Netanyahu slammed media coverage of the past few days, saying he had read and heard quotes attributed to him that he did not say. "I would like to make it clear," he said. "We want to achieve peace with the Palestinians and with the countries of the Arab world, while attempting to reach the maximum understanding with the US and our friends around the world."

However, Netanyahu added, "My aspiration is to achieve a stable peace that rests on a solid foundation of security for the State of Israel and its citizens." The prime minister said that he intends to discuss the issue with his coalition partners and "other elements among the Israeli public" prior to delivering his address.

US SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON HAS SAID SHE IS REFUSING TO HONOUR AN AMERICAN PROMISE THAT ISRAEL CAN RETAIN ITS LARGE JEWISH POPULATION CENTRES THAT WERE BUILT IN JUDEA, SAMARIA AND SIGNIFICANT PARTS OF JERUSALEM. She repeated a claim that the Roadmap requires Israel to surrender all of Judea, Samaria and Gaza - although in truth the document only calls for the future borders of Israel and a new PA state to be negotiated.

Secretary Clinton's blunt dismissal of the "informal" promise places more than 100,000 residents of Maaleh Adumim, Ariel, Betar Illit and Gush Etzion on the list for future expulsions to make way for a Palestinian Authority state. The State Department previously had dodged taking a stand on whether the Obama administration would honour the promise.

"There is no memorialisation of any informal and oral agreements. If they did occur, which of course people say they did, they did not become part of the official position of the United States government," Clinton said at a news conference with the Turkish Foreign Minister. She repeated a claim that the Roadmap REQUIRES ISRAEL TO SURRENDER ALL OF JUDEA, SAMARIA AND GAZA, although the document only calls for the future borders of Israel and a new PA state to be negotiated.

The letter also states, "I remain committed to my June 24, 2002 vision of two states living side by side in peace and security as the key to peace, and to the road map as the route to get there. UNDER THE ROAD MAP, PALESTINIANS MUST UNDERTAKE AN IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF ARMED ACTIVITY AND ALL ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAELIS ANYWHERE, AND ALL OFFICIAL PALESTINIAN INSTITUTIONS MUST END INCITEMENT AGAINST ISRAEL."

"We accept these results… with sportsmanship and in a democratic way and we accept that the ruling camp has won the parliamentary majority," Nasrallah said in a televised address, a day after the surprise victory by the anti-Syrian coalition. The United States, which backs that "March 14" alliance, renewed its support to the group, which also enjoys the backing of regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Egypt. President Barack Obama said Washington would "continue to support a sovereign and independent Lebanon, committed to peace."

"It is our sincere hope that the next government will continue along the path towards building a sovereign, independent and stable Lebanon," he said in a statement. THEIR LOSS IS A MAJOR BLOW TO HEZBOLLAH'S PATRONS, SYRIA AND IRAN, where hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will also be competing against rivals who advocate less confrontation with the West in an election this week. Despite his coalition's defeat, Nasrallah said the result showed his group still enjoyed massive popular support.

Hariri has previously said the opposition could join a unity government, but without veto power. Hezbollah, classified by the United States as a terrorist organisation, sees veto rights as vital to fend off any challenge to its status as an armed group resisting Israel. LEBANON'S RIVAL CAMPS ARE AT ODDS OVER HEZBOLLAH'S GUERRILLA FORCE, MORE POWERFUL THAN THE LEBANESE ARMY, AND RELATIONS WITH SYRIA, WHICH DOMINATED LEBANON FOR THREE DECADES UNTIL 2005.

The free "Green Dam-Youth Escort" software, developed by Jinhui Computer System Engineering Co, can effectively filter "unhealthy words and images," the document said. The requirement is "in order to consolidate the achievements of the online campaign against pornography, combine punishment and prevention, protect the healthy growth of young people, and promote the Internet's healthy and orderly development," it said.

China already has a system to block websites deemed objectionable. Internet police monitor sites, blogs and other online venues for pornographic or politically sensitive content. "Summer vacation is coming up, and many Chinese parents worry about what their children will see on the Internet. That's the purpose of the software," Jinhui founder Bryan Zhang said.

"The global financial crisis has yet to have an impact on major arms companies' revenues, profits and order backlogs," Sipri said. Peace-keeping operations - which also benefit defence firms - rose 11%. Missions were launched in trouble spots such as Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "Another record was set, with the total of international peace operation personnel reaching 187,586," said Sipri, or Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

As the world's aerospace and defence industry prepares for next week's Paris air show centenary, it seems much of the focus is set to shift away from troubled civilian aircraft makers, which are struggling with reduced orders from recession-hit airlines, towards the companies that make fighter jets and other military hardware. IN TOTAL, THE 100 LEADING DEFENCE MANUFACTURERS SOLD ARMS WORTH $347BN DURING 2007, the most recent year for which reliable data are available. Almost all the companies were American or European. Some 61% of the total was accounted for by 44 US companies, with 32 West European companies accounting for a further 31%. Other companies were Russian, Japanese, Israeli and Indian.

High levels of military spending can cause economic difficulties for even the wealthiest of nations, Sipri insisted. "During the eight-year presidency of George W Bush, US military expenditure increased to the highest level in real terms since World War Two," Sipri said. "THIS INCREASE HAS CONTRIBUTED TO SOARING BUDGET DEFICITS," the yearbook states, pointing to how both the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts were funded "primarily through emergency supplemental appropriations outside the regular budgetary process", funded by borrowing.

The Tories won with 28.6%, beating Labour in Wales but failing to increase their total share significantly. The results have sent shockwaves through UK politics and led to renewed calls for Gordon Brown to quit as Prime Minister. The BNP gained a seat in Yorkshire and Humberside and in the North-West of England, where party leader Nick Griffin was elected - the first time the anti-immigration party has won seats at national elections.

Their result was condemned across the political spectrum, with both the Tories and Labour calling it a "sad day" for British politics. Conservative Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Daniel Hannan, whose YouTube attack on Gordon Brown became a worldwide hit, said Labour had endured its worst poll performance since it became a national party in the 1920s. "I AM NOT SURE PEOPLE HAVE A COMPLETE GRASP OF THE MAGNITUDE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING," HE TOLD BBC NEWS.

IT IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1922 LABOUR HAS FAILED TO COME FIRST IN A WELSH ELECTION, as its vote dropped by 12%. The results are likely to pile further pressure on Gordon Brown, who faces a crunch meeting of Labour MPs on Monday, which may decide his future. Former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer earlier repeated his call for a new leader to re-unify the party. "I think unity will only come with a leader that the mainstream votes for," he said. In the English local elections held on Thursday the Conservatives got a projected 38% of the vote, the Lib Dems 28% and Labour 23%.

The European Parliament elections mark A VICTORY FOR CENTER-RIGHT AND RIGHT-WING PARTIES as voters punish the left in a vote marked by a historically low turnout. The center-right European People's Party (EPP) held on to its position as the largest grouping in the European Parliament, with provisional results giving them 267, or around 36 percent, of the assembly's 736 seats. The center-right's showing was even better than indicated by the EPP's results, as many euroskeptic members of the European Parliament are moving to other parliamentary groups.

The vote's biggest loser is the center-left, with the Party of European Socialists (PES) winning just 159 seats, 56 fewer than in the 2004 election. "Tonight is a very difficult evening for Socialists in many nations in Europe," Martin Schulz, lead candidate for Germany's Social Democrats and the floor leader for the PES in the European Parliament, said on Sunday evening.

The liberal Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) also saw their support decline, winning 81 seats, a drop of 21. The Greens did better, however, gaining 11 seats to up their total to 54. The left-wing Left parliamentary group lost 7 seats to land with 34 members.

Among the election's biggest losers was the UK's Labour party, which saw its support drop from 19 seats to 12 and won just 15.3 percent of the vote - its worst post-war election result. It finished in third place behind the Conservatives (24 seats) and the euroskeptic United Kingdom Independence Party (14 seats). The vote is seen as a damning verdict on Labour, whose leader Gordon Brown is under increasing pressure to resign as prime minister due to an ongoing expense account scandal in the House of Commons.

COMPOUNDING LABOUR'S WOES, THE FAR-RIGHT BRITISH NATIONAL PARTY WON TWO SEATS IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME. The BNP gained the seats in northern England at the expense of Labour, which has been hurt by a scandal over politicians' expenses. Brown, who reshuffled his government after six ministers quit last week, was set to meet on Monday evening with Labour MPs, a number of whom have called on him to step down before a general election due within a year.

"It's a very, very bad defeat for us," Brown's deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman told BBC television. But Brown was "resilient" and would fight on, she said. Political commentators said he had a desperate political fight ahead after the disastrous European poll showing. The Daily Telegraph said Brown was "on the edge", while The Times declared him "out for the count."

The normally supportive Guardian newspaper, which last week turned against Brown and called on him to step down, said Brown was facing a "make or break" challenge to his leadership. The turmoil rattled markets last week, pushing the pound lower. INVESTORS ARE WARY OF UNCERTAINTY WHEN BRITAIN FACES ITS DEEPEST RECESSION SINCE WORLD WAR TWO AND THE BUDGET DEFICIT HAS REACHED A RECORD 175 BILLION POUNDS.

They analyzed samples from people infected with the new H1N1 swine flu virus, which has been confirmed in more than 19,000 people in 64 countries, killing about 120. US health officials say this number reflects only a fraction of the true number of cases. "This virus most likely evolved from recent swine viruses," Gerardo Nava of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and colleagues wrote in their report, published in the online journal Eurosurveillance.

"THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT DOMESTIC PIGS IN NORTH AMERICA MAY HAVE A CENTRAL ROLE IN THE GENERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF THIS VIRUS." The global pork industry has rushed to defend pig products, saying pig meat is no danger to people. But health experts have also noted there is very little surveillance done to track influenza among pigs - even though the virus is very common in the animals and just as transmissible as it is among people. Flu viruses have also been shown to pass from pigs to people and from people to pigs.

"These observations also reiterate the potential risk of pig populations as the source of the next influenza virus pandemic," Nava and colleagues wrote. "Although the role of swine as 'mixing vessels' for influenza A(H1N1) viruses was established more than a decade ago, it appears that the policy makers and scientific community have underestimated it."

Some right-leaning parties said the results vindicated their reluctance to spend more on company bailouts and fiscal stimulus amid the global economic crisis.

"Tonight is a very difficult evening for Socialists in many nations in Europe," Martin Schulz, the leader of the Socialists in the European Parliament, told party faithful in Brussels via video link from Berlin. "(We will) continue to fight for social democracy in Europe." Many Socialists ran campaigns that slammed center-right leaders for failing to rein in financial markets and spend enough to stimulate faltering economies.

Graham Watson, leader of the EU's center-right Liberal Democrat grouping, said early results suggested a rejection of the Socialist approach. "PEOPLE DON'T WANT A RETURN TO SOCIALISM and that's why the majority here will be a center-right majority," he said.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab states want Obama to get tough with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has balked at Palestinian statehood and defied US calls to halt the expansion of Jewish settlements. King Abdullah told Obama during his visit to Riyadh last week that ARAB PATIENCE WAS WEARING THIN and that a solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict would be the "magic key" to all issues in the region, al-Hayat said, quoting what it called informed sources.

"We want from you a serious participation to solve the Palestinian issue AND IMPOSE THE SOLUTION IF NECESSARY," the Saudi monarch told Obama, according to the paper, which is owned by a nephew of the monarch. It did not elaborate. Saudi Arabia was the driving force behind an Arab peace initiative first put forward by Arab states in 2002 offering Israel recognition in return for withdrawal from Arab land occupied in 1967 and a Palestinian state.

Saudi Arabia believes the collapse of Middle East peacemaking has given Iran a chance to expand its regional influence through Sunni Islamist groups such as the Palestinian Hamas, as well as its Shi'ite traditional Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

The measure is a response to a provision in the US economic stimulus package passed by Congress in February that says public works projects should use iron, steel and other goods made in the United States. The United States is Canada's largest trading partner, and CANADIANS HAVE COMPLAINED THE RESTRICTIONS WILL BAR THEIR COMPANIES FROM BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN BUSINESS that they have previously had access to.

"This US protectionist policy is hurting Canadian firms, costing Canadian jobs and damaging Canadian efforts to grow our economy in the midst of a worldwide recession," said Sherbrooke, Quebec, Mayor Jean Perrault, also president of the federation that represents cities and towns across Canada. The municipal officials meeting at the federation's convention in Whistler, British Columbia, endorsed the measure despite complaints by Canadian trade officials.

Trade Minister Stockwell Day told the group on Friday that Ottawa was actively negotiating with Washington to get the "Buy American" restrictions removed. "Leaders in the United States have to understand this could have unintended consequences," said Clark Somerville, acting mayor of Halton Hills, which sponsored the measure approved by the federation delegates. Some Canadian communities complained any retaliation effort could have unintended consequences of its own, including driving up the cost of infrastructure projects being considered to help stimulate Canada's economy.

In the latest row over gay adoption and fostering, social workers at Brighton and Hove Council, which has full custody of the child, decided his long-term placement last month. A Catholic legal charity is representing the mother in an attempt to change the placement. A devout Catholic, she has told friends she is worried about the environment in which her son will be placed and WANTS HIM FOSTERED BY A HETEROSEXUAL COUPLE, IN LINE WITH HER CHURCH'S BELIEF IN THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY.

His mother would not talk directly, but a fellow parishioner who is helping her through her ordeal said: 'Both are Catholic. She is a committed Catholic, he has been baptised a Catholic and brought up by his mother as one. She knows she is unwell and cannot cope with looking after him. ALL SHE WANTS IS FOR HIM TO BE RAISED IN A REGULAR FAMILY ATMOSPHERE, BY A MAN AND A WOMAN. She would prefer a Catholic couple, but if that is not possible, at least a heterosexual one. BUT SOCIAL SERVICES HAVE GIVEN HER NO CHOICE. She cannot understand how he can be looked after by two men she's never met.'

The lawyer added: 'THIS LOCAL AUTHORITY IS CLEARLY NOT TAKING ACCOUNT OF THIS CHILD'S CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS IDENTITY, WHICH IT IS OBLIGED TO DO LEGALLY.' The council, which has one of the highest rates of gay fostering and adoption in Britain, has told the mother the men who will foster her son are experienced, fully qualified and he will be well cared for.

The problem with his message for many Muslims, including those in Egypt, is that THOSE WHO DID NOT HEAR THE SPEECH LIVE WILL BE DEPENDENT ON NEGATIVE INTERPRETATIONS FROM MEDIA, MUCH OF WHICH IS STATE-CONTROLLED.

Amr Adeeb, host of a popular television programme broadcast throughout the Middle East, said, "Why should I tell my audience that the United States is a good friend and a good ally and that they are helping us? They are cutting aid every day. They are not giving us the right weapons; they are not giving us the right tools to survive – although they are giving Israel everything."

Ibrahim Kalin, a scholar in Ankara, Turkey, and adviser to the Turkish prime minister told the newspaper, "You have never seen a president who has raised expectations so high in the Arab and Muslim world, for the good. People see in him something they would like to see in their own leaders, and that, in itself, creates huge expectations."

The Asia Times went so far as to say that the American president made a mistake by speaking in Cairo. "Why should the President of the United States address the 'Muslim world'?" it stated. "To speak to the 'Muslim world' is to speak not to a fact, but rather to an aspiration, and that is THE ASPIRATION THAT ISLAM SHALL BE A GLOBAL STATE RELIGION AS ITS FOUNDERS INTENDED. To address this aspiration is to breathe life into it. FOR AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT TO VALIDATE SUCH AN ASPIRATION IS MADNESS."

A poll released this week shows that 51% of Arabs in Judea, Samaria and Gaza believe that UNITY BETWEEN THE TWO NEW ARAB ENTITIES IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL – Hamas-controlled Gaza and Fatah-ruled Judea and Samaria - WILL HAPPEN "ONLY AFTER A LONG TIME." Another 27% says the split is permanent.

Obama did not explain in his Cairo speech heard around the world how he plans to get the two groups to unite. "Hamas must put an end to violence, recognize past agreements, and recognize Israel's right to exist," Obama said, BUT DID NOT ELABORATE HOW THIS MIGHT OCCUR.

Palestinian Authority sources report that PA security forces killed at least two Hamas terrorists last week on Thursday. The two were hiding out in the cellar of a house, and there have been reports that the PA forces flooded the house with water, thus drowning the two. Hamas has also been cited for "unfair warfare" in Kalkilya - using a woman as a human shield during a gun battle with Fatah. AFP reported that the civil rights group Amnesty International has "lambasted both Hamas and Fatah for arbitrary detentions, torture and suppression of freedom of speech in their respective areas of control."