Six In The Morning Sunday 14 March 2021

 

Sarah Everard: Met chief under pressure over Clapham vigil policing

The head of the Met Police is under pressure to explain her officers' actions during a vigil in south London on Saturday in memory of Sarah Everard.

Police were seen grabbing and leading women away from the event in handcuffs.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was "urgently seeking an explanation" from Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, while Home Secretary Priti Patel has asked the Met for a report on what happened.

Ms Patel is expected to receive the report by the end of Sunday.

Myanmar: acting civilian leader says 'we must win' as five more protesters die

Mahn Win Khaing Than, speaking from hiding, says ‘this is the darkest moment of the nation’

Guardian staff and agencies

Sun 14 Mar 2021 13.34 GMT

The acting leader of Myanmar’s parallel civilian government has said the people “must win the uprising” against the junta as security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Yangon and at least five people were killed as protests continued for a sixth week.

Mahn Win Khaing Than, who is in hiding along with most senior officials from the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which was ousted in the 1 February coup, addressed the public via Facebook, saying: “This is the darkest moment of the nation and the moment that the dawn is close. The federal democracy union … is waiting for us in the near future if we move forward unitedly with invincibility,” he said, adding: “We must win the uprising.”

The Queen's SilenceRacism, White Supremacy and the British Royal Family

A Guest Editorial By Brooke Newman

The consequences of British colonialism can still be felt today, but the queen has never publicly acknowledged that the royal family has directly benefited from centuries of slavery, and racial violence and exploitation. The "Firm" needs to be held accountable.

In May 2018, Prince Harry, sixth in line to the British throne, married the American actress Meghan Markle, whose mother is African American and whose father is white, much to the delight of commentators eager to witness the modernization of a 1,000-year-old, historically white institution. It was widely assumed that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, would serve as goodwill ambassadors to the Commonwealth nations, many of which are comprised of majority populations of color, and help to usher the British royal family into the 21st century. Gesturing toward her anticipated future role in "the Firm,” Meghan’s bridal veil featured embroidered flora representative of each of the 53 British Commonwealth countries.

New EU COVID-19 vaccine setback as AstraZeneca announces shortfall

The European Union was faced with another setback in its coronavirus vaccination program Sunday after AstraZeneca announced a shortfall, as countries across the world tried to step up their COVID-19 immunization drives.

The pharmaceutical company's image had already taken a hit with several countries suspending the rollout of its vaccine over blood clot fears, though the World Health Organization said there was no reason to stop using it in the fight against the pandemic.

Mass vaccinations are considered critical to ending the pandemic, which has claimed more than 2.6 million lives globally, and the AstraZeneca announcement was another blow for EU leaders, who have already faced criticism for the stumbling start to the jab drive on the hard-hit continent.

‘Racist agenda’: Fear, worries over Sri Lanka’s burqa ban

Proposal to ban the burqa in Sri Lanka viewed by many as attempt to appease Sri Lanka’s Buddhist majority and cause divisions.

Sri Lanka’s move to ban the burqa on “national security” grounds while calling its use “religious extremism” has been termed a “racist agenda” used to cause divisions in the country.

A burqa is an outer garment worn to cover the entire body and the face and is used by some Muslim women.

On Saturday, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Public Security Sarath Weerasekera said he had signed a paper for cabinet approval to ban the burqa, adding that the government also plans to ban more than 1,000 Islamic schools that were defying national education policy.

Charlie Hebdo cartoon of Meghan Markle and Queen sparks outrage

By Amy Woodyatt and Arnaud Siad, CNN

Updated 1507 GMT (2307 HKT) March 14, 2021

French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has prompted outrage after releasing a cartoon depicting the UK's Queen Elizabeth kneeling on the neck of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, invoking the death of George Floyd.

The cover image cartoon came days after Meghan and her husband Harry made a series of damning accusations against the royal family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey -- including that the skin tone of the couple's child, Archie, was discussed as a potential issue before he was born.

The couple would not reveal who had made the remarks, but said it wasn't Queen Elizabeth II or her husband, Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. In the interview, Meghan also described having regular suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy and brief time as a working royal, and the couple said the palace had offered Meghan and Archie inadequate security and protection.