The UK has formally banned Russia's mercenary Wagner Group as a terrorist organisation weeks after the death of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The government order, approved on Friday, makes it a criminal offence to be a member or a supporter of the paramilitary group in the UK. “The Russian mercenary organisation, Wagner Group, has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation today after an order was laid in Parliament on Wednesday September 6,” the Home Office said in a statement. Apart from joining the group or showing support, arranging meetings for the group and displacing Wagner's flag or logo will also be considered a criminal offence. Those found guilty of violating the order will face a potential prison sentence of up to 14 years, which can be handed down alongside or in place of a fine, it added. The move puts Wagner in the same category as the Islamic State group, the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Boko Haram in Africa and Northern Ireland paramilitaries among others. The Wagner Group is a private military company that was under the control of Prigozhin until his reported death in a plane crash on 23 August. It has been a key part of Moscow’s fighting force in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Home secretary Suella Braverman proposing the ban last week said Wagner has been "involved in looting, torture and barbarous murders". Calling the group a "threat to national security", Ms Braverman added:"They are terrorists, plain and simple - and this proscription order makes that clear in UK law." The ban will allow UK authorities to seize the organisation’s assets in a symbolic move as Wagner is not known to operate in Britain. Wagner cut its teeth in deployments to Crimea – illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 – and eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region in the aftermath of that act and has since dispatched troops to several conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, including the Syrian Civil War. The ban came into force following a recommendation by the parliament’s influential Foreign Affairs Committee in July that Wagner be outlawed. The committee said British authorities had “underplayed and underestimated” the threat posed by the mercenary group. The committee said Wagner’s future was uncertain after Prigozhin’s short-lived armed mutiny against Russia’s top military leaders in June. The lawmakers said Britain should take advantage of the confused situation to “disrupt” Wagner. Several other allies of Ukraine have sanctioned Wagner's leaders, and earlier this year, the Lithuanian and Estonian legislatures passed resolutions declaring it a terrorist organisation. The US has designated the Wagner Group as a transnational criminal organisation. Read More With its leader dead, can the Wagner group rise and ride again? What next for the Wagner Group as leader presumed dead in plane crash? Ukraine-Russia war – live: ‘Significant losses’ for Putin’s forces as Kyiv retakes village and attacks ships The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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Bukayo Saka will miss England’s upcoming internationals with Australia and Italy, the Football Association has confirmed. The Arsenal attacker was called up to Gareth Southgate’s squad on Thursday, despite concerns over his fitness after being substituted in recent matches at Bournemouth and Lens. Saka subsequently sat out Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday with a hamstring issue and club boss Mikel Arteta said afterwards the 22-year-old would have to pull out of the England squad. Saka met up with England’s medical staff at St George’s Park on Monday and it has now been confirmed he will return to Arsenal for further treatment. “The forward reported to St George’s Park on Monday alongside the rest of the Three Lions’ squad,” an FA statement read. “Having missed Arsenal’s Premier League win against Manchester City on Sunday through injury, Saka was assessed by the England medical team and it was decided the player would continue his rehabilitation at his club. “No replacements are planned with Gareth Southgate having a squad of 25 players to work with.” Southgate’s side host Australia in a friendly at Wembley on Friday night before they take on Italy in London next Tuesday. Read More Expectation to underachievement – How Scotland came up short in France Matt Fitzpatrick completes double at Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Ronnie O’Sullivan beats Ken Doherty to keep hold of his world number one ranking

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Russia will oppose the final declaration at the G20 summit if Moscow’s position on Ukraine is disregarded, said foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, casting doubts on India’s aspirations to make its presidency a success with a joint communique. Mr Lavrov is set to lead the Russian delegation in Delhi for the two-day summit betweeb 9 and 10 September in the absence of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Speaking to the students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Mr Lavrov said India will be forced to issue a non-binding communique in absence of agreement on all points from the G20 member countries. "There will be no general declaration on behalf of all members if our position is not reflected," Mr Lavrov said. The foreign minister said the western countries were eroding international institutions by promoting their own interests and said if the G20 meeting is not able to reach a consensus, the G20 president might consider releasing a chair summary. "Another option is to adopt a document that focuses on specific decisions in the sphere of G20 competences, and let everyone say the rest on their own behalf," he said. The pushback by Russia at the G20 summit in Delhi has thrown India’s hopes to conclude the economic forum with a Delhi Declaration in doubt as the host country was expecting to reach a breakthrough in reaching a consensus in the final meeting of the leaders. The G20 under India’s president risks going down as the first summit to conclude without a joint statement since the forum was created in 1999 if consensus is not reached between members. So far, none of the G20 ministerial or working groups meeting have been able to release a joint statement as representatives from the west on one side and Russia and China from another wrangled over language on the Ukraine conflict. Instead, India has been releasing a chair summary amid disagreement over some points in the final statement. Raising hopes over issuing a joint communique at the G20 summit, Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last week said he was “very confident” India will be able to provide a joint statement due to its unique position. "As a consultative chair, I am confident at the G20 summit, there will be shared interest for a common statement. We will do everything from our side," he told NDTV. In March, the G20 meeting foreign ministers ended without a joint meeting as there were “divergences” on the issue of the war in Ukraine “which we could not reconcile as various parties held differing views”, Mr Jaishankar had said after concluding the meeting. It comes as another blow to India’s presidency amid speculations that Chinese president Xi Jinping will give a miss to the summit after Mr Putin confirmed prime minister Narendra Modi that he will not travel to Delhi. Unconfirmed government sources told Reuters that Premier Li Qiang will fill for Mr Xi over the latest map controversy between the two countries, which are already amidst a bitter border dispute from past three years. China’s foreign minister was unable to confirm Mr Xi’s attendance most recently when asked at a regular press briefing. It would mark the first time that Mr Xi will skip the G20 gathering, a major economic platform, since taking power. Read More India tries to scare off monkeys as it gets Delhi ready for G20 leaders’ arrival India protests China's land claim ahead of the G20 summit President Xi Jinping is expected to attend Xi Jinping set to skip India’s G20 summit in blow to hopes for consensus The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary