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Source said man ran up and touched the coffin in Westminster Hall before being arrested by policeA man has been arrested “following a disturbance” in Westminster Hall, where the Queen is lying in state, after reports of someone running up the steps to the catafalque and touching the coffin.The Metropolitan police were said to have rushed to detain the man just before 10pm on Friday evening, the second full day that mourners have been able to pay their respects to the former monarch, just hours after senior royals held a vigil. Continue reading...

Bodies of woman, 30, and child thought to be her son found by police in Holbeck areaA woman and a child have been found dead inside a flat in Leeds.West Yorkshire police said officers made the discovery of the body of the woman, believed to be aged 30, and the 10-year-old child, thought to be her son, when they were called to a flat in the Holbeck area of the city by someone concerned about the welfare of the occupants. Continue reading...

Hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to line streets from London to Windsor and 500 foreign dignitaries will visit

Winner of Mercury prize and Brit awards takes break, saying her mental health has deterioratedSinger Arlo Parks, winner of the Mercury prize and Brit awards, has cancelled a string of concerts, saying her mental health has “deteriorated to a debilitating place”.

Officials in Russian-occupied areas reported dead; hundreds of bodies said to have been found in retaken Ukraine city. This live blog is now closed

Police watchdog says work will take until next year, drawing condemnation from family’s lawyerThe investigation into the police shooting of an unarmed black man will examine whether race was a factor but will not conclude until next year, a watchdog has said.The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it was in discussions with prosecutors about the investigation and expected it would commission expert analysis to work out what happened at the scene in south London before Chris Kaba was shot once in the head. Continue reading...

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurd, dies after ‘violent arrest’ for infringing hijab rules amid Iranian crackdown on women’s dressA 22-year-old woman has died in an Iranian hospital days after being detained by the regime’s morality police for allegedly not complying with the country’s hijab regulations.Mahsa Amini was travelling with her family from Iran’s western province of Kurdistan to the capital, Tehran, to visit relatives when she was reportedly arrested for failing to meet the country’s strict rules on women’s dress. Continue reading...

Man arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and assaulting emergency workerA police officer was stabbed repeatedly in the neck and another constable stabbed through the arm after a man with a knife was challenged in central London.People watched in horror after the officers were attacked near Leicester Square at about 6am on Friday. A man in his 20s was arrested and in custody and police said a knife was recovered from the scene. Continue reading...

Taqueria serves cease and desist order to Sonora Taqueria, whose owners say term is as generic as ‘pizzeria’A bitter row has broken out between two London taco restaurants over the use of the word “taqueria”, with neither side seemingly willing to fold.Taqueria, which has restaurants in Notting Hill and Exmouth Market, served up a cease and desist order aiming to prevent another Mexican outlet, Sonora Taqueria, from trading under its current name. Continue reading...

MP and former shadow cabinet member speaks out despite leader’s call for silence before Queen’s funeral

Adio Adeshine allegedly exposed himself in front of mourners before going into Thames to evade policeTwo women were allegedly sexually assaulted in the queue to attend the Queen’s lying in state, a court has heard.Adio Adeshine, 19, allegedly exposed himself and pushed into mourners from behind as they waited in line at Victoria Tower Gardens on Wednesday evening after Westminster Hall opened its doors to the public. Continue reading...

Tory MP advises Panama-based firm that has worked for governments with poor rights recordsA former UK defence secretary seeking election to parliament’s foreign policy watchdog is facing questions over his suitability for the role after receiving payments from a PR firm that has worked for governments with poor human rights records.Liam Fox is standing to become chair of the foreign affairs select committee, which scrutinises Foreign Office ministers and officials over key policies. According to parliamentary records, he has been paid £20,000 since August 2021 to provide advice on business and international politics to WorldPR, a firm based in the tax haven of Panama City. Continue reading...

Official says some of the more than 440 bodies found buried in forest had their hands tied behind their backs

Police aim to reunite stolen goods including 150 pieces of luggage with owners around the worldPolice in Marseille are attempting to track down more than 100 first-class train passengers from around the world who had their luggage or wallets stolen by a gang whose leader would disguise himself in wigs.When a woman leaving a high-speed train at Aix-en-Provence station earlier this year reported to police that her bag containing €50,000 of jewellery had disappeared during the journey, station CCTV footage led to a months-long investigation. Police discovered what they called an experienced operation by three thieves regularly targeting first-class carriages on high-speed trains. Continue reading...

Staff at Future Academies claim they are being overworked and children have been left demoralisedTeachers at an academy chain founded by the former Conservative schools minister John Nash and his wife are preparing to go on strike, claiming the trust is “blighting the life chances of the children”.The curriculum used by Future Academies, developed by Caroline Nash, a stockbroker, is said in a letter to governors of one the chain’s schools to be among the most narrow in the country. Continue reading...

Businesses may struggle as consumers cut back spending amid high inflation and rising fuel costs, economists warnThe number of English and Welsh companies declared insolvent jumped by 43% in August, according to government data, which adds to concerns for the health of the UK economy.There were 1,933 insolvencies in August, compared with 1,348 in the same month last year, the Insolvency Service said. It was also 42% above the level in August 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Continue reading...

Image of actor’s eye to be auctioned to fund Ojos del Mundo in preventing blindness in developing worldAn eye for an eye, or in this case, help for thousands of eyes in exchange for the image of one as a closeup of Javier Bardem’s iris is auctioned for an organisation that restores sight to people in the developing world.“Being able to see, to hear, to touch, to feel: these are things that we don’t really appreciate until we lose them,” said the Oscar-winning actor. “Regaining access to everything you feel through seeing, which has such an impact on our emotions and sensibility, is an emotional and spiritual transformation.” Continue reading...

Unite decries food firm’s failure to offer extra time off or bonus pay for working on the bank holiday

SNP whips write to John Mason saying he has ‘caused great distress and trauma to many women’A Scottish National party MSP has been reprimanded for defending anti-abortion protests outside health clinics.In a written warning from party whips at Holyrood, John Mason, the Glasgow Shettleston MSP, was accused of causing “great distress and trauma to many women”. Continue reading...

Mark Drakeford calls for policing to be proportionate, as silent demonstration planned in Cardiff

Highest red alert issued in Shanghai as meteorological autumn does not give way to cooler temperature in FranceTyphoon Muifa made landfall in eastern China on Wednesday evening, shortly after affecting Japan in previous days, arriving as a Category 2 storm and billed as the strongest on record to hit Shanghai, China’s largest city.China’s central meteorological observatory issued its first highest typhoon red alert of the year. The tropical system brought sustained winds of 95mph, a threat of up to 200mm of rainfall and waves in excess of five metres. Continue reading...

But environmental groups say changes could put sustainable producers at ‘front of queue’

ACT set to acquire 330 hectares of farmland called Parkwood within the proposed Ginninderry housing development site

Much-loved grandfather David Thomson died after car driven by Bradley Spark crossed to wrong side of the road and struck his bike

Reserve Bank board will consider either a 25 or 50 basis point rise at next month’s meeting, Philip Lowe tells MPs

Charity says 19 million people facing starvation in report highlighting link with extreme weatherExtreme hunger is closely linked to the climate crisis, with many areas of the world most affected by extreme weather experiencing severe food shortages, research has shown.The development charity Oxfam examined 10 of the world’s worst climate hotspots, afflicted by drought, floods, severe storms and other extreme weather, and found their rates of extreme hunger had more than doubled in the past six years. Continue reading...

Ursula von der Leyen tells EU member states it is the responsibility of all of them to ensure Ukraine can defend itselfRail services will resume between Kharkiv and Balakliia in Kharkiv oblast on Thursday, the Kyiv Independent reports, based on a Telegram post from Ukrainian Railways. Workers have already repaired bridges and dozens of damaged tracks after Balakliia was liberated on 8 September.Ukrainian forces shot down four Russian planes in the past 24 hours, the Kyiv Independent reports, based on an update from the General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces. The update said three Russian Su-25 and one Su-24m were shot down while operating over Ukrainian territory, while the Russian forces’ primary tactic continued to be the targeting of civilian settlements, 30 of which were fired at with artillery, missiles, or a combination of both. Continue reading...

Wang Qishan to be at service despite banning of Conservative MPs due to complaints about Chinese repressionThe Chinese vice-president, Wang Qishan, is to attend the Queen’s funeral in a move that has prompted complaints from a group of British Conservative MPs that have been banned from travelling to China due to their campaigns against Chinese repression.Wang will be the most senior Asian political leader to attend the service at Westminster Abbey and among the representatives of authoritarian states, a grouping that also includes Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the president of Egypt. The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is expected to lead a delegation to London, although his attendance at the funeral has not yet been confirmed. Continue reading...

The rapper has been sentenced to 15 days of community service as well as being instructed to pay court fees to her victimsCardi B has pleaded guilty to assault charges related to a fight at a New York strip club in 2018.The rapper was set to go to trial this week but accepted a plea deal which avoids prison time. It results in her being charged with third degree assault and second degree reckless endangerment while 10 other charges were dismissed. Continue reading...

Zelenskiy meets Von der Leyen in Kyiv as Russia steps up attacks on power and utilities providersRussia hit the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih with cruise missiles again on Thursday, after a devastating strike the day before destroyed a reservoir dam and caused extensive flooding.The latest attack on the home city of Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, caused serious damage. Two missiles struck the same reservoir hit on Wednesday, which was being repaired, Kryvyi Rih’s military administrator, Oleksander Vilkul, said. He urged residents to stay in shelters. Continue reading...

Announcement expected of editor John Witherow’s departure and his deputy’s promotionTony Gallagher is being lined up as the new editor of the Times, according to sources at the newspaper, with its current boss, John Witherow, expected to leave the outlet.Witherow, 70, has been in charge of the newspaper since 2013 but has spent much of the last year off work due to illness. During this period, Gallagher, his deputy editor, has effectively been running the Rupert Murdoch-owned title. Continue reading...

Service at St George’s Chapel will be full of highly symbolic moments but more personal than state funeral

Case continues into 2017 death in Bath of Celia Marsh, who had a severe allergy to cow’s milkThe founder of a company that made what was meant to be dairy-free yoghurt used in a Pret a Manger “vegan” wrap has tearfully told an inquest she had no idea a “secret ingredient” contained traces of milk protein.Bethany Eaton, the managing director of Planet Coconut, said she accepted the bags the ingredient arrived in stipulated that it was manufactured in a factory that also handled milk but believed it would have been made in a separate allergen-free area. Continue reading...

This live blog has now closed, you can read more on this story hereIn its response to the legal proceedings launched by the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol (see 11.54am), the UK government has said that it has unilaterally decided to continue suspending border checks on farm produce and other goods entering NI from Great Britain, my colleague Lisa O’Carroll reports.The European Union is considering its next steps after receiving the UK’s response to legal threats over the failure to comply with the post-Brexit Northern Ireland protocol, PA Media reports. PA says:Despite politics as normal being paused while the nation mourns the Queen’s death, the government responded to the action ahead of today’s deadline.The bloc had requested a response to its raft of infringement proceedings over the UK’s failure to comply with the rules before the end of the day. Continue reading...

Flights will be halted for half an hour so aircraft noise does not disrupt two minutes’ silenceFlights to and from Heathrow will be halted for half an hour on Monday to ensure the two minutes’ silence at the end of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral is not disrupted by aircraft noise over London.Britain’s main airport will also halt arrivals in the early afternoon to avoid planes coming in to land over the west of the capital during the procession of the Queen’s hearse, and stop take-offs later to not disturb the ceremonial procession to Windsor.11.40am–12.10pm: no take-offs or landings from Heathrow, around the two-minute silence at the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.1.45–2.20pm: no arrivals to support the procession of the Queen’s hearse.3.05–4.45pm: no departures.4.45–9pm: reduced departure rate during the service. Continue reading...

Officials say they find the new UK health secretary’s memo ‘super patronising’

Prince Edward and Sophie chat to crowds in Manchester, as Princess Anne views condolence book in GlasgowCrowds broke out into appreciative applause as Princess Anne visited Glasgow and Prince Edward travelled to Manchester to view floral tributes and books of condolence.In a sunny Manchester, Edward and his wife, Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, charmed the crowds of people who had gathered in St Ann’s Square, many only just finding out that the visit was being made. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskiy makes surprise visit to liberated city of Izium; Ukrainian president involved in car crash in Kyiv but not seriously hurt

MEPs back resolution stating country led by Viktor Orbán has become ‘hybrid regime of electoral autocracy’Hungary can no longer be considered a full democracy, the European parliament has said in a powerful symbolic vote against Viktor Orbán’s government.In a resolution backed by 81% of MEPs present to vote, the parliament stated that Hungary had become a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”, citing a breakdown in democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law. Continue reading...

Events are disrupted and coverage of the Queen’s death continues to dominate the media. Nine readers share thoughts on the days leading up to her funeralThe UK is in the middle of a period of national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.The day of the Queen’s state funeral, Monday 19 September, has been declared a bank holiday and schools and offices will close. Continue reading...

With warnings of 10-hour waits to pay their last respects, people come prepared with snacks and folding chairs

Books and other belongings of 19th-century PM on show during festival at Hawarden estate in north WalesThe room reveals itself gradually as the visitor lingers. The books, the papers and carefully ordered desks tell of a hard-working statesman with a thirst for knowledge and a deep love of culture.But it is in the personal objects and features that a warmer side of the man emerges: the axes in the fireplace that he used for chopping wood as he cleared his mind; a hedgehog paperweight, the prominence of which must mean it has long-forgotten value; pencil marks on the wall recording the heights of his children as they grew. Continue reading...

Mourners wears favourite colour of nine-year-old, killed when gunman burst into Liverpool homeHundreds of people have gathered in Liverpool to pay their respects at the funeral nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, a girl “loved and adored by everyone”, who was shot dead in her own home.Family, friends and many members of the community wore black and various shades of pink – Olivia’s favourite colour – as they paid tribute to Olivia, who was killed when a masked gunman burst into her home in the Dovecot area of Liverpool on 22 August. Continue reading...

Chancellor to bring in winter tax cuts and announce further energy support at end of mourning periodKwasi Kwarteng will deliver his emergency mini-budget to bring in winter tax cuts for millions of people and set out more detail on energy support next Friday, according to sources.Although normal politics has been paralysed by the death of the Queen, the chancellor and his team have been putting the final touches to the budget with the aim of announcing it once the country emerges from national mourning. Continue reading...

Announcement in early hours comes a day before deadline for deal as freight strike threatened widespread disruptionA tentative agreement has been reached to avert a freight rail strike that could have disrupted commuter rail services across the US, Joe Biden said on Thursday.A strike would also have dealt a major blow to Democrats two months before midterm elections in which they will try to keep control of the Senate and the House. Continue reading...

Critics question chancellor’s idea of abolishing rules imposed after 2008 financial crash during cost of living crisis

Move is likely to further antagonise EU but leaders hope Queen’s death may help bring about reconciliation

Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy draw on a vein of fascism in a country that – unlike Germany – has never had to confront its pastA hundred years after the rise of Italian fascism was heralded by Mussolini’s 1922 march on Rome, the country is on the verge of electing a party with its roots in neo-fascism.With just over a week to go until polling day, the smiling face of Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the Brothers of Italy, is emblazoned on thousands of posters from the heel in the south to the Alps in the north. Continue reading...