tv BBC News BBC News April 18, 2021 5:00am-5:31am BST
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this is bbc news — i'm reged ahmad with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. queen elizabeth's husband — the duke of edinburgh — has been laid to rest in st george's chapel in windsor. the queen sat alone in the chapel — mourning the loss of a much—loved husband. a small congregation attended the funeral, closing a remarkable chapter of modern royal history.
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our other main news this hour. president biden has condemned the treatment of the russian opposition activist alexei navalny, after his supporters warned he was at risk of dying in prison. the czech republic is expelling 18 russian diplomats after russian agents were allegedly involved in a deadly explosion at an arms depot. queen elizabeth's husband, prince philip, the duke of edinburgh, has been laid to rest in the royal vault at st george's chapel in windsor. the queen sat alone at the scaled—down service, with only 30 people in attendance. our royal correspondent nicholas witchell was watching the day's events.
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it was at windsor castle that they fell in love. it was wartime. the young lieutenant philip mountbatten spent his leave at the castle visiting the then—princess elizabeth. they were married in 1910. they spent many of the happiest moments of their 73 years together at windsor. and it was within the ancient walls of this castle, that the nation paid its final tributes. music: i vow to thee my country. drawn up in the spring sunshine on the castle�*s quadrangle were the military detachments. they stood with heads bowed and rifles reversed. the scale was smaller than would have been the case without the pandemic, though that's hardly something that would have troubled the duke. he, afterall, had choreographed much of what was to follow. the land rover hearse, which the duke had helped to design, moved to its position by the state entrance. the duke's coffin was borne
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on the shoulders of a bearer party from the grenadier guards. the coffin was covered with the duke's personal standard and surmounted with his sword and naval cap, and a wreath from the queen. with great care, it was placed on the hearse. behind the hearse were members of the royalfamily who were walking to the chapel, headed by the prince of wales. music: god save the queen. a royal salute sounded. and then the first sight of the queen, accompanied by a lady in waiting, in the state bentley, taking position as the order was given for the procession to step off. present arms. bell tolls close by was one of the horse—drawn carriages
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the duke had taken such pleasure in driving. on the seat his cap and gloves. among the members of the family walking behind the coffin were princes william and harry. the focus of so much attention. walking with their cousin, peter phillips, between them. bell tolls the procession wound its way past the castle�*s round tower. by the side entrance to st george's chapel, other members of the royal
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family stood with their heads bowed. the queen made her way into the chapel, pausing to look back as the hearse moved on down the hill. on the wreath of white roses and lilies on the coffin was a card, on which were the handwritten words, "in loving memory." at the west door of the chapel, the royal marines bore the coffin up the steps. inside the chapel, the queen took her place in the quire. before they entered the chapel, the bearer party paused as a field gun signalled the start of a one minute's silence.
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the coffin was borne into the chapel and placed on to the catafalque. around it, the 30 members of the congregation, all of them masked. the service began with a tribute to the duke from the dean of windsor. with grateful hearts we remember the many ways in which his long life has been a blessing to us. we have been inspired
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by his unwavering loyalty to our queen, by his service to the nation and the commonwealth, by his courage, fortitude and faith. the small congregation sat in its family groups. the queen sat alone. so did prince harry. after prayers, the commendation was delivered as the duke's coffin began slowly to descend to the royal vault. in the name ofjesus christ who suffered for thee. in the name of the holy spirit who strengtheneth thee. may thy portion this day be in peace, and thy dwelling in the heavenlyjerusalem. amen.
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and then a distinctive touch, characteristic of the duke. royal marine buglers sounded the royal navy's call to action stations. royal marines sound action stations at the end of her husband's funeral, the choir sang the national anthem. seldom can its words have had greater poignancy. # god save the queen.# the family mourners departed, a widowed queen to her castle, and two brothers, william and harry, walked away together, alongside the duchess of cambridge. the duke of edinburgh is gone, but the brothers know that he would have wanted the family to move on, and for differences to be healed. nicholas witchell, bbc news.
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police had asked people not to gather outside the walls of windsor castle because of coronavirus restrictions, but many were determined to pay their respects. our royal correspondent daniela relph reports on how the town of windsor and its people responded to the events of the day. there was a quiet early calm to windsor. picture perfect for this day of solemnity and remembrance. the town, the backdrop to so many royal occasions, had been asked to do something different today — to stay away, to not gather, and abide by covid rules. despite the warnings, people still came, just not in the usual numbers. just like to be here, because of the whole situation. it's so sad, prince philip's passing. we are outside, but we are inside in a way, you know what i mean? so that's different, you just don't have that feeling when you watch it on tv. we can see people who came|
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at the castle view retirement village in windsor, the funeral was an emotional watch. well, you are quite moved by it, you know, surprisingly. more than you think it's going to. i feel very privileged to be here and support a special person whose life was very well spent. a shared experience. this family lives near windsor and watched together. i felt it was very sad that the queen had to sit on her own. that was a real big picture, probably something you never sort of expected to see. i thought it was really nice that they... because he was with her for so long and it was nice to, like, be able to say goodbye. today, the normal rules didn't apply. the crowds were smaller, the remembrance restrained. but the memories of a man so strongly connected with this royal town will endure.
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daniela relph, bbc news, windsor. around the world, people also paused to remember the duke — particularly in commonwealth nations , where his work helped many young people. our south asia correspondent, rajini vaidyanathan, reports from delhi. a warm welcome to the duke of edinburgh, who is briefly staying in that great country. it was a solo trip in 1959 which brought prince philip to the largest country in the commonwealth, india. as royal consort, he went on to visit the country three more times, seen here taking in the taj mahal in 1961. that same year, he made a trip to pakistan, one of his many to south asia. for more than 60 years, the duke was patron of the uk pakistan society. decades on, and south asia has changed. the british royal family occupies a different place in people's lives here. older generations will remember prince philip
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for his visits here. but his death has also brought to light his lasting legacy amongst younger people in the region through his duke of edinburgh award. the ramakrishna academy in kolkata in india has been running the scheme for almost two decades. hundreds of children here have taken part. teachers say the programme, which encourages students to volunteer and go on expeditions, has transformed many lives. prince edward visited the school once, to hand out his father's awards in person. we are really, really thankful to him, prince philip. the programme gave opportunity to our children to mix with the outside world. they face a lot of obstacles and they are taught how to overcome those obstacles.
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more than children in south asia, from all walks of life, have participated in the duke of edinburgh's international award. barinda from sri lanka, who wants to be an entrepreneur one day, says it introduced her to skills and experiences she would never have otherwise had. i am from sri lanka, where we are mostly focus on formal education. the duke of edinburgh really tapped into our lives and made a brilliant change. i think the duke of edinburgh award was a safe space for me to transform as a young person. for that, i am really grateful for his royal highness, because, if not for his legacy, i would not be here. there are no superheroes here. prince philip led a life of service, inspiring many others to follow suit. he once referred to his awards as a do—it—yourself growing—up kit. through his scheme, he leaves a lasting legacy. one which has touched people around the world. rajini vaidyanathan, bbc news, delhi. this is bbc world news, the latest headlines
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the funeral has taken place for prince philip, the duke of edinburgh. eight days after his death, he was laid to rest in the presence of the queen and a small congregation of family members. the ceremony at st george's chapel in windsor was in line with prince philip's wishes, with no tributes paid. supporters of the russian opposition politician, alexei navalny have warned that he risks dying in prison �*in a matter of days' — after more than two weeks on hunger strike. mr navalny has been refusing all food to demand that a doctor he can trust be admitted to examine him in prison. sophia tran—thomson reports. he is vladimir putin's most vocal opposition activist and his anti—kremlin rhetoric has continued but after 18 days on a hunger strike, a doctor who received a blood test result
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showing he has high levels of potassium in his system says he could die in prison. he wrote on social media, our patient could die at any moment and said he should be observed in intensive care as fatal arrhythmia can develop, cusing cardiac arrest. alexei navalny is on hunger strike to demand access to an independent medic up to his lawyer said he was suffering from two spinal hernias and was beginning to lose feeling in his hands. the prominent anti—corruption campaigner endured a near fatal poisoning with a nerve agent last summer. when he returned to russia he was arrested on arrival and is serving two and half years on a fraud charge widely seen as politically motivated. president biden has condemned the treatment of alexei navalny calling it unfair and totally inappropriate. meanwhile, on friday, russia's prosecutor filed a lawsuit to
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declare alexei navalny�*s anti—corruption foundation, and network of political offices, as extremist organisations threatening that anyone linked could face criminal prosecution. but his supporters are pressing ahead with plans to protest, to demand his release once they get half a million signatures of support with some 50,000 still to go and they now say his deteriorating health makes that more urgent than ever. i've been speaking to garry kasparov who's chairman of the human rights foundation in new york about alexei navalny�*s condition. what biden did, it could have been effective seven years ago, may be five years ago. but now is not 2014. it is 2001 and it is too little too late again, even biden admitted that the sanctions were measured response and putin read between the lines and did not see an immediate price to pay and even the sanctions have so many
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backpedalled mechanisms. and from putin's perspective there is nothing for him to worry about because he does not care about russia or the russian people, he cares only about power and money and so far the measures suggested by the biden administration not going far enough and don't forget, europeans are not ready to join the sanctions and we had talk about a ukrainian crisis. president putin would obviously argue against your assertions but what more would you want europe and the us to do? because there would be no appetite for all—out conflict. president putin is a killer.
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again that is what biden said and he was right. i'm sure every dictator in history would be arguing against these assertions, as you say, but he has a history. he is in powerfor 21 years and recently signed a law to allow them to in powerfor the rest of his life. he is a dictator and everything he does it is a very simple calculation. does it hurt his chances to stay in power forever or can you get away. dictators never ask why, they always ask why not. and by the way we are on the verge of another tragic death of an opposition leader in russia and unless we do something now your ambassadors can they flowers like they do on the bridge were
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my great friend and ally was murdered. the czech republic is expelling 18 russian diplomats — because of russia's alleged involvement in an explosion at a munitions dump in 2014. the czech police have also tweeted images of two men they want to speak to in connection with the incident — who appear to be the same two russian intelligence officers sought by the uk — in connection with the salisbury poisonings in 2018. our correspondent in prague, rob cameron, has more. the czech prime minister and the acting foreign minister appeared at a specially scheduled news conference with the stunning news that they are expelling 18 diplomats from the russian embassy in prague and that was because, in the prime minister's words, clear evidence of the involvement of the russian intelligence services at an explosion at an ammunitions dumped in 2014. within a few minutes of that announcement there came even more extraordinary news when the czech police tweeted image of two men that they want to speak to in regards this attack in 2014, this explosion. those two men are the same names and photos as the two suspected
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agents who were alleged to have been behind the 2018 novichok poisonings in salisbury in the uk. so, an extraordinary course of events, this evening in prague unfolding extremely quickly with far—reaching consequences for relations between the czech republic and russia. more than three million people are now known to have died with the coronavirus around the world. the figure was registered byjohns hopkins university in the united states, which has kept records since the start of the pandemic. gareth barlow has more. mexico, 211,000 dead and 2.3 million infected. the country now desperately inoculating as it experiences the third highest death toll after the us and brazil.
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globally, at least 3 million people have died according to figures compiled byjohns hopkins university but the realfigure is thought to be even higher. in madagascar, schools have been transformed into temporary hospitals. in zimbabwe, prisoners released early, desperate efforts to ease the burden on health care systems straining under the pressure of the deadly virus. no country left untouched. canada continues to face an incredibly serious situation with this third wave. cases are rising rapidly. in many cases, in many places, numbers are higher than they have ever been before and far too many hospitals are stretched way too thin. the news of 3 million registered deaths comes a day
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after the head of the world health organization warns the globe was approaching the highest rate of infection. more than 200 and 240 million infections identified so far. cases continuing to increase at worrying rates. globally, the number of new cases per week has nearly doubled over the past two months. this is approaching the highest rate of infection that we have seen so far during the pandemic. is cases climb in india, brazil, canada and other countries such as papa new guinea, there is no doubt that the pandemic is far from over and with 860 million doses of vaccines administers, and a global population of almost 8 billion, there is still a long way to go. let's get some of the day's other news. china and the united states say they are committed to working together and with other countries on tackling
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climate change. after several meetings between the chinese climate envoy and his us counterpar they also agreed on further specific actions to reduce emissions, as well as to help developing countries finance a switch to low—carbon energy. ajudge in italy has ruled the country's former interior minister matteo salvini must stand trial on charges of kidnapping, over his decision to prevent more than 100 migrants from landing in the country in 2019. proactiva open arms, the spanish ngo which operated the migrant rescue ship at the heart of the case, has welcomed the judge's ruling. that's all for now we'll leave you with some of the moving words and images — from the royal funeral at windsor castle.
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hello there. there's some more spring sunshine on the way for many of us on sunday, but the weather is changing. in scotland and northern ireland, we've got this band of cloud here coming in from the atlantic. that will bring some patchy rain into northern ireland and western scotland. it will keep the temperatures up, mind you. elsewhere, with little or no cloud, then those temperatures will fall close to freezing and there'll be some patchy frost, but it will warm up in the sunshine. but we've got much more cloud across scotland and northern ireland. most of the rain in the morning tending to peter out a bit more in the afternoon, eastern scotland staying dry and bright. sunshine across england and wales although we'll see some fair weather cloud bubbling up across wales and western england. further east in the sunshine, temperatures are likely
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to be a little bit higher than they were on saturday, but it may be a shade cooler than saturday where we've got the cloud in scotland and northern ireland. but at least in the northwest, the pollen levels are not going to be quite as high with that rain around. we're in the peak of the tree pollen season, of course. this rain hasjust been hanging around, though, in the northwest for a few days in actualfact, lowering pressure out to the west of the uk, but the rains not really making much progress at all. indeed, many places still dry on monday. could be quite a cloudy, misty start for eastern parts of england before the cloud breaks up. we'll see some sunshine for a while, but again, some patchy cloud will develop here and there, leading to some sunny spells. the rain just hangs around towards the northwest of scotland, not far away from western parts of northern ireland. bit warmer in scotland, those temperatures continuing to rise in england and wales — 16 or 17 degrees here. now, this rain is going to try to push into the uk during tuesday and into wednesday, but high pressure is going to be building across it, so there won't be very much rain at all. we've got some patchy rain heading southwards across scotland, northern ireland, maybe into the northwest
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of england, but it really is just dying out all the time. could be one or two showers further south, but it's on the whole a dry day. still quite warm across parts of england and wales, turning a bit cooler in scotland and northern ireland. and once that rain just tends to fade away as high pressure builds in, we start to draw in cooler air from the north as we head towards wednesday. we start the week, though, with something a little bit warmer for many parts of the country, and then by the middle part of the week, it does get cooler from the north. but it's been a very dry month and the dry theme is set to continue.
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the headlines. queen elizabeth has lead mourners at the funeral of her husband, the duke of edinburgh. prince philip has been laid to rest after a funeral service at windsor castle, reflecting his lifetime of service and dedication to the queen. in attendance were their children, including the prince of wales. prince philip's coffin travelled to the service on a specially adapted land rover that he helped design. members of the armed forces took part in a military and musical tribute before a nationwide silence was observed. the ceremony was in line with prince philip's wishes, with no tributes paid. walking together after the service, the two brothers — princes william and harry — who have been at odds in recent months. prince philip died last week at the age of 99. he was the longest—serving consort, having been married to queen elizabeth for more than seventy years.
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