26, October 2021
Queen Elizabeth cancels COP26 appearance ‘on medical advice’ 0
Queen Elizabeth II has cancelled her planned engagement at the U.N. climate conference, accepting doctors’ advice to rest, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday.
The 95-year-old monarch has “regretfully’’ decided that she will no longer travel to Glasgow to attend the reception on Nov. 1 — a move that will dash the hopes of Britain’s Conservative government, which is anxious to show the importance of the session to the fate of the planet. The climate conference runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 and her appearance was meant to kick it off in style and splendour.
“Her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message,’’ the palace said.
The news came after the sovereign held virtual audiences Tuesday at Windsor Castle — the first since revelations that her doctors ordered her to rest last week. The sovereign greeted the ambassador of the Republic of Korea during her first technology-aided appearance since she was driven to London’s King Edward VII’s Hospital on Oct. 20 for “preliminary investigations.” She returned to her Windsor Castle home at lunchtime the next day.
The queen underwent the medical tests after she canceled a scheduled trip to mark 100 years since the creation of Northern Ireland, and the palace said she had “reluctantly” accepted advice to rest for a few days. The matter was not related to COVID-19.
Her doctors ordered rest last week after a hectic few days in which a monarch who likes to be seen by the people carried out a hectic series of events. She held audiences with diplomats, had a reception at Windsor Castle for global business leaders and attended the horse races at Ascot.
Her hospital visit last week came amid general disquiet about Elizabeth’s health. Days earlier, she was seen using a walking stick at a Westminster Abbey service marking the centenary of the Royal British Legion, an armed forces charity. Though she had used a cane in 2003, it was after she underwent knee surgery.
The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, died in April 2021 at age 99. Though Elizabeth has enjoyed robust health throughout her life, she is Britain’s longest-lived and longest-reigning monarch. She is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee — 70 years on the throne — next year.
Source: AP
30, October 2021
PM Modi invites Pope Francis to India 0
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday asked Pope Francis to visit India, a significant opening towards the head of the Catholic Church who has long sought an official invitation to the Hindu-majority country.ADVERTISING
Modi, 71, invited Francis during a meeting at the Vatican on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome.
“Had a very warm meeting with Pope Francis. I had the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with him and also invited him to visit India,” Modi said on Twitter after the talks.
The pope, 84, has been on record saying that he wants to visit India. The Vatican had even drafted a schedule for a papal trip several years ago, according to religious news website Crux.ADVERTISING
“Thank you very much for your visit. I’m happy, I’m very happy,” a smiling Francis said as he grasped Modi’s hand at the end of the visit, according to footage released by the Vatican.
Modi replied: “I would like to see you in India.”
Francis, leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics, is hoping to push the defence of religious freedom in the world’s second most populous country.
Activists say that religious minorities in India have faced increased levels of discrimination and violence since Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014.
While Muslims, who make up around 14 percent of the population, have borne the brunt, Christians, who account for just over two percent, have also suffered a rise in reported violent attacks.
The last papal visit to India was made by Pope John Paul II in 1999.
‘Cordial’
Saturday’s Vatican visit was Francis and Modi’s first meeting. A senior official in the prime minister’s office told AFP the “very warm” talks — scheduled to last 20 minutes — went on for nearly an hour.
In an unusually short note, the Vatican described it as “a brief conversation” in which “the cordial relations between the Holy See and India were discussed”.
Modi’s office said the leaders discussed “fighting climate change and removing poverty”. There was no mention of the red-button issue of religious freedom.
Under the pretext that Christians are seeking forcibly to convert Hindus, more than 300 violent incidents have been recorded this year, according to a report by a group of NGOs released this month.
This included a reported attack on a prayer house by around 200 members of the BJP and Hindu groups in the northern state of Uttarakhand in early October.
The local head of the BJP said the prayer house held “suspicious gatherings”.
At least three states run by the BJP have passed legislation aimed at preventing “forced conversion” and dozens of people have been arrested.
Others plan to follow suit including Karnataka, where priests have come out in protest.
Modi’s government denies having a Hindu agenda and insists that people of all religions have equal rights.
Source: AFP