Meghan Markle says motherhood a 'struggle' under spotlight

LONDON - Meghan Markle has admitted becoming a mother while living under an intense media spotlight has been a "struggle."

The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to son Archie in May after marrying Prince Harry last year.

Britain's aggressive press at first welcomed Markle, 38, into the royal fold but coverage has become increasingly hostile, with the tabloids luxuriating in stories about Markle's fractured American family and rumors of palace rifts. 

Speaking to ITV during the couple's recent tour of southern Africa, she said: "Not many people have asked if I'm OK".

"Look, any woman - especially when they are pregnant - you're really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging, and then when you have a newborn - you know?" she said, when asked how she was coping.

"And especially as a woman, it's a lot. 

She added: "And also, thank you for asking because not many people have asked if I'm OK. But it's a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes."

Asked if it would be fair to say it had "really been a struggle", Meghan said: "Yes."

Her comments come after the couple launched legal action this month against British tabloid the Mail on Sunday for invasion of privacy, with Harry recalling the hounding of his later mother Diana.

Harry told ITV the memories of what happened to his mother was a "wound that festers".

"I think being part of this family, in this role, in this job... every single time I see a camera, every single time I hear a click, every single time I see a flash, it takes me straight back, so in that respect it's the worst reminder of her life, as opposed to the best," he said.

The Duke of Sussex is also suing two British tabloid newspaper publishers over alleged phone hacking.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

VIRAL: Kids steal the spotlight in daddy's TV interview

Working from home may have its perks, but things turned endearingly wrong for a professor as his toddlers suddenly decided to barge in while he was being interviewed live on a BBC news program.

Professor Robert Kelly, a political science professor at Pusan National University in South Korea, was giving an analysis about Park Geun-hye's impeachment when his children decided to check what daddy was doing.

I will be on @BBCNewsMedia / @BBCWorld in 10 minutes to talk about the Korean impeachment.

— Robert E Kelly (@Robert_E_Kelly) March 10, 2017


 "There was an unexpected distraction for Professor Robert Kelly when he was being interviewed live on BBC News about South Korea," the BBC said in its website, where the adorable clip was uploaded on Friday.

In the video, a little girl clad in a yellow sweatshirt and a baby in a walker enter the room where Kelly is speaking with a BBC news anchor, then a woman frantically chases after them in a bid to save the political expert's interview.

The woman was Kelly's wife, said a Daily Mail report.

Despite the interruption, Kelly just managed to keep his composure and completed the interview successfully, the BBC caption noted.

On his Twitter account, Kelly remarked that he hoped it would not get "weird" if the video went viral.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Lego ends Daily Mail toy giveaway after protest on migrant coverage

Danish toymaker Lego said on Saturday it would stop giving away free toys with Britain's Daily Mail, following a campaign to stop advertising in newspapers accused of discrimination in their coverage of migrants.

Lego has been criticized by Stop Funding Hate, an online campaign, for cooperating with the Daily Mail - a newspaper it accuses of portraying migrants negatively and spurring hatred before and after Britain's June referendum on EU membership.

"We have finished the agreement with the Daily Mail and are not planning any future promotional activity with the newspaper," the company wrote on Twitter in response to tweets by Stop Funding Hate.

The campaign says it "aims to tackle the culture of hate, demonisation and division that is poisoning our political discourse" and seeks support to persuade advertisers to pull their support of the Sun, Daily Mail and Daily Express newspapers.

Lego declined to specify the reason for ending its cooperation with the Daily Mail, but said in an email that it spends "a lot of time listening to what children have to say. And when parents and grandparents take the time to let us know how they feel, we always listen just as carefully."

"And we will continuously do our very best to live up to the trust and faith that people all around the world show us every day," it said.

A Daily Mail spokeswoman said: “Our agreement with Lego has finished and we have no plans around any promotional activity with Lego in the foreseeable future.”

She said their agreement had related only to a promotion and not advertising.

Lego achieved double-digit revenue growth in the United Kingdom last year. Its global sales grew by 25 percent to 35.78 billion Danish crowns ($5.2 billion) last year.

(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Additional reporting by Michael Holden in London; Editing by John Stonestreet and Dale Hudson)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Justin Bieber leaves Instagram; Selena apologizes

MANILA - Pop star Justin Bieber appeared to have deactivated his Instagram account, which has more than 77 million followers, after receiving a slew of negative comments over dating Sofia Richie, the daughter of singer Lionel Richie.

Bieber and Richie have been spotted together in recent weeks, which did not sit well with the fans of the "Sorry" hitmaker. "I'm gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don't stop the hate. This is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn't be so mean to people that I like," Bieber threatened.

The hate apparently did not stop as a visit to Bieber's Instagram page will yield an error message that reads: "Sorry, this page isn't available," which usually appears when a user either deactivates or deletes his account entirely.

Bieber's actions also comes after his former girlfriend, singer Selena Gomez decided to weigh in on the drama. "If you can't handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend lol - it should be special between you two only," she commented. "Don't be mad at your fans. They love you."

It prompted Bieber to reply: "It's funny to see people that used me for attention and still try to point the finger this way. Sad. All love."

Gomez, according to the Daily Mail, has since apologized for her comments. "What I said was selfish and pointless," she posted on her Snapchat account.

As of writing, Bieber's Twitter and Facebook page are still active.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com