Body of Queen Elizabeth II lies in state in Edinburgh, Scotland
Britain’s new king and queen consort met with members of Parliament Monday at Westminster Hall before traveling back to Scotland to join other members of the royal family for a procession to St. Giles Cathedral, where the queen’s coffin will lie in rest to allow the people of Scotland to pay their respects.
Huge explosions rock Beirut with widespread casualties, damage
BEIRUT Massive explosions rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a giant mushroom cloud rose above the capital. Witnesses saw many people injured by flying glass and debris. Lebanese Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh said hundreds of casualties have been confirmed as a result of the explosion. An Associated Press photographer near the port saw people lying injured on the ground, and hospitals called for blood donations, but exact casualties were not immediately known. Some local TV stations reported the blast was at Beiruts port inside an area where fireworks were stored.
Kyrgyzstans rights activist Azimzhan Askarov dies at 69
The U. N. Human Rights Committee and leading international human rights organizations have repeatedly urged the Central Asian nation's authorities to release Askarov, noting his deteriorating health. Askarov, an ethnic Uzbek rights activist, has been sentenced to life in prison for his alleged role in the deadly ethnic violence in southern Kyrgyzstan in 2010. Before his detention, Askarov had led a human rights organization in southern Kyrgyzstan focused on prison conditions and police treatment of detainees. Human Rights Watch and other rights groups said Askarovs detention and trial were marred by serious human rights violations, including credible allegations of torture. In 2016, the U.N. Human Rights Committee found that Askarov was arbitrarily detained, held in inhumane conditions, tortured and mistreated.