mahsa Amini’s tragic death and allegations of torture and ill-treatment must be promptly, impartially, and effectively investigated by an independent competent authority, that ensures, in particular, that her family has access to justice and truth,” Ms Al-Nashif said.
She noted that the UN had received “numerous, and verified, videos of violent treatment of women” as morality police expanded their street patrols in recent months to crack down on those perceived to be wearing “loose hijab”.
An aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei paid a visit to Ms Amini’s family on Monday and told them that “all institutions will take action to defend the rights that were violated”, state media reported.
Adnan Syed has been freed after a court overturned the murder conviction that was the focus of the popular Serial podcast.
When Mr. Syed received his life term in prison in 2000 for the 1999 strangulation and burial in a park in Baltimore of his lover Hae Min Lee, he was only 17 years old.
After the prosecution claimed that there were two additional potential suspects who were never given to the defense during the trial, a Maryland judge reversed the verdict on Monday.
Judge Melissa Phinn of the Circuit Court in Baltimore ruled that Mr. Syed should be put on home detention after being released from prison. Additionally, she commanded the state to decide within 30 days whether to request a new trial date or drop the case.
“All right Mr Syed, you’re free to join your family,” Ms Phinn said as the hearing ended.
Mr Syed, now 41, has always maintained his innocence and has been appealing his conviction for years.
The case was first brought to global attention by the 2014 hit podcast, which raised doubts about his guilt and some evidence prosecutors had used.
A judge has ordered the release of Adnan Syed after overturning his murder conviction, which was the subject of the popular Serial podcast.
Serial suggested evidence unearthed from witness Asia McClain could have corroborated Mr Syed’s account that he was in the library at the time of the killing.
Becky Feldman, chief of the Sentencing Review Unit, described to the judge various details from the case that undermine the conviction, including flawed mobile phone data, unreliable witness testimony, and a potentially biased detective.
Adnan Syed and Hae Min Lee at a prom. Pic: HBO/ Sky Atlantic/ NOW TV
The investigation “revealed undisclosed and newly developed information regarding two alternative suspects, as well as unreliable cell phone tower data”, said the office of the state’s attorney for Baltimore, Marilyn Mosby, in a news release last week.
The suspects were known persons at the time of the original investigation, prosecutors said but were not properly ruled out or disclosed to the defense, who declined to release information about the suspects due to the ongoing investigation.
Prosecutors said they were not asserting that Mr Syed is innocent, but they lacked confidence “in the integrity of the conviction” and recommended he be released.
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association claims that its members are dissatisfied with the Covid-19 insurance packages not being paid to frontline health professionals.
The Association is therefore questioning the government’s commitment to their welfare.
“The major challenge is the insurance package government promised all nurses and midwives who contract the virus. But as of now, we’ve not gotten any positive information from our members.”
Speaking to JoyNews, the Association’s General Secretary David Tenkorang said such disappointments are a major push factor for the high attrition.
“The motivation is low and now people are leaving and they continue to leave because there is no motivation to stay in Ghana. Whatever you are promised is not paid.
“Most of our people had to take care of their own medical bills when they tested positive for Covid -19. And this is unacceptable,” he stated.
Onsy, whose father founded the CPP, declared on Onua TV’s morning broadcast on September 20, 2022, that Madam Frimpomaa was a puppet of the New Patriotic Party.
The National Chairman was accused of receiving funds from the NPP and failing to account for the gifts, among other things, by Onsy, the Second Vice Chairman of the CPP.
“Nana Frimpomaa lost, but she carries herself as Chair of the party. She is one of the people sponsored by the NPP. Unfortunately, I didn’t know, and I used to be close to her. Two of the officers were already aware. She has been given GH₵2.7 million, a V8, two pickups, and 20 motorbikes.
“She kept the cars –the V8 she is using and the pickups for the party’s use –money, motorbikes, I didn’t know. I was sidelined. She said it was given to her in her personal capacity.
“₵2.7m she has kept. Some of the money was collected in bags, and two of the executives helped her carry it and subsequent ones in her account. Others to her son whom she has appointed to a position in the party,” he told Captain Smart, host of the morning show.
Onsy Nkrumah pointed out that the two biggest political parties, the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress, have infiltrated the CPP by sponsoring some individuals to hold key positions in the party.
“According to rumour, GS was sponsored by the NDC, and I asked her and she said it’s a rumour, so I left it,” he noted.
There has been internal bickering in the CPP over the election of Akosua Frimpomaa as chairperson of the party.
In April this year, the Central Committee of the party stated that Madam Frimpomaa does not qualify to hold herself as chairperson of the party because she was not duly elected.
According to the committee, Madam Frimpomaa, per the party’s constitution, failed to obtain 50% or more votes needed to validate her election.
The committee has therefore recommended a run-off between the now deposed chairman and her closest contender in the 2020 internal polls, Hamdatu Ibrahim.
The recent strange killings of security personnel in the Upper West Regional Capital, Wa, is alleged to be ritual killings, according to Peter Lanchene Toobu, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa West.
The MP added that the killings had to be ritualistic because all the victims had body parts are taken, especially their internal and sensory organs, in an interview with Neat FM that GhanaWeb was listening to.
Lanchene Toobu added that the regional capital has so far recorded at least five such ritual killings.
“What is happening in Wa now is that people keep going missing daily, people are being killed, dead bodies are being found in shallow graves. This is what is happening in Wa now but we don’t know where the killings are done, we only find the bodies.
“Also, the victims that have been found so far have some part of their bodies cut off which in police terms is referred to as ritual killing. Some of the victims have their genitals cut off, their eyes removed and their chest and abdomen dissected. They are being killed for ritual purposes,” he said in Twi.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has arrested one suspect who is alleged to be involved in the series of murders of security men in Wa.
According to the police, the suspect, Kankani Adongo, is allegedly involved in at least the recent murder of a 58-year-old security man.
In a post shared on Facebook, Monday, the police said that Adongo was arrested with the help of some community search parties.
“The Police have arrested one person believed to be the prime suspect behind the Wa murder case.
“Suspect Kankani Adongo was arrested on 19th September 2022 at Bamahu, a suburb of Wa after extensive collaboration between the Police and community search parties.
“(The) suspect is in custody and will be arraigned before the court to face justice,” parts of the post shared by the police read.
This information was found in a statement the Upper West Regional Police Command released.
The unidentified body was found by the special purpose intelligence and investigation team on Monday, September 19, 2022, according to the details.
The body has since been retrieved and deposited at the Regional Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy by a pathologist from the police hospital and a team of experts in Accra.
In five months, ten lives have been lost in bizarre circumstances to ‘serial killers’ in the region.
Last Friday, some residents showed up in their numbers at the Technical Institute to protest the security situation in Wa.
Only three bodies have been found out of the ten people who have lost their lives.
The police has meanwhile placed a 100K bounty for information on the killings.
In a statement, the police said, “We continue to urge anyone with credible information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators to come forward and share with the Police. In line with this, a reward of GHC100,000 has been set aside for anyone who provides information in that regard”.
“The police continue to maintain law, order, and security in the Wa municipality and surrounding communities,” the statement issued on Monday, September 19, 2022, said.
“We wish to assure residents of the Wa municipality and its environs that the special intelligence and investigation teams will continue to work around the clock with assistance from the affected communities to bring the perpetrators to face justice. Operations and combat teams have also saturated the area to ensure safety and security,” the statement added.
“My intelligence suggests the suspect was behaving in a cannibalistic way. When he was arrested, it was found out that he had eaten some body parts of the people he allegedly killed. This is a very disturbing development if you ask me,” Dr Bonaa is quoted in a report by kasapafmonline.com.
The analyst alluded that such tendencies by the suspect may result from mental health issues.
The arrest of Adongo Kankani comes on the back of a recent pattern of security officers of some schools disappearing overnight.
Lead suspect arrested after multiple incidents of murder in Wa
Probe into recent serial killings in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West Region appears to have received a major boost after Police apprehended a prime suspect on Monday, September 19.
The arrest of Kankani Adongo was said to have taken place through the collaboration of the locals and the Police at Bamahu, a community in the municipality.
The locals who reportedly spotted the suspect apprehended him and then took him to the palace of the Paramount Chief of the Wala Traditional Area who in turn informed the Police about the arrest of the suspect.
Head of the Public Affairs unit of the Regional Police Command, Chief Inspector Gideon Ohene Boateng in a statement on Monday said: “The Police have arrested one person believed to be the prime suspect behind the Wa murder case.
“Suspect Kankani Adongo was arrested on 19th September 2022 at Bamahu, a suburb of Wa after extensive collaboration between the Police and community search parties.
“Suspect is in custody and will be arraigned before the court to face justice,” the statement read in part.
Adongo was said to have been found with some clothes belonging to some of the missing persons in his possession.
The Police had a hectic time in their attempt to take the suspect to the Police station due to the resistance of the crowd that had amassed outside the palace who wanted him handed over for instant justice.
Some eyewitnesses said they were subjected to some beatings at the hands of the Police in order to be able to whisk the suspect away, a move they were also trying to thwart.
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare who stormed the region today to address the Press, reiterated the Police’s commitment to safeguarding the peace of the area adding that, the investigations were being carried out alongside other security agencies.
“We want to assure you that we’ll do all that we can to ensure that Wa Municipality and its environs is peaceful for all of you. The Police as the lead internal security agency is committed, very committed to working with the other security agencies that we’re already working with on the ground because the REGSEC includes all the security agencies on the ground and they’re the people who have been working on it until we also brought people from outside to come and support them. So all the security agencies are already part of the work we are doing.”
Hon. Ambrose Dery, the Interior Minister and Member of Parliament for Nandom, while assuring that the security agencies were in control of the situation admonished the locals to limit their contribution to the investigations by providing relevant information to the Police rather than seeking to usurp the authority of the officers.
“The security agencies, the Ghana Police is in control of the situation. They, led by the IGP will investigate whatever has happened in the past and all. What I’m assuring the Wa Naa is that the security agencies so far are up to the task and we believe we’ll support them to do their work. It’s in their domain of investigating crime.
“But I did make it clear that in all these matters, the policy is for the rule of law to be enforced. If you have any information, you surrender it and give it to the security agencies to use.
“You do not resort to self-help or you usurp the role of the security agencies. That we have asked the Chief to thank the communityfor their passion to help, and for the information that they have been giving and continue to give.
“They would leave the real work to the Police. Only give them the information, don’t attack anybody, because if you attack anybody, you yourself will be a subject of investigations,” the minister warned.
Around 12:30 AM, a mother and her two children perished in the tragedy after other residents’ attempts to save them proved unsuccessful.
The mother has been identified as Felicia, 48, and her two children, Obed Owusu, 11, and Christabel Owusu, 9, as reported by 3news.com.
Meanwhile, the man of the house has been rushed to the hospital after he sustained severe burns in an attempt to save his family.
“We are in shock with the intensity of the fire even though it was raining at thetime of the incident. We thought the rain would minimize the impact, but within minutes, the entire 10-bedroom apartment was engulfed with fire, and our effort to try and save them proved futile,” an eyewitness, Edward Osei, said.
“They all got trapped and couldn’t come through the window because of the burglar-proof. However, the man of the house managed to escape because he was in a separate room. He decided to go back and rescue his family but to no avail. He later sustained some severe burns and was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for treatment,” another eyewitness said.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the KATH morgue, awaiting autopsy.
They argue that WAEC has outlived its usefulness and that failure in various disciplines has truncated the dreams of many students
“Every government or every minister who is really ahead of time will collapse WAEC; because it is rather rendering our resources and retiring our youth.
“Somebody goes to school for 9 years, 12 years, sits in WAEC exams let’s say WASSCE or BECE and then they will come and tell you that you have failed in Mathematics, you have failed English and because of that your line is truncated you can’t develop anymore,” 3news.com quoted the association.
Their call is in reaction to a report by WAEC, which revealed that over 20individuals have been arrested in various exam centres at private schools for allegedly impersonating candidates in the ongoing WASSCE.
National Executive Director for GNACOPS, Obengfo Kwesi Enoch Nana Gyetuah said the claim lacks evidence as he called on WAEC to implore scannable machines to identify impersonators.
For anyone who gives information that results in thearrest of persons connected to the recent killings and disappearances of people in the Wa in the Upper West region, the Ghana Police Service has offered a reward of GHC100,000.00.
Since the murders of private security officers, Wa residents have spent the last five months in fear.
Ten lives have been lost in strange circumstances by “serial killers” in the area in the last five months.
Last Friday, some residents showed up in their numbers at the Technical Institute to protest the security situation in Wa.
Only three bodies have been found out of the ten people who have lost their lives. In a statement, the police said, “We continue to urge anyone with credible information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators to come forward and share with the Police. In line with this, a reward of GHC100,000 has been set aside for anyone who provides information in that regard”.
On Monday, the police released a statement assuring the residents they are working hard to bring the perpetrators to book.
“The police continue to maintain law, order, and security in the Wa municipality and surrounding communities,” the statement issued on Monday, September 19, 2022 said.
“We wish to assure residents of the Wa municipality and its environs that the special intelligence and investigation teams will continue to work around the clock with assistance from the affected communities to bring the perpetrators to face justice. Operations and combat teams have also saturated the area to ensure safety and security,” the statement added.
A kidnapping attempt was avoided by a 20-year-old student of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) in Bole in the Savannah Region.
He claimed that the suspects abducted him from the grounds of his school on Sunday night during dinner.
The victim described his trauma in an interview with Nantomah of Adom News, claiming that the suspects struck him in the neck and knocked him out.
He woke up and found himself at the Bole royal cemetery only for the two men to ask for a number they can call to demand ransom.
However, he called his schoolmates to tell them about the incident, and upon suspicion that he [the victim] might have called for help, one of the suspects went to check who it may be.
The principal of Bole NVTI, Alhassan Salifu, speaking about the incident said students are now living in fear as they sometimes go out of the school’s premises in search of water.
He has, therefore, appealed to the government to heighten security and police patrol around the school.
Nana Abu Bonsara revealed during an interview with DJ Nyaami on SVTV Africa that despite his mother having paid for his journey to the US, they hardly speak. Abu said that ‘the stress is too much’ but would not elaborate further on why they don’t talk.
Nana Abu revealed that he arrived in the US at age 12. According to Abu, he was raised by his grandmother and never really knew who his mother was until he arrived in the US.
So “when I arrived, I was expecting a warm welcome and perhaps a hug, but that didn’t happen. The next day, my mom instructed me to cook, but I didn’t know how. She hit me with a frying pan, and I ended up in the hospital for three days. Her attitude towards me changed after that.”
“We haven’t spoken in 12 years. My children don’t know her, and she doesn’t know them either. I can’t say everything because it’s a family issue, but I’ve apologized to her on four different occasions,” he said.
Moreover, Nana Abu revealed that he was undocumented for 19 years despite coming to the USunder his mother’s wings. According to Abu, he asked his mother to help him process it, but she refused. He added that he had to represent himself in court to get his residence permit.
According to sources in the area, the 43-year-old guy sang the British national anthem and performed a number of tunes on his harmonica, including one related to protests in 2019
He was held under the sedition laws of the colonial era authorities say.
Up until recently, prosecutors have only occasionally applied this law.
But the past few months have seen an increasing number of people charged under this law, including five speech therapists who were found guilty earlier this month of publishing “seditious” children’s books.
Footage shared widely on social media shows the man standing outside the consulate playing “Glory to Hong Kong”, the unofficial anthem of protesters during 2019 pro-democracy protests, on his harmonica.
A large crowd, which had gathered to watch an online live broadcast of the later Queen’s state funeral in the UK, is seen singing along to the tune.
The song’s lyrics make reference to the “tears on our land”, and also mention “democracy and liberty”.
Hong Kongers have over the past week been lining up for hours to pay their respects to the Queen, in what has been perhaps the biggest display of affection for the late monarch seen outside the UK.
The city, formerly a British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Under the terms of the handover, China agreed to govern Hong Kong under the principle of “one country, two systems”, where the city would enjoy “a high degree of autonomy, except in foreign and defense affairs” for the next 50 years.
But a crackdown on protests, Beijing’s imposition of its national security law and only allowing “patriots” to govern are seen bymany as reneging on that promise.
According to Leicestershire Police, they received a number of resources, including the deployment of additional officers from the West Midlands, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire.
They said Thames Valley Police horses were also stationed in the city.
Extra assistance was provided through the normal mutual aid process and some officers were diverted from going to London to help.
The disorder has led to 47 arrests, with a faith leader saying it was sparked by a “country-based dispute” after the cricket.
Amos Noronha, 20, was sentenced to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to possessionof an offensive weapon in connection with the violence.
Suleman Nagdi, from the city’s Federation of Muslim Organisations, said it was the first time he could remember the communities becoming violent.
The violence is believed to have been between Muslim and Hindu communities, with Mr Nagdi saying “loyalties kicked in” after the cricket.
Students from the King’s previous school have called the experience of viewing the Queen’s funeral while sitting in his old bedroom “surreal.”
Lessons were postponed at Gordonstoun School in Morayshire on Monday so that faculty and students could watch the funeral broadcast.
Beginning in 1962, King Charles attended the private school for five years.
He became a member of the Coastguard during his time there and took part in school plays, winning lead parts in productions such as Macbeth and Pirates of Penzance.
He went on to become a school guardian (head boy) in his final year, a colour bearer (prefect), and head of his boarding house, Windmill Lodge.
The group of girls gathered around the same desk that was used by the King during his time at the school while watching proceedings on a laptop.
Asked how it felt to be taking in such a historic event in the room Charles once lived in, Amelia said: “It’s a weird feeling.
“Also, the laptop on his old desk and watching the Queen’s funeral, it’s – yes, really weird. It’s all really connected.”
The Queen had a close connection to the school, with her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, studying there in his youth.
Their three sons, Charles, Edward, and Andrew, all followed in their father’s footsteps, and Princess Royal’s two children, Zara and Peter, were also students at the independent school.
The Queen regularly visited Gordonstoun, both formally and informally, taking a close interest in the progress of her sons and watching them take part in extra-curricular activities.
The Queen’s state funeral service was steeped in tradition, complete with a military procession and age-old hymns. However, there were also some incredibly personal touches within the ceremony and pageantry.
They served as a gentle reminder that this event was also a loving homage to a mother, grandmother, churchgoer, and dog lover. It was also a nation’s farewell to a monarch.
Corgis
Two of the Queen’s beloved corgis Muick and Sandy awaited the procession carrying her coffin to St George’s Chapel inside Windsor Castle.
One on a red lead and one on a blue, they were escorted by two pages in red tailcoats as the coffin of their beloved former owner came past.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, will take on the two young dogs that the prince and his daughters gave the Queen as a present in 2021.
Her Majesty owned more than 30 corgis during her lifetime. So strong was the association that almost immediately after her death, well-wishers began asking who would adopt the dogs.
Emma, the Queen’s fell pony, also greeted the procession, standing in a gap in the floral tributes on The Long Walk – an avenue leading to Windsor Castle.
Jewellery
The Princess of Wales wore a four-row Japanese pearl choker necklace with a curved diamond clasp, which once belonged to the Queen.
The Queen, who commissioned the design using cultured pearls from the Japanese government, wore it regularly in the 1980s and 1990s.
It had previously been loaned to Diana, the former Princess of Wales, in 1982. Catherine wore it for the first time in 2017 to celebrate the Queen and Prince Phillip’s 70th wedding anniversary and later for his funeral in 2021.
IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
The princess also wore a pair of diamond and pearl earrings known as the Bahrain Pearl Earrings, which she had been given by the Queen.
The earrings feature a large Bahrain pearl hanging from one large round diamond stud, from which four smaller round diamonds and three baguette diamonds are also suspended. They were given to the Queen as a wedding present by the Hakim of Bahrain in 1947.
The Duchess of Sussex also paid tribute to Her Majesty through her choice of jewellery for the funeral, by wearing a pair of pearl stud earrings, which the Queen had given her as a gift for her wedding to Prince Harry.
IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
A lone piper
The service at Westminster Abbey closed to the haunting sound of bagpipes, played by the Queen’s personal piper.
For 70 years, largely without exception, the Piper to the Sovereign would play each morning for 15 minutes beneath the Queen’s window, wherever she was resident.
The inclusion of Pipe Major Paul Burns – who had served since 2021 – was a personal request of the Queen, Buckingham Palace said.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
He played the traditional lament “sleep, dearie, sleep” – the sound of which appeared to fade as he turned and walked down the internal steps of Westminster Abbey.
He is the 17th Piper to the Sovereign – the role was created by Queen Victoria in 1843 after she grew fond of the sound of bagpipes on a visit to the Highlands with Prince Albert.
Flowers
At King Charles III’s request, the wreath for Her Majesty’s funeral contained flowers and foliage cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace and Clarence House in London – and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS
It included foliage chosen for its symbolism: Rosemary for remembrance – rosemary has long been associated with remembrance, Myrtle, the ancient symbol of a happy marriage, cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle in The Queen’s wedding bouquet in 1947, English oak, a national symbol of strength, in a nod to the Queen’s constancy and steadfast duty. It also symbolizes the strength of love.
In among the flowers was a handwritten card that read: “In loving and devoted memory, Charles R.”
A favorite hymn
The Lord’s My Shepherd was one of the hymns sung by the 2,000 mourners at Westminster Abbey. It was said to have been a personal favorite of the Queen and was also sung at her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 at Westminster Abbey.
The young Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret had summoned the Master of Choristers to Buckingham Palace in the lead-up to the wedding and sang for him the particular version she wanted to be used.
IMAGE SOURCE,PA MEDIA
Image caption,
The Royal Wedding at Westminster Abbey in 1947
The hymn’s roots have been traced back to a parish in Aberdeenshire, not far from Balmoral Castle, where the Queen passed away.
Despite taking a break from royal duties, Prince Harry joined his brother for the state funeral services for the Queen, and observers watched the pair’s every move and conversation intently.
When the Queen’s coffin was being removed from Westminster Hall, at the centre of the Palace of Westminster, where she had been lying in state, William, wearing his RAF No. 1 uniform, and the Duke of Sussex, wearing traditional funeral wear and medals, marched gently behind their father, the King.
As the procession came to a halt after its short journey around Parliament Square, the Prince of Wales saluted, while his brother bowed his head, as the coffin was lifted from the gun carriage.
Once inside, the Princess of Wales, with her two older children George and Charlotte, and the Duchess of Sussex, both wearing wide-brimmed black hats and with solemn expressions, joined the procession behind the coffin to the nave.
Following some controversy about Harry and Meghan holding hands as they left Westminster Hall following the short service at the beginning of the Queen’s lying in the state last week, the couple walked side by side, but this time did not hold hands.
They were seated directly behind the King and Queen Consort, facing the coffin, while William and Kate– for whom the abbey holds happier memories as the place of their wedding more than a decade ago – were across the aisle with their two children.
After the funeral ended with a rendition of the national anthem, the two brothers joined the huge procession escorting the Queen on the beginning of her final journey, marching once again with sombre expressions behind the gun carriage as their wives followed behind in slowly-driven cars.
William saluted the Cenotaph, while Harry bowed his head as they passed the memorial to Britain’s war dead.
Later, on arrival in Windsor, William and Harry walked next to each other as they followed the coffin into St George’s Chapel – but no words were exchanged in front of the TV cameras.
Once inside the chapel, William and Kate stood aside so that Harry and Meghan could enter a front pew.
Prince William, the heir to the throne, sat in the same seat his father occupied during Prince Philip’s funeral.
The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte were seated next to the Prince of Wales at the end of the row, followed by Harry and his wife the Duchess of Sussex.
Keen observers noticed that Harry and Princess Charlotte shared a moment during the service at St George’s Chapel.
Princess Charlotte was seen adjusting her hat before looking over at her uncle.
Harry then briefly looked up and caught her eye and smiled at the princess.
The right-hand side of the aisle
On the right-hand side of the aisle…
King Charles sat in the same seat his mother, Queen Elizabeth, occupied during the funeral of her husband, and his father, Prince Philip last year.
Next to him was his wife, Camilla, the Queen Consort. Next in the row was Princess Anne, with her husband Sir Timothy Lawrence, Prince Andrew and his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and their respective husbands.
While hosting a birthday celebration for his one-year-old son, the famed Ghanaian footballer, Sammy Kufour’s home saw a flood of ‘big men’.
Dr. Osei Kwame, the founder, and owner of Despite Media, as well as his close friend and fellow billionaire, Dr. Ofori Sarpong of Special Ice fame, were present.
The infamous East Legon Executive Fitness Club’s members, who are also big men, were present.
A video of all the rich Ghanaians storming Sammy ‘Tuga’s’ house was shared online by blogger, GhHyper.
It later showed the interior of Osei Kufour’s house as the event was being held.
“@charly_dgh and her hubby, former Bayern Munich defender, Sammy Osei Kuffuor Celebrate their baby Boy’s First Birthday with Dr Osei Kwame Despite, Dr Ernest Ofori Sarpong and other members of East Legon Executive Fitness Club in Attendance.” GhHyper captioned his video.
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls wore the recognizable red and black vest for the first game of the 1998 NBA Finals.
The iconic jersey that Michael Jordan wore during the opening gameof the 1998 NBA Finals broke auction records when it sold for a record-breaking $10.1 million (£8.86 million).
The Chicago Bulls vest was well-known to be worn during the period of time known as “The Last Dance,” when Jordan won his sixth and final NBA championship.
It has become the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia in history – eclipsing the £7m paid for Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” shirt worn during the 1986 World Cup.
The red and black jersey, emblazoned with the number 23, is also the most valuable Michael Jordan item ever sold at auction.
It is also the highest-selling baseball jersey – meaning the former professional basketball ace has broken three new world records without setting foot on the court.
A record-breaking day. Michael Jordan’s iconic 1998 NBA Finals ‘The Last Dance’ jersey has sold for $10.1 million, setting records for a basketball jersey, any game-worn sports memorabilia, and most valuable #MichaelJordan item ever sold at auction. pic.twitter.com/7t8G98N5pW
The Nike mesh vest was listed on New York auctioneer Sotheby’s website as being in “excellent condition, consistent with use”.
The winning bid was more than double the estimate of $3m (£2.6m) to $5m (£4.4m).
The jersey was accompanied by a photo matching the certificate of authenticity and a copy of Sports Illustrated published in June 1998, which showcases the jersey on the front cover.
The Sotheby’s website also shows a previous lot, a pair of Nike Air Jordan 9 “Player Sample” Baseball cleats which fetched more than $44,000 (£38,636) at auction yesterday.
Jordan pictured during the NBA Finals in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June 1997 Pic: AP
The size 13.5 black and white boots were cut to Jordan’s specifications in 1994, months after he shocked the basketball community by announcing his retirement from the sport after three consecutive NBA Championships on 6 October 1993.
He threw fans a curve ball after revealing his intention to switch sports, embarking on a brief stint as a professional baseball player.
But the athlete returned to the NBA and Chicago Bulls in 1995 – just nine days after retiring from baseball.
In 1999, he bowed out of basketball for a second time, insisting he was “99.9% certain” he would not return.
Another pair of Nike Air Ship trainers, worn during Jordan’s fifth NBA game on 1 November 1984, sold for almost $1.5m (£1.3m) in October last year.
Head of Streetwear at Sotheby’s Brahm Wachter, said the sale “solidifies Michael Jordan as the undisputed GOAT, proving his name and incomparable legacy is just as relevant as it was nearly 25 years ago.”
Jordan, now 59, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2009.
Landslides and widespread floods were left behind by the storm when it made its way to the Dominican Republic from the west; the situation was too dangerous for urgent repairs.
Puerto Rico is anticipated to get more than usual amounts of rain.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for the US island, allowing authorities to provide disaster relief.
As well as a complete power outage for the 3.3m people living on the Caribbean island, some health centers running on generators were also affected.
Electrical systems in San Juan’s hospital complex have since been restored, the health secretary said.
In some areas it will take days for the power to be reconnected, the operator of the island’s grid, Luma Energy, said.
The Category 1 storm saw winds reach 86mph (140km/h). No deaths have been reported in Puerto Rico, but one person was killed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe when his house was swept away by flooding.
Ports have been closed in Puerto Rico and flights out of the island’s main airport have been canceled.
IMAGES Image caption, Roads have been left flooded
Several roads are also closed and a highway bridge in Utuado, in the island’s central mountainous region, has been washed away by flooding.
Puerto Rico’s governor said schools and government agencies would remain closed on Monday. Pedro Pierluisi urged residents to seek shelter as soon as possible.
Three weeks after that disaster, only about 10% of Puerto Ricans had electricity. The national grid still remains fragile, with power cuts a daily occurrence.
Torrential rains and mudslides are also forecast for the Dominican Republic as the hurricane progresses northwest, with the Turks and Caicos Islands also likely to be affected.
He had been living and working in Kabul as a civil engineer for 10 years. Mr Frerich’s sister, Charlene Cakora, said the family had never given up hope of getting him back.
“I am so happy to hear that my brother is safe and on his way home to us. Our family has prayed for this each day of the more than 31 months he has been a hostage,” she said in a statement.
“There were some folks arguing against the deal that brought Mark home, but President Biden did what was right. He saved the life of an innocent American veteran.”
The detention of the former navy officer has been a major impediment to improving relations between the US and the Taliban, whose government is still to be recognised by any country in the world.
President Biden said in January: “The Taliban must immediately release Mark before it can expect any consideration of its aspirations for legitimacy. This is not negotiable.”
At least one other American remains in Taliban hands. Filmmaker Ivor Shearer and his Afghan producer, Faizullah Faizbakhsh, were detained in Kabul in August.
Eric Lebson, a former national security official who worked as a volunteer to help the Frerichs family, said he hoped Mr Biden’s actions to secure Mr Frerichs’ release “are an indicator of his commitment to do the same on an urgent basis for other Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad”.
Bashir Noorzai told reporters in Kabul his release would bring peace with the US
Bashir Noorzai was given a hero’s welcome on his return to the Afghan capital, and was greeted by Taliban fighters carrying garlands of flowers.
“My release together with that of an American will make peace between the countries,” he told a news conference.
Noorzai was a close ally and friend of Taliban founder Mullah Omar and helped finance the first Taliban government in the 1990s.
He did not hold an official position but “provided strong support including weapons”, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told the AFP news agency.
Noorzai had served 17 years in US custody for heroin smuggling. Prosecutors said he ran a vast opium-growing operation in Kandahar province, the Taliban’s traditional heartlands in the south of the country.
At the time of his arrest in 2005, he was considered one of the biggestdrug dealers in the world, controlling more than half of Afghanistan’s drug exports, which account for most of the world’s harvest.
In 2008, he was convicted by a court in New York of conspiring to smuggle more than $50m of heroin into the United States.
The United States has traditionally adhered to a strategy of “strategic ambiguity” and has not been explicit about how it would react to an attack in terms of military force.
In his clearest remarks to date on the subject, US President Joe Biden stated US military would defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese invasion.
Asked in a TV interview whether America would defend the self-ruled island, claimed by China, he replied bluntly: “Yes, if in fact, there was an unprecedented attack.”
The US has long stuck to a policy of “strategic ambiguity” and has not made clear whether it would respond
militarily, to an attack.
Asked to clarify if he meant that, unlike in Ukraine, US forces would defend Taiwan from Chinese invasion, Mr Biden again replied: “Yes.”
The CBS 60 Minutes interview showed a president appearing to go beyond long-standing US policy onTaiwan, which states a commitment to a One-China policy, in which Washington officially recognises Beijing and not Taipei.
Biden’s remarks are sure to anger Beijing, which was enraged by a visit to Taiwan by US House speaker Nancy Pelosi back in August.
That visit prompted China to conduct its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to bring democratically-governed Taiwan under Beijing’s control and has
not ruled out the use of force.
Asked last October if the United States would come to the defence of Taiwan, the president said: “Yes, we have a commitment to do that,” but a White House spokesperson said he was not, in fact, announcing any change in US policy – and some experts denounced the comment as a “gaffe”.
Armed personnel is blocking the route from Westminster Abbey to the Commonwealth Memorial Gates at the top of Constitution Hill.
Mounties of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police lead the procession followed immediately by representatives of the George Cross foundations from Malta, the former Royal Ulster Constabulary, and four representatives from the NHS.
The coffin will be moved from the gun carriage to the statehearse and driven to Windsor as the procession reaches Wellington Arch.
As the procession leaves, the parade will give a royal salute and the national anthem will be played. The King and members of the Royal Family will then leave for Windsor.
Thousands of people are expected to line the route out of central London along Great West Road,past Heathrow Airport, and through Staines before reaching Windsor.
Reporter Jennifer Scott reports that Birmingham’s stunning and commandingSt. Peter’s Cathedral welcomed guests seeking shelter from the rain to watch the ceremony on a large screen.
The graveyard was strewn with flowers – and a few jars of marmalade – in memory of the Queen.
Inside, though, the religious element of the day – something which influenced Her Majesty’s life so strongly – was keenly felt.
The congregation joined in the Lord’s Prayer, dutifully said “amen” to every offering, and quietly sang hymns to themselves as the sacred music filmed the room.
And, as the service drew to a close, people stood unprompted to sing God Save the King, a few tears falling in memory of his predecessor.
But many seemed to find comfort from sharing it in the holy venue and, perhaps fittingly, the sun came out just as the Queen’s coffin was carried from Westminster Abbey and as people began to leave Birmingham Cathedral, too.
Matt and Corinne Wakefield came with their son Samuel to watch the funeral in the cathedral because they wanted to witness history.
“It was emotional,” said Matt, who saw the Queen once when she visited nearby Dudley.
“But there was a real sense of national pride, too.
Queen Elizabeth was a beautiful lady, a wonderful person and a gracious leader. She sought to unite and bring together persons from all factions of life . Rest well Lizzie and thank you ❤️
Penny
To my beautiful Queen. You taught us how to love God and people. You were so faithful in all your duties and roles. No one can be your equal. You will remain the Queen of our hearts 👑RIP my beautiful Queen .
ACC
I’ve spent the last week watching the news and reading these tributes. I’ve found it to be a surprisingly evocative time. As an avid fan of history and a royalist, that may not be a surprising comment, but unlike many leaving their tributes, I am not blessed to have had a touching moment with the Queen. What this is to me, is the end of an era – an unbelievable individual (regardless of royalty/background/family), who led by example (there is no more poignant moment than her, sat alone, at the funeral of her departed husband), and dedicated her life to the country, British Union, Commonwealth and wider global unity. She was in service until she died, carrying out her constitutional demands. She made a a promise on her 21st birthday, to spend her life serving the country. Without a doubt she did that. 70+ years of service. I believe that to be one of the reasons, regardless of being British, part of the Commonwealth or even a royalist, she generated the respect and admiration from all the world that she did! You were an inspiration and I was, and continue to be oh so very proud to have called you my queen! Thank you and you will be missed!
Gill PB
How lucky we’ve been to have you as our Monarch for 70 years. The thread that pulls us all together. Now time for you to rest and be with your beloved husband. I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for our country, the Commonwealth and indeed the World. You will be missed but held in our hearts forever, and we know that King Charles will serve our Nation just as wonderfully as you have. Thank you for everything and may God Bless You.
A card in the flowers ontop of the Queen’s coffin read simply: “In loving and devoted memory. Charles R.”
The note was placed on top of a wreath of flowers.
Cut from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and Highgrove House, the flowers and foliage have been chosen for their symbolism.
They include rosemary, for remembrance, and myrtle cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle in the Queen’s wedding bouquet, an ancient symbol of a happy marriage.
On the eve of the Queen’s burial, Buckingham Palaceunveiled a never-before-seen portrait of her smiling brilliantly.
The image, taken by photographer Ranald Mackechnie in May prior to the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, depicts the late queen visiting Windsor Castle wearing a blue dress.
The portrait of her beaming at the camera was released as the Queen Consort paid a televised tribute on Sunday evening, recalling her “wonderful blue eyes” and “unforgettable smile”.
As well to her favourite three-strand pearl necklace, in the portrait, the Queen wore aquamarine and diamond clip brooches which were an 18th birthday present from her father, George VI, in 1944.
She wore the brooches when she addressed the nation on the 75th anniversary of VE Day in 2020 and for her televised speech on her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Mr Mackechnie also took the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee portrait, which was released in June to mark the start of national celebrations for her 70-year reign, the longest of any British monarch.
Wu Zunyou, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) epidemiology department, issued a warning against “skin-to-skin contact with foreigners” in a post on Weibo.
The message sparked debate, with some calling it racist.
Comments on the original post have since been disabled from the platform.
“In order to prevent possible monkeypox infection and as part of our healthy lifestyle, it is recommended that 1) you do not have direct skin-to-skin contact with foreigners,” said Mr Wu on his Weibo page on Saturday.
In addition, Mr Wu also called for locals to avoid skin-to-skin contact with recent travelers who had returned from abroad in the last three weeks, and with strangers.
He posted the comments a day after the southwestern city of Chongqing reported its first case of monkeypox in an individual who arrived from abroad. It is not clear if the individual was a Chinese citizen or a foreigner.
“This is very inappropriate [to say]. At the start of the pandemic, some foreigners stood up and [defended us] by saying that Chinese people are not viruses,” wrote one commenter.
“How racist is this? What about the ones like me who have been living in China for almost ten years? We haven’t seen our families in like 3-4 years due to borders being closed,” wrote another user on Weibo, who appeared to be a foreigner.
China has imposed some of the world’s toughest Covid measures since the start of the pandemic, which have included snap lockdowns, border closures, mandatory testing, and travel restrictions.
The monkeypox virus, which is transmitted through close contact with infected people, animals, or contaminated materials, usually causes symptoms such as fever, headache, and rashes.
Around 90 countries where monkeypox is not considered endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease, which the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency.
There have been more than 60,000 confirmed cases and some non-endemic countries have reported their first related deaths.
As the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II began, hundreds, if not thousands, of people stood up in London’s Hyde Park, according to reporter Victoria Seabrook.
Most of the crowd stood with their hands together, listening to the service as the previous chitchat subsided.
It is also striking how few people held up their phones to take photos or videos – now a familiar sight at big gatherings, especially music festivals.
Seeing everyone sitting down again gave a better sense of just how many people are there.
Other than the audio from the ceremony, booming through the speakers,it is staggeringly quiet for such a large crowd.
As far as the eye can see, there are people on Windsor’s The Long Walk, says journalist Becky Cotterill.
Screens have also been established so mourners can watch the state funeral take place.
Just after 3 pm this afternoon, The State Hearse will travel up The Long Walk to St George’s Chapel for the committal service.
There will be a procession led by a dismounted attachment of the Household Cavalry, with pipers and drums and a band from the Coldstream Guards. Members of the Queen’s personal staff will follow.
During the funeral, members of the Royal Family sat in front of the Queen’s coffin.
Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of York, the Earl of Wessex, and the Countess of Wessex were seated in the front row with King Charles III, the Queen Consort, and Princess Royal.
King Charles ordered specific flowers for the Queen’s funeral wreath, which also features a personal note from the new king.
The flowers and greenery were selected for their symbolic meaning and were taken from the gardens of the Queen-loved homes Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, and Highgrove House.
They include rosemary, for remembrance, and myrtle cut from a plant that was grown from a sprig of myrtle in the Queen’s wedding bouquet.
Myrtle is often seen as a symbol of a happy marriage and evokes images of the Queen’s 70-year marriage to Prince Philip.
Also included are English oak to symbolize the strength of love, pelargoniums, garden roses, autumnal hydrangea, sedum, dahlias, and scabious.
These are in shades of gold, pink and deep burgundy, with touches of white, to reflect the Royal Standard.
Also at the King’s request, the wreath has been made in a sustainable way, in a nest of English moss and oak branches.
Around 2,000 people are in attendance for the late monarch’s funeral service, which is been inaugurated by Dr. David Hoyle this morning.
He says: “With gratitude, we remember her unswerving commitment to a high calling over so many years as Queen and head of the Commonwealth.
“With admiration, we recall her lifelong sense of duty and dedication to her people. With thanksgiving, we praise God for her constant example of Christian faith and devotion.
“With affection, we recall her love for her family and her commitment to the causes she held dear.
Since Monday has been designated a bank holiday, many companies will be closed and many doctor appointments have been rescheduled.
Numerous stores, theatres, and educational institutions will be closed on Monday in observance of the Queen’s funeral.
A number of pub groups have said they will keep venues open during the day, with Stonegate saying it plans to show the Queen’s funeral on screens when it starts at 11 am.
A massive security operation will be in place during the funeral, and transport will be disrupted across the capital, with TFL saying it would be the “biggest event and challenge” in its history.
Some of the biggest retailers will be closed or partially closed, so workers can pay tribute to the Queen.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Lidl, and Aldi were among those closing their supermarket stores for the day.
“We want to express our deepest condolences to the royal family, as well as our gratitude to Her Majesty the Queen for her unwavering service,” said Tesco’s UK chief executive Jason Tarry.
Tesco said it would open its Express convenience stores from 5 pm, while a small number of convenience stores in central London and Windsor will remain open.
Asda said it will shut its stores for the funeral, but all its supermarkets will open from 5 pm, with colleagues working on Monday evening to receive double pay.
Retailers including Primark and Marks & Spencer and cinema chains such as Cineworld and Odeon will shut for the day.
Waterstones said it would close all its bookstores.
McDonald’s restaurants will be closed from midnight until 5 pm, while Greggs said almost all of its outlets would be shut.
What stays open
Downing Street has indicated it would be up to individual businesses to decide whether to be open or shut.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the day of the funeral will operate as “a standard bank holiday”.
“Obviously individual businesses will need to make the decisions about what’s right for them and discuss with their employees but there is obviously no one-size-fits-all approach.”
Among businesses choosing to stay open are Premier Inn hotels.
JD Wetherspoon said pubs in central London, railway stations and airports would open from 8am on Monday, while most of its pubs will only open from about 1pm, after the funeral takes place.
The Russian military is recruiting new members to fight in Ukraine and is presenting this as “the decision of a true man” by offering at least £2,300 a month as an incentive.
To recruit “contract soldiers” for the “special military operation,” as the Kremlin’s invasion of the neighbouring nation is known, the army has set up mobile offices.
At one location in Rostov, a city in southern Russia, soldiers in camouflage and black masks displayed their firearms to onlookers and distributed colour booklets with the heading “Military service on a contract – the option of a true man.”
Neither Russia nor Ukraine discloses their military losses, which western intelligence agencies estimate at tens of thousands on both sides.
Moscow has not updated the official death toll since 25 March, when it said 1,351 Russian soldiers had been killed and 3,825 wounded.
The Kremlin said last week there was no discussion of a nationwide mobilization to bolster its forces.
But the recruitment drive signals Moscow needs more men, coming in the wake of frontline setbacks.
The officer in charge of the Rostov truck said Russians and foreigners aged from18 to 60 with at least a secondary school education would be eligible.
“Patriotically-minded citizens are choosing to sign contracts for three or six months to take part in the special military operation,” major Sergei Ardashev said, promising training for everyone.
The minimum monthly wage on offer is 160,000 roubles (£2,292), which is almost three times the national average.
One potential recruit was musician Viktor Yakunin, who said: “I would love to serve in the airborne troops,” he said. “My parents brought me up since childhood to love my homeland, to protect the Russian world. I believe the power is with us.”
The Kremlin leader made his peace request as his troops carried on their gruesome assault after invading Ukraine.
Even Mr. Putin made a mediation offer.
The action took place while a tenuous ceasefire between the two Central Asian countries continued for a second day and as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reported that 71 people had died in recent combat.
The former Soviet republics have both accused each other of using tanks, mortars, rocket artillery, and assault drones to attack outposts and nearby settlements.
Central Asian border issues largely stem from the Soviet era when Moscow tried to divide the region between groups whose settlements were often located amid those of other ethnicities.
Tajikistan reported 35 of its people had been killed.
Mr Putin spoke by telephone to Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov and Tajik leader Emomali Rakhmon on Sunday, the Kremlin said.
He urged the sides to prevent further escalation and to take measures to resolve the situation “exclusively by peaceful, political and diplomatic means as soon as possible”, offering assistance, his office said in a statement.
The statement Prince Andrew made in honour of the Queen was accompanied by a black and white photo of his mother cradling him as a baby in March 1960. Prince Andrew is no longer a working royal.
“Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, and your confidence I will keep forever,” the Duke of York said in a tribute to the Queen.
In memory of his brother Charles, he concluded it with the phrase “God Save The King.”
The Duke of York said he would miss the late monarch’s “insights, advice, and humour”, saying he “found your knowledge and wisdom infinite”.
The statement read: “Dear Mummy, Mother, Your Majesty, three in one. Your Majesty, it has been an honour and privilege to serve you.
“Mother – of the nation, your devotion and personal service to our nation is unique and singular; your people show their love and respect in so many different ways and I know you are looking on honouring their respect.
“Mummy, your love for a son, your compassion, your care, your confidence I will treasure forever. I have found your knowledge and wisdom infinite, with no boundary or containment.
Prince Andrew at vigil
“I will miss your insights, advice, and humour. As our book of experiences closes, another opens, and I will forever hold you close to my heart with my deepest love and gratitude, and I will tread gladly into the next with you as my guide.
“God save The King.”
Prince Andrew stepped down from public life over his friendship with paedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2019.
He has been stripped of his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and has given up his HRH style.
At one point during the commemorations for the Queen’s death, he was heckled by a man in the crowd.
The Duke of York has settled a civil sexual assault case against a woman he claimednever to have met. The exact amount of the settlement has not been disclosed, but some reports at the time put it at £12m.
Virginia Giuffre sued him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was 17 after she was trafficked by Epstein.
For a two-day visit to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II, President Joe Biden flew into London late on Saturday. According to the president, the long-reigning monarch “shaped an era.”
Biden, who visited the late sovereign last year and said later that she reminded him of his mother, is joining leaders from a considerable number of other countries to pay their respects to the late sovereign.
For Biden, it is an opportunity to think back on a monarch whose life was a timeline of the most important historical events of the last 100 years and who personified a dedication to public service.
When Biden first encountered the Queen in 1982, his own Irish American mother admonished him not to show her any respect.
He didn’t bow down then, or when he met the Queen as President last year while attending a Group of 7 summits in England. But his respect for a woman whose constancy on the world stage over the last century was unparalleled has been plain.
“She was a great lady. We’re so delighted we got to meet her,” Biden said on the day that she died.
The Queen’s surprise decision last year to travel to the Cornish coast to meet world leaders at the G7 summit was a signal of her desire to remain engaged in global affairs.
Later that week, when she hosted Biden and first lady Jill Biden for tea at Windsor Castle, she inquired about two authoritarian leaders, Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia, the President told reporters afterward.
“She had such curiosity. She wanted to know all about American politics, and what was happening. So, she put us at ease,” Jill Biden said recently in an interview with NBC.
At Sunday evening’s reception, Biden will see Charles for the first time since he became King. The two men have met previously and spoke last week by phone.
As Prince of Wales, Charles was a passionate campaigner for certain issues Biden has also championed, including combating climate change. It remains to be seen how involved the new King will be on those issues going forward.
Relatively close in age — Charles is 73, Biden is 79 — the two men have a shared experience of being in the public eye for decades before assuming their current roles as heads of state.
On his call with the King, Biden “conveyed the great admiration of the American people for the Queen, whose dignity and constancy deepened the enduring friendship and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,” the White House said. “President Biden conveyed his wish to continue a close relationship with the King.”
Security in the British capital is at its highest level in memory as Biden and dozens of other world leaders convene to remember the late Queen, who met 13 sitting US Presidents during her reign.
White House aides have declined to provide specific security details for the President’s visit but say they are working well with their British counterparts to ensure the demands of presidential security are met.
Plans for the Queen’s funeral have been in place for years, allowing US advisers greater insight into precisely what will happen over the coming days as they make security arrangements.
The White House said it received an invitation only for the President and first lady, making for a slimmed-down American footprint.
Biden traveled with his national security adviser, communications director, and other personal aides aboard Air Force One to London.
When reports emerged last week that world leaders would be required to ride on a bus to the funeral, US officials were skeptical and shot down the suggestion Biden that would travel to Westminster Abbey in a coach.
In 2018, when other world leaders traveled together in a bus to a World War I memorial in Paris, then-US President Donald Trump traveled separately in his own vehicle. The White House explained at the time that the separate trip was “due to security protocols.”
The Queen’s death came at a moment of economic and political turmoil for the United Kingdom. A new prime minister, Liz Truss, entered office after months of uncertainty following the decision of her predecessor, Boris Johnson, to step down.
Truss invited several visiting world leaders to meet individually at 10 Downing Street this weekend. In the role for only a little more than a week, it will be Truss’ first time meeting face to face with many of her foreign counterparts.
While her office initially said Biden would be among the leaders visiting Downing Street, it was later announced that Truss and the President would meet for formal bilateral talks on Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
A host of issues are currently testing the US-UK “special relationship,” which has been heralded repeatedly in the UK.
It was only two days after Truss traveled to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to formally accept the Queen’s appointment as prime minister that the long-reigning monarch passed away. Since then, the country has been in a formal period of mourning.
Truss inherited a deep economic crisis, fueled by high inflation and soaring energy costs, that has led to fears the UK could soon enter a prolonged recession. The challenges have been aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has caused volatility in the oil and gas markets.
While few in the Biden administration shed tears at Johnson’s resignation– Biden once described him as the “physical and emotional clone” of Trump — the US and the UK were deeply aligned in their approach to Russia under his leadership.
White House officials expect that cooperation will continue under Truss, even as she comes under pressure to ease economic pressures at home.
Less certain, however, is whether Truss’s hard-line approach to Brexit will sour relations with Biden. The President has taken a personal interest in the particular issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a post-Brexit arrangement that requires extra checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
The rules were designed to keep the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland open and avoid a return to sectarian violence. But Truss has moved to rewrite those rules, causing deep anxiety in both Brussels and Washington.
Biden, who makes frequent references to his Irish ancestry, has made his views clear on the issue, even though it does not directly involve the United States. Congressional Democrats have similarly expressed concern over any steps that could reignite the Northern Ireland conflict.
In their first phone call as counterparts earlier this month, Biden raised the matter with Truss, according to the White House.
A US readout of their conversation said they discussed a “shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the importance of reaching a negotiated agreement with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol.”
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA,) the UN’s nuclear watchdog, reports that Ukraine’s massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power facility has resumed power supply from the national grid.
Power lines connected to the plant were destroyed by shelling in the region.
The plant’s six reactors are all in a state of cold shutdown, but it still needs outside electricity to keep them cool and prevent a meltdown.
The situation at the plant, which is seized by Russian forces, has reportedly improved but is still unstable, according to the IAEA.
At the beginning of the month, a group of nuclear experts from the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) travelled to Zaporizhzhia, the biggest nuclear facility in Europe.
Russia and Ukraine both blamed each other for the shelling of the facility in southeast Ukraine.
After the IAEA’s first inspection, the agency announced it would maintain a permanent presence in order to monitor the situation.
Members of the team at the site on Saturday learned that one of the four main external power lines damaged by shelling had been repaired, allowing electricity to be received directly from the national grid, the IAEA tweeted on Saturday.
Further east in Ukraine, the discovery of mass graves in Izyum has led the European Union presidency to call for an international tribunal for war crimes to be carried out.
Hundreds of bodies have been discovered buried in a forest at the edge of the city, which recently came under the control of Ukraine after Russian forces retreated.
Many are said to be civilians, women, and children among them.
Ukraine says it believes war crimes have been committed.
“In the 21st Century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent,” said Jan Lipavsky, foreign minister of the Czech Republic which holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
“We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals,” he wrote in a tweet. “I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression.”
The separatist mayor of Donetsk city said four people had been killed by Ukrainian government shelling of a central district while the Donetsk region’s Ukrainian governor accused Russian forces of shelling a thermal power plant in Mykolaivka, disrupting drinking water supplies in the area.
Ukrainian troops are continuing their counter-offensive in the country’s north-east, after successfully recapturing territory from Russia in recent days, the UK’s defence ministry says. It adds that Russia has established a defensive line protecting one of its main supply routes from Belgorod, near its border with Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Ukrainian counter-offensives would not change Russia’s military plans in the east of Ukraine.
In order to prevent the first nationwide rail strike in 30 years, US freight rail corporations and the unions that represent their employees have negotiated a “tentative agreement.”
The agreement was reached after 20 hours of nocturnal discussions on working conditions and months of back-and-forth bargaining.
The result was hailed as “an important win for our economy and the American people” by President Joe Biden.
Millions of Americans would have been affected by the strike, which would have cost the economy an estimated $2 billion (£1.7 billion) day.
It would also have disrupted passenger services, as many of these trains run on tracks that are operated and maintained by freight carriers.
The agreement, which was announced early on Thursday, ensures that a strike that had been due to begin after midnight on Friday will no longer take place.
The deal includes a 24% wage increase and $5,000 bonuses, as well as changes to existing policies on time off which had been a crucial sticking point for workers.
“This is a win for tens of thousands of workers and for the dignity of their work,” Mr Biden said at a news conference. “They earned and deserve these benefits, and this is a great deal for both sides.”
“We reached an agreement that will keep our critical rail system working and avoid disruptions of our economy,” he added.
“We’re really excited about the progress,” Ford chief executive Jim Farley told the BBC after the deal was announced. “Any delay, like a real strike, even for a day or two will have a tremendous impact on an industrial company like Ford. And even if it only lasts for, you know, hours or a day, it could have impacts for weeks to come.”
Heated contract negotiations have been taking place for three years between railroad management and the dozen unions that represent more than 100,000 workers.
Ten unions had agreed to the most recent contract offer, but until Thursday two of the largest unions in the country – representing the engineers and conductors who make up two-person train crews – held out.
They complained that staffing shortages and workplace attendance policies have created punishing schedules for staff.
Workers say they are effectively on call throughout the year, with no paid time off in some cases even if they are unwell or have other personal emergencies.
More than one million Americans worked on the railroads in the 1950s, but the industry now employs fewer than 150,000 people, according to data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics.
Cost-cutting has led to the culling of some 45,000 jobs over the last six years, putting pressure on those who have remained in their jobs.
Analysts had warned a strike would result in supply chain chaos and cost the economy more than $2bn a day. In anticipation of service interruption, the Amtrak passenger rail service canceled all of its long-distance services around the country for Thursday.
President Biden personally called rail unions and companies to try to broker a compromise earlier in the week. Labour Secretary Marty Walsh, a former union leader himself, secured the deal after the marathon talks.
The two holdout unions, BLET and Smart, credited the duo and other Democrats for “allowing for an agreement to be reached across the bargaining table, rather than through legislation”.
“The solidarity shown by our members, essential workers to this economy, who keep America’s freight trains moving, made the difference,” it added.
The agreement will now go before union members for a ratification vote.
Following a member of the public leaving the line of mourners and approaching the Queen’s coffin on Friday night, there were complaints of “a disturbance” in the solemn hall, according to the police.
The person “moved out of the queue and towards the catafalque (raised platform)” before they were “removed from the hall and the queue reopened with minimal disturbance,” according to a representative for the parliament.
The event took place while a quick cutaway in the live feed from within Westminster Hall occurred.
On Saturday night, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “A man who was arrested in Westminster Hall on Friday, September 16, has been charged.
“Muhammad Khan, 28, of Barleycorn Way, Tower Hamlets, was charged on Saturday, September 17, with an offense under Section 4A of the Public Order Act; behavior intending to cause alarm, harassment or distress.”
He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, the same day as the Queen’s state funeral.
Khan is the second person to be charged with committing an offense while in the queue to see the Queen’s coffin lying in state.
A 19-year-old man allegedly exposed himself and pushed mourners from behind as they waited in the line at Victoria Tower Gardens on Wednesday.
Adio Adeshine is said to have gone into the River Thames in an attempt to evade police before coming out and being arrested.
He was remanded in custody on Friday after appearingat Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Mahsa Amini, 22, passed away on Friday, days after Tehran police vehemently disputed claims that she had been abused in a police van by eyewitnesses there.
According to reports, several of the attendees of the ceremony took off their hijabs in opposition to the need that they do so.
Funeral goers shouted “death to the tyrant,” and films later showed police opening fire on a gathering.
The funeral was held in Saqez, Ms. Amini’s hometown in Kurdistan’s western province.
According to videos published on social media, locals gathered very early in the morning to prevent Iranian security forces from rushing through the burial in secret to avoid protests.
Reports suggested that some angry protesters marched toward the local governor’s office to protest the death. According to videos received and verified by the BBC Persian Service, the security forces opened fire on protesters.
Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in the custody of Iran’s morality police over forced hijab rules, was buried in her hometown of Saqqez, Kurdistan province, today.
Her funeral turned into a scene of large protests, violently confronted by security forces. pic.twitter.com/DqVjbSjIhE
There were also reports of injuries and arrests. In videos published on Twitter, security forces can be seen guarding the governor’s office and arresting protesters trying to get close to the building.
A picture of Ms Amini’s gravestone was published on social media. It reads: “You didn’t die. Your name will be a code [rallying call].”
Ms Amini was arrested on Tuesday by the morality police for allegedly not complying with the strict dress code on head coverings.
According to eyewitnesses, she was beaten while inside a police van and slipped into a coma later.
Iranian police denied the allegations, saying she had “suffered a sudden heart failure”.
Kasra Hospital in Northern Tehran said in a statement that Ms Amini was admitted on 13 September showing “no vital signs”.
The statement was later removed from the hospital’s social media after hardline social media accounts accused hospital staff of being “anti-regime agents”.
Iranian TV also aired CCTV footage of Ms Amini under arrest. Human rights activists accused state TV of censoring the footage to create a false story.
According to Netblocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, the internet connection has been disrupted in various locations in Iran since news of Ms Amini’s death came out, including in the capital, Tehran, and Saqez.
Many users said they could not upload videos on Instagram or send content over WhatsApp.
Iranian state-controlled Sharq newspaper reported that Tehran’s very low internet speed disrupted the stock market on Saturday.
There were also reports of injuries and arrests. In videos published on Twitter, security forces can be seen guarding the governor’s office and arresting protesters trying to get close to the building.
A picture of Ms Amini’s gravestone was published on social media. It reads: “You didn’t die. Your name will be a code [rallying call].”
Ms Amini was arrested on Tuesday by the morality police for allegedly not complying with the strict dress code on head coverings.
According to eyewitnesses, she was beaten while inside a police van and slipped into a coma later.
Iranian police denied the allegations, saying she had “suffered a sudden heart failure”.
Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s hardline president, has asked the ministry of the interior to launch an investigation into the death.
Kasra Hospital in Northern Tehran said in a statement that Ms Amini was admitted on 13 September showing “no vital signs”.
Iranian TV also aired CCTV footage of Ms Amini under arrest. Human rights activists accused state TV of censoring the footage to create a false story.
According to Netblocks, a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance, the internet connection has been disrupted in various locations in Iran since news of Ms Amini’s death came out, including in the capital, Tehran, and Saqez.
Many users said they could not upload videos on Instagram or send content over WhatsApp.
The appeal came from the Czech Republic, which is presently in charge of rotating the bloc’s presidency. It was made in response to the discovery of hundreds of graves in Izyum, a town that Ukrainian forces had just recaptured.
It is said that many of them are civilians, including women and children.
“We stand for the punishment of all war criminals,” Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said.
Ukraine says it believes war crimes have been committed in Izyum, where 59 bodies have been exhumed so far – with more expected from the graves in a forest at the edge of the city.
“In the 21st Century, such attacks against the civilian population are unthinkable and abhorrent,” Mr Lipavsky said.
“We must not overlook it. We stand for the punishment of all war criminals,” he said.
“I call for the speedy establishment of a special international tribunal that will prosecute the crime of aggression.”
In his regular address on Saturday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said investigators had discovered new evidence of torture used against the people buried in Izyum, in Kharkiv region.
He said the Russians would have to answer “both on the battlefield and in courtrooms”.
On Thursday, EU Commission President chief Ursula von der Leyen said she wanted Mr Putin to face the International Criminal Court over war crimes in Ukraine.
Russia claims it is fighting to de-Nazify Ukraine, in a conflict it still refers to as a “special military operation” rather than a war.
It has not commented on the burial sites at Izyum. Moscow has previously denied targeting civilians.
On Saturday, the eight grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth will keep vigil by their grandmother’s coffin. James, Viscount Severn, the youngest grandchild of Her Majesty, will attend Westminster Hall for the 15-minute vigil with his older sister Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and their royal cousins the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Peter Phillips, Zara Tindall, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie.
According to HOLA! USA’s sister brand HELLO!, Prince William will stand at the head, while his brother Harry at the foot. At the request of their father, King Charles III, both brothers will be in uniform. The Queen’s other grandchildren will be dressed in morning coats and dark formal dresses with decorations.
A vigil around the Queen’s coffin will also be held by the late monarch’s four children, King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward on Friday.
Earlier this week, Her Majesty’s children and grandchildren attended a service for the reception of the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall. The service marked the first time Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex’s 14-year-old son James had been seen since his grandmother’s death.
The Queen passed away at Balmoral on Sept. 8. Her Majesty’s state funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday, Sept. 19. In the evening, a private burial will be held in the King George VI Memorial Chapel. The Queen will be buried with her husband Prince Philip, who passed away last year.
Following the compromising of several internal communications and engineering systems, the ride-hailing business declared that it was conducting an investigation.
After the hacker gave screenshots of the email, cloud storage, and code repositories to the newspaper, the New York Times was the first to publish the intrusion.
According to the story, which cited two employees, Uber employees were instructed not to use the professional messaging service Slack.
Shortly before the Slack system was taken offline, Uber employees received a message that read: “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach.”
It appeared that the hacker was later able to gain access to other internal systems, posting an explicit photo on an internal information page for employees.
Uber said it was in touch with authorities about the breach.
Uber’s computer network has been hacked.
The ride-hailing company said it was investigating after several internal communications and engineering systems had been compromised.
The New York Times first reported the breach after the hacker sent images of the email, cloud storage, and code repositories to the newspaper.
Uber staff were told not to use the workplace messaging app Slack, the report said, quoting two employees.
Shortly before the Slack system was taken offline, Uber employees received a message that read: “I announce I am a hacker and Uber has suffered a data breach.”
Uber said it was in touch with authorities about the breach.
There has been no indication that Uber’s fleet of vehicles, its customers, or payment data has been affected by the hack.
Bug bounty hunters
Uber pays a subscription fee to HackerOne, a bug bounty platform based in California. Bug bounty programs are used by a lot of big businesses – essentially they pay ethical hackers to identify bugs.
Sam Curry, one of the bug bounty hunters, communicated with the Uber hacker. “It seems like they’ve compromised a lot of stuff,” he said.
Mr Curry said he spoke to several Uber employees, who said they were “working to lock down everything internally” to restrict the hacker’s access.
He said there was no indication that the hacker had done any damage or was interested in anything more than publicity.
Chris Evans, chief hacking officer for HackerOne, told the BBC: “We’re in close contact with Uber’s security team, have locked their data down, and will continue to assist with their investigation.”
Who is responsible?
The BBC has seen messages from someone who claims that various Uber admin accounts are under their control.
The New York Times reports the hacker is 18 years old, has been working on his cyber-security skills for several years and hacked the Uber systems because “they had weak security”.
In the Slack message that announced the breach, the person also said Uber drivers should receive higher pay.
The saying goes in cyber-security that “humans are the weakest link”, and once again this hack shows that it was an employee being fooled that let the criminals in.
Although the saying is true, it’s also extremely unkind.
The fuller picture emerging here shows that this hacker was highly skilled and highly motivated.
As we saw with recent breaches of Okta, Microsoft, and Twitter, young hackers with plenty of time on their hands and a devil-may-care attitude can persuade even the most careful employees into making cyber-security mistakes.
This form of hacking through social engineering is even older than computers themselves – just ask infamous former hacker Kevin Mitnick, who was sweet-talking his way around telephone networks back in the 70s.
The difference today is that hackers are able to combine the gift of the gab with very sophisticated and easy-to-use softwareto make their job even easier.
In the western Indian stateof Maharashtra, rock engravings from a hitherto undiscovered civilization have been discovered over time. Now, a cave in the same area is promising to reveal more about the life and works of these prehistoric artists. Mayuresh Konnur of the BBC Marathi reports.
Researchers last year found the cave, which is about 10 kilometres (six miles) from Koloshi hamlet in western Maharashtra’s Konkan region. Stone artifacts dating back tens of thousands of years were found in the cave during excavations earlier this year.
“Nowhere in the world can we find rock art of this kind,” says Dr Tejas Garge, who heads Maharashtra’s archaeology department. Archaeologists believe these artifacts can help us find out more about the way our ancestors lived.
Two rounds of excavations were conducted in the cave
The cave, which is situated in a secluded forest in Sindhudurg, was discovered by researchers who were studying rock carvings in nearby areas. Excavation work was conducted in two rounds, during which archaeologists dug two trenches inside the cave. Several big and small stone tools dating back to the Mesolithic period – also called the middle stone age – have been found.
“The microliths, or the small stone tools, date back to around 10,000 years, whereas the larger tools could be around 20,000 years old,” says Rutivij Apte, who has been researching the Konkan petroglyphs and was part of the excavation team.
Dr Parth Chauhan, an archaeologist, says chemical processes are used to analyse any residue that might be present on the edges of the artifacts. This can help determine what the object was used for.
“It will take a couple of months to find out the exact time period these stone tools belong to. But right now, we can say that these artifacts are between 10,000 to 48,000 years old.”
Maharashtra’s laterite-rich Konkan plateau where this cave was discovered is also a treasure trove of prehistoric art. In the past explorers have discovered rock carvings of animals, birds, human figures, and geometrical designs hidden under layers of soil in several villages here.
So far, 1700 petroglyphs – or rock carvings – have been found at 132 locations in 76 villages in Sindhudurg and the nearby Ratnagiri district.
Saili Palande Datar, a Pune-based art historian, and writer say these carvings offer great insights into the life and habits of prehistoric man.
She gives the example of an iconic rock carving of a human figure found near Barsu village in the Ratnagiri district.
Several petroglyphs – rock carvings – have been found in Maharashtra’s Konkan region
The carving is embossed on a rock and seems to be of a male figure who is holding what appears to be tigers and other wild animals in both hands.
“There is an amazing sense of symmetry in this carving, which points to a high level of skill. The picture also depicts the relationship man shared with animals,” Ms Datar says.
He says that seals of the Harappan civilisation – one of the oldest civilisations in human history that flourished in the Indian subcontinent – also depict the close relationship man shared with animals.
“The seals have images of large animals like tigers and buffaloes and of man hunting animals,” she says.
Experts say that mysteries around these prehistoric rock carvings are far from being solved, but a Unesco tag – natural and cultural landmarks from around the world are singled out for their “outstanding universal value” to humanity – can help preserve them for generations.
Eight rock carving sites in the Konkan region are already a part of Unesco’s tentative list of World Heritage sites, which is the first step towards getting the tag for any culturally-significant site.
In Japan, hundreds of thousands of people have been ordered to leave their homes because of “unprecedented” storm risks.
On Sunday, Typhoon Nanmadol is anticipated to make landfall on Kyushu Island.
Winds might gust as high as 270 km/h (168 mph), and some regions could receive 500 mm (20 inches) of rain in a single day.
A “special alert” is in force for Kyushu, with warnings of landslides and flooding. Train services and flights have been canceled.
Kyushu is the southernmost of the four islands that make up the main body of Japan and has a population of over 13 million people.
This is the first special alert ever issued outside the Okinawa Prefecture, which consists of the smaller, remote islands in the East China Sea, the Japan Times reports.
Once the typhoon makes landfall, it is expected to turn northeast and move up through central Japan towards Tokyo.
It is also expected to maintain much of its strength even after making landfall.
An official from Japan’s meteorological agency told reporters on Saturday: “There are risks of unprecedented storms, high waves, storm surges, and record rainfall.”
Nanmadol, the official added, had the potential to be worse than both Typhoon Jebi in 2018, which left 14 people dead, and Typhoon Hagibis, which caused widespread power cuts in 2019.
The agency also warned that some homes, particularly in southern Kyushu, would be at risk of collapse, and urged residents to seek refuge in sturdy buildings.
