World's media sweat it out for royal baby

THE media frenzy over the birth of Prince William and his wife Catherine's baby has reached fever pitch as the reported due date came and went with no sign of the royal heir.

A rumour that the Duchess of Cambridge had gone into labour on Thursday spread like wildfire on Twitter and reportedly caused British Prime Minister David Cameron's office to call Buckingham Palace to check on it.

It was another false alarm, but the dozens of international journalists camped outside the private London hospital where Kate is giving birth are on tenterhooks, knowing that it could happen any day now.

The palace has said the baby was due in "mid-July" and many editors have had this weekend in the diary for weeks - even though any parent knows that babies rarely arrive on time.

William's father, Prince Charles, revealed that it is not just royal observers waiting for the baby, as they attended a festival celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's coronation on Friday.

Charles, the heir to the throne who will become a grandfather for the first time, said "it won't be long now" as he surveyed a range of commemorative china to mark the new arrival.

His second wife Camilla, who is already a grandmother, added in conversation: "We are very excited. Immensely looking forward to it and waiting for the phone call."

The popularity of William and Kate, who married in a glittering wedding at Westminster Abbey in 2011, has turned the birth of their first child into a global event.

Media organisations have been installed outside St Mary's Hospital in Paddington for almost two weeks now, and in the absence of news, time has been passing slowly.

For the television networks, the top priority is to hold their positions around the clock, working 12-hour shifts in baking summer heat.

That means fiercely defending their territory, never yielding an inch of space to a rival station, and woe betide anyone touching the gaffer tape marking out an organisation's patch.

The main British news broadcasters - BBC, ITN and Sky News - have got the prime spots, lined up in front of the major US networks, which have maximised their space with some mammoth pieces of broadcasting hardware.

Behind them, it is a scramble to get a decent angle to shoot the doorway where William himself first saw daylight in 1982, carried out of the Lindo Wing by his parents Prince Charles and Diana.

For the time being, the door is guarded by a police officer who is rapidly becoming the most filmed man on the planet.

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Track fault blamed in French train crash

A passenger train has derailed and crashed into a station outside Paris, killing at least seven. Source: AAP

A TRAIN derailment near Paris that killed six people was caused by a fault in the tracks, France's state rail company says, as the transport minister urged upgrades to aging regional lines.

The SNCF said the derailment on Friday, which left dozens injured, was caused by a connecting bar that had come loose at a rail switch at the station at Bretigny-sur-Orge, about 25km south of Paris.

The joint bar "broke away, it became detached and came out of its housing," said Pierre Izard, the SNCF's general manager for infrastructure.

It "lodged itself at the centre of the switch, prevented the normal progression of the train's wheels and seems to have caused the train's derailment," he said.

The company said the switch had been checked on July 4 and that it was immediately ordering checks of some 5000 similar joints on its network.

"We have decided to check equipment of this nature on the entire network and are starting now," SNCF chief Guillaume Pepy said.

Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier said human error was not to blame for the accident, praising the train's driver who he said "had absolutely extraordinary reflexes by sending the alert immediately", preventing a collision with an oncoming train.

But he said France's regional rail lines were out of date, after the SNCF focused much of its attention in recent years on high-speed TGV lines.

"We cannot be satisfied with rolling stock that is 30 years old," Cuvillier said, adding: "The situation is severe, with the deterioration in recent years of traditional lines because of a lack of resources."

A railway passenger association also denounced what it called "rust-bucket trains" and the practice of coupling different types of trains together, demanding proper inspections.

A minute of silence was held at noon on Saturday on all French trains and in all stations for the victims of the accident, which took place as many were leaving for summer holidays ahead of the Bastille Day holiday on Sunday.

A source close to the investigation said the dead were four men and two women, aged between 19 and 82.

In what officials described as a "catastrophe", the train came off the tracks and crashed into the station platform at 5.14 pm local time on Friday, as it travelled at 137km/h on its way from Paris to the west-central city of Limoges.

Four carriages of the train jumped the tracks, of which three overturned. One carriage smashed across a platform and came to rest on a parallel track; another lay half-way across the platform. There were 385 passengers on the train.

The local prefect's office said six people had been killed and nine seriously injured, including two in critical condition. Health officials said at least 50 people had been treated for injuries.

Rescuers worked throughout the night searching for victims potentially trapped in overturned carriages, but the prefect's office said no more were expected to be found.

The SNCF, judicial authorities and France's BEA safety agency were each carrying out separate investigations of the accident.

Witnesses said the crash site resembled a war zone, with 57-year-old passenger Marc Cheutin saying he had to "step over a decapitated person" to exit the carriage he had been travelling in.

The derailment was France's worst rail accident since 2008, when a train collided with a schoolbus, killing seven schoolchildren.

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Apologies over plane crash gaffe

US officials have apologised for mistakenly confirming false and offensive names identifying the pilots of the Asiana flight that crashed in San Francisco, leaving three dead and scores injured.

Fox network affiliate KTVU news Channel 2 in Oakland identified the pilots in their noon broadcast on Friday as "Sum Ting Wong," "Wi Tu Lo," "Ho Lee Fuk," and "Bang Ding Ow."

KTVU cited the National Transportation Safety Board as their source, but quickly realised the mistake and apologised.

"These names were not accurate despite an NTSB official in Washington confirming them late this morning," KTVU said late on Friday.

The NTSB later apologised for the "inaccurate and offensive names that were mistakenly confirmed" as those of the Asiana pilots - and blamed the mistake on an intern.

"In response to an inquiry from a media outlet, a summer intern acted outside the scope of his authority when he erroneously confirmed the names of the flight crew on the aircraft," the statement read.

The NTSB "does not release or confirm the names of crew members or people involved in transportation accidents to the media," the board said.

"Appropriate actions will be taken to ensure that such a serious error is not repeated."

The NTSB told the San Francisco Chronicle the offensive names "originated at the media outlet," and that the intern did not realise they were offensive and was "acting in good faith and trying to be helpful."

Three people died when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport on July 6 and more than 180 were injured.

In Seoul, Asiana Airlines earlier identified the pilot flying the Boeing 777 that crashed as Lee Kang-Kuk, 46.

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14 killed in traffic pile-up near Moscow

FOURTEEN people have been killed and 16 injured in a traffic accident outside Moscow involving a truck, a passenger bus and other vehicles, officials say.

Police said that according to initial information, the accident took place on Saturday when the truck which was carrying a cargo of gravel turned onto a main road and ploughed into the bus.

The interior ministry said that the 14 killed included a young child.

The bus, which was taking passengers on a regular public transport route from Podolsk to Zhokhovo in the Moscow region, was broken up into two parts by the force of the collision, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

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Pamplona bull run hospitalises 23

Bull-runners were crushed in a pile-up in Pamplona on the seventh day of Spain's famed festival. Source: AAP

HALF-TONNE bulls have ploughed into a human pile-up in the Spanish city of Pamplona, leaving 23 injured, one seriously, at the celebrated San Fermin festival.

Bulls charged into the back of a pile of runners who were stuck in the narrow entrance to a bullring at the end of Saturday's short dash through the town's cobbled streets.

Two bulls leapt over the pile, crushing runners under their hooves. Panicked festival-goers in traditional white shirts and red neckerchiefs scrambled over those in front of them and others tried to pull the fallen free.

The rest of the animals - of the six bulls and six steers that ran - were herded to the arena through a side passage.

Several people were also trampled under the bulls' hooves during the crowded 850-metre run through the city's narrow streets, which lasted four minutes and 15 seconds.

It was the sixth day of the fiesta in this northern town, which draws festival-goers and daredevils from around the world for a week of drinking and perilous bull-runs.

Javier Sesma, head of the emergency unit of the local Navarra Hospital, told reporters that 23 people were hospitalised overall in the run and the pile-up.

These included a 19-year-old man from the Spanish town of Vitoria who was in serious condition with a chest injury, and an Irishman of 28 with a less severe injury, also to his chest.

The 19-year-old was "in an especially serious condition with a chest trauma causing breathing problems, and is requiring breathing apparatus," Sesma said. "He is in a stable but serious condition."

He added that two other people were being treated after being gored by the bulls' horns, with a Spaniard of 18 wounded in the armpit and a 35-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio, injured in the buttock.

Local government minister Javier Morras said the authorities were analysing exactly what caused the pile-up, which was broadcast live on public television.

Morras told reporters that one of the inner doors to the arena had got pushed shut in the rush, narrowing access and contributing to the pile-up.

Saturday's chaotic run nearly doubled the overall number of those hospitalised in the previous six days of bull runs, which had stood at 22 before Saturday's charge, according to the Navarre region authorities.

During Friday's run, bulls gored three men including a 20-year-old American.

Each year, hundreds of other people are treated by medics and the Red Cross at the scene for cuts and scrapes without being hospitalised.

The festival ends on Sunday.

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Thousands evacuated as typhoon nears

THOUSANDS of people have been evacuated in Taiwan and the entire island declared an "alert zone" as Typhoon Soulik edges nearer.

More than 8000 people have been moved from their homes, many from southern areas prone to landslides, the Central Emergency Operation Centre says as the typhoon is expected to pound the country with powerful winds and heavy rain over the weekend.

"The whole country is now considered an alert zone," an official from the National Fire Agency told AFP.

Around 5000 of those who have been evacuated were from the landslide zones in the south - 3000 were moved out of Kaohsiung city and 2000 others from Pingtung county.

They have been taken to local government buildings which have been turned into shelters.

Offices and schools closed in Taipei and eight other cities, with residents advised to stay indoors as the typhoon churns towards the island.

Packing winds of up to 209km/h, Soulik is expected to make landfall on the northeast coast around 3am on Saturday (0500 AEST), the Central Weather Bureau said.

The bureau downgraded Soulik from a super typhoon to a moderate typhoon but warned residents across the island to prepare for "extreme torrential rain" - classified as 350mm within 24 hours - and rough seas.

In the north, more than 600 residents were evacuated from six low-lying riverside villages on Friday morning.

In Wuchieh, a township in the northeastern Yilan county - which is forecast to bear the brunt of Soulik - over 2000 sandbags were snatched up by residents and two amphibious military vehicles deployed for rescue.

Waves as high as 1.5 metres hit the shore in Yilan on Friday afternoon as coastguards patrolled the beach to warn visitors to stay away while hundreds of fishing boats sought shelter.

"Many farmers have harvested rice, fruits and vegetables early as the typhoon is expected to impact our area," said Huang Hai-tao, an official in Jiaosi, a popular tourist destination in Yilan.

"The typhoon has also caused some damage to tourism as more than 90 per cent bookings for this weekend have been cancelled."

President Ma Ying-jeou urged government units and the public "not to let their guards down" in a statement, after inspecting the central government's disaster response centre.

A coastal highway in Yilan where 20 Chinese tourists were killed by landslides caused by Typhoon Megi in 2010 was also closed.

More than 2000 tourists had already been evacuated from the remote Green Island, southeast of Taiwan, on Thursday.

The storm has disrupted air travel to and from Taiwan with 65 flights cancelled according to the transport authorities.

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NSW teen catches fire, police hunt for ex

A HUNT is underway for a teenager whose ex-girlfriend was allegedly doused in accelerant as she stood near an open fire at a home south of Wollongong.

The woman, 19, caught alight and had to be airlifted to Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital where she remained in an induced coma on Friday night.

She was found severely burned at a home in Koona Avenue, Albion Park Rail, about midday (AEST) on Friday, police said.

Police established a crime scene and seized several items for forensic analysis.

Investigators have been told the woman had previously been in a relationship with a 17-year-old male, who is now wanted for questioning.

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Mandela's wife now 'less anxious'

South Africa has marked 50 years since the police raid that led to Nelson Mandela's life sentence. Source: AAP

GRACA Machel, the wife of ailing South African icon Nelson Mandela, says she is less anxious about his condition, five weeks after he was admitted to hospital.

"He continues to respond positively to treatment. I would say that today I'm less anxious than I was a week ago," she told state-backed SABC television.

It is the latest in a series of upbeat accounts, which seem to suggest that while the 94-year-old's condition remains "critical", it has improved somewhat.

After visiting Mandela late Thursday, President Jacob Zuma said he was "responding to treatment."

"He remains as much of a fighter now as he was 50 years ago," Zuma said, marking the anniversary of a police raid that led to Mandela's life sentence in prison.

Earlier in the week Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, who is one of Mandela's nephews and king of his Thembu tribe, said the former statesman was "conscious".

"He could not talk, but he recognised me and made a few gestures of acknowledgment, like moving his eyes."

Two weeks ago the prognosis appeared much bleaker, with family massing at his Pretoria hospital as Zuma abruptly cancelled a trip to Mozambique.

Doctors are said to have ruled out switching off Mandela's life support machines unless there is serious organ failure.

Court documents filed on behalf of the family last month described Mandela's condition as "perilous", with one claiming he was in a "vegetative state".

Mandela, who turns 95 next week, was rushed to a Pretoria hospital on June 8 with a recurring lung infection.

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Popular roving UK broadcaster Whicker dies

ALAN Whicker, one of the most widely-travelled and popular UK broadcasters of his generation, has died aged 87.

The presenter and reporter died in the early hours of Friday at his home in Jersey after suffering from bronchial pneumonia, his spokeswoman said.

For more than 40 years he roamed the world for the BBC and independent TV networks, seeking out the eccentric, the ludicrous and the socially revealing aspects of everyday life from all over the globe.

He was probably best known for Whicker's World, his long-running documentary program which he presented from 1959 to 1990.

And he acquired over the years an enviable reputation of having no equal as a television commentator.

Alan Donald Whicker was born in Cairo, Egypt, on August 2 1925, but moved to England as a young child on the death of his father.

He attended Haberdashers' Aske's School and was commissioned as an officer in the Devonshire Regiment during the Second World War, serving as a captain.

He then joined the Army Film and Photo Unit in Italy in 1943, filming at Anzio.

Whicker was also responsible for taking into custody British traitor John Amery, who was subsequently executed.

In a 2004 TV series, called Whicker's War, he disclosed that he was one of the first of the Allied forces to enter Milan and that he took into custody an SS general and troopers who were looking after the SS money vault.

He also shot footage of the body of Mussolini.

After the war he became a journalist and broadcaster, acting as a newspaper correspondent in the Korean War, during which he was mistakenly reported as having been killed.

He joined the BBC in 1957 and was a reporter for the famous Tonight program.

Soon after that he began his Whicker's World series, which over the years consistently claimed a place in the top 10 ratings.

He was also instrumental in the launch of Yorkshire Television.

Whicker was noted for probing the private worlds of the rich and famous on cruise ships, the Orient Express, at cocktail parties, on world tours, in health spas and gentlemen's clubs.

He lured countless individuals into allowing him a privileged glimpse of sometimes extraordinary lives.

Among his "victims" were John Paul Getty and Haiti's feared dictator "Papa Doc" Duvalier.

On one occasion, while in the US, he heard about an Alan Whicker impersonation contest. He entered and came third.

He was also the man behind the popular advertising slogan Hello World for Travelocity.

Whicker was awarded a CBE in the 2005 New Year Honours list for services to broadcasting.

He had lived in Jersey and is survived by his long-standing partner Valerie Kleeman.

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Britain shelves plain cigarette pack plans

BRITAIN has announced it is postponing plans to introduce plain packaging on cigarettes, saying it's waiting to see the results of a similar move in Australia.

Prime Minister David Cameron faced criticism over the move, with opposition MPs asking whether the decision had been influenced by links between his chief party strategist and tobacco companies.

Health Minister Jeremy Hunt said the decision was delayed because the government wants more time to see how a similar system in Australia works before committing to such a policy.

In December 2012, Australia became the first country in the world to force tobacco firms to sell cigarettes in identical, olive-green packets bearing the same typeface and largely covered with graphic health warnings.

The British government is reported to be worried about the impact on jobs in the tobacco industry that any ban on branded packaging might have, especially at a time of austerity and economic stagnation.

Diane Abbott, health spokeswoman for the opposition Labour party, told parliament the government had made a "disgraceful U-turn".

"We have to ask, what happened? We suspect Lynton Crosby happened," she said, referring to the election strategist for Cameron's centre-right Conservative party.

Cameron's opponents have pounced on reports that a public relations firm run by Crosby, an Australian, had previously acted for tobacco firms opposed to the Australian plain packaging move and alcohol companies which reject minimum pricing.

Cameron's official spokesman rejected any link.

"The prime minister has never been lobbied by Lynton Crosby on cigarette packaging. The important point to stress on this issue is that Lynton Crosby has had no involvement in the decision," the spokesman told reporters.

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