Preparations in Place for Prince Philip Funeral

Preparations for the funeral of Prince Philip, at St George's Chapel, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, are under way, with the procession and service to be televised, worldwide, tomorrow (Saturday April 17).

The guest list includes members of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's families, including relatives from Germany. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, will attend but his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant, will not make the trip from the US, on medical advice.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who died aged 99, will have a ceremonial funeral, rather than a state funeral, with the coffin to be moved from the private chapel to the State Entrance of Windsor Castle. It will be placed on a modified Land Rover, that the duke himself helped design, to be carried the short distance to St George's Chapel.

The duke is reported to have requested a funeral of minimal fuss and has not laid in state - where members of the public would have been able to view his coffin. Covid restrictions on crowds and numbers attending funerals mean the ceremony - at 15:00 BST - will be much lower key than in more normal of times - although the Palace says this reflects the duke's wishes and it will still celebrate and reflect a life of service.

Coronavirus restrictions in England mean only 30 people, socially distanced, are allowed to attend funerals, with attendees expected to wear masks in line with government advice. The pallbearers and clergy are not included in the number of attendees. The televised event will be carried out in line with Coronavirus restrictions but there will be a military presence with personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and RAF.

With the armed forces important to the duke – who served in the Royal Navy - they will play a part in his funeral, with military top brass present. Servicemen and women will be prominent tomorrow with some 730 members of the Armed Forces set be on parade.

The government confirmed that the period of national mourning will continue until after the funeral while a two-week period of royal mourning will be observed by members of the royal family, who will be undertaking appropriate engagements while wearing black mourning bands. There will be no public access for the funeral.

Away from the funeral, the Duke of Edinburgh's Award has announced that it is launching a new fund in memory of Prince Philip, which will give one million more young people the chance to take part in the programme he founded over the next five years.

Presenter Scott proud of accent after criticism from former CBI head Lord Jones

The latest BBC presenter Alex Scott says that she is proud of her London accent after ex-House of Lords member Digby Jones criticised her pronunciation.

Lord Jones tweeted on Friday she spoils a good presentational job on the BBC Olympics Team with her very noticeable inability to pronounce her 'g's at the end of a word. Scott said she was "proud" to be from a working class family in east London.

Preserving agriculture one seed at a time in the U.S.

As the climate warms, flooding and drought become more frequent and new pests emerge.

Preserving cultural treasures worldwide

Wat Chaiwatthanaram, located within the ancient city of Ayutthaya, is one Thailand’s most iconic landmarks.

Preserving the beauty of nature: A bond that connects Lancang-Mekong countries

Taking its source from the Zhaqu of Tanggula Mountain Range in northwest China's Qinghai Province, the Lancang River, running through Qinghai Province, Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province, is the longest river flowing from north to south in China.

President Buhari 'salutes honest Nigerian'

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has commended a Nigerian doctoral student in Japan for returning a missing wallet full of money and not taking the 10% reward, his social media assistant Bashir Ahmad has tweeted.

Reports from earlier this week said that Ikenna Nweke was out buying a take-away in the Japanese city of Tsukuba when he saw the wallet on the ground. He then handed it in to the police.

“The police told me that according to Japanese law, that I was entitled to 10% of the money found inside the wallet but I declined," he told the International Centre for Investigative Reporting.

"I told him that there was no need for that because I was raised by responsible parents, and that I am also a Christian.”

Mr Buhari praised the student "for projecting the values of honesty, integrity and contentment that should be the hallmark of a people", Mr Ahmad said.

Mr Nweke had already received a letter from the Nigerian embassy in Japan saying he was a "good example to all".

President Hichilema hails GNNSJ-UK and welcomes Bhai Sahib in Zambia

On 20 August 2025, Bhai Sahib (Prof.) Mohinder Singh Ji OBE KSG MGH, Chair of Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (GNNSJ-UK), and delegation, were received by His Excellency, Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, at State House in Lusaka.

President Ramaphosa looking to build on Springbok win to build country’s unity

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has penned an impassioned call for national unity in the wake of the country's Rugby World Cup victory.

Prime Minister Holness remains in power after early Jamaica election

Jamaica's ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) was re-elected with a landslide victory after Prime Minister Andrew Holness called for an early vote in what was seen as a bid to capitalise on people's satisfaction with his economic agenda and early response to the coronavirus pandemic. His centre-right party won 49 of 63 seats - one of the largest margins of victory in decades, but also one of the lowest voter turnouts at 37% - in the parliamentary election.

With face masks and temperature checks made compulsory in polling stations the campaign was dominated by discussions over the economy, how to fight crime and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite the victory, he continues to face criticism amid an increase in coronavirus cases as restrictions in the country were lifted.

After seeing his JLP gain 16 seats he said: "There is cause for celebration, but there is also significant cause for consideration.

"There are many Jamaicans who did not participate, there are many Jamaicans, who for fear of the virus, did not come to the polls, but for other reasons, apathy, frustrations, decided not to participate."

Also, despite facing criticism over high rates of crime and violence, and alleged corruption among public officials, Holmes, who has been Prime Minister since 2016, did highlight that up to 100,000 jobs had been created during his time in office while 22,000 Jamaicans had had the chance to buy their own homes. He also highlighted tax cuts, and that poverty was at its lowest level in 10 years.

He defended his decision to call the election six months ahead of schedule despite the pandemic, and rejected claims by opponent and leader of the People's National Party (PNP), Peter Phillips, that he had ignored expert advice.

PM Holness became Jamaica's youngest prime minister, at the age of 39, in 2011, but lost an election to the country's first female leader Portia Simpson Miller.

Prime Minister Holness says Jamaica to join India’s Global Biofuels Alliance

Jamaica's Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, has said that his country will be looking to strengthen its cooperation with India in sectors including science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) education, digitalisation, security, and energy.

Prime Minister Modi calls for country's leadership in 6G, ethical AI and data privacy at India Mobile Congress 2024

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted India's leadership in setting global standards in 6G, ethical AI and data privacy at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024.

Prime Minister told to apologise for comparing Ukraine war with Brexit

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been told to apologise for what was called utterly distasteful and insulting remarks after linking the invasion of Ukraine by Russia with the UK’s relationship with the European Union.

At the Conservative Party spring conference in Blackpool, the PM said that it was the instinct of the people of this country, like the people of Ukraine, to choose freedom, with the Brexit vote a “famous recent example”.

Prime Minister warns of ‘death sentence' for island nations at climate conference

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley sent out a stark warning on the effects of a rise in global temperature on countries like hers.

At the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, PM Mottley encouraged other countries to commit to fighting climate change, as she said: “A two degree rise in temperature would be a death sentence for island nations, due to rising sea levels and more extreme weather.

Prime Minister’ offshore company that held his Beverly Hills, Jamaica, properties, dissolved

Years after the ownership structure of Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ Beverly Hills home in Jamaica came under scrutiny for its ability to avoid taxes, the property located at Shenstone Drive now has a new title holder.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve announces discovery of five species new to global science

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve has identified five species new to global science: a gecko (Hemidactylus sp.) marked by brown stripes and white nodules, the Hejaz black-collared snake (pic - Rhynchocalamus hejazicus), plus three plants — a globe thistle, a mignonette, and a hogbean.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve brings back the Onager to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia after 100+ year absence

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve proudly announces the reintroduction of the Persian onager to Saudi Arabia, marking the species's return to the Kingdom after more than a century of absence.

Prince William to visit Expo 2020 Dubai as part of UK National Day celebrations in February

His Royal Highness Prince William will visit the UAE in February, with a programme that coincides with the country’s 50th anniversary and the UK National Day being held at Expo 2020 Dubai on 10 February. The visit is at the request of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and will be part of His Royal Highness’ first official visit to the UAE.

The National Day at Expo will see the UK showcase the extraordinary talent from across the country.

Princess Diana Museum opens to the public with free week passes

The Princess & The Platypus Foundation has launched an innovative 3D virtual museum dedicated to the life and legacy of Princess Diana, allowing people worldwide to explore her cherished belongings and experience her story in a unique and immersive way.

Q and A - The first ever female Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, shares her thoughts at Expo 2020 Dubai

Mia Amor Mottley, QC, is a Barbadian politician and attorney who has served as Prime Minister of Barbados since 2018 and as leader of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) since 2008. Mottley is the eighth person to hold the office of Prime Minister in Barbados and the first woman to hold either position. She is also Barbados’ first prime minister under its republican system, following constitutional changes she introduced which abolished the country’s constitutional monarchy.

Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free Celebrate Iga Swiatek’s Victory in the 20th Edition of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open

‎Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free (QDF), the Official Airline and Official Retail Sponsors of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2022, congratulate Iga Swiatek for winning her second Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 title in Doha last night.

In the 20th edition of the prestigious tournament, Swiatek of Poland lifted the coveted Falcon Trophy after her well-deserved 6-2, 6-0 victory against Anett Kontaveit at Qatar’s traditional home of tennis, the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.