‘BBC failed Diana’ – William
The BBC reports Prince William has blamed failures over the BBC’s 1995 interview with his mother Diana for worsening the relationship between his parents and adding to her paranoia. After an inquiry found the BBC fell below its standards, Prince William said he was “most saddened” his mother never learned she had been deceived. Prince William said his mother was failed “not just by a rogue reporter” but also by bosses at the BBC. Prince Harry also criticised the BBC. The BBC has written to apologise to Princes William and Harry, as well as the Prince of Wales and Diana’s brother Earl Spencer.
Israel, Hamas truce holding
Al Jazeera says that the ceasefire agreed between Israel and the two main Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad across the Gaza Strip as of today, seems to be holding. Diplomatic sources told AFP in Cairo that two Egyptian delegations will be dispatched to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to monitor its implementation. Since the fighting began on May 10, health officials in Gaza say 232 Palestinians, including 65 children and 39 women, have been killed and more than 1,900 wounded. Israel says it has killed at least 160 combatants in Gaza. Authorities put the death toll in Israel at 12.
EU deal on COVID ‘travel pass’
Deutsche Welle reports EU lawmakers and Member States on Thursday reached an agreement that would allow anyone in the bloc to obtain a digital proof of coronavirus vaccination status, COVID test results, or recovery from an infection. Called “green certificates” by the European Commission, the travel pass is designed to allow restriction-free travel within the EU. The travel pass will be a QR code on a smartphone or printed on paper. Meanwhile, EU Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, said the number of cases has decreased by 39%, 40% of the EU adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine and 17% are fully immunised.
Indiana Jones hat and Harry Potter wand up for auction
Los Angeles Times says the hat worn by Harrison Ford in ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ is one of the items that will be part of the Hollywood memorabilia sale that will take place in Los Angeles from June 29th. It is estimated to fetch up to $250,000. There will also be the Harry Potter wand used during ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1’ (2010) as well as the glasses worn by Daniel Radcliffe in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ‘(2011). The auction is expected to bring in at least six million dollars.
European clubs set to lose €8.7 billion
Goal quotes a UEFA report which forecasts that European football clubs are set to lose €8.7 billion in revenue as they struggle to cope with the devastating financial fallout from COVID-19. National leagues and UEFA’s club competitions, the Champions League and Europa League, have largely been played out behind closed doors since the pandemic hit Europe in early 2020.
