Queen Elizabeth makes first appearance since Harry and Meghan interview

LONDON - Britain's Queen Elizabeth has made her first appearance since a tell-all interview by grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan rocked the monarchy, but made no reference to the crisis it had caused her family.

During the Oprah Winfrey interview, Meghan said a member of the royal family had made a racist comment and Harry criticized his relatives for how they dealt with press treatment of his wife, with the fallout dominating the British media since it aired last Sunday.

On Thursday, Harry's elder brother Prince William told reporters "we're very much not a racist family", the day after the 94-year-old monarch herself issued a statement on behalf of the royals in which she said they were saddened by how challenging the couple had found the last few years.

The Sun newspaper, citing an unnamed source, said Harry's father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, had wanted to issue a point by point rebuttal, but the royal family had decided not to get involved in a 'tit for tat' battle.

In a video call with scientists and schoolchildren to mark British Science Week, the queen did not refer to the interview at all, the royals' usual approach to what they have said was a private, family matter.

Instead she discussed the latest updates from NASA's Mars Perseverance mission, as well as the discovery of a rare meteorite which landed in Gloucestershire, western England last month, the first to be recovered in the United Kingdom for 30 years.

"I’m glad it didn't hit anyone," the queen quipped during the "virtual showcase", which took place on Wednesday although details were only released by Buckingham Palace on Friday.

When told by space scientist and broadcaster Maggie Aderin-Pocock that she had been inspired to follow her career by the exploits of Russian Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space in 1961, Elizabeth, who has reigned for 69 years, recounted that she had met him shortly afterwards at Buckingham Palace.

Asked what he was like, she replied: "Russian, he didn't speak English. He was fascinating and I suppose being the first one, it was particularly fascinating." 

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton)

-reuters

Trump under fire for attacks on Democratic congresswomen

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump came under fire from Democrats and even some members of his own Republican Party on Monday after launching an extraordinary xenophobic attack on four progressive Democratic congresswomen.

"All they do is complain," Trump told reporters at a White House event featuring products "Made in America."

"These are people that hate our country," he said of the four Democratic lawmakers. "If you're not happy here, you can leave."

Trump also accused the four first-term Democratic congresswomen -- who are of Hispanic, Arab, Somali and African-American origin -- of having "love" for US "enemies like Al-Qaeda."

Asked by a reporter whether he was concerned that many people saw his comments as racist, Trump said: "It doesn't concern me because many people agree with me."

Several hours after his remarks, the four -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who is of Puerto Rico origin, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who is of Somali origin, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the first Palestinian-American woman elected to Congress, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who is African-American -- hit back at a news conference.

Pressley condemned Trump's "xenophobic and bigoted" comments and said "we will not be silenced."

Omar said Trump made a "blatantly racist attack" on four lawmakers "of color." "This is the agenda of white nationalists," she said.

Omar and Tlaib repeated calls for Trump to be impeached.

'Destructive'

The president first attacked the lawmakers with a series of tweets on Sunday, saying they should "go back" to their countries of origin if they didn't like the United States.

His comments prompted outrage from Democrats -- and, initially, silence from Republicans.

On Monday, several of his party faithful began to speak up.

"My view is that what was said and what was tweeted was destructive, was demeaning, was disunifying, and frankly it was very wrong," said Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah.

"There is no excuse for the president's spiteful comments -– they were absolutely unacceptable and this needs to stop," said Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska. "We must demand a higher standard of decorum and decency."

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she disagreed with the policies espoused by the "far-left" Democratic lawmakers but Trump was "way over the line."

For Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, "the citizenship of all four is as valid as mine." "They are entitled to their opinions, however misguided they may be," he said.

Texan Will Hurd, the only black Republican in the House of Representatives, told CNN that Trump's behavior was "unbecoming of the leader of the free world."

And Senator Tim Scott, a black Republican from South Carolina, criticized the president for using "unacceptable personal attacks and racially offensive language."

'Cold, hard strategy'

Trump's comments appear to be aimed at galvanizing his mostly white electoral base ahead of the 2020 presidential vote -- while also stoking racial tensions and divisions among his political opponents.

"With his deliberate, racist outburst, @realDonaldTrump wants to raise the profile of his targets, drive Dems to defend them and make them emblematic of the entire party," said David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for Barack Obama's two White House campaigns.

"It's a cold, hard strategy," Axelrod said on Twitter. "Fasten your seatbelts, it will only get worse as the election approaches."

"The voters will decide," Trump told reporters.

"If (the Democrats) want to gear their wagons around these four people, I think they're going to have a very tough election, because I don't think the people of the United States will stand for it."

In his initial Twitter attack on Sunday, Trump -- who before becoming president pushed the racist "birther" conspiracy theory that Obama was not born on US soil -- said the congresswomen came from corrupt, poorly managed countries to which they should return.

Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib and Pressley were all born in the United States while Omar arrived from war-torn Somalia when she was a child.

Former vice president Joe Biden, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, denounced Trump as the most "openly racist and divisive" president in US history.

"Go home to your country? It's sickening, it's embarrassing," Biden said.

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, has had a tenuous relationship with the four left-leaning congresswomen but she jumped to their defense.

"When @realDonaldTrump tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to 'Make America Great Again' has always been about making America white again," Pelosi said.

Pelosi said she was seeking Republicans to co-sponsor a House resolution "condemning the president's xenophobic tweets" and "characterization of immigrants."

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York said he planned to do the same in the Senate.

source: philstar.com

Liam Neeson says he is 'not racist' after hunting random black men to attack

WASHINGTON, United States — Hollywood star Liam Neeson insisted Tuesday he was "not racist" after confessing that he had once set out to attack random black men after a friend of his told him she had been raped.

"I'm not a racist," Neeson said on ABC news, although he admitted he had felt a "primal urge to lash out" some 40 years ago after hearing from his close friend that she had been raped by a black man.

"I went out deliberately into black areas in the city, looking to be set upon," the 66-year-old star of "Schindler's List" said, recalling that he went out several times carrying a cosh and hoping a black person would pick a fight.


"I'm ashamed to say that and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some black bastard would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could ... kill him,” he told the British newspaper The Independent earlier this week.

"It was horrible, horrible when I think back, that I did that. And I've never admitted that," he said.

In the end, no violence occurred and Neeson added, "It shocked me and it hurt me ... I did seek help, I went to a priest."

Neeson made the remarks while promoting his new thriller "Cold Pursuit," about a father seeking revenge after his son is murdered.

While the star of "Taken" -- a hit film about a former CIA agent trying to track down his kidnapped daughter -- insisted he was not racist, he said his reaction underscored the need for a broader debate on race in society.

"If she had said an Irish or a Scot or a Brit or a Lithuanian I would -- I know I would -- have had the same effect. I was trying to show honor, to stand up for my dear friend in this terribly medieval fashion," the Northern Irish actor said.

His remarks triggered widespread condemnation. Charles Blow, an African-American columnist for the New York Times, asked on Twitter: "Could Will Smith confess to stalking the streets of Los Angeles for a whole week searching for random white men to kill and get a pass? Exactly."

source: philstar.com

Music fest sacks Azealia Banks over racist attack on Zayn

NEW YORK | A London music festival on Wednesday removed controversial New York rapper Azealia Banks from its lineup after she went on a racially charged attack against former One Direction heartthrob Zayn.

Banks, in a series of tweets that she has since deleted, accused Zayn of copying her style on his latest video “Like I Would” and grew more agitated after he did not respond.

Banks, who is African American, used epithets directed at Muslims against Zayn, a Briton who is partially of Pakistani origin.

“When your entire extended family has been obliterated by good ol the U.S of A will you still be trying to act like a white boy pretending to be black?” she said in one tweet.

The Rinse/Born & Bred Festival, which will take place next month in London, announced it was canceling Banks’ appearance.

“Rinse/Born & Bred is a celebration of rave culture and has been created for EVERYONE. We celebrate inclusivity and equality,” it said in a statement.

Zayn kept a distance from Banks, telling her in Twitter lingo that he had seen her remarks and chose not to take the bait.

“My @’s too good for you,” he tweeted.

Zayn Malik, who has chosen to go solely by his first name as a solo artist, has taken on an R&B sound since leaving One Direction with sex-filled lyrics that would have been unthinkable for the squeaky clean boy band.

Banks, in a fresh tweet on Wednesday, reiterated her accusations about Zayn’s music and cast her remarks about Muslims as a gesture of solidarity.

“He felt as if he was too good to acknowledge me yet not too good to copy my creativity,” she wrote.

“I had to remind him that we’re both in the same boat in this industry and people of color,” she wrote.

Banks won wide acclaim for her single “212″ but has become better known for her acerbic exchanges on Twitter, with her pledge in March to quit the platform proving short-lived.

She notably engaged in a long-running feud with the Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, whom she accused of exploiting black culture.

Banks also raised eyebrows when she endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, a fellow prolific user of Twitter, who has little support from minorities.

However, Banks’ praise for Trump appeared backhanded as she said that the billionaire “is evil like America is evil” and hence its fitting leader.

source: interaksyon.com

Banned Clippers owner Donald Sterling apologizes for racist remarks

LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has offered his first public apology for racist remarks that saw him banned for life from the NBA.

Two weeks after the NBA banned him from all league activities, fined him $2.5 million and began proceedings to strip him of his team, the 80-year-old real estate billionaire insisted he’s not a racist.

“I’m not a racist,” Sterling told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in an interview due to air Monday. “I made a terrible mistake. I’m here to apologize.”

The interview, excerpts of which were posted on CNN’s website, marks Sterling’s first public comments on the scandal since celebrity gossip website TMZ posted a 10-minute audio recording of him that sparked a firestorm in the league and beyond.

In the recording, Sterling is heard chastising his girlfriend for associating with black people and bringing black people to Clippers games.

The response was swift and fierce in the NBA, a league in which the majority of players are black.

The affair resonated outside of sports in a country that continues to grapple with racial issues.

Almost 20 sponsors severed or suspended ties with the team, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was widely applauded for his tough stance.

On Friday, the NBA named Richard Parsons, the former chairman of media giant Time Warner and Citigroup, as interim chief executive of the Clippers as the league pursues efforts to oust Sterling.

Such a move would require the approval of 75 percent of the other 29 team owners.

Although it’s thought the Clippers would sell for upwards of $600 million, Sterling’s past history of litigation has prompted speculation that he would resist selling in what could be a bitter legal battle.

In his interview with CNN, Sterling did not take a combative stance, but the longest-tenured owner in the NBA — he bought the Clippers for $12 million in 1981 — made it clear he wants to stay in the league.

“I’m a good member who made a mistake and I’m apologizing and I’m asking for forgiveness,” Sterling said.

“Am I entitled to one mistake, am I after 35 years? I mean, I love my league, I love my partners. Am I entitled to one mistake? It’s a terrible mistake, and I’ll never do it again.”

However, the scandal has prompted scrutiny of past accusations that Sterling discriminated against black, Hispanic and Korean tenants at some of his rental properties.

Sterling’s estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, was a co-defendant in two lawsuits that alleged discrimination, and the future of the Clippers is further clouded by her stated determination to maintain her ownership stake in the team.

In an interview with ABC News’ Barbara Walters airing on Sunday night, Shelly Sterling says she will “absolutely” fight to keep her stake in the team.

However, NBA spokesman Mike Bass responded with a statement outlining the league’s position that her ownership interest would be terminated along with her husband’s.

“Under the NBA Constitution, if a controlling owner’s interest is terminated by a 3/4 vote, all other team owners’ interests are automatically terminated as well,” Bass said.

“It doesn’t matter whether the owners are related as is the case here.

“These are the rules to which all NBA owners agreed to as a condition of owning their team.”

Clippers coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers is just one NBA figure who has said it would be better if neither of the Sterlings have an ownership role with the team.

Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, attending the Clippers’ home playoff game against Oklahoma City, said players wouldn’t play for Shelly Sterling.

“The players definitely wouldn’t like it, everybody would boycott,” Johnson told an ABC television interviewer.

source: interaksyon.com

PFF welcomes FIFA sanctions against Hong Kong for racism toward Filipino fans

The Philippine Football Federation on Sunday welcomed the decision of world football governing body FIFA to fine the Hong Kong Football Association following incidents of racial abuse toward Filipino fans during a friendly match last year.

“The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) welcomes the FIFA decision concerning the racist behavior of and acts of violence made by Hong Kong spectators against Philippine players and fans during the 04 June 2013 friendly match between Hong Kong and the Philippines,” the PFF said in a statement sent to InterAksyon.com.

“The decision shows that FIFA vigorously implements the non-discrimination provisions of the FIFA Statutes wherever the conduct is displayed and whoever the guilty party is. It also stressed the responsibility of the host Member Association for the spectators’ conduct in any friendly match within its territory.

“Indeed, any discriminatory conduct or acts of violence during any football match cannot be condoned. Football should unite and not divide.”

The PFF last year filed a complaint to FIFA shortly after the Azkals’ 1-nil victory over Hong Kong last June 4 at the Mong Kok Stadium, where Filipino fans at the venue recounted the hostile treatment they received from local fans there, ranging from bottle-throwing to the Philippines being called a “slave nation.”

FIFA slapped a fine of 30,000 Swiss francs ($33,000) on the HKFA after its violation of Articles 58, 65 and 67 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, which lay out the responsibilities and liabilities of concerned football bodies on discrimination and proper conduct of spectators during matches.

The HKFA was also ordered to pay 3,000 Swiss francs ($3,000) to cover the cost of investigation done by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee.

FIFA made the decision after vowing last year to slap heftier sanctions over racism in football.

The HKFA expressed its disappointment on FIFA’s decision, claiming that the incidents “were very minor” and some Azkals players even made “significant provocation” to local fans during the match. The body declared that it will send an appeal on the matter.

Diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Hong Kong have turned sour since 2010 when a botched hostage-taking rescue killed eight Hong Kong tourists.

The Hong Kong government has since issued a black travel warning to the Philippines, only one of the three countries on the list aside from strife-torn Egypt and Syria.

source: interaksyon.com

Beijing restaurant owner won't apologize to Pinoys and Vietnamese - but takes down inflammatory sign

BEIJING - A defiant Beijing restaurant manager refused to apologize Thursday despite removing an inflammatory sign barring citizens of states in maritime disputes with China, along with dogs, following an international outcry.

The notice in the window of the Beijing Snacks restaurant read: "This shop does not receive the Japanese, the Philippines, the Vietnamese and dog(s)" in both Chinese and English.

But despite taking down the sign after accusations of racism, the manager said he had no regrets and would not apologize for any offense caused.

Images of the sign went viral in Vietnam and were splashed across newspapers in the Philippines on Wednesday. Both are involved in bitter territorial disputes with China over islands in the South China Sea.

The manager, surnamed Wang, said it was taken down "because it was a lot of bother."

"I don't have any regrets," he told AFP. "I was just getting too many phone calls about it."

He seemed surprised at the attention it had generated but said he would not apologize, suggesting it may have been misinterpreted.

"Maybe people misunderstood our meaning ... it only said we would not serve customers from those countries," he said.

The sign's wording was particularly inflammatory as it recalled China's colonial era, when British-owned establishments barred Chinese from entering.

A sign outside a Shanghai park supposedly reading "No Dogs and Chinese allowed" became part of Communist propaganda, and was featured in the 1972 Bruce Lee film "Fists of Fury" - but many historical experts say no such notice ever existed.

The restaurant sign provoked an outcry in Vietnam and the Philippines, generating thousands of posts on Vietnamese social networking sites and newspaper comment threads.

Filipinos greeted the photo with a mixture of fury and amusement. "Blatant racism at Beijing Restaurant," journalist Veronica Pedrosa wrote in one widely shared tweet.

China and Japan have a separate acrimonious dispute over islands in the East China Sea, and ongoing disagreements about Japan's colonial past.

The cramped establishment's specialty is soup made with pork offal and gravy-soaked biscuits.

"This is what old Beijingers like to eat," a white-hatted chef said.

source: interaksyon.com