Day: September 9, 2022

Lights of the Eiffel Tower will be turned off in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, the mayor of Paris said over the British monarch’s passing Thursday.

“Tonight in tribute to the queen Elizabeth II the Eiffel tower will be turned off,” Anne Hidalgo wrote on Twitter.

“I extended Parisians’ deep sorrow and saddeness (sic) to the ambassador of UK, @Menna Rawlings,” she added.

Buckingham Palace announced earlier that the queen “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” according to a statement.

Elizabeth II, 96, was the longest-serving monarch in British history.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Kenya’s 13th parliament opened its first sitting Thursday for members to take the oath of office and elect speakers to the National Assembly.

Lawmakers elected Moses Wetang’ula the speaker of the National Assembly and Amason Kingi the speaker of the Senate.

“I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to the honorable members here, for the high honor that you have bestowed upon me by electing me as the speaker of this house,” Wetang’ula said after taking office.

“I accept and submit to your will and am ready to serve as the 8th speaker of the National Assembly since our independence,” he added.

Lawmakers took their oaths at the parliament building in the nation’s capital of Nairobi. They were allowed to take their oaths in Swahili or English, the country’s national languages.

Kenya’s top court Monday upheld William Ruto’s win in the Aug. 9 presidential election in a unanimous ruling, dismissing nine petitions seeking to nullify the result.

Ruto, 55, and Rigathi Gachagua, his pick for the deputy president, will be sworn in on Sept. 13.

Source: Anadolu Agency

An Israeli drone crashed into the sea near the northern maritime border with Lebanon on Thursday, the military announced Friday.

In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said the drone crashed due to a malfunction, adding that the incident is being investigated and the entire fleet of this type of drone, which it did not specify, has been grounded until the end of the review.

Tensions between the two countries have escalated over a maritime dispute and disagreements over the exploitation of natural gas fields in the sea.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Former US presidents on Thursday offered condolences over the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Donald Trump said Elizabeth’s reign “left a tremendous legacy of peace and prosperity for Great Britain.”

“Melania and I are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” he said in a statement. “Together with our family and fellow Americans, we send our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom during this time of great sorrow and grief.”

“Melania and I will always cherish our time together with the Queen, and never forget Her Majesty’s generous friendship, great wisdom, and wonderful sense of humor,” Trump wrote.

Barack Obama said he and his wife Michelle were “lucky enough” to know the queen, who he said “meant a great deal to us.”

“Like so many, Michelle and I are grateful to have witnessed Her Majesty’s dedicated leadership, and we are awed by her legacy of tireless, dignified public service. Our thoughts are with her family and the people of the United Kingdom at this difficult time,” he said in a statement.

Bill Clinton called the late queen an inspiration “throughout her lifetime of service.”

“Hillary and I mourn the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and we join with people across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, and all around the world, in giving thanks for her extraordinary life,” Clinton said in a statement.

“Throughout her remarkable 70-year reign, she led Britain through great transformations with unfailing grace, dignity, and genuine care for the welfare of all its people. In sunshine or storm, she was a source of stability, serenity, and strength,” he added.

George W. Bush also offered “heartfelt” condolences from him and his wife to the royal family and the British people.

“Laura and I were honored to have known Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was a woman of great intellect, charm, and wit,” said Bush.

“Spending time at Buckingham Palace, and having tea with Her Majesty – and her Corgis – is among our fondest memories of the presidency. Queen Elizabeth ably led England through dark moments with her confidence in her people and her vision for a brighter tomorrow,” he added.

Elizabeth II, 96, was the longest-serving monarch in British history. Buckingham Palace said she “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

“The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” it added.

The queen had mobility and health issues for the past year stemming from old age. She had to cancel several engagements due to her health and her physician’s advice.

Her final public appearance was during the Platinum Jubilee celebration in June as the monarch marked 70 years on the British throne. A statement issued mid-day on Thursday said the queen was placed under “medical supervision” at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A Pakistani court on Friday ordered the government to resolve the “missing persons” issue within two months.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and some of his Cabinet members appeared before Chief Justice Athar Minallah of the Islamabad High Court, who was hearing identical petitions seeking the recovery of six missing people.

Sharif assured the court that a committee on missing persons has already been constituted and that he will oversee its proceedings, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.

“I feel the pain of the families of missing persons,” the prime minister told the court.

The chief justice ordered the government to resolve this issue by Nov. 14 or the court will hold someone accountable in its verdict.

During the observation, the court also expressed regret that while some people were recovered from detention centers, no action was taken against those who were responsible for keeping them there.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday extended his “deepest” condolences over the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

“I learned with sadness of Queen Elizabeth II passing today. My deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the people, and friendly and allied government of the United Kingdom,” Erdogan said on Twitter.

Elizabeth II, 96, was the longest-serving monarch in British history. Buckingham Palace said she “died peacefully” at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The UK started Friday a 10-day mourning shortly after an announcement from Buckingham Palace declared the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

Many activities, including the business in Parliament, have been postponed.

The House of Commons will be suspended until Sept. 21 but convene on Friday midday for a special sitting with MPs paying tributes to the late queen until 10 p.m. local time. (2100GMT)

The lower house of the parliament will also sit on Saturday as a small number of senior MPs will take the oath to King Charles III and tributes will continue until 10 p.m. before the suspension.

Sports

The English Premier League fixtures will be canceled during the weekend. Games in the Scottish, Irish, and Welsh leagues are also postponed.

All horse racing events, including one of the major events – the Royal Ascot, will not go ahead after the death of the queen.

Cricket, rugby, and hockey fixtures are also postponed for this weekend.

Theatres

The theatres across the country are likely to continue to perform with dimmed lights and a minute of silence.

The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre said in a statement that the scheduled theatre performances will continue during the official period of mourning.

All TV programs on major channels have also been altered due to the mourning.

Strikes

All strikes, including Friday’s planned industrial action of Royal Mail workers, have now been canceled.

Members of the Communication Workers Union dropped a 48-hour walkout in a dispute over pay and conditions.

“Following the very sad news of the passing of the Queen and out of respect for her service to the country and her family, the union has decided to call off tomorrow’s planned strike action,” the union said.

Transport union TSSA also canceled its strike in September and will be respecting the period of public mourning. Avanti West Coast members had a planned strike for three days in a row for Sept. 15-17.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union were also to strike between Sept. 15 and 17 but a statement said the action is now canceled.

“The planned railway strike action on September 15 and 17 is suspended. We express our deepest condolences to her family, friends and the country,” the union said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Pope Francis on Thursday offered his condolences over the death of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

?“Deeply saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I offer heartfelt condolences to Your Majesty, the Members of the Royal Family, the People of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth,” the pope said in a telegram.

?Pope said he joins everyone “in praying for the late Queen’s eternal rest, and in paying tribute to her life of unstinting service to the good of the Nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith in Jesus Christ and her firm hope in his promises.”

?He also prayed for “her noble soul.”

Britain’s longest-serving monarch Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96.

?”The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon,” said Buckingham Palace, adding: “The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Galatasaray signed several players Thursday, including Argentine forward Mauro Icardi and Spanish attacking midfielder Juan Mata.

The Turkish football club said it had agreed with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on Icardi’s permanent move to Galatasaray.

“Mauro Icardi joins Galatasaray SK for one season on loan,” PSG tweeted and wished him a “great season in the colors of Galatasaray.”

Galatasaray said under an agreement with the French club, Icardi will be paid €6.75 million ($6.75 million) for the 2022-23 season but PSG will pay €6 million of the total.

The remaining €750,000 will be paid by Galatasaray.

The Argentine star underwent medical checks at an Istanbul hospital.

Icardi, 29, who previously played for Italy’s Sampdoria and Inter Milan, and PSG, helped the Parisians clinch two French Ligue 1 titles in 2020 and 2022.

He scored 38 goals in 92 matches for PSG.

– Lions sign 2010 World Cup winner Mata

Galatasaray also signed former Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Mata.

The team said it agreed with the 34-year-old for one season with an option for another year.

Galatasaray said the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner will earn €1.9 million.

Like Icardi, he also underwent medical checks.

In July, Mata left Manchester United after more than eight years at Old Trafford.

He went to Manchester United from Chelsea in January 2014 and played 285 matches, scoring 51 goals with 47 assists.

The Spaniard helped Manchester United win the 2017 UEFA Europa League, and an English League Cup, English FA Cup, and Community Shield.

He was part of the Spanish national team that clinched the 2010 World Cup before winning the European Championship (EURO) in 2012.

Mata helped Chelsea win the 2012 UEFA Champions League title and the 2013 Europa League trophy.

In addition to Icardi and Mata, Norwich City’s Kosovan winger Milot Rashica, Aalborg’s Danish defender Mathias Ross Jensen, and Rapid Vienna’s Austrian winger Yusuf Demir completed their moves to Galatasaray, the club confirmed.

Source: Anadolu Agency