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Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and the nation’s figurehead for seven decades, died at her home in Scotland yesterday aged 96. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.  Elizabeth’s eldest son Charles, 73, automatically becomes king of the United Kingdom and the head of state of 14 other realms including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. His wife Camilla becomes Queen Consort. News that the Queen’s health was deteriorating emerged shortly after midday yesterday when her doctors said she was under medical supervision, prompting her family to rush to be by her side at her Scottish home, Balmoral. The Queen had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace has called “episodic mobility problems” since the end of last year, forcing her to withdraw from nearly all her public engagements. Her last public engagement came only on Tuesday, when she appointed Liz Truss prime minister – her 15th premier. At her palaces and at government buildings across London, flags were lowered to half-mast. Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world’s oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on February 6, 1952, when she was just 25. She was crowned in June the following year.  The first televised coronation was a foretaste of a new world in which the lives of the royals were to become increasingly scrutinised by the media. “I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust,” she said in a speech to her subjects on her coronation day. Elizabeth became monarch at a time when Britain still retained much of its old empire. It was emerging from the ravages of World War II, with food rationing still in force and class and privilege still dominant in society. Winston Churchill was Britain’s prime minister at the time, Josef Stalin led the Soviet Union and the Korean War was raging. In the decades that followed, Elizabeth witnessed massive political change and social upheaval at home and abroad. Her own family’s tribulations, most notably the divorce of Charles and his late first wife Diana, were played out in full public glare. While remaining an enduring symbol of stability and continuity for Britons at a time of relative national economic decline, Elizabeth also tried to adapt the ancient institution of monarchy to the demands of the modern era. “She has managed to modernise and evolve the monarchy like no other,” her grandson Prince William, who is now heir to the throne, said in a 2012 documentary. Elizabeth was the 40th monarch in a royal line that traces its origin back to Norman King William the Conqueror who claimed the English throne in 1066 after defeating Anglo-Saxon ruler Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. Her long reign meant she repeatedly broke records for British rulers. When she surpassed the more than 63 years her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria spent on the throne, she said it was not a landmark to which she had ever aspired. “Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones — my own is no exception,” she said. Her marriage to Prince Philip lasted 73 years, until his death in April 2021, and they had four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. She never gave a media interview and critics said she came across as distant and aloof. But for the vast majority of her subjects, for whom she was the only monarch they have known, she was a figure who commanded respect and admiration. Her death marks the end of an era. “In her public duties she was selfless and wise, with a wonderful generosity of spirit. That is how she lived – and how she led,” former prime minister John Major said.

With the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth yesterday, Prince Charles has finally become king of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms, ending a wait of more than 70 years — the longest by an heir in British history. The role will be daunting. His late mother was overwhelmingly popular and respected, but she leaves a royal family that has seen reputations tarnished and relationships strained, including over lingering allegations of racism against Buckingham Palace officials. Charles confronts those challenges at the age of 73, the oldest monarch to take the throne in a lineage that dates back 1,000 years, with his second wife Camilla, who still divides public opinion, by his side. To detractors, the new king is weak, vain, interfering, and ill-equipped for the role of sovereign. Supporters say that is a distortion of the good work he does, that he is simply misunderstood and that in areas such as climate change he has been ahead of his time. They argue he is thoughtful and concerned about his fellow Britons from all communities and walks of life. Throughout his life, Charles has been caught between a modernising monarchy, trying to find its place in a fast-changing and more egalitarian society, while maintaining traditions that give the institution its allure. That tension can be seen through the lives of his own sons. The eldest, William, 40, now the heir himself, leads a life of traditional duty, charity work and military pageantry. Younger son Harry, 37, resides outside Los Angeles with his American ex-actress wife Meghan and family, forging a new career more in keeping with Hollywood than Buckingham Palace. However, for many in Britain and beyond, Charles will always be associated with his doomed marriage to Lady Diana Spencer and his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, the love of his life. When he and Diana wed in 1981 in front of a global television audience of some 750mn people, his bride seemed the perfect choice. All initially seemed well, and sons William and Harry were born in 1982 and 1984 respectively. But behind the scenes, the marriage had problems and Diana blamed Camilla for its eventual breakdown in 1992, famously saying in a TV interview: “there were three of us in this marriage”. Charles said he had remained faithful “until it (the marriage) became irretrievably broken down”. The couple divorced in 1996. When Diana was killed in a Paris car crash in 1997 there were vitriolic outpourings in the press against him and Camilla, and his public popularity sank. In the decades since, his standing has improved, even if he remained less popular than his mother. In 2005 he finally married Camilla, who has emerged into the public spotlight to win greater acceptance and praise for her easy going style.

World leaders paid homage to Queen Elizabeth II after she died aged 96 in her Scottish summer residence following nearly a year of ailing health. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Queen Elizabeth had been “widely admired”. “As the United Kingdom’s longest-lived and longest-reigning head of state, Queen Elizabeth II was widely admired for her grace, dignity and dedication around the world. She was a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change,” Guterres said. The White House expressed its deep sympathies, noting she was the leader of one of the US’ strongest allies. “Our hearts and our thoughts go to the family members of the Queen (and) to the people of the UK,” said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, minutes after the death of the sovereign was announced. EU leaders expressed regret at the death of the Queen, who was head of state throughout Britain’s entire EU membership and eventual departure. “Once called ‘Elizabeth the Steadfast’, she never failed to show us the importance of lasting values in a modern world with her service and commitment,” EU council president Charles Michel tweeted. President Michael Higgins called Queen Elizabeth II “a remarkable friend” who had “great impact on the bonds of mutual understanding between our two peoples”. “As we offer our condolences to all our neighbours in the United Kingdom, following the loss of a remarkable friend of Ireland, we remember the role Queen Elizabeth played in celebrating the warm and enduring friendship” between both countries, he said. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “pained” by her death. The monarch of India’s former colonial power had “provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people”, Modi tweeted, adding she “personified dignity and decency in public life”. French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Queen Elizabeth II as “a friend of France...who marked her country and her century as never before”. “Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II embodied continuity and unity in the British nation for more than 70 years,” the French leader tweeted. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the “beloved” monarch represented the UK and the Commonwealth with “balance and wisdom”.  “She guaranteed stability in moments of crisis and kept alive the value of tradition in a society in constant and profound evolution. Her spirit of service, her dedication...the deep dignity with which she held office for such a long time have been a constant source of admiration for generations,” he said. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said earlier yesterday, before the news of her death, that the Queen was in his prayers. “She has lived through so many important moments in the Western world...and has done so with calm, stability and humour,” he said, according to the ANP news agency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was shown in an awkward encounter with his military chief of staff yesterday as he inspected war games in Russia’s Far East, thousands of miles from the war in Ukraine. The Zvezda military news service published video of Putin and chief of staff General Valery Gerasimov entering an observation booth, sitting down with a wide space between them and maintaining an uncomfortable silence while waiting for Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to arrive. Gerasimov stroked his hair and shuffled papers and Putin picked up and peered through a pair of binoculars, at one point acknowledging a comment from the general by nodding tersely. The awkward body language drew scrutiny from political and military analysts on social media. “Putin obviously doesn’t even want to talk with the commander of the Russian armed forces,” wrote former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt on Twitter. In a separate clip, the mood appeared lighter as Putin and Shoigu were shown exchanging a joke while Gerasimov spoke on the phone. Gerasimov has been almost absent from public view during the 195 days of Russia’s war in Ukraine, prompting speculation about his standing with Putin and even at times about his health. Having captured about a fifth of the country, Russia has been fought to a virtual standstill while suffering heavy losses in troops and equipment. By proceeding with the four-yearly “Vostok” (East) war games, Putin appeared to be sending a signal that Russia’s military is able to conduct business as usual despite the demands of the war. But the defence ministry says the exercises that began on September 1 involve only 50,000 troops, a fraction of the 300,000 they said took part in 2018. Western military analysts say they believe both figures are exaggerated. The manoeuvres have included forces from both India and China, though it was not clear if Putin had seen troops from those countries in action. Yesterday the defence ministry released video of the naval part of the exercise, showing Russia’s Pacific Fleet practising launching Kalibr cruise missiles which it said had successfully struck a target more than 300km away. On Monday, Russian and Chinese combat ships practised repelling an enemy air attack using air defence artillery systems. Last week warships from the two countries carried out anti-ship, anti-air and anti-submarine defence tasks in the Sea of Japan, the ministry said. Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared a “no limits” partnership in February, promising to collaborate more closely against the West. Russia is the biggest supplier of military hardware to India, which went ahead with the exercise days after the United States said it had concerns about any country holding such manoeuvres with Russia now. Moscow says the war games also involve military contingents and observers from Algeria, Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria and six former Soviet republics.

Liz Truss yesterday promised that Britain would see sunnier days ahead despite the current economic gloom, as she made her first speech as prime minister after taking over from Boris Johnson. Heavy rain and thunder forced supporters of the country’s third female prime minister to scramble for cover as they waited for her to arrive in Downing Street. But the clouds lifted as the 47-year-old former foreign secretary’s motorcade swept in, and she vowed that the country would “ride out the storm” of double-digit inflation and soaring energy prices. “I will take action this week to deal with energy bills and to secure our future energy supply,” she said. “As strong as the storm may be, I know that the British people are stronger,” she added, outlining her priorities as the economy, energy and health. Truss was announced winner of an internal vote of Conservative party members on Monday, after a gruelling contest that began with Johnson’s resignation in July. She arrived in Downing Street after a 1,600km round trip from London to see Queen Elizabeth II in the Scottish Highlands, where she accepted the invitation to form a government. The 30-minute audience was held at the head of state’s remote Balmoral retreat as the queen, 96, was deemed unfit to return to London due to ill health. As soon as tomorrow, Truss is expected to sanction a freeze on household energy bills to prevent steep hikes this winter, and possibly beyond, at a cost of tens of billions of pounds. Her new team is due to be assembled in time for a Cabinet meeting today morning before her first appearance in parliament as prime minister. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is expected to become finance minister, with attorney general Suella Braverman moved to the tricky brief of home secretary, and James Cleverly to foreign affairs. The incoming prime minister faces a daunting to-do list, with the UK in the grip of its worst economic crisis in decades. Hard-pressed households facing 80% increases in electricity and gas bills from October have demanded immediate action to prevent millions being forced to choose between heating and eating this winter. Businesses have also warned they could be forced to close because of even steeper hikes in energy costs. Truss, who touts herself as a free-market liberal, has promised tax cuts to stimulate growth, despite warnings that greater borrowing could make inflation worse. The contrast to her beaten leadership rival Rishi Sunak’s more cautious approach has opened another rift in the Conservative party that was already divided by Johnson’s departure. Recent opinion polls suggest a sizeable chunk of the British public have no faith in her ability to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. A new poll by YouGov said only 14% expect Truss — the fourth Tory prime minister in six years — to do a better job than Johnson. Johnson, whose tenure was dominated by Brexit and Covid and cut short by a succession of scandals, earlier promised Truss his unswerving support as he made a farewell speech in Downing Street. “I will be supporting Liz Truss and the new government every step of the way,” he said, before leaving for Balmoral to tender his resignation to the queen. He urged the Tories to put aside their ideological differences which have seen the party fight like cats and dogs over how best to tackle the energy crisis. “If Dilyn (his dog) and Larry (the Downing Street cat) can put behind them their occasional difficulties then so can the Conservative party,” he added. But former newspaper polemicist Johnson failed to dampen speculation that he is eyeing a potential return to the political front line. “Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough,” he said. Latin scholars were quick to point out that the Roman statesman eventually returned to politics. Johnson, 58, remains popular among grassroots Tories as a charismatic election winner who took the country out of the European Union. Despite repeated accusations of corruption and cronyism during his tenure, and an unprecedented police fine for breaking his own lockdown rules, Johnson is said to be smarting at having to leave. Speculation has swirled that he could bide his time for a comeback, particularly if Truss struggles to overcome the country’s many problems. In her acceptance speech on Monday, Truss ruled out seeking her own mandate from the public at an early general election, vowing victory in 2024.

Liz Truss on Tuesday officially became Britain's new prime minister, at an audience with head of state Queen Elizabeth II after the resignation of Boris Johnson. The former foreign secretary, 47, was seen in an official photograph shaking hands with the monarch to accept her offer to form a new government and become the 15th prime minister of her 70-year reign. The symbolic ceremony took place at the sovereign's remote Balmoral retreat in the Scottish Highlands, as the queen, 96, was deemed unfit to return to London due to ill health. "The queen received in audience the right honourable Elizabeth Truss MP today and requested her to form a new administration," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "Ms Truss accepted Her Majesty's offer and kissed hands upon her appointment as prime minister. The last time the handover of power took place at Balmoral was in 1885, when queen Victoria was on the throne. Normally, the outgoing and incoming prime minister meet the queen in quick succession at Buckingham Palace in central London. It has only been held once outside London since 1952, when Winston Churchill met the new queen at Heathrow Airport after the death of her father, king George VI. Truss, who was announced winner of an internal vote of Conservative party members on Monday, after a gruelling contest that began in July. She is expected to make her first speech as prime minister outside 10 Downing Street at about 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Tuesday -- weather permitting. Heavy rain and storms are forecast, mirroring the gloomy economic situation that she and her new senior ministers will now have to tackle. The appointments are due to be finalised before she hosts her first cabinet meeting and faces questions in parliament on Wednesday. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is expected to become finance minister, with Attorney General Suella Braverman moved to the tricky brief of home secretary, and James Cleverly to foreign affairs. If confirmed, it would mean no white men in any of Britain's four main ministerial posts for the first time ever. The incoming prime minister faces a daunting to-do list, with the UK in the grip of its worst economic crisis in decades, with double-digit inflation and sky-rocketing gas and electricity bills. Truss, who touts herself as a free-market liberal, has promised tax cuts to stimulate growth, despite warnings that greater borrowing could make inflation worse. British media reported on Tuesday that she would freeze energy bills for hard-pressed households and business which could cost some £100 billion ($116 billion). The contrast to her beaten leadership rival Rishi Sunak's more cautious approach has opened another rift in the Conservative party that was already divided by Johnson's departure. Recent opinion polls suggest a sizeable chunk of the British public have no faith in her ability to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. A new poll by YouGov said only 14 percent expect Truss -- the fourth Tory prime minister in six years -- to do a better job than Johnson. Johnson, whose tenure was dominated by Brexit and Covid and cut short by a succession of scandals, earlier promised Truss his unswerving support as he made a farewell speech in Downing Street. "I will be supporting Liz Truss and the new government every step of the way," he said, before leaving for Balmoral to cheers and applause from supporters. He urged the Tories to put aside their ideological differences which have seen the party fight like cats and dogs over how best to tackle the energy crisis. "If Dilyn (his dog) and Larry (the Downing Street cat) can put behind them their occasional difficulties then so can the Conservative party," he added. But former newspaper polemicist Johnson failed to dampen speculation that he is eyeing a potential return to the political front line. "Like Cincinnatus, I am returning to my plough," he said. Latin scholars were quick to point out that the Roman statesman eventually returned to politics. Johnson, 58, remains popular among grassroots Tories as a charismatic election winner who took the country out of the European Union. Despite repeated accusations of corruption and cronyism during his tenure, and an unprecedented police fine for breaking his own lockdown rules, Johnson is said to be smarting at having to leave. Speculation has swirled that he could bide his time for a comeback, particularly if Truss struggles to overcome the country's many problems. In her acceptance speech on Monday, Truss ruled out seeking her own mandate from the public at an early general election, vowing victory in 2024.

Donald Trump promised his Truth Social platform would offer a home for free speech, an unfiltered way to reach people. Six months later, the former US president’s amplification of conspiratorial memes and messages after the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago estate indicates that extremist content has flourished. Still, with midterm elections looming, an AFP analysis shows his new bullhorn may be far less politically relevant than his past pronouncements on Twitter and Facebook. “His reach is much smaller,” said Mike Rothschild, the author of a book on the QAnon conspiracy theory. “Truth Social is pretty much MAGA-only territory.” Trump’s August 30 posting spree on Truth Social indicates a lurch toward the darkest corners of conspiracy theory, almost two years after he lost the presidency to Joe Biden. Trump interacted with a meme that was shared in reply to a post highlighting the writings of “Q,” the anonymous persona whose posts on fringe forums gave rise to QAnon and its baseless claims about a cabal of paedophiles including Hillary Clinton. “Trump has certainly amplified Q content before. He had retweeted Q believers or memes over 300 times on Twitter,” Rothschild said. “But he had never shared something directly connected to a Q drop before.” The meme Trump shared referenced “the storm,” a mass unsealing of indictments promised in QAnon lore that would culminate in his return to the White House. He also re-posted images that put the words “your enemy is not in Russia” over the faces of top Democrats, including Biden. It was a sign of what Truth Social — and Trump’s potential 2024 campaign — could look like as the November 8 midterms approach. “Trump’s most ardent supporters will follow him wherever he goes,” said Caroline Orr Bueno, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Maryland. “So although his messages may be reaching a smaller audience, those who are still following him are likely a more hardcore group of supporters who may be more easily incited to violence.” Truth Social launched in February 2022 as Trump’s response to his ban from Twitter and two-year-suspension from Facebook following the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. But Trump has just 4mn followers on Truth Social — a far cry from the 88.8mn he had on Twitter or the 35.4mn he had on Facebook. “It’s almost entirely Trump supporters,” said David Thiel, a researcher at the Stanford Internet Observatory, of Truth Social’s user base. Trump’s Truth Social posts are regularly promoted on other platforms popular with his supporters, such as Telegram and the far-right forum “The Donald,” as well as on mainstream sites. Major Republican Party players also repeat his talking points. But the direct pipeline to the public he had as president is gone. Truth Social had 1.19mn monthly active users on Apple iPhones in July, according to data.ai, a company that tracks app metrics, compared with the 237.8mn daily active users Twitter counted in its latest quarterly report. The app has been downloaded 3.08mn times globally since February, while Twitter and Facebook have logged 97mn and 341mn downloads respectively in the same time frame — and billions more in their existence. “Even though Trump has this megaphone and is able to get attention for whatever new crazy thing he posts on Truth Social, it is several multiples less powerful than Twitter, several multiples less powerful than Facebook,” said Jared Holt, senior research manager at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonprofit London-based think tank focused on extremism. “It is a very closed feedback loop.” A loyal base of Truth Social users who express support for Trump and share misinformation about topics such as the 2020 election remains. “Truth Social has become a refuge of sorts for people and content that have been banned from other platforms,” Orr Bueno said. NewsGuard, a service that tracks online misinformation, found 88 QAnon-promoting accounts with over 10,000 followers on Truth Social, including 32 that were previously booted off Twitter. Forty-seven of those accounts were verified by the Trump platform. At least one app provider seems to have taken note. Google has not approved Truth Social for its store used by Android smartphone users, citing problems with content moderation. “It appears to attract people with extremist views and then provides a safe haven where they can feed off each other without worrying about being reported or banned,” Orr Bueno said. “It’s an environment that can be easily exploited by those seeking to incite violence or radicalise people.” Truth Social did not immediately reply to a request for comment. — AFP

Liz Truss will become Britain’s next prime minister after winning a leadership race for the governing Conservative Party yesterday, vowing to press ahead with promised tax cuts and action to tackle a deepening energy and cost of living crisis. After weeks of an often bad-tempered and divisive leadership contest, Truss, currently the foreign minister and the favourite to win, beat former finance minister Rishi Sunak in a vote of Conservative Party members, winning by 81,326 votes to 60,399. “I will deliver a bold plan to cut taxes and grow our economy,” Truss said after the result was announced. “I will deliver on the energy crisis, dealing with people’s energy bills, but also dealing with the long-term issues we have on energy supply.” Truss takes over as the country faces a crunch on household finances, industrial unrest, a recession and war in Europe, where Britain has been a leading backer of Ukraine. She appeared to rule out another national election before 2024, when she promised to deliver a great victory for her party. But in a sign of deep divisions in her party, her winning margin was much narrower than had been expected and the narrowest in any Conservative leadership election held this century. Truss also won with the support of less than 50% of members, as almost one in five did not vote. “It’s right we now unite behind the new PM, Liz Truss, as she steers the country through difficult times,” Sunak said on Twitter. Truss will succeed Boris Johnson, who was forced to announce his resignation in July after months of scandals saw support for his administration drain away and ministers quit to force him out. Johnson will travel to Scotland to meet Queen Elizabeth today to officially tender his resignation. Truss will follow him and be asked to form a government by the monarch. “I know she has the right plan to tackle the cost of living crisis, unite our party and continue the great work of uniting and levelling up our country,” Johnson said on Twitter. “Now is the time for all Conservatives to get behind her 100%.” Long the front-runner to replace him, Truss will become the Conservatives’ fourth prime minister since a 2015 election. Since then Britain has stumbled from crisis to crisis, and now is seen facing a long recession and inflation that hit double digits in July. Within minutes of her victory, business leaders from the hospitality sector to manufacturing and chemical industries demanded help with the soaring cost of energy and tight labour markets to stop firms going bust. Truss, 47, has promised to act quickly, saying within a week she will come up with a plan to tackle rising energy bills and secure future fuel supplies. She signalled during her leadership campaign she would challenge convention by scrapping tax increases and cutting other levies in a move some economists say would further fuel inflation. That, and a pledge to review the remit of the Bank of England while protecting its independence, has prompted some investors to dump the pound and government bonds. Kwasi Kwarteng, widely tipped to be her finance minister, sought to calm markets yesterday, saying in a Financial Times article that while there would be “some fiscal loosening” under Truss, her administration would act in “a fiscally responsible way”.  Asked if he would become finance minister, Kwarteng said he didn’t know. Truss faces a long, costly and challenging to-do list, which opposition parties say reflects 12 years of poor Conservative government. Several have called for an early election — something Truss has rejected. Veteran Conservative lawmaker David Davis described challenges she faced as “probably the second most difficult brief of post-war prime ministers” after Conservative Margaret Thatcher in 1979. Truss has said she will appoint a strong cabinet, dispensing with what one source close to her called a “presidential-style” of governing, and will need to win over some Conservative lawmakers who had backed Sunak. “It was closer than expected,” said Conservative member of parliament Andrew Bridgen. “By the end of the week, we’ll get a new government and you’d be amazed at how this party can come together and unite.” However, the Institute for Government think-tank said Truss would have a weaker starting point than any of her predecessors, because she was not the first choice among her party’s lawmakers.

Britain's new Conservative leader Liz Truss Monday vowed "bold" action to fix the country's worst economic crisis in decades, as she was confirmed as Prime Minister Boris Johnson's successor after a gruelling party contest. The foreign secretary resisted pressure for a politically perilous early election to confirm her new mandate, vowing instead to "deliver a great victory for the Conservative party in 2024". Truss beat her rival, former finance minister Rishi Sunak, by about 57 to 43 percent after a summer-long contest decided by just over 170,000 Conservative members -- a tiny sliver of Britain's electorate. Sunak -- who has been lUKewarm about whether he would serve in Truss's cabinet -- tweeted that now was the time for the party to unite as "one family". But Truss ignored her applauding rival as she marched up to the stage of the central London convention hall, calling it an "honour" to be elected after undergoing "one of the longest job interviews in history". "I campaigned as a conservative, and I will govern as a conservative," she said, touting Tory values of low taxes and personal responsibility. Truss vowed a "bold plan" to address tax cuts and the energy crisis, which she has indicated will be financed by much higher borrowing -- even at the risk of stoking double-digit inflation. Truss, 47, will be the UK's third woman to become prime minister following Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher. - Public mistrust -She will formally take office on Tuesday, after Johnson tenders his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. "I know she has the right plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, unite our party and continue the great work of uniting and levelling up our country," Johnson tweeted. "Now is the time for all Conservatives to get behind her 100 per cent." The leadership contest began in July after Johnson announced his departure following a slew of scandals and resignations from his government, including Sunak's. Truss reserved a portion of her short speech to praising Johnson's record, including on Brexit and the Covid pandemic, and said he was "admired from Kyiv to Carlisle". That won applause from the Tory faithful present. The right-wing ideologue, however, faces a tough task in winning over public opinion. A YouGov poll in late August found 52 percent thought Truss would make a "poor" or "terrible" prime minister. Forty-three percent said they did not trust her "at all" to deal with the crisis in the cost of living, as energy prices rocket amid Russia's war in UKraine. - 'Worst in-tray' -Truss is also viewed with mistrust among some of Britain's allies, after taking a hard line against the European Union over post-Brexit trading rules for Northern Ireland. "I look forward to a constructive relationship, in full respect of our agreements," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said, flagging climate change and UKraine as areas for cooperation. Ireland's government also gave Truss a wary welcome, but the scale of the challenges ahead saw the Smarkets betting exchange give her a 25 percent chance of failing to last through 2023. The Tory winner faces "the worst in-tray for a new prime minister since Thatcher", The Sunday Times wrote. Millions say that with energy bills set to rise by 80 percent from October -- and even higher from January -- they face a painful choice between eating and heating this winter, according to surveys. Polls show public support for an early general election, and the Conservatives face a growing challenge to retain their grip on power with the opposition Labour party riding high. Labour leader Keir Starmer sent his own congratulations to Truss. - Storm clouds -"But after 12 years of the Tories all we have to show for it is low wages, high prices, and a Tory cost-of-living crisis," he tweeted. "Only Labour can deliver the fresh start our country needs." On Tuesday morning, Johnson will deliver a farewell speech at Downing Street before flying to Scotland -- where heavy rain is forecast -- to hand his resignation to Queen Elizabeth. For the first time in her 70-year reign, the 96-year-old monarch will appoint the prime minister at her Scottish retreat, Balmoral, rather than at Buckingham Palace in London. The queen has been suffering mobility problems and has cancelled a number of public engagements. Truss is expected to fly separately to accept the queen's invitation to form a new government, to ensure continuity of government in case of any mishaps. On her return to Downing Street, the new prime minister will then give a short address to the nation. By tradition, that happens on the steps of Number 10. But it may have to be moved indoors with forecasts for thundery downpours, matching Britain's dismal outlook as the Truss government starts life.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told Europeans to expect a difficult winter as the Russian assault on his country leads to cuts in oil and gas exports by Moscow, as the continent’s leaders worked on Sunday to ease the impact of high energy prices. Zelensky spoke on Saturday night after Moscow shut down a main pipeline that supplies Russian gas to the continent. “Russia is preparing a decisive energy blow on all Europeans for this winter,” he said in his daily video address. Moscow has cited Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine and technical issues for the energy disruptions. European countries who have backed Kyiv with diplomatic and military support have accused Russia of weaponising energy supplies. Some analysts say the shortages and a surge in living costs as winter approaches risk sapping Western support for Kyiv as governments try to deal with disgruntled populations. Separately, the US embassy in Moscow said John Sullivan, the ambassador since his appointment by former president Donald Trump in 2019, had left his post and was retiring from the diplomatic service. A State Department official said Sullivan had served a typical tour length. Last week Moscow said it would keep the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, its main gas channel to Germany, closed and G7 countries announced a planned price cap on Russian oil exports. The Kremlin said it would stop selling oil to any countries that implemented the cap. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said yesterday his government had been planning for a total halt in gas deliveries in December, promising measures to lower prices and tie social benefits to inflation. “Russia is no longer a reliable energy partner,” Scholz told a news conference in Berlin. Responding to that comment, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev accused Germany of being “an unfriendly country” and an enemy of Russia. “In other words, it has declared a hybrid war on Russia,” he said. Yesterday, Finland and Sweden announced plans to offer billions of dollars to power companies to avert the threat of insolvency amid the crisis. Russian authorities said yesterday the situation around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine was calm yesterday, after UN inspectors said on Saturday it had against lost external power. The last remaining main external power line was cut off although a reserve line continued supplying electricity to the grid, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement. Only one of its six reactors remained in operation, it said.

World leaders paid tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union who died Tuesday in Moscow aged 91. The man who played a major role in ending the Cold War was praised for being a "rare leader" who helped change the course of world history.    - Russia - President Vladimir Putin said Gorbachev "was a politician and statesman who had a huge impact on the course of world history," expressing "deepest condolences" to his friends and family. "He led our country during a period of complex, dramatic changes," Putin added.  "He deeply understood that reforms were necessary, he strove to offer his own solutions to urgent problems." Russian winner of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, Dmitry Muratov, hailed his fellow Nobel laureate as someone who "put human rights above the state, and valued a peaceful sky more than personal power." "He despised war," he said. "He gave both the country and the world an incredible gift -- he gave us thirty years of peace. Without the threat of global and nuclear war."   - United States - President Joe Biden hailed a "rare leader... one with the imagination to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it." "The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people," Biden said.   - Germany - President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Germany was "bound in gratitude with him for his decisive contribution to German unity". Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed Gorbachev's role in reuniting Germany but lamented he had "died at a time in which democracy has failed in Russia".  Angela Merkel, the former chancellor who grew up in East Germany, said Gorbachev had "fundamentally changed my life" and showed how "one single statesman can change the world for the better".   - Italy - "His desire for peace, his opposition to an imperialist vision of Russia won him the Nobel (peace) prize," Prime Minister Mario Draghi said.  "These messages are all the more current in the face of the tragedy of the invasion of Ukraine."    - United Nations - "A one-of-a-kind statesman who changed the course of history" and "did more than any other individual to bring about the peaceful end of the Cold War", UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a statement.   - European Union - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed a "trusted and respected leader" who "opened the way for a free Europe". His "crucial role" in bringing down the Iron Curtain and ending the Cold War left a legacy "we will not forget."   - NATO - Secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Gorbachev's "vision of a better world remains an example" and paid tribute to his "historic reforms... (which) opened the possibility of a partnership between Russia and NATO".   - China - Beijing paid tribute to Gorbachev for making "positive contributions to the normalisation of Sino-Soviet relations".   - United Kingdom - Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he "always admired the courage and integrity" Gorbachev showed to help end the Cold War. "In a time of Putin's aggression in Ukraine, his tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all."    - France - President Emmanuel Macron described Gorbachev as a "man of peace" who "opened a path of liberty for Russians. His commitment to peace in Europe changed our shared history".   - Nobel Committee - The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Gorbachev was awarded the Peace Prize in 1990 for his "leading role in the process which led to the peaceful ending of the Cold War... including important arms control and international trust-building initiatives." The committee praised him for bringing "greater openness in Soviet society and allowing the people of Eastern Europe to regain their freedom."   - Israel - "Mikhail Gorbachev was one of the 20th century's most extraordinary figures," President Isaac Herzog said, calling him a "brave and visionary leader."   - Sweden - Foreign Minister Ann Linde said Gorbachev inspired her in her youth, offering "a hope for another future away from the repression and Cold War".  "So immensely sad the present leader is taking the opposite way," she wrote on Twitter.

Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, Russian news agencies cited hospital officials as saying. Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the United States and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War Two and bring about the reunification of Germany. When pro-democracy protests swept across the Soviet bloc nations of communist Eastern Europe in 1989, he refrained from using force - unlike previous Kremlin leaders who had sent tanks to crush uprisings in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. But the protests fuelled aspirations for autonomy in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union, which disintegrated over the next two years in chaotic fashion. Gorbachev struggled in vain to prevent that collapse. On becoming general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1985, aged just 54, he had set out to revitalise the system by introducing limited political and economic freedoms, but his reforms spun out of control. His policy of 'glasnost' - free speech - allowed previously unthinkable criticism of the party and the state, but also emboldened nationalists who began to press for independence in the Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and elsewhere. Many Russians never forgave Gorbachev for the turbulence that his reforms unleashed, considering the subsequent plunge in their living standards too high a price to pay for democracy. After visiting Gorbachev in hospital on June 30, liberal economist Ruslan Grinberg told the armed forces news outlet Zvezda: "He gave us all freedom - but we don't know what to do with it." (Reuters)

The UK's biggest warship has suffered from emergency mechanical failure off the south coast of the country. The warship /HMS Prince of Wales/ has broken down shortly after its departure from Portsmouth in the first step of its landmark mission to the US. The warship, which is 280 metres long and weighs 65,000 tons, was returned to the shore by tugboats. It arrived at Stokes Bay in Gosport city for examination by specialized engineers to find out the cause behind the malfunction. The warship will undergo a lengthy inspection at a dry dock, as its historic mission is suspended due to the mechanical failure.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was in Kyiv yesterday, hailing Ukraine’s six-month long resistance to the Russian invasion as his counterpart President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed the fight would continue “until the end”.  Wednesday marked half a year since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as the day the nation annually celebrates its 1991 independence from the Soviet Union. During a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital - hounded by air raid sirens throughout the day - Johnson said Putin had failed to account for the “strong will of Ukrainians to resist”. “You defend your right to live in peace, in freedom, and that’s why Ukraine will win,” he said in front of reporters during the afternoon. Johnson — who has less than two weeks left in office —warned against relaxing sanctions or normalising relations with Putin. “It is not the time to advance some flimsy plan for negotiation with someone that is simply not interested,” he told a press conference with Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader had issued his own defiant morning video address, declaring: “We don’t care what army you have, we only care about our land. We will fight for it until the end.” “For us Ukraine is the whole of Ukraine,” he said. “All 25 regions, without any concession or compromise.” Meanwhile, the US announced $3bn in fresh military aid. The new tranche of American funding will help Kyiv acquire more weaponry, ammunition and other supplies for its armed forces, locked in a grinding war of attrition with Russian troops in the east and south with neither side advancing significantly in weeks. Johnson also unveiled his own £54mn ($64mn) package of aid, including 2000 “state-of-the-art drones” as well as anti-tank munitions. The White House announcement came as Washington warned Moscow could be planning a surge in strikes on civilian targets coinciding with Independence Day observations. Gatherings have been banned in the capital Kyiv and Zelensky has urged citizens to be on guard against “Russian terror”. Nevertheless the leader and his wife marked a minute of silence for fallen Ukrainian soldiers and laid yellow and blue floral bouquets at a memorial in central Kyiv, the president’s office said. Johnson’s visit was accompanied by other messages of support from Ukraine’s allies. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the anniversary of the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine a “sad and tragic milestone”. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU has been standing with Ukraine “from the very beginning” and “will be for as long as it takes”. But in an absurd message, the authoritarian leader of Belarus - which offered its territory as a staging ground for Russia’s invasion - gave congratulations to Ukraine on its Independence Day. “I am convinced that today’s contradictions will not be able to destroy the centuries-old foundation of sincere good neighbourly ties between the peoples of our two countries,” Alexander Lukashenko said. In the early days and weeks of Russia’s invasion, Kyiv was under siege by Russian troops which reached the suburbs of the capital. Moscow’s offensive quickly faltered, and its forces withdrew in late March to regroup for assaults on Ukraine’s east and south. But in the capital, Ukrainians were sombre about the anniversary after a half-year of death and destruction. “Six months, the peace of life has been broken in every family,” Nina, an 80-year-old pensioner, said at Independence Square in central Kyiv, on Tuesday. “How much destruction, how many dead, how can we relate to it?” she asked. The capital city’s administration said it would shut public service centres on Wednesday and Thursday, and shopping malls said they would close for the anniversary for safety concerns. However in central Kyiv trailing crowds of people gathered in a surreal atmosphere to inspect dozens of disabled Russian tanks, trucks and armoured vehicles installed near the government quarter to showcase Ukraine’s military prowess. Cotton candy vendors plied trade to pedestrians, who peered down tank barrels and posed for selfies, draped in the Ukrainian flag.  Meanwhile, discussions continued on how to protect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, occupied by Russian troops and threatened by shelling, which Moscow blames on Kyiv. The two sides traded accusations at a Tuesday meeting of the UN Security Council on Zaporizhzhia, with Ukraine and its allies demanding Russia pull its troops out of the plant - Europe’s largest nuclear facility - and agree to a demilitarised zone. Zelensky told the Security Council via video link that Russia “should unconditionally stop nuclear blackmail” and “completely withdraw” from the plant. The Russian and French foreign ministers spoke on Tuesday by telephone about an expected visit to the plant by inspectors from UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), amid worries over the high risk of a radiation accident. And yesterday the head of Russia’s state nuclear energy agency met the IAEA chief to follow up on the expected inspection.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed that Ukraine would recapture its annexed peninsula of Crimea from Russia when it chooses and that Kyiv will not consult other countries before doing so. He made the comments at a news conference in Kyiv after the leaders of dozens of countries and international organisations took part – most of them by video – in Crimea Platform, a forum hosted by Ukraine focused on the peninsula. “We will take back Crimea- it is our territory. We will do this in any way which we decide. We will decide this by ourselves, without consultation with any other country in the world,” he said. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 years before launching its full-scale invasion in February this year, seizing chunks of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Ukraine has used Western-supplied weapons to target Russian supply lines and has pledged to conduct a major counteroffensive in the south. There have been a spate of explosions in Crimea in recent weeks that Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for even as it has coyly hinted its forces have played a part. In his comments yesterday, Zelensky addressed the crisis at the Russian-held nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia that has been hit by shelling in recent weeks, prompting calls for a mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the site. Russia has proposed that the mission travel to the site of the nuclear power plant from annexed Crimea, a proposal that Zelensky said would be contrary to Ukraine’s laws. “We know there were proposals for IAEA representatives to travel through occupied Crimea. We said that if this happens, then the IAEA will not (be able to) come to (Ukraine) anymore, according to our laws,” said Zelensky. Western leaders addressing the Crimea Platform conference meanwhile warned Russia against annexing other parts of Ukrainian territory amid rumours Russia is planning to do so in various occupied areas. Polish President Andrzej Duda, who attended the meeting in person with Zelensky, said the West’s muted reaction to the annexation constituted “appeasement” of Russia, adding there could be no more “business as usual” in the West’s relations with Moscow. The 2014 annexation of Crimea led to a “clear deterioration of the humanitarian situation and of human rights in the peninsula”, said French President Emmanuel Macron, who vowed EU support to Ukraine “for the long term”. Since February, Moscow has been using Crimea as a staging post for attacks on Ukraine as well as “a testing ground for the brutal methods Russia is now applying across the other occupied parts of Ukraine”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the conference. “Putin is planning to do to parts of Ukraine, indeed, to all of Ukraine, what he’s done to Crimea,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. “He is planning more annexations and more sham referendums, so it has never been more important to stand together.” The Kremlin has led a Russification campaign in the territories it occupies, which includes giving out passports. Kyiv also fears that Moscow may try to organise referendums on territories it has seized since the beginning of the war. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Western leaders “condemn Russia’s attempts to forcefully integrate parts of Ukrainian territory”. “Any sham referenda or other attempts to alter the status of parts of Ukrainian territory will never be recognised. Such steps preclude any negotiations,” Scholz said.

Nearly 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia invaded, the country’s top military officer said yesterday, as Moscow accused Kyiv over the assassination of the daughter of a leading hardliner. The European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell meanwhile told reporters in Spain that the bloc was considering military training for Ukraine’s forces. General Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, said Ukraine’s children needed particular attention “because their fathers have gone to the front and are maybe among the nearly 9,000 heroes who have been killed”. Zaluzhny’s comments on the Ukrainian death toll, reported by Interfax-Ukraine news agency, were the first indication of Kyiv’s military losses since April. Tomorrow Ukraine will mark its independence day – and six months since Russian troops invaded. After Ukrainian resistance thwarted an early Russian push on the capital Kyiv, Moscow’s forces have focused on gaining ground in the country’s east. The shockwaves of the war are being felt around the world with soaring energy prices and food shortages. A Ukraine presidential adviser told AFP that Russia is trying to coax Ukraine into fresh talks in order to buy time to regroup for a fresh offensive. For weeks, the Kremlin has been “trying to convince Ukraine to enter into negotiations”, Mykhaylo Podolyak told AFP. He suggested this was a ploy to “freeze the conflict while preserving the status quo in the occupied Ukrainian territories”. Podolyak said Kyiv believes Moscow does not really want serious peace talks but “an operation pause for its army” ahead of a new offensive. Russia’s FSB security services earlier accused Ukraine of being behind a car bombing on Saturday in the outskirts of Moscow that killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of hard-line Russian ideologue Alexander Dugin. “The crime was prepared and committed by Ukrainian special services,” the FSB said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the “vile crime” in a message of condolence to her family. The FSB statement said the person responsible was a Ukrainian woman born in 1979 who had rented an apartment in the same building where Dugina lived. After the car bombing, she had fled to EU member Estonia, it added. Dugin, 60, is an outspoken Russian ultranationalist intellectual who enthusiastically backs Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as did his daughter. Russian media reports suggest Dugina had borrowed her father’s car at the last minute. Over the weekend, Podolyak denied any Kyiv link to the bombing. In Spain, Borrell told reporters that EU defence ministers would next week discuss launching a major training operation for Ukrainian forces in nearby countries. “It seems reasonable that a war that is lasting and looks set to last requires an effort not only in terms of supplies of material,” Borrell said. “I hope it will be approved.” All EU member states would have to agree to step up the training that several are already providing Ukraine under bilateral agreements. EU defence ministers have a two-day meeting in Prague from next Monday. With much of Europe preparing for fuel shortages as Moscow cuts back its deliveries to the west in response to sanctions, Bulgaria said yesterday that it is seeking talks with Russia gas giant Gazprom. The country is almost totally dependent on Russia for natural gas supplies. “We obviously have to turn to them,” said Energy Minister Rosen Hristov. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky warned over the weekend that Russia might mark Ukraine’s Independence Day by launching a trial of Ukrainian soldiers captured during the siege of Mariupol. “This will be the line beyond which no negotiations are possible,” he warned in Sunday’s nightly address. The capital Kyiv has already announced a ban on public gatherings around the public holiday tomorrow, citing a heightened threat of Russian attack in a war that the United Nations said has killed more than 5,500 civilians, and the city of Kharkiv, in the east, has declared a curfew. Also yesterday, soldiers from Ukraine’s Azov regiment captured by Russian forces after the battle for Mariupol said that they were beaten in captivity. The soldiers, released as part of a prisoner exchange, told reporters that they saw soldiers that were beaten until their bones were broken. One ex-prisoner said he had observed cases of “serious torture”. Russia launched on February 24 what it calls a “special military operation” to demilitarise its smaller neighbour and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and its Western backers accuse Moscow of waging an imperial-style war of conquest.

A severe drought hitting swathes of Europe is “worsening” and, while rain is helping some regions, accompanying thunderstorms are causing their own damage, EU researchers said in a report yesterday. The latest monthly analysis by the European Union’s Global Drought Observatory (GDO) highlighted the risk of ongoing soil dryness caused by successive heatwaves since May and a “persistent lack” of rainfall. It maintained its warning issued with the previous report that nearly half of the EU’s territory is at risk of drought, and noted that shrivelling rivers and shrinking water sources are impacting energy generation at power plants and reducing crops. “The severe drought affecting many regions of Europe since the beginning of the year has been further expanding and worsening as of early August,” said the report, published by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Increasing “drought hazard” was predicted for big chunks of Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Romania and Hungary, as well as non-EU countries Britain, Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova. In all, it calculated that 17% of Europe was now in its red-alert category, higher than the 11% given in July. “Recent precipitation (mid-August) may have alleviated drought conditions in some regions of Europe. However, in some areas, associated thunderstorms caused damages, losses, and may have limited the beneficial effects of precipitation,” it said. Mediterranean parts of the EU should expect “warmer and drier than usual conditions” up to November, it said. Regions hit with rain “anomalies” in the past three months included parts of Portugal, Spain, southern France, central Italy, Switzerland, southern Germany and much of Ukraine. The GDO report said that normal levels of rain were likely to now come to parts of Europe between August and October but they “may not be enough to fully recover from the deficit cumulated in more than half a year”. Parts of Spain, Portugal and Croatia may continue to suffer “drier than normal weather conditions” however, while dry conditions in the Alps were likely to ease. The report said that atmospheric conditions linked to the sort of heatwaves baking Europe were, over May, June and July, at their highest since 1950. Forest fires raging south of Moscow have intensified, Russian authorities said yesterday, as residents of the capital complained of a sharp smell of smoke pervading the air. Since early August fires have been raging across the Ryazan region, some 200km (125 miles) southeast of Moscow, where officials have been scrambling personnel to put them out. The region’s acting governor Pavel Malkov said a state of emergency had been put in place and that residents in two settlements – Olgino and Golovanovo – had been ordered to evacuate. “The area covered by the fire continues to grow slowly. According to the Aerial Forest Protection Service, we are looking at about 8,000-9,000 hectares today,” he said, describing the situation as “tense”. Temperatures are expected to climb as high as 32° Celsius (91° Fahrenheit) in Moscow this week. The Russian capital recorded its highest temperature, 38.2C (100.8F), in 2010 when a massive forest fire covered the city in a thick layer of smog. Wildfires have intensified in Russia in recent years due to hotter weather caused by climate change. Environmentalists fear that fires and high temperatures could thaw the Siberian permafrost and peatlands, releasing carbon that has been stored in the frozen tundra. Spain’s government said yesterday it would classify regions struck by big wildfires this year as disaster zones, a move that will trigger emergency subsidies and other financial support measures. So far Spain has suffered nearly 400 wildfires, following punishing heatwaves and long dry spells, which have devastated more than 287,000 hectares of land, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). That is more than three times the total area destroyed in 2021, according to the EFFIS database. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his cabinet would approve classifying as a disaster zone “all territories that have been devastated by the great fires that we have endured throughout this year”. Parts of Spain are the driest they have been in a thousand years due to an atmospheric high-pressure system driven by climate change, according to a study published last month in the journal, Nature Geoscience. Portugal, hit by a third heatwave after weeks of wildfires, was on a 24-hour national alert yesterday to counter the threat posed by more blazes. Under its measures, the authorities have restricted access forests and banned fireworks displays, as well as stepping up the state of readiness of the emergency services. Having only just brought under control a fire that destroyed more than 28,000 hectares (69,000 acres) in the Serra da Estrela national park, civil protection authorities said firefighters were tackling another blaze in the central northern Vila Real region.

Russian forces pressed on with their offensive across several Ukrainian regions on Monday, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned of the potential for more serious attacks ahead of Ukraine's 31st anniversary of independence from Soviet rule. Artillery shells rained down on Nikopol, a city near Zaporizhzhia - Europe's biggest nuclear plant, while missiles struck near the Black Sea port of Odesa over the weekend. Zelenskiy has called for vigilance, saying Moscow could try "something particularly ugly" ahead of Wednesday, which marks Ukraine's Independence Day and also half a year since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Zelenskiy said he had discussed "all the threats" with French President Emmanuel Macron and word had also been sent to other leaders including Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "All of Ukraine's partners have been informed about what the terrorist state can prepare for this week," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, referring to Russia. He also said if Russia went ahead with plans to try captured Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol, then it would have violated international rules and cut itself off from negotiations. "If this despicable show trial were to go ahead ... this would be the line beyond which negotiations are no longer possible," he said. "There will be no more conversations. Our state has said everything." The Financial Times, in an article published Sunday, quoted Gennady Gatilov, Moscow's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, as saying Erdogan had tried to facilitate dialogue. But he dismissed speculation about talks between Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying there "was not any practical platform for having this meeting", the report said. In Russia, authorities are investigating a suspected car bomb attack outside Moscow that killed the daughter of Alexander Dugin, an ultra-nationalist Russian ideologue who advocates Russia absorbing Ukraine. While investigators said they were considering "all versions" when it came to establishing who was responsible, the Russian Foreign Ministry speculated there could be a link to Ukraine, something a Zelenskiy adviser dismissed. "Ukraine, of course, had nothing to do with this because we are not a criminal state, like the Russian Federation, and moreover we are not a terrorist state," Mykhailo Podolyak said on Ukrainian TV. As Ukraine prepared to mark its Independence Day embroiled in a war that has flattened towns and cities, killed thousands and forced millions to flee, officials reported more Russian strikes on targets in the east and south of the country. In the eastern Bakhmut region, Russian forces inflicted damage from artillery and multiple rocket launcher systems in the areas of Soledar, Zaytseve and Bilogorivka settlements, Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily update on Monday. They continued to focus their efforts on establishing full control over the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, maintaining the captured areas of Kherson and parts of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv regions, the General Staff added. Of particular concern is the shelling of Nikopol. Nikopol was shelled on five different occasions overnight, regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram on Sunday. He said 25 artillery shells hit the city, causing a fire at an industrial premises and cutting power to 3,000 residents. The fighting near Zaporizhzhia and a missile strike on the southern town of Voznesensk, not far from Ukraine's second-largest atomic plant, have spurred fears of a nuclear accident. On Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Macron held a phone call stressing the importance of ensuring the safety of nuclear installations, while underlining their "steadfast commitment" to Ukraine. Moscow says it is engaged in a "special military operation" to disarm and "denazify" its neighbour. Ukraine and its allies say Moscow has launched an unprovoked war of aggression. Russia said on Sunday that its Kalibr missiles had destroyed an ammunition depot containing missiles for US-made HIMARS rockets in Ukraine's southeastern Odesa region, home to ports critical to a UN-brokered plan to help Ukrainian agricultural exports reach world markets again. Kyiv said a granary had been hit. Reuters was not able to independently verify the battlefield reports.

Workers at Britain's biggest container port, Felixstowe, on Sunday began an eight-day strike over pay, in the latest industrial action as decades-high inflation intensifies the country's cost-of-living crisis.  Nearly 2,000 unionised employees at the port in eastern England, including crane drivers, machine operators and stevedores, started their walkout Sunday morning in the first strike at Felixstowe since 1989. It comes amid stoppages over pay and working conditions across various UK industries, with railway workers just the latest to strike on Thursday and Saturday this week. Postal workers plan a four-day strike later this month, Telecoms giant BT will face its first stoppage in decades while Amazon warehouse staff, criminal lawyers and refuse collectors are among the others staging walkouts. Pay hike demands are driven by inflation, which hit a 40-year-high above 10 percent last month, as soaring food and energy prices hurt millions. The Bank of England has forecast it will top 13 percent this year, tipping the British economy into a deep and long recession. The global impact of the war in Ukraine on energy and food prices, and, to a lesser extent, post-Brexit trade frictions are blamed for the  UK's spiralling cost of living. The Unite union representing the striking Felixstowe staff said the stoppage will have a big impact at the port, which handles around four million containers a year from 2,000 ships. The union wants pay rises for its members at or near inflation, arguing the docks are "enormously profitable". "They can give Felixstowe workers a decent pay raise," said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham, who added that parent company, CK Hutchison Holding Ltd, handed out nearly 100 million ($121 million) to shareholders in 2020.  The Port of Felixstowe said in a statement that it was "disappointed" the walkout had gone ahead and called its offer of salary increases of on average 8 percent "fair". "The port provides secure and well-paid employment and there will be no winners from this unnecessary industrial action," it added.

Carl Frampton enjoyed many memorable moments during his boxing career, but the retired two-weight world champion has now switched his focus to campaigning for integrated schools in divided Northern Ireland. Religious differences between Catholics and Protestants still shape life in the UK province, 24 years after the landmark Good Friday peace deal. The vast majority of children still go to segregated schools and live in segregated communities. Frampton, who hung up his gloves last year, is an ambassador for the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education and is determined to use his profile to push for change. The 35-year-old Protestant says he and his Catholic wife, Christine, are not churchgoers and did not christen their children, Carla, 11, and seven-year-old Rossa in church, preferring a humanist ceremony. They do not go to an integrated school, in which pupils from both communities mix, but that is because none exists near their home in Lisburn. “One of the issues is there are not enough options,” Frampton told AFP. “It is a prime school for becoming officially integrated due to the demographics of the area.” “There are many children from mixed marriages and some Catholics. I am going to push on with it next year and hope they will accept,” he said. “If I was involved with the primary school becoming integrated, it would be a hugely proud moment for me.” A survey of around 2,000 people carried out last year by LucidTalk for the Integrated Education Fund found that 71$ believed integrated education should be the norm – a rise of five percentage points since 2013. There are currently 68 formally integrated schools and colleges in Northern Ireland, which represent 7.5% of its educational settings, teaching about 25,000 children. “The numbers do not add up as there is a desire for it,” Frampton said. “I think one of our biggest issues is we do not have a government at the minute.” Northern Ireland is currently engulfed in a protracted political crisis following elections in May that swept nationalists to victory for the first time in the province’s history. “The two main parties – the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) believes integrated schooling dilutes Britishness and Sinn Fein that it dilutes Irishness,” said Frampton. “That is simply not the case. It is about kids growing up alongside each other. I do not see the argument against having more integrated schools.” Frampton, who quit boxing after his defeat to Jamel Herring in April last year, is encouraged by the story of his own school “My old school, Glen High, is officially integrated in a loyalist (Protestant) area,” he said. “If you had told me this would be integrated, I would have laughed at you.” “It is great to see times are changing, and although I had nothing to do with this I am very proud of my former school,” he added. Frampton was speaking in Commonwealth Games host city Birmingham recently on the power of athletes to be agents for change. The former boxer is aware of the weight his name carries. “It does give you a little more access than an ordinary guy walking in off the street,” he said. “With a high profile I always feel like you should use it in a positive way.” “A teenager listens, I think, to a sports person, actor or successful businessman.”