Queen Elizabeth II bids a final farewell to her late husband, Prince Philip, on Saturday, at a funeral restricted by coronavirus rules but reflecting his long life of military and public service.

Norway, which shares a short border with giant neighbour Russia, said on Friday it has signed a revised agreement with the United States on how to regulate US military activity on its soil.

The Swiss government on Wednesday announced further easing of its Covid-19 restrictions, allowing restaurants to reopen outdoor terraces from next week and sports events to take place with audiences, Reuters reported.

The Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg was fined over violation of country’s quarantine rules, Reuters reported. Solberg organized a party to celebrate her birthday but thus violated rules for social distancing. The fine is $2,352, police chief Ole Saeverud elaborated at a news conference. The two-term Prime Minister apologised last month for organising an event for her 60th birthday with 13 family members at a mountain resort in late February, despite a government ban on gatherings of more than 10 people.

Britain's Prince Philip, a constant presence at Queen Elizabeth II's side for decades, died Friday at age 99, Buckingham Palace announced. The death of the Duke of Edinburgh is a profound loss for the 94-year-old monarch, who once described him as her "strength and stay all these years". The outspoken former navy commander devoted much of his life as the queen's consort to charity work, AFP noted.

Northern Ireland police faced a barrage of petrol bombs and rocks on Thursday, an AFP journalist reported, as violence once again flared in Belfast despite pleas for calm. Riot police on the republican side of the divided city were pelted with projectiles as they tried to prevent a crowd moving towards pro-UK unionists.

Fast vaccine rollout and economic revival spurred credit and debit card spending in the UK, Reuters reported. Households and individuals were behind the robust growth which pushed up the sector development to the pre-holiday levels. Total household spending surged by 88 percent in the first week of April to reach highest level since the week preceding Christmas, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Britain has pledged 43 million pounds ($59 million) to help people arriving from Hong Kong find jobs, houses and schools under an initiative allowing millions to resettle after China’s imposition of new security laws in the former British colony.

British medical regulators restricted the roll-out of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine to people aged over 30 on Wednesday, dpa reported. The British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said people aged 18 to 29 who do not have an underlying health condition will now be recommended other vaccines instead.

Britain's prime minister Boris Johnson condemned another night of violence in Northern Ireland, after crowds threw petrol bombs and a bus was set on fire in Belfast, AFP reported. "The way to resolve differences is through dialogue, not violence or criminality," Johnson tweeted late Wednesday. He added he was "deeply concerned" by the scenes.