One person has died after a serious single-vehicle crash near Wairoa.Police were called to the intersection of State Highway 2 and Te Pairu Road, Whakaki about 4.15pm on Sunday.The Serious Crash Unit was examining the scene as…

One person has died following a single-vehicle crash in Whakaki, Wairoa.Police were called to the scene at the intersection of SH2 and Te Pairu Rd at about 4.15pm. The Serious Crash Unit is examining the scene.A police spokesperson…

A massive 7.6 earthquake struck Papua New Guinea today, causing landslides, cracking roads and damaging buildings.

While the extent of the damage remains unclear, photos showed debris strewn across highways and cracks opening up in roads.

The quake struck at a depth of 90 kilometres near Kainantu, a town with a population of roughly 8500 people, the United States Geological Survey reported.

READ MORE: What happens now to the Queen's fortune

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There have been no reports of deaths and no official confirmation of the damage caused, but residents took to social media to post pictures of cracked roads, damaged cars and items falling off supermarket shelves.

The US National Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no threat of tsunami waves.

Earlier in the day it had said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1000km along the coasts of PNG and Indonesia.

An earthquake of a similar size that hit the country's remote highlands in 2018 killed more than 60 people and wounded 500, destroying houses, causing landslides and damaging a major gas plant.

PNG is vulnerable to earthquakes because it lies along the "Ring of Fire" in the Pacific Ocean, where shifting tectonic plates push against each other, causing tremors.

The "ring" stretches along a 40,000km arc from the boundary of the Pacific Plate, to smaller plates such as the Philippine Sea plate, to the Cocos and Nazca Plates that line the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

It is home to the world's most active volcanoes.

https://twitter.com/JournoPranay/status/1568873810224611328

People most at risk from volcanic eruptions and earthquakes live in countries that lie along the Ring of Fire, including Chile, Japan, the US west coast, and other island nations including the Solomon Islands to the western seaboard of North and South Americas.

The Queen's coffin is still in Balmoral in Scotland but that will change today, and a series of significant events will take place this week.

As the Queen's coffin moves south to London, King Charles III will feature in various ceremonies in Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales, as the Commonwealth mourns the Queen's death.

Here is a daily guide to the timetable of official funeral events. All times listed are UK, with relevant AEST conversions.

READ MORE: What we know about plans for the Queen's funeral

Sunday, September 11

At around 10am BST (7pm AEST), the Queen's oak coffin will be transported by her gamekeepers to a waiting hearse.

The hearse will make a slow, six-hour journey south to Edinburgh, around 280km from her beloved sprawling estate in Aberdeenshire. 

The coffin will arrive at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, where it will rest in the Throne Room.

In London, King Charles will meet the Commonwealth Secretary General at Buckingham Palace.

The King will then host Realm High Commissioners and their spouses in the Bow Room at the palace.

READ MORE: Here are the new titles the British royal family will now receive

Monday, September 12

The King and Camilla, the Queen Consort, travel to Westminster where both Houses of Parliament will express their condolences.

From there, the pair travel by plane to Edinburgh.

First, they will visit Holyroodhouse. The King will inspect the Guard of Honour and a Ceremony of the Keys will take place on the palace forecourt.

In the afternoon, the Queen's coffin will travel by procession to St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, accompanied by the King and members of the royal family.

The Queen's body will lie in rest at the cathedral. Members of the public will be able to view her coffin.

The King then returns to Holyrood. There he will meet Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. The King and Queen Consort will attend the Scottish Parliament and receive a Motion of Condolence.

That evening, King Charles III and others in the royal family will hold a vigil at St Giles' Cathedral.

READ MORE: Australian public holiday announced to mourn the death of Queen

Tuesday, September 13

Princess Anne, the Queen's only daughter, will accompany the Queen's coffin from St Giles' Cathedral to Edinburgh airport.

She will also be on the plane, carrying the Queen's coffin, to RAF Northolt, about 10km north of Heathrow in west London.

The Queen's flight is expected to land about 19:00 (4am), and it will be taken to Buckingham Palace.

King Charles III and Camilla will observe the arrival of the coffin, before it is placed in the Bow Room.

Prior to that, the King and Camilla will have flown from Edinburgh to Belfast, and on to Hillsborough Castle.

The King will meet the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and party leaders and receive a message of condolence led by the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

He will also attend a remembrance service at St Anne's Cathedral.

READ MORE: Tears as royals emerge from Balmoral after Queen's death

Wednesday, September 14

Today is a significant day in the mourning period.

It begins with the Imperial State Crown, orb and sceptre and flowers placed on the Queen's coffin. The royal family will hold prayers.

Just after 2pm (11pm AEST) the Queen's coffin is carried in a gun carriage procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster.

On foot, King Charles will lead members of the royal family walking behind the procession.

Over 40 minutes, and watched by massive crowds, the coffin will travel past Queen Victoria Memorial on to Pall Mall, through the Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall, Parliament Square and into New Palace Yard.

At Westminster Hall, the Lying in State will begin. It will continue for five days, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to visit the Queen at Westminster Hall.

The Queen's coffin will be placed on a raised platform, known as a catafalque. Guards will stand at each of the four corners, 24-hours-a-day.

Thursday, September 15

This is the first full day of lying in state in Westminster Hall.

No public events are to take place on this day and the King will not be seen in public.

Friday, September 16

The Queen's coffin will lie in state for a second full day.

People will be able to pay their respects.

The King and Camilla will travel to Wales, marking the final of his visits to all four nations of the United Kingdom as King.

READ MORE: The life and achievements of Queen Elizabeth II

Saturday, September 17

The coffin lies in state for the third full day.

Sunday, September 18

The Queen's coffin lies in state for the fourth full day.

Monday, September 19

In the morning, the period of lying in state will end.

The Queen's coffin will be taken in procession to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral, which is expected to start around 10:50am (7:50pm AEST).

Following the funeral, the coffin will travel in procession from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch.

From Wellington Arch, the coffin will travel to Windsor and once there, the state hearse will travel in procession to St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle via the Long Walk.

A committal service will be held at St George's Chapel, around 4pm (1am). At the end of the service, the Queen's coffin will be lowered into the Royal Vault.

A private burial will be held with the King and other members of the royal family that evening and the Queen will be laid to rest.

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Australia has a new king.

Governor General David Hurley today proclaimed Prince Charles Philip Arthur George to be King Charles III "by the grace of God" at a ceremony in Canberra.

"And with hearty and humble affection, we promise him faith and faithfulness," he said.

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It followed the Governor General's meeting with the Executive Council, made up of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and other government ministers, this morning.

It was the first proclamation of a monarch in Australia since Sir William John McKell performed the same service for Queen Elizabeth II on February 8, 1952.

The flag at Parliament House will be flown at full mast from noon until dusk, when it will return to half-mast until the late queen's funeral.

READ MORE: Australian public holiday announced to mourn the death of Queen

The ceremony included a 21-gun salute, Indigenous dancing, a Welcome to Country, and a smoking ceremony.

It was the first of a wave of such proclamations that will take place across Australia this afternoon and in the coming days.

New South Wales

NSW was the first state to follow suit, with Governor Margaret Beazley reading the same Proclamation at NSW Parliament House in Sydney.

All public transport was made free across New South Walesas those hoping to witness the historic event made their way to NSW Parliament House on Macquarie Street.

"While our State and Nation, and the Commonwealth of Nations, continue to mourn the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, it is fitting that we celebrate the accession of His Majesty King Charles the Third," Perrottet said.

"The NSW Proclamation Ceremony is an opportunity for people to be part of a historic moment for our state."

READ MORE: Palace confirms state service to be held on September 19 at Westminster Abbey

South Australia

Members of the South Australian public were also invited to witness the official ascension of King Charles III in Australia at Parliament House in Adelaide this afternoon.

The state proclamation ceremony was held at 2pm local time.

All public transport will be free across South Australia until midnight. 

Queensland

The official state proclamation of King Charles in Queensland was held at 1pm.

Parliament has also been postponed in Queensland out of respect following the Queen's passing.

A date has not been set for when it will return.

READ MORE: Order of succession after Charles becomes king

Parliament adjourned in Victoria

The state proclamation of the King will occur in Victoria on Monday at 11am and can be livestreamed by members of the public.

Parliament has been adjourned in Victoria for a week.

It will not return until each Victorian MP has sworn allegiance to the new King, a rule only in place in the state.

The Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor will also be re-sworn in under King Charles.

Western Australia

Western Australia's Parliament will not sit as scheduled next week as the state mourns the death of the Queen, but Governor Chris Dawson also proclaimed Charles III as king.

Both Houses of Parliament will briefly sit at 2pm next Tuesday, 13 September, so an Address of Condolence and an Address of Congratulations can be moved. Both houses will then adjourn until the following Tuesday, 20 September.

State Parliament was originally scheduled to sit for three days from Tuesday, 13 September, but the decision to suspend State Parliament is a mark of respect for the passing of the monarch.

Tasmania

Tasmania also proclaimed the reign of King Charles III today.

The proclamation will be published in a special gazette tomorrow.

With the Queen's death, King Charles III instantly became one of the richest men in England.

The new King will now receive the Sovereign Grant, which covers the cost of his official duties and amounted to $146 million for the last financial year.

Vast tracts of prized land in London and England are now under his control, and King Charles will also take charge of the Royal Collection, which includes one of the most valuable art collections in the world.

Forbes has estimated the royal family's financial estate at $47 billion.

But that rough number is far from certain, given the complex holdings which include the immense Buckingham Palace and the world-famous crown jewels.

Buckingham Palace, the official London residence of the sovereigns since the early 1800s, is worth an estimated $7.1 billion.

Then there's Kensington Palace, located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and reportedly worth $920 million.

Earlier this year The Sunday Times' Rich List put the Queen's personal fortune, which does not include many assets owned by the Crown, at about $630 million.

After Prince Philip died, The Sun reported the Duke of Edinburgh had left family members a $51 million fortune.

There are three main parts which make up the multi-billion-dollar holdings of The Firm, which is believed to funnel millions of dollars into the British economy each year.

The Crown Estate includes billions of dollars of commercial and residential real estate in some of London's most glamourous post codes.

The Duchy of Cornwall includes property from south-west England all the way to London's Oval cricket ground.

This holding will now pass from King Charles to Prince William.

There is also the Duchy of Lancaster, a vast estate of more than 10,000 hectares of land, prime London real estate and a portfolio of business investments.

READ MORE: Day-by-day guide to state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

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The truth is, only the inner circle of "The Firm", the nickname given to a senior elite group within the royal family, will likely ever know how the fortune will be split.

In Britain, by law, all wills are publicly available.

However, thanks to a legal loophole, the details of dozens of royal wills have been allowed to remain secret and not divulged to the public.

UK newspaper The Guardian has tried to challenge that loophole in court, which has kept 33 wills sealed from the public.

The sealing of the wills has ensured the royals have been able to keep private how much cash, property and investments they control.

READ MORE: Australian public holiday announced to mourn the death of Queen

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