Life-Sized Statues of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Unveiled

King Charles reacts after unveiling statues of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip upon his and Queen Camilla's arrival to attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance CREDIT: REUTERS
King Charles reacts after unveiling statues of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip upon his and Queen Camilla's arrival to attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance CREDIT: REUTERS
TT
20

Life-Sized Statues of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Unveiled

King Charles reacts after unveiling statues of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip upon his and Queen Camilla's arrival to attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance CREDIT: REUTERS
King Charles reacts after unveiling statues of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip upon his and Queen Camilla's arrival to attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance CREDIT: REUTERS

King Charles III and Queen Camilla have unveiled new bronze statues of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the Royal Albert Hall. The life-sized artworks, installed as part of the concert hall's 150th anniversary, were uncovered as the royals were arriving for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance.

King Charles led the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph. The service honors the contribution of military and civilian servicemen and women in World Wars One and Two, and other conflicts, according to BBC.

People across the UK took part in a two-minute silence, while the King led a Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph, in central London, commemorating the end of the First World War and other conflicts involving British and Commonwealth forces.

Wreaths were laid by members of the Royal Family, senior politicians and dignitaries at the Whitehall, shortly after the police arrested 126 people – most of them are right-wing counter-protesters – during a pro-Palestine rally on the Armistice Day, an annual celebration on November 11.

Almost 10,000 veterans and 800 armed forces personnel from all three services took part in a march-past. They were joined by thousands of members of the public lining Whitehall to watch the service.

Nuclear test veterans, who for the first time wore medals acknowledging their contribution, were among those attending. After 70 years of waiting for recognition, those exposed to the effects of nuclear bombs during the UK's testing program were given a medal - depicting an atom surrounded by olive branches.



Thousands Flee after Japan’s Biggest Wildfire in Decades

An aerial views shows a forest fire on a mountain in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, February 28, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Kyodo/via Reuters)
An aerial views shows a forest fire on a mountain in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, February 28, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Kyodo/via Reuters)
TT
20

Thousands Flee after Japan’s Biggest Wildfire in Decades

An aerial views shows a forest fire on a mountain in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, February 28, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Kyodo/via Reuters)
An aerial views shows a forest fire on a mountain in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, February 28, 2025, in this photo taken by Kyodo. (Kyodo/via Reuters)

Thousands of people evacuated from parts of northern Japan as the country's largest wildfire in three decades raged unabated Sunday after killing at least one person, officials said.

Around 2,000 people fled areas around the northern Japan city of Ofunato to stay with friends or relatives, while more than 1,200 evacuated to shelters, according to officials.

"We're still examining the size of the affected area, but it is the biggest since the 1992 wildfire" in Kushiro, Hokkaido, a disaster management agency spokesman told AFP Saturday.

Some reports estimated the fire had spread over 1,800 hectares.

Aerial footage by NHK showed columns of white smoke billowing, four days after the blaze first materialized, with military helicopters trying to douse them.

One burned body has been discovered so far, with more than 80 buildings damaged and around 1,700 firefighters mobilized from across the country.

The number of wildfires has declined since the peak in the 1970s, according to government data, but there were about 1,300 across Japan in 2023 -- concentrated in the February to April period when the air dries and winds pick up.