A Prince's Funeral; The United Kingdom Mourns The Death Of HRH Prince Philip

Early in the Morning of April 9th in the Year of our Lord, 2021, the passing of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh occurred which caused Operation Fourth Bridge to begin immediately. As such, it was determined that his funeral would be on this very day, the 17th of April, 2021, in which we witnessed the plans, personally developed by the Duke of Edinburgh himself, for the event. The funeral was conducted by the design of HRH Prince Philip's plans, and it could only be unimaginable to know what the Her Majesty the Queen could have been thinking watching her husband be laid to rest. Losing a family member is very hard, and it must be especially difficult for the Queen due to how long she and Prince Philip have been together--they were seen as examples of being very loving and care for each other.

Let us reflect on some of the achievements of this man who was far more than just a father and husband. For that we look to the fact that he was a member or leader of approximately 1,000 charities during his life. Additionally, he had a very long-standing career in the British armed forces with many people having come to know, love, and respect the man for serving with them or for having served the United Kingdom. It is also important to remember the numerous orders and honors which he had achieved during his lifetime which truly sets him as an example for an intelligent, caring, strong, and good man.

Source(s): British Broadcasting Corporation, https://www.royal.uk/royal-family

Action Française's #Jeanne2021

On 9th May, 2021 there was a procession that occurred in order to honor their "Saint of the Fatherland" also known as the famous Saint Joan of Arc. The parade on Sunday was a highly popular event with AF stating on their official twitter that over 650 demonstrators were present. The primary reason for this large event happening was the paying homage and tribute to Saint Joan of Arc. French Action (AF) expressed pride and satisfaction with their self-declared success of and speeches given at the event.

Source(s): Action Française, #Jeanne2021

Sultan of Malaysia Attempts to Gain Support

The Malaysian Sultan, Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin, allowed his government to openly proclaim a state of emergency in Malaysia. This comes in the way of the Coronavirus Pandemic, with which, the state of emergency helped to improve the government's response to the pandemic in early October of 2020. Shortly later in the same month, there was political backlash from the United Malays National Organization who opposed the declaration, wanting to continue the status quo which they [the UMNO] had set. This led to Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin made a decree demanding that politics be put aside in the name of helping the prosperity of the Malaysian nation. These calls to improve the nation and put small debates behind parties was a call to unity which many Malaysians heavily endorsed.

Source(s): NikkeiAsia

Moroccan Diplomatic Crisis with Spain

The Moroccan government seemingly has entered conflict with the Spanish government after a minor migrate crisis occurred at Ceuta. Several thousand people from Moroccan shores attempted to cross the border into Spain which led to the Spanish government deploying guard units to detain and sent back the Moroccans. The Spanish government, particularly the Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Spain has stated that the flood of migrants coming from the Kingdom of Morocco is a serious crisis. The Moroccan Foreign Minister has publicly stated that the main reason why this was a failing on Spain's part was because of weather and ineffective border guards. This back and forth has led to increased tensions in the area in regards to Moroccan-Spanish diplomatic relationships.

Source(s): CNBC, Reuters, France 24

Australia Closes Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan

The Commonwealth of Australia has announced a decision to temporarily close its embassy in Kabul today amid various security concerns. These concerns are as a result of the withdrawal of NATO forces, especially that of the Americans, which has led the Australian government to pull out. However, it was not the only nation to be worried about security issues in the Afghan capital as various other embassies openly told non-essential personnel to leave the country for their own safety. Despite, being in the Green Zone, the safest and most protected area in Kabul, there are concerns for areas outside the city as there is lawlessness in the general region. At the moment, it is uncertain when the embassy will reopen and if it will reopen but what is certain is that it has been closed and personnel are being withdrawn.

Source(s): Associated Press (AP), Newsweek, The Australian

Tonga to Strengthen Border Security Against COVID-19

The Kingdom of Tonga has been struggling through COVID-19 due to its dependency on outside nations for resources and economic opportunities, causing the nation to close. Tonga has decided to strengthen the integrity of national security against COVID-19 through the installation of thermography cameras. These cameras will be used for the helping with controlling possible or potential infected individuals as well as preventing infected individuals from entering the country. Though Tonga is a developing nation, the usage of this technology to help protect itself from the pandemic is good news for their future disease control abilities.

Source(s): Matangi Tonga

New Canadian Governor-General Unknown

The previous Governor-General of Canada has stepped down, and so for the past four months there has been no Governor-General at all. The Governor-General is supposed to be the representative of the British crown in Canadian government but the title has laid dormant since the resigning of the previous holder, Julie Payette. However, recently Prime Minister Trudeau has announced that there will a shortlist of the potential candidates for Governor-General of Canada. In Canada, there is a tendency to move between an English Canadian as Governor-General to a French Canadian as Governor-General, back and forth. Despite this, it is currently unknown who the next Governor-General will be until the shortlist is released and then discussed further.

Source(s): The Globe and Mail, Global News, The Hill Times