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Settlement of two Australian class actions is largest in country’s history and subject to federal court approval

Sydney Water apologises to residents of Lane Cove and surrounding suburbs for water supply and traffic issues

Industry bodies join medical association in criticising Albanese government over notice for national day of mourning after death of Queen Elizabeth

Mayor of Kharkiv says strike that knocked out power and water was act of ‘revenge’ by Russia

Engineers working to restore power in region which has seen gains by Ukrainian forcesUkrainian forces have advanced north from Kharkiv to within 30 miles (48km) of the border with Russia and are also pressing to the south and east in the same region, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Gen Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, said on Sunday.Ukrainian troops have retaken more than 3,000 sq km of territory this month, he wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding: “Ukraine continues to liberate territories occupied by Russia.” Continue reading...

Prime minister says vote to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution comes before any referendum on republic

Cruise missiles hit infrastructure in what Ukraine says is revenge attack over recent rapid gains

Woman held in Edinburgh as man says he was taken away by police in Oxford as proclamation read outTwo protesters who expressed republican sentiments have been arrested at events proclaiming the accession to the throne of King Charles III.A man said he was arrested for shouting, “Who elected him?” when the proclamation was read out in Oxford. Continue reading...

Former cabinet secretary says move by Liz Truss on her first day in office was ‘very unusual and very regrettable’Liz Truss’s decision to sack the Treasury’s top official on her first day in office was “very unusual and very regrettable”, a former cabinet secretary has said, accusing the new prime minister of treating the civil service “improperly”.Robin Butler – who served under Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair – said the decision to remove Sir Tom Scholar as permanent secretary at the Treasury would have implications on how well the the department would handle the economic crisis. Continue reading...

Despite his grief, King has been keen to meet public, with some pointing to more approachable future for monarch

A drop in popularity for the Coalition and Labor suggests a tight race in NSW election – and that independents could still play a key role

Labor had vowed to legislate integrity commission by end of year but ambitious target has become even more challenging

Australia’s prime minister is preparing to pay his respects to Queen Elizabeth II in the UK this week after announcing a national day of mourning

Spokesperson says PM is merely attending services and never intended to do walkabouts with new monarch

Crowds gather for formal declarations to the devolved nations that Charles III has acceded to the throne

Late monarch’s remaining dogs, Muick and Sandy, were gifts from Duke of York during first lockdown

Moscow diverted best troops to southern city of Kherson leaving south-east of Kharkiv lightly defended

Sarah-Jane Mee mistook a march at Trafalgar Square for Chris Kaba, who was shot by a Met officerSky News has apologised after one of its reporters incorrectly told viewers that a protest march following the killing of Chris Kaba, who was shot by a Metropolitan police officer on Monday, was instead a gathering of people marking the death of the Queen.Demonstrators, including Kaba’s family, had been protesting in central London after the unarmed 24-year-old was shot by a Met firearms officer in south London. Continue reading...

Shareholders also called on to block eight senior bosses of airline from re-electionRyanair’s investors have been urged to vote down “excessive” bonus payouts and block eight senior bosses from re-election in the run-up to the airline’s annual shareholder meeting this week.Calling for a shareholder revolt at Europe’s biggest airline, the London-based Pirc advisory group highlighted concerns over the independence of the board and potential undue financial rewards for its top executives. Continue reading...

Ramzan Kadyrov, Kremlin-appointed Chechnya leader, suggests Putin might not be fully aware of true state of affairs

Australia ensured their captain, Aaron Finch, retired from 50-over cricket with a series sweep over New ZealandOut strides Aaron Finch, leading the Australian XI onto the field for the final time in 50-over cricket. Both teams take the oval and stand by the boundary for a minute’s silence in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II.It’s 30 degrees, bright and sunny in Cairns with a southerly breeze taking the edge off the sun’s intensity. Continue reading...

The King and the Queen Consort will receive an address from the speakers of both houses before Charles III speaks in replyKing Charles III will address both Houses for the first time as sovereign on Monday, receiving addresses from the Speakers of both Houses. Here’s what is scheduled for when he attends. Continue reading...

Monarch marks 50th anniversary of accession with muted celebrations out of respect for Elizabeth II

Dee Dickens is ideologically opposed to private healthcare but was compelled to make switch after she found a lump in her breast

Exclusive: 10% of adults turned to private sector or independent healthcare in past year

Over the weekend, there has been a rush from people around the world to buy Elizabeth II souvenirs

Churches across UK say special Sunday prayers for the late Queen Elizabeth II and for King Charles III

Cambridges and Sussexes ensure focus remains on mourning Queen and celebrating new King

Former PM says he never felt Charles interfered, and ‘black spider memos’ should have stayed private

Rightwing bloc that has embraced anti-immigration Sweden Democrats aims to win power from centre-leftSwedes are voting in an election pitting the incumbent centre-left Social Democrats against a rightwing bloc that has embraced the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats in an attempt to win back power after eight years in opposition.With steadily growing numbers of shootings unnerving voters, parties have vied to be the toughest on gang crime, while surging inflation and the energy crisis in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have increasingly taken centre stage. Continue reading...

JD Salinger did not want his friends cashing in, so inscribed copy of classic novel is one of the hardest titles for collectors to acquireIt was once the most censored book in American schools and libraries. Now, the only edition of The Catcher in the Rye that the author JD Salinger signed with his childhood nickname, Sonny, is going up for sale for £225,000.Salinger was said to have been resentful of friends and family cashing in on the success of his 1951 novel, and as a result signed copies did not make their way into the book market – an inscribed first edition of The Catcher in the Rye was sold at auction only after his death, in 2010. Continue reading...

Anthony Albanese has set 22 September as National Memorial Service Day for Queen Elizabeth II. This blog is now closed

Mourning has halted debate just when the opposition wanted to put pressure on new PM – but Labour conference will go aheadLabour will go ahead with its autumn conference later this month, as officials, advisers and politicians from all parties attempt to balance paying their respects to the Queen with avoiding a period of political paralysis.The Queen’s death and period of mourning has come at a moment of acute political tension, with concerns over the behaviour of Liz Truss’s new administration in Whitehall and significant gaps in the details of her energy price cap, set to cost well over £100bn. Continue reading...

Thursday 22 September to be a one-off national holiday and will coincide with a memorial ceremony in Canberra

New Zealand and Australia hold ceremonies to recognise new head of state and pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth IIAustralia and New Zealand have held proclamation ceremonies for the new head of state King Charles III, with New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern saying she expected her country’s relationship with the royal family to “deepen”, and Australia declaring a one-off public holiday as a national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.New Zealand held its formal ceremony on parliament’s grounds, with the proceedings led by governer general Cindy Kiro and Ardern, beginning with the national anthem and a prayer in te reo Māori – the Indigenous language. Continue reading...

As Elizabeth’s coffin leaves Balmoral on its way to Edinburgh, her neighbours in the village of Ballater say their parting will be sad, but restrained

New Zealand prime minister pays tribute to Queen’s ‘unwavering duty’ at ceremony to recognise King Charles III as head of state; Australia plans one-off national public holiday to mark Queen’s deathQueen’s funeral cortege to leave Balmoral – liveThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex have charted a path for themselves in California with King Charles’s stamp of approval. Will the Queen’s death change Meghan and Harry’s new chapter?Lois Beckett writes:The couple live in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, in a mansion reportedly purchased for $14.65m and have started Archewell, a combination of nonprofit and for-profit ventures that aims to “unleash the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change”.

President claims thousands of square kilometres of ground have been retaken as Russian forces withdraw from parts of Kherson region

Prime minister Gaston Browne reiterates plan for referendum in wake of Queen’s deathThe prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has said he will call for a referendum on the country becoming a republic within three years, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.Browne signed a document confirming Charles III’s status as the new King, but minutes later, said he would push for a republic referendum after indicating such a move earlier this year during a visit by the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Continue reading...

Under little-known nationhood obligation, MPs supply patriotic objects including flags, national anthem recordings and portraits of the monarch

The new monarch is quick to quote the playwright, but given the bard’s genius with simple language, who wouldn’t?Why is the apt phrase so often one from Shakespeare? King Charles’s address to the nation has been praised for its emotional authenticity and fitting use of moving words from Hamlet. They are spoken over the dying Danish prince by his friend Horatio, who bids a fond farewell: “Good night, sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”Some television viewers recognised the lines not from the classic tragedy, but from an episode of Blackadder. Ben Elton, who co-wrote the TV show, adores Shakespeare, proving his devotion with the sitcom and stage play Upstart Crow and his film All is True, starring Kenneth Branagh as the Bard. Continue reading...

It is thought to be the first time royals have been seen in public together since March 2020

The new Duchess of Cornwall is expected to take on more royal patronages and engagements as wife of the heir apparent to the British throneThe former Duchess of Cambridge intends to “create a new path” as she takes on her role as Princess of Wales, she has said.King Charles confirmed the change to the roles of heir apparent Prince William and his wife in his first speech to the nation as monarch on Friday evening. Continue reading...

Kyiv reportedly takes control of vital town and encircles thousands of Russian troops in Izium

Russian-installed administrator makes announcement after occupying forces pull out of two key towns in face of Ukrainian offensiveResidents of areas occupied by Russia in the early stages of the invasion have told the Guardian about what life is like now and the rebuilding that will have to be done.Vadim, a 65-year-old resident of Borodianka, outside Kyiv, used to live in a third-floor apartment on the town’s central street, but it was destroyed in March by Russian grad missiles. Continue reading...

Muslim journalist Siddique Kappan arrested while covering gang-rape and killing of Dalit woman in Uttar PradeshA journalist who has been in jail for nearly two years for trying to meet the family of a young Dalit woman allegedly gang-raped in Hathras in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) has been granted bail.The supreme court of India issued the bail order to Siddique Kappan, 43, a Delhi-based Muslim freelance journalist, on Friday. Continue reading...

Well-wishers packed the Mall on Saturday to pay their respects, bringing flowers, notes and tributes

Elizabeth II got on well with PMs of widely differing politics and backgrounds and played a key role in the background of British politicsFor seven decades, she bore intimate witness to the shifting of power around the globe. Coming to the throne in the distant era of Stalin’s Russia, Elizabeth II reigned through wars cold and hot and through sweeping economic change. She presided over Britain’s retreat from empire and its emergence as a modern networked power, but also its struggle to forge a post-Brexit identity and the beginning of a painful reckoning with colonialism. With her goes a unique institutional memory, a reservoir of insights shared with 15 prime ministers.The relationship between constitutional monarch and elected politician is an odd one – part bowing-and-scraping deference, part curious intimacy. Tony Blair said she was the one person to whom he spoke freely, knowing it wouldn’t leak, and the Queen herself once described her function as “a sort of sponge”, soaking up confidences. But it also, she added, occasionally involved offering governments a different point of view: ‘perhaps they hadn’t seen it from that angle’. She was a mistress of soft power, knowing when to project full regal majesty and when to play kindly grandmother, and a unique diplomatic resource. At times she could make Britain’s case to a foreign head of state better than any elected politician. (Contrast Emmanuel Macron’s spiky relationship with Liz Truss and the genuine warmth of the French president’s tribute to the Queen.) Never party political, she was nonetheless core to the body politic, and her relationships with successive prime ministers help tell a story of what Britain has become. Continue reading...

Queen Consort facing down challenge of a past that starred Diana with charitable patronage and choreographed media appearances

The event will take place at 11am at Westminster Abbey at the end of an official 10-day period of mourning