The United Kingdom has been wracked by students protesting the sharp increase in university fee in recent days. But the rioting took a new turn when a car carrying Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, drove through a demonstration site and their car was attacked.
AP Photo/Matt Dunham
About 50 students broke through the police barrier and ran up to the vehicle, shouting “Off with their heads!” and “Tory scum, its your government!”
A window was broken and paint was thrown at the car.
“We can confirm that their Royal Highnesses’ car was attacked by protesters on the way to their engagement at the London Palladium this evening,” a spokesman for Prince Charles said. “Their Royal Highnesses are unharmed.”
While Charles and Camilla were visibly shocked by the attack, they remained calm. When they arrived at the Royal Variety Performance, the couple performed their duty as though nothing had happened.
The attack came after a vote in the House of Commons to approve a plan to raise the existing cap on tuition rates charged by universities from £3,000 to £9,000. That is like a nearly $10,000 increase — from roughly $4,700 to $14,000. Lawmakers approved the plan in a 323-302 vote.
The measure awaits approval by the House of Lords and a signature by Queen Elizabeth II before it becomes active.
Politicians and supporters say the tuition hike must be done in order to cut the British government’s deficit.
But others say it would keep students who cannot afford the hike out of university.
It was revealed on Wednesday that a 26 year-old unemployed man was arrested over the weekend for making an online threat to kill Japan’s Princess Aiko.
AFP/File/Kazuhiro Nogi
Kengo Inami posted the threat on a popular internet forum, saying he wanted to kill the 8 year-old “by smashing her head with a hammer.”
Inami claimed he only did so to see how others would react, and didn’t expect to be arrested.
“He forced members of the Akasaka police station to be on high alert and made it difficult for them to carry out their normal operations,” police spokesman said.
The Akasaka police keep guard around the home of Crown Prince Naruhito, Aiko’s father, in Tokyo.
Princess Aiko has made headlines before due to her missing school over anxiety because of school bullies. Her mother, Crown Princess Masako, suffers from a stress related adjustment disorder and rarely does any official duties.
Another death threat has been made against Belgium’s dowager Queen Fabiola. According to the newspaper, La Derniere Heure, it received another letter threatening to kill the Queen on National Day, July 21st, and to use a crossbow to commit the act. This threat is very similar to all the others against Fabiola.
REUTERS/Yves Herman/FILE
And just like all the other threatening letters, the author accuses the Queen of bizarre acts, such as having an affair with the late Yugoslavian leader Tito. He also accused her of poisoning her husband, the late King Baudouin.
The writer also says if she does not appear on national television to answer to her crimes, the assassination attempt will take place. In the letter, he wrote of an “apocalypse, ” saying the threat “comes from the air, that police will be grounded by a car and that acid rain will fall on the parade.”
Last year, the elderly Fabiola laughed off the death threats by waving around a green apple during a military parade on National Day.
Belgian police say they are taking these warnings very seriously and are investigating them.
It was supposed to be a moment to remember those who had died serving their country. But instead, the Netherlands’ Memorial Day ceremony turned into a moment of panic.
Thousands turned out in Dam Square in Amsterdam to see Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Crown Princess Maxima lay floral wreaths at the national monument. There was then a two minute of silence in remembrance of the troops who died during and after World War II.
During those two minutes, there was a sudden scream in the crowds and chaos insued.
The people began to run in opposite directions, with several dozen getting injured in the process. There were people being carried out of the crowds for safety.
As for the Dutch royals, they were rushed away from the scene by security guards. Crown Princess Maxima was practically shoved by her plainclothes officer. A few minutes later, Queen Beatrix returned to the monument to continue on with the service. She looked very shaken, but was encouraged to go on by Willem-Alexander. The remaining crowd applauded, and did the same after the playing of the national anthem.
Afterward, the Queen, the Crown Princely couple and Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende visited the wounded in hospitals.
According to a press conference, police said a 39 year-old man with suspected psychological problems was arrested. The man, who’s name is not yet being released, supposedly has a history of drug abuse.
Video of the incident shows few people reacting to the scream, but then a police fence fell over making a gun shot-like sound. Panic increased when another man dropped his suitcase, making those around him assume he had a bomb.
This incident comes one year after the tragedy at Queen’s Day when a man crashed his speeding car into a crowd, narrowly missing the bus carrying the royal family. Several people, including the driver, died.
Iraq Al Qaeda plotted to kill Jordan’s King Abdullah II during his trip to the country in 2008. That, according to Jordanian newspaper Al Dostour.
Salah Malkawi/Getty Images
The King was originally scheduled to visit the war torn nation in July, but cancelled for seemingly unknown reasons. Al Dostour says it was because Jordanian Intelligence learned of an assassination plot by Al Qaeda.
The Intelligence managed to track down the terrorists and had them arrested near Baghdad.
Officials in Jordan are neither confirming or denying this report.
Al Qaeda has in the past targeted King Abdullah and his wife, Queen Rania. Back in 2000, during a vacation in the Mediterranean, the terrorist group tried to blow up their yacht using explosives. But intelligences were able to prevent anything from happening.
Police in Belgium launched a new investigation this week after a Belgian newspaper and television station received letters containing death threats against dowager Queen Fabiola.
REUTERS/Yves Herman/File
The newspaper, La Demiere-heure, revealed Monday that it got a black and white postcard with the same signature from previous death threats against the Queen in May and June 2009. It also had a drawing of a coffin.
“It contained very clear threats,” La Demiere-heure editor-in-chief, Hubert Leclercq, told the AFP about the postcard.
Another letter was sent to the television channel, VTM. This letter contained threatening messages, telling Fabiola to enter a convent or be murdered.
Last year, a British national was questioned by police, but was released.
It is possible Queen Fabiola would display courage amidst these threats. During National Day in July, she held up an apple as though to mock her assassin, who said he would shoot her with an arrow on that day.
2009 saw a lot in the world of royalty. From wedding announcements and divorces, royal scandals and royal births, legal issues and attacks, this year certainly kept royals all over the world in the news.
Vote now on what was the biggest royal news story of 2009!
Being in the public eye is not always so glamorous. Just ask Sweden’s Princess Madeleine, whom on Wednesday, had a mysterious package sent to her that set off a bomb scare in New York City.
AP Photo/Bjorn Larsson Rosvall/FILE
The box arrived at New York’s World Childhood Foundation’s office in midtown Manhattan. Workers feared the package was a bomb and called the police. When a bomb squad responded, no bomb was found in the box.
However, it did contain mixed cassette tapes, underwear, wires connected to nothing, love letters and a marriage proposal to the Princess.
“The royal family does get unusual mail from time to time, but it is not common,” said Jenny Alexandersson of Aftonbladet. “There are plenty of crazy fans out there.”
Madeleine was not at the Foundation’s offices when the package arrived.
Unfortunately for the obsessed fan, the Princess announced her engagement to longtime boyfriend, Jonas Bergstrom back in August.
Police say they are investigating the case. It is not known if the person ever sent anything else to Madeleine.
Following a failed suicide attack aimed directly at him, Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef said he is more determined to fight terrorism in his country.
Reuters
The attack happened Thursday night when the suicide bomber was waiting to enter the home of Prince Mohammed for a night of Ramadan well-wishing.
The Prince, who related what happened to King Abdullah when the latter visited him in the hospital, said he knew the man was a wanted terrorist. The Prince then said the man was planning on turning himself in.
“I did not want him to be searched, but he surprised me by blowing himself up,” said Prince Mohammed.
“However, this will only increase my determination” to fight terrorism in Saudi Arabia, he added.
The Prince, who is the son of Interior Minister Prince Nayef, suffered only minor injuries. He was shown on Saudi television with two of his fingers on his left hand wrapped in bandages.
This attack has taken the crackdown on terrorism in Saudi Arabia to a whole new level, says Hussein Shobokshi, a columnist for the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, an Arabic newspaper.
“It has also created an incredible amount of sympathy for the government,” he said, adding that the response from the government was likely to be “strong, consistent and with enormous popular backing.”
This incident was the first assassination attempt on a member of the royal family in decades, and the first major terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia since 2003.
According to Al-Jazeera, Al-Qaeda is claiming responsibility for the attack on Prince Mohammed.
For the second time in two months, a Belgian newspaper has received a letter threatening to kill dowager Queen Fabiola. The letter was dated July 2nd, but since the reporter, Emmanuelle Preat, wasn’t in the office at the time, the letter is only making light now.
AP File
As with the previous death threat, the writer, who is unknown, says the Queen would be assassinated on July 21st during a military parade. But as with the previous death threat, this letter is written in poor French and is filled with bizarre accusations.
Among the allegations, the writer says Fabiola poisoned her husband, the late King Baudouin (the person even calls for an autopsy of the King), was the lover of such dictators as the Shah of Iran and General Pinochet, and claims the Queen beats children with her cane during church.
In addition, the author of the letter says Queen Fabiola would be killed by use of car bombs. Before, the person had threatened to use a crossbow.
Emmanuelle Preat has turned the letter over the authorities, who are taking the threatening letter seriously. It is expected on July 21st that Queen Fabiola would arrive in a closed car, and 100 extra more police would be in the crowds, though some would be in regular clothes to disguise themselves.
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