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BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thai police arrested more than 20 people under sweeping new emergency measures Thursday, with pro-democracy activists reporting a handful of high-profile leaders were among those detained. The arrests came after thousands gathered in Bangkok, including on the route of a royal motorcade, with many raising a defiant three-fingers. The salute, borrowed from the “Hunger Games” books and films, has been harnessed by the youth-led movement as a symbol calling for […]
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Ailing Saudi King Salman chaired a virtual cabinet meeting from a hospital office late Tuesday, a day after he was admitted due to gall bladder inflammation, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The cabinet held a virtual meeting, chaired by King Salman “from his office at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh,” SPA said on Twitter. The report was accompanied by footage from the spacious office in the hospital where […]
by James PHEBY Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan bowed out as senior royals on Monday, joining Queen Elizabeth II for a Commonwealth Day ceremony in London before setting off on their own. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were cheered as they joined other members of the royal family at Westminster Abbey in their final public engagement before stepping back from their roles on March […]
LONDRES, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prince Harry left the UK to rejoin his wife Meghan and son Archie in Canada Monday, British media reported, as the couple start a new life after their shock exit from the royal fold. “The Duke of Sussex is understood to have left the UK for Canada on Monday evening following one of his final official engagements as a working royal,” Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper reported. Harry boarded a 5.30 […]
SANDRINGHAM, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II on Monday said Prince Harry and his wife Meghan would be allowed to split their time between Britain and Canada while their future is finalised. The couple said last week they wanted to step back from the royal frontline, catching the family off guard and forcing the monarch to convene crisis talks about the pair’s future roles. The 93-year-old queen, her son and heir Prince Charles, […]
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Queen Elizabeth II and other senior British royals were gathering for a meeting Monday with Prince Harry in an attempt to solve the crisis triggered by his bombshell announcement that he and wife Meghan were stepping back from the royal frontline. Harry’s father Prince Charles and brother Prince William, with whom he has strained relations, will join the monarch at her private Sandringham estate in eastern England, according to British […]
by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s unilateral decision to walk away from front-line royal duties has rocked the British monarchy, just as it was preparing a younger generation to take on more of the burden of representing the centuries-old institution. At 35 and 38 respectively, Harry and Meghan were set to become an increasingly important cornerstone of the monarchy in the decades to come. But their shock decision to […]
MUSCAT, Oman (AFP) — Sultan Qaboos, the longest-reigning leader of the modern Arab world, has died at the age of 79, the royal court said Saturday. “With great sorrow and deep sadness… the royal court mourns His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who passed away on Friday,” the court said in a statement. Qaboos, who has ruled since 1970 when he deposed his father in a palace coup, had been ill for some time […]
by Natsuko FUKUE TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s new Emperor Naruhito will formally proclaim his ascension to the throne on Tuesday in a ritual-bound ceremony, but the after-effects of a deadly typhoon will cast a shadow over proceedings. Naruhito officially assumed his duties as emperor on May 1, a day after his father became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in 200 years. But the transition will not be complete until his new role is […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Emperor Naruhito urged Japan to work together for world peace as he made his first public appearance Saturday in front of a cheering, flag-waving crowd of tens of thousands. “I sincerely wish that our country, hand-in-hand with foreign countries, seeks world peace and further development,” said the 59-year-old Naruhito, who ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne Wednesday. Japan’s 126th emperor wore a morning coat to make the brief appearance on a glass-covered […]
by Aidan JONES and Sippachai KUNNUWONG King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Rama X of Thailand, was crowned Saturday in a dazzling show of pageantry, laced with Hindu and Buddhist ritual, vowing to reign “with righteousness” on behalf of the Thai people. Starting at the auspicious time of 10:09 am (0309 GMT), the public was granted a rare window into the cloistered halls of Thai power as the key rituals of the three-day coronation began. King Vajiralongkorn is […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Outgoing Japanese emperor Akihito on Tuesday performed the main ritual to hand over the Chrysanthemum Throne to his son Naruhito — Japan’s first abdication in more than two centuries. Akihito technically remains emperor until the stroke of midnight when the country ushers in the new imperial era of Reiwa, or “beautiful harmony”, that will last as long as Naruhito reigns. In a brief speech, the 85-year-old said he had spent […]
