Ann Williams and husband Wyn are interrailing around France to watch Wales in the Rugby World Cup.

The UN's World Heritage Committee has placed two major historical sites in Ukraine on its list of such sites that it considers to be in danger. The iconic Saint Sophia Cathedral in the capital, Kyiv, and the medieval center of the western city of Lviv, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites central to Ukraine's culture and history. The decision announced on Friday to put those two on the body's list of sites “in danger” has no enforcement mechanism, but could help deter Russian attacks. Neither site has been directly targeted since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and Lviv has largely been spared from the fighting. But Russia has unleashed waves of strikes on Kyiv and other cities, hitting residential areas and critical infrastructure with Iranian-made attack drones. The decision was taken at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, which is being held in Saudi Arabia. The committee maintains UNESCO's World Heritage List and oversees conservation of the sites. The gold-domed Saint Sophia Cathedral, located in the heart of Kyiv, was built in the 11th century and designed to rival the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The monument to Byzantine art contains the biggest collection of mosaics and frescoes from that period, and is surrounded by monastic buildings dating back to the 17th century. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, is a sprawling complex of monasteries and churches — some underground — that were built from the 11th to the 19th century. Some of the churches are connected by a labyrinthine complex of caves spanning more than 600 meters (2,000 feet). The two sites on the Dnipro River, a 15-minute drive from one another, are “a masterpiece of human creative genius," according to Unesco, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The other site is the historic center of Lviv, near the Polish border. A 5th-century castle overlooks streets and squares built between the 13th and 17th centuries. The site includes a synagogue as well as Orthodox, Armenian and Catholic religious buildings, reflecting the city's diversity. “In its urban fabric and its architecture, Lviv is an outstanding example of the fusion of the architectural and artistic traditions of Eastern Europe with those of Italy and Germany,” Unesco said. “The political and commercial role of Lviv attracted to it a number of ethnic groups with different cultural and religious traditions.” Lviv is more than 500km from Kyiv and even further from any front lines, but it has not been spared. Russian cruise missiles slammed into an apartment block in the city in July, killing at least six people and wounding dozens. Unesco added Ukraine's Black Sea port city of Odesa to its list of endangered heritage sites in January. Russian forces have launched multiple artillery attacks and airstrikes on the city, a cultural hub known for its 19th-century architecture. Russia says it only strikes military targets. Under the 1972 Unesco convention, ratified by both Ukraine and Russia, signatories undertake to “assist in the protection of the listed sites” and are “obliged to refrain from taking any deliberate measures” that might damage World Heritage sites. Inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger is meant to rally urgent international support for conservation efforts. The list includes more than 50 sites around the world. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: ‘Significant losses’ for Putin’s forces as Kyiv retakes village and attacks ships Ukraine recaptures another village from Putin’s forces – as it keeps up attacks on Russia’s ships Putin meets the leader of Belarus, who suggests joining Russia's move to boost ties with North Korea Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Ukraine has claimed fresh success in its counteroffensive against Vladimir Putin’s forces, with the recapture of another village – a liberation that the army says is “key to success in all further directions”. The announcement by the General Staff of Ukraine’s armed forces said that Russian forces had faced “significant losses” in the battle. Kyiv’s forces are seeking to reclaim land occupied by Moscow across multiple areas of southern and eastern Ukraine. The village of Andriivka is about 10 kilometres south of the Donetsk town of Bakhmut, which Russia captured in May after some of the bloodiest fighting of the war. Meanwhile, Britain’s most senior military officer said Ukraine had taken the initiative over Russia with its offensive, even if gains are gradual. Sir Tony Radakin said: “In the north they are holding and fixing Russian forces there and in the south they are making progress between 10 and 20km.” His comments came as Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Ukraine’s destruction of a Russian air defence system in the annexed Crimea peninsula. Read More Kim Jong Un stops to see a fighter jet factory as Russia and North Korea are warned off arms deals She danced with Putin at her wedding. Now the former Austrian foreign minister has moved to Russia What is a Storm Shadow cruise missile?

Mexico extradited Ovidio Guzmán López, a son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, to the United States on Friday to face drug trafficking charges, US attorney general Merrick Garland said in a statement. “This action is the most recent step in the Justice Department’s effort to attack every aspect of the cartel’s operations,” Mr Garland said. The Mexican government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Mexican security forces captured Mr Guzmán López, alias “the Mouse,” in January in Culiacan, capital of Sinaloa state, the cartel’s namesake. Three years earlier, the government had tried to capture him, but aborted the operation after his cartel allies set off a wave of violence in Culiacan. January’s arrest set off similar violence that killed 30 people in Culiacan, including 10 military personnel. The army used Black Hawk helicopter gunships against the cartel’s truck-mounted .50-caliber machine guns. Cartel gunmen hit two military aircraft forcing them to land and sent gunmen to the city’s airport where military and civilian aircraft were hit by gunfire. The capture came just days before US president Joe Biden visited Mexico for bilateral talks followed by the North American Leaders’ Summit. On Friday, Mr Garland recognized the law enforcement and military members who had given their lives in the US and Mexico. "The Justice Department will continue to hold accountable those responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic that has devastated too many communities across the country.” In April, US prosecutors unsealed sprawling indictments against Mr Guzmán and his brothers, known collectively as the “Chapitos.” They laid out in detail how following their father’s extradition and eventual life sentence in the US, the brothers steered the cartel increasingly into synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl. The indictment unsealed in Manhattan said their goal was to produce huge quantities of fentanyl and sell it at the lowest price. Fentanyl is so cheap to make that the cartel reaps immense profits even wholesaling the drug at 50 cents per pill, prosecutors said. The brothers denied the allegations in a letter. The Chapitos became known for grotesque violence that appeared to surpass any notions of restraint shown by earlier generations of cartel leaders. Fentanyl has become a top priority in the bilateral security relationship. But Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has denied assertions by the US government and his own military about fentanyl production in Mexico, instead describing the country as a transit point for precursors coming from China and bound for the US. López Obrador blames a deterioration of family values in the US for the high levels of drug addiction in that country. An estimated 109,680 overdose deaths occurred last year in the United States, according to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 75,000 of those were linked to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Inexpensive fentanyl is increasingly cut into other drugs, often without the buyers’ knowledge. Read More El Chapo’s son, three Sinaloa cartel leaders and two Mexican firms sanctioned for bringing fentanyl into US Case details Sinaloa cartel's fentanyl-fueled evolution Mexican capo's arrest a gesture to US, not signal of change Big week for US-Mexico ties going into North American summit Drug lord, trafficker, killer of wedding singers: How the ‘New Mouse’ followed in the bloody footsteps of his father El Chapo

St Sophia's Cathedral in Lviv is among the buildings the UN warns is at risk of destruction.

Federal prosecutors are asking the judge overseeing a case targeting Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election to help stop his wave of “inflammatory” attacks. Following a grand jury’s indictment in the case, the former president has “repeatedly and widely disseminated public statements” attacking Washington DC residents as well as members of the court, prosecutors and prospective witnesses, according to a filing in US District Court on 15 September. His statements threaten “to undermine the integrity of these proceedings and prejudice the jury pool,” prosecutors warned. Prosecutors with US Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith have asked US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to take “immediate” steps to ensure a fair trial and an impartial jury, including drafting a “narrowly tailored order” that restricts “certain prejudicial extrajudicial statements” from Mr Trump. An unsparing assessment of Mr Trump’s remarks charts the former president’s ongoing and baseless narrative casting doubt on the integrity and veracity of US elections, his remarks targeting his perceived political opponents, including family members of the judges and prosecutors overseeing the criminal cases against him, and how his bullhorn dog-whistle statements are heard among his supporters who elevate those threats. “The defendant has an established practice of issuing inflammatory public statements targeted at individuals or institutions that present an obstacle or challenge to him,” including bogus statements surrounding US elections that have “engendered widespread mistrust in the administration of the election, and the individuals whom he targeted were subject to threats and harassment,” according to prosecutors. Mr Trump knows that “when he publicly attacks individuals and institutions, he inspires others to perpetrate threats and harassment against his targets,” according to the filing, and that he continues those attacks “precisely because he knows that in doing so, he is able to roil the public and marshal and prompt his supporters.” The filing includes several posts from Mr Trump’s Truth Social account, which the former president has used as a bully pulpit to his supporters to direct the narratives surrounding the criminal cases against him while casting himself as a victim of political prosecution. Mr Trump has “posted publicly about individuals whom he has reason to believe will be witnesses in this trial,” and his “relentless public posts marshaling anger and mistrust in the justice system, the Court, and prosecutors have already influenced the public,” according to prosecutors. The special counsel’s office has also faced “multiple threats,” according to the filing. In a separate filing on Friday, prosecutors have warned a judge that people connected to the case have faced “threats and harassment” fuelled by the former president’s “inflammatory public statements.” Judge Chutkan has allowed prosecutors to seal those names, according to the nine-page order on 15 September. Prosecutors asked to court to withhold the names and other identifying information of “certain individuals” targeted by Mr Trump with “inflammatory” statements, as well as excerpts from witness interview transcripts that describe the alleged threats and harassment they received, according to the filing. “The government seeks to establish that Defendant has publicly criticized his perceived adversaries and is aware that this criticism has led to their harassment,” the judge wrote. This is a developing story Read More Trump’s Twitter DMs handed over as special counsel asks for narrow gag order in Jan 6 case – latest

Prosecutors have responded to Alex Murdaugh’s allegations of jury tampering at his double murder trial stating that South Carolina investigators have found “significant factual disputes” with the claims. The South Carolina Attorney General’s Office filed the response on Friday moving to dismiss Murdaugh’s request for a new trial due to “procedural defect”. The filing, which came just under deadline on Friday afternoon, is the state’s first response to the allegations made in the defence’s bombshell motion last week. Murdaugh demanded a new trial after his legal team accused Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill of pressuring jurors to return a guilty verdict. Prosecutors also said that they want Murdaugh’s defence team to show that they did not know about the alleged jury tampering during the murder trial. Ms Hill has not commented publicly on the allegations. The response from the state on Friday comes a day after a smiling Murdaugh appeared publicly for the first time since he was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul, this time to face a string of financial fraud charges. At the status hearing in Beaufort County, Judge Clifton Newman set the trial date for 27 November. The case will focus on the millions of dollars he stole from the family of his dead housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, part of the 101 state charges in response to his alleged financial crimes. Two former friends and alleged co-conspirators in the case also appeared in court on Thursday, former Palmetto State Bank CEO Russell Laffitte and former attorney Cory Fleming, the latter sentenced to 10 years in prison. Read More Smiling Alex Murdaugh appears in court in shackles as trial date set in financial fraud case Alex Murdaugh’s demand for new trial over jury tampering claims awaiting response as deadline looms – live

Three senators who serve on the Committee on Armed Forces have reportedly sent a letter to the Department of Defence (DoD) expressing concern over allegations that Elon Musk controlled Ukrainian soldiers’ ability to access satellite communications via Starlink. Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen, Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth have asked Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to provide clarification over an incident from last year in a letter sent on Friday according to NBC News. The incident, laid out in Walter Isaacson’s biography of Mr Musk, claims that the billionaire tech entrepreneur stopped the Ukrainian armed forces from accessing satellite communications via Starlink near the Crimean Peninsula thus thwarting a potential assault on Russian ships. Mr Musk clarified on X that he did not discontinue Starlink connectivity but refused a request by Ukraine to provide it there out of fear of escalating war. The three senators said the “confusion over what actually happened” demands answers and expressed great concern about Mr Musk’s role in the incident. “The reports raise serious concerns about whether Mr Musk has personally intervened to undermine a key US partner at a critical juncture,” a portion of the reported letter said. Several officials, including the three senators, have shared similar worries that commercial satellite companies similar to Starlink could cause issues by intervening on significant decisions like this one. Senator Jack Reed who serves as the chairman of the Committee on Armed Forces, said in a statement obtained by Bloomberg, that the situation with Mr Musk raised concerns about national security. “Neither Elon Musk, nor any private citizen, can have the last word when it comes to US national security,” Mr Reed said. “We’ve got to look at the broader satellite markets and the role of government outsourcing, the outsized role Mr Musk and his company have taken on here, and the Pentagon’s actions and contractual arrangements,” Mr Reed added. At the time of the incident, Starlink had no contract with the Pentagon and therefore no directive from US officials. Mr Musk said had he received an order from President Joe Biden to extend services to Ukrainians in Crimea he would have done so. In June, the Pentagon and Starlink signed a contract in which the DoD agreed to buy its services for Ukraine. Now, the three senators are imploring leaders to consider the implications of Mr Musk’s actions and look to prevent situations like this from arising in the future. “We are deeply concerned with the ability and willingness of SpaceX to interrupt their service at Mr Musk’s whim and for the purpose of handcuffing a sovereign country’s self-defense, effectively defending Russian interests,” the letter said according to NBC News. The senators requested Mr Austin provide answers by the end of October. The Independent has reached out to the offices of Ms Duckworth, Ms Shaheen and Ms Warren for comment. Read More Putin praises Musk as ‘outstanding person’ days after report Tesla boss stopped Ukrainian attack Elon Musk's refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon Elon Musk ignores reporter after claims he stopped Ukrainian attack on Russia

A man has been charged with assault after he allegedly shoved a passenger onto subway tracks in Manhattan. Derrick Mills, 49, was arrested on Thursday in connection with the attack on 74-year-old Trevor Crawford. The assault, which New York City transit officials have described as “disgusting” and unprovoked, took place at the 68th Street-Hunter College station on the Upper East Side on Tuesday. Mr Mills allegedly shoved Mr Crawford off the downtown platform after making eye contact with him. The victim landed on his back and suffered a broken spine as well as five fractured ribs and pelvis. “He was so fast, he came around the other side, he opened his eyes wide. I wasn’t scared, I was just more nervous,” Mr Crawford recounted in an interview with PIX11. “[He yelled,] ‘Didn’t I tell you not to say anything to me?’” Following the attack, Mr Crawford was pulled from the tracks by an MTA employee. The suspect then fled before authorities arrived at the scene. Mr Crawford was returning home from work when the assault unfolded. He was transported to a hospital, where he was briefly treated in the intensive care unit. “I must worry because I work at night, but I never expected it to happen to me,” Mr Crawford told PIX11. “ ...anyone would be happy. There’s one less troublemaker on the street.” The incident was captured in surveillance footage that the NYPD released to the public. A person who recognised Mr Mills, who is reportedly homeless, tipped authorities. The NYPD had offered a reward of up to $3,500 for information that led to an arrest. He was then arrested near West 80th Street on Thursday night and has since confessed to the crime, the New York Post reports. “We’ve said over and over that if you commit a crime in the New York City subway system, your picture will be taken, the NYPD will find you, and we will press for maximum prosecution,” NYC Transit President Richard Davey said in a statement after the arrest. “This was a disgusting incident that understandably unsettled riders, and we appreciate the rapid arrest that was assisted by a New Yorker who saw a photo of the perpetrator that was taken by a station platform camera.” Read More NYPD release pictures of man and woman suspected of repeatedly stabbing subway passenger on train Citibank workers clash with climate activists outside New York office in protest over fossil fuel funding Rudy Giuliani goes on unhinged rant claiming Mike Pence’s wife leads him around on a leash

A mother has been arrested after allegedly abandoning her young child on the side of a California street. Early Tuesday morning — in the middle of the night at 2.50am — a person walking in Larchmont Village in Central Los Angeles found a 3-year-old girl alone inside a stroller. The youngster, found on the 100 block of North Larchmont Boulevard, was taken to hospital to be examined. She was found to be in good health. The police searched the stroller and found an identification card belonging to Targie Alexandre, 24. After this, police were able to locate the father of the child, but Ms Alexandre’s location was unknown. "We’ve had a lot of resources devoted to this over the past day, from officers, detectives, we’ve had our bloodhounds out there," said Lt. Brian Churchill of the Los Angeles Police Department. "We’ve had no luck finding the mother so we’re asking for the public’s help right now." However, Ms Alexandre was arrested on Wednesday night after police were waiting for her at her workplace, police said. She has been charged with a felony of child endangerment and is being held on $105,000 bail. The felony punishment for child endangerment is up to six years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Earlier this year, a Georgia woman was arrested for the 2019 abandonment of her newborn baby after it was found alive in a plastic bag. The mother, Karima Jiwani, was charged with criminal intent to commit murder, cruelty to children in the first degree, aggravated assault and reckless abandonment. Read More Mother of ‘Baby India’, left to die in a plastic bag in Georgia woods four years ago, is finally arrested Man sentenced for abandoning baby after MLB pitcher Dennis Eckersley's daughter gave birth in woods Family suspect murder after getting alerts from dead LA woman’s Apple products

A teenager has died after being shot in the southern suburbs of Stockholm – one of a spate of shootings in the country across the last week. Police received were called after loud bangs were heard in Vastertorp at around 8pm local time on Thursday, with the injured boy – whose age was not given – taken to hospital before dying of his wounds overnight. The other shootings include four in the university city of Uppsala – two of them fatal – and two others in Stockholm, where a 13-year-old teenager lost his life. Stockholm police said they were still seeking a suspect. “I don't have a clear answer as to whether this is connected to other murders recently, but it is something we are investigating,” said spokesman Towe Hagg. Sweden has faced an increase in recent years which police and authorities blame on criminal gangs fighting over arms and drug trafficking, using guns and explosive devices.. Earlier this week, the national police chief, Anders Thornberg told a press conference, that this wave of violence had reached an "unprecedented" level. “There have recently been after on an unprecedented scale,” Mr Thornberg said. “Several boys aged between 13 and 15 have been killed, the mother of a criminal was executed at home, and a young man in Uppsala was shot dead on his way to work,” he added. “Citizens are afraid, insecurity is increasing. And this at a time when we have raised our terrorist alert level in the country,” Mr Thornberg said. A number of crimes by gangs had been foiled in recent days, the police chief added, saying that such preventative work was key. “Several people have been arrested and weapons confiscated in Uppsala alone, where the situation is very serious,” Ulf Johansson, a police officer in the region, about 40 miles (65km) north of Stockholm. Up until the end of August this year – so not including the recent spate of incidents – there were 247 shootings across Sweden, according to national statistics. Those led to 30 deaths. Seventy-six of those incidents occurred around the region of Stockholm. In 2022, 62 people were killed in 391 shootings across the country, with 128 of those incidents around the Stockholm region. When announcing those statistics in December, the justice minister, Gunnar Strommer, called it a modern-day record. "Deadly gun violence has increased and unfortunately has hit a new, bloody record this year," he said. Mr Strommer said at the time that those 62 deaths compared to four in Norway, four in Denmark and two in Finland. In 2021, 45 people were shot dead in Sweden. In 2012, the total was 17 Also last year, there were 90 explosions and 101 attempted explosive attacks were recorded, according to the data. So far this year, more than 100 explosions have already been recorded. Sweden has gone from having one of the lowest incidences of gang violence to one of the highest over the last 20 years, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention, with the current government vowing to crackdown on gang crime. Read More Nobel Foundation raises the amount for this year’s Nobel Prize awards to 11 million kronor Things to know about Sweden's monarchy as King Carl XVI celebrates 50 years on the throne Sweden's figurehead king celebrates 50 years on the throne On the brink of joining NATO, Sweden seeks to boost its defense spending by 28% Sweden brings more books and handwriting practice back to its tech-heavy schools Trial starts in Sweden of 2 oil executives accused of complicity in war crimes in Sudan

Escaped prisoner Danelo Cavalcante has revealed how he survived almost two weeks on the run from law enforcement in Pennsylvania, following his dramatic capture by a police dog called Yoda. US Marshall Robert Clark told ABC News that the convicted killer had been very candid after he was captured on Wednesday morning. He told investigators how he evaded capture and survived in the woods by eating watermelon. “He stated he intended to carjack somebody in the next 24 hours and that he was going to head north to Canada,” Mr Clark said. “He said on multiple occasions law enforcement officers almost stepped on him, [that] we were only five or six feet away.” Pennsylvania officials said that tactical teams closed in on Cavalcante on Wednesday morning and the inmate began to crawl through heavy underbrush to get away. At that point, Yoda, a four-year-old Belgium Malinois, set out to subdue the escapee, leaving him with a face bloodied from a bite. Cavalcante had escaped from Chester County Prison on 31 August – days after he was sentenced to life for fatally stabbing his ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandao. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. Read More Where has Danelo Cavalcante been spotted since his Pennsylvania jailbreak? Fugitive Danelo Cavalcante’s mother defends his murders and says ‘everyone is lying about him’ Dog the Bounty Hunter may join search for Danelo Cavalcante