Queen holds first engagements since hospital stay

The Queen has carried out her first engagements since staying overnight in hospital last week, meeting two ambassadors via video call.

The monarch, who is at Windsor Castle, met virtually with the South Korean and Swiss ambassadors in Buckingham Palace.

The audiences come after she went to hospital for preliminary medical checks last Wednesday.

The Queen, 95, is expected to lead a royal delegation to the Glasgow COP26 climate change summit next week.

She was seen smiling on camera as she greeted Korea’s Gunn Kim and HeeJung Lee, as well as Switzerland’s Markus Leitner and Nicole Leitner.

IMAGE SOURCE,REUTERS

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• Queen ‘irritated’ by climate change inaction
• In pictures: The Queen’s busy October

The engagements are the first time the Queen has been seen since she hosted a Global Investment Summit at Windsor Castle last Tuesday evening.

However, on Wednesday a Buckingham Palace spokesman said a planned trip to Northern Ireland had been cancelled, and the monarch had “reluctantly accepted medical advice to rest for the next few days”.

Then, in a statement on Thursday night, Buckingham Palace said she had stayed in hospital on Wednesday night after attending for “some preliminary investigations” and had returned the following day to Windsor Castle, where she was “in good spirits”.

No signs of slowing down

This was a diplomatic engagement by the Queen in every sense.

She was taking part in a virtual audience with two ambassadors – but the real message was that after last week’s hospital stay she was back at work.

It might have been one of the most upmarket Zoom work meetings ever held, Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace, with backdrops of antique furniture and oil paintings.

But it was sending a very modern media signal that any health worries were not going to stop the 95-year-old monarch from returning to her job. It was a photo intended to reassure.

And it suggests no change of plan in terms of hosting the COP26 climate summit next week.

The Queen might be WFC (working from castle) but she’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The Queen stayed in King Edward VII’s, a private hospital used by senior royals – including her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, who received treatment there earlier this year.

She did not attend a church service at Windsor on Sunday.

IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

Image caption,The Queen was pictured alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson last Tuesday evening

The Queen is looked after by her physician Sir Huw Thomas, who is “head of the medical household”.

It has been a busy period of official engagements for the Queen.

An official record of her diary showed at least 16 formal events during October.

The Royal Family’s website says she is due to attend a reception on 1 November as part of the climate change conference in Glasgow.

She is due to attend engagements there between 1 and 5 November alongside the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

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Josh Cavallo: ‘I’m a footballer and I’m gay,’ says Australian player

Adelaide United player Josh Cavallo has come out as gay, becoming the only current male professional footballer in the world to do so.

The 21-year-old wrote on social media that he was “ready to speak about something personal that I’m finally comfortable to talk about in my life”.

“I’m a footballer and I’m gay,” the midfielder said in an accompanying video.

“All I want to do is play football and be treated equally.”

‘Fighting with my sexuality’

Josh said he was tired of trying to perform at his best “and to live this double life, it’s exhausting”.

“It’s been a journey to get to this point in my life, but I couldn’t be happier with my decision to come out.”

“I have been fighting with my sexuality for six years now, and I’m glad I can put that to rest.”

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

He thought “people would think of me differently when they found out”.

“They would start saying bad things about me or making fun out of me. That’s not the case. If anything you would earn more respect from people.”

Out gay players

Few elite male football players have come out as gay during their careers.

Andy Brennan became the first former Australian League player to come out in 2019 when the ex-Newcastle Jet was still playing in a lower tier.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger revealed he was gay after retiring from the sport.

In 1990, Justin Fashanu came out as gay. He took his own life in 1998 after allegations of sexual assault were made against him by a 17-year-old in the US.

Thomas Beattie, a former youth player for English club Hull City came out in 2020, and said he was proud of Josh, adding “visibility and representation matters”.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Josh’s statement has sparked an outpouring of support for him, which he’s called “immense”.

Australia’s professional players union said it was a “wonderful moment” for him, the sport and “the LGBTI+ community”.

“Being a closeted footballer, I’ve had to learn to mask my feelings in order to fit the mould of a professional footballer.”

“That’s a lot of wasted young players missing out – players that could be very talented, but who don’t fit the norm.”

“As a gay footballer, I know there are other players living in silence. I want to help change this, to show that everyone is welcome in the game of football and deserves the right to be their authentic self,” he added.

Newsbeat has contacted Josh’s management but they’ve not yet responded.

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Hong Kong passes new film censorship law

Hong Kong’s legislature has passed a new law banning films deemed to violate China’s national security interests, the latest blow to freedom of expression in the territory.

Punishment for violating the law includes up to three years imprisonment and $130,000 (£95,000) in fines.

Critics say the legislation will stifle the vibrant local film industry.

Last year, China imposed a national security law on Hong Kong that effectively outlawed dissent.

The legislation, which came after huge pro-democracy protests in 2019, criminalises secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. Critics say it is aimed at crushing dissent but China says it is meant to maintain stability.

The film censorship law was approved in the opposition-free Legislative Council. It gives the chief secretary – the second-most powerful figure in the city’s administration – the power to revoke a film’s licence if it is found to “endorse, support, glorify, encourage and incite activities that might endanger national security”.

ANALYSIS: China’s new law: Why is Hong Kong worried?

EXPLAINER: Hong Kong’s year under controversial law

Experts and content producers have raised worries about the impact of the legislation, which does not cover films posted online, on creativity and freedom of expression.

Filmmaker Kiwi Chow, whose documentary Revolution of Our Times about the 2019 protests was featured at the Cannes Film Festival this year, told Reuters news agency the law would “worsen self-censorship and fuel fear among filmmakers”.

A speedy job

By Martin Yip, BBC News Chinese, Hong Kong

The bill was passed by a simple showing of hands, at the last meeting of the council’s much extended current term. And despite the lack of opposition in the legislature, lawmakers still debate.

Councillor Luk Chung-hung claimed it was political films that hindered creativity, not the proposed censorship law. Another councillor, Priscilla Leung, who is also a law professor, insisted the bill was in full compliance with human rights laws, and she hoped to stop such films from “brainwashing” young people.

Filmmakers will certainly be concerned. Dr Kenny Ng of the Hong Kong Baptist University’s Film Academy said the new law would see film distributors worrying if their already-approved films would be withdrawn, meaning more uncertainty in the industry.

As for the lawmakers, it is time to prepare for winning their job back as the election takes place in December – under completely new election laws.

The arts industry was already being targeted even before the new law. In June, a local theatre pulled the award-winning documentary Inside The Red Brick Wall, also about the 2019 protests, and its distributor lost government funding.

Book publishers have admitted to self-censoring and the largest pro-democracy paper, Apple Daily, closed earlier this year amid a national security investigation.

Meanwhile, many opposition figures are already in prison or in exile.

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Stolen Benin Bronze still remains at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

A Benin Bronze belonging to Nigeria is still at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, despite an agreement to return the sculpture 18 months ago.

It comes as the museum returned a caribou hide coat to an indigenous community in Quebec, Canada, last week.

The bronze was one of hundreds stolen during the invasion of Benin City by the British in 1897.

It is believed a dispute between Nigerian leaders about where to put the sculptures has slowed the repatriation.

Image caption,Bristol Museum and Art Gallery agreed to start conversations with Nigeria about returning the bronzes in March 2020

Last week, a hand-painted caribou hide hunting coat from the Cree First Nation of Northern Canada was returned to what is now known as Quebec, after being part of Bristol’s world cultures collection since the 1830-40s.

Bristol City Council, which runs the museum, received a letter from the Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute (ACCI) in 2019 officially requesting the transfer of the coat into their guardianship.

The Deputy Mayor of Bristol Craig Cheney, said: “The coat holds special significance for indigenous communities who are trying to rebuild their connections with their ancestors and their traditional ways of life.”

He added the staff at the museum were “committed to building relationships and collaborating with originating communities”.

IMAGE SOURCE,BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL

Image caption,The ACCI said the return of the coat would enable its people to rediscover aspects of their traditions that had fallen out of widespread practise

A council spokesperson said the museum would also return the bronzes but that they were subject to a national conversation between the UK and Nigeria.

“Like many other venues across the country, we are awaiting further information on the next steps from authorities in Nigeria and the national organisations involved in these discussions,” the spokesperson said.

“As soon as we have further detail we will be able to progress with an action plan to determine a mutually agreed future for this controversial item.”

Several UK museums have this year announced they want to give back Benin Bronzes.

Last year, Prince Edun Akenzua, of the Royal Court of Benin, pleaded for the bronzes to be returned, telling BBC Inside Out West: “They were not originally made as museum objects.”

But in July, the BBC reported the king, or Oba, of Benin and the Edo State Governor were in dispute about where the sculptures should sit when they finally return.

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Brazil senators back criminal charges against Bolsonaro over Covid handling

Brazilian senators have voted to recommend charging President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the devastating Covid pandemic.

A Senate panel backed a report calling for charges against Mr Bolsonaro including crimes against humanity, after 600,000 deaths from coronavirus.

The findings will be sent to the chief prosecutor, a Bolsonaro appointee.

The president has maintained he is “guilty of absolutely nothing” but the crisis has dented his popularity.

Brazil’s death toll is second only to that of the United States.

There is no guarantee this vote will lead to actual criminal charges, as the report’s recommendations must now be assessed by Prosecutor-General Augusto Aras, who is expected to protect the president.

The report alleges that Mr Bolsonaro’s government pursued a policy of allowing coronavirus to rip through the country in the hope of achieving herd immunity.

It describes the president as “the main person responsible for the errors committed by the federal government during the pandemic”.

The report’s lead author, centrist Senator Renan Calheiros, called for the panel’s recommendation to charge President Bolsonaro with crimes against humanity to be submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Brazil is a party to the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, so the international court could take up the case.

But a referral would only be a first step in a lengthy process in which it would be up to the ICC to determine the merits of the case and whether to take it forward.

In addition to crimes against humanity, the Senate committee has recommended eight further charges be brought against Mr Bolsonaro in Brazilian courts, including incitement to crime, falsification of documents and the violation of social rights.

Mr Bolsonaro is also accused of misusing public funds and spreading fake news about the pandemic.

The 1,300-page report also recommended bringing charges against two corporations and 77 other people, including three of the president’s adult sons.

Following the announcement, Senator Calheiros said that the “chaos of Jair Bolsonaro’s government will enter history as the lowest level of human destitution”.

The vote concludes a six-month inquiry which has highlighted scandals and corruption inside the government.

The Senate’s recommendation is expected to be delivered to the prosecutor-general on Wednesday morning. His office said it would be carefully reviewed as soon as it was received, the Associated Press reports.

• YouTube removes Bolsonaro videos for Covid misinfo

Throughout the process, Mr Bolsonaro has insisted that his government “did the right thing from the first moment” of the pandemic and his allies have been quick to dismiss Tuesday’s recommendations as being driven entirely by “political and electoral” motivations.

“It is a totally political report, without any legal basis,” said Flavio Bolsonaro, one of the president’s sons accused in the report.

“The intent of some senators on the investigative committee is to cause the maximum amount of wear and tear on the president.”

Former US President Donald Trump, a Bolsonaro ally, said in a statement he endorsed the Brazilian president because “he fights hard for, and loves, the people of Brazil”.

Today marked the end of a long process. Six months of hearings, scandals uncovered, a light shone on a government accused of recklessness.

Just before the vote, leading senators delivered impassioned speeches. Senator Calheiros said the inquiry had slowed down the clock of death in Brazil.

The inquiry’s vice-president, Randolfe Rodrigues, underlined how important the process had been to put pressure on the government and speed up vaccinations, and he paid tribute to those on the front line of containing the pandemic.

But for many, it’s too little, too late – the families of the dead will be wanting to know where this inquiry will lead. Will Mr Bolsonaro have to stand up in court to defend his actions?

The inquiry’s president, Omar Aziz, said the federal prosecutor had a duty to investigate the evidence gathered these past few months – but not everyone thinks justice will be done.

In March, Mr Bolsonaro caused outrage when he told Brazilians to “stop whining” about Covid, a day after the country saw a record rise in deaths over a 24-hour period.

He has continued to spread misinformation on social media and, on Monday, Facebook removed a video in which the president falsely claimed a link between Covid-19 vaccines and Aids.

YouTube blocked the video and suspended Mr Bolsonaro’s channel for a week.

Brazil, a country of 208 million people, has recorded at least 606,000 deaths and 21.7 million cases of infection, Johns Hopkins University reports.

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