Gun salutes will be fired across Britain on Saturday to mark the passing of Prince Philip as tributes flooded in for a man who was a pillar of strength for Queen Elizabeth during her 69-year reign.

Authorities in Western Australia were urging residents of its Mid West coast to find safe shelter or leave on Saturday as cyclone Seroja barrelled towards a coastal region that is usually too far south to fall in the path of cyclones.

La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent erupted on Friday after decades of inactivity, sending dark plumes of ash and smoke billowing into the sky and forcing thousands from surrounding villages to evacuate.

Fresh lockdowns and curfews were imposed on tens of millions of people from India to Argentina on Saturday, as Covid-19 infections surged again and vaccine roll-outs were hampered by shortages and scares over side effects.

US President Joe Biden has ordered the creation of a bipartisan commission to study potential reforms to the Supreme Court, including whether to expand the number of justices, a key goal of progressive Democrats.

The threat of a volcanic eruption has triggered evacuation orders on the eastern Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and the deployment of several cruise ships to house thousands forced to leave their homes.

Europe’s stuttering coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine rollout faced multiple hurdles yesterday as EU regulators said they were reviewing side effects of the Johnson & Johnson shot and France further limited its use of the AstraZeneca jab.

Of the many sacrifices the Duke of Edinburgh had to make in marrying, one truly angered him. As he once put it: “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his children.”

Prince Philip, the longest serving royal consort in British history who was a constant presence at Queen Elizabeth II’s side for decades, died yesterday aged 99, Buckingham Palace announced.

A new cyclone was barrelling toward Indonesia and threatened to spark more floods and landslides, authorities warned yesterday, as the archipelago reeled from a storm that killed more than 200 people, including victims in neighbouring East Timor.

India reported another record number of new Covid-19 infections yesterday and daily deaths hit their highest in more than five months, as it battles a second wave of infections and states complain of a persistent vaccine shortage.

Myanmar’s junta refused yesterday to let a UN envoy visit the country, despite mounting international efforts for a diplomatic solution to the post-coup crisis.