In some we explored we found at least 10 species of bats roosting. Some of the colonies were made up of thousands of individuals.”Some of the caves extend for several kilometres into the side of massive limestone hillsides, which should be covered with a thick growth of massive trees when they have not been burned down.Karen Foestel of the Nature Conservancy said that it took a boat ride up a river, a hike up an old logging trail and a scramble over a forest of fallen trees to reach the cave system. “Sharp limestone rocks suddenly shot out of the ground creating the walls of a narrow stone maze. We clambered over the rocks, careful not to fall into the narrow crevices that dropped 10 to 20 feet down,” Ms Foestel said.One of the mountains explored by the expedition was so remote that it had only been climbed by three other people – all of them collectors of the famous birds nests stuck together with saliva, a culinary speciality in the Far East.. “I have a phobia about cockroaches and I was potholing down a cave when I turned round to see this really massive one staring out at me,” Mr Struebig said. Expedition scientists from half a dozen countries recorded at least 34 species of bats and 124 species of birds living in the area. Monster cockroaches, giant millipedes, dwarf crabs and blind catfish.

It sounds like a menagerie from another world, but these are just some of the new species that have been found living in a huge system of caves on the Indonesian island of Borneo. While he understood there were elections under way, he said: “They are not doing even the slightest effort”.Mr Abbas welcomed the idea of the conference, agreeing security was “very important”. He insisted that measures taken by the Palestinian leadership had to be reciprocated by Israel.He said that the Palestinians were eager to resume talks with Israel. “We are very keen and very concerned about catching up on the lost time.”Arriving at Ramallah’s Muqata compound for talks, Mr Blair was greeted by a Palestinian military guard of honour as he walked towards the glass structure housing the tomb of Yasser Arafat. The world has changed.”Mr Sharon, who described Mr Blair as a “friend of Israel”, added that if there was “full cessation of terror, hostilities and incitement” the door would be open to the road map and steps “which will change the life of Israelis, Palestinians and the situation in the region”.But despite signs that Mr Abbas is working towards a ceasefire of the militant factions, Mr Sharon criticised the Palestinian leadership for not doing more to stop violence.

Pausing for a few seconds outside it, Mr Blair briefly inclined his head before entering the Palestinian headquarters for the meeting.. Three Palestinians, including at least two gunmen, were killed yesterday after the army renewed operations in the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis.After meeting Mr Sharon, Mr Blair went on to Ramallah for talks with Mahmoud Abbas, the PLO chairman and probable successor to Yasser Arafat. “What is important is that we are able to make progress after months and years where there has been none,” he said.Mr Sharon repeated earlier promises that he was prepared to co-ordinate with the Palestinian leadership his “disengagement” plan to withdraw more than 7,000 settlers from Gaza. The London conference will partly focus on the Palestinian capacity after disengagement to impose security on Gaza, the scene of repeated incursions this year by the Israeli army to prevent rocket and mortar attacks on civilians in settlements and in homes inside Israel. A rustic table next to the gate allows me to park my keys, cell-phone and wallet. I move through the metal detector and walk about 10 metres to the next level of improvements offered by the Israeli Army.The soldier this time is an older man He asks me to put all my possessions on another table. He searches my bag, wallet, jacket and everything else I carry.