Royal wedding: Kate Middleton to arrive in repaired Rolls-Royce

London:  Kate Middleton will arrive at Westminster Abbey for her April 29 wedding in a Rolls-Royce that was damaged in December 2010 when Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were attacked by student protesters, officials said Tuesday.

The distinctive claret and black 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI will have its damaged paintwork and windows repaired by the royal couple's wedding day, officials promised. The car was damaged Dec. 9 when a mob protesting student fee hikes hit the car with sticks and bottles.

"There was paint damage and damage to the glass," said Alex Garty, transport manager at Buckingham Palace. "The repairs are ongoing. We're using that opportunity to give her a 60-minute makeover, so she will look her best for the wedding."

Royal brides have typically arrived for their weddings in special horse-drawn coaches, but Middleton has decided to travel to the church by car.

After the ceremony, she and Prince William will ride in an open-topped 1902 State Landau horse-drawn carriage for the procession back to Buckingham Palace, unless inclement weather leads them to use the famed "Glass Coach," which has a fixed roof to keep rain at bay.

The 1902 State Landau, housed at the Royal Mews near Buckingham Palace, was built for King Edward VII for use at his coronation. It is typically used by the queen to meet foreign heads of state on official visits to Britain.

Charles used it to travel to St. Paul's Cathedral for his 1981 wedding, leaving the cathedral with Princess Diana.

The crowd-pleasing Glass Coach, which will be used only if there is steady rain, was built in 1881. In the past it has been used to carry royal brides, including Diana and Sarah Ferguson, to their weddings.

Charles' press office Tuesday released details about the procession indicating there would be five horse-drawn carriages.

The first would carry William and his bride. The next two carriages would carry Prince Harry, the best man, and Pippa Middleton, the maid of honor, and the bridesmaids.

The next carriage will carry Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, followed by a carriage with Prince Charles, Camilla, the duchess of Cornwall, and Michael and Carole Middleton, the bride's parents

First full face transplant by US surgeons

Boston:  A team of over 30 surgeons and physicians at a hospital here have successfully performed the first "full face transplant" in US history on a 25-year old man who had suffered severe burns in 2008.

The Brigham and Women's Hospital's plastic surgery team, led by Bohdan Pomahac, performed the full face transplant for Dallas Wiens last week.

The team, led by Bohdan Pomahac, worked for over 15 hours to replace the facial area of Wiens, including the nose, lips, facial skin, muscles of facial animation and the nerves that power them and provide sensation.

"Today's tremendous news marks a new milestone in Brigham and Women's legacy in transplant surgery. The pioneering achievement accomplished by the entire transplant team is a gift made possible by the most selfless act one human being can do for another, organ donation," BWH President Betsy Nabel said in a statement here.

Wiens had lost all his facial features -- except for a small portion of his chin -- in a horrific electrical accident in 2008.

Wiens' eyesight could not be restored by the transplant.

The doctors said some nerves had been damaged to such an extent that Wiens would only have partial sensation on his left cheek and left forehead.

The 25-year old was later able to speak to his family over phone.

"There were no complications. He's (Wiens) doing great, and he's right on the mark with expected progress," Pomahac said.

The hospital did not release the name of the donor.

"This remarkable, anonymous gift is another example of the life-affirming power of organ and tissue donation," New England Organ Bank president Richard Luskin said.

"As always we are immensely grateful to the donor and the donor family for their generosity".

The cost of the operation was met by the US Department of Defense as part of research into helping severely wounded service personnel.

The Defence Department has given the hospital USD 3.4 million research grant for five transplants.

Wiens' grandfather, Del Peterson, thanked doctors for the surgery.

"You have made this day an amazing journey. And you have blessed Dallas's life and we thank you. Dallas always said after the injury that he now had a choice: he could just choose to get bitter, or choose to get better. His choice was to get better," Peterson said.

It is the second face transplant the Brigham has done since the programme was established four years ago.

In 2009, the team had performed a partial face transplant on James Maki, who severely burned most of his face after falling on an electrified rail at a subway station.

Allied attack continues despite destroying Gaddafi's palace

Tripoli:  Anti aircraft gunfire echoed around the Libyan capital for a third night on Monday.

Arcs of tracer fire in the sky above Tripoli marked what appeared to be the start of a another night of coalition attacks.

International forces intend to extend a no-fly zone to Tripoli, hundreds of miles distant from the area of recent fighting between forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi and the rebels seeking to topple him, the US commander in the region said on Monday.

Meanwhile the government has criticised a cruise missile attack on the compound in Tripoli where Gaddafi and his family live.

The destruction within the compound has generated questions about the objective of the military campaign.

"This is not a military place. It doesn't have weapons. It doesn't supply weapons. It's an official building," government spokesman Musad Ibrahim said.

The air campaign by US and European forces have unquestionably rearranged the map in Libya and rescued rebels from the immediate threat they faced only days ago of being crushed under a powerful advance by Gaddafi's forces.

The first round of air strikes smashed a column of regime tanks that had been moving on the rebel capital of Benghazi in the east.

Kate Middleton prefers Rolls Royce over royal carriage

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London:  With little more than a month to the British royal wedding, preparations are frantically under way to ensure an immaculate turnout for the horses and carriages that will form the regal procession through London's streets, the centerpiece of the day's regal festivities.

Behind closed doors at the Royal Mews, ornate coaches were being polished on Monday ahead of the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton on 29 April.

The Mews, located next to Buckingham Palace, houses the royal collection of carriages and limousines used by the monarchy on state occasions and special celebrations.

Centre stage is the fairytale "Glass Coach", a shining dark maroon carriage with crimson and gold detail, dating from 1881. The coach has been used on several occasions by royal brides on their journeys to be married, including Lady Diana Spencer, on her way to wed Prince Charles in 1981.

The carriage has a fixed roof designed to keep the rain at bay and will be used by Prince William and his new bride on their return journey from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace in case of inclement weather.

Workers on Monday subjected the coach to a thorough polishing, cleaning every part, from its wheels to the crown-shaped ornaments on its roof.

Crown Equerry Colonel Toby Browne, who is in charge of the Royal Mews, explained the importance of thorough preparation for the royal wedding procession:

"There is something very special about this sort of occasion. It only happens once in somebody's lifetime. And so it is very important that we get it right. Because, as you know and as everybody knows, the eyes of the world will be upon us on 29th April," he said.

Attention to detail is lavished on every aspect of the procession regalia.

Leather horse harnesses, richly decorated with brass insignia, are spotlessly cleaned.

But while horse-drawn coaches have been the typical mode of transport for royal brides arriving for their weddings, Kate Middleton has decided to travel to church by car.

Middleton will arrive at Westminster Abbey in a claret and black 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI that was damaged in December when Prince Charles and Camilla were attacked by student protesters, according to officials.

But if the weather is fine the return journey from the abbey will be an altogether different spectacle.

After the ceremony, William and Kate will ride in an open-topped 1902 State Landau horse-drawn carriage for the procession back to Buckingham Palace, officials say, allowing crowds to get a better view of the newlyweds.

The carriage was specially built for King Edward VII for use at his coronation and is now typically used by the queen to meet foreign heads of state on official visits to Britain.

Prince Charles used it to travel to St. Paul's Cathedral for his 1981 wedding, leaving the cathedral with Princess Diana.

Prince Charles' press office on Tuesday released details about the procession indicating there would be five horse-drawn carriages.

The first would carry William and his bride. The next two carriages would carry Prince Harry, the best man, and Pippa Middleton, the maid of honour, and the bridesmaids.

The next carriage will carry Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, followed by a carriage with Prince Charles, Camilla, and Michael and Carole Middleton, the bride's parents.

Yemen unrest: President Saleh to step down by year end

Sanaa, Yemen:  Yemen's embattled U.S.-backed president pledged to step down by year's end but vowed not to hand power to military commanders who have joined the opposition in defections that he branded as an attempted coup, a spokesman said Tuesday.

There was no immediate response from the opposition, which has won the loyalty of influential clergy and tribal leaders, along with the powerful army commanders now calling for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Saleh had rejected an earlier opposition demand that he resign by the end of the year.

Presidential spokesman Ahmed al-Sufi told The Associated Press that Saleh met with senior Yemeni officials, military commanders and tribal leaders Monday night and vowed not to hand power to the military. He said the Monday defection of military commanders including long-time confidante Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar was a "mutiny and a coup against constitutional legitimacy".

"I don't wish and will not accept the transfer of power to the military," al-Sufi quoted Saleh as saying. "The military institution remains united. The era of coups is gone."

Al-Ahmar, commander of the army's powerful 1st Armoured Division, deployed tanks and armoured vehicles at the Defence Ministry, the TV building, the Central Bank and a central Sanaa square that has become the epicentre of the month-long, anti-Saleh protests.

In response, the Republican Guards, an elite force led by one of Sale's sons, deployed troops backed by armour outside the presidential palace on the capital's southern outskirts.

The rival deployments created a potentially explosive situation at the city as news of a flurry of protest resignations by army commanders, ambassadors, lawmakers and provincial governors stepped up pressure on Saleh, Yemen's leader of 32 years, to step down.

Al-Ahmar's defection was seen by many as a turning point.

Speaking in Paris on Monday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe called Saleh's resignation "unavoidable" and pledged "support to all those that fight for democracy."

Calling Al-Ahmar's defection "a turning point," Edmund J. Hull, U.S. ambassador to Yemen from 2001 to 2004, said it showed "the military overall ... no longer ties its fate to that of the president."

"I'd say he's going sooner rather than later," Hull said.

In a sign of the Obama administration's growing alarm over the regime's crackdown on demonstrators, State Department spokesman Mark Toner called on the Yemeni leader to refrain from violence.

"We abhor the violence. We want a cessation of all violence against demonstrators," Toner said, calling on Saleh to "take the necessary steps to promote a meaningful dialogue that addresses the concerns of his people."

The 65-year-old president and his government have faced down many serious challenges in the past, often forging fragile alliances with restive tribes to extend power beyond the capital. Most recently, he has battled a seven-year armed rebellion in the north, a secessionist movement in the south and an al-Qaida offshoot that is of great concern to the U.S.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, formed in 2009, has moved beyond regional aims and attacked the West, including sending a suicide bomber who tried to down a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day with a bomb sewn into his underwear. The device failed to detonate properly.

Yemen is also home to U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who is believed to have offered inspiration to those attacking the U.S., including Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who is accused of killing 13 people and wounding dozens in a 2009 shootout at Fort Hood, Texas.

US warplane crashes in Libya

Washington:  An American F-15E fighter jet crashed in Libya overnight and one crew member has been recovered while the other is "in the process of recovery," according to a spokesman for the American military's Africa Command and a British reporter who saw the wreckage.

The crash was likely caused by mechanical failure and not hostile fire, the spokesman, Vince Crawley, told Reuters. Details of the incident remained sparse. The crash was the first known setback for the international coalition attacking Col. Moammar el-Gaddafi's forces in three days of strikes authorized by the United Nations Security Council.

The military campaign to destroy air defenses and establish a no-fly zone over Libya has nearly accomplished its initial objectives, and the United States is moving swiftly to hand command to allies in Europe, American officials said on Monday, but fighting continued on Tuesday as reports began to emerge of the crash of the American warplane.

"Just found a crashed U.S. warplane in a field. believe a mechanical failure brought it down," a correspondent for Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, Rob Crilly, said in a message on Twitter. "Came down late last night. Crew believed safe."

The American military did not say where the plane crashed, but the British newspaper said on its Web site that it had landed in a field near Benghazi, the de facto rebel capital in the east of the country. A photograph showed the charred debris of the warplane surrounded by onlookers.

American, British and French warplanes have been flying missions since Saturday, stalling a ground attack by pro-Gaddafi forces in the east and hitting targets including air defenses, an airfield and part of Colonel Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.

But the firepower of more than 130 Tomahawk cruise missiles and attacks by allied warplanes have not yet succeeded in accomplishing the more ambitious demands by the United States -- repeated by President Obama in a letter to Congress on Monday -- that Colonel Gaddafi withdraw his forces from embattled cities and cease all attacks against civilians.

Ahmed Khalifa, a rebel spokesman in Benghazi, said on Tuesday that there was still heavy fighting in the western rebel-held cities of Misurata and Zintan.  Government forces firing on Misrurata killed 40 people and wounded 189, he said, adding that rebel fighters were "combing" the city for Colonel Gaddafi's troops.  Mr. Khalifa said that 4,000 Egyptian migrants were stuck in the city, trying to get home.

Government shelling of Zintan had demolished a mosque, Mr. Khalifa said, adding that Colonel Gaddafi's talk of a cease-fire was "meaningless." He said that the allied airstrikes "did in fact prevent further death and destruction."  "The front lines are still very fluid," he said, saying there was no movement in the standoff between rebel fighters and Gaddafi forces in the eastern city Ajdabiya.

The fighting continued in defiance of United Nations resolutions authorizing the allied strikes and demanding an immediate cease-fire by Colonel Gaddafi's forces and an end to attacks on civilians.

But the campaign against Colonel Gaddafi's forces drew fresh condemnation on Tuesday as China called for an immediate cease-fire, India said there should be no foreign presence in Libya and Brazil urged a cease-fire and "the start of dialogue." India and Brazil joined Russia, China and Germany in abstaining from the United Nations vote last week that authorized the intervention.

State television in Libya said on Tuesday there had been more attacks by what it called the "crusader enemy," Reuters reported, but the broadcaster struck a defiant tone. "These attacks are not going to scare the Libyan people," state television said.

Pentagon officials are eager to extract the United States from a third armed conflict in a Muslim country as quickly as possible. But confusion broke out on Monday among the allies in Europe over who exactly would carry the military operation forward once the United States stepped back, and from where.

In Washington, lawmakers from both parties argued that Mr. Obama had exceeded his constitutional authority by authorizing the military's participation without Congressional approval. The president said in a letter to Congress that he had the power to authorize the strikes, which would be limited in duration and scope, and that preventing a humanitarian disaster in Libya was in the national interest.

At the United Nations, the Security Council rejected a request from Libya for a meeting to discuss the situation.

Gaddafi forces were holding out against the allied military campaign to break their grip. Rebel fighters trying to retake the eastern town of Ajdabiya said their advance was halted on Monday by tank and rocket fire from government loyalists still controlling entrances to the city. Dozens of fighters fell back to a checkpoint about 25 miles north of Ajdabiya, in Zueitina.

By the early afternoon, the fighters said at least eight of their confederates had been killed in the day's fighting, including four who were killed when a tank shell struck their pickup truck.

In the western city of Misurata, forces loyal to Colonel Gaddafi were still at large and were using civilians as human shields, Reuters reported, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

At the Pentagon, officials said that the intensive American-led assault unleashed over the weekend was a classic air campaign, chosen by Mr. Obama among a range of military options, which was intended to have coalition aircraft in the skies above Libya within days and without fear of being shot down. "You don't do that piecemeal," a United States military official said. "You do it all at once, and you do it as fast as you can."

The targets included radar installations, fixed and mobile antiaircraft sites, Libyan aircraft and hangars, and other targets intended to make it safe for allied aircraft to impose the no-fly zone. They also included tanks and other ground forces engaged with the rebels around the country, reflecting the broader aim of pushing Colonel Qadaffi's forces to withdraw from disputed cities. Communications centers and at least one Scud missile site were also struck.

Explosions and antiaircraft fire could be heard in and around Tripoli on Monday in a third straight night of attacks there against Colonel Gaddafi's forces.

United States military officials said that there were fewer American and coalition airstrikes in Libya on Sunday night and Monday, and that the number would probably decline further in coming days. But Gen. Carter F. Ham, the head of the United States Africa Command, who is in charge of the coalition effort, said that there would be strikes on Colonel Gaddafi's mobile air defenses and that some 80 sorties -- only half by the United States -- were flown on Monday.

General Ham also said he had "full authority" to attack the regime's forces if they refused to comply with President Obama's demands that they pull back from Ajdabiya, Misurata and Zawiya.

By Monday night, explosions and antiaircraft fire could be heard in and around Tripoli in the third straight day of attacks.

In Santiago, Chile, Mr. Obama restated that the United States would soon turn over full responsibility to the allies to maintain the no-fly zone. He also sought to distinguish the stated goals of the United Nations-authorized military operation -- protecting Libyan civilians, establishing a no-flight zone and forcing Colonel Gaddafi's withdrawal from the cities -- with his own administration's demand, not included in the United Nations resolution, that Colonel Gaddafi had to leave office.

"It is U.S. policy that Gaddafi needs to go," Mr. Obama said at a news conference with the Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera. "And we've got a wide range of tools in addition to our military effort to support that policy." Mr. Obama cited economic sanctions, the freezing of assets and other measures to isolate the regime in Tripoli.

United States military commanders repeated throughout the day that they were not communicating with Libyan rebels, even as a spokesman for the rebel military, Khaled El-Sayeh, asserted that rebel officers had been providing the allies with coordinates for their airstrikes. "We give them the coordinates, and we give them the location that needs to be bombed," Mr. Sayeh told reporters.

On Monday night, a United States military official responded that "we know of no instances where this has occurred."

Earlier in the day, General Ham repeatedly said in answer to questions from reporters that the United States was not working with the rebels. "Our mission is not to support any opposition forces," General Ham said by video feed to the Pentagon from the headquarters of Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.

Mr. Sayeh said that there were no Western military trainers advising the rebel fighters, but that he would welcome such help. He added, with evident frustration, that the rebel fighters on the front in Ajdabiya "didn't take orders from anybody."

Like other rebel military officials, Mr. Sayeh said the rebels had been working to better organize their ranks to include members of specialized units from the Libyan Army that would attack Colonel Gaddafi's forces when the time was right. But evidence of such a force has yet to materialize.

The rebels appeared to have fallen into some disarray as they returned from Ajdabiya, with one commander at the checkpoint trying to marshal them with a barely functioning megaphone. He tried organizing the assembled fighters into columns for an attack, but nearly fell off the truck as he ordered the fighters to move.

"I know most of you are civilians," he said. "But we have to charge." Only a few trucks inched forward as other fighters stood and argued among themselves.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, members of the military alliance came to no agreement on who would take the lead on a no-fly zone or how to proceed on enforcing a United Nations arms embargo against Libya.

Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain said responsibility for the no-fly zone would be transferred to NATO. But France objected to that, with its foreign minister, Alain Juppé, saying: "The Arab League does not wish the operation to be entirely placed under NATO responsibility. It isn't NATO which has taken the initiative up to now."

Turkey, a NATO member that has opposed the use of force in Libya and was still seething over being omitted from a planning meeting in Paris on Saturday, refused on Sunday to back a NATO military plan for the no-fly zone. But its prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, denied that his country was against NATO participation in the operation, saying only that he wanted assurances that it would be brief and not end in an occupation.