International news brief: Queen Elizabeth II dies at 96; California faces weather threats and more

London, Sep 09: Queen Elizabeth II, the longest serving monarch of Britain passed away on Thursday after serving the throne for almost 70 years. She was crowned queen of seven countries and she reigned over 16 nations. She succeeded her father King George VI in 1952 at the age of 32. The fact that the Queen died in Scotland and not in England has added complexities to the procedures in what has been dubbed as Operation Unicorn to her funeral.

Britain's new king says death of his mother a moment of 'greatest sadness'

Queen Elizabeth II's eldest son Charles, the rightful heir to the British throne and new king, said on Thursday that the death of his mother is a moment of the ''greatest sadness'' for him and all members of his family.

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96. Her death brings to an end the longest reign in the history of the United Kingdom, and one of the longest reigns by any head of state.

After a lifetime of preparation, Charles takes the throne

Prince Charles has been preparing for the crown his entire life. Now, at age 73, that moment has finally arrived. Charles, the oldest person to ever assume the British throne, became king on Thursday following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

No date has been set for his coronation, and it wasn't immediately clear whether the new monarch would call himself Charles III or choose another name as his grandfather did.

California faces weather threats from fires to floods

Forces were beginning to collide in California as wildfires threatened communities, an epic heat wave stressed the electrical grid and as moisture from a tropical storm was expected to bring thunderstorms and floods along with cooling.

Firefighters on Thursday struggled to control major wildfires in Southern California and the Sierra Nevada that have grown explosively, forced extensive evacuations and produced smoke that could interfere with solar power production.

Singapore confers Meritorious Service Medal to former Navy chief Sunil Lanba

Former India Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba has been conferred Singapore's prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) or Meritorious Service Medal (Military) (MSM(M)), by President Halimah Yacob.

Lanba was conferred the award on Thursday for his outstanding contributions in enhancing the strong and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy.

Bernard Shaw, CNN's 1st chief anchor, dies at 82

Bernard Shaw, former CNN anchor and a pioneering Black journalist remembered for his blunt question at a presidential debate and calmly reporting the beginning of the Gulf War in 1991 from Baghdad as it was under attack, has died. He was 82. He died of pneumonia, unrelated to COVID-19, on Wednesday at a hospital in Washington, according to Tom Johnson, CNN's former chief executive.