اليمنيون يتوقعون فوز منتخبهم بخليجي 20

الجماهير اليمنية تشكل مساندة قوية لفريقها في بطولة الخليج

دبي – mbc.net

رغم المشاركات المتواضعة في النسخ السابقة من بطولة كأس الخليج لكرة القدم، وعدم تحقيق المنتخب اليمني لأي فوز في البطولة منذ أن بدأ يشارك فيها اعتبارا من الدورة السادسة عشرة، إلا أن هذا لم يمنع مشجعي الكرة في اليمن وبعض الخبراء فيها من إطلاق العنان لأحلامهم وتوقع فوز المنتخب اليمني بالبطولة أو على الأقل المنافسة الجادة عليها، فيما يبدو أنه تأثر بمسيرة البطولة في سنواتها الأخيرة؛ حيث اعتاد المنتخب المضيف الفوز باللقب منذ خليجي 17 في قطر، ثم نجاح الإمارات وعمان في تحقيق لقبهما الأول في بطولتي خليجي 18 و 19 اللتين استضافتهما البلدين على التوالي.

وصوّت قراء موقع شبكة "آب" الإخبارية اليمنية على الإنترنت لصالح فوز منتخبهم بالبطولة بنسبة كبيرة عن المنتخب السعودي صاحب المركز الثاني، حيث ذكر 159 مصوتا في الاستفتاء أن اليمن سيفوز بخليجي 20 بنسبة 53 في المائة من الأصوات، بينما حصل المنتخب السعودي على 74 صوتا فقط بنسبة 24 في المائة، وجاء المنتخب العراقي في المركز الثالث بستة عشر صوتا يمثلون 5 في المائة من إجمالي المصوتين، وتلاه المنتخب الكويتي بثلاثة عشر صوتا تعادل 4 في المائة، ثم المنتخب القطري بأحد عشر صوتا (3 في المائة).

الغريب أن المنتخب العماني حامل اللقب لم يحصل سوى على عشرة أصوات فقط تمثل 3 في المائة من إجمالي المصوتين، لكن موقفه كان أفضل من نظيريه الإماراتي والبحريني حيث حصل الأول على ثمانية أصوات (3 في المائة) والثاني على ستة أصوات فقط لا غير (3 في المائة) ليتذيل ترتيب الفرق المرشحة لتحقيق اللقب.

التوقعات المتفائلة لم تقف عند حدود الجمهور الرياضي فقط؛ وإنما انتقلت إلى بعض الخبراء أيضا حيث توقع المدرب اليمني عبد الله أحمد باعامر أن يقدم المنتخب الوطني مستوى فنيا وبدنيا جيدا في كأس الخليج مغايراً عن المشاركة اليمنية في البطولات الخليجية السابقة.

وقال باعامر في حديث بمنتدى شبام حضرموت الثقافي "إن هناك أكثر من سبب يجعلنا نتفاءل بأن يقدم منتخبنا الوطني أداء طيباً يشرف الكرة اليمنية؛ أهمها الاستعدادات الجادة التي خاضها المنتخب بقيادة مدربه الجديد الكرواتي يوري ستريشكو التي ظهرت بصماته واضحة على أداء المنتخب في مباريات التجريبية الدولية الودية أو الرسمية.

وتوقع باعامر أن ينافس المنتخب اليمني على البطولة، خاصة أنه سيحظى بدعم جماهيري غير مسبوق من عشاق الساحرة المستديرة في اليمن، مما قد يسهم في رفع معنويات وحماس اللاعبين لتقديم المستوى الأفضل وإسعاد جماهيرهم العريضة.

في المقابل لم يقدم الكرواتي ستريشكو مدرب المنتخب اليمني أي وعود لمناصري الفريق بإمكانية تحقيق اللقب، لكنه أكد أن الجهاز الفني والإداري واللاعبين سيبذلون قصارى جهدهم وإمكانياتهم لرسم السعادة والبسمة على قلوبهم.

وتوقع المدرب أن يقدم المنتخب خلال مبارياته في خليجي 20 أداء إيجابيا ويحقق نتائج طيبة، لافتا إلى ضرورة استغلال عاملي الأرض والجمهور لدورهما الإيجابي في رفع معنويات اللاعبين وتحفيزهم ودفعهم لتقديم مستوى أفضل ومشرف في بطولة خليجي 20.

...تابع القراءة

Amr Khaled's moderate thought fights Al-Qaeda's extremist ideology in Yemen

Egyptian preacher embarks on battle to win hearts and minds of Yemeni extremists with his intermediacy, moderation.

Middle East Online

Moderation versus extremism: who will prevail? LONDON - The Right Start Foundation and the Chairman of its board of trustees, Amr Khaled, have launched the ultimate struggle to win over the Yemeni public's hearts and minds, in a battle to favor Islam's intermediacy and moderation. They have started a monumental project that confronts extremist ideology in Yemen. The struggle will be waged across three fields. The field of media and information includes a group of icons who represent Islamic preaching will accompany Khaled to Yemen, and will start an extended media campaign aided by the Yemeni Ministry of Information. The campaign will be propagated through all of Yemen's media outlets, forums, websites, mosque pulpits and television channels. This media campaign will be led by Khaled and a group of preachers who call for intermediacy. In it, they will rebuff Al-Qaeda's ideology and direct the Yemeni people to the ideas of temperance and moderation. The field of youth leaders is a project that will achieve public presence through youth leaders from all the cities of Yemen, who are to be trained under the supervision of Khaled and his foundation. Thus, the campaign will have delegates confronting extremism in every city and governorate in Yemen. The field of preachers is a campaign will select 100 renowned preachers and scholars who enjoy public approval, and train them under the supervision of Khaled and the International Right Start Foundation, aided by the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf). They will be trained to broadcast the true Islamic thoughts that counter the thoughts of extremist ideology, and will be allowed access to media outlets and Friday sermons, thus empowering the circulation of the true Islamic ideas that defy extremism. The first round of this battle will start on the 23rd of November (in progress), and will continue for 15 days. This struggle has four main missions. The project will be initiated on the 24th of November (in progress) in the city of Aden, and in the presence of the President of the Republic of Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh. An international press conference will be held on the same day in Aden. The actual training will start on the 25th of November in San'aa following another international press conference. The agenda for the 10 days following the 23rd of November (in progress) will be: • Interviews on Yemeni television and newspapers to confront extremist ideology. • Meeting with the Yemeni army and Yemeni army leaders. • Meeting with Yemeni preachers and scholars to spread correct thought, and conduct agreement over the concepts of true Islamic thought. • Conducting courses that train hundreds of youth leaders on how to establish youth projects that confront extremism. • Conducting courses for a selection of 100 moderate Yemeni preachers. The courses are intended to grant them proficiency in the various axes needed to confront extremist ideology in Friday sermons and mosques. • Interviews with some penitent extremists who have re-accepted moderate ideology. • Public conventions for Yemeni youth who are ready to confront extremist ideology in the city of Al-Mikla in Southern Yemen. This battle aims to establish a public movement that is self-assembled by Yemeni youth to confront extremism. Violence does not succeed in confronting violence, and governments alone will not succeed in confronting it. However, the country's youth are the most able to move strongly in managing this confrontation. Khaled and his Right Start International Foundation have a long experience in confronting intellectual and behavioral deviations of Arab youth. Thus, with their ample abilities to gather and direct Arab youth, they will be capable, God willing, of managing this project so that the great land of Yemen regains its bright moderate image. The Right Start International Foundation calls upon international and Arab newspapers and media outlets to join and record this major event, as it plays its role in the battle for moderation and uprooting extremism from the land of Yemen.

...تابع القراءة

Lawmakers seek enhanced security for air cargo

That was the grim possibility lawmakers dealt with today at a hearing of the Senate's Committee on Homeland Security, as they took up the task of ensuring that America's air cargo remained safe.

"Security of the air cargo supply chain is critical, and we are developing security enhancements in close coordination with industry because we understand the value of air cargo to our country's economy," Alan Bersin, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told the Senate committee.

"TSA continues its efforts toward ensuring screening of 100 percent of cargo on inbound international passenger flights, and is working with DHS, our international partners, and the private sector to improve cargo screening on all-cargo aircraft," said John Pistole, administrator of the Transportation Security Administration.

البريد الإلكتروني طباعة
حجم النص :
سهم
التقييم :
Both CBP and TSA are agencies of the Department of Homeland Security.

On Oct. 28, acting on a tip from Saudi Arabian intelligence, authorities discovered two packages containing the explosive PETN onboard two cargo planes, originating in Yemen. The packages were addressed to synagogues in Chicago.

One package was intercepted at East Midlands Airport in England, taken from a UPS cargo plane, while the other package was taken from a FedEx plane in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The bombs were packed into toner cartridges for computer printers. U.S. authorities said the plot appeared to originate with Al Qaeda in Yemen.

PETN was also the explosive sewn into the garments of a Nigerian terrorist who attempted to blow up a plane last Christmas over Detroit. That plot was also traced to Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen.

The discovery of the deadly packages triggered a terrorist scare that caused the searching of cargo planes and facilities throughout the world. several nations, including the U.S., stopped shipments from Yemen.

As Pistole and Bersin explained to the Senate panel, the administration took immediate steps in the wake of the incidents to enhance security regarding air cargo shipments.

In addition to stopping shipments from Yemen, DHS sent Pistole and a team of TSA inspectors to Yemen to help that government enhance Yemen's security procedures.

Late last week, TSA directed industry carriers to begin implementing additional precautionary security measures for international flights inbound to the United States. Specifically, the ban on air cargo from Yemen continued and was extended to all air cargo from Somalia as well. In addition, no high risk cargo was allowed on passenger aircraft. Toner and ink cartridges over 16 ounces are now prohibited on passenger aircraft in both carry-on bags and checked bags on domestic and international flights in-bound to the United States. The ban also applies to certain inbound international air cargo shipments, DHS officials said.

All cargo identified as high risk will now go through additional and enhanced screening. These measures also impact inbound international mail packages, which must be screened individually and certified to have come from an established postal shipper, officials said.

"The Administration is also working closely with industry and our international partners to expedite the receipt of cargo manifests for international flights to the United States prior to departure in order to identify and screen items based on risk and current intelligence," Pistole said.

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-MS, who chairs the House Committee on Homeland Security, and committee member U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-TX, yesterday sent a letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano with their concerns and recommendations regarding the issue.

"Questions remain about the security of U.S.-bound cargo originating in foreign countries," the Congress Members wrote. "It is this threat vector - cargo on in-bound all-cargo and passenger aircraft - that is of great concern."

Thompson and Jackson-Lee urged Napolitano to establish air cargo security working groups with members of the air cargo and air passenger industries to ensure security measures were up to date.

"It is unclear how TSA can effectively address the evolving nature of the terrorist threat without consistent and institutionalized input from critical industry stakeholders that are on the front lines of aviation security," the lawmakers said.

Industry members also had advice for lawmakers and the administration.

"Airforwarders and others in the air cargo industry are 100 percent committed to safety and security, but that is the only instance when a percentage is appropriate in any discussion of cargo security," said Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association. "We urge Congress to reject additional calls for 100 percent screening of inbound cargo. Instead, policymakers should enact a risk-based system for global air cargo security, as recommended by the supply chain and our international partners."

The Airforwarders Associationpresented a set of recommendations for consideration by Congress, including:

improving inter-agency cooperation: TSA and CBP are finally collaborating on practices and policies to better streamline the international cargo security system. This must be expanded in both scope and substance, and should also include the Department of State and Department of Commerce.
including intelligence and supply chain solutions: Airport screening should not be considered a first line of defense but instead an effective complement to solutions like TSA's Certified Cargo Screening Program and freight targeting from cargo manifests, already in place for domestic cargo. These should be expanded to the all-cargo universe.
investing in additional methods and technologies for screening: Funds for developing technologies for screening, and reviewing existing technology and procedures should be allocated immediately. The EU and other foreign carriers are using pallet screening technologies that the TSA has deemed inadequate -- streamlining certification for these machines is an imperative first step in harmonization.
encouraging inter-industry cooperation and information sharing: For too long, those in the supply chain have been divided by their differences. CCSP brought shippers, passenger carriers and forwarders together and created solutions. The current effort must include all members of the international air cargo supply chain.
"We support the data sharing and dissemination recommendations outlined by TSA and CBP in their testimony today, and have already begun working with the agencies to best implement them," said Fried. "The air freight forwarding industry has worked tirelessly to achieve new screening mandates and has been instrumental in implementing effective security programs for domestic cargo. Our cargo security has never been higher due to these efforts. We will continue to work closely with industry partners and the government to improve security."

...تابع القراءة

International Partnership For Yemen Reports On Critical Press Freedom Situation

A coalition of international press freedom and human rights organisations have called on the government of Yemen "to end the practice of extrajudicial trials for journalists" following a hearing for Saba news agency reporter Abdul Ilah Hayder Shae, who is being held in military detention for his work covering Al-Qaeda.

Representatives from the International Partnership for Yemen, who attended Mr Shae’s latest hearing before the Specialised Criminal Court on 9 November during a week-long mission to Yemen, called on President Ali Abdullah Saleh “to immediately release Abdul Ilah Hayder Shae and all other journalists being held in detention for carrying out their profession.” Mr Shae has denounced the extrajudicial court hearing his case as unconstitutional. Mr Shae’s case is the latest example of the Yemeni authorities’ willingness to silence journalists and stifle press freedom in the country. The mission has also warned that international concerns over Yemen’s troubled security situation, and the subsequent increased security measures employed by the government, do not justify the repression of press freedom and other fundamental human rights. The International Partnership for Yemen, a coalition including ARTICLE 19, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Media Support (IMS), and The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), was in Yemen last week to assess the challenges facing media in the country. The delegation, which met with journalists, editors and publishers, syndicate representatives, human rights lawyers, local non-governmental organisations, media experts, members of parliament, diplomatic representations and government authorities, will release a report detailing the major challenges facing the media in the country. Recommendations on how to strengthen the media sector and ensure its long-term development will be put forward to both the Yemeni government and the international community. The government has proposed a new Press and Publications Law that has raised serious concerns from journalists, legal professionals and non-governmental organisations due to the punitive measures it contains. Despite calls for amendments, as well as the submission of two alternative drafts by media groups and civil society organisations, it appears that the government is seeking the legal framework to legitimise its continued clampdown on press freedom. “There is an urgent need for the government to comply with its international obligations on respecting the right to freedom of expression in Yemen,” said Cynthia Cardenas, Legal Advisor for ARTICLE 19 .“The current provisions allowing the government to punish media professionals have provoked self-censorship as a common practice and this is directly affecting the quality and quantity of information provided to the public.” The coalition noted that self-censorship is rife amongst the official press, opposition and independent media. Journalists rarely report on the issues that are shaping both Yemen’s internal development and its international image - Al-Qaeda, the Southern Movement, the conflict with Houthi rebels in the north, corruption, the rule of President Saleh himself, and the role of tribalism, which affects all aspects of Yemeni society. This situation is further weakened by the overall lack of media development in Yemen. Serious deficiencies in professional standards and media ethics have led to partisan reporting and editorial irresponsibility. “Free and independent journalism is the vehicle for Yemeni stability and development,” said Monir Zaarour, IFJ Middle East and Arab World Coordinator. “There is an urgent need to create the necessary environment for professional and ethical reporting; improved working conditions for journalists and access to professional training are the first steps.” The absence of a strong independent press has created a vacuum that has been filled by official government, opposition, and poor-quality titles. The few quality independent publications face strict licensing regulations, a limited number of printing presses and distribution networks, and a politicised advertising market. One of the few titles to have successfully challenged this reality on a national scale, Al Ayyam, has remained closed since May 2009 following an open confrontation with the government. “The independent press in Yemen needs strengthening from every perspective,” said Mohamed Messaoudi, WAN-IFRA delegate and Co-founder of Algerian daily El Watan. “The seeds of an active and engaged independent press are very much present, but the political and economic conditions required are far from being realised.” Antti Kuusi, IMS Country Coordinator for Yemen, said: “The media in Yemen is currently undergoing a period of great change and the international community should urgently assist the country in creating a free and diversified media.” For more information, contact: ARTICLE 19 Legal Advisor, Cynthia Cardenas:cynthiac@article19.org. IFJ Middle East and North Africa Coordinator, Monir Zaarour:monir.zaarour@ifj.org IMS Country Coordinator for Yemen, Antti Kuusi: ak@i-m-s.dk WAN-IFRA Press Freedom Missions Coordinator, Rodrigo Bonilla: rbonilla@wan.asso.fr. For more about the coalition partners, go to:www.article19.org www.ifj.org www.i-m-s.dk www.wan-ifra.org

...تابع القراءة

Emergency aid to Pakistan, Yemen and Dadaab

لتقديم مساعدات عاجلة إلى اليمن وباكستان وداداب

المصدر : المجلس الدانمركي للاجئين (جمهورية الكونغو الديمقراطية)

التاريخ : 16 نوفمبر 2010

16.11.10

الفئة : أعمال الإغاثة

أعطى جمع المجلس الدانمركي للاجئين الوطني الأحد 14 تشرين الثاني / نوفمبر ما مجموعه 2000000 €. ومن المحتم أن الجزء الأول من الاموال لجهود جمهورية الكونغو الديمقراطية في باكستان.

"نحن ممتنون أن الدنمركيين 13000 ساعدتنا جمع أموال للمساعدات الطارئة للاجئين" ، وقال الأمين العام جمهورية الكونغو الديمقراطية اندرياس كام. "المال تمكن المجلس الدانمركي للاجئين على الاستجابة بسرعة لحالات الطوارئ ومساعدة اللاجئين في المناطق الساخنة الإنسانية في جميع أنحاء العالم -- ويتم ذلك من خلال صندوق الإغاثة الخاصة لدينا"

في غضون الأسبوع المقبل سيكون المجلس الدانمركي للاجئين إرسال جزء من الأموال التي تم جمعها لشمال غرب باكستان. انتقل ردا على الفيضانات الغزيرة في أجزاء كبيرة من البلاد هذا الصيف في جمهورية الكونغو الديمقراطية لمساعدة اللاجئين الأفغان والباكستانيين المحلية.

خلال الشهر المقبل سيقوم البرنامج جمهورية الكونغو الديمقراطية في اليمن تتلقى تمويلا جديدا من مجموعة وطنية وكذلك -- محور هذه العملية هو مساعدة آلاف النازحين في شمال اليمن ، أن فروا من ديارهم بسبب الصراع الداخلي في البلاد.

ومطلع العام المقبل في جمهورية الكونغو الديمقراطية يزيد عمليات الطوارئ في مخيم في العالم أكبر مجموعة من اللاجئين ، داداب في كينيا ، مع المال من مجموعة وطنية. المخيم هي موطن لحوالي 300000 لاجئ فروا من القتال في الصومال.

...تابع القراءة

Prince William To Wed Kate Middleton In Biggest Royal Event Since Diana

It was officially announced this morning that Prince William and Kate Middleton are engaged and will marry in 2011. You could almost feel the sigh of relief from this side of the pond.

Image by AFP/Getty Images via @daylife

In a thoroughly 21st century twist, the engagement was simultaneously announced on the British Monarchy’s Facebook page and Twitter feed. (Queen Elizabeth just joined FB earlier this month. Coincidence?)

William and Kate, both 28, were engaged in October while they were vacationing at a Kenyan game reserve, and the wedding will take place in the spring or summer. According to the Daily Mail, bookies have made August 13th and Westminster Abbey early favorites for the wedding date and venue. HRH Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer, William’s parents, were wed at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in 1981.


Image by AFP/Getty Images via @daylife
(Update 13:30: Middleton debuted her engagement ring today. It’s the same ring as Diana wore, cost £30,000 at the time and is made from 14 diamonds encircling a sapphire.)

Everyone is “absolutely delighted” (Queen and Duke of Edinburgh), “thrilled” (Earl Spencer, William’s uncle and the brother of Diana) and “incredibly excited” (Prime Minister David Cameron).

The focus, of course, is on Kate. Or should I say the former “Waity Katy” and the future “People’s Princess or Queen-In-Waiting?” The former because she hung in for eight years in a long, slow and steady courtship and the latter, well, the comparisons to Diana, who died in 1997, are obvious. More on that.

The pair first met in 2001 while attending St. Andrews University, eventually sharing a house with friends. William entered the military, graduating as an officer at Sandhurst in 2006, while Kate has never really had a job.

The jeers have always been audible amid the tepid acknowledgment that it’s really hard to work with all those paparazzi following her every step since Day One. Or March 2002, when we were first introduced to Kate when William paid £200 to watch her model a sheer black lace dress in a fashion show. (Not a job–it went to charity!)

Kate is both a professional and romantic blank slate. Let’s face it; she’s been dating William since she was 20 and, as the Montreal Gazette points out, has “no history of posting titillating status updates or blurry pics from the latest party.” She has been the essence of discretion–which in this day may be more valuable than royal blood. Kate will be the U.K.’s first middle class queen-in-waiting.

“We have a lot to learn about our future Queen,” Robert Finch, Dominion chairman of The Monarchist League of Canada, told the Gazette. “Part of the interest and excitement surrounding Miss Middleton is the mystery, quite frankly.”

Princess Diana was a mystery too. Which is just the beginning of the comparisons. Both are natural beauties and fresh spirits. They dress well and like to wear hats. Kate comes to the engagement as far more confident and poised than Shy Di. Of course, Diana was just 19 when she became betrothed to an obviously reluctant Charles, while Kate is nine years her relative senior. And William appears smitten with her.

For example, according to the Daily Telegraph, when one friend once remarked she was lucky to be with William, Kate reportedly quipped: ”He’s lucky to be going out with me.” In contrast, in the early days of Diana’s relationship with Charles, she said: ”If I am lucky enough to be the Princess of Wales….”

In the royal fantasy, Diana weds Charles in a storybook wedding and made-for-Disney marriage. We all know how that ended–which is not to discount Diana’s very important charity work with HIV/AIDS and landmines. But it’s also the Kate-William fantasy. What this couple needs is the exact opposite.

Here’s a start: The couple will live in North Wales. Prince William will continue to serve with the Royal Air Force. Kate needs to shed the “Waity Katy” moniker once and for all and find something to do–fast.

...تابع القراءة

Prince William's Engagement Sets Off a Media Frenzy

NEW YORK (CBS) If the media frenzy that followed today's announcement of the engagement of Britain's Prince William to his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton is any indication, their wedding next year will be the most watched event in all of history.

Members of the media work on the story of Britain's Prince William engagement, across the street from Buckingham Palace in central London, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010.

"Today's news will be greeted with huge interest and excitement and we very much hope we will be able to broadcast the service to the U.K. and the world," a BBC spokesman told The Hollywood Reporter. "If that is the case, there is no doubt the wedding will be enjoyed by one of the biggest audiences in history."

The TV audience for the wedding of William's parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, came close to 1 billion and the prince's 2011 wedding is expected to vastly exceed that.

Already, media had been gathering in London to cover the engagement. Eriica Hill will anchor "The Early Show" for CBS from outside Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, Nov. 17. She plans to cover all aspects of the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton, including public reaction to the announcement and the history of royal weddings. Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez will co-anchor the broadcast from New York.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the surprise announcement had networks around the globe ripping up their schedules and dispatching staff to Britain. In the U.K., Sky News and the BBC had camera crews outside the Middleton family home in the Bucklebury suburbs.

The crush of reporters outside Clarence House, the residence of Prince Charles, and St. James Palace, the London base of Prince William and Prince Harry, required police to set up barriers. Both the BBC and Sky news are planning primetime programs on the engagement tonight.

More on the royal engagement:

...تابع القراءة

Prince William to marry Kate Middleton next year

Reuters

Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton enter the room to pose for a photograph in St. James's Palace, central London.

Prince William finally became engaged to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton, giving her his late mother's engagement ring and Britain the prospect of its biggest royal wedding since Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer almost 30 years ago.

» Click here to see interactive timeline

Royal officials announced overnight that William will marry Middleton next spring or summer in London, ending years of rumoured splits, reconciliations and will-they, won't-they speculation. The university romance that seemed to wilt under the pressure of adulthood and the glare of the paparazzi had blossomed at last - after eight years of dating.

In a joint interview televised on Tuesday (local time), William said the couple, who are both 28, had been discussing marriage for at least 12 months.

"As every guy out there will know, it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going," he said, adding that he had a feeling he might marry Middleton from the beginning.

"When I first met Kate I knew there was something very special about her. I knew there was possibly something that I wanted to explore there," the prince said.

William proposed during a holiday in Kenya last month and gave Kate the oval blue sapphire surrounded by diamonds from jeweller Garrard that his mother, Princess Diana, once wore. The couple declined to say whether the prince had gone down on bended knee when he proposed.

"It was my way of making sure my mother didn't miss out on today, and the excitement and the fact that we're going to spend the rest of our lives together." William said as the couple posed for photographers inside St. James' Palace.

William is second in line to the British throne after Charles, his father. Kate and William's first child would move ahead of his younger brother Prince Harry to become third in line to the throne.

Kate acknowledged that being queen in the future was "a daunting prospect," and the idea of the royal wedding "nerve-wracking." She said the long relationship had not been without ups and downs - the couple had split up briefly before - but the pair had come out stronger.

William's soldier brother, Prince Harry, issued a statement after finishing his training for the day on Tuesday. He said he was "delighted that my brother has popped the question!" and that he had always wanted a sister.

Middleton brings youth and glamour to a monarchy that has been tarnished by divorce and scandal. A strong, stable marriage - a warm one that lasts decades and produces heirs - could go a long way toward undoing the damage done by the ugly squabbling and televised confessions of adultery that marred the final years of Charles and Princess Diana's tortured marriage, which began on such a high note with their spectacular royal nuptials in 1981. William said the couple wanted a family, and will start thinking about children after the marriage.

"This is their chance to rejuvenate the dynasty," said Patrick Jephson, former private secretary to Princess Diana. "This is an opportunity for a welcome national celebration."

News of their engagement was greeted with enthusiasm - and relief - throughout Britain. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, said they were "absolutely delighted for them both," Buckingham Palace said. William's father, Prince Charles, said he was "absolutely thrilled."

Middleton's parents, Carole and Michael, also gushed.

"We all think he's wonderful, we're extremely fond of him," Michael Middleton said.

The two met as first-year university students at St. Andrew's in Scotland, starting out as just friends but quickly becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Obviously we both have a very fun time together, both have a very good sense of humour about things, we're down to earth, we take the mickey out of each other a lot, and she's got plenty of habits that make me laugh that I tease her about," William said as he and Middleton faced photographers. "She has habits that can make me laugh."

She told reporters that joining the royal family was a "daunting prospect."

"Hopefully I'll take it in my stride," she said.

Middleton described the proposal this way: "It was very romantic, and it was very personal."

Many of the details have not been announced. There is no firm wedding date, and the venue has not been specified, with speculation focusing on St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, both London landmarks. It is not yet clear which dress designer the elegant Middleton will turn to, and the royal titles the couple will assume when they become man and wife have not yet been revealed.

The marriage will link Middleton - whose parents have founded a successful party supply business after working in the airline industry - with Prince William, scion of one of the most wealthy families in the world.

William has endeavoured to lead a normal life, training to become a military helicopter rescue pilot, but has also become accustomed to extravagant holidays at the world's most exclusive hideaways.

As a boy, he was traumatised by his parents' very public divorce and then the tragic loss of his mother. Diana died with her boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed in a 1997 car crash that some believe was caused in part by frenzied paparazzi who were chasing her car through the streets of Paris, causing her inebriated driver to lose control of the vehicle.

Both William and his younger brother Prince Harry enjoy tremendous public goodwill in Britain, in part because the friendly, attractive young men remind many of their mother, a beloved figure.

William spoke movingly of giving Diana's engagement ring to Middleton so that his mother would not be left out of such an important day.

While Charles and Diana seemed forced and tense at times during their brief courtship, William and Middleton seem relaxed and comfortable together. They are both the same age - unlike Charles and the much younger Diana - and they have lived together in shared student housing, giving them an ease and natural affection.

Many in Britain welcomed the royal engagement as a rare piece of good news in a time of economic uncertainty and cutbacks - a time much like 1981, when millions watched Charles and Diana's fairy-tale wedding. Their marriage eventually ended in divorce - but no one was dwelling on that detail.

Prime Minister David Cameron wished the couple "great joy in their life together," and said when he announced the news during a Cabinet meeting it was greeted by cheers and "a great banging of the table." Cameron - who said he had camped out on the street the night before Charles and Diana's wedding procession - predicted that this royal wedding would be a "great moment for national celebration" that would unite Britain.

Charles' Clarence House office said he was "delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton." Using Twitter as well as a news release, it said the couple got engaged last month during a vacation in Kenya.

Kate and William's engagement had been the safest bet in Britain, an event so certain that bookies had stopped taking bets on a 2011 wedding. The date avoids London's Summer Olympics and the queen's Diamond Jubilee, both being held in 2012.

"Kate has been waiting for so long, I expected her to find someone else," said London tour guide Gabrielle Sullo, 53. "The media had called her 'Waitey Katie,' so it's about time that she stopping waiting."

For pomp, the ceremony is likely to fall between the extraordinary spectacle of Charles and Diana's wedding in St. Paul's Cathedral and Charles' subdued second marriage to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Guildhall in 2005.

Jephson, the former secretary to Princess Diana, said her son's nuptials would be "a master class" in wedding planning.

The formal engagement is likely to turn the poised, brunette Middleton - already depicted approvingly in the fashion pages - into a global icon. With her confident good looks and long brown hair, Middleton has already become one of the most photographed women in Britain.

William and Harry have spent a lifetime in the spotlight, with their drunken nights out and female friends the subject of constant tabloid gossip. William, who turned 28 in June, once told an interviewer he wouldn't marry "until I'm at least 28 or maybe 30." But since joining the military, both have kept a lower profile.

Middleton met William at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. They shared a house along with other students in the seaside university town, where William initially studied art history before switching to geography.

In 2002, William paid 200 pounds to sit in the front row at a charity fashion show where Middleton was modelling in a daring outfit. They are thought to have started dating the following year.

St. Andrews congratulated the couple , pointing out that the school has a reputation as "Britain's top matchmaking university."

Middleton is the daughter of self-made millionaires. Her father worked for an airline and her mother was a flight attendant before they started a mail-order business specialising in children's parties, run from their house in southern England.

She attended Marlborough College, an elite private school, where she played tennis and field hockey, before studying art history at St. Andrews. After graduating in 2005, Middleton worked as a buyer for the fashion chain Jigsaw. She is now employed by her family's party-planning business.

Middleton was there when William was commissioned as a British Army officer after graduating from Sandhurst military college in 2006. She was photographed attending public events, going to work, even getting a parking ticket - a level of attention that evoked the romance of William's parents.

But William was determined that Middleton would not suffer the same media hounding endured by his mother and appealed through his office for the media to leave her alone. In 2007, Middleton filed a harassment complaint against a British newspaper. She accepted an apology and admission of error from the Daily Mirror.

At the time, an engagement was so expected that the retail chain Woolworths even commissioned mugs, plates and other Wills-and-Kate memorabilia. The chain has since gone out of business.

...تابع القراءة