World News Roundup: Some Russians mourn Queen Elizabeth with flowers as Kremlin pays respects; King Charles to address a nation shaken by death of queen and more

Charles, who raced to be by the side of the queen at her Scottish home on Thursday, was heading back to London with his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort, before meeting the prime minister and making a televised statement. Italy's right eyes landslide in 5-Star's Sicilian strongholds Like many Sicilians, Agatino Zappala, who runs a delicatessen in the city of Catania, voted for the 5-Star Movement at Italy's last national election in 2018 but will switch his allegiance to the right at this month's vote.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Some Russians mourn Queen Elizabeth with flowers as Kremlin pays respects

The Kremlin paid respectful tribute to Queen Elizabeth on Friday and dozens of Russians laid flowers at the British embassy, despite the dire state of relations between London and Moscow. "Despite what is going on now, the Queen and the royal house have always been the personification of peace and goodness," said Muscovite Anton Avramets after placing a pink bouquet alongside many others on a wall outside the embassy.

King Charles to address a nation shaken by death of queen

Britain's King Charles will on Friday address a grieving nation following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth after seven decades on the throne, as a period of national mourning began for the only monarch most Britons ever knew. Charles, who raced to be by the side of the queen at her Scottish home on Thursday, was heading back to London with his wife Camilla, now Queen Consort, before meeting the prime minister and making a televised statement.

Italy's right eyes landslide in 5-Star's Sicilian strongholds

Like many Sicilians, Agatino Zappala, who runs a delicatessen in the city of Catania, voted for the 5-Star Movement at Italy's last national election in 2018 but will switch his allegiance to the right at this month's vote. The trend, reflected in polls, could give the conservative bloc a landslide victory on the island at the Sept. 25 ballot and help pave its way to power nationwide.

Analysis-Kim Jong Un's 'decapitation' fears shine through in new N.Korea nuclear law

A new North Korean law calls for "automatic" nuclear launches if the country's leadership or command and control systems are threatened, underscoring leader Kim Jong Un's fears of a so-called "decapitation" strike, experts said. In an updated nuclear policy law passed on Thursday, North Korea enshrined the right to use preemptive nuclear strikes to protect itself, with Kim saying the legislation makes the country's nuclear status "irreversible" and bars denuclearisation talks.

An outspoken prince, King Charles may have to bite his tongue

Throughout his long wait to ascend the throne, King Charles stood out for his outspoken views on everything from climate change to the architecture. Now he is monarch, the 73-year-old may try to keep his cards closer to his chest. Ridiculed by some for his opinions, and accused of meddling in political and social matters that may not concern him, Charles has always believed he should be able to speak his mind on issues which he feels are important to Britons too.

One more Greek lawmaker files complaint over attempted phone hacking

A lawmaker in Greece's main opposition party filed a complaint with the top court's prosecutor on Friday over what he said were repeated attempts to infect his mobile phone with the Predator malware, the latest incident in a phone-tapping scandal.

Last month, Greek lawmakers voted in favour of setting up an inquiry commission to probe the phone tapping of a political opposition leader that led Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to sack the head of the country's intelligence service (EYP).

'Substantial victory' for Kyiv acknowledged on Russian TV after Ukrainian breakthrough

Russian state television broadcast an interview on Friday acknowledging that Kyiv had achieved a "substantial victory", after Ukrainian forces burst through the frontline in a lightning advance. The Ukrainian breakthrough near Kharkiv was the fastest advance reported by either side for months, and one of the biggest shifts in the war's momentum since Russian forces abandoned a disastrous assault on the capital Kyiv in March.

Ukraine says Russia hits Kharkiv city centre in revenge for its success

At least 10 people were wounded when the centre of Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, was hit by Russian rocket fire on Friday, local officials said, while the president's top aide said the attacks were revenge for Ukrainian success on the battlefield. Rockets hit a children's arts centre and a school, as well as private homes, wounding at least ten people, including three children, Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram.

Death of Queen Elizabeth marked around world with tributes and flowers

As world leaders paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth on her death aged 96 on Thursday, ordinary people in Britain and around the globe paid their own respects to a woman who had been the face of her nation for more than 70 years. On a rainy London night, thousands gathered outside Buckingham Palace, in central London, some laying floral tributes outside the black iron gates. There were similar scenes outside the queen's Windsor Castle home. Black cabs lined up outside the palace to pay homage to the Queen.

U.S. mediator: progress, but more work needed in Lebanon-Israel maritime talks

The U.S. mediator in a longstanding maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon said on Friday that the negotiations to resolve the conflict have made "very good progress" but more work was required to reach a final agreement.

The two countries with a history of conflict are locked in U.S.-mediated negotiations to delineate a shared maritime border that would help determine which oil and gas resources belong to which country and pave the way for more exploration.