Daily News Roundup

May 21, 2019

THURSDAY MAY 21

Prince William has opened up about the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car crash 22 years ago, describing how he suffered “pain like no other pain”.

“It’s going to be very difficult to come across something that’s going to be even worse than that,” Prince William said.

The Prince also disclosed that his work as an air ambulance pilot triggered unwelcome feelings, as it made him feel that death was just “around the door”.

“You’re dealing with families who are having the worst news they could ever possibly have on a day-to-day basis — that’s quite a burden to carry and feel.

“[With] that raw emotion … I could feel it brewing up inside me and I could feel it was going to take its toll and be a real problem.”

He then explained that he later felt comfortable opening up about those feelings because it was something that all people relate to.

“We can all relate to mental health: We see it day-to-day all around us.

“We’ve just all got to go: Let’s talk about it. We’ve got to make that one bit of time to deal with it before moving on.”

Diana, the former Princess of Wales, died in a Paris car accident in 1997 along with her driver, Henri Paul, and her lover at the time, Dodi al Fayed.

William, who is also known as the Duke of Cambridge, was 15 when the Princess died.

Her death sparked an unexpected outpouring of grief in Britain and around the world.

The Prince’s comments were made as part of a BBC documentary on mental health, where he appeared alongside English soccer stars such as Peter Crouch, Thierry Henry and England’s team manager Gareth Southgate.

The Duke is president of England’s Football Association (FA) and his comments coincide with the association’s “Heads Up” campaign, designed to encourage more men to talk about mental health.

In a statement released by the Royal household, the Duke said he hoped the program would place mental health on par with physical health:

“Over the last two years, we’ve been working behind the scenes to decide the best way to harness the power of football to change the way men think about mental health,” he said.

“Building on the amazing attitude that led England to the World Cup semi-finals, [Heads Up] will show us all that mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness.”

The Royal households of Cambridge (William and Kate) and Sussex (Harry and Meghan) have championed mental health literacy and mental health care through their initiative, Heads Together.

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Iran has called on US President Donald Trump to treat it with respect, not threats of war.

This followed President Trump’s warning the day before that Iran will be met with “great force” if it attempts anything against US interests in the Middle East.

Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for an event in Pennsylvania on Monday he was willing to have talks with Iran “when they’re ready” but no discussions were going on now.

His remarks come despite urgings from Tehran for the US to treat Iran with respect, not threats of war, in response to the US leader’s comments on Sunday stoking concerns of a potential US-Iran conflict.

“With Iran, we’ll see what happens,” Trump said on Monday. “But they’ve been very hostile. They’ve truly been the No.1 provocateur of terror.

“I think Iran would be making a very big mistake if they did anything. If they do something, it will be met with great force but we have no indication that they will,” Trump said.

“We’ll have no choice,” he added.

Trump warned Iranian leaders not to call for talks unless they were prepared to negotiate.

But in a sign of brewing confrontation a year after Washington quit a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions on it, Tehran announced a fourfold increase in its rate of production of low-grade uranium enrichment.

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The parents of a newborn baby in Germany left their precious bundle in the taxi as they alighted at their home after leaving the hospital where the baby was born.

Hamburg police said on Monday the couple took the baby’s one-year-old sibling out of the car, paid the driver and said goodbye – then realised someone was missing as the taxi pulled away.

The father ran after the taxi but was unable to draw the driver’s attention. Calls to the taxi service failed to locate the baby.

The driver, unaware of his sleeping stowaway, parked the taxi in an underground garage while he took his lunch break.

The driver then picked up a fare at the airport several kilometres away and the new passenger noticed the baby.

The driver swiftly called police and after a quick check-up from an ambulance crew, the baby and its grateful parents were reunited.

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