 Funeral for Queen Elizabeth: Today has been a public holiday in Great Britain as attention is focused on the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. A funeral procession brought her casket from Westminster Hall where it had been viewed by hundreds of thousands, many of whom had been on line for up to 24 hours, to Wellington Arch where it was placed in a hearse for the trip to Windsor Castle, then another service and burial at Windsor”™s St. George”™s Chapel.
Fiona hits Puerto Rico:Â The Governor of Puerto Rico Pedro Pierluisi says the damage to his country from Hurricane Fiona has been catastrophic. The storm knocked out the island nation”™s electric power grid and caused mudslides and flooding. Roads and bridges in Puerto Rico have been washed out.
Prisoner swap:Â The U.S. government this morning confirmed that an American contractor who had been held prisoner for two years by the Taliban has been set free in a prisoner swap. The U.S. released an Afghanistan drug lord in exchange for Mark Frerichs, who was captured by the Taliban while he was in Afghanistan working on various engineering projects.
Manhattan gridlock expected:Â About 150 heads of state are scheduled to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in New York this week. Many of the dignitaries had to change travel plans in order to be in Great Britain today for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. Traffic gridlock is expected as many Manhattan streets are closed for security purposes.
Russian missile comes close to nuclear plant:Â Ukrainian officials reported this morning that a Russian missile came within 1,000 feet of hitting a nuclear power plant that has three reactors in the southern part of the country. It”™s the second largest nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
Biden undecided on running: President Biden, in a recorded interview shown last night on the CBS News program “60 Minutes” said that he has not yet decided whether to run for reelection. He explained that while he has said he intends to run, he hasn”™t yet decided whether to actually do it. Biden also said that although the virus Covid-19 still is with us, the pandemic it caused is over in the U.S.
Photo by Katie Chan / Wikimedia Commons
