As part of the Vatican's investigation thousands of documents have been collected and examined by officials from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Among them is the testimony of Tobiana Sobodka, a Polish nun of the Sacred Heart of Jesus order, who worked for Pope John Paul in his private Vatican apartments and at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome.

Sister Sobodka said: "Several times he (Pope John Paul) would put himself through bodily penance. "We would hear it – we were in the next room at Castel Gandolfo. You could hear the sound of the blows when he would flagellate himself." The flagellation is also confirmed by another bishop who has given testimony. Emery Kabongo was a secretary for Pope John Paul. "He would punish himself and in particular just before he ordained bishops and priests," he said.

Self flagellation is sometimes used by devoted Catholics as it reminds them of the whipping endured by Christ at the hands of the Romans before he was crucified. It is still common in the Philippines and Latin America, some members of strict monastic orders and some members of the lay organisation Opus Dei. The late Polish pope's beatification is expected to take place sometime next year, perhaps in April, to coincide with the fifth anniversary of his death or in October to coincide with his election in 1978.

If the American president has an urgent matter to discuss with the European Union in the future, whom will he call? Naturally someone in Berlin, London or Paris, as usual - BUT CERTAINLY NO ONE IN BRUSSELS. In a rare show of unanimity at last week's EU summit, Europe's big three, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, none of whom are particularly enthusiastic Europeans, made sure that there would be no challenge to their power from Brussels.

On Thursday evening, the bloc's leaders chose Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy to be the first permanent president of the European Council and EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton, who is British, to be the EU's first high representative for foreign and security policy. The choice is "an expression of what is currently possible in the EU," says Martin Schulz, the Socialist leader in the European Parliament, in a resigned tone. And that still isn't much.

A president like former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and a foreign minister like former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer would have boosted Europe's standing on the global stage. BUT THAT APPROACH WAS PRECISELY WHAT THE MAJOR POLITICIANS AVOIDED, out of fear that having heavyweight politicians in the EU jobs would THREATEN THEIR OWN STATUS AS GLOBAL PLAYERS.

One could also say Van Rompuy is the lowest common denominator. And, together with Barroso and Ashton, A GUARANTEE THAT THINGS WILL STAY MORE OR LESS THE SAME IN EUROPE. Deals will still be thrashed out behind closed doors in the future. THERE IS LITTLE RISK OF A "NEW EUROPE."

But flu cases are still rising in some states, including Maine and Hawaii, and it is too soon to know whether activity will surge again, said Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "Influenza is unpredictable, and it is so early in the year to have this much disease. We don't know if these declines will persist, what the slope will be, whether we'll have a long decline or it will start to go up again," she said Friday.

The news came as scientists in Norway announced that they had detected A MUTATED FORM OF THE SWINE FLU VIRUS in two patients who died of the flu and in a third who was severely ill. It is the most recent report of mutations in the virus that is being watched closely for any change that could make it more dangerous. In a statement, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said the mutation "could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease," such as pneumonia.

Scientists have been analyzing the H1N1 virus from "a number of patients as part of the surveillance of the pandemic flu virus" and have detected several mutations, the statement said. While the existence of mutations is normal, and most "will probably have little or no importance... one mutation has caught special interest." THE TWO PATIENTS WHO HAD THE MUTATION AND DIED were the first swine flu fatalities in Norway. The third patient found to have the mutated form of the virus also became severely ill. "Based on what we know so far, it seems that the mutated virus does not circulate in the population, but MIGHT be a result of spontaneous changes which have occurred in these three patients," the statement said.

He told the BBC that his lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, had effectively been "held hostage and they killed their hostage." Through Hermitage Capital, Bill Browder campaigned against corruption at some of Russia's largest companies. Russian officials say they are investigating Mr Magnitsky's death.

In 2005 Mr Browder was banned from Russia as a threat to national security, after allegations that his firms evaded tax, but Mr Browder says his company was targeted by criminals trying to seize millions of pounds worth of his assets. Mr Browder says he was punished for being a threat to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats.

Since then, a number of Mr Browder's associates in Russia - as well as lawyers acting for his company - have been detained, beaten or robbed. Before the accusations of tax evasion were raised, for many years Mr Browder had been one of the most outspoken defenders of the Russian government and its then-president Vladimir Putin.

But observers say the presence of so many leading government figures will RADICALLY INCREASE EXPECTATIONS. The annual UN climate change talks are usually conducted by countries' environment ministers. Delegations from 192 countries will be attending the summit, which will attempt to draw up a new global climate treaty to supplant the UN's 1997 Kyoto Protocol. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who will be attending, has said a new deal would be more likely if heads of governments put their own reputations on the line.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who will be a key negotiator at the summit, has said he believes those involved in the summit are capable of reaching an agreement on climate. "I believe there is a strong and high degree of political resolve from many of the leaders around the world to land a Copenhagen agreement," he told the BBC.

THE LEADERS OF CHINA, THE US AND INDIA - SOME OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST POLLUTERS - ARE SO FAR NOT ON THE LIST TO ATTEND THE COPENHAGEN MEETING.

The news comes as a row continues over emails between climate scientists which were stolen from a British university computer. Climate sceptics say the e-mails, stolen by a hacker from the University of East Anglia, show that important DATA BEHIND THE CLIMATE CHANGE DEBATE HAS BEEN MANIPULATED. THEY ARE DEMANDING A PUBLIC ENQUIRY INTO THE SCIENCE BEHIND ANY DEAL IN COPENHAGEN. The scientists behind the research say the scientific debate about climate change is sound and have accused the sceptics of trying to undermine Copenhagen.

But experts investigating the death say it was likely to have been caused by the patient's 'significant underlying health conditions' rather than the vaccine itself. The most frequent reactions to Pandemrix are pain and swelling at the injection site, vomiting, dizziness and fever.

There have been two cases of anaphylactic shock, one child experienced arthritis and two had seizures, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said. A link to the jab has not been established. A Department of Health spokesman said: 'There are no concerns about these reports.'

Reader comment:- "Sorry don't buy it at all. Cover up from beginning to end, unsafe unproven and YOU CAN'T SUE THEM WHICH TELLS ME ALL I NEED TO KNOW!"

The decision by the outspoken prelate, reported on The Providence Journal's Web site, significantly escalates a bitter dispute between Tobin, an ultra orthodox bishop, and Kennedy, a son of the nation's most famous Roman Catholic family. "The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion," Kennedy told the paper in an interview conducted Friday.

Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him "that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I've taken as a public official," particularly on abortion. He declined to say when or how Tobin told him not to take the sacrament. And he declined to say whether he has obeyed the bishop's injunction.

The paper said the bishop's spokesman declined to address the question of whether he had told Kennedy not to receive Communion. But the bishop's office cast doubt on Kennedy's related assertion about instructions to state priests. The dispute between the two men began in October when Kennedy in an interview on CNSNews.com criticized the nation's Catholic bishops for threatening to oppose a massive expansion of the nation's health care system unless it included tighter restrictions on federally funded abortion. Kennedy voted against an amendment to a Democratic health care plan sought by the bishops.

Tobin followed up with a biting public letter published in a diocesan newspaper. "Sorry, you can't chalk it up to an 'imperfect humanity.' YOUR POSITION IS UNACCEPTABLE TO THE CHURCH and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your Communion with the Church," Tobin wrote.

Together with the SAP and Siemens corporations, Coca-Cola launched a website called Hopenhagen, leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, which opens on December 7. The website invites the citizens of the world to sign a petition demanding world leaders draft binding agreements on climate change and advertises, as of today, "16 days left to seal the deal."

Other "friends" of Hopenhagen include media outlets Newsweek, Discovery Channel, Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, The Wall Street Journal and Clear Channel, among others, Internet giants Yahoo, Google and AOL and dozens of other companies and organizations. As WND reported, however, Lord Christopher Monckton, a former science adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, asserts the real purpose of the UN's meeting in Copenhagen is to use concern over "global warming" AS A PRETEXT TO LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR A ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT.

He has warned the proposed Copenhagen agreement would cede US sovereignty, mandate a massive wealth transfer from the United States to pay reparations for "climate debt" to Third World countries AND CREATE A NEW "WORLD GOVERNMENT" TO ENFORCE THE TREATY'S PROVISIONS. And even if Monckton is merely fanning the flames of fear in those suspicious of the UN, Coca-Cola's "Hopenhagen" project isn't doing anything to put out the fire: "We're all citizens of Hopenhagen," boasts "Sign the Climate Petition and become a citizen of Hopenhagen," the website encourages.

Then, too, came revelations that some e-mails from a prominent climate change research center indicate that THE GLOBAL WARMING CAMPAIGN MAY EVEN BE LARGELY A FRAUD. According to the Australian Investigate magazine, a file of documents from the UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA'S CLIMATE RESEARCH UNIT was hacked into, and revealed that scientists discussed a "trick" that would "hide the decline" of global temperatures. Author James Delingpole wrote in a London Telegraph column the most damaging revelations indicate climate-change SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE "MANIPULATED OR SUPPRESSED EVIDENCE IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THEIR CAUSE."

AS SHIPS GET BIGGER, THE POLLUTION IS GETTING WORSE. The most staggering statistic of all is that just 16 of the world's largest ships can produce as much lung-clogging sulphur pollution as all the world's cars. Because of their colossal engines, each as heavy as a small ship, THESE SUPER-VESSELS USE AS MUCH FUEL AS SMALL POWER STATIONS. But, unlike power stations or cars, THEY CAN BURN THE CHEAPEST, FILTHIEST, HIGH-SULPHUR FUEL: the thick residues left behind in refineries after the lighter liquids have been taken. The stuff nobody on land is allowed to use.

Thanks to decisions taken in London by the body that polices world shipping, THIS POLLUTION COULD KILL AS MANY AS A MILLION MORE PEOPLE IN THE COMING DECADE – even though a simple change in the rules could stop it.

In London, on the south bank of the Thames looking across at the Houses of Parliament, is the International Maritime Organisation, the UN body that polices the world's shipping. For decades, the IMO has rebuffed calls to clean up ship pollution. As a result, while it has long since been illegal to belch black, sulphur-laden smoke from power-station chimneys or lorry exhausts, shipping has kept its licence to pollute. For 31 years, the IMO has operated a policy agreed by the 169 governments that make up the organisation which allows most ships to burn bunker fuel.

Christian Eyde Moller, boss of the DK shipping company in Rotterdam, recently described this as 'just waste oil, basically what is left over after all the cleaner fuels have been extracted from crude oil. It's tar, the same as asphalt. IT'S THE CHEAPEST AND DIRTIEST FUEL IN THE WORLD'. Bunker fuel is also thick with sulphur. IMO rules allow ships to burn fuel containing up to 4.5 per cent sulphur. That is 4,500 times more than is allowed in car fuel in the European Union. The sulphur comes out of ship funnels as tiny particles, and it is these that get deep into lungs.

Thanks to the IMO's rules, the largest ships can each emit as much as 5,000 tons of sulphur in a year – the same as 50million typical cars, each emitting an average of 100 grams of sulphur a year. WITH AN ESTIMATED 800 MILLION CARS DRIVING AROUND THE PLANET, THAT MEANS 16 SUPER-SHIPS CAN EMIT AS MUCH SULPHUR AS THE WORLD FLEET OF CARS. There are now an estimated 100,000 ships on the seas, and the fleet is growing fast as goods are ferried in vast quantities from Asian industrial powerhouses to consumers in Europe and North America.

In 2010, as PROTECTIONISM AND THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEPRESSION WILL GAIN MOMENTUM, a large number of States will be compelled to choose between three brutal options: INFLATION, HIGH TAXATION OR DEFAULTING ON THEIR DEBT. A growing number of countries (USA, United Kingdom, Euroland, Japan, China,…) have used all their budgetary and monetary cartridges in the 2008/2009 financial crisis and are now left with no other alternative.

Nevertheless, out of ideological reflex or in an attempt to avoid by any means having to make such painful choices, they will try to launch new stimulus plans (under different names) even though it is now clear that the huge public effort made in the past months to boost the economy is having no impact on the private sector. Indeed the consumer-as-we-knew-him in the past decades is dead, with no hope of resurrection.

Knowing that nearly 30 percent of Western countries' economies are now made of 'economic zombies' (financial institutions, companies and even states, whose signs of life are only due to central banks' liquidity injections), IT IS POSSIBLE TO CONFIRM THE INEVITABILITY OF THE "IMPOSSIBLE RECOVERY". The international and social (within each country) "everyman for himself" rule is beginning to prevail, as well as a general impoverishment of the ex-Western world, with the United States in the first place. IN FACT THE WEST IS BEING SCUTTLED BY LEADERS UNABLE TO FACE THE REALITY OF A POST-CRISIS WORLD, who keep resorting to methods from yesterday's world despite their proved inefficiency.

The only chance for the states to escape those three brutal options would be that either consumption resumes or the private sector starts investing again. But in the absence of one or the other positive dynamic, states will have no other alternative in 2010 than raise taxes to match their huge public deficits, let inflation soar to diminish the relative weight of their debt, or else file for bankruptcy. Some of these countries, the US, UK, Ireland, Argentina, Latvia, or even Spain, Turkey, Dubai or Japan, COULD BE CONFRONTED WITH ALL THREE OPTIONS AT THE SAME TIME.

He will add credence to Mr Barroso's plans, to be formally tabled in the New Year, by arguing for a Euro-version of a "Tobin Tax" – a levy on financial transactions already floated by Gordon Brown as a solution to the international banking crisis. It would result in a stream of income direct to Brussels coffers, FUNDING BUDGETS THAT CRITICS SAY ARE ALREADY RIFE WITH WASTE AND OVERSPENDING.

Mr Van Rompuy, 62, who was appointed to the newly-created £320,000-a-year post at last week's special EU summit, set out his stall on direct Euro-taxes during a private speech at a recent meeting of the Bilderberg group of top politicians, bankers and businessmen. THE GROUP OFFICIALLY MEETS IN SECRET, but when selected details of his remarks leaked out, his office was forced to issue a public statement on his behalf.

"The financing of the welfare state, irrespective of the social reform we implement, will require new resources," he said. "The possibility of financial levies at European level needs to be seriously reviewed."

Police repelled the demonstrators in the town of Farshut using tear gas and also arrested 60 people during the clashes in which seven Coptic Christian-owned shops were destroyed, the official said. The protesters hurled stones at the police station after they heard that a Coptic Christian man accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 12-year-old Muslim was being held there, he said.

Roughly ten percent of Egypt's 80-million-strong population are Coptic Christians, who complain of discrimination and are sometimes the target of sectarian attacks.

In a 60-39 vote on strictly partisan lines, the Senate sent the $848 billion health care bill to the floor for debate after the Thanksgiving break, but not before a clutch of moderates served notice that they couldn't back the bill in its current form. One key provision – for a government-run insurance plan that would allow states to opt-out of coverage – effectively died in the Senate chamber Saturday, as the last two Democratic holdouts demanded changes to the bill.

"I am opposed to a new government administered public health care plan as a part of comprehensive health care reform, and I will not vote in favor of the proposal that has been introduced by Leader Reid as it is written," said Senator Blanche Lincoln (Democrat for Arkansas), the last Democrat to commit to a vote for opening debate. Two hours earlier, Senator Mary Landrieu (Democrat for Louisiana) had said much the same thing.

Their comments signal that weeks of negotiations remain on a bill Obama once hoped to have on his desk by Christmas – and even RAISED THE PROSPECT THAT SPLITS IN THE PARTY OVER THE PUBLIC OPTION, ABORTION AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE BILL COULD SCUTTLE PASSAGE ALTOGETHER.

Last weekend, Liu Mingkang, China's banking regulator, criticised the US Federal Reserve for fuelling the "dollar carry-trade", in which investors borrow dollars at ultra-low interest rates and invest in higher-yielding assets abroad. Speaking at a banking conference in Frankfurt on Friday, Mr Schäuble said it would be "naive" to assume the next asset price bubble would take the same guise as the last.

He said: "More likely today is a scenario in which excess liquidity globally creates a new [sort of] asset market bubble." He added: "That low interest rate currencies such as the US dollar are increasingly being used as a basis for currency carry trades should give pause for thought. IF THERE WAS A SUDDEN REVERSAL IN THIS BUSINESS, MARKETS WOULD BE THREATENED WITH ENORMOUS TURBULENCE, including in foreign exchange markets."

Mr Schäuble, a political veteran, took over the German finance ministry after Angela Merkel began her second term as chancellor last month.

"I have not seen this many unclaimed bodies in 13 years on the job," said Albert Samuels, chief investigator at the mortuary. "It started happening when the economy went south last year. I have never seen this many people struggling to give people their last resting place." Unburied bodies piling up in the city mortuary — it reached 70 earlier this year — is the latest and perhaps most appalling indignity to be heaped on the people of Detroit. The motor city that once boasted the highest median income and home ownership rate in the US is today in the midst of a long and agonising death spiral.

After years of gross mismanagement by the city's leaders and the big three car manufacturers of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, who continued to make vehicles that Americans no longer wanted to buy, DETROIT TODAY HAS AN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 28 PER CENT, higher even than the worst years of the Great Depression.

THE MURDER RATE IS SOARING. The school system is in receivership. The city treasury is $300 million (£182m) short of the funds needed to provide the most basic services such as rubbish collection. In its postwar heyday, when Detroit helped the US to dominate the world's car market, it had 1.85 million people. Today, just over 900,000 remain. It was once America's fourth-largest city. Today, it ranks eleventh, and will continue to fall. THOUSANDS OF HOUSES ARE ABANDONED, ROOFS RIPPED OFF, WINDOWS SMASHED. BLOCK AFTER BLOCK OF SHOPPING DISTRICTS LIE BOARDED UP.

Former manufacturing plants, such as the giant Fisher body plant that made Buicks and Cadillacs, but which was abandoned in 1991, are rotting. What has alarmed medical examiners at the mortuary is that MOST OF THE DEAD DIED OF NATURAL CAUSES. It is evidence, they believe, of people who could not afford medical insurance and medicines and whose families can now not afford to bury them.