International
Princess Anne: Queen Elizabeth II’s loyal daughter
AFP | by Robin MILLARD
Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter Princess Anne rarely lets her emotions show but the grief was etched on her face as she accompanied her mother’s coffin.
With her elder brother King Charles III called away to duty, the queen’s second child accompanied their mother’s coffin on its journey through Scotland and back to London.
Anne, 72, was with Queen Elizabeth on Thursday when she passed away aged 96 after seven decades on the throne.
“I was fortunate to share the last 24 hours of my dearest mother’s life,” Anne said in a statement Tuesday.
“It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys. Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting.
“To my mother, The Queen, thank you.”
Anne travelled with the cortege on the six-hour drive from Balmoral to Edinburgh on Sunday.
She curtseyed as soldiers carried the casket into the monarch’s official Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
Anne stood guard at the coffin alongside her siblings at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday.
And the princess flew with the casket from the Scottish capital to London on Tuesday.
Anne’s role may now change depending on whether Charles, 73, pursues a slimmed-down monarchy. But he may find his closest sibling a rock of support as he adjusts to his new role.
Anne said she was “grateful for the support and understanding offered to my dear brother Charles as he accepts the added responsibilities of the monarch”.
Learning the hard way
Anne has earned a reputation as the hardest-working royal, squeezing in a career as an Olympic horse rider alongside a lifetime of public engagements.
Cast much in the same plain-speaking mould as her late father Prince Philip, Anne is reported to have once described herself as “not everyone’s idea of a fairy-tale princess”.
“You learn the hard way,” she said. “There isn’t a school for royalty.”
She never sought to please the press, saying she did not “do stunts” and once told photographers to “naff off”.
In 1974, she was the target of a kidnap attempt when her car was ambushed. Two police officers, her chauffeur and a passer-by were shot and wounded.
An account released by the National Archives said assailant Ian Ball pointed his gun at Anne and said: “I want you to come with me for a day or two, because I want £2 million.
“Will you get out of the car?”
The princess replied curtly: “Not bloody likely — and I haven’t got £2 million.”
Anne stuck to a mixture of classic chic and casual, keeping her voluminous, up-do hair style throughout her adult life.
She adopted a business-like demeanour that sometimes meant she came across as frosty, and resulted in her sharp, dry sense of humour often being mistaken.
Gifted horse rider
Born on August 15, 1950, Anne was taught at Buckingham Palace before beginning boarding school in 1963.
She inherited her mother’s passion for horses and the young princess became a skilled equestrian.
Anne won the 1971 European Eventing Championship and the British public voted her that year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
“I certainly saw it as a way of proving that you had something that was not dependent on your family and it was down to you to succeed or fail,” she said of her horse riding career.
She married equestrian Mark Phillips in 1972. The wedding was an international event watched by an estimated 500 million people.
Anne represented Britain at the Montreal 1976 Olympics, returning without a medal after a particularly nasty fall.
She became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1988 and was on the organising committee for the London 2012 Games.
Anne and her army officer first husband had two children — sports events managing director Peter and 2006 eventing world champion Zara.
Breaking with tradition, the couple decided Phillips should not accept a title so their children would be free to determine their own lives.
Divorce and remarriage
Anne was granted the title of Princess Royal, traditionally given to the monarch’s eldest daughter, in 1987.
She split from Phillips in 1989 and the couple divorced in 1992.
Nine months later, Anne married naval commander Timothy Laurence, a former equerry to Queen Elizabeth.
Anne supports more than 300 charities, organisations and military regiments, including an association with Save the Children that has lasted more than 50 years.
She regularly tops the charts for conducting the most royal engagements, and writes her own speeches.
International
Two fans killed in gate collapse outside Chile’s Estadio Monumental
Two people lost their lives near the Estadio Monumental in Santiago, Chile, following a chaotic incident that occurred before the Copa Libertadores match between Colo Colo and Brazil’s Fortaleza on April 10. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the victims were crushed after a fence on the stadium perimeter collapsed, though authorities are investigating whether a police armored vehicle may have played a role.
It was a black Thursday at Chile’s Estadio Monumental. Two local fans died outside the stadium after a yet-unclarified incident caused a metal gate to fall on them, leading to fatal asphyxiation.
Local media reports indicate that a group of fans attempted to force their way into the stadium before kickoff. In response, local police allegedly deployed armored vehicles to block the breach.
Preliminary reports cited by local newspapers and news agencies like EFE identify the victims as two young individuals—one 18 years old and the other just 13.
International
Dominican Republic mourns over 200 dead in Jet Set nightclub collapse
On Thursday, April 10, 2025, the Dominican Republic began mourning the more than 200 victims of the collapse of Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, although many families are still desperately waiting for the remains of their loved ones.
The roof of the Jet Set club collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday, April 8, during a live performance by iconic merengue singer Rubby Pérez.
Rescue workers were completing the recovery of human remains from beneath the rubble of corrugated metal and steel beams, as search efforts ended with no further hope of finding survivors.
Around the morgue, the atmosphere was one of grief, anguish, and despair. A list of the deceased was posted on a canvas covering a nearby tent, where crowds gathered in distress. Health Minister Víctor Atallah stated that forensic teams are working at full capacity and urged patience. “No one will go unidentified, and no one will be left without answers,” he promised. “We will turn over every last stone if we have to.”
The tragic collapse also claimed the lives of several foreigners, including a significant number of Venezuelan nationals who were present at the club, according to local newspaper Listín Diario. The outlet reported the official death toll at 221, which included one Haitian, two French nationals, one Italian, and one Kenyan.
Meanwhile, relatives, friends, and fans of Rubby Pérez released white balloons outside the National Theater shortly before the hearse departed with the remains of the beloved singer, known for hits like “Enamorado de ella” and “Buscando tus besos.” Draped over his coffin were both the Dominican and Venezuelan flags, the latter symbolizing the country where his fame took off.
International
Venezuelan oil shipments resume after tariff-induced delays
Many buyers of Venezuelan oil have resumed loading tankers after a week of pauses and delays at the country’s ports, caused by tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on importers of crude from the OPEC member nation, according to shipping data and documents.
In March, the United States gave Chevron and other foreign partners and clients of Venezuela’s state oil company, PDVSA, until May 27 to gradually wind down operations and cease crude exports from the country. Days later, Washington imposed tariffs on buyers of Venezuelan oil and gas.
The measures triggered the suspension of some shipments at the country’s main oil port, Jose, and caused delays at smaller terminals. Many vessels that had left the Jose port and moved away from the coast amid the announcement of the measures have since returned to complete their loadings. In recent days, tankers have begun departing Venezuelan waters en route to destinations such as India and China, according to data and internal documents from PDVSA.
“There was a moment of panic when ships pulled away, but they later received instructions to finish loading,” said a source at PDVSA.
Two fans killed in gate collapse outside Chile’s Estadio Monumental
Dominican Republic mourns over 200 dead in Jet Set nightclub collapse
Venezuelan oil shipments resume after tariff-induced delays
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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