UK mourns death of Queen Elizabeth II

Bells tolled across Britain on Friday and mourners flocked to the palace gates to honor Queen Elizabeth II. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following UK mourns death of Queen Elizabeth II Credit: Alastair Grant/Pool/File/AP United Kingdom Bells tolled across Britain on Friday and mourners flocked to the palace gates to honor Queen Elizabeth II. The queen's death on Thursday has triggered a long-established series of ceremonial steps over a 10-day period codenamed [Operation London Bridge](, as Britain undergoes a period of national mourning and heralds the reign of King Charles III. Across the globe, her death at the age of 96 has prompted reflections — [both praise and criticism](— on the historic sweep of her 70-year reign. The queen’s death comes as a growing number of British territories in the Caribbean are seeking to replace the monarch with their own heads of state amid demands that Britain apologize for its colonial-era abuses and award its former colonies [slavery reparations](. North Korea North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed that his country [will never abandon the nuclear weapons]( it needs to counter the United States. Kim made the comments during a speech Thursday in Parliament, where members passed legislation governing the use of nuclear weapons. The law spells out conditions where North Korea would be inclined to use nuclear weapons, including when it determines that its leadership is facing an imminent “nuclear or non-nuclear attack by hostile forces.” Syria Syria's international airport in Aleppo resumes business on Friday after it was put [out of commission]( by an Israeli missile attack, the country's Transport Ministry said. Israel launched a [missile attack]( on Tuesday night targeting Aleppo’s airport for the second time in a week and all flights were diverted to the capital, Damascus. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges it. Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups who support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Queen Elizabeth II was the UK's longest-reigning monarch. Who will succeed her? A historian explains.]( Credit: Alastair Grant Pool/AP Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and a symbol of stability in a turbulent era that saw the decline of the British empire and embarrassing dysfunction in her own family, died Thursday after 70 years on the throne. Jonathan Spangler, who teaches European history at Manchester Metropolitan University in the UK, spoke to The World's host, Marco Werman, about [what to expect from the impending transition](. "I think that this is a crossroads, a potential turning point, more so for countries like Australia who have already been kind of thinking about becoming republics over the years," Spangler said. [Chileans categorically reject a new, progressive constitution]( Credit: Luis Hidalgo/AP For the past three years, millions of Chileans have been calling for major social and political change. That vision finally took shape in a new draft of the country’s constitution. But when it was put to the test in a referendum, [the proposal was rejected by 62% of voters](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright Spot Sierra Leone and West Africa are celebrating the success of US tennis player, Frances Tiafoe, at the US Open. Tiafoe's parents emigrated to the US from Sierra Leone. His [success has sparked great excitement]( in Sierra Leone and around the world. Listen 🎧 to the [story on The World](. Credit: Mary Altaffer/AP [In case you missed it on The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.