Sabtu, 10 September 2022
ITV News special coverage as Charles is proclaimed King in historic ceremony - ITV News
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2022-09-10 08:30:20Z
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Jumat, 09 September 2022
God Save The King sang at end of memorial service for Queen at St Paul's Cathedral - Sky News
The first official rendition of God Save The King of the new monarch's reign has been sung at the end of a memorial service for the Queen.
The lyrics to the national anthem have changed from "Queen" to "King" and "her victorious" to "him victorious" to mark King Charles III becoming head of state.
It comes after crowds spontaneously sang the version of the song outside Buckingham Palace on Friday as the King arrived with the Queen Consort Camilla.
King Charles gives emotional address - follow live updates
The anthem is also expected to be sung at the Kia Oval cricket ground on Saturday as England and South Africa's Third Test Match resumes. The match was paused on Friday following the Queen's death.
No members of the Royal Family were present at the service at St Paul's Cathedral but audio of King Charles's first address to the nation was played to the congregation.
The King said he was speaking with "feelings of profound sorrow" as he told the country: "Queen Elizabeth was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today."
King Charles went on to say: "As the Queen herself did with such unswerving devotion, I too now solemnly pledge myself, throughout the remaining time God grants me, to uphold the constitutional principles at the heart of our nation.
"And wherever you may live in the United Kingdom, or in the realms and territories across the world, and whatever may be your background or beliefs, I shall endeavour to serve you with loyalty, respect and love, as I have throughout my life."
Prime Minister Liz Truss and senior ministers were also in attendance along with 2,000 members of the public who collected wristbands on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Ms Truss, who met King Charles for a brief audience in-person at Buckingham Palace earlier, gave a brief reading from the Bible.
She said: "We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's."
Members of the congregation became tearful through the service as the choir sang.
One woman was seen using a handkerchief to wipe her eyes as she sat in the pews at St Paul's.
The Bishop of London then gave an address where she said the Queen had a "remarkable Christian faith" and Jesus Christ was a "fountain and well from which she drew deeply".
Dame Sarah Mullally continued: "If Christ was her anchor, her husband, the late Prince Philip was, in her own words, Her Majesty's 'strength and stay'.
Read more:
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Day-by-day guide to what happens until Elizabeth II's funeral
MPs pay tribute to Queen as Johnson says monarch 'as radiant as ever' in final days
"Yet even in the depths of her own mourning we saw once again her courage and her instinct for putting the needs of others first."
Dame Sarah also reflected on the longevity of the Queen's reign, describing her as a "remarkable constant in the lives of millions".
Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey, Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt and Welsh Secretary Robert Buckland were seen all standing together and singing along to a hymn during the service.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby delivered the blessing at the end of the hour-long service.
Solemn Prelude "In Memoriam" from For The Fallen by composer Edward Elgar was played before the service got under way at 6pm.
The hymns All My Hope On God Is Founded and O Thou Who Camest From Above were sung during the event.
A hundreds-strong queue formed ahead of the service, winding from St Paul's to beyond the Tube station streets away.
Many people were dressed smartly in black suits and ties while others wore black mourning veils as they waited to take their seat inside the cathedral.
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2022-09-09 18:56:15Z
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Woken at 5am by police at the bedroom door: How Commonwealth leaders heard the Queen had died - Sky News
The prime minister of New Zealand has told how she was woken at 5am by a police officer shining a torch into her bedroom to tell her the news of the Queen's death.
Jacinda Ardern's anecdote, and subsequent heartfelt tribute to Her Majesty, is one of many from the heads of Commonwealth nations.
New Zealand
Under New Zealand's constitutional arrangements, the queen was also the country's monarch and head of state, and Ms Ardern described her as "extraordinary".
"The last days of the queen's life captures who she was in so many ways - working until the very end on behalf of the people she loved," she said.
She added that, like many other people, she was feeling not only deep sadness but also deep gratitude.
"Here is a woman who gave her life, utterly, to the service of others. And regardless of what anyone thinks of the role of monarchies around the world, there is undeniably, I think here, a display of someone who gave everything on behalf of her people, and her people included the people of Aotearoa New Zealand."
Nigeria
Another of the Commonwealth nations, Nigeria, gained independence from the British in 1960, four years after the late Queen's first official visit to the West African nation.
When the monarch last visited in 2003, she spoke of Nigeria's critical role in the Commonwealth and applauded the country for its "leading part in the new partnership for Africa's development".
Muhammadu Buhari, its president, expressed "immense sadness" over her death.
"Her late Majesty was the only British sovereign known to 90% of our population," he said, describing the late Queen's reign as "unique and wonderful".
He added: "The story of modern Nigeria will never be complete without a chapter on Queen Elizabeth ll, a towering global personality and an outstanding leader.
"She dedicated her life to making her nation, the Commonwealth and the entire world a better place."
The Queen's death comes as a growing number of British territories in the Caribbean seek to replace the monarch with their own heads of state, as demands grow that Britain apologises for its colonial-era abuses and award its former colonies slavery reparations.
Nonetheless, Caribbean leaders from Jamaica to Bermuda and beyond mourned the Queen's death.
Jamaica
Andrew Holness, the Jamaican prime minister, noted that since she was crowned in 1953, the Queen visited the island every decade until 2002.
"Undoubtedly, she formed a special bond with the people of Jamaica during her reign," he said. "We are saddened that we will not see her light again, but we will remember her historic reign."
In March, when Prince William and Kate visited Jamaica as part of an official trip to the Caribbean, Mr Holness made an unexpected announcement in public that the British Commonwealth country intended to become fully independent.
Since then, Jamaica has established a Constitution Reform Committee and is scheduled to hold a referendum in 2025. If approved, it would join other republics in the region including Barbados, Dominica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.
Australia
The Queen was Australia's official head of state, though today the role is considered primarily ceremonial.
Anthony Albanese, the prime minister, said she is the only reigning monarch most Australians have known and the only one to visit their country.
"And over the course of a remarkable seven decades, Her Majesty was a rare and reassuring constant amidst rapid change," he said.
"Through the noise and turbulence of the years, she embodied and exhibited a timeless decency and an enduring calm."
Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called her "a constant presence in our lives".
"Her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country's history," he said.
Read more:
Queen sends subtle message to Ukraine as she meets Canadian PM
"I'm having trouble believing that my last sit-down with her was my last," Mr Trudeau added. "I will so miss those chats."
The Queen, who was Canada's head of state, visited the country 22 times as monarch.
Ghana
In Ghana, which became a member of the Commonwealth in 1957, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recalled Elizabeth's visits and praised "the friendliness, elegance, style and sheer joy she brought to the performance of her duties".
"We shall miss her inspiring presence, her calm, her steadiness, and, above all, her great love and belief in the higher purpose of the Commonwealth of Nations, and in its capacity to be a force for good in our world," he said.
Bermuda
Bermuda Premier David Burt noted her reign "has spanned decades of such immense change for the United Kingdom and the world".
He said she had lived a life of "undimmed duty" and was a "model of strength and devotion to country".
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2022-09-09 06:22:30Z
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Kamis, 08 September 2022
Queen Elizabeth dies at 96, ending an era for Britain - Reuters UK
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BALMORAL, Scotland, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth, Britain's longest-reigning monarch and the nation's figurehead for seven decades, died at her home in Scotland aged 96 on Thursday.
"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."
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 on Thursday 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 Feb. 6, 1952, when she was just 25.
CROWNED
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 Two, 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.
RECORDS
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.
"For millions of people – across the Commonwealth and the wider world – she embodied the heart and soul of our nation, and was admired and respected around the globe."
Opinion polls have suggested that Charles does not enjoy anywhere near the same level of support and there is speculation that the loss of Elizabeth may see a rise in republican sentiment, particularly in the other realms.
"I think it will be an enormous shock to everybody, much more than they realise. I don't know if it's an exaggeration to think there will be some sort of almost national nervous breakdown," royal historian Hugo Vickers said.
He said her reign was unlikely to be rivalled.
"I think to be quite honest, if we lived 1,000 years, we would never see anything quite like it again."
At her death the queen was head of state of not only the United Kingdom but also of Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda.
Additional reporting by Muvija M, Kate Holton, William James, Alistair Smout, Paul Sandle, Kylie MacLellan, Sachin Ravikumar, Farouq Suleiman, Elizabeth Piper, William Schomberg, David Milliken, Hannah McKay and Sarah McFarlane; Reporting by Michael Holden in London and Russell Cheyne in Balmoral; Editing by Kate Holton, Janet Lawrence and Angus MacSwan
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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2022-09-08 18:07:00Z
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Queen Elizabeth's family rush to side of ailing monarch - Reuters UK
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BALMORAL, Scotland, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Britain's royal family rushed to be with Queen Elizabeth after doctors said they were concerned about the health of the 96-year-old monarch on Thursday and said she should remain under medical supervision.
The queen, Britain's longest-reigning sovereign and the world's oldest monarch, has been suffering from what Buckingham Palace has called "episodic mobility problems" since the end of last year.
"Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision," the palace said in a statement.
"The queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral."
Her eldest son and heir Prince Charles and his wife Camilla travelled to her Scottish home, Balmoral Castle, where she is staying, along with his eldest son Prince William, officials said. Her other children - Anne, Andrew and Edward - were also due to be at the castle.
A spokesperson said Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, in Britain for a number of events, would travel to Scotland.
Such a family gathering, outside of holiday events such as Christmas or major public events, is extremely rare.
The BBC interrupted its normal schedule to switch to constant coverage of the queen.
"My prayers, and the prayers of people across the @churchofengland and the nation, are with Her Majesty The Queen today," Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said on Twitter. read more
Last October, Elizabeth spent a night in hospital and she has been forced to cut back on public engagements since then. On Wednesday she cancelled a virtual meeting with senior ministers after being advised to rest by her doctors.
The previous day she had been pictured appointing Liz Truss as the country's new prime minister at Balmoral, the 15th premier of her record-breaking reign.
A palace source played down speculation that the monarch had suffered a fall.
RECORD-BREAKING REIGN
Elizabeth has been queen of Britain and more than a dozen other countries since 1952, including Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and earlier this year marked her 70th year on the throne with four days of national celebrations in June.
"I have been inspired by the kindness, joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days, and I hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come," she said at the time.
Elizabeth came to the throne after the death of her father King George VI on Feb. 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.
She became monarch at a time when Britain retained much of its empire. It was emerging from the ravages of World War Two, with food rationing still in force and class and privilege still dominant in society.
Winston Churchill was the first prime minister who served during her reign, Joseph Stalin was leader of the Soviet Union, the Korean War was raging.
"My thoughts - and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom - are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family," Truss said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter: "My thoughts, and the thoughts of Canadians across the country, are with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at this time."
And the U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jane Hartley, said: "I join the people of the United Kingdom, the United States, and across the world in sending our thoughts and prayers to Her Majesty The Queen and her family."
Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the House of Commons, interrupted an energy debate in parliament when the news broke.
"Along with the rest of the country, I am deeply worried by the news from Buckingham Palace this afternoon," opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer said.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on Twitter: "All of us are feeling profoundly concerned at reports of Her Majesty’s health."
Well-wishers gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London.
Alexander Caplan, 40, a technology entrepreneur, said: "I work close by and I heard on the news about her Majesty’s failing health so I was concerned and it led me to come to Buckingham Palace, to be at the heart of the monarchy."
He added: "I think that Charles will become a very good king one day."
Additional reporting by Sarah McFarlane; Editing by Kate Holton and Janet Lawrence
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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2022-09-08 16:55:00Z
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One in eight on hospital waiting list as backlog grows - BBC
The backlog in hospital treatment continues to grow with nearly one in eight people now waiting for operations or other types of care in England.
The newly-released NHS England data shows there were 6.84 million people on the waiting list at the end of July.
It is a record number - before the pandemic there were 4.2 million waiting for treatment.
There were slight improvements in emergency care with ambulance and A&E waits decreasing.
But both services are still a long way from meeting their targets though.
Close to three in 10 people waited longer than four hours in A&E in August, while ambulance crews continued to struggle to respond to 999 calls within their target times.
The new figures illustrate the scale of the challenge facing new prime minister Liz Truss and her health secretary Therese Coffey.
Ms Truss has promised to put the NHS on a "firm footing" and the government is expected to unveil a plan for the health service next week.
It will cover England only as health is devolved.
Nigel Edwards, chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, a health think tank, said the figures showed what a "monumental challenge" the government faces. "The new prime minister inherits an NHS in a critical condition," he added.
The data also includes information on two-year waits, which the government had promised to eliminate by the end of July.
At the start of the year there were more than 22,000 people who had been waiting more than two years with another 50,000 getting close to that mark.
There are currently nearly 2,900 people who have been waiting more than two years, but NHS England said the vast majority of these were either people who had chosen to wait or were complex cases that needed more time to assess.
NHS England medical director Prof Sir Stephen Powis said it showed "significant progress" was being made.
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2022-09-08 09:48:43Z
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Liz Truss set to unveil plans to limit energy bill rises - BBC
New Prime Minister Liz Truss will unveil plans to limit energy bill rises on Thursday, spending billions to protect people from soaring prices.
Typical household energy bills could be capped at around £2,500 a year, with firms also likely to get some relief.
It is unclear how long the support will last, but the government is expected to borrow at least £100bn to pay for it.
Currently, a typical household's annual gas and electricity bill is due to rise from £1,971 to £3,549 in October.
Experts and charities have warned that without help with soaring energy bills, lives will be at risk this winter, as people struggle to afford basic day-to-day living costs.
The increase in consumers' bills follows sharp rises in wholesale gas prices largely due to the conflict in Ukraine, which has reduced supplies of Russian gas.
Ahead of the announcement, Ms Truss said she knew families and firms were worried about "how they are going to make ends meet this autumn and winter".
"Putin's war in Ukraine and weaponisation of gas supply in Europe is causing global prices to rise - and this has only made clearer that we must boost our long-term energy security and supply," she said.
She pledged to "tackle the root cause of these problems, so that we are not in this position again".
To limit the amount customers' bills go up by, the government is expected to compensate energy firms for the difference between the wholesale price for gas and electricity they pay and the amount they can charge customers.
How is the rising cost of living affecting you? Do you have any questions for our experts? Get in touch.
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Customers will not be expected to repay the help, with the huge support package due to be funded by the government borrowing about £100bn.
The final sum will depend on the cost of energy on the international energy markets - which can be extremely volatile - as well as whether additional support is offered to the most vulnerable households.
But Labour said the government should extend a windfall tax on gas and oil company profits to pay for the package - with leader Sir Keir Starmer warning that working people will be footing the bill for "vast" energy firm profits under her plans.
Ed Miliband, the shadow secretary for climate change, told the BBC on Thursday: "We know that the energy companies are making excess profits of £170bn over the next two years
"I cannot understand - apart from ideology and dogma - why the first port of call should not be [taxing] these excess profits."
The government is, however,planning a shake-up of the energy market, the BBC has learned. Following a series of meetings with officials, energy companies - mainly in the nuclear and renewables sector - have agreed in principle to accept new long-term contracts at fixed prices well below current rates, BBC climate editor Justin Rowlatt said.
Most accept that the profits they are making currently are not sustainable during a national crisis, he added.
However, Mr Miliband said accepting "slightly lower prices now" would mean "much higher prices" in future and be a "terrible deal for billpayers".
Rocketing prices are leaving households facing eyewatering energy bills. Several councils are considering setting up "warm banks" - community spaces for people who cannot afford winter heating - while some teachers are warning of cuts to staff, school trips or courses to cover rising costs.
Every household in the UK is already due to be given a one-off £400 discount on their fuel bills from October - a move announced by Ms Truss's defeated leadership rival Rishi Sunak while he was chancellor.
And £650 will be paid to more than eight million low-income households who receive benefits or tax credits, alongside further payments to pensioner households and disabled people.
The current price cap - set by Ofgem and which limits the maximum amount domestic customers can be charged for each unit of energy - is due to increase in October. It will mean a typical household will pay £3,549 a year for their energy.
Unlike households, businesses are not protected by an energy price cap. Many are currently facing even sharper rises in energy bills than households, which could lead to firms going under or cutting their wage bills by firing staff.
But firms are also expected to receive some relief under the new plan.
The system to support business could be more complex than that for households and is likely to be reviewed more often. According to reports, it could see the government force energy firms to offer specific reductions on the unit price of the energy used by firms.
Business groups have welcomed the plan, although the British Chambers of Commerce warned "it remains to be seen" whether it goes far enough in providing the support that firms need.
Abdul Shahid, who runs the Masala restaurant in Derby city centre, said his business needed help "now, not three months later".
"Our energy bills have more than doubled in many cases and all of our ingredients have gone up as well," he told the BBC's Today programme. "We are definitely thinking about shutting our doors, it's very stressful."
Rosemary Brown, director of Bluebell Dairy, a luxury ice cream maker, said her energy costs had jumped from £35,000 a year to £80,000. That would rise to £225,000 a year if she renewed tomorrow, she added.
"We need help with capping the energy costs for the immediate future. We also strongly need to see some investment from the government in renewable energy so that 12 months along the line we've got systems in place."
If businesses are included, that could see the overall cost of the government support package rise to well above £100bn.
The cost of UK government borrowing is currently at its highest level for eight years, with the yield on 10-year bonds rising above 3%. The rise in yield indicates investors' anticipation that the government will have to borrow more in future. It also means any future borrowing will be more expensive.
Shorter recession
However, some economists have suggested that plans to cap energy bills could mean that increases in the cost of living will peak earlier and be "significantly lower" than previously forecast.
The cost of living is currently rising at its fastest rate in 40 years, with prices 10.1% higher than the same time last year. The rise is largely driven by the sharp rise in energy prices.
Investment bank Goldman Sachs said that a cap on household energy bills could see inflation peak at 10.8% in October, rather than the 14.8% forecast before. It also sees prices falling more quickly as well, with inflation slowing to 2.4% by December 2023.
The Bank of England also said the plan could slow rising prices.
However, both cautioned that there was uncertainty around what exactly the plan will look like and what would happen once any cap is lifted.
Economists also expect the UK to fall into a recession despite Ms Truss' energy support plan - albeit a shorter and less severe one.
The Bank of England predicted the UK will enter a recession later this year - with the Bank's governor Andrew Bailey saying there is little that can be done to stop that happening.
Meanwhile, Ms Truss is also reportedly set to announce she is scrapping the ban on fracking which was introduced in 2019 over concerns it was causing earth tremors.
The controversial gas extraction technique involves drilling into the earth and directing a high-pressure solution at a rock layer to release the gas inside.
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2022-09-08 07:54:45Z
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