MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2020 06

India, Sri Lanka seek closer military ties to counter China A royal goodbye Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan to give up royal titles AFP | London

ritain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have Bagreed to give up their royal titles and public funding as part of a settlement with the Queen that lets them spend India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Saturday with recently more private time in Canada. elected Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa The historic announcement It said the two countries also from on Colombo discussed closer military and Saturday follows more than a coastguard cooperation. week of intense private talks ri Lanka and India vowed The meeting followed Ra- aimed at managing the fallout of Sto strengthen military ties japaksa’s visit to New Delhi the globetrotting couple’s shock and widen maritime links with in late November for talks resignation from front-line royal neighbouring countries after with Prime Minister Naren- duties. security talks, the president’s dra Modi, who offered $450 It means Queen Elizabeth II’s office said yesterday. million in aid to Sri Lanka af- grandson Harry and his Amer- India’s National Security ter his landslide victory in the ican TV actress wife Meghan Advisor Ajit Doval met Satur- presidential election. will stop using the titles “royal day with recently elected Sri China’s foreign minister highness” -- the same fate that Lanka President Gotabaya Ra- Wang Yi also held talks with befell his late mother Princess japaksa and discussed setting President Rajapaksa on Tues- Diana after her divorce from up a maritime coordination day during a brief transit stop Prince Charles in 1996. The royal crisis has been dubbed Megxit in honour of Britain’s painful battle over centre, Rajapaksa’s office said in Colombo. “Following many months of in a statement. “As Sri Lanka’s strategic conversations and more re - said. world. It did not give details of the partner, China will continue cent discussions, I am pleased “Make no mistake, Saturday Their treatment by London’s proposed centre, but said other to stand by Sri Lanka’s inter- that together we have found night’s statement represents hard-hitting tabloid press and nations in the region should be ests,” Rajapaksa’s office quoted a constructive and supportive the hardest Megxit possible,” their personal future -- as well included as observers. Wang as saying. way forward for my grandson newspa- as questions about longstanding and his family,” the 93-year-old per said, royal traditions -- have turned monarch said in a statement. into daily front-page news. “I recognise the challenges ‘Progressive new role’ Media reports said Harry they have experienced as a re- The Palace would not com- would probably join Meghan SpaceX sucessfully tests Crew sult of intense scrutiny over the ment on who ends up paying and Archie on the west coast of Dragon abort system last two years and support their for Harry and Meghan’s security Canada this coming week. wish for a more independent Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife detail in Canada -- an issue of ‘Abdication’ life.” Meghan will give up their official titles intense public debate. The Queen’s final ruling on It also failed to mention her grandson’s future drew im- ‘Hardest Megxit possible’ two will also repay £2.4 million whether the couple would be mediate comparisons to King Her comments referred to ($3.1 million) of taxpayer’s mon- allowed to benefit financially Edward VIII’s abdication in battles with the media that ey spent on renovating their from future royalties and fran- 1936. prompted Harry and Meghan home near chise fees. Edward married the Ameri- -- known until now as the Duke Windsor Castle. The couple are seeking to reg- can socialite Wallis Simpson the and Duchess of Sussex -- to sue Much of the British media ister the “Sussex Royal” brand following year and spent much several newspapers in October interpreted the ruling as the as a global trademark for their his remaining life abroad. over intrusions into their pri- Queen’s punishment for Harry future enterprises. “Harry is not King (he is sixth vate lives. and Meghan’s wayward ways. They two are dedicated to in line) but tonight this feels like The Queen said she was “par- The Queen “brought down environmental causes and are his and Meghan’s own abdica- ticularly proud of how Meghan the iron fist”, Sky News’ royal looking to develop their char- tion,” ITV television’s royal edi- This NASA TV video frame grab shows a SpaceX rocket as it launches to has so quickly become one of commentator Alastair Bruce itable foundation as part of a tor Chris Ship wrote on Twitter. perform an in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft, which was the family” and wished the cou- “progressive new role”. “This isn’t 1936. But it’s still unmanned for the apparently successful test ple “a happy and peaceful new The queen’s announcement pretty big.” life”. is her second on the royal crisis The BBC’s royal correspond- Washington Crew Dragon continued A separate statement attrib- since Harry and Meghan’s ef- ent Nicholas Witchell said its upward trajectory alone uted to Buckingham Palace said fective resignation on March 8. Meghan must decide whether paceX successfully tested reaching an altitude of about “the Sussexes will not use their “We have chosen to make a she intends to return and spend Sits emergency abort system 40 kilometers before begin- HRH titles as they are no longer transition this year in starting time in Britain in order to gain on an unmanned spacecraft ning its natural descent toward working members of the Royal to carve out a progressive new her UK citizenship. moments after launch Sunday, . Family”. role within this institution,” the The couple’s future tax status according to a live broadcast of Four large parachutes HRH stands for His or Her couple said at the time. also remains unclear. the event, the last major test opened to brake its descent . “We now plan to balance our “I think they are feeling their before it plans to send NASA and splashdown in the At - “As agreed in this new ar - time between the United King- way into this as much as anyone astronauts to the International lantic, where recovery teams rangement, they understand dom and North America.” else,” Witchell said. Space Station. were pre-positioned. Nine that they are required to step Meghan then jetted back to The couple will now formally The test launch began at minutes after launch, Crew back from royal duties, includ- Canada and is now their with be known as “Harry, The Duke 1030 am (1530 GMT) at the Dragon was in the water, ap- ing official military appoint- their son Archie. of Sussex” and “Meghan, The Kennedy Space Center in Flor- parently without suffering ments. They will no longer Their announcement caught Duchess of Sussex”. ida with the launch of a Falcon damage. receive public funds for royal Much of the British media interpreted the royal family by surprise The Palace statement said the 9 rocket topped by SpaceX’s Analysis of the spacecraft duties,” the statement said. the ruling as the Queen’s punishment and created a media sensation new arrangement “will take ef- new Crew Dragon spacecraft. and flight data will confirm The settlement added that the for Harry and Meghan’s wayward ways in both Britain and the wider fect in the Spring of 2020”. The rocket was programmed whether the test came off to perform as if it were launch- without a hitch, and wheth- ing the capsule into orbit. er the spacecraft is ready for One minute and 24 seconds manned missions. after launch, at an altitude of But NASA administrator China reports 17 new cases of mystery virus 19 kilometers (12 miles) over Jim Bridenstine and SpaceX the Atlantic and as the rock- founder Elon Musk said in a Beijing tral city of Wuhan -- believed et was traveling at a speed of press conference that the test to be the epicentre of the out- more than 1,500 kilometers appeared to be a complete suc- hina reported 17 new cases break -- three are described as per hour, an emergency escape cess. Cof the mysterious SARS-like “severe”. sequence was set in motion. virus on Sunday, including three The virus has now infected The spacecraft ignited its Manned flight ahead in a severe condition, heighten- 62 people in Wuhan, city au - powerful SuperDraco thrust- The favorable outcome of ing fears ahead of China’s Lunar thorities said, with eight in a ers, propelling it away from the peril-filled test is good New Year holiday when hun- severe condition, 19 cured the rocket. news for SpaceX and for NASA, dreds of millions of people move and discharged from hos - Shortly after the separation, which urgently needs to cer- around the country. pital, and the rest remain - the rocket disintegrated in a tify a vehicle to transport as- The virus -- a new strain of ing in isolation receiving t ball of fire, as planned. tronauts to the International coronavirus that humans can reatment. Space Station (ISS) this year. contract -- has caused alarm be- Two people have died so An Atlantic splashdown Since 2011, the United States cause of its connection to SARS far from the virus, including a On a manned mission, the has had to rely on Russia’s (Severe Acute Respiratory Syn- 69-year-old man who died on maneuver is designed to res- Soyuz rockets, the only ones drome), which killed nearly 650 Wednesday, with the disease cue the astronauts in the event capable of carrying astronauts people across mainland China causing pulmonary tuberculosis the rocket has a problem on to the space station once the US and Hong Kong in 2002-2003. No human-to-human transmission has been confirmed so far, but Wuhan’s and damage to multiple organ ascent or veers off course. retired its space shuttle fleet. Of the 17 new cases in the cen- health commission has previously said the possibility ‘cannot be excluded’ functions.