Queen Elizabeth's funeral today at 6pm: Britain and the world prepare to say last farewell - The Straits Times

LONDON - Britain, world leaders and royalty from across the globe will on Monday bid a final farewell to Queen Elizabeth, the last towering figure of her era, at a state funeral of inimitable pageantry.

At 6.30am (1.30pm in Singapore), an official lying-in-state period ends after four days in which hundreds of thousands have queued to file past the casket of Britain's longest-reigning monarch at London's historic Westminster Hall.

They, like many across the globe, including US President Joe Biden, paid tribute to the 96-year-old who spent seven decades on the British throne.

"You were fortunate to have had her for 70 years," Mr Biden said. "We all were."

Shortly before 11am, the oak coffin, covered in the Royal Standard flag with the Imperial State Crown on top, will be placed on a gun carriage and pulled by naval personnel to Westminster Abbey for her funeral.

Among the 2,000 in the congregation will be some 500 world leaders, including Mr Biden, Emperor Naruhito of Japan, China's Vice-President Wang Qishan and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The Queen's great-grandchildren, Prince George, nine, and Princess Charlotte, seven, the two eldest children of now heir to the throne Prince William, will also be attending.

"Over the last 10 days, my wife and I have been so deeply touched by the many messages of condolence and support we have received from this country and across the world," King Charles, Elizabeth's son and the new king, said in a statement. "As we all prepare to say our last farewell, I wanted simply to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those countless people who have been such a support and comfort to my family and myself in this time of grief."

Queen Elizabeth died aged 96 on Sept 8 at her Scottish summer home, Balmoral Castle.

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2022-09-18 22:29:44Z
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Strong earthquake hits southeastern Taiwan, building collapses - Reuters

• Summary
• Companies

• Train carriages derailed, four rescued from collapsed building
• Tsunami warnings cancelled, chip foundries unaffected
• More than 600 trapped by blocked mountain roads
• Quake follows 6.4 magnitude tremor on Saturday

TAIPEI, Sept 18 (Reuters) - A 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit the sparsely populated southeastern part of Taiwan on Sunday, the island's weather bureau said, derailing train carriages, causing a convenience store to collapse and trapping hundreds on mountain roads.

The weather bureau said the epicentre was in Taitung county, and followed a 6.4 magnitude temblor on Saturday evening in the same area, which caused no casualties. read more

The U.S. Geological Survey measured Sunday's quake at a magnitude 7.2 and at a depth of 10 km (six miles).

Taiwan's fire department said all four people were rescued from a building housing a convenience store that collapsed in Yuli, while three people whose vehicle fell off a damaged bridge were rescued and taken to hospital.

The Taiwan Railways Administration said six carriages came off the rails at Dongli station in eastern Taiwan after part of the platform canopy collapsed, but the fire department said there were no injuries.

More than 600 people are trapped on the scenic Chike and Liushishi mountain areas by blocked roads, though there were no injuries and rescuers were working to reopen the roads, the department said.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Taiwan after the tremor but later lifted the alert. Japan's weather agency lifted a tsunami warning for part of Okinawa prefecture.

The quake could be felt across Taiwan, the weather bureau said. Buildings shook briefly in the capital Taipei, and aftershocks have continued to jolt the island.

Science parks in the southern cities of Tainan and Kaohsiung, home to major semiconductor factories, said there was no impact on operations.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) (2330.TW), , the world's largest contract chipmaker, said there was "no known significant impact for now".

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.

More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.

Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Martin Quin Pollard, Sam Nussey and Anirudh Saligrama; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Christian Schmollinger

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-09-18 10:09:00Z
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King Charles III to host world leaders as UK readies for queen's funeral - CNA

Queen Elizabeth's state funeral, the first in Britain since the death of her first prime minister Winston Churchill in 1965, will take place Monday at Westminster Abbey in London at 11am local time.

While the leaders of the European Union, France, Japan and many other countries will attend, those of Russia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria and North Korea were not invited.

Charles - at 73 the oldest monarch ever to ascend to the throne - will host the dozens of visiting dignitaries including Biden at a reception at Buckingham Palace on Sunday evening.

Leaders including Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand, Australia's pro-republic Anthony Albanese, and Canada's Justin Trudeau - prime ministers from countries where Queen Elizabeth was head of state - have paid their respects at Westminster Hall.

"In this time of great grief, we are thankful to be here paying our respects to The Queen for her services to duty, faith, family and the Commonwealth," Albanese said on Twitter.

Trudeau said Queen Elizabeth "served for her entire life, and bore the weight of her duties with impeccable grace", after signing the book of condolence.

Biden was expected to visit on Sunday to bid farewell to the monarch he said had "defined an era".

The influx of dignitaries - along with that of hundreds of thousands of mourners from across Britain and around the world - poses an extraordinary challenge for Britain's police.

More than 2,000 officers have been drafted from across the country to help Scotland Yard.

After the funeral, the queen's coffin will be transferred by royal hearse to Windsor Castle, west of London, for a committal service.

That will be followed by a family-only burial in which the queen will be laid to rest alongside her late husband Prince Philip, her parents and her sister.

"GOOD SPOT"

Britain will hold a minute's silence at 8pm local time on Sunday to reflect on the "life and legacy" of the queen ahead of her funeral.

But some mourners have already begun gathering along the route in central London to make sure they have a front-row spot for her funeral procession.

The culmination of decades of meticulous planning, it will see 142 sailors pulling the gun-carriage bearing the queen's lead-lined coffin.

"We wanted to have a good spot to see the procession," said Bill Parry, 59, a Royal Navy veteran as he waited in camping chairs with two other former servicemen.

"It's not much to ask to sleep outside considering everything the queen did for us: 70 years of duty."

The funeral will bring to an end 11 days of national mourning across the United Kingdom that has seen the personal sorrow of the royal family play out in the glare of intense international attention.

Camilla, the new queen consort, was the latest royal to pay tribute as she remembered her mother-in-law's smile and "wonderful blue eyes".

"She's been part of our lives for ever. I'm 75 now and I can't remember anyone except The Queen being there," Camilla said in televised comments.

"It must have been so difficult for her being a solitary woman" in a world dominated by men.

"There weren't women prime ministers or presidents. She was the only one so I think she carved her own role."

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2022-09-18 01:34:00Z
1568146150

Dragon boat contest ditches Hong Kong over COVID-19 restrictions - CNA

HONG KONG: The world's top dragon boat competition will ditch Hong Kong in favour of Thailand next year due to the city's stringent coronavirus rules, organisers announced on Saturday (Sep 17).

Hong Kong is trying to reboot its pandemic-hit sports scene even as it continues to follow a loose version of China's zero-COVID strategy, which quashes outbreaks with travel curbs and quarantine.

The 2023 World Dragon Boat Racing Championships became the latest international sports event to abandon the Chinese city, according to the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association.

"Hong Kong's current quarantine and isolation arrangements for visitors are still more stringent than that of other countries," the group wrote on Facebook.

The event scheduled for next August will instead be held in Pattaya, Thailand, the International Dragon Boat Federation confirmed.

The news comes a day after the Hong Kong Marathon and the Oxfam Trailwalker events separately announced their cancellation.

Marathon organisers said they had not received government approval with just two months left before the race, which did not leave enough time for preparations.

Last year's marathon was held in October after a months-long delay and featured no overseas competitors, while in 2020 the event was called off by the government with two weeks' notice.

Organisers of the Oxfam Trailwalker also said their event could not be held even though they offered to cap the number of participants at 1,600.

"The government believes that there remains a large number of people involved in the event," organisers said on Facebook.

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2022-09-17 12:52:42Z
1572037001

Li Yifeng arrested for soliciting prostitution; this time it’s for real - The Independent

Shortly after actor Li Yifeng officially denied rumours that he was involved in prostitution, Chinese officials have just arrested him for the very same thing.

His illegal activities were reported by the Chinese news media on September 11.

“In the course of the investigation, the Beijing police have apprehended an actor with surname Li and he has confessed to soliciting prostitution on multiple occasions. He is now placed under administrative detention in accordance with the law,” said the report.

A second state-run media establishment also slammed Li Yifeng and his agency for their immoral behaviour and attempting to appear innocent.

“As a public figure, Li Yifeng should know the basic life principles. However, after committing his illegal acts, Li Yifeng did not seriously reflect on his mistakes and tried to brush his mistakes aside. Not only did he not repent, he also hoped to delete traces of him breaking the law. This is more unforgivable than simply making a mistake.”

His arrest has also led to articles about his activities and proclivities mushrooming everywhere on the internet. One article claims that whenever he goes back to his hometown in Chengdu, he must visit a local brothel cum clubhouse. The article said that the customers including Li Yifeng would be convinced that they are ‘helping’ the women by spending money on them while also having fun.

Li is said to have spent 200,000 yuan on two different visits and also claimed that he had a preference for “Sister U” who is apparently a single mother.

Li is supposed to have said something like, “Most of the women I like have children anyways.” It was reported that Li Yifeng was arrested after the woman was intercepted on her way home.

Another rumour that is currently circulating online is that Li Yifeng is very fond of sunglasses when soliciting so that his identity remains secret. “He would not take off his sunglasses when he is undressing or engaging in sexual activities.”

In addition to this, a netizen has come forward to say that Li Yifeng spent 6,000 Chinese yuan a night with a 14-year-old girl.

Another netizen also claimed that she followed Li Yifeng to Haikou last year and while he was there he not only solicited call girls but also watched a lot of porn. To prove her point, she attached a photo of Li Yifeng watching something on his tablet, which isn’t clear.

None of these allegations however have been substantiated, but things are not looking good for the actor.

Following news of his arrest, the 35-year-old actor was dropped from 13 endorsement projects with major global brands.

All of his dramas have also been removed from streaming sites and some 300,000 fans have unfollowed his social media account shortly after news of his arrest was announced.

---

The post Li Yifeng arrested, this time it’s for real appeared first on The Independent World News.

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2022-09-17 04:30:21Z
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World leaders head to UK for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral as public pays tribute - CNA

LONDON: World leaders begin gathering in London from Saturday (Sep 17) for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, as princes William and Harry are set to lead a vigil of her grandchildren at her coffin.

The queen's death on Sep 8, aged 96, after a record-breaking 70 years on the throne, has sparked an outpouring of emotion.

Members of the public braved waits that at one point were estimated to be up to 24 hours and chilly night-time temperatures to view her coffin.

Lines have snaked for miles along the River Thames since Wednesday when her coffin was brought to the UK parliament complex to lie in state.

Police are mounting Britain's biggest-ever security operation for Monday's funeral, as hundreds of dignitaries including US President Joe Biden are set to jet in. Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan will also attend the funeral, China's foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The queen's successor, King Charles III, will meet on Saturday with the prime ministers of the Commonwealth realms – the 14 former colonies over which he now reigns in addition to Britain.

From Australia and New Zealand to Canada, they have formally proclaimed him their new sovereign.

But republican movements are gaining ground, and efforts to keep them all in the royal fold will likely be a feature of his reign.

Charles on Friday wrapped up his maiden tour as monarch to the four nations of the United Kingdom with a visit to Wales, part of an operation dubbed "Spring Tide" to launch him in his new role.

Large crowds in Cardiff chanted "God save the king" as he shook hands with well-wishers following a multi-faith service in Llandaff Cathedral, and at Cardiff Castle.

Charles met Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, an avowed republican, and there was isolated booing on the streets after the new monarch was quick to declare his son William the new Prince of Wales.

But Drakeford said questions over the future of the monarchy were "a footnote to the dominant feelings of the day".

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2022-09-17 04:22:00Z
CBMic2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvd29ybGQtbGVhZGVycy1oZWFkLXVrLXF1ZWVuLWVsaXphYmV0aC1paXMtZnVuZXJhbC1wdWJsaWMtcGF5cy10cmlidXRlLTI5NDU0MTHSAQA

Queen Elizabeth's children guard coffin in solemn vigil; David Beckham in queue to pay respect - The Straits Times

LONDON - King Charles III and his three siblings stood guard around their mother Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin on Friday in solemn vigil honouring Britain’s longest-serving monarch.

The new king, Princess Anne, and Princes Andrew and Edward mounted the guard in silence around her flag-shrouded casket as members of the public, who had queued for hours, continued to file past.

The “Vigil of the Princes”, with the royals all in ceremonial naval uniform, formed an emotionally charged moment in London’s mediaeval Westminster Hall, where Queen Elizabeth’s coffin is lying in state ahead of Monday’s funeral.

Her children stood with their heads bowed for 12 minutes as other members of the royal family including Queen Consort Camilla watched on and the public paid their own last respects.

King Charles and his siblings mounted a similar vigil at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh before the coffin was flown to London.

The Vigil of the Princes first took place in Westminster Hall in 1936 for king George V. His four sons, including Queen Elizabeth’s father, stood guard.

Prince William and his brother Prince Harry will lead the queen’s grandchildren in a similar vigil on Saturday evening.

Members of the public have been facing waits of up to 24 hours to file past the coffin.

Speech in Welsh

Large crowds cheered King Charles and chanted “God Save the King” in the Welsh capital Cardiff earlier on Friday, as the new monarch shook hands with well-wishers following a multi-faith service in Llandaff Cathedral, and at Cardiff Castle.

It was the last of his visits to the United Kingdom’s four constituent nations following the death of Queen Elizabeth on Sept 8, at the age of 96.

Charles met in private with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford, an avowed republican.

In a speech at the Welsh Parliament, which alternated between English and Welsh, the king vowed to follow the “selfless example” of his mother.

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2022-09-16 19:18:55Z
CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vd29ybGQvZXVyb3BlL2tpbmctY2hhcmxlcy1paWktc2libGluZ3MtaG9sZC12aWdpbC1hdC1xdWVlbnMtY29mZmlu0gEA