Gary Taylor, president and owner of MJJcommunity.com, said he understood the tragedies had mostly taken place outside of the UK but he believed one may have been British. "I know there has been an increase, I now believe the figure is 12. I believe there may have been one Briton who has taken their life," he said.

"It is a serious situation that these people are going through but Michael Jackson would never want this. He would want them to live." Jesse Jackson, a friend of the singer, has recorded a YouTube film on the site urging fans not to "self destruct".

Its authors include former defence secretary Lord Robertson and the ex-Lib Dem leader, Lord Ashdown. It comes after news of a £1bn cost overrun on two new aircraft carriers. The original budget for the two carriers for the Royal Navy was £3.9bn but the BBC has seen a memorandum revealing the programme will come under "severe pressure" because of the cost escalation. The head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, has previously defended the new carriers from accusations they were outdated "Cold War relics".

His counterpart in the British Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, had earlier suggested many of the Ministry of Defence's new equipment programmes were "irrelevant" to modern warfare. Similarly, the IPPR report suggests there ought to be a radical rethink of the way the UK budgets for defence. Spending on the aircraft carriers, along with the fighters which would fly from them and the destroyers protecting them, should be in the frame for cuts, its report says. THE AUTHORS SAY THE AIM SHOULD BE TO ERADICATE NUCLEAR WEAPONS, AND THERE SHOULD BE RENEWED DEBATE ABOUT THE TRIDENT SUBMARINE-BASED MISSILE SYSTEM.

The government is committed to renewing TRIDENT AT AN ESTIMATED COST OF £20BN. The policy is backed by the Tories but opposed by the Liberal Democrats and many Labour backbenchers. The report's authors also claim that the mission in Afghanistan is on course for possible failure unless it is changed to include a joint civilian-military stabilisation and reconstruction taskforce. It also draws lessons from the Mumbai attack in India, appealing for new preventative measures in case the UK has to face a terrorist attack at multiple locations in one of its major cities.

That would be a job for strengthened special forces, not the police, the report argues. There is also a broader appeal for Britain to do more to co-operate with Europe and stop relying on the Americans when it comes to security. THE REPORT SAYS BRITAIN WOULD BE DELUDED TO THINK THE US WOULD ALWAYS HELP BRITAIN OUT.

US-led combat operations are due to end by September 2010, with all troops gone from Iraq by the end of 2011. Iraqi troops are on the alert for insurgent attacks during the handover. Despite the pullback from cities and towns, due to be completed on Tuesday, US troops will still be embedded with Iraqi forces.

BBC defence and security correspondent Rob Watson says that while the pullback is significant, the actual withdrawal of US combat troops next year will pose a greater challenge. The success of that depends on Iraq's political leaders and their ability to tackle the country's many outstanding problems and tensions, he says.

Some 131,000 US troops remain in Iraq, including 12 combat brigades, and the total is not expected to drop below 128,000 until after the Iraqi national election next January. Iraqi soldiers paraded through Baghdad's streets on Monday in vehicles decorated with flowers and Iraqi flags, while patriotic songs were played through loudspeakers at checkpoints. US commanders have said security and stability is improving, and that Iraqi forces are now ready to take over security operations.

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."