Queen’s funeral to be held on 19th September; King Charles III proclaimed monarch

London, UK Reuters The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will be held on Monday, 19th September, royal officials said on Saturday, as her son Charles was officially proclaimed Britain’s new king in a colourful ceremony laden with pageantry and dating back centuries. The death of the 96-year-monarch has provoked tears, sadness and warm tributes, […]
Russia loses control of key north-east towns as Ukrainian troops advance

Kyiv/Hrakove, Ukraine Reuters Moscow abandoned its main bastion in north-eastern Ukraine on Saturday, in a sudden collapse of one of the war’s principal front lines after Ukrainian forces made a rapid advance. The swift fall of Izium in Kharkiv province was Moscow’s worst defeat since its troops were forced back from the capital Kyiv in […]
King Charles III vows to follow Queen’s example as he is proclaimed monarch

Updated 9pm (AEST) London, UK Reuters King Charles III pledged on Saturday to follow the example of his late mother as he was officially proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch on Saturday at a historic ceremony in St James’s Palace. The death of 96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday after 70 years on the throne set […]
Fifteen killed, hundreds of houses burned in eastern Congo attack

Beni, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters Suspected militiamen carrying guns and knives killed at least 15 people and burned hundreds of houses during an attack overnight on a market in a town in eastern Congo, local officials and a resident said on Friday. The raid, near the town of Djugu, is the latest in a […]
Global standards body approves new merchant code for gun sellers

Reuters An international standards body has approved creation of a merchant code for gun retailers, a representative said on Friday, following pressure from activists who say it will help track suspicious weapons purchases. At a meeting this week, a subcommittee of the International Organization for Standardization approved what is known as a “merchant category code” […]
Mixed feelings among some in Africa for Queen Elizabeth II

Johannesburg, South Africa/Thika, Kenya Reuters As condolences poured in from around the world after Queen Elizabeth II’s death, there were mixed feelings among some Africans about the monarch and her country’s colonial legacy on a continent where Britain once ruled more than half the territory. Some had fond memories of Britain’s longest serving monarch – […]
Britain, facing economic crisis, pauses to mourn the Queen; Australia holds wreath-laying ceremony

London, UK Reuters The death of Queen Elizabeth II has stilled the business of state in Britain at a time when the government, Bank of England and companies are battling to contain inflation and mitigate a deep economic crisis. New Prime Minister Liz Truss – appointed by the queen on Tuesday, just two days before […]
Queen Elizabeth II’s reign: Golden age, or last embers of a bygone era?

MICHAEL HOLDEN, of Reuters, reports on how the Queen’s reign will be seen in the long view…
Queen was upbeat, shared memories in her final days, says clergyman

London, UK Reuters Queen Elizabeth II was upbeat, recalled childhood memories, and shared her anguish over the war in Ukraine, says a Scottish clergyman who dined with the monarch just days before her death. As Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields was invited last weekend […]
A child’s death highlights threat posed to young by Pakistan’s floods

Sehwan, Pakistan Reuters In the hours before her six-year-old son died in her lap, Badar Bibi recalled how she rushed from a field clinic set up to treat people caught in Pakistan’s worst floods in decades to a city hospital, desperate to bring down the boy’s fever. First she took Abdul Qadeer to a makeshift […]