2008 was a bear. There were no sunspots observed on 266 of the year's 366 days (73%). To find a year with more blank suns, you have to go all the way back to 1913, which had 311 spotless days. Prompted by these numbers, some observers suggested that the solar cycle had hit bottom in 2008. Maybe not. Sunspot counts for 2009 have dropped even lower. As of March 31st, there were no sunspots on 78 of the year's 90 days (87%).

It adds up to one inescapable conclusion: "WE'RE EXPERIENCING A VERY DEEP SOLAR MINIMUM," says solar physicist Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center. "THIS IS THE QUIETEST SUN WE'VE SEEN IN ALMOST A CENTURY," agrees sunspot expert David Hathaway of the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Quiet suns come along every 11 years or so. It's a natural part of the sunspot cycle, discovered by German astronomer Heinrich Schwabe in the mid-1800s. Sunspots are planet-sized islands of magnetism on the surface of the sun; they are sources of solar flares, coronal mass ejections and intense UV radiation.

Barack Obama, currently on his first overseas trip as president, phoned Netanyahu in the early morning hours Wednesday, and congratulated him on his first day in office. Obama, according to Olmert's office, made clear that US support for Israel's security was unwavering, and wished him well.

According to Netanyahu's office, the conversation lasted close to 30 minutes, and was held in a "friendly" atmosphere. The two agreed to meet in the near future, though no date was given. Netanyahu also spoke by phone with Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, for an extended conversation that was described as "warm." Putin, according to Netanyahu's office, said Netanyahu was a "welcome guest in Moscow."

The gist of his message had to do with Iran. "The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said. "You don't want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs. When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran."

The Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, was launched in the midst of last fall's collapse of the nation's banking system and is designed to get loans flowing to businesses and individuals.

But "without a clearer explanation" about parts of the program, "IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO EXERCISE MEANINGFUL OVERSIGHT OVER TREASURY'S ACTIONS," said Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law School professor who leads a special congressional oversight panel monitoring the TARP program. Her comments came in a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the bailout program.

Noting that TARP passed Congress six months ago, Warren said that her group has repeatedly called on the Treasury Department to provide a clear strategy for the program — and that "the absence of such a vision hampers effective oversight." Warren's oversight panel made news earlier this year with its report that Treasury's bailout programs had overpaid by an estimated $78 billion in its transactions with the nation's ailing financial institutions. She said that issue is still under investigation.

The big drop foreshadows a huge decline in the non-farm payroll reading in the government's employment report that will be released on Friday, some analysts said. "It's a terrible number. It is almost a loss of three quarters of a million jobs which is possibly the highest we have seen so far over the length of this crisis," said Matt Esteve, foreign exchange trader with Tempus Consulting in Washington.

U.S. stock futures and the dollar fell after news of the bigger-than-expected job losses, while U.S. Treasury bonds regained some of their lost ground. Economists had expected 655,000 private-sector job cuts in March in the ADP report, according to a recent Reuters poll.

New pledges from the Fed, the Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. include $1 trillion for the Public-Private Investment Program, designed to help investors buy distressed loans and other assets from U.S. banks. The money works out to $42,105 for every man, woman and child in the U.S. and 14 times the $899.8 billion of currency in circulation. The nation's gross domestic product was $14.2 trillion in 2008.

President Barack Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner met with the chief executives of the nation's 12 biggest banks on March 27 at the White House to enlist their support to thaw a 20-month freeze in bank lending. "The president and Treasury Secretary Geithner have said they will do what it takes," GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Lloyd Blankfein said after the meeting. "If it is enough, that will be great. If it is not enough, they will have to do more."

"I fear worse to come - a full-blown political crisis defined by growing social unrest, weakened governments and angry publics who have lost all faith in their leaders and their own future." He said the global economic downturn affected the poorest countries the most, and noted that in these countries "THINGS FALL APART ALARMINGLY FAST. Unless we build a worldwide recovery we face a looming catastrophe in human development," Ban wrote.

Several officers were injured and a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland targeted by drunken troublemakers. So far, 32 people have been taken into custody. Eleven of the arrests were made yesterday morning after officers found police uniforms in the back of an armoured vehicle parked in the City of London. Others were made for violent disorder, threatening behaviour, indecency and one for possessing Class A drugs. A violent mob with their faces covered by bandanas broke into the RBS building after windows at its entrance were smashed.

RBS had to be bailed out by the Government last autumn and has been widely condemned for giving its former chief executive a £16 million pension. Sir Fred Goodwin, who led the bank to the brink of collapse, has become the focus of public anger over the financial crisis. Today, a printer and other pieces of equipment were hurled from the building as the gang ransacked the office.

Hundreds of protesters cheered as a blue office chair was used to smash one of the blacked-out branch windows. The violence came despite an unprecedented police presence due to the protests over today's G20 summit and Barack Obama's visit. Around the bank, crowds charged police lines as officers hit back with baton charges. CITY WORKERS ADDED TO THE FEBRILE ATMOSPHERE BY WAVING WADS OF MONEY FROM THEIR OFFICE WINDOWS AND SHOUTING INSULTS AT THE PROTESTERS.

The proposals would also see France forced to put its military bases in Africa and South America under EU control. They go so far as to suggest that TWO AIRCRAFT CARRIERS BEING BUILT FOR THE ROYAL NAVY SHOULD BECOME AN EU 'CAPABILITY'. The idea drew a rebuttal from the Ministry of Defence, which insisted British facilities would remain under British control.

The study was commissioned by the European Parliament's security and defence committee as part of an analysis into how THE EU SHOULD RESPOND TO EMERGING MILITARY POWERS IN ASIA. The report calls for 'institutional reforms' within the EU. It concludes: 'The EU member states' military installations - mainly French and British - would provide a formidable asset for the geographical and functional expansion of EU grand strategy.' Geoffrey Van Orden, the Tories' EU defence spokesman, said: 'THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A GENUINE CONTRIBUTION TO EUROPEAN SECURITY AND EVERYTHING TO DO WITH EU PROMOTION OF ITS OWN MISPLACED MILITARY AMBITIONS.'

Enthusiasts for European Defence want to see a common EU foreign policy backed by centrally-controlled EU military forces. But opponents fear an EU Army will become a building block for a future European super-state. An MoD spokesman played down the proposals, saying use of British bases was a decision for the UK Government. He added: 'The UK's policy remains that there will be no standing European army, navy or air force. We have just one set of military forces and they don't belong to either NATO or the EU - they belong to us.'

Joaquin Almunia, the European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, told The Daily Telegraph that in future the EU would have "one voice" in reformed institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "FOR ME THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO HAVE ONE EUROPEAN VOICE AND POSITION ON THESE BODIES," he said.

While Britain, France or Germany would not lose their votes or place at the IMF's top table they would, Mr Almunia insisted, be required by the EU to "present the same things and positions. A Europe with a consolidated representation will have more influence," he said. Mr Almunia admitted that some countries, such as Britain, might have to be pushed into merging national votes into a collective EU position during talks on the issue in Brussels this spring. "SOME WILL NOT ADAPT TO THIS ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE, THEY WILL NEED TO RECEIVE PRESSURE," he said.

Mark Francois, Conservative spokesman on Europe, said he will be tabling questions in the House of Commons to seek urgent answers. "Losing our independent voice at the IMF to the EU would be a totally unacceptable loss of national sovereignty." he said.

In a surprise confession during a House of Commons' debate, she told MPs that she had however been "briefed" on parts of the Treaty, which replaced but resembles the failed EU constitution. Her honest declaration, which led to gasps from MPs, came after Miss Flint was asked during the debate if she had read the elements of the treaty that related to defence. She replied: "I HAVE READ SOME OF IT BUT NOT ALL OF IT."

Critics described her admission as "extraordinary" and "unbelievable," particularly given that the minister's responsibilities include overseeing the introduction of the Treaty. Mark Francois, the Tory Europe spokesman, said: "It is not every day that someone will admit they haven't read the most important document for their job. Her astonishing admission does leave some questions. HOW DOES SHE KNOW IF THE TREATY IS GOOD FOR BRITAIN IF SHE HASN'T READ IT?"

The Treaty was due to be ratified by all of the EU's 27 member states by the end of last year, but its fate lies in the balance after it was rejected by the Irish in a referendum. The Government's refusal to grant the British public a vote on the Treaty has proved controversial. Lorraine Mullally, director of the anti-EU think-tank Open Europe, said: "This is an unbelievable admission. It is extremely worrying that the minister responsible for promoting the treaty in this country has no idea what it actually says. Perhaps this explains why she is against giving the British people the vote on it they were promised - SHE SIMPLY HAS NO IDEA HOW IMPORTANT IT IS."

Since its construction in 1937 the treasures locked inside Fort Knox have included the US Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, three volumes of the Gutenberg Bible and the Magna Carta. For several prominent investors and at least one senior US congressman it is not the security of the facility in Kentucky that is a cause of concern: it is the matter of how much gold remains stored there - and who owns it.

They are worried THAT NO INDEPENDENT AUDITORS APPEAR TO HAVE HAD ACCESS TO THE REPORTED $137 BILLION (£96 BILLION) STOCKPILE OF BRICK-SHAPED GOLD BARS IN FORT KNOX SINCE THE ERA OF PRESIDENT EISENHOWER. After the risky trading activities at supposedly safe institutions such as AIG they want to be reassured that the gold reserves are still the exclusive property of the US and have not been used to fund risky transactions.

Many gold investors suspect that the US has periodically attempted to flood the market with Fort Knox gold to keep prices low and the dollar high - perhaps through international swap agreements with other central banks - but facts remain scarce and the US Treasury denies that any such meddling has gone on for at least the past decade.

GM also would seek to have a new deal in place with the United Auto Workers union prior to any bankruptcy filing, the source said. GM warned earlier on Tuesday that there is a rising chance it could file for bankruptcy by June, as the company has 60 days to reach deeper concessions with bondholders and unions after its previous restructuring plan was rejected by the U.S. government as insufficient.

While the automakers would still prefer to avoid bankruptcy, advisers to both GM and Chrysler LLC have been working to prepare for potential bankruptcy filings that would aim to preserve, or sell off, the best parts of the companies. Under the plans being considered, GM would seek to quickly move its most profitable units into a new company separate from its other units in the early days of the bankruptcy filing, said the source who asked to remain anonymous because the person was not authorized to speak to the media.

The aim would be to show consumers, taxpayers, and the government that the new GM can survive and compete in the autos sector as a viable company, the source said.

China has struck deals — most recently this week with Argentina — to conduct trade in currencies other than the dollar. Iran has proposed replacing the dollar with the euro or other currencies to set worldwide oil prices. Chavez plans to visit both Iran and China following the one-day Qatar gathering, whose agenda focuses on trade issues but also touches on Arab worries about rival Iran's growing influence in Latin America.

Key oil-producing members of the Arab League, such as Saudi Arabia and Gulf states, have close ties to Washington and will almost certainly reject any plan to shun the dollar. But the summit kicks off another high-profile foreign trip for Chavez in his efforts to build economic and diplomatic links to confront the United States.

"A NEW WORLD IS BEING BORN. EMPIRES FALL. There is a world crisis of capitalism, it's shaking the planet," Chavez told Venezuelan state radio after arriving in Qatar.

If approved by the Arab leaders attending the Arab League meeting in Qatar on Monday, the statement will declare that the proposed agreement, credited to Saudi Arabia, will soon be rescinded if Israel fails to accept it. The draft was composed by Arab foreign ministers meeting ahead of the summit.

The 2002 Saudi Initiative, as it has come to be known, calls for: 1) full Israeli withdrawal from all lands under Jewish sovereignty since 1967, including Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and all of Judea and Samaria; 2) Israeli agreement to accept Arab war refugees; 3) Israeli acceptance of a Palestinian Arab state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital. In exchange, the Arab states would agree to enter into a peace agreement with Israel, and "consider the Arab-Israeli conflict ended."

Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi, head of the Arab Renewal Movement faction, will be attending some Arab League meetings. According to the Hebrew-language Ha'aretz newspaper, Tibi is pushing for the Arab League to call on the international community to force Israel to accept the creation of a Palestinian state.

House Resolution 875, or the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro, Democrat - Connecticut, in February. DELAURO'S HUSBAND, STANLEY GREENBURG, WORKS FOR MONSANTO – the world's leading producer of herbicides and genetically engineered seed. DeLauro's act has 39 co-sponsors and was referred to the House Agriculture Committee on February 4. It calls for the creation of a Food Safety Administration to allow the government to regulate food production at all levels – and even mandates property seizure, fines of up to $1 million per offence and criminal prosecution for producers, manufacturers and distributors who fail to comply with regulations.

Michael Olson, host of the Food Chain radio show and author of "Metro Farm," told WND the government should focus on regulating food production in countries such as China and Mexico rather than burdening small and organic farmers in the US with overreaching regulations. There is an enormous rush to get this into law within the next 2 weeks before people realize what is happening. Main backer and lobbyist is Monsanto. This bill will require organic farms to use specific fertilizers and poisonous insect sprays dictated by the newly formed agency to "MAKE SURE THERE IS NO DANGER TO THE PUBLIC FOOD SUPPLY".

This will include backyard gardens that grow food only for a family and not for sales. THIS IS DICTATORSHIP in any way you look at it. If this passes then NO more heirloom clean seeds but only Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now showing up with unexpected diseases in humans. The name on this plan is Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. This has NOTHING to do with food safety. This is only about TOTAL CONTROL.