UKRAINE CLAIMS MORE TERRITORIAL GAINS

Ukraine claimed on Monday that it took several more villages, pushing Russian forces right back to the northeastern border, part of a lightning counteroffensive that forced Moscow to withdraw troops from some areas in recent days.

After months of little discernible movement on the battlefield, Kyiv’s sudden momentum has lifted Ukrainian morale and provoked outrage in Russia and even some rare public criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s war. As Ukrainian flags began to flutter over one city emerging from Russian occupation, a local leader alleged that the Kremlin’s troops had committed atrocities against civilians there similar to those in other places seized by Moscow.

“In some areas of the front, our defenders reached the state border with the Russian Federation,” said Oleh Syniehubov, the Governor of the northeastern Kharkiv region. Over the weekend, the Russian Defence Ministry said troops would be pulled from two areas in that region to regroup in the eastern region of Donetsk.

It was not yet clear if Ukraine’s latest blitz could signal a turning point in the war — though some analysts suggested it might be while also cautioning there would likely be months more fighting. Momentum has switched back and forth before.

Still, the mood was jubilant across the country.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Monday that its troops had liberated more than 20 settlements in the last 24 hours. In Kharkiv, authorities hailed some return to normalcy, noting that power and water had been restored to about 80% of the region’s population following Russian attacks on infrastructure that knocked out electricity in many places.

“You are heroes!!!” wrote Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov early in the morning on Telegram, referring to those restoring utilities. “Thanks to everyone who did everything possible on this most difficult night for Kharkiv to normalize the life of the city as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile in Russia, signs of disarray emerged as Russian military bloggers and other commentators chastised the Kremlin for failing to mobilize more forces and take stronger action against Ukraine.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Moscow-backed leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, publicly criticized the Russian Defense Ministry for what he called “mistakes” that made the Ukrainian blitz possible.

Even more notable, such criticism seeped onto state-controlled Russian TV.

“People who convinced President Putin that the operation will be fast and effective ... these people really set up all of us,” Boris Nadezhdin, a former parliament member, said on a talk show on NTV television. “We’re now at the point here we have to understand that it’s absolutely impossible to defeat Ukraine using these resources and colonial war methods.”

NO HELICOPTERS, TAKE A BUS, WORLD LEADERS TOLD FOR QUEEN'S FUNERAL: REPORT

Foreign leaders and their spouses attending Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral have been told to fly commercial into Britain and take laid-on buses to reach the service, reports have said.

Around 500 foreign dignitaries are expected to attend Britain's first state funeral in six decades as officials mount "a huge-scale operation" for the event on September 19, a source at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office told AFP.

"The logistics have been meticulously planned to try to make it as smooth as possible for those attending," the source added.

News website Politico reported that attendees have been told not to use their own vehicles to reach the service at Westminster Abbey or travel across London by helicopter.

Instead, they will be transported by escorted private buses to the abbey from a site in west London where they will have parked, it reported, citing an official protocol message sent to overseas embassies.

"Tight security and road restrictions" were cited by Politico as the reasons, but the purported stipulations have raised eyebrows, with one London-based foreign ambassador telling Politico: "Can you imagine Joe Biden on the bus?"

Thousands of police officers from across the country will be redeployed to London to help manage the huge crowds expected.

As well as world leaders and royals, up to a million people are expected to descend on the streets of capital during the four-day period leading up to the funeral, when the queen's coffin will lie in state at parliament.

Visiting global leaders can attend the lying-in-state and sign a condolence book at Lancaster House immediately afterwards, according to the leaked document quoted by Politico.

They will also be able to deliver a tribute to the late queen of up to three minutes, which will be recorded for the media, it said.

King Charles III will reportedly host a reception at Buckingham Palace for overseas leaders on the eve of the funeral.

KING CHARLES ADDRESSES PARLIAMENT, VOWS TO UPHOLD BRITISH CONSTITUTION

London : Under the ancient, vaulted timbers of Westminster Hall, King Charles III addressed Britain’s Parliament on Monday for the first time as sovereign, accepting condolences and pledging to uphold the principles of the country’s constitutional monarchy. Speaking from the chamber where the body of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, will lie in state later this week, Charles said, “Parliament is the living and breathing instrument of our democracy.”

The ceremony showcased the harmonious and occasionally fraught intersection of royalty and government. There were expressions of fealty from parliament to the king and areciprocal pledge by him toabide by the limits of his constitutional role, which stipulates that he remain above politics. Charles paid tribute to the queen, whom he said was a “pattern to all princes living,” quoting from Shakespeare. He referred to her constancy, symbolized by a stained-glass window that was installed to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee in 2012. “While very young, her late majesty pledged herself to serve her country and her people and to maintain the precious principles of constitutional government. This vow, she kept with unsurpassed devotion. She set an example of selfless duty which with God’s help and your counsels I am resolved faithfully to follow.”

PAK. IS GRAPPLING WITH FOOD SHORTAGES: SHARIF

Pakistan is grappling with food shortages after deadly floods left the impoverished country’s agriculture belt underwater, the Prime Minister told the Turkish President by phone, as authorities scaled up efforts on Monday to deliver food, tents and other items.

Shahbaz Sharif spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan overnight to thank Turkey for dispatching food, tents and medicine by 12 military aircraft, four trains and Turkish Red Crescent trucks. The International Rescue Committee estimated that the floods have damaged more than 3.6 million acres of crops in Pakistan.

A government statement said Mr. Sharif briefed Mr. Erdogan about the government’s relief activities and sought assistance from Turkey in overcoming the “food shortage.” Mr. Sharif also sought help from Turkey on reconstruction work in the flood-hit areas.

More than 6,60,000 people are living at relief camps and in makeshift homes after floods damaged their homes across the country and forced them to move to safer places. Pakistan, the country’s military, UN agencies and local charities are providing food to these flood victims.

ROCKETING ENERGY PRICES HIT AS EUROPE DEBATES GAS PRICE CAP; NORWAY ‘SCEPTICAL’

London/Paris : Europe felt the chill of soaring energy prices on Monday, with France saying it could not foot all of the extra costs for consumers, while Britain faces a rising risk of recession. The EU and Britain are battling to mitigate the shock of what some politicians have dubbed an “energy war” with Russia, which has slashed gas exports to Europe. The European Commission is set to unveil a package of proposed emergency measures on Wednesday for the 27-nation EU, including a windfall profit levy on energy firms and a life-raft for power firms facing a liquidity crunch. But co-untries are split over the details and whether to impose a cap on gas prices, diplomats sa id. In France, finance minister Bruno Le Maire said consumers would be protected by new caps on energy prices when the current ones run out this winter, but stressed that households would need to absorb a “small part” of the increased costs themselves. In Britain, the economy expanded by 0. 2% in July compared to June, less than the 0. 4% expected. The sharp climb in energy costs hurt demand for electricity and aleap in the cost of materials hit the construction sector. A“disappointingly small rebound in real GDP in July suggests that the economy has little momentum and is probably already in recession,” said Paul Dales at Capital Economics.

Meanwhile, as the European Commission drafts the next series of EU measures, Norway warned it is against gas caps. Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Stoere said, “A maximum price would not solve the fundamental problem, which is that there is too little gas in Europe. ” Norway, which is a close ally of the EU, has become the bloc’s largest supplier of gas after Russia cut back exports.

UN: TALIBAN HARASSING OUR WOMEN STAFF

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan has accused Taliban authorities of harassing its Afghan female employees, urging local officials to respect all its staff.

“There has been an emerging pattern of harassment of Afghan UN female staff by the de facto authorities,” the UN said in a statement. Three Afghan women working for the the agency were recently detained briefly and questioned by “armed security agents of the de facto authorities,” it added.

Taliban released a statement, denying any detention of UN employees.

IN RUSSIA, KREMLIN CANDIDATES WIN ALL 14 GOVERNORSHIPS

Pro-Kremlin candidates won all of the 14 regional governorships that were chosen in the first elections in Russia since it sent troops into Ukraine, according to preliminary results on Monday. Most of the winners ran as members of United Russia, the country’s dominant political party that is closely tied to President Putin. Two ran as self-nominated but support United Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked by reporters , if the results constitute a show of support for Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, said “Absolutely. ” Many opposition were barred from running in thevote.

IRAN SAYS IT IS ‘READY TO COOPERATE’ WITH IAEA

Iran on Monday said it was ready to continue cooperating with UN nuclear watchdog while revealing a drone capable of hitting major cities in Israel, which has threatened to attack Iranian nuclear sites if the nuclear pact fails to fructify.

Speaking after European powers expressed frustration with Tehran’s intentions to salvage the agreement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “not to yield to Israel’s pressure” over Tehran’s nuclear activities.

The IAEA’s Board of Governors meets on Monday, three months after adopting a resolution urging Iran to give credible answers to the agency’s investigations into uranium traces at three sites in Iran. Iran says the probes are politically motivated.

On Saturday, France, U.K. and Germany said they had “serious doubts” about Iran’s intentions to revive a deal curbing its nuclear programme in return for lifting of sanctions, comments that were rejected by Tehran and called “very untimely” by Moscow. “Iran announces its constructive cooperation with the agency as its obligation... While Iran has obligations, it also has rights,” Mr. Kanaani said.

LANKA TOWER, SET TO OPEN, SHOWCASES CHINA CONTROL

Colombo : A huge green and purple communications tower in Sri Lanka — financed with Chinese debt and which has become a symbol of the ousted Rajapaksa clan’s closeness to Beijing — will finally open this week, its operator said on Monday. The 350-metre Lotus Tower, built for an estimated $113 million, has been plagued by corruption claims since construction began in 2012 under former president Mahinda Rajapaksa. It is one of the “white elephant” projects built with Chinese loans.

The state-owned Colombo Lotus Tower Management Company said they had decided to open its observation deck to visitors from Thursday and earn ticket sales to minimise losses. “We can’t keep this closed. The maintenance costs are huge,” chief executive Prasad Samarasinghe said. “We want to earn the upkeep of the building and turn this into an entertainment centre. ” Broadcasterssay the structure, which can’t cover theisland nor improve current transmissions from a mountain in the centre of Sri Lanka, is of no use as a communications tower. A local media outlet called it a “towering story of pride and waste”, a vanity project of Rajapaksa who wanted a copy of Beijing’s 405-metre Central Radio and TV tower. Lanka’s economic crisis is partly blamed on Chinese debt which accounts for over 10% of Colombo’s $51bn in external borrowings.

TWITTER TO MUSK: WHISTLEBLOWER PAYMENT DOESN’T BREACH DEAL TERMS

Twitter Inc said on Monday payments made to awhistleblower did not breach any terms of its $44 billion buyout by Elon Musk, after the world’s richest man cited the move as another reason to scrap the deal. In a letter to Twitter on Friday, lawyers for Musk said Twitter’s failure to seek his consent before paying $7. 75 million to whistleblower Peiter Zatko and his lawyers violated the merger agreement, which restricts when Twitter could make such payments. Zatko, who was fired by Twitter in January as the company’s security head, last month accused the social media firm of falsely claiming it had a solid security plan and making misleading statements about its defences against hackers and spam accounts. The whistleblower will meet the US Senate Judiciary committee on September 13 to discuss the allegations.