King Charles vows to serve nation, as Britain mourns late queen
Britain’s King Charles paid a heartfelt tribute on Friday to his late “darling mama” Queen Elizabeth, and vowed to serve as monarch with “loyalty, respect and love” as she had done for more than seven decades.
In his first address to the nation, Charles paid tribute to his mother for her devotion to her family and to those she reigned over, saying her loss brought great sadness and a “sense of loss, beyond measure”.
Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a towering presence on the world stage for 70 years, died on Thursday at her home in Scotland aged 96, drawing an outpouring of tributes from at home and around the globe.
Her death – which meant he became king and head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea – was “the moment I’ve been dreading”, Charles earlier told Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Asia-Pacific nations, US to build more resilient supply chains
In the first high-level in-person meeting on a new economic initiative led by the United States, ministers from 14 nations have committed to making supply chains "more resilient, robust, and well-integrated."
The members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) said on Friday that supply chain resilience "may require strengthening the capacity and capability of industries to prepare for and recover quickly from unexpected disruptions," according to a statement issued after a two-day meeting in Los Angeles.
Actions will include creating an information sharing and crisis response mechanism, strengthening supply chain logistics and transparency, and investing in training and development to ensure a sufficient number of skilled workers.
Russians killed two nuclear plant staff, abused others: Ukraine
Russian forces controlling Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have killed two staff at the facility and detained and abused dozens of others, the head of Ukraine's nuclear energy agency told AFP on Friday.
The Zaporizhzhia plant - the largest in Europe - was captured by Russian troops in March. An uptick in fighting around it in recent weeks has raised fears of a nuclear disaster with both Moscow and Kyiv blaming the other for the escalation.
"A regime of harassment of personnel was gradually established," following the Russian takeover, Petro Kotin said.
F-35 jets all contain China-made alloy banned by law: Pentagon
Every one of the more than 825 F-35 fighter jets delivered so far contain a component made with a Chinese alloy that's prohibited by both US law and Pentagon regulations, according to the programme office that oversees the aircraft.
The component - a magnet used in an aircraft-powering device supplied by Honeywell International - has been used in the plane since 2003, the Pentagon's F-35 programme office said.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon suspended deliveries of new F-35s to make sure the programme complies with regulations related to "specialty metals."
Tennis: Ruud into US Open final and brink of world top ranking
Casper Ruud reached the US Open final and closed in on the world number one ranking with a four-set victory over Karen Khachanov on Friday.
Ruud defeated the Russian 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 in his semi-final and will face either Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz or Frances Tiafoe of the United States in Sunday's championship match.
It will be world number seven Ruud's second Grand Slam final of the season after finishing runner-up to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June.
