He suggested that British reluctance is holding up progress towards this goal, but predicted that within "one, two or five years, we will end up with A COMMAND, PLANNING AND OPERATIONS CENTRE IN EUROPE." He also said he hoped that there would be "one day, a Council of European defence ministers" in Brussels, as there is for agriculture or foreign affairs ministers.

The minister mentioned as "work in progress" the reinforcement of military capacity including the creation of a European aero naval force; the establishment of a military ERASMUS programme and of a European College for Security and Defence; and the creation of a wider European weapons market.

Open Europe Director Lorraine Mullally was quoted saying, "Brits didn't get a say on the Treaty and we won't get a say on who becomes President."

Meanwhile, the Sunday Express reported that if Ireland votes Yes to the Treaty then judges at the European Court of Justice will get sweeping new powers over Britain's criminal justice, immigration and asylum policies. Lorraine Mullally was quoted saying, "THIS IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO OUR DEMOCRACY. The Treaty will hand HUGE NEW POWERS TO UNKNOWN, UNELECTED AND UNSACKABLE JUDGES IN LUXEMBOURG."

The statement was made just days after the discovery of a covert uranium enrichment site in Iran. Even as the world expressed its outrage, however, Gates pointed out that there was little left to be done about it. "THE REALITY IS THERE IS NO MILITARY OPTION that does anything more than buy time," he told CNN. "The estimates are three years or so."

In a separate interview with ABC News, he noted that Iran had engaged in "a pattern of deception and lies... from the very beginning," even as it claimed it was developing nuclear power for peaceful domestic energy purposes. "IF THIS WERE A PEACEFUL NUCLEAR PROGRAMME, why didn't they announce this site when they began to construct it?" Gates asked. "Why didn't they allow IAEA inspectors in from the very beginning?"

Obama stated Wednesday that progress had been made in the three-way meeting. However, PA and Israeli officials have no current plans to hold negotiations. While both sides have agreed to meet with US officials, it appears that they will not meet with each other.

Netanyahu said Thursday that he is willing to sit down to talk with Abbas with no preconditions, but will insist that under any peace deal the PA recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland. The PA has agreed to recognize Israel, but not as a Jewish state, and still demands that millions of foreign Arabs be granted Israeli citizenship.

Netanyahu began by taking Ahmadinejad to task, at length, for his denial of the Holocaust. He criticized those who remained seated during Ahmadinejad's speech the night before, asking, "Have you no shame, no decency?" The prime minister went on to discuss Iran within the framework of worldwide terrorism. Terrorists wish to drag humanity back into the Middle Ages, he warned. "The struggle against Iran pits civilization against barbarism… History could be reversed if primitive fanaticism acquires deadly weapons," he told delegates.

Netanyahu then turned to the subject of the recent UN report condemning Israel for its counter-terror offensive in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009. The UN is undermining its own legitimacy by siding with terrorists over their victims, he accused. There is only one comparable instance in history in which a civilian populace was targeted by thousands of rockets, he said – the German bombardment of England during the Second World War. Allied forces responded to those attacks by flattening German cities, killing hundreds of thousands of people, he reminded those present. "I'm not here to judge," he added, "I'm just stating a fact."

Netanyahu blasted the international community for encouraging Israel to leave Gaza, and then condemning Israel in the Goldstone Report when it responded to the rocket attacks that resulted: "This biased and unjust report is a clear-cut test for all governments. Will you stand with Israel or will you stand with the terrorists? We must know the answer to that question now, and not later. Because if Israel is again asked to take more risks for peace, we must know today that you will stand with us tomorrow. Only if we have the confidence that we can defend ourselves can we take further risks for peace."

Finally, Netanyahu declared that Israel is seeking only genuine peace, which means a genuinely demilitarized PA state. A PA state "must be effectively demilitarized. I say effectively because we don't want another Gaza, another south Lebanon, another Iranian terror base... we want peace." The Palestinian Authority delegate walked out of the hall when Netanyahu spoke about Gaza, the thousands of rockets fired by Hamas, and Israel's restrained response.

The other girls suffered dizziness and nausea after being injected with Cervarix, which guards against the human papilloma virus (HPV), but did not need hospital treatment. The batch of vaccine has since been quarantined and the Medicines and Health care products Regulatory Agency is investigating. Dr Caron Grainger, Joint Director of Public Health for NHS Coventry and the city's council, said: "A 14-year-old girl took ill at a school in Coventry and was taken to University Hospital in the city where she later sadly died."

The HPV virus is a sexually transmitted infection that causes up to seven in 10 cervical cancer cases. It is thought the 14-year-old's death is the first linked to the jab since the nationwide vaccination commenced last year. The Cervarix vaccine is being distributed to all schoolgirls aged 12 and over as part of the national campaign. By 2011 all girls under 18 will have been offered the jab. Ministers say the scheme will ultimately save 700 lives a year.

In excerpts released on Sunday from a speech that he is to deliver on Monday, Zoellick said global economic forces were shifting and it was time now to prepare for the fact that growth will come from multiple sources. "The United States would be mistaken to take for granted the dollar's place as the world's predominant reserve currency," he said. "Looking forward, there will increasingly be other options."

Merkel, 55, said on ARD television that talks on forming a coalition with the Free Democrats will proceed quickly, and her focus will be on creating jobs in Europe's biggest economy. She dismissed the FDP's call for a complete overhaul of the tax system, saying she wanted to be seen as the "chancellor of all Germans" and won't let her new junior partner dictate policy. During the campaign, she pledged to pursue deregulation, extend the life of nuclear-power plants and introduce across- the-board tax cuts of 15 billion euros ($22 billion).

President Barack Obama called to congratulate Merkel on her re-election, the White House said in a statement. He and Merkel agreed that their cooperation will further strengthen with the election of "a strong German government."

The five-hour phenomenon played havoc in the city, forcing the cancellation of boat services, suspending all construction work and keeping those with bronchial ailments at home. The dust particles also triggered thousands of fire alarms across the city before heading north to Queensland and east towards New Zealand.

"I've lived in a lot of countries over the years, some of them considered to be rather rough and unusual, but the red cloud was without a doubt one of the strangest phenomena I've ever come across. As I look out of my window at the crystal-clear blue skies and bright spring sunshine beating down on the city centre, it's hard to imagine that the scene that greeted me a few days ago took place in the same place. In fact, it would be hard to believe our bizarre "red-letter day" happened at all, were it not for the tell-tale red blotches on cars and a welter of newspaper ads peddling a range of dust-busting products."

"A little dirt isn't the end of the world," one timely advertisement for a washing powder intoned over a view of the red-shrouded Sydney Harbour Bridge. "Doomsday," screeched a tabloid headline the day after the storm. It wasn't the end of the world, BUT SYDNEY'S RED DAWN SEEMED TO AWAKEN SOME OF MAN'S MOST PRIMAL FEARS in one of the world's most sophisticated and glamorous cities.

"A thorough examination revealed that the coins bore the year in which they were minted and their value, or effigies of the pharaohs [who ruled] at the time of their minting. Some of the coins are from the time when Joseph lived in Egypt, and bear his name and portrait," said the newspaper report. The report carried an explanation of the discovery by a team involving researcher Sa'id Muhammad Thabet:

"Studies by Dr. Thabet's team have revealed that what most archeologists took for a kind of charm, and others took for an ornament or adornment, is actually a coin. Several [facts led them to this conclusion]: first, [the fact that] many such coins have been found at various [archeological sites], and also [the fact that] they are round or oval in shape, and have two faces: one with an inscription, called the inscribed face, and one with an image, called the engraved face – just like the coins we use today," said the report.

The newspaper called the find "unprecedented" and said, "The researchers discovered the coins when they sifted through thousands of small archeological artifacts stored in [the vaults of] the Museum of Egypt." THE EGYPTIAN NEWSPAPER NOTED THAT THE QURAN INDICATES CLEARLY "THAT COINS WERE USED IN EGYPT IN THE TIME OF JOSEPH."

Although Hamas and Fatah have accepted the plan in principle, each side has expressed reservations about some of its ideas. The plan, which was recently presented to the two parties by the Egyptians, talks about holding elections under Arab and Western supervision. Under the plan, political lists would account for 75% of candidates, while the remaining 25% would be allocated to district lists.

Fatah's main fear is that a large representation for political lists would enhance Hamas's chances of winning, as was the case in 2006. He said that Fatah had responded positively to the Egyptian plan. "We handed the Egyptians a very positive response before Id al-Fitr," he said. "We are prepared to reach understandings with all the Palestinian groups over the points mentioned in the plan, and not only with Hamas." Abdullah said that he was optimistic that Hamas's response would also be positive.

Hamas has made it clear that the elections would be held only after a reconciliation accord was signed with Fatah. Some Hamas officials also voiced optimism regarding the prospects of reaching an agreement that would end the movement's dispute with Fatah and pave the way for holding new elections.

But last night a senior defence official said THE TROOP REQUEST "WILL BE SHELVED UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS READY. It's not going to be addressed or reviewed or analysed until the White House is ready to begin discussing it." The extraordinary admission appears to confirm the widespread suspicion that Mr Obama is dragging his feet over one of the most crucial decisions of his presidency. There are growing reservations within his own Democratic Party about the risk of committing even more forces to what MANY FEAR IS BECOMING A VIETNAM-STYLE QUAGMIRE.

General McChrystal flew secretly to Germany last week to meet the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and press his case for up to 40,000 more troops. Tension has been rising between General McChrystal and the White House over signs that another abrupt change of course may soon be announced in the eight-year Afghan war. Last week the growing speculation about policy differences prompted him to declare that he was not on the point of resigning.

One of President Obama's early acts as commander in chief was to pour an additional 21,000 troops into Afghanistan and he is being urged by some experts in counter insurgency to commit vastly more troops to the fight. John Nagl America's leading expert on fighting insurgents said the "light footprint option" of the Bush administration had failed. "As the Obama administration and the US military leadership have recognised, it is well past time for a different approach."

The government declared a "STATE OF CALAMITY" in metropolitan Manila and 25 storm-hit provinces on Saturday, said Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, who heads the National Disaster Coordinating Council. That allows officials to withdraw emergency money for relief and rescue. A landslide and flash flooding in nearby Rizal province killed 35 people, said provincial government spokesman Tony Mateo. Most of the fatalities in Rizal drowned, said Loel Malonzo, chairman of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council.

Three people were also reported killed in Manila's southern suburb of Muntinglupa and two others in Quezon city, said Anthony Golez, deputy presidential spokesman and acting head of the Office of Civil Defense. Mateo said that 27 people were missing.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had to take an elevated commuter train to the disaster council office to preside over a meeting because roads were clogged by vehicles stuck in the floodwaters. The mayor of Cainta, also in Rizal, who was stranded atop a dump truck on a road that was neck-deep in water, told ABS-CBN television by phone that many residents climbed onto roofs to escape. "The whole town is almost 100 percent underwater," Mayor Mon Ilagan said.

ABOUT 16.7 INCHES (42.4 CENTIMETERS) OF RAIN FELL ON METROPOLITAN MANILA IN JUST 12 HOURS ON SATURDAY, exceeding the 15.4-inch (39.2-centimeter) average for September, said chief government weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz.

According to an annual report released by the four federal bank-regulatory agencies on Thursday, credit quality deteriorated to record levels this year. The report said total identified losses of $53.3 billion in 2009 surpassed last year's total of $26 billion, and nearly tripled the previous peak in 2002, when losses totaled $19.1 billion.

"While we expected a year-over-year increase in problem assets, given the weak economic environment, declining (commercial real estate) values, and previously weak underwriting, we were surprised by the magnitude of the increase," wrote FBR Capital Markets analyst Scott Valentin in a research note to clients on Friday.

Since 2007, banks have been crushed by mounting losses tied to real estate. Rising mortgage defaults since have helped push the US into a recession. While the economic downturn was first pegged to residential mortgage loans, BANKS AND LENDERS ARE NOW HAVING PROBLEMS WITH COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE.

The details emerged with the publication of the annual report of the Government's Pesticides Residues Committee, which reports the results of tests on more than 4,000 samples of food and drink. This found that some 1.2per cent of all the samples contained pesticides at above the recommended safety limit. The levels of pesticides varied considerably, with IMPORTED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES TENDING TO HAVE HIGHER LEVELS. ALL OF THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLES supplied to schools contained pesticides within allowed levels.

The committee and the Food Standards Agency insist that the levels are so low as to not be a cause for concern. Committee chairman, Dr Ian Brown, said: 'I understand that people are concerned about pesticide residues in their food, but as a doctor I cannot state too strongly the importance of eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. 'SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SHOWS that the health benefits are far greater than the risk from pesticide residues.'

The Soil Association, which represents organic farmers, said while the chemical residues were within safety limits, this was still a cause for concern. A spokesman said: 'Unbelievably we learn yet again that PESTICIDES ARE TURNING UP IN FRUIT AND VEGETABLES SUPPLIED TO SCHOOLCHILDREN. Yet again the government tells us this is nothing to be worried about.'

'Yet we know that children's exposure and susceptibility to pesticides is likely to be higher as per body weight they ingest more food and drink than adults and their bodies' ability to process and excrete any such residues is different to that of adults. It is unacceptable that 94 per cent of apples, and 100 per cent of bananas tested contained pesticides.' SHE SAID THAT THE 'COCKTAIL' EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PESTICIDES HAD NEVER BEEN TESTED PROPERLY. 'Powerful new evidence is emerging that suggests the combined effect of pesticide 'mixtures' may be more significant than previously realised, especially with regard to endocrine disruptors.'