Babak Belurs

Jumat, 09 April 2021

Prince Philip: World leaders react to the death of the Duke of Edinburgh - BBC News

Prince Philip with ex-US President George W Bush in Washington in 2007

World leaders are sending their condolences to the Royal Family after Buckingham Palace announced the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, at the age of 99.

Monarchs, heads of state and PMs past and present from Sweden to India and New Zealand have been paying tributes.

The duke accompanied the Queen during hundreds of overseas visits.

"He embodied a generation that we will never see again," Australian PM Scott Morrison said in a statement.

The duke had blood ties with a number of former or current European royal households, and many of their members have been sending condolences.

Tributes came in too from the Commonwealth - 54 nations, most with roots in the British Empire and home to 2.4 billion people.

Many of those paying tribute hailed the duke for his work in schemes to help young people, and for devoting himself to numerous other public service causes.

Australia

Scott Morrison said the duke had been a constant support to the Queen and had presided as patron over dozens of organisations in Australia.

Former prime minister Julia Gillard said that while the duke had been "a man of duty, he had a sense of fun".

Sweden

King Carl Gustaf said the duke had been "a great friend of our family for many years, a relation which we have deeply valued".

Swedish royal family spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren told the BBC the king and the duke had sailed together in England, adding: "That was the start of a great friendship between them."

The Netherlands

The royal family said they remembered Prince Philip with great respect, adding: "He dedicated his long life to the service of the British people and to his many duties and responsibilities. His lively personality made an indelible impression."

United States

Former President George W Bush praised the duke's dignity, saying Prince Philip had had a "long and remarkable life" and had "devoted himself to worthy causes and to others".

Belgium

King Philippe sent a private message to the Queen, and said he hoped to speak to Her Majesty in person when possible.

He said he and Queen Mathilde would "always cherish the memories of our warm encounters".

Malta

"Truly saddened by the loss of Prince Philip, who made Malta his home and returned here so often. Our people will always treasure his memory," wrote Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Philip and Elizabeth spent two idyllic years on Malta, where he was stationed in the Navy, before King George VI died in 1952.

New Zealand

PM Jacinda Ardern expressed her "sincere condolences to Her Majesty and to all the Royal Family".

She said "thousands of young people have completed life-changing challenges" through the duke's Hillary Award.

Canada

PM Justin Trudeau said the duke had "contributed so much to the social fabric of our country - and the world".

He added: "Prince Philip was a man of great purpose and conviction, who was motivated by a sense of duty to others. We will fondly remember him as a pillar in the life of our Queen."

India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were "with the British people and the Royal Family", and that the duke had had "a distinguished career in the military and was at the forefront of many community service initiatives".

Israel

PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the duke was "the consummate public servant and will be much missed in Israel and across the world".

The duke's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who died in 1969, is buried at the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem.

The Duke of Edinburgh with his mother Princess Alice Of Battenberg

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2021-04-09 13:54:21Z
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Prince Philip: World leaders react to the death of the Duke of Edinburgh - BBC News

World leaders are sending their condolences to the Royal Family after Buckingham Palace announced the death of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, at the age of 99.

Monarchs, heads of state and PMs past and present from Sweden to India and New Zealand have been paying tributes.

The duke accompanied the Queen during hundreds of overseas visits.

"He embodied a generation that we will never see again," Australian PM Scott Morrison said in a statement.

The duke had blood ties with a number of former or current European royal households, and many of their members have been sending condolences.

Tributes came in too from the Commonwealth - 54 nations, most with roots in the British Empire and home to 2.4 billion people.

Many of those paying tribute hailed the duke for his work in schemes to help young people, and for devoting himself to numerous other public service causes.

Australia

Scott Morrison said the duke had been a constant support to the Queen and had presided as patron over dozens of organisations in Australia.

Former prime minister Julia Gillard said that while the duke had been "a man of duty, he had a sense of fun".

Sweden

King Carl Gustaf said the duke had been "a great friend of our family for many years, a relation which we have deeply valued".

Swedish royal family spokeswoman Margareta Thorgren told the BBC the king and the duke had sailed together in England, adding: "That was the start of a great friendship between them."

The Netherlands

United States

Former President George W Bush praised the duke's dignity, saying Prince Philip had had a "long and remarkable life" and had "devoted himself to worthy causes and to others".

Belgium

King Philippe sent a private message to the Queen, and said he hoped to speak to Her Majesty in person when possible.

He said he and Queen Mathilde would "always cherish the memories of our warm encounters".

Malta

"Truly saddened by the loss of Prince Philip, who made Malta his home and returned here so often. Our people will always treasure his memory," wrote Prime Minister Robert Abela.

Philip and Elizabeth spent two idyllic years on Malta, where he was stationed in the Navy, before King George VI died in 1952.

New Zealand

PM Jacinda Ardern expressed her "sincere condolences to Her Majesty and to all the Royal Family".

She said "thousands of young people have completed life-changing challenges" through the duke's Hillary Award.

Canada

PM Justin Trudeau said the duke had "contributed so much to the social fabric of our country - and the world".

He added: "Prince Philip was a man of great purpose and conviction, who was motivated by a sense of duty to others. We will fondly remember him as a pillar in the life of our Queen."

India

Israel

PM Benjamin Netanyahu said the duke was "the consummate public servant and will be much missed in Israel and across the world".

The duke's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who died in 1969, is buried at the Church of Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem.

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Prince Philip has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace announces - BBC News

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Buckingham Palace said: "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen has announced the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

"His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle."

Boris Johnson said he "inspired the lives of countless young people".

Speaking at Downing Street, the prime minister added: "He helped to steer the Royal Family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life."

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was "saddened" by the death of the Duke.

She tweeted: "I send my personal and deepest condolences - and those of scotgov and the people of Scotland - to Her Majesty The Queen and her family."

The prince married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

In March, the Duke of Edinburgh left hospital after a month-long stay for treatment.

He underwent a procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at another London hospital - St Bartholomew's.

Prince Philip and the Queen had four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Their first son, the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was born in 1948, followed by his sister, the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, in 1950, the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, in 1960 and the Earl of Wessex, Prince Edward, in 1964.

Prince Philip was born on the Greek island of Corfu on 10 June 1921.

His father was Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, a younger son of King George I of the Hellenes.

His mother, Princess Alice, was a daughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten and a great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

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2021-04-09 11:22:27Z
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COVID-19: Jet2 suspends flights and holidays until late June due to uncertainty over government travel plans - Sky News

Jet2's chief executive says the travel company will suspend flights and holidays until at least 23 June due to uncertainty over the government's travel proposals.

Steve Heapy said he had been "extremely disappointed at the lack of clarity and detail" in the plans, which were announced overnight.

He added: Because of the continued uncertainty that the framework provides, it is with a heavy heart that we have taken the decision to extend the suspension of flights and holidays up to and including 23 June 2021.

"Where customers yet to travel are affected by any programme changes, we will automatically cancel their booking with a full refund, and our team of travel experts will be in touch to help them to book their summer getaway for later in the year."

Live COVID updates from across the UK and around the world

The traffic light "framework" proposed by the government includes making all UK arrivals take pre-departure and post-arrival COVID-19 tests when international travel is expected to resume on 17 May.

Post-arrival tests must be the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) type which cost about £120, prompting a backlash from the travel industry.

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the plan was "a blow to all travellers" and risked "making flying only for the wealthy".

Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK, said the framework "does not represent a reopening of travel as promised by ministers".

Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: "I think the prime minister needs to deliver on his commitment to make testing, cheap and easy."

Jet2's Mr Heapy added: "After several weeks exploring how to restart international travel, with substantial assistance and input from the industry, the framework lacks any rigorous detail about how to get international travel going again. In fact, the framework is virtually the same as six months ago.

"Following the publication of the framework today, we still do not know when we can start to fly, where we can fly to and the availability and cost of testing. Rather than answering questions, the framework leaves everyone asking more.

"We know how much our customers want to get away to enjoy their well-deserved holidays. We have seen buoyant confidence levels from UK holidaymakers, as well as strong demand for our ATOL protected package holidays and leisure flights.

"We are trying to run a business so that we can take customers away, but we need the government to provide us with clarity to achieve this."

Have you had to cancel a holiday after the Jet2 announcement? Contact us:

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2021-04-09 09:43:28Z
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COP26: Greta Thunberg believes Glasgow summit should be postponed - BBC News

Greta Thunberg has told the BBC she does not plan to attend the UN climate conference due to be held in Glasgow this November.

The 18-year-old Swedish climate campaigner is concerned about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on attendance at COP26.

She believes the summit should be postponed.

She says the UK government, which is hosting the summit, should wait until global vaccination rates have risen.

The summit will bring together world leaders with the aim of agreeing a plan to tackle climate change.

Ms Thunberg's decision is likely to be a significant blow for the UK government.

The activist has attended every major climate conference since her first protest outside the Swedish parliament two and a half years ago.

She said: "This needs to happen in the right way. Of course, the the best thing to do would be to get everyone vaccinated as soon as possible so that everyone could take part on the same terms."

The UN meeting has already been delayed once, from November 2019, and there have been rumours that it may be postponed again.

The last two Conference of the Parties (COP) summits have had more than 20,000 attendees and the UK is understood to have been working on the basis that as many as 30,000 people could attend in Glasgow.

At the end of last month, sources in Downing Street and Holyrood were adamant that no decision had been made on a further delay to the conference.

However, the BBC was told a final decision on whether to delay or move ahead with the summit was likely to be taken shortly after Easter.

What is COP26?

COP stands for Conference of the Parties, and it is attended by countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty agreed in 1994. The 2021 meeting will be the 26th meeting, so it has been named COP26.

COP25 was held in Madrid, Spain, in November 2019 and featured a headline speech from Greta Thunberg. It ended with many unresolved issues, but an agreement was made about cutting carbon dioxide - a gas that causes global warming.

Each nation agreed to devise a plan to cut their carbon emissions by the next conference in Glasgow.

COP26 will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

It will be the biggest summit the UK has ever hosted. It is being described as the most significant climate event since the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Presidents and prime ministers from around the world will be reporting back on progress since the Paris Agreement and, potentially make new decisions on how to cut carbon emissions.

Greta Thunberg would not play a formal role at the conference but her decision not to attend is a significant symbolic moment for the conference.

Since she began her first school strike alone outside the Swedish parliament two and a half years ago she has come to symbolise the demands of many young people that world leaders take climate change more seriously.

"How dare you", she told world leaders at a UN climate summit in New York in September 2019, as she accused them of failing to act on climate change.

"You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words", she told them.

Speaking to BBC News ahead of a new documentary series "Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World", she was clear what she thought the COP26 team should do, saying she thought the summit should be postponed again.

She said the summit was not the only way to go about affecting change.

"To be frank, the changes need to come from people demanding climate action," she said.

"Yes, these COP meetings are crucial and they are incredibly important. But we can have as many of these meetings and conferences as we want but as long as we are not really treating the climate crisis as a crisis, we won't see any real changes coming from them."

She also criticised the UK for holding a climate conference when the opening of a new coal mine is being considered.

"It really shows the true face of the so-called net zero emissions by 2050," she added.

"If you can commit yourself to something like that while at the same time that includes the possibility of opening new coal mines, and so on, it really doesn't mean that much."

She said she was "surprised" people had been listening to her for so long, but added that as long as people were listening she would use that opportunity to communicate her message as much as she could.

'Bold predictions'

Mark Carney, the former Bank of England governor who is now finance advisor for COP26, would not be drawn on whether he thought the conference would happen in person when asked in an interview for the BBC podcast, Newscast.

"I think if we've learned anything in the last 13 months, it's that's it's not wise to make bold predictions about what's going to happen three, six months ahead in terms of logistics, so the honest answer is I don't know", Mr Carney told presenter Adam Fleming.

Any decision on the future of the summit would be made in conjunction with the United Nations, as well as the Scottish government.

At the end of last it month it was reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was battling to ensure the flagship conference was held face-to-face by ensuring participants were vaccinated and subjected to a robust testing regime.

But the global rollout of vaccinations has been disappointing.

Last year, the decision to delay the meeting - because of Covid - was taken in May.

Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World begins on BBC One at 21:00 on 12 April and will be available on the BBC iPlayer

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2021-04-09 09:41:43Z
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COVID-19: People can now think about booking foreign holidays, says transport secretary - Sky News

People can "start to think" about booking foreign summer holidays, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has told Sky News.

The cabinet minister issued the change in advice, as the government unveiled plans for a traffic light system to allow overseas leisure trips to resume.

It comes just days after Downing Street published an official document that urged people "not to book summer holidays abroad until the picture is clearer".

Live COVID updates from across the UK and around the world

However, the government has refused to confirm whether foreign holidays will be permitted from 17 May - and where Britons will be able to travel without self-isolating on their return.

Mr Shapps also insisted he is trying to make foreign travel as affordable as possible amid criticism that a coronavirus testing requirement will drive up holiday costs.

The traffic light "framework" includes making all UK arrivals take pre-departure and post-arrival COVID-19 tests.

Post-arrival tests must be the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) type which cost about £120, he said.

This has led to a backlash from the travel industry which has warned foreign holidays this year would be "just something for the wealthy".

The sector wants travellers returning from low-risk countries to be allowed to take lateral flow tests, which are cheaper and quicker.

UK budget holiday airline Jet2 has suspended flights and holidays until late June due to uncertainty over government travel plans.

Asked on Sky News if people could start to book foreign holidays now, Mr Shapps said: "I'm not telling people that they shouldn't book summer holidays now, it's the first time that I've been able to say that for many months."

He added: "For the first time people can start to think about visiting loved ones abroad or perhaps a summer holiday but we are doing it very, very cautiously as we don't want to see any return of coronavirus in this country."

Mr Shapps said he was looking to "make it as affordable as possible to travel" and "drive down the costs" of tests.

He said: "Costs are definitely a concern. It is one of the factors this year. We have to accept we are still going through a global pandemic.

"We do have to be cautious and I am afraid that does involve having to have some tests and the like.

"But, I am undertaking today to drive down the costs of those tests and looking at some innovative things we could do.

"For example, whether we can help provide the lateral flow tests people need to take before they depart the country they are in to return to the UK and also drive down the costs of the tests when they get home if it is in the green category.

"We are trying to make it as practical as possible."

Tim Alderslade, the chief executive of Airlines UK, said the framework "does not represent a reopening of travel as promised by ministers".

He added: "The insistence on expensive and unnecessary PCR testing rather than rapid testing - even for low-risk countries - will pose an unsustainable burden on passengers, making travel unviable and unaffordable for many people."

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said the plan was "a blow to all travellers" and risked "making flying only for the wealthy".

He added: "As the rest of British society and the economy opens up, it makes no sense to treat travel, particularly to low-risk countries, differently."

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Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye told Sky News' Ian King Live programme: "The main concern is about the cost of all of this testing, particularly for people who are looking to go on a family holiday or for small businesses, who are on a very tight budget.

"The cost of all these PCR tests could be enormous.

"The government risks shooting itself in the foot here. I think the prime minister needs to deliver on his commitment to make testing cheap and easy."

Mark Tanzer, the chief executive of travel trade organisation ABTA, questioned the use of expensive PCR tests for people returning from low-risk countries.

He said permitting the use of lateral flow tests would "make international travel more accessible and affordable whilst still providing an effective mitigation against reimportation of the virus".

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2021-04-09 09:21:29Z
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