Author: News Desk

The Guardian says A man has set himself alight near the Japanese prime minister’s office, apparently in protest against next week’s state funeral for the country’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe.

KYIV: Putin announced a partial military mobilisation, as Russian forces battle a Ukrainian counter-offensive that has regained some occupied territory.

The Guardian leads with international scepticism of Liz Truss’s plan to cut taxes in the current economic climate. The paper reports on the stark differences between Liz Truss and US president Joe Biden’s views over economic policy. Ms Truss is set to “urge world leaders to join Britain” in introducing wide-ranging tax cuts, with the paper reporting her embrace of a low-tax agenda “put her on a collision course” with Mr Biden at their first bilateral talks on Wednesday.

Many people with mortgages are facing a “shock” of rising interest rates over the next four months, according to the i. The paper says the Bank of England are predicated to raise rates by two percentage points to 3.75%, which could cost an average of £200 a month more on tracker mortgages that are tied to the Bank’s base interest rates.

Metro leads with the King’s return to Balmoral, following the state funeral of his mother, the Queen earlier this week. He has travelled to the Scottish estate where his mother died 12 days ago with his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, for a week of royal mourning where all official engagements have been cancelled, the paper says.

The Daily Mirror reports that the King’s coronation will be shorter, smaller, and less expensive than his mother’s. The paper reports the King is planning a “slimmed down” coronation as part of a drive to “modernise the monarchy”. The paper says he is “mindful” of the cost of the ceremony, given so many are struggling with the cost of living crisis, adding it will be “inclusive and reflect the whole country and commonwealth”.

The Daily Express says its own poll shows public support for King Charles’s idea of a slimmed-down monarchy. The paper reports more than two-thirds of the public believe he will make a good monarch, while a similar number of people “back his idea of cutting the number of working royals”.

The Sun reports that Holly Willoughby is fighting to keep her TV job after claims she skipped the Queen’s lying-in-state queue. “Queue jump Holly” is how the paper describes the ITV This Morning presenter. The paper says the petition is “gaining momentum despite an on-air apology” on Tuesday, with sources close to the embattled presenter telling the paper she is “utterly devastated” over the row.

Wednesday’s papers report on Prime Minister Liz Truss’s plan to cut a variety of taxes as politics makes a full return and the PM heads to New York for meetings.

The west has condemned Russia’s plans to hold urgent referendums in parts of Ukraine that are under Russian control.