Queen Elizabeth's coffin starts journey to final resting place - CNA

"INVINCIBLE"

Elizabeth died on Sep 8 at her Scottish summer home, Balmoral Castle.

Her health had been in decline, and for months the monarch who had carried out hundreds of official engagements well into her 90s had withdrawn from public life.

However, in line with her sense of duty she was photographed just two days before she died, looking frail but smiling and holding a walking stick as she appointed Liz Truss as her 15th and final prime minister.

Such was her longevity and her inextricable link with Britain that even her own family found her passing a shock.

"We all thought she was invincible," Prince William told well-wishers.

The 40th sovereign in a line that traces its lineage back to 1066, Elizabeth came to the throne in 1952, Britain's first post-imperial monarch.

She oversaw her nation trying to carve out a new place in the world, and she was instrumental in the emergence of the Commonwealth of Nations, now a grouping comprising 56 countries.

When she succeeded her father George VI, Winston Churchill was her first prime minister and Josef Stalin led the Soviet Union. She met major figures from politics to entertainment and sport including Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Pele and Roger Federer.

Despite being reputedly 1.6m tall, she dominated rooms with her presence and became a towering global figure, praised in death from Paris and Washington to Moscow and Beijing. National mourning was observed in Brazil, Jordan and Cuba, countries with which she had little direct link.

"People of loving service are rare in any walk of life," Welby said during the funeral. "Leaders of loving service are still rarer. But in all cases, those who serve will be loved and remembered when those who cling to power and privileges are long forgotten."

The tenor bell of the Abbey - the site of coronations, weddings and burials of English and then British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years - was due to toll 96 times.

Among the hymns chosen for the service were The Lord's my Shepherd, sung at the wedding of the queen and her husband Prince Philip in the Abbey in 1947.

In addition to dignitaries, the congregation includes those awarded Britain's highest military and civilian medals for gallantry, representatives from charities supported by the queen, and those who made "extraordinary contributions" to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvcXVlZW4tZWxpemFiZXRoLWlpLXN0YXRlLWZ1bmVyYWwtYmVnaW5zLXVuaXRlZC1raW5nZG9tLTI5NDg5MDbSAQA?oc=5

2022-09-19 10:57:00Z
1562509238

Queen Elizabeth's funeral ends with 2-min silence, coffin makes way through London to Windsor - The Straits Times

The Lord Chamberlain, the most senior official in the royal household, will break his "Wand of Office", signifying the end of his service to the sovereign, and place it on the casket.

It will then be lowered into the royal vault as the Sovereign’s Piper plays a lament, slowly walking away until music in the chapel gradually fades.

Later in the evening, in a private family service, the coffin of Elizabeth and her husband of more than seven decades Prince Philip, who died last year aged 99, will be buried together at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, where her parents and sister, Princess Margaret, also rest.

“We’re so happy you’re back with Grandpa. Goodbye dear grannie, it has been the honour of our lives to have been your granddaughters and we’re so very proud of you,” grandchildren Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie said. AFP, REUTERS

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vd29ybGQvZXVyb3BlL2xlYWRlcnMtYW5kLW1vbmFyY2hzLWdhdGhlci1mb3ItZmluYWwtZmFyZXdlbGwtdG8tcXVlZW4tZWxpemFiZXRo0gEA?oc=5

2022-09-19 09:28:39Z
1562509238

Aviation industry is recovering, but manpower is a problem: IATA's Philip Goh - CNA

SINGAPORE: In the past two years during the pandemic, many people have left the aviation industry - some laid off, some by their own volition - and they may not return.

This has made staffing the “biggest headwind” for the sector that is on the mend, regional vice president for Asia Pacific at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Philip Goh, told CNA.

“A particular concern, of course, is skilled labour. It takes time to train people,” he said. In customer service, for instance, it takes time and experience to learn how to handle people, he said.

If resources like manpower cannot keep pace, airlines will have limitations as to how much capacity they can put back, he said.

“As long as capacity cannot revert to normal then you will continue to probably face high load factors, maybe high airfares,” he said.

“So hopefully, airlines … airports are able to find the resources they need to ramp up so that they can staff their operations adequately.”

RECOVERY ON TRACK ALTHOUGH ASIA PACIFIC LAGGING

Recovery of the global aviation industry is “on track”, Mr Goh said.

This is despite the projection that the global aviation industry will lose about US$9.7 billion this year. In Asia Pacific, this figure is expected to be about US$8.9 billion, Mr Goh said.

“As of July, we are seeing air traffic already at about 75 per cent of 2019 levels. This is of course driven a lot by the domestic recovery,” he said.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiWWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvYXZpYXRpb24tcmVjb3ZlcnktdHJhY2stbWFucG93ZXItcHJvYmxlbS0yOTQ4MDcx0gEA?oc=5

2022-09-19 02:36:00Z
CBMiWWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYnVzaW5lc3MvYXZpYXRpb24tcmVjb3ZlcnktdHJhY2stbWFucG93ZXItcHJvYmxlbS0yOTQ4MDcx0gEA

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.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vd29ybGQvZXVyb3BlL2JyaXRhaW4tYW5kLXRoZS13b3JsZC1wcmVwYXJlLXRvLXNheS1sYXN0LWZhcmV3ZWxsLXRvLXF1ZWVuLWVsaXphYmV0aNIBAA?oc=5

2022-09-18 22:29:44Z
1568146150

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.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJldXRlcnMuY29tL3dvcmxkL2FzaWEtcGFjaWZpYy9wb3dlcmZ1bC1lYXJ0aHF1YWtlLWhpdHMtc291dGhlYXN0LXRhaXdhbi0yMDIyLTA5LTE4L9IBAA?oc=5

2022-09-18 10:09:00Z
1568048180

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."

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMia2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQva2luZy1jaGFybGVzLWlpaS1ob3N0LXdvcmxkLWxlYWRlcnMtdWstcmVhZGllcy1xdWVlbnMtZnVuZXJhbC0yOTQ2NTMx0gEA?oc=5

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.

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9ob25nLWtvbmctY292aWQtMTktZHJhZ29uLWJvYXQtY29udGVzdC1tb3Zlcy10aGFpbGFuZC1yZXN0cmljdGlvbnMtMjk0NTg2MdIBAA?oc=5

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