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Prime minister expected to head to Buckingham Palace before monarch makes televised address to nation

UN refugee agency urges authorities to end forced deportations as families say they are too scared to leave their homesThe Tajikistan authorities are rounding up Afghan refugees and forcing them to cross the border back into Afghanistan, despite some having been granted asylum in other countries.According to reports from Tajikistan’s 10,000-strong Afghan refugee community, people are being picked up off the street and houses raided in a spate of recent round-ups of Afghan families, who have been sheltering in the country since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Continue reading...

Scottish actor who played the monarch in recent film Spencer on what she learned about the Queen from the experienceStella Gonet played the Queen on the big screen in Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, a drama set over Christmas in Sandringham in 1991, starring Kristen Stewart as Diana. Gonet reveals how she channelled the monarch for the role – and what other people’s reactions taught her about the real woman.

William Burns says Vladimir Putin ‘profoundly wrong in his assumptions’ as Kyiv’s counteroffensive continues

Jarosław Kaczyński, chair of Law and Justice party, said Polish politicians had ‘sacred duty’ to oppose ‘culturally alien’ EULeaders of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party appear intent on stoking an anti-EU and anti-German climate as it faces a battle in next year’s parliamentary elections.Speaking at an economic forum in Karpacz this week, Jarosław Kaczyński, the chair of Law and Justice (PiS) and the country’s de facto leader, went further than before in denouncing the EU as a culturally alien project led by a neo-imperialist Germany. He said it was “the sacred duty” of Polish politicians to oppose it. Continue reading...

Justin Welby says he thought monarch had hope in the future and knew the rock on which she stood

Representatives of Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu communities offer condolences after monarch’s death

Prime minister to meet new monarch as floral tributes are placed outside Buckingham Palace and elsewhere

After cancellation of Thursday evening’s event, BBC announces final two concerts of the eight-week season will not go aheadThe BBC has announced that both Friday and Saturday’s Proms have been cancelled. Saturday would have been the Last Night, the traditional celebration that concludes the eight-week classical music festival that takes place predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall.Although the Last Night has been modified in response to public events (the programme was changed in 1997 after the death of Diana Princess of Wales and in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks) this is the first time since the second world war that the final concert has not taken place at all. Continue reading...

Governor general says Queen ‘a symbol of stability, inspiration and servant leadership’ as PM calls 1954 visit ‘a defining moment in our nation’s historyThe death of Queen Elizabeth II, and the ascension of King Charles III as sovereign, has reanimated republican debate in Australia, as the country formally pays tribute to its longest-serving monarch, “a symbol of stability, inspiration and servant leadership”.Australia’s governor general, David Hurley, described the late monarch as an “example of selfless service, devotion to duty and compassion”. Continue reading...

Forces disengaging in Gogra-Hot Springs area as peace talks since 2020 clashes carry onIndian and Chinese troops have begun to pull back from another disputed Himalayan border area, as peace talks between senior military officials after deadly clashes in 2020 continue.The two defence ministries confirmed troops were disengaging from respective sides in the area of Gogra-Hot Springs, in a move “conducive to the peace and tranquillity in the border areas”. Continue reading...

NSW and Queensland suspend parliament as tributes flow for the Queen and King Charles III becomes monarch. Follow the latest updates live

As he mourns ‘cherished sovereign’, king will meet British PM and address the nation later on Friday

Christopher Collins pleaded guilty to 24 charges including financial deception offences, fraud and theftWithin hours of meeting Christopher Collins on Tinder, a Melbourne woman had been swindled of thousands of dollars, a court has heard.But that was just the beginning of her nightmare. As the court was told, weeks of manipulation followed, including threats of blackmail. Continue reading...

The union is seeking a 3.5% annual wage rise, with an additional cost of living supplement

Unions make decision ‘out of respect for her service to the country and her family’

Court hears coroner was granted access to unredacted police report that would only be included into evidence in redacted form

Comments came as committee calls for coordinated response to improve access to social housing

Chief executive pay packet tops $5.5m as airlines plagued by delays, cancellations and other problems following a surge in post-lockdown travel

Stakes are high for new prime minister after plans for her first days in office are thrown off course

UAP senator Ralph Babet cites ‘administrative reasons’ after electoral commission records voluntary deregistration

Mermaids claims gay rights organisation was set up to lobby against rights of transgender peopleA judge will consider an appeal by the trans rights charity Mermaids on Friday against the Charity Commission’s decision to award charitable status to the new gay rights organisation LGB Alliance. It is understood to be the first time one charity has attempted to strip legal status from another.The highly unusual hearing will focus attention on increasingly fractious debates over sex and gender identity, and the legal definitions of same-sex attraction and sexual orientation. Continue reading...

Duke of Edinburgh was said to be the only person to treat the Queen as ‘simply another human being’The one constant throughout most of Elizabeth II’s life was the Duke of Edinburgh. Prime ministers and senior courtiers came and went and each passing year stole further friends, but Prince Philip remained at her side, or a few paces behind when protocol dictated, for 73 years.She would say that it was an outstanding working partnership and a personal triumph. She was bereft when Philip died in his sleep aged 99 in April 2021. Continue reading...

Never at home unless surrounded by her favourite breed, the Queen championed corgis even though courtiers feared for their anklesThey were as emblematic of British royalty as the crown: Queen Elizabeth II’s corgis, preceding her like a “moving carpet” wherever she was resident, were the other royal dynasty to inspire worldwide fascination.They featured in portraits, official photographs and on a golden jubilee Isle of Man crown, and were even immortalised in china. Continue reading...

Giorgia Meloni, tipped to become PM, backs sanctions while Matteo Salvini says they are bringing Italy to its knees

Greens and Australian republicans push for discussion of constitutional change but prime minister Albanese says ‘today’s not a day for politics’

Nationwide rules for those infected also change, with isolation reduced to a minimum of five days for those with no symptoms

Leader says North Korea’s nuclear status is now ‘irreversible’, with military allowed to ‘automatically’ use atomic weaponsNorth Korea has passed a law enshrining the right to “automatically” use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself, a move leader Kim Jong-un said makes its nuclear status “irreversible” and bars any denuclearisation talks, state media has reported.The move comes as observers say North Korea appears to be preparing to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017, after historic summits with then-US president Donald Trump and other world leaders in 2018 failed to persuade Kim to abandon his weapons development. Continue reading...

Manasseh Sogavare pushed for the election to be delayed, saying country could not host election and Pacific Games in the same yearThe Solomon Islands’ government has voted to delay its national elections, after it passed a controversial bill submitted by the prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, to postpone the poll until after the country has hosted the Pacific Games in November 2023.The vote passed with 37 votes for, nine against and three MPs absent during the voting. Continue reading...

Barristers say there are insufficient resources and funding, particularly amid indefinite walkoutBarristers have accused ministers of ignoring a crisis in the criminal justice system by continuing to roll out pre-recorded video evidence for rape survivors in England and Wales amid a strike by advocates.The policy, allowing complainants of offences including modern slavery to be cross-examined before trial in front of a limited number of people, was extended to five more crown courts on Friday, taking the total to 63. Three-quarters of courts are covered and all will be by the end of the month. Continue reading...

Talks expected to be complex, with some member states strongly against proposed price cap on Russian gasEU energy ministers will gather for emergency talks in Brussels on Friday to thrash out common measures in an effort to counter a gas and electricity price crisis that threatens to make energy bills unaffordable for households and businesses and tip Europe into recession.The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has set out a five-point plan, which includes a price cap on Russian gas that is likely to draw strong opposition from some member states. Continue reading...

The prime minister will travel to London to meet the new king and mark the funeral of Elizabeth II

Death draws to a close Britain’s second Elizabethan era and heralds the reign of her son, King Charles III• Queen Elizabeth dies - latest updatesQueen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, has died aged 96, drawing to a close the country’s second Elizabethan era, and heralding the reign of her son, King Charles III.The monarch, for whom abdication was never an option, died peacefully at Balmoral on Thursday afternoon two days after undertaking her final public constitutional duty, with the appointment of the 15th prime minister of her 70-year reign. Continue reading...

The warning came, followed by the statement everybody had hoped not to hear: a 70-year reign was over

Crowds remarkably quiet save for infrequent bursts of applause and sporadic renditions of God Save the Queen

Broadcasters followed carefully laid plans to deliver news of monarch’s passing

PM hails ‘one of my favourite people in the world’ but death set to prompt questions about institution whose popularity is in declineJustin Trudeau has expressed his condolences over the death of Queen Elizabeth II, telling reporters that that monarch, who was also Canada’s head of state, was “one of my favourite people in the world”.“In a complicated world, her steady grace and resolve brought comfort and strength to us all. Canada is in mourning,” said Trudeau, who first met the Queen as a child when his father Pierre was prime minister. Continue reading...

Charles’s first statement as king says: ‘We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished sovereign and a much-loved mother’

A timeline of the day’s key statements as news of the Queen’s ill health and death emerged• Queen Elizabeth dies - latest updates“Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision.” Continue reading...

Liz Truss says monarch was Britain’s ‘rock’, while Justin Welby praises her loyalty and humility

Courtiers say Charles, 73, never wanted to think of accession as it meant death of beloved mother

The ceremony, which recognises the best British or Irish album of the year, will be held at a later date

Blinken made surprise visit to Kyiv on Thursday after US unveils nearly more military support

Bailout fund provided amid soaring market prices and fears of another wave of collapsesThe Bank of England will lend UK energy companies as much as £40bn to deal with soaring market prices amid fears of another wave of energy company collapses.Prime minister Liz Truss, on her third day in office, said she wanted to make sure energy companies have the cash they need to buy energy if prices jump. Reports this week said British Gas owner Centrica was in talks with banks to secure extra cash as Vladimir Putin continues to choke off Europe’s supply of gas.A review of the UK’s energy regulation that promises to deliver “fundamental reforms to the structure and regulation”An energy supply taskforce, led by Madelaine McTernan, who currently heads the government’s vaccines taskforce, that will seek to agree long-term contracts for energy supply at steady pricesA review of the UK’s 2050 net zero target to ensure it is “not placing undue burdens on businesses or consumers” Continue reading...

Correspondent ‘well looked after’ in hospital, says Italian foreign ministry, after car reportedly drove over mineAn Italian journalist has been wounded, and his driver reportedly killed, close to the frontline between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the Kherson region.Mattia Sorbi, a freelance correspondent who has worked for several Italian outlets, was taken to hospital in Russian-occupied territory after the car in which he was travelling reportedly drove over a mine several days ago. Continue reading...

This live blog has closed. News of the Queen’s death can be found on our new live blogIan Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster leader, said he is “saddened” to hear about the Queen’s ill health.He told the Commons:I’m sure on behalf of all colleagues that we’re saddened to hear the announcement that has been made, and the thoughts and prayers of all of us will be with her majesty the Queen and indeed with the royal family. Continue reading...