The planes can fly at least 20 consecutive hours and are primarily used for surveillance and carrying diverse payloads. At the fleet's inauguration ceremony at a sprawling air base in central Israel, the drone dwarfed an F-15 fighter jet parked beside it. The unmanned plane resembles its predecessor, the Heron, but can fly higher, reaching an altitude of more than 40,000 feet (12,000 meters), and remain in the air longer.

"With the inauguration of the Heron TP, we are realizing the air force's dream," said Brigadier General Amikam Norkin, commander of the base that will operate the drones. "The Heron TP is a technological and operational breakthrough." The commander of Israel's air force, Major General Ido Nehushtan, said the aircraft "has the potential to be able to conduct new missions down the line as they become relevant."

Israel's military refused to say how large the new fleet is or whether the planes were designed for use against Iran, but stressed it was versatile and could adapt to new missions. The plane's maker, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, has said it is capable of reaching the Persian Gulf, which would put Iran within its range. Israeli defense officials said the Heron TP could be a useful tool against Iran. It could provide surveillance, jam enemy communications and connect ground control and manned air force planes.

Israeli companies are considered world leaders in drone technology and now export unmanned aircraft to a number of armies, including US-led forces that have used them in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Heron TP has been in development for about a decade, but the aircraft first saw action during Israel's offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip just over a year ago.

It can be assembled by villagers in a back yard and it enables the Taliban to take on an enemy with far superior numbers and fire power just as Stinger surface-to-air missiles enabled the Mujaheddin to neutralise Soviet air power in the 1980s. In Afghanistan now, in the battle for Marjah, the coalition has 15,000 soldiers ranged against an estimated 400 Taliban fighters.

It sounds like no contest. Yet progress is slow and bloody because the Taliban have ringed the town with IEDs in what soldiers call the "belt of death". January was a bad month, with about one a day killed, all in Afghanistan. In 2003 there were 81 recorded IED incidents in Afghanistan. Last year there were 8,159. In Helmand it is common to see soldiers vomit before they go on patrol because the chances of being hit are so high.

About half of all American soldiers who died in Iraq were killed by IEDs, while in Afghanistan the figure is now about two-thirds. But insurgents quickly learnt that they inflict more than just death and injury. Over the past three years, the Pentagon has spent $15.5 billion and employed top scientific minds in an effort to come up with the best ways to detect and survive IEDs. Its scientists and engineers are working round the clock on robots, lasers, chemical detectors and even specially trained bees.

Sergeant John Stricklett has done four tours in Baghdad, often taking the "long walk" to defuse a bomb. He shows me how he can operate the Talon robot from a laptop in a case, studying the area from its four mounted cameras and manoeuvring its claw-like hands. "It becomes my hands and disassembles the bomb while I can stay at remote distance," he says. "On my last deployment I lost three robots. If I’d walked down that street instead, they would have got me." At $150,000 a time, the robots are expensive, but cheap in comparison with the lives they save.

One of the more bizarre suggestions has been to use honeybees because of their acute sense of smell. The small hairs that bees use to detect pollen can be used to detect any scent, prompting them to stick out their tongues. A defence research laboratory in Los Alamos has found they can be trained within 20 minutes to recognise a particular chemical. But the logistics of carrying bees inside army vehicles moving around Afghanistan have proved unworkable.

IEDs are nothing new. Guy Fawkes used one to try to blow up parliament. Lawrence of Arabia placed bombs on the road and railway to disrupt Turkish supply routes during the first world war. They were common in Vietnam when the Vietcong fashioned them from unexploded American ordinance. The term IED was coined in the 1970s by the British Army when the IRA made bombs from fertiliser and Semtex smuggled from Libya.

Ordinariate is the term established in the November 4, 2009, apostolic constitution "Anglicanorum Coetibus," which allows for groups of Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. "It's the first step on the road, saying thank you, we are going to go along this particular track because the door has been closed to us by the Anglican Church of Australia over a long period of time," Bishop David Robarts, chairman of Forward in Faith, told the Telegraph newspaper. "We're not really wanted any more [in the Anglican Communion]," he said, "our conscience is not being respected."

The Pope's apostolic constitution is an answer to just that type of experience, which many Anglicans have expressed as the Communion moves toward greater approval of homosexual behavior - including openness to active homosexuals in ordained ministry - and women bishops. The path to establish ordinariates was the Pope's response to requests from disconcerted Anglicans.

The Church in Australia is celebrating as Benedict XVI announced that Blessed Mary MacKillop will soon be proclaimed as the country's first saint. Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, commented that the sainthood of Mother MacKillop is "deeply significant" and "an inspiration" for all Australians.

The president of the unity council, Cardinal Walter Kasper, will participate in the visit. Rome's Lutheran community had invited the Pope in 2008 to mark the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to the church. The Polish Pontiff's 1983 visit commemorated the 550th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther (1483-1546).

According to the Lutheran community, Benedict XVI's homily will be on the biblical passage from John: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." For his part, Pastor Jens-Martin Kruse will analyze the first chapter of the Second Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians, which speaks about Christ's consolation in moments of tribulation.

In statements to the NEV agency, Kruse noted his sense of the importance of the visit: "To have the Bishop of Rome among us is a good sign for ecumenism in our city."

The vote has sparked the usual questions about whether there is a fundamental cultural divide between the US and Europe over balancing security concerns with civil liberties. But the real significance may be simply institutional: the European Parliament, freshly endowed with new lawmaking powers following the passage of the Lisbon Treaty last year, is flexing its muscles as an emerging player in European politics. Suddenly, the legislative body has a semblance of real power - something it never really had before.

That Parliament members chose to take a stand on the bank data issue is a little surprising. The Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) has always been a controversial initiative. It was secretly set up after the September 11 attacks, allowing CIA agents and US Treasury officials to sift through the European financial messaging data collected by SWIFT, an international bank transfer consortium based in Belgium.

Until recently, SWIFT had its data servers on US soil, giving American authorities the jurisdiction they needed to access them. But at the end last year, the servers covering European wire transfers were moved to Switzerland and the Netherlands, forcing the US to seek European consent to continue sifting through SWIFT's database of some 8,000 banks.

European governments said the bank data legislation, while not perfect, at least required US authorities to abide by several European demands on data protection and improved oversight. Yet despite their pressure - and last-minute pleas by such high-ranking US officials as Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner - the European Parliament voted down the measure on February 11 by a hefty margin of 378-196. After the vote, the Obama Administration called it "a setback for US-EU counter-terror cooperation."

As the economy has weakened, with unemployment rising, home prices tumbling and loan defaults soaring, bank failures have accelerated and sapped billions of dollars out of the federal deposit insurance fund. It fell into the red last year. The 140 bank failures last year were the highest annual tally since 1992, at the height of the savings and loan crisis. They cost the insurance fund more than $30 billion. There were 25 bank failures in 2008 and just three in 2007. The FDIC expects the cost of resolving failed banks to grow to about $100 billion over the next four years.

Banks have been especially hurt by failed real estate loans, both residential and commercial. Banks that had lent to seemingly solid businesses are suffering losses as buildings sit vacant. As development projects collapse, builders are defaulting on their loans. Smaller banks are more vulnerable to the losses than their bigger Wall Street counterparts, because commercial real estate makes up a larger portion of their portfolio.

If the economic recovery falters, defaults on the high-risk loans could spike. Many regional banks hold large concentrations of these loans. Banks face as much as $300 billion in losses on loans made for commercial property and development, according to a report issued last week by the Congressional Oversight Panel, which monitors the government's efforts to stabilize the financial system.

Trees have been brought down and cars swept away, blocking roads and hampering relief teams. Some bridges and roads have been washed away. British holidaymaker Cathy Sayers told the BBC Funchal was like a ghost town. She said the infrastructure had been wrecked. "The drains just cannot cope with the water that's coming down from the mountains - they are just overfilled with sludge. There had not really been any warning that it would be quite so bad", she said. "I think everyone is extremely shocked that this has happened at this time of year."

Local media say the authorities' main concern now is for residents of Nuns valley - an isolated mountainous region that rescue workers have been unable to reach.

The fall of the government in the EU country, just two days short of the coalition's third anniversary, all but guarantees that the 2,000 Dutch troops will be brought home this year. That would be the first major crack in the coalition of some 40 nations battling a steadily increasing Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. The collapse, the fourth for a cabinet led by Balkenende in eight years, throws into doubt the scope and timing of planned budget cuts for next year as well.

Right-wing legislator Geert Wilders' Freedom Party, which has called for an end to the Afghan mission, could be the big winner at the next election. Opinion polls tip the party, campaigning on an anti-immigration ticket, to become the largest or second biggest party in parliament. "Unlike the leftish parties of the Dutch political spectrum, we are not against fighting against the Taliban and fighting for freedom in Afghanistan, but we believe the Dutch have done enough," Wilders told Reuters in an interview.

The Netherlands has some 1,940 troops based mainly in the volatile southern Afghan province of Uruzgan and has lost 21 of its soldiers there, adding to Dutch opposition to the war.

Customs workers have extended their strike against salary freezes and bonus cuts through next Wednesday, when unions across Greece will hold a general strike that is set to bring the country to a standstill. European finance ministers have told Athens it must demonstrate signs of fiscal improvement by March 16 or it will be ordered to impose even tougher budget cuts. Greece has promised to slash its deficit from an estimated 12.7 percent of gross domestic product to 8.7 percent this year.

Taxis also held a 24-hour strike Friday, protesting parts of the austerity package that increased fuel tax and will force them to issue receipts. Taxi drivers chanting "The measures mean unemployment" staged a noisy protest in central Athens that choked traffic. "These measures won't do anything, all they will do is throw us out of work," cab driver Anastasis Damianidis said. "We can't become tax collectors - that's what they're trying to do. We will keep demonstrating."

Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said the incident was a single act by a sole individual, who appeared to be targeting the federal building. He refused to classify it as terrorism. The FBI identified the pliot as Joseph Stack, a 53-year-old software engineer. Stack was confirmed dead, but his body has not yet been recovered.

A US law official said investigators were looking at a lengthy, anti-government "manifesto" Stack is believed to have written on his website. The message outlines problems with the IRS and says violence "is the only answer."

To read his message, go to:- http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,586627,00.html

In a written statement, the White House said Mr Obama had expressed support for the preservation of Tibet's "unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People's Republic of China." The meeting, which the White House put off last year so as not to interfere with Mr Obama's trip to Beijing in November, is the latest evidence of the more muscular posture that the Obama administration has been adopting with China, after a year in which China has taken a firm stance in its relations with the United States on a number of issues.

Last month, the administration announced a $6 billion arms sales package to Taiwan, infuriating Chinese officials. The meeting on Thursday between Mr Obama and Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, did not please Chinese officials, either. China, which regards the Dalai Lama as an advocate of Tibetan independence, said that it was "strongly dissatisfied" and that it expected the United States to try to make amends.

The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since the Chinese Army crushed an uprising in his homeland in 1959, and he is revered as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists. He has been pressing to return to China to advocate for greater cultural and religious freedoms for his followers. He has said he wants only genuine autonomy for Tibet, not independence.

The Fed chose to bump up the so-called "discount" lending rate by one-quarter point to 0.75 percent. It takes effect Friday. The central bank said the step should not be seen as a signal that it will soon boost interest rates for consumers and businesses. It repeated its pledge to keep such rates at record-low levels for an "extended period" to foster the economic recovery.

The Fed had signaled for weeks that a higher discount rate was coming, though the timing of Thursday's decision caught some by surprise. It portrayed its action as moving its emergency program for banks closer to normal. The announcement came after the financial markets had closed. Investors saw it initially as a prelude to higher borrowing costs across the board. In after-hours trading, the dollar strengthened on the expectation of higher rates. Yields on two-year Treasury securities rose, and stock futures dipped.

After the sell-off in stock futures, Pimco Managing Director Bill Gross warned investors not to overreact. "I'd accept the Fed at its word - that this isn't a change in monetary policy or in the timing of it," he said. "Calmer heads may prevail tomorrow." TJ Marta, a market strategist, said he thinks higher rates for American borrowers are still months away. But "I think one man's normalization is another man's tightening," he said of investors' initial anxiety.

Treasury officials embarked on an unusual ring-round to reassure City analysts and investors following news of the shortfall, which was 9.6 billion pounds higher than net borrowing in January last year. They insisted that Britain is still on target to meet its full-year borrowing targets, and that they had expected a weak January. But markets were hardly reassured. Gilt yields rose to a 15-month high of 4.1 percent, reflecting investors' concern about the credit-worthiness of the UK Government.

The pound also weakened, closing down almost a cent against the dollar at $1.5642, and down almost half a cent against the euro at 1.1478. David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said the public finances figures emphasised "the dangers facing Britain's international credit rating."

Borrowing is rising as the government spends more on benefits and other measures to prop up a severely weakened economy, at a time when tax receipts are dwindling. In January receipts from income and wealth taxes - including income tax, corporation tax, and capital gains tax - were down 16 percent compared with a year earlier. Total current spending was up almost 10 percent.

The 8am religious slot on Radio 4's Today programme aims to provide reflection from 'a faith perspective' on topical issues. Director General Mark Thompson is understood to have discussed the idea when he visited the Vatican earlier this month. Mr Thompson, a devout Roman Catholic, has yet to secure papal agreement but executives from the corporation are to continue to discuss the appearance with Vatican officials.

Radio 4 Controller Mark Damazer said Benedict XVI was part of a 'wish list' of guests which also included Bruce Springsteen and Sir Mick Jagger for Desert Island Discs. He added: 'I won't leave this job until I have got the Pope doing Thought for the Day.'

However, the BBC's plan has attracted criticism. Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: 'The Pope will have a four-minute slot to lecture us about morality but no one will be able to challenge anything he says. Why won't he be invited to take the 8.10 interview slot on the Today programme with John Humphrys - and let's have a bit of finger-wagging the other way. There are a lot of questions to be answered, but all we're going to get from the BBC is propaganda.'

While it was unclear how Argentina might enforce the shipping blockade that it declared on Tuesday, its Foreign Ministry said that it intended to prevent operation of the rig around the Falklands, known locally as Las Malvinas. Asked by local media about the arrival of the Ocean Guardian, which crew waiting in the Falklands say has been shadowed by Argentine jets, Victorio Taccetti, the Deputy Foreign Minister, said: "If it's going to Las Malvinas it will have to request authorisation."

Mr Taccetti said that Argentina would take unspecified measures to stop oil exploration off the Falklands but said that he was not considering a repeat of the 1982 conflict with Britain. The rig was on the verge of moving from international waters and into territory claimed by Britain and Argentina around the Falklands last night. It is due to move to its drilling location on Friday.

The action drew anger from British politicians. The secretary of the all-party parliamentary group on the Falklands, Andrew Rosindell, demanded that the Argentine Ambassador be called in. "I don't think we should appease Buenos Aires - we found out what happens last time," Mr Rosindell said.