Rare glimpse into Wills' daily life

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge snapped this black-and-white image of an endangered orangutun while on her tour of Borneo with Prince William. Source: Supplied

IT seems even the Duchess of Cambridge is not above boring people with her holiday snaps.

The Duchess has published seven photographs she took while travelling with Prince William to Borneo, Malaysia as part of the Diamond Jubilee tour on her official website.

The photos offer a far less intimate look into the royal couple's holiday time together than the topless shots of the Duchess sunbathing topless in France that caused an uproar earlier this year.

The Duchess was quite taken with the natural beauty of the rainforest, with all of her holiday photos capturing the dramatic landscape, exotic plants and rare animal life she spotted on their short trip - including a photograph of a endangered orangtuan grabbing a snack in the rainforest canopy.

Kate took this picture of a tall tree towering over the canopy as they travelled by train through Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia.

The Duchess showed off a rather artsy approach to photography, with atmospheric aerial shots of Borneo's towering Mt Kinabalu and geometric images of rows of oil palm plantations, which she took as the royal couple flew overhead on the way to the Solomon Islands.

An impressed Kate is also snapped black-and-white images of some of the rainforest's tallest trees as she and William travelled by car through the Malaysian jungle.

Catherine's new happy snaps come a day after Prince William released photos that gave a rare glimpse into his daily life as a RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot in Wales.

Mt. Kinabalu, the highest point in Borneo, peaks above the clouds. This photos was taken from the Duke and Duchess' plane as they continued their Diamond Jubilee trip and headed to the Solomon Islands.

The images - which caused a brief security scare over passwords - show William fetching a cuppa, making the bed, checking his aircraft and sharing a mess meal with his crew as he completes a 24-hour on-call shift.

Security fears prompted authorities to briefly remove the images from William's website, which initially included shots of unclassified user names, passwords and computer screens. The passwords and user names were reset as a precaution and the photos were reissued.

"Due to an administrative oversight, these photographs were not properly cleared at RAF Valley and the images showed unclassified MoD user names, passwords and computer screens on a restricted system," a ministry of defence spokesman said.

A picture of palm oil trees on a plantation taken by Catherine as she flew overhead.

Two days ago a public poll saw William as the most popular member of the Windsors in recent history and today he has further endeared himself as an ordinary bloke, working for a living saving lives.

The 10 pictures show a typical day for the second in line to the throne at his work as a Sea King helicopter search and rescue pilot at his base at RAF Valley on Anglesey, north Wales.

They include shots of him planning and preparing for an emergency callout, pre-flight checks on his chopper to resting with his colleagues during "downtime" and in a mess hall.

New photographs show a side of Prince William not often seen by the public, as he goes about his daily duties as a RAF search and rescue pilot in Wales. Above, William makes himself a cuppa during a break.

William works the same 24-hour on-duty shifts as the rest of his four-man and is in an active state of readiness from 8am to 10pm and must be airborne within 15 minutes of receiving a call.

Captions on the images reveal the crew can never be more than 60 seconds away from their aircraft even during the "rare periods of downtime".

The Search and Rescue Force attend an average of 2000 callouts each year - RAF Valley typically responds to a high number, as it covers north Wales, popular for walking and climbing.

Flight Lieutenant Wales makes the bed during his shift.

Downtime includes sharing a laugh in the mess hall or playing military-themed computer games such as Call of Duty.

Prince William has often described his active service as an integral and rewarding part of his life.

"It's rewarding because every day you come in to work you don't quite know what's going to happen," he said earlier this year.

William also must sometimes undertake computer-based training. Military-themed computer games like Call of Duty are also popular with the rescue crew during their downtime.

"It's quite exciting in that sense, it's unpredictable. But at the same time, it's great that you get to go out and actually save someone's life hopefully or at least make a difference to somebody. When you know that they are in trouble, you do everything you can to get there."

The pictures have been released on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's website.

On Monday, a poll found nine out of ten people were satisfied with the way the Queen performed her job but the Duke of Cambridge was the most popular royal.

A massive 90 per cent said they were satisfied with the Queen - no Prime Minister has ever scored more than 75 per cent - but then the Ipsos MORI poll asked respondents to name the royal they liked most, 62 per cent nominated William, 48 per cent the Queen and 36 per cent Harry. Heir to the throne Prince Charles received 21 per cent. 

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Tel Aviv bus bomb hurts truce talks

Israeli police evacuate wounded people after a blast ripped through a bus near the defence ministry in Tel Aviv. Source: AFP

A BLAST has ripped through a Tel Aviv bus injuring 17 people in what Israel said was a "terrorist" attack, hampering efforts for a Gaza ceasefire.

The attack came as Hamas-controlled Gaza was rocked by new Israeli air strikes and as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN chief Ban Ki-moon shuttled between Jerusalem and Ramallah trying to secure a halt to the bloodletting.

"A bomb exploded on a bus in central Tel Aviv. This was a terrorist attack," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman Ofir Gendelman said on his official Twitter account.

Medics said 17 people were wounded, including one in moderate to serious condition while another three sustained moderate injuries.

Police said the blast took place on a street which runs just behind the Kiriya, Israel's sprawling defence ministry in central Tel Aviv.

Television images showed the bus with its windows blown out and its metal frame contorted from the force of the blast, in images reminiscent of scenes from the second Palestinian intifada (2000-2005).

The front window was completely shattered and glass littered the floor as the wounded were loaded into ambulances by an army of medics.

Just before the explosion, the UN chief had called for an immediate halt to militant rocket attacks on Israel after talks with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

A push for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire is gaining momentum even as airstrikes and rocket attacks continue.

"I reiterate my call for an immediate cessation of indiscriminate rocket attacks by Palestinian militants targeting Israeli populated centres. This is unacceptable," he told a news conference .

"Now is the time for diplomacy and stopping the violence," he said after a week of deadly Israeli air strikes on Gaza which have killed more than 130, as militants fired more than 1500 rockets over the border, killing five Israelis.

Mr Abbas had earlier held talks with Senator Clinton, with a senior official saying he had expressed hope that a truce would be announced overnight, while the US diplomat was still in the region.

"President Abbas told Clinton that Egypt was the key to everything," said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat after the 45-minute meeting.

"The secretary of state assured president Abbas that the United States has done everything possible to reach a ceasefire" in the conflict between Israel and Gaza militants, Mr Erakat said.

Senator Clinton was scheduled to visit Cairo, where Egypt is mediating indirect talks between Hamas and Israeli officials before returning to Washington.

Before her departure, Senator Clinton returned to Jerusalem for a second round of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their second meeting since her arrival yesterday.

A truce talk over cross-border violence between Israel and Gaza may now be delayed until tomorrow.

Speaking ahead of the bus blast, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said that the Jewish state still hoped for a diplomatic solution.

"The diplomatic ball is still in play. We have not given up on the hope of having a long-term solution achieved through diplomacy, I hope it's still possible," he said.

The Israeli military said that during the night it had targeted more than 100 sites across the Gaza Strip.

The army said that since midnight 16 rockets had hit southern Israel and a further 12 were intercepted midair.

Israel's offensive, launched on November 14 with the targeted killing of a Hamas military chief, has killed at least 136 Palestinians, while five Israelis, including a soldier, have been killed in rocket attacks.

A senior Hamas official said in Cairo that a key sticking point in truce talks was the timing of when Israel would begin easing its six-year blockade of Gaza.

Mr Netanyahu had told Senator Clinton yesterday that he was ready to agree to a "long-term solution" as long as the rocket attacks from Gaza stopped.

Palestinian men carry a wounded person into the al-Shifa hospital after an Israeli strike in Gaza City, on November 20. Picture: AFP

A Palestinian man carries a wounded boy into the al-Shifa hospital after in an Israeli strike in Gaza City, on November 20. Picture: AFP

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi (centre-right) and senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniya (third from left) stand next to a Palestinian boy, who according to Palestinian medics was wounded in an Israeli air strike, at a hospital in Gaza City on November 20. Picture: AFP

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Israel for talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an attempt to broker a ceasefire with Gaza.

Israelis react as they run for cover while a siren wails during a rocket attack by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip in the southern city of Ashdod on November 20. Picture: AFP

Relatives grieve Rushdi Tamimi who died of injuries sustained during clashes on Saturday with Israeli security, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on November 20. Picture: AP

Palestinians sit on the debris left after an overnight Israeli strike on the house of Hamas militant Ez Eldeen Hamdan in Bureij refugee camp, Gaza Strip, on November 20. Picture: AP

Palestinian demonstrators run through smoke rising from a burning barricade during clashes with Israeli troops after a protest against Israel's offensive in Gaza, in the West Bank town of Jenin, on November 20. Picture: AP

Palestinians children take cover in a UN-operated school in Gaza City on November 20. Picture: AP

A Palestinian woman takes cover in a UN-operated school in Gaza City on November 20. Picture: AP

Israelis react near a damaged car after a rocket launched from Gaza Strip hit the southern city of Ashdod on November 20. Picture: AFP

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Mumbai attack gunman executed

Pakistani-born gunman Mohammed Kasab seen on security footage as he walks through the Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminal railway station in Mumbai, India during the 2008 terror attack. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

THE sole surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks was executed to the relief of survivors and victims' families, nearly four years after 166 people died in the three-day rampage.

Pakistani-born Mohammed Kasab, aged 25, was hanged for his role in the assaults that targeted luxury hotels, a Jewish centre, a hospital and a bustling train station in Mumbai.

"His execution is a fitting tribute to the victims," said R.R. Patil, home minister of Maharashtra state, adding that Kasab was hanged at 7.30 am (2pm AEDT) in Pune city's Yerwada jail.

Kasab was buried inside the prison grounds and did not have any last wish or a will, the state's Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters.

Kasab was one of 10 heavily-armed Islamist gunmen who laid siege to the city in attacks that began on November 26, 2008, and lasted nearly three days - the deadliest militant onslaught on Indian soil since independence.

Activists of Bajarang dal, a Hindu rights group, distribute sweets to celebrate Mohammed Kasab's execution, in New Delhi.

He was sentenced to death in May 2010 after being found guilty of a string of charges, including waging war against India, murder and terrorist acts.

The verdict was upheld by India's Supreme Court in August and President Pranab Mukherjee rejected Kasab's pleas for mercy earlier this month.

Devika Rotwan was the youngest eyewitness in his trial, aged just 10 when a bullet hit her right leg as Kasab and a fellow gunman opened fire at south Mumbai's CST train station on the first night of the attacks.

"I am very happy that Kasab has been hanged. I had always felt and said that it should have happened earlier, but it is good," Ms Rotwan told AFP after seeing the news on television.

Mumbai Activists hang an effigy of Mohammed Kasab, who was the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, at the entrance of Chatrapati Shivaji railway Terminals (CST) during celebrations following Kasab's execution.

On the streets of Mumbai, the city's famous "dabbawallas" or lunchbox deliverers - who kept working even during the attacks - let off firecrackers in celebration over Kasab's execution.

Federal home minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters in New Delhi that the Indian government had informed its counterparts in Pakistan of Kasab's hanging.

The news surprised many in India, which has executed just one person in 15 years - a former security guard hanged in 2004 for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl.

Prisoners can often languish for years on death row but there had been a huge clamour for Kasab's execution.

Karuna, whose husband Thakur Budha Vaghelaa died in the Mumbai attacks, breaks down as she and her son Neeraj watch news of Kasab's execution in Mumbai.

"Today what has happened is a real homage to my bosses," said Arun Jadhav, a constable in Mumbai who was injured in a jeep with three senior security figures who were gunned down and killed by the militants.

Moumina Khatoon, a mother-of-four who lost her husband after the gunmen placed a bomb in his taxi, said she was glad the "monster" was dead.

India blames the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant organisation for training, equipping and financing the gunmen with support from "elements" in the Pakistani military.

Pakistan has admitted that the attacks were planned partly on its soil, but denies any official involvement. It charged seven alleged plotters behind the attacks in 2009 but has insisted more evidence is needed to convict them.

Activists of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dance as they celebrate the news of Kasab's hanging.

Kasab initially pleaded not guilty at his trial but later confessed, admitting he was one of the gunmen sent by the LeT.

In court, the prosecution produced fingerprint, DNA, eyewitness and TV footage evidence showing him opening fire and throwing grenades at Mumbai's main railway station in the bloodiest episode of the attacks.

When his trial began in 2009, Kasab at first appeared relaxed, joking or smiling at lawyers and reporters.

But he seemed increasingly sullen, withdrawn and even asleep as the trial progressed, prompting fears for his mental state. He showed no emotion in the dock when the verdict was handed down.

When his appeal hearing began in January, Kasab claimed in a statement that he was denied a fair trial.

"I may be guilty of killing people and carrying out a terrorist act but I am not guilty of waging war against the state," he said.

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Anger as China crushes millions of graves

China has been forced to stop clearing graves to make way for farmland in the face of public outrage and reports that two million graves have been destroyed. Above, a man tends to a grave during the "Quingming" annual festival honouring ancestors in Jinjiang.
Source: AFP

A CHINESE city has halted a campaign to clear graves for farmland after the demolition of more than two million tombs sparked outrage in a country where ancestors are traditionally held in deep respect.

Zhoukou in the central province of Henan demolished the graves this year as part of a "flatten graves to return farmland" campaign, the Beijing News reported.

The newspaper quoted a local official as saying the campaign had stopped, after revised regulations on funeral management removed the government's right to "use force" to "correct" the construction of graves.

Local officials were ordered to set an example by demolishing their family tombs, the 21st Century Business Herald reported.

The grave-flattening prompted an outcry on Chinese Internet sites, with thousands posting messages opposing the campaign.

"Burying the dead has always been a sign of our level of civilization, this campaign shows our country has lost its moral foundations," wrote one user of Sina Weibo, a website similar to Twitter.

The 21st Century Business Herald, however, questioned whether two million tombs were actually flattened, citing the city government as saying in September that just over 400,000 had been demolished.

China's government encourages cremation, citing a shortage of land for burials, but many in the countryside continue to construct tombs due to traditional beliefs.

Despite its efforts, the government of densely-populated Henan has only been able to achieve a rate of 50 per cent, the 21st Century Business Herald reported.

Zhoukou city officials could not be reached for comment.

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Radiation-proof robot may help Japan

Toshiba has unveiled a robot (not pictured) that the company says can withstand high radiation and help in nuclear disasters. Source: AFP

TOSHIBA has unveiled a robot that the company says can withstand high radiation and help in nuclear disasters.

But it remains unclear what exactly the new machine will be capable of doing if and when it gets the go-ahead to enter Japan's crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

The four-legged robot can climb over debris and venture into radiated areas off-limits to human workers. One significant innovation, Toshiba said, is that its wireless network can be controlled in high radiation, automatically seeking better transmission when reception becomes weak.

But the machine, which looks like an ice cooler on wobbly metal legs, also appears prone to glitches. The robot took a jerky misstep during a demonstration to reporters, freezing with one leg up in the air. It had to be lifted by several people and rebooted.

The robot was also notably slow in climbing a flight of eight steps, cautiously lifting its legs one by one, and taking about a minute to go up each step.

With obstacles that aren't as even and predictable as steps, such as the debris at the plant, it may need as much as 10 minutes to figure out how to clear the object, Toshiba acknowledged.

And if it ever falls, it will not be able to get up on its own.

Still, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it might use the robot to inspect the suppression chamber of the Fukushima plant, where a devastating meltdown took place after a mammoth tsunami slammed into northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011.

Toshiba began developing the robot after the disaster with hopes it would prove useful in helping to decommission the plant. No human has been able to enter the highly radiated chamber since the tsunami disaster.

"We need this to go in and first check what is there," said Toshiba Senior Manager Goro Yanase.

It was unclear when a decision on the robot's use would be made, according to TEPCO, which operates the nuclear plant.

Although what Toshiba showed was top-notch robotics, what the machine might be able to do appeared limited in the face of the disaster's magnitude and complexity.

Japan boasts among the world's most sophisticated robotics technology, exemplified in the walking, talking human-shaped Asimo robot from Honda. The inability of such gadgetry to help out with the Fukushima disaster was widely criticised.

Part of the reason is that robots, although suited for tasks such as greeting visitors at dealerships, are too delicate. Their wireless remote-controlled networks are not designed to endure high radiation. Honda has acknowledged Asimo would not have been able to withstand the environment at Fukushima, as some had suggested.

Toshiba's Mr Yanase said the new robot, which has a dosimeter to measure radiation and six cameras, can stay in a 100 millisievert environment for about a year and can tolerate even higher radiated areas for shorter periods. At 100 millisieverts, the rise in cancer cases caused by radiation becomes statistically detectable, although even lower dose radiation is not advisable for people.

The suppression chamber was 360 millisieverts the last time it was measured, TEPCO said.

Decommissioning Fukushima Dai-ichi is expected to take decades.

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Philip deaf to Kylie's charms

The Queen and Prince Philip arrive at the at Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety Performance. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

STRAIGHT-TALKING Prince Philip has struck again.

The 91-year-old royal consort this week accompanied the Queen, 86, to the Royal Variety Performance in London where the couple were treated to performances by artists including Kylie Minogue, Neil Diamond, One Direction and Alicia Keys.

After the event, hosted by Little Britain comedian David Walliams, Philip was asked which of the acts was his favourite.

"All of them ... but to be honest we're both stone deaf," came his reply.

During American singer Key's performance, Philip was spotted with his fingers in his ears, reported London's Evening Standard newspaper.

The Queen greets Kylie Minogue (R) after the Royal Variety Performance, alongside Neil Diamond and Rod Stewart. Picture: AFP

The move follows the Queen's use of earplugs earlier this year at a diamond jubilee concert staged in her honour in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace.

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Warplanes bomb Damascus suburbs

A man comforts his son, who has just undergone surgery for a bullet wound in his left shoulder outside a field hospital in the northwestern city of Maraat al-Numan, Syria. Source: AP

SYRIAN warplanes bombed Damascus suburbs and rebel-held areas in the country's north as the government blasted the European Union for endorsing a newly formed opposition coalition.

The raids struck several eastern suburbs of the Syrian capital and the strategic northern city of Maaret al-Numan, a key supply route linking Damascus and the commercial hub of Aleppo, said two activist groups. Both the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees also reported violence elsewhere in Syria.

The state-run news agency SANA said the army continued its pursuit of "terrorists" - a government term for rebel fighters - in the Damascus suburb of Arbeen, inflicting casualties on the enemy. The report also said that attackers targeted a mosque in Daraya suburb.

Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with an uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime, inspired by other Arab Spring revolts. The crisis has since morphed into a civil war, with scores of rebel groups across the country fighting government troops. Nearly 40,000 people have been killed in the 20 months of unrest, according to activists.

In violence late on Tuesday, a mortar round landed near a park in the upscale Abu Rummaneh neighbourhood in Damascus, wounding at least three people, the pro-government Al-Ikhbariya TV said.

A rebel prepares to fire a homemade rocket towards a Syrian air force compound on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria.

Assad's regime blames the revolt on a foreign conspiracy and accuses Saudi Arabia and Qatar, along with the United States, other Western countries and Turkey, of funding, training and arming the rebels.

Damascus also blasted the European Union for recognising the newly formed Syrian opposition coalition as a legitimate voice of the Syrian people.

State-run daily Al-Thawra newspaper, a government mouthpiece, derided the coalition formed earlier this month as a "deformed" newborn baby in a front-page editorial, saying all possible "cosmetic surgeries do not bode well for the evolution of this monster."

EU's 27 foreign ministers recognised the Syrian coalition during their monthly meeting this week.

The National Coalition of the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces was formed November 11 in Qatar under pressure from the United States for a stronger, more united opposition body to serve as a counterweight to the more extremist forces fighting Assad's regime.

The endorsement was a major step forward in the West's acceptance of the group, even as fast-moving events and fluid alliances have cast doubts on the direction of the rebellion.

The international support comes at a difficult time for the new coalition as Syria's disparate opposition groups have been long plagued by divisions and in-fighting.

A group of extremist Islamist factions in Syria on Sunday rejected the new coalition, saying in a video statement they have formed an "Islamic state" in the embattled city of Aleppo to underline that they want nothing to do with the Western-backed bloc.

For the government, the Islamists are evidence of the militant and sectarian nature of the conflict. The rebels are mostly Sunni Muslim fighting against Assad's regime which is dominated by members of his minority Alawite sect, an off-shoot of Shi'ite Islam.

Al-Thawra, the regime paper, said that meeting in Qatar failed to unite the opposition groups to "the extent that some (opposition) groups have announced the establishment of an Islamic State" in Syria.

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'I'm having girl meat for Thanksgiving'

Public Defender Julia Gatto requests bail for her client, New York City Police Officer Gilberto Valle. Source: AP

GILBERTO Valle, the alleged 'Cannibal Cop', apparently told another man on an internet chat that he wanted 'girl meat' for Thanksgiving.

The New York Post reports that Manhattan federal prosecutor Hadassa Waxman read the transcript from a February 9 internet chat in which Mr Valle said, "I'm planning on getting me some girl meat."

His alleged offsider replied, "Really? Tell me more."

Mr Valle then replied, "This November, for Thanksgiving. It's a long way off, but I'm getting the plan in motion now. She's not a volunteer. She has to be abducted. I know where she lives. I will grab her from her house."

His lawyer Julia Gatto said the comments were "sick, twisted" sexual fantasies but only fantasies.

Ms Gatto likened the "subculture" to "Star Trek geeks and science-fiction movie guys who dress up and go to conventions."

She said the website Mr Valle used has a disclaimer that says "No matter how real this sounds, this is all fantasy."

Ms Gatto also argued that outside of the chat room fantasies there is no evidence that Mr Valle intended to act out his plan and that a psychiatrist who assessed Mr Valle found that he wasn't a danger to society.

Mr Valle was denied bail and his trial is scheduled for January 22.

 

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Kiwi called 'stupid Aussie' racially abused

A New Zealander has won a racial abuse case in the UK after her neighbour called her a 'stupid, fat Australian b****', which she found insulting. Source: AP

A CZECH-BORN woman has been found guilty of racially abusing her New Zealand-born neighbour by calling her a 'stupid, far Australian."

The Daily Mail reports that the row started after New Zealander Chelsea O'Reilly called the police following a fight between her neighbour Petra Mills and her husband in Macclesfield, England.

Miss O'Reilly said: "She called me a stupid fat Australian b****. Because of my accent there can be some confusion over my nationality. She knew I was from New Zealand.

"She was trying to be offensive. I was really insulted. She said she would kill my dog. Bizarrely she then blew raspberries at me like a child."

Ms Mills said she did yell at Miss O'Reilly but that "it had nothing to do with racism."

"I did not use the word Australian. I used to live with an Australian person. She was very nice," Ms Mills said.

Judge Brian Donohue however saw things differently.

"The word Australian was used. It was racially aggravated and the main reason it was used was in hostility," he said.

She was fined 110 pounds ($168) for racially aggravated public disorder, 50 pounds to be awarded to Miss O'Reilly and 500 pounds to cover all court costs.

Ms Mills and her husband have since moved away from Macclesfield.
 

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