- Germany's Oktoberfest opens under tight security after attacks
- Environmental protesters block French cruise liner port
- No place like home: Biden hosts 'Quad' leaders
- Zelensky says no UK, US go-ahead to use long-range missiles
- New Zealand edge Australia 31-28 in Bledisloe Cup thriller
- Japan orders evacuations as heavy rains trigger floods in quake-hit area
- New Zealand pilot freed in Indonesia after 19 months in rebel captivity
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli air strike kills top commanders
- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
Prince Harry, Meghan in 'near catastrophic' New York car chase
Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" involving paparazzi in New York, a spokesperson for the couple said Wednesday.
The incident happened on Tuesday night after Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, attended an awards ceremony in America's financial capital.
Meghan's mother Doria Ragland was with them in the vehicle, the spokesperson said in a statement emailed to AFP.
"Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.
"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers," the spokesperson said in a statement.
A source close to the couple said Meghan and Harry were pursued by half a dozen blacked out vehicles with "unidentified people driving recklessly and endangering the convoy and everyone around them."
"The chase could have been fatal," the source added, claiming a number of possible traffic violations including driving on the sidewalk, running red lights and reversing down a one-way street, were committed.
A spokesperson for the New York Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
Harry has long had a difficult relationship with the media.
He blames press intrusion for causing the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a car crash in a tunnel in Paris in 1997 while she was being pursued by paparazzi.
In a US television interview earlier this year he recalled seeing the final photos of his mother and realizing that the last thing she saw as she died was photographers taking pictures of her.
Harry and Meghan sensationally quit royal family duties in early 2020 and moved from Britain to the United States, in part because of intense media scrutiny.
The younger son of King Charles III has been involved in several legal cases against British newspaper publishers since moving to California.
- 'Dangerous' -
Last week the publisher of the tabloid The Mirror, which Harry accuses of unlawful information gathering, apologized "unreservedly" and said the prince was entitled to "appropriate compensation." It did not provide further details.
Harry is also pursuing claims against two other media companies, the publisher of The Sun and, separately, the publisher of the Daily Mail. Those cases will be decided later this year.
The couple's spokesperson added in the statement that "while being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety."
"Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved," it said.
Harry and Meghan had attended the Ms. Foundation for Women ceremony where Meghan received an award and were staying at a private residence.
His tell-all, best-selling memoir "Spare" broke publishing records when it came out earlier this year.
In it, and subsequent TV interviews promoting the book, Harry aired a barrage of criticism at other royals, including elder brother Prince William.
In the autobiography, he claimed William physically attacked him during an argument about Meghan, an American former TV actress and also detailed his strained relationship with his father, King Charles.
Harry attended his father's coronation earlier this month without Meghan, who remained in California with the couple's two children.
Harry was not given a formal role in the ceremony and was absent from the royal procession through central London. He also did not join other members of the royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
J.Pereira--PC