Church bells rang out and a World War II-era plane flew Saturday over the funeral service of Captain Tom Moore to honour of the veteran who single-handedly raised millions of pounds for Britain’s health workers by walking laps in his backyard.

Soldiers performed ceremonial duties at the private service for Moore, who died Feb. 2 at age 100 after testing positive for COVID-19 .

Captain Tom, as he became known, inspired the U.K. during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic with his humble endeavour that raised almost 33 million pounds (USD 46 million) for Britain’s National Health Service last year.

The private service was small, attended by just eight members of the veteran’s immediate family. But soldiers carried his coffin, draped in the Union flag, from the hearse to a crematorium and formed a ceremonial guard. Others performed a gun salute before a C-47 Dakota military transport plane flew past.

“Daddy, you always told us Best foot forward’ and true to your word, that’s what you did last year,” Moore’s daughter Lucy Teixeira said at the service. “I know you will be watching us chuckling, saying ‘Don’t be too sad as something has to get you in the end.'” His other daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, said the world was “enthralled” by her father’s “spirt of hope, positivity and resilience.” “They, too, saw your belief in kindness and the fundamental goodness of the human spirit,” she said.

The service featured music that reflected the man being honored, opening with the rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” that Moore recorded for charity with Michael Ball and the NHS Voices of Care Choir. The song reached number one in the U.K. singles charts last April.

Singer Michael Bublé recorded a version of “Smile” for the funeral, and as requested by Moore, Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” was played. A bugler sounded “The Last Post” to close the service.

File photo of Captain Sir Thomas Moore. | Photo Credit: AP

A church in Bedfordshire, England, where the family is based, rang its bell 100 times in Moore’s honor.

A post on Moore’s Twitter account invited his admirers to remember him Saturday with a cup of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge cake.

Moore, who served in India, Burma and Sumatra during World War II, set out to raise a modest 1,000 pounds for Britain’s NHS by walking 100 laps of his backyard by his 100th birthday last year.

But donations poured in from across Britain and beyond as his quest went viral, catching the imagination of millions stuck at home during the first wave of the pandemic.

His positive attitude – “Please remember, tomorrow will be a good day” became his trademark phrase – inspired the nation at a time of crisis. Prime Minister Boris Johnson described him as a “hero in the truest sense of the word.? He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in July in a socially distanced ceremony at Windsor Castle, west of London.

TAIPEI — Family of Hong Kong star Ng Man Tat paid tribute to the late actor in a private funeral service on Monday (March 8), one day after the public service.

The private farewell ceremony was limited to family only.

Ng Man Tat died of liver cancer on Saturday (Feb 27) at the age of 70.

At 10am on Monday, Man Tat’s Malaysian wife Hou Shan Yan and son Wu Weilun showed up at the mourning hall.

According to various reports, the late star’s twin daughters born to his ex-wife, and his two brothers arrived earlier.

The private service began at 11.30am.

After the ceremony, the late actor’s son Weilun boarded a hearse with family and friends holding the portrait of Man Tat and went to the crematorium.

On Sunday, friends in showbiz, such as Stephen Chow, Andy Lau, and Sandra Ng, all went to mourn and pay tribute to the late actor.

Man Tat’s family has always kept a low profile.

On Sunday, a special message was sent to the media.

In addition to expressing gratitude, the statement said that after Man Tat’s body was cremated, the ashes would be brought by the family to Malaysia, where his wife and children live.

ALSO READ: Ng Man Tat has been cremated, ashes will be brought back to Malaysia

Police have reported the gunman that opened fire at Wat Tha Makham in central Thailand’s Ratchaburi province has surrenders. The shooting claimed the life of a mayoral candidate and left six other people wounded.

The gunman is the husband of the slain woman’s main competitor in this month’s municipal polls. He is also the dead woman’s brother-in-law.

Wanchart Niamraksa, a council member of the Ratchaburi provincial administration organization (PAO), turned himself in at Ratchaburi’s Photharam district police station about noon.

On March 1st, 2021 Wanchart opened fire on people attending a funeral in Ratchaburi province, leaving one dead and six other people injured.

Police from Photharam station were alerted to the shooting at 8pm on Monday at Wat Thamakham in Sam Reun subdistrict of Ratchaburi.

Six wounded, one dead

They found six injured victims as well as several bullet casings of .22 and 11mm handguns in a sermon hall for a funeral. The injured people were rushed to hospitals but one victim, Waraporn Niamraksa, succumbed to injuries.

One of the injured persons was the Don Sai subdistrict chief, who is in a critical condition. The deceased was a candidate running for mayor of Don Sai municipality in Photharam district.

People at the funeral reportedly told officials that they had heard multiple gunshots while the host was lighting candles and joss-sticks, forcing people and monks to dive for cover on the floor.

Police reported the gunman Mr Wanchart surrendered yesterday accompanied by Wiwat Nitikanchana, president of the Ratchaburi PAO. He reported directly to Pol Maj Gen Prachya Prasansuk, the provincial police chief.

Police said there was solid evidence to charge Mr Wanchart with murder, attempted murder, illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and carrying them in public.

Police believed the shooting was politically motivated. The Niamraksa family has long been active in local politics.

A man visits a cemetery in Beirut, Lebanon on March 8, 2021. (Xinhua/Bilal Jawich)

by Dana Halawi

BEIRUT, March 8 (Xinhua) — Three months after losing her father amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanadi Abdallah, a Lebanese lady in her 40s, is still in a state of utmost grief and sadness for not saying a proper goodbye to her most precious person in the life, let alone giving him a proper funeral.

“My father passed away without being able to gather the people he loved to pray for him and honor his memory,” Abdallah told Xinhua.

Saying goodbye to loved ones and holding burial services and funerals are parts of a mourning process. However, many governments worldwide placed strict restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic over attending such occasions in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.

Alami lost his father to a heart attack, yet it was impossible to give him a funeral or a condolences gathering since people are not allowed to meet in groups amid continuous increase in COVID-19 cases in Lebanon.

Fadi Shams, owner of Ezzat Company which provides funeral services, told Xinhua that the people attending funerals and burial services dropped by 90 percent after COVID-19.

“Even if the deceased did not die from the coronavirus, you would only find a maximum of five people attending the funeral at the church,” he said.

Shams noted that prior to the COVID-19 epidemic, families of the deceased used to be picky in choosing the coffins and flowers to be placed in churches during funerals, but things have changed for now.

“Today, people ask for the cheapest coffins as funerals have become restricted to close family members, not to forget the dire economic conditions in the country,” Shams said.

Kamal Harb, who owns a company offering funeral services, told Xinhua that people used to serve visitors sandwiches during funerals and hire waiters to serve food in honor of the deceased.

“Funerals used to cost at least 1,300 U.S. dollars, however, the biggest funeral now only costs about 1.3 million Lebanese pounds (130 U.S. dollars),” Harb said.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Lebanon, families of the deceased made death announcements on social media platforms by placing their phone numbers on scanned funeral papers for people who wish to offer their condolences.

“It’s very sad to see our loved ones leaving this world while we are not able to feel the support of our close friends except virtually,” Lama Obegi, who lost her older brother in a car accident two months ago, told Xinhua.

“The COVID-19 epidemic has changed one of our most important and valuable traditions,” she added. Enditem