According to a classified Federal Intelligence Service (BND) study, THE COLLAPSE OF THE WESTERN NATIONAL ECONOMIES, whose recuperation is unpredictable, COULD LEAD TO A DRASTIC ACCELERATION OF CHINA'S RISE and THE DECLINE OF WEST GERMANY'S LONG-TERM PRIMARY ALLY, THE UNITED STATES. This intelligence service paper is being currently discussed in Berlin and excerpts have been leaked to the press to prepare public opinion for possible changes in global policy orientation.

"A LONG-TERM GLOBAL CRISIS" cannot, for the moment, be excluded, assesses the BND, who, if this happens, is anticipating "MASSIVE UNEMPLOYMENT AND MOVEMENTS OF MIGRATION IN UNPRECEDENTED DIMENSIONS" as well as an escalation of nationalism and very serious international tensions. An essential question, for the future global conflict constellations, according to this paper, will be IF RUSSIA CAN BE BOUND TO THE WEST OR IF MOSCOW WILL GO OVER TO THE CHINESE ADVERSARY...

Back in March, the parents gave an interview to the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper, saying THEY DECIDED NOT TO REVEAL THEIR CHILD'S SEX BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE GENDER IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION.

"WE WANT POP TO GROW UP MORE FREELY AND AVOID BEING FORCED INTO A SPECIFIC GENDER MOLD FROM THE OUTSET," said the child's mother, "Nora" (the paper used fake names for the entire family to protect their privacy). "It's cruel to bring a child into the world with a blue or pink stamp on their forehead," the mother said. The parents, both 24 years old, said they never use personal pronouns when referring to the child. They just say "Pop."

The tot wears everything from dresses to pants, and Pop is usually the one who decides what to wear on any given morning. Pop's hairstyle is also changed on a regular basis, so it doesn't provide any clues. Swedish gender equality expert Kristina Henkel told The Local that THE EXPERIMENT COULD MAKE POP A STRONGER PERSON, SINCE HE OR SHE WON'T BE SUBJECT TO GENDER STEREOTYPES.

CHINA'S BANKS ARE VEERING OUT OF CONTROL. The half-reformed economy of the People's Republic cannot absorb THE $1,000BN (£600BN) BLITZ OF NEW LENDING ISSUED SINCE DECEMBER. Money is leaking instead into Shanghai's stock casino, or being used to keep bankrupt builders on life support. It is doing very little to help lift the world economy out of slump.

Fitch Ratings has been warning for some time that China's lenders are wading into dangerous waters, but its latest report is even grimmer than bears had suspected. "With much of the world immersed in crisis, China appears to be one of the few countries where the financial system continues to function largely without a glitch, but Fitch is growing increasingly wary," it said. "Future losses on stimulus could turn out to be larger than expected, and it is unclear what share the central and/or local governments ultimately will be willing or able to bear."

Note the phrase "able to bear". Fitch's "macro-prudential risk" indicator for China threatens to jump from category 1 (safe) to category 3 (Iceland, et al). This is a surprise to me but Michael Pettis from Beijing University says CHINA'S PUBLIC DEBT MAY BE AS HIGH AS 50PC-70PC OF GDP WHEN "CORRECTLY COUNTED".

The Swiss franc declined against the euro and dollar this week as foreign-exchange analysts said the central bank sold its currency three times to support the economy. The greenback fell against most of its major counterparts after the People's Bank of China said yesterday the International Monetary Fund should manage more of members' foreign-exchange reserves.

"THE DOLLAR'S STATUS AS A RESERVE CURRENCY IS BEING QUESTIONED," said Benedikt Germanier, a foreign-exchange strategist in Stamford, Connecticut at UBS AG, the second-largest currency trader. "THERE ARE REASONS TO SELL THE DOLLAR."

Leaving aside the question of whether it is a good or a bad idea to print money, which of the world's leading central banks is printing money faster: the Fed or the European Central Bank?

Last Wednesday, the European Central Bank injected €442 billion (£377 billion) of new cash into the euro money markets. This was the biggest long-term lending operation in the history of central banking and was EQUIVALENT TO HALF THE FED'S ENTIRE MONETARY EXPANSION IN THE PAST 18 MONTHS.

Yet most people still believe that the Fed (along with the Bank of England) is engaged in a "reckless" experiment with inflationary quantitative easing (QE), while the ECB is steadfastly honouring the deflationist traditions of the Bundesbank's "steady hand". However, if we look at the facts, the transatlantic difference is less clear. In fact, THE ECB IS PRINTING MONEY EVEN FASTER THAN THE FED IS.

A study by the thinktank found that scores of unofficial tribunals and councils regularly apply Islamic law to resolve domestic, marital and business disputes, many operating in mosques. It LED TO CLAIMS OF A "CREEPING" ACCEPTANCE OF SHARIA PRINCIPLES IN BRITISH LAW, but the Muslim Council of Britain dismissed the report as "scaremongering".

The study follows the outcry over remarks by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, last year that the adoption of aspects of Muslim law in Britain, such as in divorce proceedings, "seems inevitable". Lord Phillips, who was then the Lord Chief Justice, attracted controversy by saying that there was "no reason why" sharia principles could not form the basis of mediation in disputes.

Some decisions of Islamic tribunals are already considered legally binding and could theoretically be enforced in civil courts in England and Wales. Other officially recognised bodies can agree to grant Muslim "divorces" as part of a parallel system of religious law in Britain. "THIS WHOLE BUSINESS IS CREEPING UP ON US WITHOUT ANYONE REALLY NOTICING," said Dr David Green, director of Civitas.

Jackson, who collapsed with a heart attack at the age of 50 on Thursday, was 5ft 10in tall but weighed only 8st 10z, according to The Sun. His stomach contained the remains of partially dissolved tablets taken by the singer before an alleged final injection of painkillers, according to a coroner's report seen by the newspaper.

It disclosed that the star's distinctive shoulder length locks were a wig as he had lost virtually all of his hair. Meanwhile his body was covered in a mass of surgery scars from at least 13 cosmetic operations, the newspaper claimed. Following disclosures about the singer's addiction to a cocktail of painkillers, the post mortem report was said to confirm that his legs and shoulders bore numerous needle marks.

The first military takeover of a Central American government in 16 years drew widespread condemnation from governments in Latin America and the world — including the US — and Chavez vowed to overthrow the country's apparent new leader.

President Manuel Zelaya was awakened Sunday by gunfire and detained while still in his pajamas, hours before A CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM MANY SAW AS AN ATTEMPT BY HIM TO STAY IN POWER BEYOND THE ONE-TERM LIMIT. An air force plane flew him into forced exile in Costa Rica as armored military vehicles with machine guns rolled through the streets of the Honduran capital and soldiers seized the national palace.

Many union and farm groups supported Zelaya's push for the referendum — WHICH HE SAID WAS AIMED AT CHANGING POLICIES THAT HAVE EXCLUDED THE NEARLY THREE-QUARTERS OF HONDURANS WHO LIVE IN POVERTY.

As well as traditional camp pursuits such as trekking and tug-of-war, attendees will be given lessons in moral philosophy and evolutionary biology as well as debating otherworldly activities such as crop circles and telepathy. There will even be a £10 prize for the child who can disprove the existence of the mythical unicorn. And instead of finishing up the day with a toasted marshmallow and round of Kim-bi-ya budding atheists will belt out 'Imagine there's no heaven... and no religion too.'

Dawkins said the camp was designed to 'encourage children to think for themselves sceptically and rationally.' The event has been held in America for 13 years and was set up in the UK by Samantha Stein, a postgraduate psychology student from London.

The 23-year-old said the 24 places available were now taken and she hoped to expand next year after receiving hundreds more inquiries. SHE SAID THE CAMP, TO BE HELD FROM JULY 27 TO JULY 31, WAS NOT INTENDED TO CONVERT CHILDREN BUT TO INTRODUCE THEM TO A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING.

Hospitals have been put on standby to deal with sunstroke victims as the Met Office issued its first ever heatwave warning amid fears that it could become dangerously hot and humid. The mercury could hit a high of 91F (33C) by the middle of the week - and temperatures are expected to remain a warm and sticky 64F (18C) at night. Southern England and the Midlands are expected to be hottest areas, but all parts of the country will see high levels of sunshine until next weekend.

The Department of Health said children under four and elderly people were especially vulnerable, and should try to stay indoors where possible, especially during the hottest part of the day between 11am and 3pm. They were also advised to drink plenty of water to keep cool and hydrated. London is likely to be especially hot, meaning scorching conditions for Wimbledon fans players as the tournament goes into its second week.

A forecaster from the Met Office said: 'It is going to be the first significant heatwave since 2006.

Mad cow disease, also called bovine spongiform encephalopathy is a fatal brain disease in cattle, which scientists believe can cause Creutzfeldt Jakob disease in humans who eat infected cow parts. In the latest issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Dr Robert P Friedland, a neurologist at University of Louisville in Kentucky and colleagues suggest that FARMED FISH FED CONTAMINATED COW PARTS could transmit Creutzfeldt Jakob disease.

The scientists want government regulators to ban feeding cow meat or bone meal to fish until the safety of this common practice can be confirmed. Eating fish at least two times a week is widely recommended because of the beneficial effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the heart and brain, they note.

"THIS SEEMS TO CONFIRM THE UNANIMOUS AND UNDISPUTED TRADITION THAT THESE ARE THE MORTAL REMAINS ON THE APOSTLE PAUL," the pontiff said at St Paul's-Outside-the-Walls, on the eve of the Feasts of St Peter and St Paul celebrated on Monday. Peter and Paul are revered by Christians as the greatest early missionaries. Converting on the road to Damascus following a blinding vision of Jesus, Paul took the Gospel to pagan Greeks and Romans and met his martyrdom in Rome in about AD 65.

Christian tradition had it that St Paul was buried together with St Peter in a catacomb on the Via Appia, before being moved to the basilica erected in his honor. For centuries it was believed that his remains were buried beneath the altar. But it was not until a stone sarcophagus was discovered there in 2006 that Vatican archeologists could apply scientific research to the religious tradition.

The first results come during the "Pauline Year," when the Roman Catholic church has been celebrating the second millennium of the birth of the "Apostle of the Gentiles."

The German-American agenda for the meeting was clear this time: A show of friendship - after all the reports of a cool relationship between Obama and Merkel, which have now started to appear in the US as well as the German media. Shortly before the chancellor and the president entered the room, an American TV reporter was speaking live to camera about the possible differences between the two politicians.

However, Obama made sure that these supposed differences were not an issue during Merkel's visit to Washington. He began with a "Wilkommen" in German, and praised Merkel's "wisdom" and "candor." He recalled his visit to the Frauenkirche church in Dresden at the beginning of June, the restoration of which had showed the whole world, what could be achieved when countries and friends worked together. Obama greeted "my friend Chancellor Merkel." He said that Germany had a warm spot in his heart, because of the friendly reception to his speech in front of 220,000 people in German capital in July 2008, when he was still a presidential candidate.

The fact that Merkel had prevented Obama from speaking in front of the deeply symbolic Brandenburg Gate was now all forgotten. And the fact that Obama's team had acted with some arrogance during his Dresden visit and for a long time had rejected the idea of a brief visit to the Frauenkirche was also ancient history. Instead the president emphasized that he had now dealt with a lot of world leaders and that Merkel was "exactly what you want from an international partner."

THE ISSUE THAT HAS SEEN THE GREATEST TENSIONS BETWEEN THE TWO LEADERS WAS HARDLY MENTIONED - the response to the global financial crisis and the German skeptism about America's massive state spending that could culminate in an even bigger stimulus package and an even greater budget deficit. It was made clear that these issues had already been addressed during the president's recent visit to Dresden and in discussions with his economic advisers.

However even a good natured Obama cannot dispel the worries of many Europeans that they are becoming more marginalized in Washington in the face of the many political problems and increasing number of hot spots around the world. When the German chancellor was presented with the Warburg Prize for her contribution to trans-Atlantic relations on Thursday evening in the Library of Congress, ONLY ONE OUT OF A POSSIBLE 435 MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BOTHERED TO TURN UP.

"This poll clearly shows that it is not only the Irish who want to be consulted on the Lisbon Treaty. This Treaty transfers significant powers from the national to the EU level, and GERMAN VOTERS WANT TO BE GIVEN A SAY."

"Politicians claim they want to see more debate about the EU at national level, and yet they have conspired to deny voters a say on the Lisbon Treaty. Research shows that referendums on European issues significantly improve the public's interest in and knowledge of the EU - so referendums should be encouraged, not avoided at all costs. If politicians want people to connect with the EU, they should give them a say on the big issues like Treaty change. The public are crying out to be consulted - it is time to stop pretending that politicians know best, and inject some democracy into EU politics."

Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer has said: "We want the population to be asked before German competences are irrevocably transferred to Brussels. The population should also be asked before more member states enter the EU."

Reporting Judge Udo Di Fabio said: "One has to ask soberly: "What competences are left with the Bundestag (the German parliament) in the end?" He also bluntly asked "WHETHER IT WOULD NOT BE MORE HONEST TO JUST PROCLAIM A EUROPEAN FEDERAL STATE". On the transfer of powers to the EU, he said: "IS THE IDEA OF GOING EVER MORE IN THIS DIRECTION NOT A THREAT TO FREEDOM?"

Judge Dietrich Murswiek said, "THE TREATY CANNOT BE UNDERSTOOD BY ANYONE". He added: "It is a gigantic camouflage. Words evoking a European state are carefully avoided, just so that France and The Netherlands don't start complaining that they are not allowed a referendum".

Irish Europe Minister Dick Roche said in the aftermath of the Irish 'no' vote that "the first thing to learn about referendums - is to avoid them." Former Commission President Jacques Santer added: "A REFERENDUM IS GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY; IT IS NOT ALWAYS GOOD FOR A COUNTRY. We need to make a distinction between democracy and what is good for the country." The author of the original EU Constitution, former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing, has explained the reason why it was renamed the Lisbon Treaty, saying: "ABOVE ALL, IT IS TO AVOID HAVING A REFERENDUM."

There is an animal welfare argument in all this. Religious commentators say the more traditional techniques used by their respective faiths are actually more humane than the mass-production methods used across Britain. Animal rights activists cite the lack of a stun gun in the process, which instantly makes the animal unconscious before slaughter.

THERE IS A CERTAIN CRUELTY IN MANY ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS - and their sympathisers - who value animal life to the point where they, consciously or subconsciously, rate it over humans. They do so out of sentimentality. Animals don't hurt our feelings. They do not kill their own species, apart from on the rare occasions when two males clash in a manner which results in the death of the competitor.

But this is not because they are somehow better than us. It's because ANIMALS BEHAVE ONLY ACCORDING TO THEIR INSTINCT. They do not have the capacity for abstract thought. They have no concept of ideas, or philosophy. From a human point of view, which is the only point of view we can possibly have, they are less important than humans. That seems a childish and imbecilic statement, but it is, unfortunately, one that needs saying. Many animal rights activists and ordinary members of the public seem to have forgotten it.

IN THE WEST, WE HAVE SENTIMENTALISED ANIMALS. The same is not true in the rest of the world, of course, where life still carries with it the necessity of survival. THERE, THE CONCEPT OF HAVING A PET IS LUDICROUS. ANIMALS ARE THERE TO HELP HUMANS SURVIVE, EITHER THROUGH FOOD, OR LABOUR, OR MATERIAL.

So the arguments about which method of slaughter is more humane are entirely irrelevant to me. Muslims and Jews are entitled to slaughter animals for food in any way they choose. Not because of their religion, but because of their status as human beings.