International
Queen Elizabeth II dies: Thursday’s timeline
AFP | by Helen ROWE
A rare palace announcement about Queen Elizabeth II’s health at 12:32 pm (1132 GMT) on Thursday prompted a dash to her country estate in Scotland by close members of the 96-year-old’s family.
A second statement at 6:30 pm announced her death.
Here is the day’s timeline:
Around noon (1100 GMT)
Senior minister Nadhim Zahawi slips into the House of Commons, shortly after new Prime Minister Liz Truss finishes her first major policy announcement outlining a freeze on energy prices.
Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour party, is on his feet responding to the announcement.
Zahawi sits next to Truss and hands her a note, sending ripples around the chamber. Starmer is handed his own note and both leaders leave.
12:32 pm
Buckingham Palace releases its statement.
“Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen’s doctors are concerned for Her Majesty’s health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision,” it says.
“The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral.”
Commons speaker Lindsay Hoyle interrupts debate on the energy plan to relay the development to members of parliament, sending the House’s prayers to the royal family.
Truss says: “The whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunch-time.”
12:39 pm
The BBC interrupts scheduled programming with the announcement and launches rolling news coverage of developments.
Presenter Huw Edwards appears dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and black tie, in line with the BBC’s dress code for when a member of the royal family dies.
Just before 1:00 pm
The queen’s heir Charles, the Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla have travelled to Balmoral, aides say.
Around 1:15 pm
The queen’s grandson Prince William, who is second in line to the throne after Charles, is also travelling to Scotland to be with his grandmother, the Duke of Cambridge’s office says.
Around 1.35 pm
Princess Anne is at Balmoral, and Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie are on the way to Scotland, the domestic Press Association (PA) news agency says of the queen’s three younger children.
1.55 pm
A spokesman for Prince Harry, Charles’s second son, and his wife Meghan says the US-based couple will be travelling to Scotland after breaking off engagements on a rare trip home.
But in the end, only Harry makes the trip.
Around 4:00 pm
Princes Andrew and Edward, Sophie and Prince William arrive by plane in Aberdeen for the road journey to Balmoral.
People begin to gather outside Buckingham Palace in London, despite rain.
5:05 pm
A car carrying a grim-faced Andrew, Edward, Sophie and with William at the wheel sweeps through the gates of Balmoral.
6.30 pm
Buckingham Palace announces: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”
“The King (Charles) and The Queen Consort (Camilla) will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Foreign tributes begin to pour in including from US President Joe Biden’s White House, Europe and the Commonwealth, which was headed by the late queen.
Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, who was only appointed on Tuesday in one of the queen’s last official acts, is expected to speak shortly.
International
Merengue concert turns to mourning as Jet Set collapse claims 136 lives
Dominican rescue teams will end search and recovery operations on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at the Jet Set nightclubin Santo Domingo, where the building collapsed during a live concert.
Authorities estimate that the final 20 bodies will be recovered from the rubble today, bringing the official death toll to 136. This includes 12 additional bodies found overnight in the disaster zone, adding to the previously confirmed 124 fatalities.
Outside the collapsed nightclub, desperate relatives of the missing continue to gather, clinging to hope for news. Many also visited nearby hospitals and morgues in search of their loved ones.
A list of confirmed victims has been posted on a tent set up near the site, where the bodies are being transferred for identification.
The tragedy occurred during a performance by renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the deceased.
Central America
Colombia to host fourth EU-CELAC Summit in November
The Fourth Summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place on November 9 and 10 in Santa Marta, Colombia, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by the Colombian government and the European Council.
The summit will be co-chaired by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in his role as pro tempore president of CELAC, and European Council President António Costa, the statement added.
The last EU-CELAC summit took place in July 2023 in Brussels, when both blocs agreed to hold these meetings every two years.
The summit brings together the 27 EU member states and the 33 CELAC countries, representing 14% of the global population, 21% of global GDP, and one-third of the members of the United Nations, the communiqué noted.
International
Russia and US to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks on April 10
The Kremlin confirmed today a forthcoming meeting with the United States to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations, which will take place in Istanbul.
“Our participation will be through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, during his daily telephone press conference.
Peskov was responding to a question about who would represent Russia in the new round of negotiations, which is supposedly scheduled for April 10.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the delegations will be led by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Alexandr Darchiev, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Sonata Coulter.
These are the same negotiators who met in late February in Istanbul, where the expert-level negotiation format was the same, according to the source.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said a few days ago that the next meeting would be held in the Turkish city, though he did not confirm a date.
Lavrov, who participated in only one of these meetings, clarified that the upcoming discussions would address the issues still dividing Moscow and Washington diplomatically, referring to the operations of both countries’ embassies.
The Kremlin asserted that Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s security concerns, preventing a ceasefire declaration on land, sea, and air.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed discontent with Russia’s recent attacks, including one last week that killed 20 people in Krivi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, Russia has rejected a cessation of hostilities and only declared a 30-day ceasefire on March 18 against attacks on energy infrastructure, which was extended by Kyiv a week later.
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