World

Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, announcing her “sincere wish” that Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, should ultimately be known as Queen Consort.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch acceded to the throne aged 25 on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI.

She marked the historic date quietly at Sandringham, her estate in eastern England where her father died.

But in a major statement on the future of the royal family, the 95-year-old released a message to the nation, saying “it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort”.

This means Camilla, now 74, would be crowned alongside Charles, now 73, and known to the public as Queen Camilla, royal experts said.

Charles said the couple were “deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother’s wish”, which would accord Camilla the full title of a monarch’s wife.

He praised Camilla, saying: “my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout”.

The heir-to-the throne also paid tribute to the Queen’s “devotion to the welfare of all her people”, which “inspires still greater admiration with each passing year”.

The Queen said she hoped that when Charles becomes king, the British people would give him and Camilla “the same support that you have given me”.

Camilla was long vilified for her role in the break-up of Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana.

Recognising the sensitivities, when the couple married in 2005, the royal family announced she would be known as Princess Consort after Charles became king.

But she has gradually won plaudits as the future king’s loyal wife and Londoners who spoke to AFP welcomed the plan.

“I think she’ll probably be successful, maybe surprise a lot of the British public,” said John Bishop, a 72-year-old property company owner.

“She comes over well, and I think she’s a great, great support for Charles,” said Angela Roberts, an 80-year-old retiree.

“He will need it, he’s got a difficult act to follow, hasn’t he?”

– ‘Historic reign’ –

Stressing the Queen’s ongoing role, Buckingham Palace released a photo taken at Sandringham this week showing her working on one of her famous red dispatch boxes used for government business.

Behind her is a photo of her late father.

With the main Platinum Jubilee celebrations set for June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was looking forward to “when we will be able to come together as a country to celebrate her historic reign”.

He also praised the Queen’s “inspirational sense of duty and unwavering dedication”.

Four days of festivities are planned for early June, coinciding with the anniversary of her 1953 coronation, including a military parade and music concert, street parties, a nationwide “Big Jubilee Lunch” and a “Platinum Pudding Competition”.

During her reign, the Queen has remained a constant through periods of huge social and political upheaval — a living link to Britain’s post-war and imperial past.

In her message addressed to the public signed “Your servant, Elizabeth R”, the Queen renewed a pledge she first gave in a broadcast on her 21st birthday “that my life will always be devoted to your service”.

In September 2015, she surpassed Queen Victoria’s 63 years and seven months on the throne and, despite some health concerns over the past year, her latest message showed she is determined to continue her record-breaking reign.

After husband Philip’s death in April last year, the Queen returned to public and official engagements, including hosting world leaders at the G7 summit.

She was forced to slow down on advice from doctors, however, after an overnight hospital stay in October sparked public concern.

Since then, she has largely stayed at Windsor Castle and made few public appearances.

But on Saturday, the Queen held a reception for locals at Sandringham, reportedly her largest in-person public engagement since the autumn health scare.

Ukraine’s presidency on Sunday insisted the chance of resolving soaring tensions with Russia through diplomacy remained greater than that of an attack, after the US warned Moscow had stepped up preparations for an invasion.

US officials said the Kremlin has assembled 110,000 troops along the border with its pro-Western neighbour but intelligence assessments have not determined if President Vladimir Putin has actually decided to invade. 

Officials briefed Congress and European allies in recent days that the Russian force amassed on the frontier is growing at a rate that would give Putin the firepower he needs for a full-scale invasion — some 150,000 soldiers — by mid-February.

They said Putin wants all possible options at his disposal: from a limited campaign in the pro-Russian Donbas region of Ukraine to a full-scale invasion.

Russia denies that it is planning an incursion into Ukraine.

Ukrainian presidency advisor Mikhailo Podolyak insisted that “the chance of finding a diplomatic solution for de-escalation is still substantially higher than the threat of further escalation”.

Kyiv has consistently sought to play down fears of an imminent attack as it tries to avoid inflicting further harm on its struggling economy.

Podolyak said the latest Russian moves were “no surprise” as Moscow has sought to keep up “psychological pressure” on Kyiv by conducting large-scale troop rotations, manoeuvres and weapon deployments on a regular basis since massing forces at the border last spring. 

“How long will such Russian activity last and for what purpose is it maintained? Only the Kremlin can know the exact answer to this question,” he said. 

“The task of both Ukraine and our partners is to be prepared for any scenario.”

– European diplomatic push –

The stark warnings from the US — part of a deliberate attempt from Washington to pre-empt any Russian actions — come as Europe pushes to defuse the crisis. 

French President Emmanuel Macron is heading to Moscow on Monday and Kyiv the day after for talks aimed at de-escalating the crisis and pushing forward a stalled peace plan for the festering conflict with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also visit the region for talks with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the following week in a bid to further the diplomatic efforts. 

US officials said if Moscow does opt for a full-scale attack, the invading force could take the capital Kyiv and topple Zelensky in a matter of 48 hours.

They estimated such an attack would leave 25,000 to 50,000 civilians dead, along with 5,000 to 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 3,000 to 10,000 Russian ones.

It could also trigger a refugee flood of one to five million people, mainly into Poland, the officials added.

President Joe Biden has decided to send American forces to bolster NATO’s eastern flank, with the first contingent of US soldiers arriving in Poland on Saturday.

The move angered Moscow, which has issued demands for NATO to stop its expansion and withdraw forces from member states in eastern Europe. 

– Special forces, naval buildup –

US intelligence has concluded that Russia is continuing to muster a major military force on its border with Ukraine.

Two weeks ago, a total of 60 Russian army battalions were positioned to the north, east and south of Ukraine, particularly in the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed after an invasion in 2014.

But on Friday, there were 80 battalions and 14 more were en route from elsewhere in Russia, US officials said. 

They added that some 1,500 Russian special forces soldiers known as Spetsnaz arrived along the Ukraine border a week ago.

Russia has also announced what it calls joint military manoeuvres with Belarus, where it has sent several battalions to the north of Kyiv and in the Brest region, not far from the border with Poland.

A major Russian naval force is also positioned in the Black Sea, equipped with five amphibious vessels that could be used to land troops on Ukraine’s southern coast, the US officials said.

They added that another six amphibious craft were observed leaving the Barents Sea north of Russia, sailing past Britain and through the Strait of Gibraltar, apparently on their way to the Black Sea.

In other deployments, Russia has positioned fighter planes near Ukraine, as well as bombers, missile batteries and anti-aircraft batteries, US officials said.

Cyclone Batsirai killed at least six people and displaced nearly 48,000 when it struck Madagascar overnight, the national disaster management agency said on Sunday.

Cyclone Batsirai weakened overnight but not before wreaking havoc in the poor Indian Ocean island nation which is still reeling from a deadly tropical storm earlier this year.

The eastern district of Mananjary was lashed with heavy rains and wind before the cyclone made landfall, forcing local residents to weigh down flimsy corrugated iron roofs, an AFP correspondent saw.

The rain will cause flooding across parts of the country, Madagascar’s meteorological office said on Sunday.

Batsirai made landfall in Mananjary on Saturday night as an “intense tropical cyclone”, packing winds of 165 kilometres per hour (102 miles per hour), Faly Aritiana Fabien of the country’s disaster management agency told AFP.

His colleague responsible for risk management in the same agency, Paolo Emilio Raholinarivo, listed the numbers of dead and their location in a text message to AFP, but gave no further details.

However the national meteorological office — which had warned of “significant and widespread damage” — said Sunday that “Batsirai has weakened”.

The cyclone’s average wind speed had almost halved to 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour), while the strongest gusts had fallen back to 110 km/h from the 235 km/h recorded when it made landfall, Meteo Madagascar said.

– Bodies emerge from cemetery –

At a cemetery in the eastern town of Mahanoro, overlooking the sea, Marie Viviane Rasoanandrasana, sat on the ground watching over the bodies of her husband, her father-in-law and her daughter.

The waves of the rising sea eroded the sandy hill which was part of graveyard. Several graves were ripped open and some bodies, including those of her family, were exposed.

“A few days ago the sea was far away, but this morning I was told the waves had washed away part of the cemetery,” the 54-year-old unemployed widow said. 

“We are sad,” she said. “We’ve already had damages at home because of the cyclone. Now this!”

“Daily life is already very hard,” she said, adding the family would be forced to rebury the remains in a temporary grave until they raise enough money for a “proper burial”.

“It’s not even a year since I tiled my daughter’s grave,” she said.

– ‘Government must help us’ –

The Meteo-France weather service had earlier predicted Batsirai would present “a very serious threat” to Madagascar, after passing Mauritius and drenching the French island of La Reunion with torrential rain for two days.

In the hours before the cyclone hit, residents hunkered down in the impoverished country, still recovering from Tropical Storm Ana late last month.

In the eastern coastal town of Vatomandry, more than 200 people were crammed in one room in a Chinese-owned concrete building. 

Families slept on mats or mattresses.

Community leader Thierry Louison Leaby lamented the lack of clean water after the water utility company turned off supplies ahead of the cyclone.

“People are cooking with dirty water,” he said, amid fears waterborne bacteria could cause illness.

Plastic dishes and buckets were placed in a line outside to catch rainwater dripping from roofing sheets.

“The government must absolutely help us,” he said.

Residents who chose to remain in their homes used sandbags and yellow jerrycans to buttress their roofs before the storm hit.

At least 131,000 people were affected by Ana across Madagascar in late January. Close to 60 people were killed, mostly in the capital Antananarivo.

Ana also hit Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, causing dozens of deaths.

The UN’s World Food Programme pointed to estimates from national authorities that some 595,000 people could be directly affected by Batsirai, and 150,000 more might be displaced due to new landslides and flooding.

The storm poses a risk to at least 4.4 million people in total, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, expressing her “sincere wish” for Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, to ultimately be known as Queen Consort.

Elizabeth II made the announcement in a message renewing her pledge to spend her life serving the nation as she began her Platinum Jubilee in subdued fashion at Sandringham, her estate in eastern England.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch acceded to the throne aged 25 on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI.

In a major statement on the future of the royal family, the 95-year-old expressed her “sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort”.

Charles warmly praised Camilla in a message marking the Jubilee, saying: “my darling wife has been my own steadfast support throughout”, adding that they were “deeply conscious of the honour represented by my mother’s wish”.

He paid tribute to the Queen’s “devotion to the welfare of all her people (which) inspires still greater admiration with each passing year”.

The Queen said she hoped that when Charles, now 73, becomes monarch, the British people would give him and Camilla, now 74, “the same support that you have given me”.

Charles and Camilla, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, had a highly publicised adulterous relationship and Camilla was vilified for her role in the break-up of Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana.

When the couple married in 2005, the royal family announced that Camilla would become known as Princess Consort due to the sensitivity of the issue, but she has gradually won plaudits as the future king’s loyal wife.

The Queen’s suggestion means Camilla would be crowned alongside Charles and be known to the public as Queen Camilla, The Sunday Telegraph wrote.

– ‘Historic reign’ –

With the main Platinum Jubilee celebrations set for this summer, the Queen said she hoped the events would  “bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he looks forward to the summer “when we will be able to come together as a country to celebrate her historic reign”.

He also praised the Queen’s “inspirational sense of duty and unwavering dedication”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a tribute said the Queen’s reign “has been unique and an inspiration to people around the world”.

Four days of festivities are planned for early June, coinciding with the anniversary of her 1953 coronation, including a military parade and music concert, street parties, a nationwide “Big Jubilee Lunch” and a “Platinum Pudding Competition”.

On Monday, there will be ceremonial gun salutes marking Accession Day in London’s Green Park, close to Buckingham Palace, and at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.

During her reign, the Queen has remained a constant through periods of huge social and political upheaval — a living link to Britain’s post-war and imperial past.

In her message addressed to the public signed “Your servant, Elizabeth R”, the Queen said she wanted “to express my thanks to you all for your support”.

She also renewed a pledge she first gave in a broadcast on her 21st birthday “that my life will always be devoted to your service”.

In September 2015, she surpassed Queen Victoria’s 63 years and seven months on the throne and, despite some health concerns over the past year, her latest message shows she is determined to continue her record-breaking reign.

After husband Philip’s death in April last year, the Queen returned to public and official engagements, including hosting world leaders at the G7 summit.

She was forced to slow down on advice from doctors, however, after an overnight hospital stay in October sparked public concern.

Since then, she has largely stayed at Windsor Castle and made few public appearances.

But on Saturday, the Queen held a reception for locals at Sandringham, reportedly her largest in-person public engagement since the autumn health scare.

Morocco was in shock Sunday after emergency crews found a five-year-old boy dead at the bottom of a well in a tragic end to a five-day rescue operation that gripped the nation and the world.

The ordeal of “little Rayan” since he fell down the 32-metre (100-foot) well on Tuesday gained global attention and sparked an outpouring of sympathy online, with the Arabic Twitter hashtag #SaveRayan trending.

“The fall of a child who reminded the whole world of the values of humanity,” read one Moroccan newspaper headline, while others bemoaned the “tragic epilogue” that had brought “sadness and shock”.

The boy’s father said he had been repairing the well when the boy fell in, close to the family home in the village of Ighrane in the Rif mountains of northern Morocco.

“Little angel, you fought until the end, a hero”, said one Twitter user called Anouar, while another said “he has brought people together around him”.

Throughout the major digging operation to extricate him from the bottom of the well shaft, authorities had cautioned that they did not know whether he was alive.

The shaft, just 45 centimetres (18 inches) across, was too narrow for the boy to be reached directly, and widening it was deemed too risky — so earth-movers dug a wide slope into the hill to reach him from the side.

The operation made the landscape resemble a construction site, and red-helmeted civil defence personnel had at times been suspended by rope, as if on a cliff face.

– From hope to sorrow –

Rescue crews, using bulldozers and front-end loaders, had excavated the surrounding red earth down to the level where the boy was trapped, and drill teams began creating a horizontal tunnel to reach him from the side.

On Saturday morning, the head of the rescue efforts, Abdelhadi Tamrani, said images from a camera sent down showed the child “lying on his side”, and that while it was “impossible” to confirm he was alive there were “very high hopes”.

But progress slowed to a snail’s pace as the drill teams worked by hand to avoid any vibrations that might bring the brittle soil down on the stricken child, local authorities said.

Late Saturday evening, crowds cheered when the rescue workers broke through the final stretch of earth to reach the boy.

Volunteer digger Ali Sahraoui cleared the last soil away with his hands, becoming a “hero” on social media.

But soon after, AFP correspondents saw the boy’s parents walk down the slope into the horizontal tunnel, visibly crushed, before returning and boarding an ambulance without saying a word.

– Race against time –

It was Morocco’s royal cabinet that announced he had been found dead.

“Following the tragic accident which cost the life of the child Rayan Oram, His Majesty King Mohammed VI called the parents of the boy who died after falling down the well,” a statement from the royal court said.

The date of the funeral has not been announced but according to Muslim tradition the funeral should take place swiftly, potentially as early as Sunday. 

No official information has been released on a possible autopsy.

Huge crowds of thousands of people had gathered to watch the rescue beside the giant pit, singing songs to urge on the diggers, who worked through the nights.

Many of the watchers prayed, chanting in unison “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest).

Workers had tried to get oxygen and water down to the child but it was not clear whether he was able to use them, AFP correspondents reported.

The race against time to rescue Rayan was followed live across the world, and as soon as the tragic conclusion was announced, tributes poured in.

French President Emmanuel Macron said: “I want to say to the family of little Rayan and to the Moroccan people that we share your pain.” 

“Rayan’s courage will stay in our memories and continue to inspire us,” wrote AC Milan’s Algerian midfielder Ismael Bennacer in a tweet, accompanied by a drawing of a child being lifted into the sky, carried by a heart-shaped balloon marked with the colours of Morocco.

“We all of us had been holding out hope that little Rayan would make it,” Moroccan-American novelist Laila Lalami wrote on Twitter. “This is all so tragic.”

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Cyclone Batsirai weakened overnight but not before pummelling Madagascar and displacing 27,000 people in a country still reeling from a deadly tropical storm weeks earlier.

The cyclone brought heavy rains that will cause flooding across parts of the large Indian Ocean island, Madagascar’s meteorological office said on Sunday.

Batsirai made landfall in the eastern district of Mananjary on Saturday night as an “intense tropical cyclone”, packing winds of 165 kilometres per hour (102 miles per hour), Faly Aritiana Fabien of the country’s disaster management agency told AFP.

Just an hour and a half after it first hit land, 26,890 people had been counted as displaced from their homes, Fabien added.

Authorities were yet to provide updates on Sunday.

However the national meteorological office — which had warned of “significant and widespread damage” — said Sunday that “Batsirai has weakened”.

The cyclone’s average wind speed had almost halved to 80 kilometres per hour (50 miles per hour), while the strongest gusts had scaled back to 110 km/h from the 235 km/h recorded when it made landfall, Meteo Madagascar said.

– Bodies emerge from cemetery –

Even the dead were not spared by the storm.

At a cemetery in the eastern town of Mahanoro, overlooking the sea, Marie Viviane Rasoanandrasana, sat on the ground watching over the bodies of her husband, her father-in-law and her daughter.

The waves of the rising sea eroded the sandy hill which was part of graveyard. Several graves were ripped open and some bodies, including those of her family, were exposed.

“A few days ago the sea was far away, but this morning I was told the waves had washed away part of the cemetery,” the 54-year-old unemployed widow said. 

“We are sad,” she said. “We’ve already had damages at home because of the cyclone. Now this!”

“Daily life is already very hard,” she said, adding the family would be forced to rebury the remains in a temporary grave until they raise enough money for a “proper burial”.

In a country where life after death is as important as life itself, the latest blow compounds the tragedy of Rasoanandrasana’s family. 

“It’s not even a year since I tiled my daughter’s grave.”

– ‘Government must help us’ –

The Meteo-France weather service had earlier predicted Batsirai would present “a very serious threat” to Madagascar, after passing Mauritius and drenching the French island of La Reunion with torrential rain for two days.

In the hours before the cyclone hit, residents hunkered down in the impoverished country, still recovering from Tropical Storm Ana late last month.

In the eastern coastal town of Vatomandry, more than 200 people were crammed in one room in a Chinese-owned concrete building. 

Families slept on mats or mattresses.

Community leader Thierry Louison Leaby lamented the lack of clean water after the water utility company turned off supplies ahead of the cyclone.

“People are cooking with dirty water,” he said, amid fears of a diarrhoea outbreak.

Plastic dishes and buckets were placed in a line outside to catch rainwater dripping from the corrugated roofing sheets.

“The government must absolutely help us,” he said.

Residents who chose to remain in their homes used sandbags and yellow jerrycans to buttress their roofs before the storm hit.

At least 131,000 people were affected by Ana across Madagascar in late January. Close to 60 people were killed, mostly in the capital Antananarivo.

Ana also hit Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, causing dozens of deaths.

The UN’s World Food Programme pointed to estimates from national authorities that some 595,000 people could be directly affected by Batsirai, and 150,000 more might be displaced due to new landslides and flooding.

The storm poses a risk to at least 4.4 million people in one way or another, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.

Bollywood superstar Lata Mangeshkar, known to millions as the “Nightingale of India” and a regular fixture of the country’s airwaves for decades, died Sunday morning at the age of 92.

She passed away in a Mumbai hospital after being admitted to its intensive care unit on January 11 with Covid-19 symptoms.

Mangeshkar’s high-pitched melodies were an instantly recognisable feature of Indian cinema, with her work appearing in more than 1,000 films. News of her passing prompted an outpouring of grief from industry luminaries.

Fans gathered outside her home in Mumbai while fellow Bollywood titan Amitabh Bachchan and other celebrities arrived to pay their respects.

“Heartbroken, but blessed to have known & loved this incredible soul,” said actor Anil Kapoor, best known internationally for his role as a game show host in Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”.

“Lataji holds a place in our hearts that will never be taken by anyone else. That’s how profoundly she has impacted our lives with her music.”

Mangeshkar was born in 1929 in Indore, central India, and started her musical training under the tutelage of her father Deenanath, singing in his theatrical productions when she was just five years old.

Her father’s death when she was 13 forced her to take on the role of breadwinner for four younger siblings, and the family eventually moved to Mumbai in 1945.

There she pursued a career as a playback singer, recording tracks to be mimed by actors, and her voice soon became a staple of Bollywood blockbusters.

In a move reflecting her huge following, she was invited by the government to sing a patriotic tribute to the soldiers killed in the 1962 Indo-China war at India’s Republic Day commemorations in January 1963.

Her rendition of “Oh the People of My Country” reportedly moved then-prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to tears.

In the following decades, composers and film producers vied to sign the prolific Mangeshkar for their movies.

“I composed keeping Lata Mangeshkar’s range and voice quality in mind,” composer Anil Biswas said in an interview.

“She had a wide range, and one could think of more complicated melodies than with the earlier untrained singers.”

– ‘Stalwart of Indian culture’ –

Mangeshkar dominated Bollywood music for more than half a century, and is considered by many to be the Indian film industry’s greatest-ever playback singer.

Mangeshkar was not shy about taking a stand when it came to raising her prices or asking for a share of the royalties earned on her songs.

Her longevity and discipline saw her lend her voice to teenage actresses who were 50 years her junior. 

Critics complained that her dominance left little room for newer singers to thrive, but her audience remained loyal, ensuring that her songs ruled the charts.

She was also known for her quirks, such as never singing with her shoes on and always writing out each song by hand before recording it.

In 2001, Mangeshkar was awarded India’s highest civilian honour the Bharat Ratna, and she received France’s Legion d’Honneur in 2009 in recognition of her contribution to Indian music and cinema.

“Coming generations will remember her as a stalwart of Indian culture, whose melodious voice had an unparalleled ability to mesmerise people,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

Authorities have announced a state funeral and two days of national mourning for the singer.

Though she dropped out of school, saying she only ever took classes for one day, Mangeshkar was fluent in several languages. 

Her oeuvre included devotional and classical albums and spanned around 27,000 songs in dozens of languages including English, Russian, Dutch and Swahili.

Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, expressing her “sincere wish” for Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, to ultimately be known as Queen Consort.

Elizabeth II made the announcement in a message renewing her pledge to spend her life serving the nation as she began her Platinum Jubilee in subdued fashion at Sandringham, her estate in eastern England.

Britain’s longest-serving monarch acceded to the throne aged 25 on February 6, 1952, following the death of her father King George VI.

In a message addressed to the public signed “Your servant, Elizabeth R”, the Queen said late Saturday she wanted “to express my thanks to you all for your support”.

She said she wanted to renew a pledge she gave on her 21st birthday “that my life will always be devoted to your service”.

With the main Platinum Jubilee celebrations set for this summer, the Queen said she hoped the events would  “bring together families and friends, neighbours and communities”.

In a major statement on the future of the royal family, the 95-year-old said “it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort”.

The Queen also said she hoped that when Charles, now 73, becomes monarch, the British people would give him and Camilla “the same support that you have given me”.

Charles and Camilla, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, had a highly publicised adulterous relationship and Camilla was vilified for her role in the break-up of Charles’ marriage to Princess Diana.

When the couple married in 2005, the royal family announced that Camilla would become known as Princess Consort due to the sensitivity of the issue, but she has gradually won plaudits as the future king’s loyal wife.

The Queen’s suggestion means Camilla would be crowned alongside Charles and be known to the public as Queen Camilla, The Sunday Telegraph wrote.

Charles has always been adamant his “darling wife” should receive the title, The Sunday Times reported citing a source, with a spokesperson for the couple saying Saturday they were “touched and honoured” by the news.

– ‘Historic reign’ –

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday praised the Queen’s “inspirational sense of duty and unwavering dedication” in a message celebrating the start of her Platinum Jubilee, saying he looks forward to the summer “when we will be able to come together as a country to celebrate her historic reign”.

Four days of festivities are planned for early June, coinciding with the anniversary of her 1953 coronation, including a military parade and music concert, street parties, a nationwide “Big Jubilee Lunch” and a “Platinum Pudding Competition”.

On Monday, there will be ceremonial gun salutes marking Accession Day in London’s Green Park, close to Buckingham Palace, and at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland.

During her reign, the Queen has remained a constant through periods of huge social and political upheaval — a living link to Britain’s post-war and imperial past.

In September 2015, she surpassed Queen Victoria’s 63 years and seven months on the throne and, despite some health concerns over the past year, her latest message shows she is determined to continue her record-breaking reign.

After husband Philip’s death in April last year, the Queen returned to public and official engagements, including hosting world leaders at the G7 summit.

She was forced to slow down on advice from doctors, however, after an overnight hospital stay in October sparked public concern.

Since then, she has largely stayed at Windsor Castle and made few public appearances.

But on Saturday, the Queen held a reception for locals at Sandringham, reportedly her largest in-person public engagement since the autumn health scare.

China welcomed Argentina into its global Belt and Road Initiative Sunday as President Xi Jinping capped a weekend of frenetic diplomatic activity on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics.

Xi has not left his country since the coronavirus first emerged in the city of Wuhan, with China now the only major economy still pursuing a strict zero-Covid strategy.

But the Beijing Games have allowed Xi to hold a flurry of face-to-face meetings with fellow world leaders for the first time in nearly two years.

On Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV said China and Argentina inked an agreement on “jointly promoting the construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road”, marking Argentina’s entry into the initiative.

China’s BRI is a trillion-dollar push to improve trade links across the globe by building landmark infrastructure, and the inclusion of Argentina is a major win for Beijing in Latin America. 

Chinese companies invested more than $20 billion in non-financial direct investment on projects in BRI countries in 2021, according to China’s commerce ministry.

The deal came as Argentine President Alberto Fernandez made a three-day visit to China during which both sides also said they would continue to support each other on issues concerning sovereign interests.

The statement backed each other’s territorial claims — the Falkland Islands for Argentina and China’s dispute over Taiwan.

Xi also met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday, shortly after Pakistan’s army said troops had put an end to four days of assaults by separatists in Balochistan province.

China has invested significantly in the region where separatists have waged an insurgency for years, fuelled by anger that its abundant reserves of natural resources are not relieving citizens from crushing poverty.

During the meeting, Xi stressed that “the Chinese side firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its national independence, sovereignty and dignity, as well as in combating terrorism”, according to state media.

He added that China is willing to work with Pakistan in “aligning development strategies”.

– Warm Russia ties –

Xi also met with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Singaporean President Halimah Yacob on Sunday.

His most significant meeting took place on Friday when Xi held talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin just before the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

The Kremlin later released a joint statement from the two sides in which Beijing threw its support behind Moscow on a host of foreign policy issues, including that the US-led NATO military alliance should not admit new members.

The statement was a vivid illustration of how Russia and China have forged closer ties in recent years as tensions rise with the West on a host of security issues, including the future of Ukraine and Taiwan.

Twenty-one world leaders attended the Games, an event Beijing hopes will burnish its international image, but the sporting spectacle has been clouded by a Western diplomatic boycott over China’s rights record.

A majority of the leaders who came for the Games rule over non-democratic regimes, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index.

Xi’s Saturday meetings included talks with Egypt’s strongman leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as well as the heads of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Serbia, Ecuador and Qatar.

He also held talks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who said he expects Beijing to allow UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet to make a “credible” visit to China including a stop in the troubled Xinjiang region.

Campaigners say at least one million Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking Muslims have been incarcerated in Xinjiang, a far-western region where China is accused of widespread human rights abuses including forced sterilisations of women and forced labour.

China initially denied the existence of internment camps and then said they were for “re-education”. The United States and some Western lawmakers have described China’s treatment of people in Xinjiang as genocide, a charge Beijing strongly denies.

Transcripts of the Guterres meeting from China’s government and state media made no mention of Xinjiang or rights issues.