Kyiv, Sep 9 (AP) In Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, people laid flowers outside the British Embassy in honour of Queen Elizabeth.

Anatolii Zakletskyi, a 75-year-old Kyiv resident, said he wanted to express his admiration for the monarch.

Also Read | Queen Elizabeth II Visited India Thrice; Got Rousing Reception at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan in 1961, Inaugurated AIIMS Buildings.

“First, as a symbol of devotion to the motherland. Secondly, an absolute sense of duty before, as she herself said, God and the people. And thirdly, to all of Britain for being true friends of Ukraine,” Zakletskyi said. “My deep condolences to the entire British nation.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy started his nightly address to the nation late Thursday with condolences “to the royal family, the entire United Kingdom and the Commonwealth”.

Also Read | Queen Elizabeth II Death: India Declares One-Day Mourning as a Mark of Respect on September 11.

___

London: King Charles III on his first full day of duties has left Balmoral in Scotland to head to London. He is expected to meet Prime Minister Liz Truss, who was appointed just days earlier, and deliver a speech to the nation.

The king spent much of his 73 years preparing for the role. He takes the throne at a time when many Britons are preoccupied with an energy crisis, the soaring cost of living, the war in Ukraine and the fallout from Brexit.

Britain has begun a 10-day mourning period, with bells tolling around the country and 96-gun salutes planned in London — one for each year of the queen's long life.

___

Tokyo: Hong Kong and its residents are also mourning Queen Elizabeth II.

May Lam, who is studying in Japan, said she heard the news in Friday's early hours and was too shocked to go back to sleep.

Lam was born before Hong Kong's handover to China in 1997 and grew up seeing the queen in everyday life, including on stamps and coins. “In my mind or in my memories, Queen Elizabeth was so special,” said Lam, who made a two-hour trip to the British Embassy in Tokyo.

Hong Kong was ruled by Britain for 156 years. During her reign, Queen Elizabeth visited Hong Kong twice — in 1975 and in 1986 following a visit to China.

___

London: The death of Queen Elizabeth II has left many wondering what will happen to British money that bears her image, and whether it would be replaced by portraits of the new King Charles III.

Financial authorities sought to reassure people that there would be no big changes right away, but said little else.

“Current banknotes featuring the image of Her Majesty The Queen will continue to be legal tender,” the Bank of England said on its website. “A further announcement regarding existing Bank of England banknotes will be made once the period of mourning has been observed.”

The Queen was the first monarch to feature on British bank notes after the Treasury gave the central bank permission to use her image for a new 1 pound note issued in 1960.

___

Berlin: Germany's president has highlighted Queen Elizabeth II's contribution to healing the wounds left by World War II during her long reign.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier says that “Britain held out the hand of reconciliation to Germany, and the hand of reconciliation was also the queen's hand.”

He says a state visit by the queen to West Germany in 1965 was “one of the most important and powerful symbols” of post-war friendship. “For the young Federal Republic of Germany, this trip was a pricelessly important signal of reconciliation after two disastrous world wars, after the great guilt that my country had heaped upon itself.” (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)