Prince William has spent just 13 days this year carrying out royal duties, according to the Court Circular.
The Duke of Cambridge's duties in the first 72 days of the year were compiled, according to an examination by the Press Association of the daily record of royal engagements.
These duties included two investitures on behalf of the Queen, an India-UK cultural reception, the service unveiling the Iraq and Afghanistan memorial and Heads Together events with the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
But it was his absence from Monday's Commonwealth Day festivities that has raised eyebrows.
The day included a service in which the Commonwealth Games baton set off from Buckingham Palace and is considered one of the most significant in the royal calendar.
The Queen's baton is on a 388-day relay across more than 140,000 miles and will visit every Commonwealth nation on its way to the hosts, Australia's Gold Coast next year.
Prince Harry, Prince Charles, Prince Philip and the Queen were among the royals present at the event but William, who has only attended twice previously, was in Switzerland.
William skipped his duties in favour of a skiing trip with friends in the resort of Verbier.
Graham Smith, chief executive of anti-monarchy campaigners Republic, said: "William clearly isn't that interested in taking his role seriously, and I wonder if he really wants to be king.
"The taxpayer has stumped up millions of pounds to give him a palatial London home and provide round-the-clock security - expecting him to do something for the country in return.
"If he's not interested in fulfilling his side of the bargain we should kick him out of Kensington Palace and insist he pays his own way."
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Poland says Minnesota man was Nazi unit commander
Poland is to seek the extradition of a Minnesota man suspected of being a Nazi unit commander who ordered the killing of 44 Poles during World War Two.
Prosecutor Robert Janicki said various evidence gathered in years of investigation into US citizen Michael K confirmed "100%" that he was a commander of a unit in the SS-led Ukrainian Self Defence Legion, which is accused of burning villages and killing civilians in Poland.
The man's last name was not released in line with the country's privacy laws, but he has been identified by the Associated Press as 98-year-old Michael Karkoc, from Minneapolis.
His family deny he was involved in any war crimes.
Prosecutors of the state National Remembrance Institute asked a regional court in Lublin, Poland, to issue an arrest warrant for Mr Karkoc.
If granted, Poland would seek his extradition because it does not allow trial in absentia, Mr Janicki said.
He said the man's age would be was no obstacle in seeking to bring him before justice.
"He is our suspect as of today," Mr Janicki said.
If convicted of contributing to the killing of civilians in the villages of Chlaniow and Wladyslawin in July 1944, Mr Karkoc, a retired carpenter, could face a prison term for life.
German prosecutors previously launched their own investigation into Mr Karkoc after claims he had been a former commander in the SS-led unit that had committed war crimes in Poland.
Although there was never any doubt expressed over Mr Karkoc's identity, they shelved their investigation after doctors at the geriatric hospital in the US where he was being treated provided medical evidence that led them to conclude he was not fit for trial.
Prosecutor Robert Janicki said various evidence gathered in years of investigation into US citizen Michael K confirmed "100%" that he was a commander of a unit in the SS-led Ukrainian Self Defence Legion, which is accused of burning villages and killing civilians in Poland.
The man's last name was not released in line with the country's privacy laws, but he has been identified by the Associated Press as 98-year-old Michael Karkoc, from Minneapolis.
His family deny he was involved in any war crimes.
Prosecutors of the state National Remembrance Institute asked a regional court in Lublin, Poland, to issue an arrest warrant for Mr Karkoc.
If granted, Poland would seek his extradition because it does not allow trial in absentia, Mr Janicki said.
He said the man's age would be was no obstacle in seeking to bring him before justice.
"He is our suspect as of today," Mr Janicki said.
If convicted of contributing to the killing of civilians in the villages of Chlaniow and Wladyslawin in July 1944, Mr Karkoc, a retired carpenter, could face a prison term for life.
German prosecutors previously launched their own investigation into Mr Karkoc after claims he had been a former commander in the SS-led unit that had committed war crimes in Poland.
Although there was never any doubt expressed over Mr Karkoc's identity, they shelved their investigation after doctors at the geriatric hospital in the US where he was being treated provided medical evidence that led them to conclude he was not fit for trial.
Turkey demands apology from Dutch PM as row simmers
Turkey has said the Netherlands will be forced to apologise for barring its ministers from speaking in Rotterdam, the latest twist in a spat between the two NATO allies.
Talking in a business meeting, the Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the government will give "the necessary response", but did not expand on any measures Turkey were planning.
Turkey has also summoned the Dutch envoy three times, presenting him with two formal protest notes addressed to the Dutch government.
A diplomatic feud broke out between the two countries at the weekend after Turkish ministers were banned from attending a pro-Ankara rally in Rotterdam.
Dutch authorities refused to allow Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to land in the country, and went on to expel Turkish family minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya.
Riot police also used horses, dogs and water cannon to disperse a crowd of over 1,000 protesters gathered near the Turkish consulate.
The row centres over Ankara's political campaigning abroad.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been attempting to gather support from Turkish nationals living in Europe ahead of the 16 April referendum that could give him sweeping new powers.
The first note said the treatment of Ms Kaya was a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
Demanding a "written apology from the Dutch government", Turkey also reserved the right to seek compensation.
:: Dutch election - how do you choose between 28 parties?
The second note criticised the "disproportionate" treatment by security forces against "people using their right to peacefully gather together".
Saying that the treatment of Turkish nationals was "inhumane and derogatory", Ankara demanded that those responsible be identified and punished.
The Dutch government has made no immediate response to the demands.
Mr Erdogan said the Netherlands "will pay a price" for its behaviour, adding: "Nazism is alive in the West."
Such comments have led the German government to call on Turkey to stop using Nazi comparisons in criticising the behaviour of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands has now issued a travel waning to Dutch citizens in Turkey, warning of "a high risk of terrorist attacks" across the country.
General elections, where far-right politician Geert Wilders is expected to make large gains, will take place in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Talking in a business meeting, the Turkish deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said the government will give "the necessary response", but did not expand on any measures Turkey were planning.
Turkey has also summoned the Dutch envoy three times, presenting him with two formal protest notes addressed to the Dutch government.
A diplomatic feud broke out between the two countries at the weekend after Turkish ministers were banned from attending a pro-Ankara rally in Rotterdam.
Dutch authorities refused to allow Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to land in the country, and went on to expel Turkish family minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya.
Riot police also used horses, dogs and water cannon to disperse a crowd of over 1,000 protesters gathered near the Turkish consulate.
The row centres over Ankara's political campaigning abroad.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been attempting to gather support from Turkish nationals living in Europe ahead of the 16 April referendum that could give him sweeping new powers.
The first note said the treatment of Ms Kaya was a violation of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.
Demanding a "written apology from the Dutch government", Turkey also reserved the right to seek compensation.
:: Dutch election - how do you choose between 28 parties?
The second note criticised the "disproportionate" treatment by security forces against "people using their right to peacefully gather together".
Saying that the treatment of Turkish nationals was "inhumane and derogatory", Ankara demanded that those responsible be identified and punished.
The Dutch government has made no immediate response to the demands.
Mr Erdogan said the Netherlands "will pay a price" for its behaviour, adding: "Nazism is alive in the West."
Such comments have led the German government to call on Turkey to stop using Nazi comparisons in criticising the behaviour of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands has now issued a travel waning to Dutch citizens in Turkey, warning of "a high risk of terrorist attacks" across the country.
General elections, where far-right politician Geert Wilders is expected to make large gains, will take place in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Boaty McBoatface sent on first Antarctic mission
A submersible christened Boaty McBoatface after a public vote to name a polar research ship backfired is being sent on its first Antarctic mission.
The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will investigate water flow and turbulence in the Orkney Passage, a 2.17-mile (3.5km) deep area of the Southern Ocean.
Boaty became famous last year after the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) asked members of the public to name the research vessel.
A huge majority backed a campaign for the name Boaty McBoatface - but officials rejected the winner and instead chose to name the ship after naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.
As a compromise they announced a remotely operated submersible would be named in honour of the more popular choice.
Boaty is to depart Punta Arenas in Chile on 17 March with the DynOPO (Dynamics of Orkney Passage Outflow) expedition.
The craft will travel through a cold abyssal current that forms a key part of the global circulation of ocean water.
Lead scientist Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato, from the University of Southampton, said: "The Orkney Passage is a key choke-point to the flow of abyssal waters in which we expect the mechanism linking changing winds to abyssal water warming to operate.
"We will measure how fast the streams flow, how turbulent they are, and how they respond to changes in winds over the Southern Ocean.
"Our goal is to learn enough about these convoluted processes to represent them in the models that scientists use to predict how our climate will evolve over the 21st century and beyond."
BAS oceanographer and co-investigator Dr Povl Abrahamsen said: "The DynOPO project will provide us with a unique, high-resolution dataset combining moored and moving instruments, which will help us get to the bottom of the complex physical processes occurring in this important region."
The autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) will investigate water flow and turbulence in the Orkney Passage, a 2.17-mile (3.5km) deep area of the Southern Ocean.
Boaty became famous last year after the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) asked members of the public to name the research vessel.
A huge majority backed a campaign for the name Boaty McBoatface - but officials rejected the winner and instead chose to name the ship after naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough.
As a compromise they announced a remotely operated submersible would be named in honour of the more popular choice.
Boaty is to depart Punta Arenas in Chile on 17 March with the DynOPO (Dynamics of Orkney Passage Outflow) expedition.
The craft will travel through a cold abyssal current that forms a key part of the global circulation of ocean water.
Lead scientist Professor Alberto Naveira Garabato, from the University of Southampton, said: "The Orkney Passage is a key choke-point to the flow of abyssal waters in which we expect the mechanism linking changing winds to abyssal water warming to operate.
"We will measure how fast the streams flow, how turbulent they are, and how they respond to changes in winds over the Southern Ocean.
"Our goal is to learn enough about these convoluted processes to represent them in the models that scientists use to predict how our climate will evolve over the 21st century and beyond."
BAS oceanographer and co-investigator Dr Povl Abrahamsen said: "The DynOPO project will provide us with a unique, high-resolution dataset combining moored and moving instruments, which will help us get to the bottom of the complex physical processes occurring in this important region."
Queen highlights 'cornerstones' for peace on Commonwealth Day
The Queen has highlighted respect and understanding between nations as the key to peace in her annual message to the Commonwealth.
The Queen's address to 2.4 billion citizens promotes this year's Commonwealth Day theme of "a peace-building Commonwealth".
With division over Brexit in the UK and instability around the world, the theme seeks to reaffirm the Commonwealth's charter principle that "international peace and security, sustainable economic growth and development and the rule of law are essential to the progress and prosperity of all".
The Queen's message forms part of the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey being held on Monday afternoon and attended by the monarch, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.
In the message, printed in the event's order of service, the Queen writes: "The cornerstones on which peace is founded are, quite simply, respect and understanding for one another. Working together, we build peace by defending the dignity of every individual and community.
"By upholding justice and the rule of law, and by striving for societies that are fair and offer opportunities for all, we overcome division and find reconciliation, so that the benefits of progress and prosperity may be multiplied and shared.
"As members of the Commonwealth family, we can find much to be thankful for in the inheritances we have received from those who came before us. Through consensus and co-operation, great things have been achieved."
During the service, former Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill will carry the Queen's Baton for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, escorted by Australian and UK athletes including Victoria Pendleton.
The baton will be launched on a global relay from Buckingham Palace by the Queen.
Joseph Muscat, the prime minister of Malta and chair-in-office of the Commonwealth, will give a reflection in the Abbey, and there will be performances from Australian heartthrob Cody Simpson and Maltese poet and writer Immanuel Mifsud.
Guests among the 2,000-strong congregation will include Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland, alongside high commissioners, ambassadors and dignitaries, senior politicians from across the UK and Commonwealth, faith leaders and 800 schoolchildren.
Commonwealth Day will begin with the Band of the Coldstream Guards and the Commonwealth Youth Choir debuting a piece of music composed to mark the 65th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne.
The performance will take place during a flag raising ceremony at Horse Guards Parade to mark the start of celebrations worldwide.
Later this evening, Charles and Camilla will be guests of the Secretary-General at a reception at Marlborough House, the home of the Commonwealth's civil service.
The Queen's address to 2.4 billion citizens promotes this year's Commonwealth Day theme of "a peace-building Commonwealth".
With division over Brexit in the UK and instability around the world, the theme seeks to reaffirm the Commonwealth's charter principle that "international peace and security, sustainable economic growth and development and the rule of law are essential to the progress and prosperity of all".
The Queen's message forms part of the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey being held on Monday afternoon and attended by the monarch, Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, Duke of York and the Earl of Wessex.
In the message, printed in the event's order of service, the Queen writes: "The cornerstones on which peace is founded are, quite simply, respect and understanding for one another. Working together, we build peace by defending the dignity of every individual and community.
"By upholding justice and the rule of law, and by striving for societies that are fair and offer opportunities for all, we overcome division and find reconciliation, so that the benefits of progress and prosperity may be multiplied and shared.
"As members of the Commonwealth family, we can find much to be thankful for in the inheritances we have received from those who came before us. Through consensus and co-operation, great things have been achieved."
During the service, former Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill will carry the Queen's Baton for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, escorted by Australian and UK athletes including Victoria Pendleton.
The baton will be launched on a global relay from Buckingham Palace by the Queen.
Joseph Muscat, the prime minister of Malta and chair-in-office of the Commonwealth, will give a reflection in the Abbey, and there will be performances from Australian heartthrob Cody Simpson and Maltese poet and writer Immanuel Mifsud.
Guests among the 2,000-strong congregation will include Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland, alongside high commissioners, ambassadors and dignitaries, senior politicians from across the UK and Commonwealth, faith leaders and 800 schoolchildren.
Commonwealth Day will begin with the Band of the Coldstream Guards and the Commonwealth Youth Choir debuting a piece of music composed to mark the 65th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne.
The performance will take place during a flag raising ceremony at Horse Guards Parade to mark the start of celebrations worldwide.
Later this evening, Charles and Camilla will be guests of the Secretary-General at a reception at Marlborough House, the home of the Commonwealth's civil service.
Kim Kardashian West begged Paris robbers: 'Let me live'
Kim Kardashian West has revealed she begged with her Paris robbers to spare her life.
Kardashian was robbed of around €10m (£7m) worth of jewellery when a gang of masked men burst into her luxury apartment during Paris Fashion Week.
The robbers, wearing ski masks and dressed as police, broke into the building, near the historic Madeleine Church in the 8th arrondissement, at around 3am on 3 October.
They held a gun to her head before tying her up and locking her in the bathroom.
In a preview of the new series of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the 36-year-old describes the moment she was attacked, saying through tears that she pleaded "let me live" to the gang.
Your turn west coast!! #KUWTK season 13 premieres in 15 minutes!! pic.twitter.com/1rY8Z23IjU— Kris Jenner (@KrisJenner) March 13, 2017
"They had the gun up to me and I knew they were just going to shoot me in the head," she said.
"Then he duct-tapes my face.
"Please I have a family. Let me live."
In another preview, Kardashian West said the robbers demanded money but she told them: "I don't have any money."
"They dragged me out on to the hallway on top of the stairs," she went on.
"That's when I saw the gun, like clear as day.
"I was kind of looking at the gun, looking down back at the stairs."
I love this opening #KUWTK season 13 starts now!— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 13, 2017
Kardashian West is also shown telling her sisters Khloe and Kourtney that she had a "split second" to decide whether to try to escape.
"Am I going to run down the stairs and either be shot in the back? It makes me so upset to think about it," she said.
"Either they're going to shoot me in the back, or if I make it and they don't, if the elevator does not open in time, or the stairs are locked, then like I'm f*****.
"There's no way out."
At the time, French police said she had made herself a target by flaunting her lavish lifestyle on social media.
Days before the raid, Kardashian West posted a photograph of a huge diamond ring on her left hand captioned with three diamond emojis.
The moment the reality TV star learned that her rapper husband, Kanye West, had been admitted to hospital with exhaustion, also features in the upcoming show.
West, 39, was taken to the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at the University of California in November and the remaining dates on his world tour were abruptly cancelled.
Season 13 of Keeping Up With The Kardashian begins in the UK on E! on 19 March.
Kardashian was robbed of around €10m (£7m) worth of jewellery when a gang of masked men burst into her luxury apartment during Paris Fashion Week.
The robbers, wearing ski masks and dressed as police, broke into the building, near the historic Madeleine Church in the 8th arrondissement, at around 3am on 3 October.
They held a gun to her head before tying her up and locking her in the bathroom.
In a preview of the new series of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the 36-year-old describes the moment she was attacked, saying through tears that she pleaded "let me live" to the gang.
Your turn west coast!! #KUWTK season 13 premieres in 15 minutes!! pic.twitter.com/1rY8Z23IjU— Kris Jenner (@KrisJenner) March 13, 2017
"They had the gun up to me and I knew they were just going to shoot me in the head," she said.
"Then he duct-tapes my face.
"Please I have a family. Let me live."
In another preview, Kardashian West said the robbers demanded money but she told them: "I don't have any money."
"They dragged me out on to the hallway on top of the stairs," she went on.
"That's when I saw the gun, like clear as day.
"I was kind of looking at the gun, looking down back at the stairs."
I love this opening #KUWTK season 13 starts now!— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 13, 2017
Kardashian West is also shown telling her sisters Khloe and Kourtney that she had a "split second" to decide whether to try to escape.
"Am I going to run down the stairs and either be shot in the back? It makes me so upset to think about it," she said.
"Either they're going to shoot me in the back, or if I make it and they don't, if the elevator does not open in time, or the stairs are locked, then like I'm f*****.
"There's no way out."
At the time, French police said she had made herself a target by flaunting her lavish lifestyle on social media.
Days before the raid, Kardashian West posted a photograph of a huge diamond ring on her left hand captioned with three diamond emojis.
The moment the reality TV star learned that her rapper husband, Kanye West, had been admitted to hospital with exhaustion, also features in the upcoming show.
West, 39, was taken to the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at the University of California in November and the remaining dates on his world tour were abruptly cancelled.
Season 13 of Keeping Up With The Kardashian begins in the UK on E! on 19 March.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Dutch PM wants apology for Turkish leader Erdogan's 'Nazi' claim
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has demanded an apology after Turkey's president compared his country's behaviour to "Nazism".
Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to retaliate after two of his ministers were prevented from holding rallies for some of the 400,000 Turks living in the Netherlands.
Mr Erdogan is looking to gain support from them and other Turks in Europe ahead of the 16 April referendum that could give him sweeping new powers, a response to last year's attempted coup.
But the Dutch authorities view the referendum as a step away from democracy and have told Ankara to keep its ministers away.
Turkish family affairs minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was prevented from speaking at a rally in Rotterdam, and The Hague refused to allow a plane carrying foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to land ahead of a planned rally.
Mr Erdogan was speaking at a ceremony in Istanbul on Sunday when he said: "Hey Holland! If you are sacrificing Turkish-Dutch relations for the sake of the elections on Wednesday, you will pay a price."
He had said on Saturday that the Dutch behaviour over the Turkish visits was "Nazism" and "fascism", adding that the Dutch "will pay the price of treating my citizens, my foreign minister... in an impudent way".
And he said the Netherlands was acting like a "banana republic".
Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to retaliate after two of his ministers were prevented from holding rallies for some of the 400,000 Turks living in the Netherlands.
Mr Erdogan is looking to gain support from them and other Turks in Europe ahead of the 16 April referendum that could give him sweeping new powers, a response to last year's attempted coup.
But the Dutch authorities view the referendum as a step away from democracy and have told Ankara to keep its ministers away.
Turkish family affairs minister Fatma Betul Sayan Kaya was prevented from speaking at a rally in Rotterdam, and The Hague refused to allow a plane carrying foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to land ahead of a planned rally.
Mr Erdogan was speaking at a ceremony in Istanbul on Sunday when he said: "Hey Holland! If you are sacrificing Turkish-Dutch relations for the sake of the elections on Wednesday, you will pay a price."
He had said on Saturday that the Dutch behaviour over the Turkish visits was "Nazism" and "fascism", adding that the Dutch "will pay the price of treating my citizens, my foreign minister... in an impudent way".
And he said the Netherlands was acting like a "banana republic".
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