MONDAY, APRIL 12
Prince Harry has arrived back in Britain ahead of his grandfather’s funeral in Windsor, the Sun newspaper has reported, citing an eyewitness.
The report said Harry landed at Heathrow Airport from Los Angeles and would complete a period of quarantine immediately so that he would be ready in time to attend Prince Philip’s farewell service.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died on Friday morning at Windsor Castle, aged 99.
The ceremonial royal funeral will take place this Saturday at 3:00pm local time (12:00am Sunday AEST), with only 30 people in attendance because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Harry stepped away from royal duties last year and now lives in California. Current UK quarantine arrangements require incoming international passengers to self-isolate for 10 days, and to test for COVID-19 on day 2 and day 8, however there are exemptions for mourners.
Current UK public health guidelines state that: “You can leave your place of self-isolation in limited circumstances, including on compassionate grounds. This includes attending a funeral of a household member, a close family member or a friend.”
“You must continue to self-isolate at all other times.”
The funeral will mark the first time Harry has spoken to family in person since the tell-all interview he and wife Meghan gave to US broadcaster Oprah Winfrey at the start of last month.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is pregnant and has been advised by her doctor not to make the journey.
On Friday night the couple updated the homepage of their foundation, turning it a dark grey in tribute.
A message on the site read: “In loving memory of His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021.”
“Thank you for your service … you will be greatly missed.”
During the Oprah interview Meghan said an unnamed member of the royal family had asked Harry “how dark” the skin of their unborn child would be.
Winfrey later said that Harry had clarified to her that neither the Queen nor Prince Philip had made the comments.
Prince Philip’s death has left a huge void for his wife Queen Elizabeth and Britain has lost its “grandfather”, his son Prince Andrew said.
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Schools and sporting groups in Victoria will be told to avoid terms like “mum”, “dad”, “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” as part of a push to curb the dropout and suicide rates of LGBTQI+ young people.
The North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network has set up the #SpeakingUpSpeaksVolumes campaign which will bring in unisex bathrooms, non-gendered playing teams and rainbow flags in a bid to be more inclusive.
The Herald Sun reports that the material suggests avoiding “gendered terms” such as husband and girlfriend instead of the non-gendered partner, and mum and dad rather than parent. Students are also encouraged to ask others which pronouns they use.
The network’s CEO, Chris Carter, said the campaign “encouraged people to speak up and actively support LGBTQI+ kids”.
“When someone is experiencing bullying, silence often feels like indifference, which can create a terrible sense of isolation,” he told the Herald Sun.
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A blackout at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday was an act of “nuclear terrorism”, according to the country’s nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, according to newsgencies Reuter and AP.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, suspicion fell immediately on Israel, where its media nearly uniformly reported a devastating cyberattack orchestrated by the country caused the blackout.
Earlier on Sunday, a spokesman for the country’s Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) said that a problem with the electrical distribution grid of the Natanz site had caused an incident, Iranian media reported.
The spokesman said that “the incident caused no casualties or contamination”.
The incident took place a day after Tehran launched new advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges at the site.
The facility, located in the desert in the central province of Isfahan, is the centrepiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program and is monitored by inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.
“While condemning this despicable move, Iran emphasises the need for the international community and the International Atomic Energy Agency to deal with this nuclear terrorism and reserves the right to take action against the perpetrators,” Mr Salehi said.
Multiple Israeli media outlets reported on Sunday that a cyberattack caused the blackout.
Public broadcaster Kan said Israel was likely behind the attack, citing Israel’s alleged responsibility for the Stuxnet attacks a decade ago.
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