QUEEN ELIZABETH LAID TO REST AT WINDSOR CASTLE

The Queen has been laid in her final resting place beside her husband following a private service at Windsor Castle.

She was buried beneath the King George VI Memorial Chapel on Monday evening after members of the royal family said their last goodbyes.

Its walls were lit up by dazzling orange rays as the sun set in concert with the closing stages of what Charles called his mother’s ‘last, great journey’.

A small crowd had gathered outside the castle gates to pay respects as the service, conducted by the Dean of Windsor, got underway at 7.30pm.

As the Queen did when she buried her own father in 1952, King Charles is believed to have placed a handful of earth on to her coffin in front of loved ones including Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Prince William and Harry.

The intimate ceremony stood in stark contrast to the monarch’s state funeral, believed to be the most widely watched ceremony of its kind in history.

The monarch’s coffin was last seen by the world earlier on Monday at the Committal Service at St George’s Chapel, of which the King George VI Chapel is an annexe.

It was then lowered into the Royal Vault, where Prince Philip was laid to rest last year, joining past monarchs including King George III, IV, and V as well as William IV.

Among the guests were President Droupadi Murmu, U.S. President Joe Biden, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and French President Emmanuel Macron. President Murmu had earlier met with Ms. Hasina and Tanzanian President,  Samia Suluhu Hassan. On Sunday, she attended a reception for foreign leaders, hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

CHINA BLASTS BACK AT BIDEN’S VOW TO DEFEND TAIWAN FROM INVASION

China hit back at U.S. President Joe Biden, over a promise he made Sunday that the U.S. would defend self-governing Taiwan if Beijing was to launch an invasion.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that Biden’s remarks “severely violate commitment the US made not to support Taiwan independence.”

“Would U.S. forces defend the island?” Biden was asked on U.S. television, in an interview published Sunday night. “Yes, if, in fact, there was an unprecedented attack,” the president replied.

The comment was Biden’s most unambiguous yet about U.S. policy toward Taiwan, which has long been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act and the doctrine of “strategic ambiguity” — the notion that the U.S. would remain purposely noncommittal about defending Taiwan.

Mao Ning said that China had lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. over Biden’s comments, saying Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied,” and adding that the remarks sent a “seriously erroneous signal to Taiwanese separatist independence forces.”

Earlier this month China warned of “countermeasures” after the U.S. government approved more than $1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS OVER IN THE US - JOE BIDEN

President Joe Biden has declared the pandemic over in the US, even as the number of Americans who have died from Covid continues to rise.

Mr Biden said that while "we still have a problem", the situation is rapidly improving.

Statistics show that over 400 Americans on average are dying from the virus each day.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said last week that the end of the pandemic is "in sight".

In an interview with CBS programme 60 Minutes aired on Sunday, Mr Biden said that the US is still doing "a lot of work" to control the virus.

The interview - aired over the weekend - was partly filmed on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show, where the president gestured towards the crowds.

"If you notice, no-one's wearing masks," he said. "Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape... I think it's changing."

But administration officials told US media on Monday that the comments did not signal a change in policy and there were no plans to lift the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency.

To date, more than one million Americans have died with the coronavirus disease.

Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that the seven-day average of deaths currently stands at over 400, with more than 3,000 dead in the past week.

RUSSIAN STRIKE HITS HYDRO PLANT NEAR 2ND N-SITE

Kyiv : A Russian missile exploded near the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant just after midnight on Monday and forced a shutdown at a hydroelectric station, Ukrainian officials said, in the latest attack by Moscow on critical infrastructure in Ukraine.

A missile exploded less than 1,000 feet from the nuclear plant’s reactors and caused extensive damage around a hydroelectric power station in the industrial zone that surrounds the nuclear complex. There was no damage to essential safety equipment at the nuclear plant, which remained operational. No casualties were reported. The South Ukraine plant is Ukraine’s secondlargest after the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which too has come under fire.

Meanwhile, Kyiv said its troops had crossed a major river, paving the way for an assault on Russia’s occupation forces in the eastern Donbas region. Crossing the Oskil River is an important milestone in Ukraine’s counter-offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region. “Ukraine controls the east bank”, the Ukraine’s armed forces said.

RUSSIA, CHINA AGREE TO EXPAND SECURITY TIES

Moscow : Russia and China have agreed deepen cooperation on defence issues with a focus on holding joint exercises, Moscow’s powerful security council said on Monday. “The sides agreed on further military cooperation with a focus on joint exercises and patrols,” it said. The statement comes as Russian security council secretary Nikolai Patrushev visits China to hold security consultations. Russia and China have deepened cooperation, hailing “no limits” partnership thoughVladimir Putin acknowledged last week China’s “concerns” over situation in Ukraine.

TALIBAN FREE LAST US HOSTAGE IN AF IN SWAP FOR DRUG LORD

Islamabad : The Taliban on Monday freed Mark Frerichs, a navy veteran who was the last remaining American hostage in Afghanistan, in exchange for Bashir Noorzai, an Afghan tribal leader detained by the US in 2005 over drug charges. Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqisaid the prisoner swap took place at Kabul airport in the presence of government officials and a US delegation.

Frerichs, 60, was abducted by the Taliban in 2020, a year before the group took control of Afghanistan after topplingthe previous US-backed government. Frerichs had been working in Kabul as a civil engineer for almost a decade. There was no immediate word from the US or Frerichs’s family following his release.

Noorzai was arrested in New York in 2005 and charged with smuggling millions of dollars worth of heroin into the US. In 2008, he was convicted of conspiring to smuggle into the US heroin worth over $50 million. The drug lord was considered a close ally and friend of Taliban founder Mullah Omar and had reportedly helped finance the first Taliban government in the 1990s.

PAK HC QUASHES TERROR CHARGES AGAINST IMRAN

Islamabad : A Pakistan HC on Monday quashed terrorism charges against former PM Imran Khan. The HC said Khan’s offence didn’t attract terrorism charges, lawyers for Khan said. The charges are related to a speech by Khan in which he allegedly threatened police and judicial officers after his aide was denied bail in a seditioncase. “The case will now be tried in an ordinary court,” the lawyers said.

MYANMAR AIR ATTACK ON SCHOOL KILLS 13, INCLUDING 7 KIDS

Bangkok : Government helicopters have attacked a school and village in north-central Myanmar, killing at least 13 people including 7 children, a school administrator said Monday. The military said it opened fire because rebels were using the building to attack its forces. Pro-democracy shadow government accused junta of “targeted attacks” on schools. The UN has documented 260 attacks on schools since the coup.

TROUBLE AFOOT? MACRON SNEAKERS CAUSE A STIR

President Macron’s choice of footwear during his trip to London ahead of the queen’s funeral caused a stir in France. On Sunday walking in front of Westminster Hall, Macron was pictured wearing a pair of sunglasses and navy blue trainers. A French radio presenter said there was “a dress code to respect”. Le Figaro paper called them the “trainers of discord”. Other media outlets sought to correct the narrative : By the time the French leader and his wife paid respects in front of the coffin, both had changed into formal wear, with Macron in a black suit and tie.

KYRGYZ LEADER URGES CALM AFTER TAJIK BORDER CONFLICT

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov urged his country on Monday to have trust in its Army, and said there was no need for volunteer forces at the border with Tajikistan after deadly clashes.

At least 94 people were killed between September 14 and 16 in fighting in the Batken province.

“We continue our efforts to resolve the Kyrgyz-Tajik border issues in a purely peaceful way,” Mr. Japarov said.

NANMADOL: MUDSLIDES AND FLOODING AS TYPHOON BATTERS JAPAN

Rescue workers in Japan have warned of mudslides and flooding as one of the biggest storms in recent decades batters the country.

Typhoon Nanmadol has killed at least two people and injured 90 others since it made landfall on the southernmost island of Kyushu on Sunday morning.

Nine million people have been told to evacuate, and more than 350,000 homes are without power.

Forecasts predict up to 400mm (16 inches) of rain over the next 24 hours.

State broadcaster NHK said one man was killed when his car was submerged in flooding, and another died after being buried in a landslide. One more person remains missing, and reports say 87 others have been injured.

The super typhoon brought gusts of up to 234km/h (145mph), destroying homes, and disrupting transport and businesses. It's equivalent to a category four or five hurricane.

The capital, Tokyo, experienced heavy rain, with the Tozai underground line suspended because of flooding. Bullet train services, ferries, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled; shops and businesses have shut. Local video footage showed roofs ripped off of buildings and billboards toppled over.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delayed a visit to New York, where he is due to give speech at the UN General Assembly, until Tuesday, to monitor the storm's impact.