The 36-year-old has starred in legal drama “Suits” since 2011, but is likely to shed many outside interests as she joins the British royal family following the couple’s engagement announcement, according to observers.

Markle confirmed in an interview with the BBC she would be giving up acting and would focus much of her attention on the causes that are important to her.

“I don’t see it as giving anything up. I see it as a change. It’s a new chapter,” she said.

Markle and Harry, 33, will wed in spring next year, 62 years after silver screen icon Kelly abandoned her glittering career to marry Monaco’s Prince Rainier III.

Hollywood branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev pointed out however that Markle is not in the same league as the Oscar-winning star of 1950s Hitchcock thrillers “Dial M for Murder,” “Rear Window” and “To Catch a Thief.”

“Americans who have heard of Meghan will remember her as a working TV actor rather than a celebrity or a Hollywood star,” Sehdev, bestselling author of “The Kim Kardashian Principle,” told AFP.

He added that Britain’s first mixed-race royal could nevertheless inspire the British TV industry to create more leading roles for actors of color.

“Meghan Markle is the face of the modern princess and there’s no reason why she shouldn’t keep working in TV after her marriage. The palace will likely have a say in any of her future career choices and roles.”

– Reform too far? –

But royal writer Catriona Harve-Jenner said in a commentary for British lifestyle magazine Cosmopolitan that Markle had made the right decision in shedding her acting ambitions.

“Being a senior member of the royal family is a full-time job, and it requires those who do it to patron charities, represent the UK on an international scale and generally maintain the traditions of the royal family,” said Harve-Jenner.

“How would she balance all that with a full-time acting role on ‘Suits?'”

Markle will be the first American welcomed into the royals since Wallis Simpson — famously also a divorcee — but will probably not, in fact, be a princess.

What is far more likely, say experts, is that the couple become a duke and duchess, like William and Kate.

As well as starring as paralegal Rachel Zane on “Suits,” Markle is an entrepreneur, activist, blogger and fashion designer and would probably be expected to drop many of those pursuits too, to focus on royal activities.

The actress appears to already be winding down her workload, having shut down her lifestyle website, “The Tig,” in recent months.

Sarika Bose, a lecturer in Victorian literature at the University of British Columbia and a royal expert, said times had changed since Kelly was forced to choose between career and family life.

But she added that having a working actress in the fold may yet be a modernizing reform too far for the British throne, which dates back to the merger of England and Scotland in the early 18th century.

‘Very charismatic’

“Although British society and the monarchy have changed greatly over the last few decades, there are still possible assumptions people might impose on Ms Markle which are conflated with her acting roles, her life as a celebrity and her public role as a member of the royal family,” she told AFP.

Bose said she expected Markle to follow other members of the family in pursuing charitable activities.

“Well before meeting Prince Harry, Markle already demonstrated a serious interest and commitment to social justice initiatives, as a World Vision Global Ambassador and an advocate for political participation and leadership for women through the United Nations,” she said.

“These activities provide her with both experience and credibility as a patron of causes when she becomes a member of the royal family.”

The daughter of an African-American mother and white American father of Dutch and Irish descent, Markle’s parents divorced when she was aged six.

She has half-siblings on her father’s side, and grew up in Los Angeles, attending a girls’ Roman Catholic school there.

After graduating from Northwestern University’s School of Communication in 2003, Markle appeared on more than a dozen TV shows including “CSI: NY” “Knight Rider” and “Fringe.”

She became more high-profile when she began appearing in “Suits” and secured a small role in the movie “Horrible Bosses” (2011).

Clarence Moye, TV editor at Awards Daily, described Markle as a “very charismatic” actress and said he was disappointed that she appeared to be set on conforming to tradition.

“It would be interesting to see a modern woman continuing her career… but it’s not where she seems to be headed,” he said.//AFP

Hotels in Bali are also offering free stay for one night and 50 percent discount for the next day for tourists whose flights have been canceled or for those who wish to extend their stay.

Travel agencies in Bali have also sent their employees to provide assistance for tourists. Meanwhile, 15 assembly points, or shelters, for stranded tourists are available at the following places: Grand Inna Bali Beach Hotel, ITDC Nusa Dua, Krisna Oleh-oleh Sunset Road, Krisna Wisata Kuliner, Taman Ayu, Bali Bird Park, Bali Adventure Tours, Bali Safari and Marine Park, Kertalangu Tourist Village, True Bali Experience, Bencingah Puri Ubud, Pod Chocolate, Taman Sari, Ubud Adventure Center and Pod Chocolate Cafe Sunset.

BTH Bali has also reported that airlines are quick in taking care of the passengers, some provide hotel vouchers for those who have to extend their stay while others give money like Jet Star who gives Rp.150,000 ($11.10) for passengers whose flights have been canceled.

Those who are traveling to Bali from Jakarta are advised to go to Surabaya instead and then continue the journey to Bali using a bus.

For international tourists, the Immigration Office is granting one-month visa extensions to those who are affected. So far there are eight international tourists who have extended their visas, one was from the United States, four were from Russia and the rest were from France and Germany.

The prince revealed he fell for Markle “the very first time we met” as the pair posed smiling and laughing for photographers in the gardens of his home at Kensington Palace.

The “Suits” actress, wearing a white coat and nude high heels, said she was “so very happy” as she held Harry’s hand and showed off her diamond engagement ring.

Queen Elizabeth II, Harry’s grandmother, led the chorus of approval for the couple, who the palace said got engaged in London in secret earlier this month.

Monday’s announcement ended fevered speculation about the 33-year-old prince, once the bad boy of the House of Windsor who has become one of the most popular royals.

He has been dating Markle, 36, since last summer but the pair made their first public appearance together only in September.

“His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle. The wedding will take place in spring 2018,” Clarence House, the office of Harry’s father Prince Charles, said in a statement.

After their engagement, Harry informed the queen, close members of the royal family and also sought the blessing of Markle’s parents.

He designed the ring himself — it contains one diamond from Botswana, a country he visited numerous times, and two from his late mother princess Diana’s personal collection.

“The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh are delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness,” said a message on the monarch’s official Twitter page.

The couple will live at Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace, where his brother William and his pregnant wife Kate live with their two children.

Harry’s bride-to-be, who has already been married, is best known for her role as a lawyer in the hit television series “Suits” but is now expected to become a duchess.

She has reportedly already begun moving her two dogs Guy and Bogart to London, ahead of what will be Britain’s first royal wedding since William and Kate in 2011.

Her parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland said in a statement they were “incredibly happy.”

“Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person,” they said. “To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents.”

‘Huge celebration’

It is set to be a busy spring for the royal family, with the wedding and the arrival of a new child for William and Kate providing light relief from the dour political headlines as Britain negotiates Brexit.

Wellwishers gathered Monday outside Buckingham Palace, including John Egan, 72, who said: “It is good for the country.

“The royal family is too tight, too controlled, the older ones exist in the last century, they really need to modernise.”

Harry, the second son of Prince Charles and Diana, spent 10 years in the British army, serving two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

In his younger days, he regularly hit the headlines for his partying and his outspoken criticism of the media, whom he blames for the death of his mother.

However, he has turned himself into one of the royal family’s most popular figures after defining a role as a caring but robust champion of veterans.

William and Kate said they were “very excited for Harry and Meghan”, adding “it has been wonderful getting to know Meghan”.

The couple met in July 2016 in London, introduced by mutual friends, and the relationship was later confirmed by Harry’s office following speculation in the press.

Exasperated by the media frenzy, the palace also released an extraordinary statement attacking the “sexism” and “racism” directed at Markle, who is of mixed race.

Prime Minister Theresa May offered her “warmest congratulations”, writing on her official Twitter page that it was a “time of huge celebration”.

Bookmakers have already started taking wedding related bets, with Westminster Abbey a firm favourite to host the event and fashion label Alexander McQueen favourite to design the dress.

Paddy Power is offering odds to 7/1 for Markle to be already pregnant when she walks down the aisle, while Elton John, who had was close to princess Diana, is 6/1 to perform at the service.//AFP

The Philippine Red Cross launched on Monday its first ever web application to help Overseas Filipino Workers and Filipinos planning to migrate to other countries.

The website dubbed as the “Virtual Volunteer” web platform (www.virtualvolunteer.org) aims to become “the source of verified local information” to help OFWs and their families in all stages of migration and provide information to PRC volunteers so they can engage with the Filipino community effectively in any country.

PRC Secretary-General Oscar Palabyab said the application, developed by the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) and Red Crescent Communities and IBM, will provide an unbiased and reliable information on what to do in case of emergency while in abroad, how to prepare for a new life outside the country and how to protect themselves from trafficking and abuse at any stage.

“It used to be reactive. We react when there is a problem. There must be a technology that will help migrant workers even without shelling a lot of money,” Palabyab recalled on how the project started. “This (app) is preemptive. We prevent the problems from happening,” he said.

“It’s a step in the right direction. It’s providing power to those who want to go abroad. Knowledge is power. We want to give our people those knowledge at their fingertips. It gives our prospective workers the information they need,” Palabyab added.

The web application, available in eight languages, has already been used in Sweden, Greece, Italy, and will be launched today for the first time in Asia and Pacific, said Ezekiel Simperingham, IFRC Regional Migration Coordinator.

Asked to comment about the current services being provided by the Foreign Affairs Department and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Palayabyab said: “I don’t think it’s fair for us to comment on that. What they are doing is probably not enough. The people are not confident to call on the government most of the time. I don’t like to criticize the government but I’m saying there is a need for this. There is a clamor from our migrant workers,” Palabyab said.

He also added there are certain problems when it comes to solving migrant rights issues such as the bureaucracy in different countries.

“Even if such agencies have these hotlines, they still have to go through the bureaucracies of the countries I told you. What we need here is immediate relief to somebody who is about to jump to the window. That’s what we are trying to prevent…By the time the authorities reach the poor migrant workers, she might be dead already. What we want is at the moment of need there is a response right away,” he added.

Tens of thousands of frightened people have fled their homes near Mount Agung, which looms over the resort island, as experts raised the alert level to maximum and warned it could erupt at any moment.

Towering columns of thick grey smoke have been belching from the volcano since last week, and in the last few days have begun shooting into the sky, forcing all flights to be grounded until at least Wednesday morning.

“The Volcanic Ash Advisory shows that the plane routes have been covered by volcanic ash, this is dangerous for the flights,” Wisnu Darjono from the air traffic agency AirNav official said.

Some 40,000 people have abandoned their homes in the danger zone but as many as many as 100,000 will likely be forced to leave, disaster agency officials have said.

The exclusion zone around Agung, which is 75 kilometres away from the beachside tourist hub of Kuta, has also been widened to 10 kilometres.

As of late Monday some 445 flights had been cancelled, affecting more than 59,000 people travelling to Bali, a top holiday destination that attracts millions of foreign tourists every year.

The airport on nearby Lombok island — also a popular tourist destination east of Bali — closed on Sunday as ash headed in that direction, but reopened early Monday.

Memories of disaster

Mount Agung last went off in 1963, killing some 1,600 people in one of the deadliest eruptions ever seen in a country with nearly 130 active volcanoes.

Memories of that disaster have helped drive people towards community centres and makeshift camps, including villagers who have to leave precious livestock behind.

“I am very worried because I have experienced this before,” 67-year-old Dewa Gede Subagia, who was a teenager when Agung last roared, told AFP from one evacuation centre.

“I hope this time I won’t have to evacuate for too long. In 1963, I left for four months.”

Experts said however that Agung’s recent activity matches the build-up to that disaster which ejected enough debris — about a billion tonnes — to lower global average temperatures by 0.2 – 0.3 degrees Celsius for about a year.

“What we are seeing at the moment are small explosions, throwing out hot gases and fragments of molten rock, or ash,” said David Pyle, a volcano expert at the University of Oxford in Britain.

“The probability of a large eruption is high, but this may take some days or weeks to unfold.”

Agung rumbled back to life in September, forcing the evacuation of 140,000 people living nearby. Its activity decreased in late October and many returned to their homes.

However, on Saturday the mountain sent smoke up into the air for the second time in a week in what volcanologists call a phreatic eruption — caused by the heating and expansion of groundwater.

Then on Monday so-called cold lava flows appeared — similar to mud flows and often a prelude to the blazing orange lava seen in many volcanic eruptions.

Indonesia is the world’s most active volcanic region. The archipelago nation with over 17,000 islands lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

Last year, seven were killed after Mt. Sinabung on the western island of Sumatra erupted, while 16 were left dead by a Sinabung eruption in 2014.

Massive columns of thick grey smoke that have been belching from Mount Agung since last week have now begun shooting more than three kilometres (two miles) into the sky, forcing hundreds of flights to be grounded.

Some 40,000 frightened people have fled their homes around the volcano but as many as 100,000 will likely be forced to leave, disaster agency officials said, after raising the alert to its highest level.

The exclusion zone around Agung, which is 75 kilometres (47 miles) from the beachside tourist hub of Kuta, has also been widened to 10 kilometres.

Makeshift tents and community centres filled up Monday as nearly two dozen villages were emptied of their inhabitants, including farmers reluctant to leave precious livestock behind.

“Continuous ash puffs are sometimes accompanied by explosive eruptions and a weak booming sound,” the National Board for Disaster Management said earlier Monday.

“The rays of fire are increasingly observed at night. This indicates the potential for a larger eruption is imminent.”

Agung rumbled back to life in September, forcing the evacuation of 140,000 people living nearby. Its activity decreased in late October and many returned to their homes.

However, on Saturday the mountain sent smoke up into the air for the second time in a week in what volcanologists call a phreatic eruption — caused by the heating and expansion of groundwater.

Then on Monday so-called cold lava flows appeared — similar to mud flows and often a prelude to the blazing orange lava seen in many volcanic eruptions.

“I’m very concerned because I left my house behind and I’m also worried about family,” said 36-year-old farmer Putu Suyasa, who fled with some relatives from a village eight kilometres away from the volcano.

“The mountain is spewing thicker smoke than before.”

Scary memories

Dewa Gede Subagia was a teenager when Agung last roared.

“I am very worried because I have experienced this before,” the now 67-year-old told AFP from one evacuation centre.

“I hope this time I won’t have to evacuate for too long. In 1963, I left for four months.”

Mt. Agung last went off in 1963, killing around 1,600 people in one of the deadliest eruptions ever seen in a country with nearly 130 active volcanoes.

The airport in Bali’s capital Denpasar, a top holiday destination that attracts millions of foreign tourists every year, has been closed.

Some 445 flights were cancelled, affecting more than 59,000 passengers, officials said.

Colin Cavy, a French dive-master who has been in Indonesia for a couple of months, was nervously looking at his now-expired visitor visa.

“I need to go to the immigration office,” he said.

While there was dismay from some tourists who were unable to return to their homes and jobs, others took events in their stride.

“What can I say? We have to cooperate because this is a natural disaster,” said Indian visitor Krisna Mustafa.

Many were told that it could be several days before they could leave.

“My 7:00 am flight this morning got cancelled, just when we were about to board,” said 23-year-old Indonesian tourist Merry Handayani Tumanggor.

“Now we have to stay in Bali again — the earliest we can go is on Friday, they say.”

The airport on nearby Lombok island east of Bali, also a popular tourist destination, was closed for a night on Sunday but reopened on Monday morning.

Officials announced late Monday that Lombok airport has been closed again until Tuesday morning due to the volcanic ash and at least 47 flights to and from the island have been cancelled.

The Australian government put out a travel advisory on Sunday, warning that volcanic activity “may escalate with little or no notice”.

“Past eruptions of Mount Agung have shown this volcano’s potential to cause significant impacts,” it added.

Prayers

Dozens of Balinese Hindus took part in ceremonies near the volcano on Sunday, offering prayers in the hope of preventing an eruption.

Officials have said the activity could be a magmatic eruption — one which involves the decompression of gas and results in the spewing of ash — and advised people near the mountain to wear masks.

Indonesia is the world’s most active volcanic region. The archipelago nation with over 17,000 islands lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

Last year, seven were killed after Mt. Sinabung on the western island of Sumatra erupted, while 16 were left dead by a Sinabung eruption in 2014.//AFP

Playing a lawyer in the hit television show “Suits”, the 36-year-old actress with long flowing black hair was barely known in Britain when her name appeared on newspapers’ front pages last October.

The tabloids based their report of a relationship between Harry and Meghan, who lived in Toronto, Canada, on pictures showing them wearing the same tricoloured wristband.

The relationship was formalised by Kensington Palace, which handles communication for Prince Harry, in November in a most unexpected way.

Exasperated by the media frenzy, the palace released a statement attacking the “sexism” and “racism” Meghan Markle faced on social media.

It also blasted the press for “harassing” the actress.

Four days earlier, The Sun, Britain’s top-selling newspaper, ran a piece on its front page titled “Harry’s girl on Pornhub,” the adult video website.

But the actress’s only crime had been to take off her shirt while filming what the newspaper described as a “steamy scene” for her show “Suits,” which then made it onto the pornographic website.

The couple made their first official public appearance together in September, attending the opening ceremony of the third Invictus Games — created by Harry for disabled or wounded soldiers and veterans.

“We’re two people who are really happy and in love,” Markle told Vanity Fair shortly before the event.

– ‘A woman who works’ –

With a degree in communication, Markle appears to have navigated her career without a hitch.

Like Harry, she does humanitarian work.

She is also telegenic, practises yoga and drinks detox drinks including “green juices,” according to her Instagram account.

Tabloids were quick to point out that the actress, three years Harry’s senior, is divorced, unearthing pictures of her first marriage (2010-2013) with an American producer.

However, none of this was enough to derail a royal wedding, which will take place early next year, according to Monday’s announcement.

Quite the contrary, says Penny Junor, Prince Harry’s biographer: “I think that would be no problem at all, and the fact that she is of mixed race might even be a bonus,” she told AFP.

“It would show Harry, a senior member of the Royal Family, to be a thoroughly modern man — not a precious, strange creature from another planet, which is how the royals are sometimes seen”.

Some believed, however, that her proud independence — the actress had maintained a long-distance relationship with the prince for much of their courtship — could be a source of contention for the Windsor family.

“I’ve never wanted to be a lady who lunches — I’ve always wanted to be a woman who works,” Markle once wrote on her blog “Tig”.

– ‘Fiercely independent’ –

Popular tabloid the Daily Mail wrote that it was “easy to see what happy-go-lucky Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have in common.”

“What’s less clear is…what some female members of the Royal Family will make of a fiercely independent young woman”.

Beyond her role as an ambassador for the Canadian charity “World Vision Canada,” which works to improve children’s lives in developing countries, Markle regularly asserts the feminist beliefs she forged during her childhood in California.

“Aged 11, she forced a soap manufacturer to alter an advert after she wrote a letter to then First Lady Hillary Clinton and other high-profile figures complaining that it implied women belonged in the kitchen,” wrote the BBC.

Nowadays, the actress also campaigns for women’s rights alongside the UN.

In a speech she made on the 2015 International Women’s Day, she urged women to make their voices heard, saying: “Women need a seat at the table, they need an invitation to be seated there, and in some cases, where this is not available, they need to create their own table”.//AFP

The so-dubbed “toilet revolution” was launched in 2015 as part of efforts to make restrooms — often squat toilets with no paper — more tourist-friendly.

President Xi Jinping said the toilet problem “is not a small thing” and cleaning up is necessary to create a “civilised” urban and rural environment, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported Monday.

The country expects to have added or upgraded more than 70,000 toilets by the end of this year.

Another 64,000 will be built or enhanced between 2018 and 2020, the National Tourism Administration has said in an action plan.

According to Xinhua, since taking office in 2012, Xi has made a point on rural tours to ask villagers whether they did their business in flushable toilets or pits dug into the ground.

“In rural areas, some toilets were little more than makeshift shelters surrounded by bunches of corn stalks, and some were open pits next to pigsties,” the agency said.

“Local authorities are now more aware of the important role toilets play, believing better toilets are not only beneficial for tourism, but can also… enhance the overall level of civilisation of society.”

China’s infamous “squatty potties” arouse fear in some would-be tourists, with several tourism blog posts dedicated to the subject.

While studies have indicated that squatting may have health benefits over sitting, the position is still hard to accept for those accustomed to porcelain thrones.

Public bathrooms in China have also been known to be bereft of toilet paper thanks to enterprising crooks sneaking out entire rolls for their personal use. Facial recognition is now employed in some places to limit individual toilet paper portions.

Internet commenters applauded the restroom remodelling movement on Chinese microblogging site Weibo on Monday.

“Support the toilet revolution,” one user wrote. “Seriously, whether it’s in a city or the countryside, when nature calls, it’s always a hassle to find a decent bathroom.”//AFP

The Indonesian authorities ordered a mass evacuation and warned that Mt Agung could erupt at any moment as they raised alert levels to maximum.

THAI said Denpasar Airport would be shut for two days, Monday and Tuesday, the company had decided to suspend its flights for an extra two days out of concern for the safety of passengers.

It would monitor and estimate the situation closely and would resume the service when everything returned to normal.

THAI’s daily schedule sees TG431 fly from Bangkok to Bali at 8.50am, arriving at 2.15pm local time, and TG432 returning from Bali at 4.10pm, arriving at Suvarnabhumi at 7.25pm.

The airline asked the public to closely monitor the news, to check daily timetables at thaiairways.com or to contact it directly at its 24/7 call centre (02 356 1111).

It also decided to waive ticket change fees for passengers who have tickets between November 27 and December 10.

The number of those wishing to go to Mass in Kyaikansan sports ground, Yangon on November 29 reached about 150,000 Christians, Fr. Soe Naing said to the journalists at the press conference held at Sule Shangrila Hotel in Yangon on November 26.

Over 150,000 people are on the arrival list to go to Mass. It is not the last list. There may be further enthusiasts at last. They have priest acquaintances. Entrance passes are being issued out with the recommendation of those priests by November 29. Now, there are more than 150,000 people on the arrival list, Fr. Soe Naing, director of public relations commission of Myanmar Catholic Bishop, said.

Upon arrival at Myanmar, Pope Francis has planned to meet with President Htin Kyaw, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi as well as Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services.

Pope Francis will meet with the president at first and then with the state counselor. The latest news appeared two days ago said that he would meet with the military chief, Fr. Soe Naing said.

Pope Francis is going to arrive at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar this afternoon and then he will head to the residence of Yangon Catholic Archdiocese Cardinal Charles Bo on Theinbyu Road in Botahtaung Township. Catholics and the people will welcome Pope Francis at the designated six venues along the road to Botahtaung Township.

The six designated places are the VIP of Yangon International Airport, the 9th mile Ocean Center, the 7th Mile AD Bus Stop, the Tadaphyu Bus Stop of Inya Lake, Yangon Regional Government Office, and the residence of Yangon Catholic Archdiocese Cardinal Charles Bo.