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“The Crown,” Netflix’s acclaimed series about Queen Elizabeth II and her family, has paused production due to the monarch’s death. A spokesperson for the series said production was paused on Friday “as a mark of respect” and will also be suspended on the day of the queen’s funeral. The show is in production on its sixth season. Its first two seasons starred Claire Foy as the young princess Elizabeth ascending to the throne and gradually growing into her role as monarch, and seasons three and four featured Olivia Colman as a more mature queen. The show has gradually moved closer to current events. Netflix recently revealed casting of the actors who are playing Prince William and his wife Kate in the sixth season. Its fifth season, with Imelda Staunton playing the queen, will premiere in November. Read: British sports hold day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II The show has won 22 Emmy Awards so far, including one outstanding drama series trophy and best drama actress honors for Foy and Colman. Josh O’Connor, who played Prince Charles in 13 episodes, also won the best drama actor Emmy for his portrayal of the future king as a young man.    

Across the globe, the death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted reflections on the historic sweep of her reign and how she succeeded in presiding over the end of Britain’s colonial empire and embracing the independence of her former dominions. Tributes to the queen’s life have poured in, from world leaders to rock stars to ordinary people — along with some criticism of the monarchy. It was in Cape Town, marking her 21st birthday in 1947, that the then-Princess Elizabeth pledged that her “whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” The British empire soon crumbled, but Elizabeth managed to maintain a regal — if ceremonial — position as the head of the Commonwealth, the 54 nations of mostly previous British colonies. “The Queen lived a long and consequential life, fulfilling her pledge to serve until her very last breath at the age of 96,” Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, said Friday. “She was an exemplary leader of the kind seldom seen in the modern era.” As queen, Elizabeth was seen as endorsing the birth of democracies in former colonies in Africa where Black citizens previously had been denied basic rights, including the vote. When in glittering tiaras she danced with new African leaders in the 1960s and visited their capitals, she burnished their new institutions. When white-minority rule finally fell in South Africa in 1994, Elizabeth welcomed Nelson Mandela as a world leader. Her warm friendship with Mandela gave her a new relevance. “In the years after his release from prison, (Mandela) cultivated a close relationship with the queen. He hosted her in South Africa and visited her in England, taking particular delight in exploring Buckingham Palace. They also talked on the phone frequently, using their first names with each other as a sign of mutual respect as well as affection,” the Nelson Mandela Foundation said Friday. “For Madiba, (Mandela’s clan name) it was important that the former colonial power in southern Africa should be drawn into cordial and productive relations with the newly democratic republic of South Africa.” Fellow anti-apartheid fighter the late Anglican archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu also enjoyed good relations with the queen. Read: British sports hold day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II “Although ensconced in the pomp, ceremony and lifestyle of royalty and empire, in a world of profound inequality, she was a servant queen,” Tutu’s foundation and trust said Friday. In contrast, a scathing view of the queen’s rule was issued by South Africa’s populist party, the Economic Freedom Fighters. The queen was “head of an institution built up, sustained, and living off a brutal legacy of dehumanization of millions of people across the world,” it said. “We do not mourn the death of Elizabeth, because to us her death is a reminder of a very tragic period in this country and Africa’s history,” said the party. “During her 70-year reign as queen, she never once acknowledged the atrocities that her family inflicted on native people that Britain invaded across the world. She willingly benefited from the wealth that was attained from the exploitation and murder of millions of people.” Some Irish soccer fans raucously cheered the queen’s death at a match Thursday, according to videos posted online that angered her supporters. The Republic of Ireland’s leadership expressed condolences and admiration for the queen. The widespread tributes that followed her death came not only from U.S. President Joe Biden but also from Russian President Vladimir Putin. She was a “stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States,” Biden and first lady Jill Biden said, adding that she ”defined an era.” Putin sent a telegram to King Charles III — Elizabeth’s oldest son who automatically became Britain’s new monarch. “For many decades, Elizabeth II rightfully enjoyed the love and respect of her subjects, as well as authority on the world stage. I wish you courage and perseverance in the face of this heavy, irreparable loss,” Putin wrote. Elizabeth was mourned across Europe. In France, Britain’s historic rival and contemporary ally, flags at the presidential palace and public buildings were lowered to half-staff on Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron released a video Friday in English expressing a sense of “emptiness” after her passing. Addressing the British public, he said: “To you, she was your Queen. To us, she was THE Queen, to all of us.”

A week after Michelle Bachelet stepped down as the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, the intergovernmental organisation has approved Austrian diplomat Volker Türk to take on the challenging job. UN Secretary-General António Guterres forwarded the name of Türk, 57, Wednesday to the General Assembly, which approved the appointment without a vote Thursday. Guterres said in a statement that Türk had "devoted his long and distinguished career to advancing universal human rights, notably the protection of some of the world's most vulnerable people – refugees and stateless persons." He also cited Türk's work for the UN refugee agency in countries like Kosovo, Bosnia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Read: UN human rights chief to visit Dhaka, Cox's Bazar Aug 14-17 Most recently working in Guterres' office as under-secretary-general for policy, Turk now faces unrelenting opposing pressures from governments and activists while reacting to the realities of the human rights situation. From 2019 to 2021, Türk served as assistant secretary-general for strategic coordination in the UN chief's Executive Office. Before that, he was the assistant high commissioner for protection at UN refugees, UNHCR, in Geneva – from 2015 to 2019 – where he played a key role in the development of the landmark Global Compact on Refugees. Throughout his career, Türk held several key positions, including at UNHCR headquarters where he served from 2009 to 2015 as director of the Division of International Protection; from 2008 to 2009 as director of Organizational Development and Management; and from 2000 to 2004 as chief of Section, Protection Policy and Legal Advice.

After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-reigning monarch and a rock of stability across much of a turbulent century, in Balmoral Thursday, the royal family has a new line of succession With Charles becoming UK's king, his sons and grandchildren are next in succession for the monarchy.  Here are the first 15 people in order of succession: 1. Prince William, the elder son of Charles and the late princess Diana. He is married to Kate, the duchess of Cambridge. Their three children follow him in the line of succession. 2. Prince George of Cambridge, born in July 2013 3. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, born in May 2015 4. Prince Louis of Cambridge, born in April 2018 5. Prince Harry, the younger son of Charles and Diana 6. Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, born to Harry and Meghan, duchess of Sussex, in May 2019 Read: 10 things to know about Queen Elizabeth II 7. Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor, born in June 2021 8. Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip's second-eldest son 9. Princess Beatrice, elder daughter of Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson 10. Sienna Elizabeth, daughter of Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, born in September 2021 11. Princess Eugenie, Andrew and Sarah's younger daughter 12. August Brooksbank, born to Eugenie and James Brooksbank in February 2021 13. Prince Edward, the queen and Philip's youngest child 14. James, Viscount Severn, the younger child of Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex 15. Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, Edward and Sophie's daughter

The death of Queen Elizabeth II, whose rule saw the UK through decades of change, was seen and felt around the world. Read: When Queen Elizabeth II came to Bangladesh As word spread of the death of the Queen, people gathered to lay flowers and pay tribute to the UK's longest-reigning monarch.

Questions about what will happen next now that Queen Elizabeth II has passed away arise because it has been 70 years since Britain’s monarchy changed. In order to ensure a seamless transition following the queen’s passing and to properly honour her historic reign, the UK government and the royal family have been making preparations for years. Also read: 10 things to know about Queen Elizabeth II Here are some potential events for the upcoming days, according to an ABC News report. What time and where will the Queen’s funeral be held? After the customary observation of a national period of mourning, the queen’s funeral will happen 10 days after her passing. Elizabeth is anticipated to be the first sovereign to have a funeral at Westminster Abbey since 1760. International dignitaries and leaders of state are anticipated to attend the queen’s funeral. Westminster Abbey can house more than 8,000 people, as it did for the queen’s coronation, but it often only seats 2,200 worshippers. Where will be her eternal resting place? The queen will likely be buried privately in Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel, where she spent a large part of her later years. The queen will rest in eternity with her beloved late husband Prince Philip, her father King George VI, sister Princess Margaret, and other family members. Also read:Camilla will be known as Queen Consort

After seven decades, the United Kingdom has a new woman to call queen. Charles’ wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will be known as Queen Consort — a title that came with Queen Elizabeth II’s blessing after years of contention, dating back to the days before she even married Prince Charles. It wasn’t always a given that the 75-year-old Camilla would take the title, even though it gives her none of the sovereign’s powers. While the wife of a king is traditionally crowned queen, the question of what title Camilla would hold when Charles became king had been a tricky one for many years. That was due to sensitivity about her status as his second wife — and the wave of grief that washed over Britain following the death of his former wife, Princess Diana, in a car crash in 1997. Charles and the royal household have moved carefully on the matter, mindful of lingering public perceptions of Camilla as the “third person” that ruined the marriage between Charles and the beloved princess. But over the decades, Camilla has won over large parts of the British public with her discretion, down-to-earth personality and loyalty to her husband. When Camilla and Charles married in a low-key civil ceremony in 2005, she was in fact the new Princess of Wales — Diana’s title — but she styled herself the Duchess of Cornwall instead. Palace officials said for years that Camilla “intended” to be known as “Princess Consort” — instead of the traditional “Queen Consort” — when Charles acceded to the throne. There is no precedent for the title Princess Consort, which was reportedly suggested by royal officials. The similar title of Prince Consort has only been used once — for Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901. In a 2010 interview with NBC, Charles was asked if Camilla would become “Queen of England, if and when you become the monarch.” He hesitated as he replied, “That’s, well ... We’ll see, won’t we? That could be.” The question was resolved when Elizabeth declared she wanted Camilla to be known as Queen Consort after her son became king. It was an endorsement that formally signified the royal family’s acceptance of Camilla as a respected senior member and was widely seen as a move by Elizabeth to pave a smooth transition to Charles’ reign. “When, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes king, I know you will give him and his wife, Camilla, the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service,” Elizabeth said in February 2022, when she marked the 70th anniversary of her rule. Charles said he and Camilla were “deeply conscious of the honor.” “As we have sought together to serve and support Her Majesty and the people of our communities, my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout,” he said. The most recent Queen Consort in British history was George VI’s wife Queen Elizabeth, known in later years as the Queen Mother after her daughter became monarch in 1952. By custom, Camilla will be anointed at Charles’ coronation, although that could be omitted. Born Camilla Rosemary Shand on July 17, 1947, she came from aristocrats with long and close links with Britain’s royal family. Her great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, was a romantic partner of King Edward VII. She met Charles at a polo match in 1970 when she was 23 and he was considered to be the most eligible bachelor in Britain. The two immediately became close, and by the end of 1972, Charles was smitten. But the romance was interrupted by his eight months of naval duty. In his absence, Camilla married her longtime boyfriend, army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, in 1973. The couple divorced in 1995, shortly after Charles gave an explosive television interview admitting an affair with Camilla. Charles and Diana divorced the next year. Charles and Camilla waited another nine years, marrying in 2005 in a private ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor. Since then, Camilla has taken up dozens of royal duties. She is patron or president of more than 90 charities, and has shown particular interest in work on animals, promoting literacy and empowering women. She also has found her voice as a public speaker, earning respect by campaigning about difficult issues such as sexual violence against women and domestic abuse. In 2021, she delivered what many called her landmark speech, urging “the men in our lives” to get involved in women’s rights and expressing sympathy for the families of women who are murdered. The same year, Buckingham Palace underlined Camilla’s role as a senior royal by making her a Royal Lady of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the most senior order of chivalry in Britain.      

The British monarchy’s rules state that “a new sovereign succeeds to the throne as soon as his or her predecessor dies.” That means Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest son, Prince Charles, became king immediately upon her death. However, it may be months or even longer before Charles’ formal coronation. In Elizabeth’s case, her coronation came on June 2, 1953 -- 16 months after her accession on Feb. 6, 1952, when her father, King George VI, died. A look at the formalities that take place after Charles accedes to the throne: — Within 24 hours of a monarch’s death, a new sovereign is proclaimed formally as soon as possible at St. James’s Palace in London by the “Accession Council.” This is made up of officials from the Privy Council, which includes senior Cabinet ministers, judges and leaders of the Church of England, who are summoned to the palace for the meeting. — Parliament is then recalled for lawmakers to take their oaths of allegiance to the new monarch. — The new monarch will swear an oath before the Privy Council in St. James’s Palace to maintain the Church of Scotland, according to the Act of Union of 1707. — The proclamation of the new sovereign is then publicly read out at St. James’s Palace, as well as in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast – the capital cities of the four nations that make up the United Kingdom. — Charles must declare to Parliament on the first day of its session following the accession, or at the coronation, whichever is first, that he is a faithful Protestant. The oath is mandated by the Accession Declaration Act of 1910. — He must also take a coronation oath as prescribed by the Coronation Oath Act of 1689, the Act of Settlement of 1701 and the Accession Declaration Act. — He must be in communion with the Church of England, a flexible rule which allowed King George I and King George II to reign even though they were Lutherans. Also read: Queen Elizabeth II: Britain's longest reigning monarch, no more

Queen Elizabeth II, according to UK’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss, leaves a “wonderful legacy.” “Today the Crown passes, as it has done for more than a thousand years, to our new monarch, our new head of state, His Majesty King Charles III,” BBC reported, quoting her statement. “With the King's family we mourn the loss of his mother and come together. “We offer him our loyalty and devotion, just as his mother devoted so much to us for so long.” She finished her statement saying it is “the passing of the second Elizabethan age”. Truss concluded by saying: “God save the King.” Also read: Liz Truss: UK's incoming PM who models herself on Iron Lady Thatcher

Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad Ramtane Lamamra has recently received the personal envoy of the UN Secretary General for Western Sahara, Shaffan de Mistura who was on a visit to Algeria. The meeting took place in the presence of the Special Envoy in charge of the question of Western Sahara and the Maghreb countries, Amar Belani, said a media release issued by the Algerian Embassy in Dhaka on Thursday. Read: FTA with Algeria to boost bilateral trade: DCCI During the meeting, the two sides examined the latest developments regarding Western Sahara and the prospects for strengthening UN efforts with a view to resuming direct negotiations between the two parties - the Kingdom of Morocco and the Polisario Front, with the objective of reaching a lasting political solution accepted by both parties. They also discussed ways for guaranteeing the Sahrawi people the exercise of their inalienable and imprescriptible right to self-determination, in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and its doctrine on decolonization, according to the media release.