In March 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle felt shockwaves around the world after appearing in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. The explosive chat saw the couple make a series of claims about the monarchy. According to Princess Diana’s former protection officer Ken Wharfe, Harry found the Oprah interview “difficult” to appear in. Mr Wharfe explained Harry’s “telling” feelings during the bombshell interview.
I have noted that, during that time, Charles had a “much bigger operation” and a “lot of support”, whereas “Diana didn’t have that”.
Because of this, he added: “She decided, well look, I’m not getting that support, I want to tell you the truth, and that’s what happened with [Andrew] Morton, and that’s what happened with [Martin] Bashir.”
During the Oprah interview, the Sussexes accused an unnamed royal – not the Queen or Prince Philip – of making a racist comment about their son Archie.
And following previous reports it was the other way around, Meghan claimed Kate made her cry ahead of her royal wedding in 2018.
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During the two-hour-long interview, the Duchess also shared that she had suffered with her mental health during her time in The Firm.
She revealed that she had experienced “suicidal thoughts” and alleged that she was denied help during her private struggle.
Prince Harry also laid bare his rifts with his older brother Prince William and father Prince Charles.
When Lisa Blair first set sail around the world a decade ago, the last thing she expected to see at 40 degrees south, deep in the Southern Ocean, was a bird perched on a drifting styrofoam box.
Looking out and noticing the sheer volume of rubbish and pollution spread throughout the water was heartbreaking. How could the consequences of human impact be seen so far from human beings?
With a passion to draw attention to the harmful impacts of climate change, combined with a love for sailing, Blair embarked on a record-breaking, unaccompanied, unaided and unremitted circumnavigation of Antarctica in February, aboard her eye-catching, technicoloured racing yacht.
Solo sailor Lisa Blair returns to Sydney Harbor after her record-breaking journey around Antartica. (Brook Mitchell)
“I’ve been sailing now for 12 years. I started sailing when I was 25 and I’m 37 now. I’ve seen quite a dramatic change, just in the time that I’ve been sailing from the lack of abundance of wildlife that you now see, to the fact that the weather patterns are so much more unstable because the seasons aren’t following the calendar anymore,” Blair tells Wide World of Sports.
“I really wanted to use the action of doing records and the accompanying media coverage as a platform to create awareness for taking action against climate change and empower individuals because everyone I spoke to always felt like it was so big a problem – climate change and pollution – that their little bit wasn’t going to make a difference.
“So, I founded the name ‘Climate Action Now’ and renamed my boat in 2015, and for the last eight years I’ve been running this campaign.
“What I do is I go out and collect post-it notes from people in the public, each post-it note being an environmental action or something that a person is already doing to create a better future. We then gather them up and turn them into a digital design.
“I’ve sailed this design over 50,000 nautical miles around Antarctica twice, around Australia and into global media coverage. The goal is to inspire people that as individuals we all have the power to create change – it just starts with one action. If you get one million people taking one action then you’re creating the impact that we’re looking for.”
Blair’s boat “Climate Action Now” is covered in post-it notes detailing positive actions individuals can take to reduce emissions in everyday life. (Supplied)
With a dramatic dismasting off the coast of South Africa spoiling her first attempt in 2017, the second time around, Blair wanted to do more than just sail the record for exposure, graciously extending a hand to the scientific community.
“With around Antarctica being such a data-sparse area of our oceans, I stepped it up another level and I put my hand up to the scientific community globally and said, ‘Hey, crazy sailor here. I’m going to be in Antarctica , where you have almost no data for three months. What can I do for you that’s going to be of the most scientific value?'”
Partnering with several marine organizations and citizen science programs, Blair ran a non-stop microplastics sampler on board, collecting more than 180 microplastic samples. This coincided with an ocean-health monitoring system used to determine baseline data similar to existing models of the Southern Ocean.
Blair also turned her boat into a mobile weather station to help with forecasting and logged all of her depths while sailing to assist in mapping the ocean floor, all while deploying eight weather-drifter buoys and an Argo research float.
“I was very busy while I was out there,” Blair says.
After 92 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 20 seconds at sea, Blair sailed into the record books on May 27, having smashed the overall speed record held by Russian voyager Fedor Konyukhov for an incredible 10 days.
Asked what she did differently to shave off more than a week’s worth of travel, Blair says her attention never wearied.
“When you’re on a record you’ve got a time crunch, so you’ve got to always catch the weather shifts, you’ve got to be constantly on alert. So, if you’re not sleeping or eating, you ‘re doing maintenance on the boat, you’re doing the scientific undertakings, you’re doing emails,’ she says.
Lisa Blair was the first woman in history to sail alone around Antarctica. (Brook Mitchell)
“I had this philosophy that I didn’t need to sail super, super fast all the time, I just needed to sail 0.2 of a knot faster than him (Konyukhov) over the 16,000 nautical miles we were sailing and I’d beat the record. And I was at times able to sail considerably more than that.”
Blair also put the feat down to being physically prepared, and disciplined when staring down long periods of lethargy, ailment and sleep deprivation.
“It’s a 50ft racing yacht, so doing anything on board is quite difficult. Everything is manual, so hoisting the sail can sometimes take 20-30 minutes to pull up just because it’s simply so heavy,” she says.
“Also, when I’m close to land or known hazards, I don’t sleep longer than 20 minutes at a time, and when I get further afield I might increase that up to 40 minutes, but on both of my circumnavigations around Antarctica , I don’t think I slept for more than an hour and a half in a single sleep the entire time.
“That, in toe with the equipment on board the boat starting to deteriorate as you get halfway around because you’re doing a lifetime’s worth of work to it… it ends up being what I think is one of the hardest endurance sports out there. “
With both feet now firmly back on Australian soil, the Sydney sailing instructor will change course to her next epic record attempt.
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Commonwealth Games in pictures: Canada player shown straight red card for ‘choking’ opponent
Each year children flock to Brisbane’s Ekka to check out the brightly colored show bags filled with treats, toys and trinkets — a far cry from the sample bags of old.
As the Ekka kicks off for another year, the Queensland Museum has unearthed some of the state’s oldest show bags.
They originated when the Royal Brisbane Show allowed stall holders to give away free samples in 1902 — the very first one held coal.
“It was the earliest sample bag on record, and that piece of coal was worth a lot at the time and many were able to use the coal at home,” said Tess Shingles, the museum’s acting assistant curator for Queensland stories.
“It must have been a big hit, as the tradition of the show bag has continued to this day.”
Two girls holding sample bags at the RNA showgrounds in 1946.(Supplied: John Oxley Library, State Library of Qld)
Sample bags vs. show bags
Sample bags were originally filled with produce and edible items that were made and manufactured in Queensland.
“Technically the sample bags were the precursor to the show bags and were originally paper bags,” Ms Shingles said.
“The plastic bags came in during the 1970s and at that time they switched to being more commercial and more about pop culture.”
The Bertie Beatle bag remains a show-goer favorite to this day after first appearing in Queensland in 1963.
Bertie Beatle first appeared in the Hoadley’s sample bag.(ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe)
“Bertie Beatle was originally created to compete with Freddo frog,” Ms Shingles said.
“The same company was making Violet Crumbles so they would use the by-product of the honeycomb in the Bertie Beatles.
“Bertie then featured in sample bags for Hoadley’s before becoming a stand-alone bag.”
Another popular sample bag in the 1960s was the Rosella bag, which highlighted pickled products and the quality of its condiments.
“The bag showed people how the pickling process happened and why their particular products were safe and trusted,” Ms Shingles said.
The Rosella sample bags featured pickles and condiments.(ABC Radio Brisbane: Kate O’Toole)
Some of the first toys that appeared in the bags were cardboard pistols that would fire rubber bands.
“The toys were often secondary in the early days to the confectionary and food; many of the toys would be put together when families got home from the show.”
Many of the snack food sample bags claimed to be nutritional for children and were endorsed by health professionals.
“The Twisties bag is funny as it was advertised as the healthy snack and would use a photo of the strongman holding the Twisties,” Ms Shingles said.
“A leaflet was also included in that bag saying that Twisties were recommended by dentists as they were safeguarding children’s teeth and should be on every tuckshop menu.”
Bags for chips were often displayed as healthy and endorsed by doctors and dentists.(ABC Radio Brisbane: Kate O’Toole)
Keeping fine art history alive
The museum has also collected Ekka fine art entries from as far back as 1916 featuring button work, embroidery and knitting.
“One of the most iconic pieces is a framed work by a button maker called John Ward, who entered an artwork in 1916 made up of buttons and carved pearl shell from the Torres Strait,” Ms Shingles said.
A winning entry from 1916 used buttons and pearl shells to create coats of arms.(Supplied: Queensland Museum)
A knitted christening gown and a handmade dog called Bo Bo also feature in the collection showing the variety of entries over the decades.
“Although it didn’t win a prize, the dachshund called Bo Bo by Elise Hicks in 1972 has a special place in our collection,” Ms Shingles said.
“This part of the collection shows the skills of local Queenslanders and that’s why we keep them as they were exhibited.”
A handmade dog was an entry in the fine arts competition in 1972.(ABC Radio Brisbane: Jessica Hinchliffe)
AITKIN, Minn. — A jury on Friday ruled that a central Minnesota pharmacist did not violate a woman’s rights when he refused to provide her emergency contraceptives more than three years ago.
Andrea Anderson, a mother of five from McGregor, sued under the Minnesota Human Rights Act after the pharmacist, based on his religious beliefs, refused to accommodate her request. State law prohibits discrimination based on sex, including issues related to pregnancy and childbirth.
The ruling comes amid national political debate about contraception under federal law, with the US House passing a bill that would guarantee the right to contraception. House Democrats are worried that a conservative US Supreme Court that already erased federal abortion rights could go further and limit the use of contraception.
Leaders with the group Gender Justice, which represented Anderson, said they plan to appeal, Minnesota Public Radio News reported.
“The testimony was so clear that she received lesser services than other customers because what she was going there for was emergency contraception. And so we believe that, by law, that’s discrimination in Minnesota,” said Jess Braverman, legal director for the advocacy group.
Anderson brought her prescription for a morning-after pill to the Thrifty White pharmacy in McGregor in January 2019. Longtime pharmacist George Badeaux told her he could not fill the prescription based on his beliefs.
Anderson eventually got her prescription filled at a pharmacy in Brainerd, making the round-trip of more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) in winter driving conditions.
Attorneys for Badeaux did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tyler Perry wished Meghan Markle a happy birthday in an emotional post he shared on his Instagram on Saturday morning.
The creator of Haves and Have Nots wrote a touching message to the Duchess of Sussex as she celebrated her 41st birthday on Thursday.
“I’ve had a front row seat in your life for the past few years. I’ve watched you endure things that would have broken a lot of people,” wrote Perry.
READMORE:Prince Harry files second lawsuit against UK government over police protection
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“I’m so incredibly proud to see how happy you, your husband, and your kids are now. It fills me with joy to say Happy Birthday Princess Meghan.”
Meghan Markle is not technically a princess as she married into her royal role rather than being born into the family.
Regardless, she received a stream of birthday messages under Perry’s post, many of which also praised Perry for his support of the family.
“You are a blessing. May you be blessed for always standing for what is right. Happiest birthday to Meghan. She is a very strong woman. She is loved by many,” wrote one commenter.
Prince Harry and Meghan briefly stayed at Tyler Perry’s home in Los Angeles during their transition out of the royal family.
Tyler Perry and the Sussexes have maintained a close relationship since January 2020. (Supplied)
READMORE:Royals send warm wishes to Meghan for her 41st birthday
People reported a source close to the couple said, “They’re really grateful to Tyler Perry for his kindness.”
“They have endless gratitude to him for helping them during a complicated time,” the source said. “With COVID and as they were stepping back from their royal duties, I have provided them with a safe haven.”
Perry was also a guest on Meghan and Harry’s Spotify podcast.
Meghan also received birthday wishes from other members of the royal family via their social media accounts.
Prince William and Kate shared a post on Twitter: “Wishing a happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex.”
Prince Charles and Camilla also shared a brief birthday message on their own Twitter account.
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Princess Charlotte’s sweet moment with mum Kate at the swimming
Israel Adesanya will have the chance to re-write some personal history when he defends his UFC middleweight title against Brazilian Alex Pereira on November 13 (AEST).
World champion Adesanya announced on Sports Center that he’ll fight old rival Pereira in a title fight at UFC 281 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The highly anticipated grudge match pits the two old foes against each other for the first time in mixed martial arts, after fighting twice before in kickboxing.
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Adesanya was visibly shocked by the judges’ decision after his first fight with Pereira, with the Brazilian winning by unanimous decision.
The pair had their rematch less than a year later in March 2017, with a left hand knocking the Nigerian-born fight out during the third round.
While he hasn’t felt the need to chase revenge after losing both fights, Adesanya vowed to “slam this b****” ahead of their meeting at the famous New York venue later this year.
Tough as nails Aussie makes Dana applaud | 01:28
“Have I ever shied away from a fight? I’ve always picked the guy no one wants to fight,” Adesanya said on Sports Center.
“The guy that everyone runs away from, I run towards. So I run towards the fire and this is no different.
“After he beat me in Brazil, I never had any plans of trying to get revenge or anything like that because I don’t hold onto things.
“I’m telling you, the universe has presented this to me and it’s right there. It’s the perfect alley-oop and I’m going to slam this b****”.
Adesanya held onto his middleweight crown with a unanimous decision win over American Jared Cannonier at UFC 276 last month.
The victory extended the 33-year-old’s unbeaten run to three fights, after losing to Polish fighter Jan Blachowicz by unanimous decision in the UFC light heavyweight title fight last year.
As for his opponent, Pereira is undefeated from three fights so far in the UFC whilst he’s undefeated in his last six MMA fights.
The Brazilian is coming off a first-round knockout of the highly rated Sean Strickland.
Central Queensland’s Shoalwater Bay may be better known as a military training ground for human conflict, but nearby graziers and conservationists are fighting for the survival of a unique species.
Key points:
Shoalwater Bay graziers’ work protects the critically endangered Capricorn yellow chat
There are only about 250 birds left in the wild and conservationists are worried a bad weather event may send the species extinct
Locals believe it’s an example of agriculture and the natural environment co-existing to benefit all
The Capricorn yellow chat is a critically endangered flycatcher unique to the region including near the bay better known for military training and war games involving soldiers from across the world.
Birdlife Capricornia secretary Allan Briggs said the endangered species survives in a flat environment which is also attractive for cattle grazing.
“Wherever we find them they are in what we call a marine plain environment which is basically a treeless environment, that’s right on the [coastal] edge and experiences some tidal flooding,” he said.
“That’s one of the reasons why people don’t see yellow chats, because they’re in very harsh environments and they’re difficult to access.”
Marine plains are treeless, flood plain country with some tidal inundation.(Supplied: Craig Mace)
Grazier Craig Mace lives at Toorilla Plains and has about 4,000 hectares of marine plains on his property.
Rather than seeing it as lost productivity he said preserving the yellow chat habitat as a healthy environment benefited his business.
“If you look after the environment it looks after you, and the birds, that’s the environment they love,” he said.
“It’s just an aviary for birds and waterbirds. There’s plenty of them out there at the moment.”
He said that his cattle and the natural ecosystem worked effectively side by side.
“The birds just fit in with the cattle,” he said.
“I think the cattle keep the grass down to a degree and you just have to make sure you don’t overgraze the country.”
In the event of heavy rainfall graziers have to muster cattle from marine plains to higher ground.(Supplied: Lawson Geddes)
Down the road, Lawson Geddes also has marine plains on his property Couti-Outi.
He said it was a simple question of healthy environment, healthy cattle.
“They’re all animals,” he said.
“I think it’s all part of the environment isn’t it? They’re all a part of the ecosystem and I think they seem to get along quite well.”
The habitat has been working so well that Mr Geddes was surprised to hear the bird was endangered at all.
“Until a few years ago I didn’t know they were endangered,” he said.
“An environmentalist came back very excited one day because he’d found a bird that, apparently, they thought was extinct elsewhere.
“He showed us a photo and it was this yellow chat and we just said ‘Oh, we see that all the time’.”
Bird on the brink
Mr Briggs said the population of yellow chats is on a knife edge and any loss of population or habitat could have a detrimental impact.
“There’s only 250 left in the wild,” he said.
“That means the bird is critically endangered and you can well imagine if we had a major environmental event, like a cyclone or a huge fire that went through, we could end up reducing the population to a level that is not viable and it would end up going extinct.”
Mr Briggs said it made the landowners’ management of marine plains critical to the survival of the species.
“These land managers do a really great job,” he said.
“There’s, for example, invasive weed species and ferals which affect the yellow chat’s habitat and the landowners, the graziers, are keeping these problems under control.
Craig Mace said his cattle have lived alongside endangered Capricorn yellow chats for years. (Rural ABC: Pat Heagney)
“The cattle as well, they graze the grass and weeds down to a manageable level so they are effectively controlling the fire risk.
“Without them there is no management, and I don’t think the habitat would last very long if it was just left to be in its wild condition.”
Conservation cooperation
Mr Geddes said their work with the Capricorn yellow chat was an example of farmers working with the land, and that agriculture and the natural environment can co-exist.
“This bird has been here as long as I can remember, the cattle don’t worry about it at all,” he said.
“You can see the cows lying down and the bird on its back just going around doing its thing.”
Graziers say marine plains are home to a unique ecosystem and cattle feed almost all year round.(Supplied: Craig Mace)
Mr Mace agreed and said it was rewarding to challenge the negative perceptions of agriculture, but they needed to showcase more examples.
“I think the only thing you can do is to get people out and look at it,” he said.
“You can tell people all you like but they have to see it for themselves.
“That’s why we have a lot of environmental groups that come out and survey the place and count the birds”
Mr Briggs said that without the cooperation and management of the graziers it would be a very different story for the Capricorn yellow chat.
“I do want to congratulate the landowners that we’ve been working with,” he said.
“It’s a really delicate balance in these complex environmental scenarios and it really needs the cooperation of everybody — land managers, conservationists — all working together to maintain that population into the future.”
Protesters gather at People’s Park on Aug. 4 to discuss preventing UC Berkeley from starting construction at the site. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside/CatchLight
Two eventful days after UC Berkeley attempted to begin construction on a controversial student housing project at People’s Park, a state appeal court approved a stay order halting all construction and changes until October.
Judge Teri Jackson signed the stay order Thursday to allow the court to review an appeal petition by Make UC a Good Neighbor and the People’s Park Historic Advocacy Group on their original California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) lawsuit.
It’s another development in a court case by the plaintiffs, who appealed the case (again) after an Alameda County judge shot down their argument on July 29.
The appeals court had granted the plaintiffs another stay order in early July that prevented any construction at the park throughout the month. UC Berkeley began construction almost immediately when that protection expired, rolling construction crews onto the site at midnight on Wednesday to the opposition of protesters.
In the 12-hour stand-off that ensued, protesters mobilized in the middle of the night, sat in front of construction crews blocking construction equipment, tore down fences and forced UC Berkeley to withdraw hundreds of mutual aid law enforcement officers and construction crews out of concern for their safety.
UC spokesperson Kyle Gibson said in a statement Friday that the university is disappointed by the court’s decision, but is confident in its legal position regarding CEQA.
The court order allows Cal to keep fences up at the property, but prevents any further demolition, construction, tree cutting or alterations to the site.
“While this new injunction will add further delay and significant additional costs to the project, we are pleased the court has agreed to an expedited process,” Gibson said. “We are also satisfied with the court’s decision to allow the campus to close and secure the construction site pending the expedited ruling.”
UC Berkeley had already halted construction due to ‘safety concerns’
Law enforcement presence at People’s Park on Aug. 3, before UC Berkeley decided to halt construction temporarily at the site. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside/CatchLight
On Wednesday morning, UC Berkeley police reported that protesters threw “rocks, bottles, and glass” at crews working at the park. Protesters spray-painted and damaged machinery and tore down fences at the site.
Authorities arrested seven people on suspicion of battery of a police officer, trespassing, resisting, obstructing and delaying an officer, according to Gibson.
As it proceeds with its plans, UC Berkeley says it is prioritizing the safety of construction crews and everyone in the area. Gibson said “the campus is now assessing options to get that done in a safe, effective way” and that it will “explore all feasible options to make up for lost time.”
Cal plans to build a student housing complex at the site with 1,100 beds for students and an additional 100 affordable units for mixed-income levels through a partnership with Resources for Community Development.
“While we are dismayed by the readiness of some individuals to engage in dangerous, violent and unlawful activity as a way of expressing their opposition to the project, our commitment to addressing an urgent student housing crisis, and to supporting unhoused members of our community, is unwavering,” Gibson said.
Activists continue to fight — legally and on the ground
People mill around the trees that were felled on Aug. 3 when UC Berkeley construction at People’s Park. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside/CatchLight
Before the court decision, activists at the park who continued to occupy the area as of Thursday night they said they were prepared to hold down the site for as long as it took to stop construction.
Protesters, many of them young people, held a large rally at UC Berkeley Wednesday afternoon that ended at People’s Park. There, they discussed strategies and reiterated their demands for the park.
There were some disagreements between two groups: One set, an older generation of activists who aim to preserve the park’s 53-year-old history as a communal gathering space and home for counterculture movements, who have primarily fought the university through the court system; and another group comprised of current UC Berkeley students are more focused on land rights and services for homeless residents who moved into the park during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another coalition, Defend People’s Park, wants the land to be returned to indigenous stewardship, homeless residents who lived at the park to be connected to permanent housing and for UCPD to be defunded and those financial resources redirected to services for homeless residents, as well as Cali students and staff.
Surrounded by felled trees at the park on Wednesday evening, many activists in both cohorts who had been awake for over 24 hours spoke about what the park means to them and why they continue to fight for its existence. People who have fought for housing in other parts of the Bay Area came to support their efforts.
Misty Cross, one of the co-founders of Moms4Housing in Oakland, likened the struggle at People’s Park to the ongoing closure of the Wood Street encampment in West Oakland, which is under threat of closure after a destructive fire. A judge recently ruled that people who live at the park need to be housed before the encampment is shut.
The city of Berkeley partnered with Cal to lease the Rodeway Inn to house the park’s homeless occupants; most moved there before construction began. They also funded a daytime drop-in shelter on Haste Avenue to divert homeless residents from the park and provide a variety of services, including meals, a respite area, device charging, a restroom and lockers.
“Housing is a human right,” Cross said, to resounding cheers from the gathered crowd. “I stand here in solidarity because I too was affected by [this machine].”
“The strong gains in the job market last month should further cement the claim that the US is currently not in recession,” LPL Financial chief economist Jeffrey Roach said in a note.
The jobs report is good news for the economy, Commonwealth Financial Network’s Brad McMillan said. “More people working, at higher wages, is a sign of economic strength. And with all of the headlines out there, we can certainly use the good news.”
That said, McMillan said interpreting the data for the markets is more complicated. “With the Fed unleashed to keep raising rates, that will affect stock valuations negatively. But with growth likely to be stronger, earnings should grow faster.
“Overall, this combination has historically been positive, but we can certainly expect some turbulence in the short term as markets adjust.”
The yield on the US 10-year note leapt 14 basis points to 2.83 per cent in New York; the two-year yield closed at 3.23 per cent.
market highlights
ASX futures down 11 points or 0.16 per cent to 6903
AUD -0.9% to 69.11 US cents
Bitcoin +3% to $US23,187.07 at 7.30am AEST
On Wall Street: Dow +0.2% S&P500 -0.2% Nasdaq -0.5%
In New York: BHP +2.4% Rio +2.3% Atlassian +16.6%
Tesla -6.6% Apple -0.1% Amazon -1.2% Netflix -1.4%
Spot gold -0.9% to $US1775.50 an ounce in New York
Brent crude +0.7% to $US94.79 a barrel
Iron ore +2.9% to $US106.95 a tonne
10-year yield: US 2.83% Australia 3.08% Germany 0.95%
US prices as of 4.59pm in New York
United States
Pfizer is in advanced talks to buy drugmaker Global Blood Therapeutics for about $US5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Pfizer is aiming to seal a deal in the coming days, but other suitors are still in the mix, the report said.
Amazon will acquire iRobot, maker of the robotic vacuum cleaner Roomba, in an all-cash deal for about $US1.7 billion in the latest push by the world’s largest online retailer to expand its stable of smart home devices.
Amazon will pay $US61 per share, valuing iRobot at a premium of 22 per cent to the stock’s last closing price of $US49.99.
Europe
The pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.8 per cent, leading to a 0.6 per cent decline on the week, on worries over dour economic data from the region, rising geopolitical tensions and fears that higher interest rates could tip the economy into a recession.
“The data published this week add to the evidence that a recession is just around the corner,” said Jack Allen-Reynolds, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics.
Figures this week also showed euro zone retail sales plunged in June and factory gate prices continued to rise, while euro zone business activity contracted in July for the first time since early last year.
“Forward-looking indicators suggest that worse is to come… If we are right, the European Central Bank will raise interest rates more aggressively than is currently priced into the market, and the economy will underperform consensus forecasts.”
Euro zone government bond yields jumped, with Germany’s 10-year bond yield last up 9 bps at 0.89 per cent.
Company results were mixed on Friday, with Deutsche Post up 4.6 per cent after posting double-digit growth in revenue and earnings.
London Stock Exchange Group gained 1.6 per cent on saying costs and savings targets for integrating its $US27 billion acquisition of data company Refinitiv remain unchanged and it was launching a £750 million share buyback.
Allianz fell 1.6 per cent. The insurer spent around €140 million on restructuring to wind down a US funds unit at the center of a multi-billion fraud, and posted a worse-than-expected 23 per cent fall in quarterly profit.
commodities
Iron ore futures rose on Friday, with Singapore’s benchmark contract rebounding after a five-session selloff, as a recovery in steel margins in China eased concerns about weak demand for the steelmaking ingredient.
Iron ore, however, was set for weekly losses amid worries about China’s ailing property sector, COVID-19 curbs, steel production cuts, and Sino-US tensions over Taiwan.
Iron ore’s front-month September contract on the Singapore Exchange was up 3.6 per cent at $US109.55 a tonne, as of 0700 GMT, after touching its weakest since July 25 at $US104.70 on Thursday.
On China’s Dalian Commodity Exchange, the most-traded January 2023 contract ended daytime trade 2.6 per cent higher at 723 yuan ($US107.18) a tonne.
“Fundamentals have improved marginally,” Zhongzhou Futures analysts said in a note, citing a rebound in steel margins that has prompted the restart of some of the idled blast furnaces in top steel producer China.
Prince Harry received an amazing piece of news on his wife, Meghan’s birthday, after being snubbed by her Majesty the Queen.
As Meghan Markle celebrated her 41st birthday yesterday, Prince Harry received some great news, The Sun reports.
The Duke of Sussex is the president of charitable organization African Parks, which announced on Meghan’s birthday it had completed a huge conservation project just days earlier.
Prince Harry’s patronage along with DNPW Malawi and IFAW Global translocated 263 elephants and 431 other creatures to safety to Kasungu National Park in Malawi.
This is an incredible achievement, as the Duke has been working closely with the charity since 2016.
It comes after the Duke’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, recently snubbed Harry in a speech she gave at Lambeth Palace.
However, the Queen did not wish Meghan a public happy birthday.
Her Majesty praised Prince Charles and William for continuing Prince Philip’s work for the environment.
During her speech to the 15th Lambeth Conference, the Queen said: “I was interested to learn that the focus of your program at Lambeth Palace today is a reflection and dialogue on the theme of the environment.
“A cause close to the heart of my late husband, and carried on by The Prince of Wales [Charles] and The Duke of Cambridge [William].”
Her Majesty made no mention of Prince Harry, and also did not publicly wish the Duchess a happy birthday.
Expert: Her Majesty’s Meghan snub is ‘remarkable’
Royals from across the Firm took to social media to wish Meghan Markle a happy birthday yesterday, but one key member was absent.
Her Majesty the Queen chose not to wish Markle a happy birthday, a decision which Royals expert Richard Palmer calls “remarkable.”
However, the expert explained why this decision may have been made.
Writing for the Daily Express, he said: “The Queen’s website neglected to mention the big day after deciding it will only mark the birthdays of non-working members of the family when they end in a zero.”
This post originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission
