QUEEN ELIZABETH II DIES, CHARLES III SUCCEEDS

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history and an icon instantly recognizable to billions of people around the world, died at her Scottish Highland retreat on Thursday. She was 96.

The eldest of her four children, Charles, Prince of Wales, who at 73 is the oldest heir apparent in British history, became king immediately.

Royal officials confirmed he is now known as King Charles III -- the first king of that name to sit on the throne since 1685.

His mother's death triggered an outpouring of condolences across the globe as world leaders paid homage to a woman whose reign spanned 70 years, straddling two centuries of seismic social, political and technological upheaval.

In his first words as monarch, Charles called her death "a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family".

"We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother," he added in a statement signed "His Majesty the King".

"I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth and by countless people around the world."

Buckingham Palace announced the queen's death in a short statement, triggering 10 days of national mourning and a global outpouring of tributes to her long life and record-breaking reign.

"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," said the statement issued at 6:30 pm (1730 GMT).

"The King (Charles) and The Queen Consort (Camilla) will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

US APPROVES $450M FOR PAK TO SUSTAIN AND UPGRADE F-16 FLEET

Washington : Pakistan will get upgrades to the tune of $450 million for its approximately 85 F-16 fighter jets, notwithstanding the country’s perilous economic, and environmental condition. The US state department on Wednesday said it had made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale for “sustainment and related equipment” of F-16 for an estimated cost of $450 million. A certification from the Pentagon’s defence security cooperation agency notifying Congress of the possible sale said it does not include any new capabilities, weapons, or munitions. The proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the US by allowing Pakistan to retain interoperability with US and partner forces in ongoing counterterrorism efforts and in preparation for future contingency operations, the notification said, adding that thesale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.

The US state department said Pakistan had made a request to consolidate prior F-16 sustainment and support cases to support the Pakistan Air Force F-16 fleet. The support includes Pakistan’s participation in F-16 Aircraft Structural Integrity Program, Electronic Combat International Security Assistance Program, International Engine Management Program, Engine Component Improvement Program, and other technical coordination groups, aircraft and engine hardware and software modifications and support, aircraft and engine spare repair/returnparts, accessories and support equipment, classified and unclassified software and software support and other related elements of maintenance.

The support list offers a clue to the near obsolete nature of the F16 fighter jet, which still occupies a near mythical status in Pakistan. The Pakistan Air Force has over 900 aircraft, including 16 combat squadrons, but the F-16 occupies a pride of place although in recent years it has been supplanted by squadrons of JF-17 Thunder which Pakistan has jointly developed with China.

It is not clear if the Biden administration ran the sale proposal by India, with which it claims a special strategic ties, although it is not obliged to. India too practices an independent foreign policy based on its own security calculus. On Wednesday, PM Narendra Modi said India is keen to boost energy cooperation with Russia, despite the US and Nato confrontation with Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.

WORLD PAYS TRIBUTE AS QUEEN ELIZABETH II DIES

World leaders paid homage to Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, after she died aged 96 in her Scottish summer residence following nearly a year of ailing health.

Here are some of the tributes to Britain's longest-serving monarch, who is also head of state in 14 Commonwealth countries around the world:

At the United Nations, the Security Council honored her passing Thursday with a minute of silence.

Queen Elizabeth had been "widely admired for her grace, dignity and dedication around the world. She was a reassuring presence throughout decades of sweeping change," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Accolades also poured in from South Asia, where Britain was the colonial power up until just before Elizabeth's reign began.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "pained" by her death.

Queen Elizabeth "provided inspiring leadership to her nation and people", Modi tweeted, adding she "personified dignity and decency in public life".

In Pakistan, President Arif Alvi hailed Queen Elizabeth as a "great and beneficent ruler."

She "would be remembered in golden words in the annals of world history," he said.

In the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was "deeply saddened" by her death and would pray for the late queen as well as her son, the new King Charles III.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Elizabeth, who was head of state of Canada, will "forever remain an important part" of the country's history.

"She was a constant presence in our lives -- and her service to Canadians will forever remain an important part of our country's history," he said.

In another key member of the British Commonwealth, Australia's Prime Minster Anthony Albanese -- an avowed republican -- paid tribute to her "timeless decency" and said her death marked the "end of an era."

"Australian hearts go out to the people of the United Kingdom," Albanese said. "An historic reign and a long life devoted to duty, family, faith and service has come to an end."

US President Joe Biden called her the first British monarch to make a personal connection with people around the world, as he ordered flags at the White House and government buildings flown at half-staff in her honor.

"Queen Elizabeth II was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. She helped make our relationship special," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the queen as "a friend of France... who marked her country and her century as never before".

"Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II embodied continuity and unity in the British nation for more than 70 years," the French leader tweeted.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said she "guaranteed stability in moments of crisis and kept alive the value of tradition in a society in constant and profound evolution."

UK PM LAYS OUT SWEEPING PLAN TO CAP ENERGY PRICES

Britain will cap consumer energy bills for two years and funnel billions to prop up power companies, its new leader Liz Truss said on Thursday in a bid to tackle an energy crisis that has Europe and Russia squaring off in a deepening economic war. “ This is the moment to be bold, we are facing a global energy crisis, and there are no cost-free options,” Truss told parliament. Truss’s package, funded by government borrowing, could cost Britain £150 billion, rattling financial markets, where the pound is hovering around lows plumbed in 1985.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed Europe’s reliance on Russian gas. European Union energy ministers will meet on Friday to discuss the 27-nation bloc’s response to the crisis, after a mixed initial response to a planned Russian gas price cap that risks provoking Moscow. President Putin threatened to sever all energy supplies if such limits were imposed.

In UK, Truss said average household energy bills would be held at around £2,500a yearfor two years. She said new methods of supply would also be introduced, with a moratorium on fracking being dropped and new oil and gas exploration licences issued for the North Sea. The treasury and Bank of England will launch a £40 billion scheme to shield energy firms from a liquidity squeeze.

PAK HC TO INDICT IMRAN IN CONTEMPT CASE ON SEPT 22

Islamabad : The Islamabad high court announced on Thursday that it would indict Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former PM Imran Khan on September 22 in a contempt of court case for threatening a woman judge at a public rally. The verdict was issued by a five-member HC bench headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah. The court had issued last month a show-cause notice to Khan following his warning to additional district and sessions judge Zeba Chaudhry at a rally to brace herself for consequences. She had approved police remand of his special assistant, Shahbaz Gill, who has been detained on sedition charges. The CJ observed that Imran Khan’s replies to the court’s show-cause notice appeared to be “justifying” contempt of the judiciary and showed “no remorse or regret”. In both his responses, the PTI chairman did not offer an unconditional apology.

RANIL EXPANDS GOVT. WITH 37 MINISTERS

Sri Lanka on Thursday appointed 37 State Ministers, including one from the Rajapaksa family, as President Ranil Wickremesinghe expanded his government amid efforts to set the country’s battered economy on a recovery path.

Barring a few, all newly appointed Ministers, including some tainted by allegations of corruption and violence, are from the Rajapaksas’ Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP or People’s Front) or its long-time allies. They held similar, or in some instances, same positions, in the former Rajapaksa administration that was booted out by a historic people’s uprising. Shasheendra Rajapaksa, a nephew of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is the first member of the family to return to a ministerial post after waves of street protests demanded that the “Rajapaksas go home” taking responsibility for the crippling economic crisis. Taking to Twitter, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa slammed the move. “When our nation faces its worst economic crisis, the appointment of so many State Ministers is nothing short of a crime. The government has a social contract with the people, not with themselves,” he said.

With President Wickremesinghe’s efforts to form an all-party government proving unsuccessful so far, his reliance on the Rajapaksas’ party continues. Opposition parties have refused to join the administration, contending that the government lacks a people’s mandate.