Ron Dermer spoke to The Associated Press after Netanyahu and his entourage arrived home from Washington. He denied that he meant that the two-state concept itself childish and stupid, as he was quoted earlier as saying in an anonymous briefing to journalists on the plane carrying Netanyahu home. "I told reporters that the focus by the media on the concept of solving the Israel-Palestinian issue through a two-state solution is childish and stupid, but I deny that I described the idea that way," he said.

During his trip to Washington, Netanyahu constantly tried to shift emphasis from Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking toward the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program. He and Obama publicly disagreed about the relative weight of the two issues. Netanyahu argued that reining in Iran would spur peace efforts, while Obama felt that progress toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians would undermine extremist elements, including Iran.

In a brief statement at Israel's airport on his return, Netanyahu again began with Iran, mentioning the Palestinian issue as third on his list. Referring to his talks with Obama, Netanyahu said, "There was an agreement that we need to immediately begin the peace process, I said I am willing to open peace talks with the Palestinians, by the way with the Syrians as well, of course without preconditions, but I made it clear that in any peace agreement there must be a solution to Israel's special security needs."

He also said that Arab nations should be brought into the peacemaking process, "meaning not only does Israel need to contribute and the Palestinians contribute, but Arab states need to make concrete contributions already at the beginning of the process."

Government inspectors failed to stop beatings, rapes and humiliation. John Walsh, of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, said he felt "cheated and deceived" by the lack of prosecutions. The findings will not be used for criminal prosecutions - in part because THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS SUCCESSFULLY SUED THE COMMISSION IN 2004 TO KEEP THE IDENTITIES OF ALL OF ITS MEMBERS, DEAD OR ALIVE, UNNAMED IN THE REPORT. No real names, whether of victims or perpetrators, appear in the final document.

More than 1,000 people had told the commission they suffered physical and sexual abuse. The five-volume study concluded that church officials encouraged ritual beatings and consistently shielded their orders' paedophiles from arrest amid a "culture of self-serving secrecy". The commission found that sexual abuse was "endemic" in boys' institutions, AND CHURCH LEADERS KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

His conclusion, published in the British Medical Journal and backed by other experts, is based on a review of 147 studies, involving 464,000 people. However, the Stroke Association warned the drugs could have side-effects. Professor Law, an expert in epidemiology at the Wolfson Institute at Barts and The London School of Medicine, said: "Beyond a certain age, we're saying everyone would benefit from taking drugs that lower blood pressure.

"Beyond a certain age, we all have high blood pressure and we would all benefit from lowering it. What we call 'normal' blood pressure is actually high, and what we call high blood pressure is actually higher." Professor Law said the universal use of blood pressure drugs should be seen as analogous to vaccinating the entire population in the event of a flu pandemic. There was no case for trying to assess who was a top priority, he said, when everybody was potentially at risk.

Mike Rich, of the Blood Pressure Association, said: "Prevention is better than cure, but there are other proven ways to prevent high blood pressure such as healthy eating and regular exercise, which have other health benefits too. "There is a danger that these important lifestyle factors could be overlooked in favour of 'popping a pill'."

Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said: "Mass medication turns us all into patients and I don't think it's the best approach. A far healthier way is for us to reduce our risk and increase our wellbeing by consuming less salt and alcohol and taking more regular exercise."

Workers there say an agreement to offer jobs to local workers has been broken. Similar walkouts took place in January after a Lincolnshire refinery gave a £200m contract to an Italian firm. The latest dispute began when workers at the liquefied natural gas terminal in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, accused their bosses of breaching an agreement to employ British staff at the South Hook site.

Union shop steward Jason Smith said a contracting firm's decision to only employ Polish labour for a phase of work had got "everybody's backs up". "The only reason we're here is they [the workers] all feel let down. The site agreement has always been local and British labour first," he said. Talks between the workers and contractors have taken place and are expected to continue later in a bid to resolve the row. Meanwhile, sympathy strikes are continuing in other parts of the UK.

"As we work closely with our democratic ally, Israel, we must take into account the risks it will face in any peace agreement," 76 OF THE 100 SENATORS WROTE OBAMA in a letter released to reporters. "Without a doubt, our two governments will agree on some issues and disagree on others, but the United States friendship with Israel requires that we work closely together as we recommit ourselves to our historic role of a trusted friend and active mediator," they wrote.

Democratic Senators Christopher Dodd and Arlen Specter as well as Republican Senators Johnny Isakson and John Thune were the lead authors of the letter, which came one day after Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "While the obstacles are formidable, we agree with you that every effort should be made to realize that peace," the lawmakers wrote Obama.

"We must also continue to insist on THE ABSOLUTE PALESTINIAN COMMITMENT TO ENDING TERRORIST VIOLENCE and to building the institutions necessary for a viable Palestinian state living side-by-side, in peace with the Jewish state of Israel," they said. "The more capable and responsible Palestinian forces become, the more they demonstrate the ability to govern and to maintain security, the easier it will be for them to reach an accord with Israel," they said, urging Obama to sustain programs of US security assistance and training for the Palestinians.

The senators also urged Obama to "promote far greater involvement and participation by the Arab states both in moving toward normal ties with Israel and in encouraging moderate Palestinian elements. Everyone in the region has a stake in the success of these negotiations and should contribute to a lasting and comprehensive resolution," they wrote.

The announcement will not reassure the U.S. government, coming just two days after President Barack Obama declared a readiness to seek deeper international sanctions against Iran if it shunned U.S. attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear program. Obama said he expected a positive response to his outreach for opening a dialogue with Iran by the end of the year.

"Defense Minister (Mostafa Mohammad Najjar) has informed me that the Sajjil-2 missile, which has very advanced technology, was launched from Semnan and it landed precisely on the target," state radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. He spoke during a visit to the city of Semnan, 125 miles east of the capital Tehran, where Iran's space program is centered.

Iran's nuclear and missile programs have alarmed Israel, and the country's new prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pressed Obama to step up pressure on Tehran when the two met in Washington on Monday. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel's elimination, and the Jewish state has not ruled out a military strike to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat.

Analysts remain optimistic that China will be the first to make its way out of recession. For those Chinese factory owners who send most of their products abroad, there is little relief in these latest trade figures. Some had hoped the worst was over for exporters, but the 22.6% fall was greater than many analysts had expected. On the other hand, investment in industrial plants and property in cities was 30% higher in the first four months of the year than it had been in the same period of 2008.

In recent months, the government has encouraged banks to lend huge amounts to businesses to help them get through the downturn. That money has being spent on new equipment as well as massive infrastructure projects.

Japan's economy, which depends heavily on exports, has been hit hard by the global downturn. But economists predict a modest growth in the coming months, after a small rise in production in March. The figures from the Cabinet Office show that this is the fourth quarterly fall in gross domestic product (GDP) in a row, after a 3.8% contraction between October and December 2008.

The BBC's Roland Buerk in Tokyo says people around the world are buying fewer of the cars and electronic gadgets that Japan is renowned for. In the first quarter of this year, Japanese exports declined by 26%. "Weakness in the corporate sector is gradually spreading to households," Prime Minister Taro Aso said during a budget hearing to Parliament. "This is a very serious situation, so we need to respond appropriately."

The potential threat is detailed in a study appearing in the journal LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES. The researchers, from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, say death rates following infection may be higher than 50%. They warn the emergence of swine flu could intensify the problem, as CA-MRSA appears to strike people who are already ill with flu.

MRSA infections can range from boils to more severe infections of the blood, lungs and sites of surgery. Most occur in healthcare settings, such as hospitals or nursing homes. But the latest study warns that community-acquired cases are beginning to increase. Writing in the journal, the researchers said: "Community-acquired MRSA infections are no longer restricted to certain risk groups or to the geographic areas where outbreaks first occurred. They now occur widely both in the community as well as health care facilities and have been reported on every continent."

Professor Richard James, of the University of Nottingham, said: "The threat from CA-MRSA in the USA is very serious concern, especially if there is a flu epidemic as this could trigger a large number of cases of necrotizing pneumonia, which has a mortality rate of more than 50% in 72 hours. The concern is that this may be the start of an exponential increase as we saw with hospital MRSA infections in the 1990s. It took the UK 13 years to get to grips with hospital-acquired MRSA infections, WE ARE NOT EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH LARGE NUMBERS OF CA-MRSA INFECTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY."

The Commons Fees Office, which approved the expenses claims that have brought the political system into gross disrepute, will be abolished. Gordon Brown said that Westminster would no longer operate like a gentlemen's club, making its own rules, and said that the moves would change centuries of history for Parliament. MPs' pay is set by the Senior Salaries Review Body and a new body will police expenses and enforce discipline. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are backing the plans in principle.

Mr Brown spoke after Mr Martin became the first Speaker in 300 years to be hounded out of office. In a 33- second speech, he said that he would relinquish the post on June 21 and the Commons would elect his successor the next day. A by-election in his seat of Glasgow North East is expected in July. His fate was sealed on Monday when he made a statement about expenses reform without referring to his own future, and was told directly by several MPs that he should quit.

The astonishing scenes destroyed his authority and by evening he had decided to go. A key moment came when Mr Brown went to see him in his office after the Commons debacle. While not telling him to go, it is believed that the Prime Minister said enough to confirm to Mr Martin that he no longer had his personal backing.

India, the other Asian giant, is only 50 miles from Sri Lanka across the waters of the Palk Straits, yet it has been shown to have far less influence on its neighbour than China. Through a combination of strategic investments in seaports and pipelines, along with direct financial and military support for friendly governments, CHINA IS BUILDING A WEB OF INFLUENCE ACROSS SOUTH ASIA. Many of Beijing's immensely ambitious projects are years away from fruition, yet the repercussions of these ventures are already being felt.

In Sri Lanka, Beijing began constructing a port in Hambantota in 2007 and the scheme is scheduled for completion in 2022. This forms the basis of China's alliance with President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government and helps explain the diplomatic support Beijing gave Sri Lanka during the war against the Tamil Tigers.

The official line is that Hambantota is only a "commercial" trading venture and the facility will handle civilian shipping and nothing else. "Any attempt to distort the facts would be invalid," said Ma Zhaoxu, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman. But the appearance of a new Chinese port on Sri Lanka's southern coast would allow Beijing the option of using the facility as a naval base in the future. Other projects under way at strategic points across the Indian Ocean raise the same possibility.

Whatever the motives behind the inexorable extension of China's influence in Asia, however, THE BALANCE OF GLOBAL POWER HAS ALREADY CHANGED DRAMATICALLY.

The higher mileage and emissions standards set by the Obama administration on Tuesday, which begin to take effect in 2012 and are to be achieved by 2016, will transform the American car and truck fleet. The new rules would bring new cars and trucks sold in the United States to an average of 35.5 miles per gallon, about 10 mpg more than today's standards. Passenger cars will be required to get 39 mpg, light trucks 30 mpg. That means cars and trucks on American roads will have to become smaller, lighter and more efficient.

Eric Fedewa, vice president of global powertrain forecasting for the auto consulting firm CSM Worldwide in Northville, Michigan, said the changes will make pickup trucks so much more expensive that they will be used almost exclusively for work. The changes will start with smaller cars and trucks, and improvements to the internal combustion engine, Fedewa said. Automakers also already working on new technology, including direct fuel injection and high compression of the air-fuel mixture, that will make cars and trucks more efficient.

Car companies are rewiring vehicles so components such as air conditioners and power steering pumps are powered by electricity rather than by the engine, saving fuel. And they're developing computer-controlled transmissions with six or more gears, adding efficiency, and rolling out more gas-electric hybrids - among the few cars sold today that meet the 2016 standards. Of course, developing the technology will cost money - billions of dollars - and automakers will pass that on to their customers.

When it comes to government subsidies, Wendelin Wiedeking has never been shy about making his views absolutely clear. Many corporate executives, the Porsche CEO was once quoted as saying, "get on their soapboxes to rage against government spending" while at the same time "holding out their hands" for public bailout funds. He insisted that he and his company wanted nothing to do with this sort of "government drug program," and that "luxury and subsidy are incompatible."

But sometimes they are, even at Porsche. Although the carmaker is not asking for subsidies, Wiedeking recently tested the waters at the Chancellery to see if his company might qualify for a loan under the federal government's economic stimulus program. Meanwhile, Porsche Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chairman Holger Härter paid a visit to the Frankfurt headquarters of the government-owned KfW development bank, also to explore the prospects of a government loan. The company is seeking roughly €1 billion ($1.35 billion).

Eight months after the financial crisis began to intensify, Germany is experiencing a unique type of pilgrimage. Once self-confident executives are shuffling through the main doors of KfW headquarters near Frankfurt's Palmengarten botanical gardens in ever increasing numbers. They are likewise paying visits to ministries in Berlin or to the office of the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers on Potsdamer Platz square, where applications for government aid are being pre-screened. All of them are interested in assistance from the German Economic Fund, a €115 billion ($155 billion) package passed earlier this spring as part of the country's second economic stimulus program.

The discovery of the 95%-complete 'lemur monkey' - dubbed Ida - is described by experts as the "eighth wonder of the world". They say its impact on the world of palaeontology will be "somewhat like an asteroid falling down to Earth". Researchers say PROOF OF THIS TRANSITIONAL SPECIES finally confirms Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and the then radical, outlandish ideas he came up with during his time aboard the Beagle.

Sir David Attenborough said Darwin "would have been thrilled" to have seen the fossil - and says it tells us who we are and where we came from. "This little creature is going to show us our connection with the rest of the mammals," he said. "This is the one that connects us directly with them."

"Now people can say 'okay we are primates, show us the link'. The link they would have said up to now is missing - well it's no longer missing." A team of the world's leading fossil experts, led by Professor Jorn Hurum, of Norway's National History Museum, have been secretly researching the 1ft 9in-tall young female monkey for the past two years. And now it has been transported to New York under high security and unveiled to the world during the bicentenary of Darwin's birth.

US government officials are concerned that the quality of the Global Positioning System (GPS) could begin to deteriorate as early as next year, resulting in regular blackouts and failures – or even dishing out inaccurate directions to millions of people worldwide. The warning centres on the network of GPS satellites that constantly orbit the planet and beam signals back to the ground that help pinpoint your position on the Earth's surface.

The satellites are overseen by the US Air Force, which has maintained the GPS network since the early 1990s. According to a study by the US government accountability office (GAO), mismanagement and a lack of investment means that some of the crucial GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as next year.

"It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption," said the report, presented to Congress. "If not, some military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected."