Wool wrap for royal baby suggests tradition will win out

May 08, 2019

LONDON (AP) — Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor slept through his first press conference, but royal experts say the merino wool wrap in which he snuggled said a lot about how his parents, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will approach his future.

Meghan, a former TV star, is known for promoting social causes and niche brands with her clothing choices. Yet she and Harry introduced their son to the world Wednesday in a hand-finished shawl and cashmere cap made by G.H. Hurt & Son of Nottingham, whose intricate knitwear has swaddled royal babies for decades.

Wrapping Archie in a shawl knitted by the small, family-run English company suggests that Meghan and Harry aren't as intent on shaking up the royal family as much as some people have forecast — or feared.

"I read this as an attempt to reassure the public that they are not going to stray too far from tradition," said Pauline Maclaran, co-author of "Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture." ''There has been a lot of press recently taking a slightly negative tone about Meghan, and this is an opportunity to show that she's not trying to change everything."

Princess Diana wrapped Harry and his older brother, Prince William, in G.H. Hurt. William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, chose the firm for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The royals don't advertise, but they do set trends with whatever they are wearing, seeing or doing. Whether it was Queen Victoria popularizing Christmas trees or Princess Diana's fluffy collars, people have long tried to copy or emulate their style.

These days, the royal effect is turbocharged by social media. The internet offers fans the opportunity to examine royal fashions in minute detail, to look at the fine stitching on a baby blanket and identify it instantly. Websites such as whatkatewore.com and whatmeghanwore.net quickly identify designers of the outfits they are wearing and tell their stories.

Susan Kelley, the American founder of whatkatewore.com, said the public's fascination with Meghan will likely trickle down to her son. And as a former actress, she has a great sensitivity to the messages sent by her sartorial selections.

"Meghan is somebody who wants to carve her own path, but she is respectful of the monarchy and traditions of it," Kelley said. "The fact that Meghan is a feminist doesn't mean she doesn't honor tradition."

Still, by selecting the Leaves And Flowers Baby Shawl with shell detailing (105 pounds, $137), Meghan chose one of G.H. Hurt's less-traditional designs. The company saw traffic on its website increase immediately after pictures of young Archie hit the news. In less than an hour, 266 visitors had looked at the shawl, up from five to 10 a day previously.

The firm, which has been in business since 1912, has a collection of vintage hand-frame knitting machines that date back hundreds of years and work alongside modern knitting technology. "Babies at the best of times are wonderful news and they are wrapped up with so much emotion and goodwill," said Richard Taylor, part of the family firm. "But from a business point of view ... we get coverage right around the world."

'A dream': Meghan, Harry present royal newborn to public

May 08, 2019

LONDON (AP) — Two tired but beaming parents and one blissfully sleeping baby posed for cameras Wednesday as Prince Harry and Meghan helped satisfy a huge global appetite for images and details about their newborn son.

Standing in a vast, red-carpeted hall at Windsor Castle, Meghan declared the baby "a dream" and motherhood "magic." Harry cradled his son in his arms as the couple, known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, posed for cameras — the first in a lifetime of photo calls for the two-day-old baby, who is seventh in line to the throne.

Baby Sussex, whose name has not been announced, lay silently, swaddled in a white blanket and wearing a matching knitted cap. Meghan declared motherhood to be "magic." "It's pretty amazing," said the 37-year-old American formerly known as Meghan Markle. "I have the two best guys in the world, so I'm really happy."

She said the baby had "just been a dream." "He has the sweetest temperament. He's really calm," she said. Harry quipped: "I wonder who he gets that from." Asked which parent the baby took after, Harry said it was too soon to tell.

"Everyone says that babies change so much over two weeks," said the 34-year-old prince. "We're basically monitoring how the changing process happens over this next month really. But his looks are changing every single day, so who knows.

"We're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy," he added. The couple left the photo call to introduce the baby to his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The infant is the eighth great-grandchild of 93-year-old Elizabeth, Britain's longest reigning monarch.

Baby Sussex was born Monday at 5:26 a.m. (0426 GMT; 12:26 a.m. EDT) at an as-yet-undisclosed location. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces (3.26 kilograms). Family members have welcomed the new arrival, with Prince William saying on Tuesday he was "absolutely thrilled."

New baby alters line of succession for the British throne

May 06, 2019

The birth of a royal baby boy to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, has changed the line of succession. The baby's name has not been released yet but here are the first 10 people in line for the throne:

1. Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

2. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge

3. Prince George of Cambridge

4. Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

5. Prince Louis of Cambridge

6. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

7. Baby boy of Prince Harry and Meghan

8. Prince Andrew, Duke of York

9. Princess Beatrice of York

10. Princess Eugenie of York

UK military asked to help stem Channel migrant crossings

August 08, 2020

(AP) Britain’s military said Saturday it has been asked by the government to help prevent people from reaching the U.K. from France in small boats, after a surge in the number of vessels making the dangerous journey.

The Ministry of Defense said it had received a request from the Home Office to "support U.K. Border Force operations in the Dover Straits.” The department said it was “working hard to identify how we can most effectively assist.”

Britain’s Conservative government has talked tough after dozens of crossings by migrants during recent weeks of warm summer weather. On Thursday, 235 people landed or were brought ashore from boats in the English Channel, a record number for a single day. Britain’s Coastguard said it was responding to “a number of incidents” in the Channel on Saturday.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the Royal Navy could be called in to prevent boats reaching U.K. waters, though other senior officials and politicians say that could be impractical and potentially dangerous.

Jack Straw, who served as Home Secretary during a previous Labour government, said “it will only take one of these dinghies to capsize and everybody to drown … for there to be a hullabaloo, including in the Conservative Party, and for the policy to have to be reversed.”

Straw told the BBC that cooperation with France was the only way of reducing the number of people making the risky journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The French and British immigration ministers are due to hold talks next week.

Roger Gough, head of the county council in Kent, where the majority of migrants arrive, said “historically the best experience we’ve seen of reducing the inflows is when there’s been a successful agreement, level of shared interest, between the British and French authorities.”

Migrants have long used northern France as a launching point to reach Britain, either in trucks through the Channel tunnel or on ferries. Before the coronavirus pandemic, the U.K.’s strong economy and need for farm and restaurant labor drew migrants from around the world who could speak some English.

Some have turned to small boats organized by smugglers because lockdowns have reduced opportunities to stow away on ferries and trucks. Fine summer weather is also prompting more people to make the risky sea crossing — about 20 miles (32 kilometers) at its narrowest point — in vessels as small as dinghies and kayaks.

The number of migrants crossing the Channel is small compared to the number who try to reach southern European countries across the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. Human rights and refugee groups say many migrants are legitimate refugees or have good reasons to want to come to Britain, such as relatives in the country. They argue the British government should offer safe and legal routes for them to come.

Serbian parliament convenes after elections, amid protests

August 03, 2020

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia's new parliament convened Monday amid protests by the some opposition parties and far-right groups claiming that the parliamentary election, overwhelmingly won by the ruling populists, was rigged.

Dozens of protesters booed and jeered at the lawmakers arriving to the inaugural parliament session in the domed downtown parliament building. Some of them threw eggs toward the building. Police sealed off much of the area in front of the assembly to prevent the repeat of violent protests last month at the same location against the increasingly autocratic rule of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Vucic’s ruling Serbian Progressive Party swept the June 21 parliamentary vote that was boycotted by several of the main opposition parties. The Progressives won 188 seats in the 250-member assembly. The rest of the seats went to Vucic’s allies or minority groups, meaning that the real opposition will not be represented.

The opposition boycott was carried out citing the lack of free and fair voting conditions and a danger to public health amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But a number of smaller parties decided to run, saying the boycott only sidelined an already marginalized opposition.

Sasa Radulovic, the leader of one of the parties that ran in the election, took part in Monday's protest. “The government has forged the elections by falsifying the final electoral reports at the polling stations," he said, claiming he has proof of the wrongdoing.

Vucic has repeatedly denied interfering in the vote, saying his opponents are crying foul because they have little popular support. Vucic, who was elected to a five-year term in April 2017 and was not running for office this time, still dominated the election campaign through the mainstream media which he controls, denouncing and ridiculing his critics. He rejected allegations that by taking a leading role in the campaign, he was abusing his largely ceremonial presidential powers.

Most of the opposition parties accused Vucic and his government of letting the coronavirus crisis spin out of control in order to hold the election that tightened the ruling party’s grip on power amid widespread feelings of chaos.

Lawmakers at the inaugural parliament session wore face masks, and kept social distancing rules.

Poland's top court confirms Duda's election for president

August 03, 2020

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Supreme Court of Poland on Monday upheld the reelection of President Andrzej Duda after deciding that complaints about the validity of the country's presidential election were insufficient to void the results.

The ruling paves the way for Duda to take the oath of office before both chambers of parliament on Thursday. The court evaluated some 6,000 election complaints from voters and from the team of the candidate Duda faced in a runoff, liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski. Duda won 51.03% of the vote and Trzaskowski 48.97% in the July 12 election.

It found 92 of the alleged violations justified, but said the irregularities did not affect the election’s outcome. The justices said the complaints from Trzaskowski team lacked necessary evidence about the time and location of the alleged breaches.

They said the Trzaskowski team's complaint also touched on campaigning, which is beyond the bounds of an electoral protest. Many voters also complained about being unable to vote from abroad because their ballots arrived too late.

Originally scheduled for May, the presidential election was postponed by over a month, to June 28 with a runoff two weeks later, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Minnesota's Omar holds off well-funded primary challenger

August 12, 2020

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota survived a stiff Democratic primary challenge Tuesday from a well-funded opponent who tried to make an issue of her national celebrity, the latest in a string of victories by a new generation of emboldened progressive lawmakers.

Omar, seeking her second term in November, easily defeated Antone Melton-Meaux, an attorney and mediator who raised millions in anti-Omar money. Omar and her allies gained confidence in her reelection chances after primary victories last week by fellow “Squad” member Rashida Tlaib in Michigan and by Cori Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist who ousted a longtime St. Louis-area congressman. They also claimed momentum from the renewed focus on racial and economic justice after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.

“Tonight, our movement didn’t just win,” Omar tweeted. “We earned a mandate for change. Despite outside efforts to defeat us, we once again broke turnout records. Despite the attacks, our support has only grown.”

Melton-Meaux used the cash to paper the district and flood airwaves with his “Focused on the Fifth” message that portrayed Omar as out of touch with the heavily Democratic Minneapolis-area 5th District, which hasn't elected a Republican to Congress since 1960. He conceded defeat and acknowledged that his efforts weren't enough, while declining to speculate on why.

“I'm also incredibly proud of the work that we did, that garnered at least over 60,000 votes from the district, from people who resonated with our message of effective leadership grounded in the district, and bringing people together to get things done,” Melton-Meaux told The Associated Press.

Omar in 2018 became one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, building on a national profile that started when the onetime refugee from Somalia was elected to the Minnesota Legislature just two years earlier. Her aggressive advocacy on liberal issues, and her eagerness to take on Donald Trump, made her even more prominent.

Omar rejected Melton-Meaux’s attacks, saying they were funded by interests who wanted to get her out of Congress because she’s effective. She also downplayed Melton-Meaux’s prodigious fundraising before the vote, saying, “Organized people will always beat organized money.”

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tina Smith and Republican challenger Jason Lewis easily won their primaries in the only statewide races on the ballot. Elsewhere, in western Minnesota's conservative 7th District, former state Sen. Michelle Fischbach won a three-way Republican race for the right to challenge Democratic Rep. Collin Peterson. Peterson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, is one of the GOP's top targets to flip a House seat in November.

After entering Congress with fanfare, Omar hurt herself early with comments about Israel and money that even some fellow Democrats called anti-Semitic, and found herself apologizing. She also came under scrutiny when her marriage fell apart and she married her political consultant months after denying they were having an affair.

Republicans also raised questions about continuing payments to her new husband's firm, though experts said they aren't necessarily improper. In the wake of Floyd’s death, police reform also emerged as an issue. Omar supported a push by a majority of the Minneapolis City Council to replace the city’s police department with something new. Melton-Meaux did not support that but did support shifting some funding away from police to more social service-oriented programs. Both touched on the issue in personal ways, with Omar saying she wanted her son to grow up safely. Melton-Meaux, who is also Black, told a personal story of being detained while at the University of Virginia by police seeking an assault suspect reported to have run into his apartment building.

Wendy Helgeson, 57, a consultant, backed Omar two years ago, even installing a lawn sign in her yard, and said she was “awfully proud of her being the first Black Muslim woman that we elected.” But she said she was concerned about campaign payments to Omar's husband's firm as well as her national presence, and found it easy to vote for Melton-Meaux, whom she said has been her friend for 12 years.

“I admire her as a woman,” Helgeson said of Omar. “As a candidate, ehhh ... I have some reservations.” John Hildebrand, a 47-year-old teacher in Minneapolis who voted for Omar, said her national profile is an advantage.

“I think just her presence encourages other Muslims and Somalis to run for office and to seek to be represented,” he said. “I think she just engages people in the political system more and more.” Blake Smith, 23, a parks worker who is Black and described himself as a leftist, also backed Omar. He's concerned about climate change, Medicare for all and getting money out of politics, and he sees her as an ally.

“It's more time for radical change than like small — I don't think we have time for incremental change anymore,” Smith said.

Doug Glass contributed. Ibrahim is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.