The ship was found today 300 miles off the West African coast and the crew was safe, BUT A TEAM OF SPECIALISTS IN LOCATING NUCLEAR SUBSTANCES WAS DISPATCHED FROM MOSCOW TO THE SCENE. The possibility that the ship was carrying a lot more than the lumber that it was reported to hold coincided with bin Laden's most recent public claim that he will "soon have a nuclear weapon in my hands."

In a series of developments described as highly unusual the Arctic Sea, a Russian-crewed cargo vessel, vanished some two weeks ago when it passed through the English Channel, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. The 4,000-ton ship set sail from the port of Pietarsaari in Western Finland with timber valued at more than $1.3 million, apparently bound for Algeria.

This weekend it has emerged that radiation tests have been carried out at the port of Pietasaari after MI6 and officers of the FSB, the Russian security service, arrived at the harbor. The results of those tests remain a secret. Meanwhile the Russian Navy has dispatched five warships equipped with special equipment – SENSORS THAT CAN LOCATE NUCLEAR MATERIAL – to the Atlantic. The possibility that nuclear material was hidden aboard the Arctic Sea also was heightened by the report that fissionable material disappeared some weeks ago from a nuclear-storage depot in the Ural Mountains in Russia.

UPDATE: DAILY MAIL - Russia has been accused of a cover-up over the cargo ship which vanished last month. One theory is that the Russian secret service was using the freighter to smuggle equipment, possibly nuclear. But it feared that a Western intelligence service had found out, meaning the ship had to be boarded to prevent the equipment falling into Western hands.

Shipping expert Mikhail Voitenko said THE HIJACKING WAS BEYOND THE MEANS OF CRIMINAL GANGS. 'I believe states, state interests, were involved,' he said. The eight suspects were detained by a Russian naval ship without a shot being fired, according to the country's defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov.

Japan and the UK - second and third largest holders of US debt - increased their holdings over the same period. In recent months the US government's budget deficit has widened thanks in part to the Obama administration's costly stimulus plan.

Our correspondent in Shanghai says that China is worried about this, and fears the stimulus efforts will fuel inflation in the US, reducing the value of the dollar. This would then erode the value of the debt China holds in the US currency. In June, China cut its holdings of US securities by about $25bn, a fall of 3.1%.

"China has said it would like to establish an alternative to the US dollar as the world's favoured currency for foreign exchange reserves," said our correspondent. "So far there is no evidence that there is a suitable alternative. But these figures suggest they are exploring ways to diversify their investments where they can."

Khamenei, through his spokesman Ali Saeedi, specifically beckoned the nations of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan to join together with Iran in preparation for the Mahdi's soon coming. THE PURPOSE OF UNITING NOW, A REPORT IN AL ARABIYA EXPLAINED, IS TO FIGHT ISRAEL AND THE US – seen as the two greatest obstacles to the coming of the Mahdi and the age of Islamic "justice" that would ensue.

"We have to train honest forces that can stop the obstacles that may hinder the coming of the Mahdi like the United States and Israel," Saeedi stated. Saeedi also emphasized that THE IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD POSSESSED A SPECIAL RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE MAHDI. Iran also recently concluded its fifth Annual Conference on Mahdism doctrine in the Iranian city of Qom, from which Shi'a Muslims believe the Mahdi will emerge.

MAHDISM IS NOW INCREASINGLY BEING USED AS A POLITICAL TOOL by appealing to the religious and nationalistic tendencies of various Muslims groups. This particular call for Islamic unity stands out because of its pan-Islamic, cross-sectarian appeal.

DR MOSTAFAVI ALSO OFFERED A WILDLY DISTORTED VERSION OF THE CHRISTIAN END TIME NARRATIVE. Claiming that Christians are making efforts to bring about the Battle of Armageddon, he stated: "In order to make this war happen they consider brutality, war and violence allowed and in their propaganda, they ask Christians and especially soldiers to create a situation for Jesus to reappear. These soldiers would be considered martyrs if they are killed in this way and would be in the circle of Messiah's Twelve disciples," Dr Mostfavi explained. "These evangelists try to reinforce their belligerent notion ideologically even by mentioning verses from Gospel.

One speaker at the conference, Abdollah Adam Gaya from Nigeria, spoke about the need to export Mahdism to the West: "[In order] to fight against the [Western] cultural invasion against Islamic Shiite values, WE MUST ALSO EXPORT THE MAHDISM CULTURE TO THE WEST... Imperialist powers fear the growth of that culture and therefore they are after attacking it..." Gaya also explained that the vehicle of Mahdism was the most effective tool to unite not only all Muslim countries, but also the whole world:

"PROPAGATING AND DEFINING THE MAHDISM CULTURE ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE STEPS IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH UNITY AMONG MUSLIM NATIONS OF THE WORLD because not only Messianism and Mahdism are the common grounds for understanding between all Muslims but between all religions in the world," he added.

In the first of three Reduced Service days, rubbish collections were suspended and libraries and health centres were closed. Workers have been asked to take an enforced unpaid holiday in a move the authorities hope will save $8.3m. Chicago's Mayor Richard M Daley thanked state employees for their "sacrifice".

"Every dollar we save from these measures helps to save jobs, and in the long-term, maintain service for Chicagoans," he said. "This plan engages most civilian employees to accept cuts and to be part of the solution to our budget crisis."

Two more Reduced Service days are planned on November 27, the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. The total savings are expected to be $34m, but the mayor's office said that despite "efforts to reduce costs and better manage government", the city's shortfall in 2009 will still be about $300m.

Microscopic traces of glycine were discovered in a sample of particles retrieved from the tail of comet Wild 2 by the NASA spacecraft Stardust deep in the solar system some 242 million miles (390 million km) from Earth, in January 2004. Samples of gas and dust collected on a small dish lined with a super-fluffy material called aerogel were returned to Earth two years later in a canister that detached from the spacecraft and landed by parachute in the Utah desert.

The initial detection of glycine, the most common of 20 amino acids in proteins on Earth, was reported last year, but it took time for scientists to confirm that the compound in question was extraterrestrial in origin. "We couldn't be sure it wasn't from the manufacturing or the handling of the spacecraft," said astrobiologist Jamie Elsila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the principal author of the latest research.

Chains of amino acids are strung together to form protein molecules in everything from hair to the enzymes that regulate chemical reactions inside living organisms. But scientists have long puzzled over whether these complex organic compounds originated on Earth or in space.

They say countries in South and East Asia must spend billions of dollars to improve antiquated crop irrigation to cope with rapid population increases. That estimate does not yet take into account the possible impact of global warming on water supplies, they said. Asia's population is forecast to increase by 1.5bn people over the next 40 years.

The findings are published in a new joint report by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). They suggest that Asian countries will need to import more than a quarter of their rice and other staples to feed their populations. "Asia's food and feed demand is expected to double by 2050," said IWMI director general Colin Chartres.

"Relying on trade to meet a large part of this demand will impose a huge and politically untenable burden on the economies of many developing countries. The best bet for Asia lies in revitalising its vast irrigation systems, which account for 70% of the world's total irrigated land," he said.

One contributor to the paper, the Finnish Defence Minister, writes: "From the beginning of Finland's EU membership it has been clear to us that THE EU ALSO INCLUDES A SECURITY DIMENSION... Our citizens expect a security dividend from the EU... The EU is likely to have a much stronger security and defence dimension in 2020 than it has now."

The publication recommended that the EU should commit itself to have a sizeable force ready to deploy at any time - over 100,000 in a constant state of readiness, or 300,000 troops allowing for rotation, by 2020. A common budget should also be established, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF LAUNCHING MISSIONS BEFORE ALL POLITICAL DECISIONS HAVE BEEN TAKEN "TO MINIMISE CRITICAL PROCEDURAL DELAYS" should be considered.

Mean while, writing in the FT, Charles Grant, the Director of the Centre for European Reform, argues that "The EU needs to accept that building a defence policy with 27 countries will never work." He adds, "When it comes to organising missions that may require the use of force, those countries with robust strategic cultures should form their own body under an EU umbrella."

It means Britons in receipt of a European arrest warrant (EAW) could be sent for trial anywhere else in the EU for minor crimes such as drunkenness and driving offences. The major extension of police powers comes as campaigners fight the extradition of computer hacker Gary McKinnon to the US. European arrest warrants are already issued by EU nations, and British police forces usually respond to those relating to serious offences such as terrorism and organised crime.

Under the controversial new rules, a key part of the so-called Schengen Information II system, THE POLICE WILL BE FORCED TO RESPOND TO ALL EAWS. Anyone who has an EAW issued against him or her will be automatically taken into custody. British courts must then allow an extradition, even if there are concerns about the standards of justice in the country they are being sent to. FOR EXAMPLE, TRIALS IN POLAND, GREECE AND BULGARIA ARE OFTEN HELD WITHOUT AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION.

Tory justice spokesman Dominic Grieve said: 'THE EUROPEAN ARREST WARRANT WAS INTRODUCED TO FAST TRACK EXTRADITION OF TERRORIST SUSPECTS, but has expanded well beyond that. It allows British citizens to be whisked away to face trial for things that are not criminal in this country, on limited evidence, and in countries with lower standards of justice.'

But instead of bombing the concentration camps and the railways supplying them, they reacted by first suppressing eye-witness reports and then claiming they were exaggerated. Britain opposed offering sanctuary to Jewish refugees, said the article, which will be seen as having the support of the highest Vatican figures.

L'Osservatore Romano draws on the diaries of former US Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau, who said his country's officials 'dodged their grim responsibility, procrastinated when concrete rescue schemes were placed before them, AND EVEN SUPPRESSED INFORMATION ABOUT ATROCITIES'. Mr Morgenthau claimed that when the US began to rescue Jews the project met resistance from British officials.

The Foreign Office warned of 'the difficulties of disposing of any considerable number of Jews should they be rescued'. Mr Morgenthau called this 'A SATANIC COMBINATION OF BRITISH CHILL AND DIPLOMATIC DOUBLETALK, cold and correct and adding up to a sentence of death'. The article will be seen as part of the Vatican's drive to restore the reputation of the wartime Pope, Pius XII.

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Paper money can pick up cocaine particles directly from users snorting the drug through rolled up bills, or from the handling of cash during drug deals. Contamination can spread when bills are stacked together or run through counting machines. Scientists tested bank notes from more than 30 cities in the US, Canada, Brazil, China and Japan.

They found "alarming" evidence of cocaine contamination in many areas. The US and Canada had the highest levels, with an average contamination rate of between 85 per cent and 90 per cent. China and Japan had the lowest rates of 20 per cent and 12 per cent. Contamination of US currency was up 20 per cent on its level two years ago when the same scientists conducted a similar study.

Hundreds were turned away just on Tuesday, the first day of a weeklong clinic run by the nonprofit Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corp as part of its mission to provide free health, dental and eye care in needy spots around the world. It marks the first time in RAM's 25 years that it has gone to a major US metropolitan area - a reminder that even in Los Angeles, with world-class doctors and hospitals, many do not have access to affordable healthcare.

RAM is apolitical, but its mobile medical center has sprung up in the working-class LA suburb of Inglewood against the backdrop of an increasingly bitter public debate over President Barack Obama's proposed overhaul of the US healthcare system.

Some 8,000 people were expected to file through the Forum sports arena for everything from Pap smears to acupuncture to eyeglass fittings. "IT CERTAINLY PROVES THAT HERE IN THE INNER CITY HEALTHCARE IS NEEDED IN THE WORST WAY," Inglewood Mayor Roosevelt Dorn said. "If that doesn't send a message across America, I don't know what will."

At 1700 EDT (2100 GMT), Bill was located about 820 miles west-southwest of the Cape Verde Islands and was moving west with maximum sustained winds near 40 miles per hour, the NHC said. "Strengthening is indicated and Bill is expected to become a hurricane in three to four days," it said, adding forecasts showed this would take place when the storm was very near the Northern Leeward Islands. The five-day forecast track showed it could threaten Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.

Tropical storms become hurricanes when their top sustained winds reach 74 mph. Earlier on Saturday, the first named tropical storm of the 2009 Atlantic season, Ana, formed. It was heading toward the Leeward Islands, and could also threaten the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Energy traders watch for storms that could enter the Gulf of Mexico and threaten US oil and natural gas platforms and refineries along the coast. Commodities traders watch storms that could hit crops such as citrus and cotton in Florida and other states along the coast to Texas.

Police in Finland confirmed the ransom demand was made to the Finnish owners of the 4,000-ton Arctic Sea and that the case was now being treated as 'a hijacking with aggravated extortion'. They said the armed gang had warned they would pose a 'threat to the life and health' of the 15 Russian crewmen on board unless their demands are met.

The ransom demand came as The Mail on Sunday established radiation tests were carried out at the port of Pietarsaari in western Finland, where the Maltese-flagged ship Arctic Sea started its voyage. The Turkish-built vessel, which was carrying £900,000 worth of timber, is feared to have been stormed by pirates looking for a 'secret cargo'.

The fact that nuclear tests were conducted will fuel speculation that the ship did have a hidden cargo.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, the director of the Christian Legal Centre, has written to Peter Fahy, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, over the incident. She claims that Mr Hayworth and his father, John, 55, were unlawfully and unfairly treated as they preached Christianity in the city at the end of July.

"They were clearly told that reading the Bible and preaching can be offensive and that they could be arrested," she wrote. "Furthermore, they were subjected to abuse and intimidation. They were told that they were being monitored and filmed," she wrote. CRITICS CLAIMED THAT A MUSLIM PREACHING HIS RELIGION IN THE STREET WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TREATED IN SUCH A WAY BY POLICE.

Mr Hayworth, a voluntary worker who is married with two children, has been a street preacher in the Manchester area for five years and he is often accompanied by his father. He said that he and his father had decided to preach from 11am at St Ann's Square in Manchester instead of their usual place on nearby Market Street. He was reading passages from the Old and New Testaments while his father distributed leaflets containing the message of the gospel.

It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine. GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

The letter, sent to about 600 neurologists on July 29, is the first sign that there is concern at the highest levels that the vaccine itself could cause serious complications. It refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976 when:

More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu.
500 cases of GBS were detected.
The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times.
The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear.
The US Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected.

Concerns have already been raised that the new vaccine has not been sufficiently tested and that the effects, especially on children, are unknown.