Daily News Roundup

 

Thursday April 1

Greater Brisbane’s lockdown will end at noon today, but all Queenslanders will need to wear a mask when leaving their home for the next fortnight.

The announcement by the government ends fears of an extended lockdown over Easter.

It comes as 10 news cases were recorded in the state overnight, with just one being locally transmitted.The rest were hotel quarantine cases.

“Easter is good to go,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said this morning.

Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young described today’s new locally transmitted infection as the “perfect” case.

“We only had one community-acquired case overnight in Queensland and that was the perfect case, if I could describe it as that,” she said today.

“This was one of those participants in that party that happened at Byron Bay.

“So when the person came back to Queensland, they went into quarantine and they were tested on Monday night and they were negative on Monday night.

“Then they were tested again Wednesday morning when they were positive. So they have been in quarantine during their infectious period. So no risk at all. So definitely a linked case, but also that additional bonus that they’re in quarantine.”

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Controversial British socialite Lady Colin Campbell has claimed that Princess Anne is the previously unnamed royal hit with racism allegations by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their explosive Oprah interview.

But Campbell insists the race row was in fact a “misunderstanding,” and that the senior royal had instead been expressing concerns about whether Meghan was a good fit for the royal family.

Both Harry and Meghan had claimed in their tell-all Oprah interview that one member of the royal family had expressed concerns about how dark their baby’s skin might be, before Archie had been born.

It was a revelation that left Oprah – and viewers worldwide – shocked, but Harry and Meghan both stopped short of naming the royal, with Meghan explaining that it would be too “damaging” to the person to name them.

Since then, speculation has raged over which member of the royal family the couple were referring to. Now, UK socialite and prolific royal author Campbell claims it’s Prince Harry’s aunt, Princess Anne.

In a new video posted to YouTube, Campbell – who has published eight books on the royal family including a best-selling biography of Princess Diana – claimed: “I know who it is – I’ve known for a little while who it is.”

She claimed that, as Harry and Meghan’s relationship developed, the person who “absolutely saw (Meghan) coming a mile off was Princess Anne”.

“Princess Anne absolutely knew what Meghan was from the word go. She watched the relationship with increasing horror, because the more she knew, the more she saw and the more reports she got back about Meghan, was that beneath the ruthless charm was a real operator.”

Campbell claims Anne objected to her nephew’s relationship with Meghan on the basis of “conduct and character,” which she claims Harry interpreted as concerns about Meghan’s race. 

She claimed three separate sources had confirmed to her that the conversation had been “twisted”.

“There were no concerns about Meghan’s colour. Princess Anne was rightly concerned that if the marriage proceeded and there were children, there would be huge problems. Not because of Meghan’s colour, but because of Meghan’s inability and determination to remain unable to appreciate the cultural differences, and to have respect for the institution into which she was going to marry,” she claimed.

“Harry ran to Meghan with the objections, Meghan weaponised them on the grounds of colour. We are looking at people who are very eager to spot a slight where doubtless none exist.”

She accused Meghan of “constant playing of the race card” and said Harry had misinterpreted his family’s “genuine concern” over the relationship.

The royal family had previously stated they would deal with the issues raised in Harry and Meghan’s interview “privately”.

In a statement from the palace issued after the Oprah interview, the Queen said: “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.

“The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.

“Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members.”

Lady Colin Campbell has been an increasingly controversial figure in recent years, shocking viewers during an appearance on Good Morning Britain in 2019 to defend Prince Andrew’s connections with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. During the appearance, she claimed sex with underage prostitutes was not the same as paedophilia, telling the stunned hosts there was a “difference” between a minor and a child.

The same year, she stated publicly that while the Me Too movement was good in some ways, it also “prevented men from being men”.

The Jamaican-born royal expert, 71, has also been a regular fixture on British reality TV in recent years, appearing on I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of 

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Football’s world governing body, FIFA, has selected the host cities for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Of the 12 bidding cities in Australia and New Zealand, nine were successful, with Newcastle, Launceston and Christchurch  missing out.

In Australia, matches will be played in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with the final scheduled for August 20 at Sydney’s Olympic stadium.

The tournament will begin at Eden Park in Auckland on July 10.

The nine hosting cities include: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Dunedin, Hamilton, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Wellington.

🏟 Opening match: Eden Park, Auckland
🏆 Final match: Stadium Australia, Sydney

The Women’s World Cup, the ninth edition of the tournament, will be the first to have 32 teams competing. Both the Matildas and Football Ferns will qualify automatically, representing the host nations.

The full match schedule will be announced later this year, but Australia and New Zealand will each host one semi-final.

“The appointment of the nine Host Cities represents a major milestone for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, as well as for players and football fans across Australia, New Zealand and around the world,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said.

Football Australia president Chris Nikou said the Women’s World Cup would be “a tournament that will unite nations, inspire generations, and provide our diverse and multicultural game with the perfect platform to grow over the coming years.”

“The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 will be the biggest sporting event on Australian soil since the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, showcasing Australia and New Zealand to a global audience of over one billion people,” Nikou said.