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."

The source, who would not be named because he was not cleared to speak with the media, did not specify a purchase price. The new company is expected to honor the claims of secured lenders, possibly in full, according to the source. The remaining assets of GM would stay in bankruptcy protection to satisfy other outstanding claims. GM has about $6 billion in secured debt, including a secured revolving credit and bank debt.

The government's plans include giving stakes in the new company to GM's union and bondholders, although the ownership structure of the company is still being negotiated, said the source who is familiar with the company's plans. In addition, the government would extend a credit line to the new company and forgive the bulk of the $15.4 billion in emergency loans that the US has already provided to GM, the source said.

The government has given GM until June 1 to restructure its operations to lower its debt burden and employee costs.

Mr Martin, who will also step down as an MP, has faced criticism over his handling of the MP expenses issue. He later announced a clampdown on MPs' expenses - with a £1,250 cap on mortgage interest and rent payments. He was clapped and cheered by MPs as he announced emergency changes to the expenses system which have been agreed between the party leaders.

These include a ban on "flipping" of second homes and of using allowances to buy furniture and household goods - and a £1,250 a month cap on mortgage or rent on second homes, which will come down in future years. He said all parties were now committed to accepting the recommendations of Sir Christopher Kelly's Committee on Standards in Public Life, provided they met certain tests.

He also announced proposals to "tighten up" the administration of the expenses system with a "reasonableness" test to block dubious claims.

Update - dailymail.co.uk - MICHAEL MARTIN WILL GET A PEERAGE and a £1.4million pension pot, despite becoming the first Commons Speaker to be ousted in more than 300 years. Mr Martin will stand down as Speaker and quit as an MP on June 21 after presiding over the Commons for eight years which have brought Parliament to its lowest ebb in centuries. Parliamentarians and campaigners were angry that he should be rewarded for his failure to get to grips with the expenses scandal. Lord Oakeshott, a LibDem spokesman in the Lords, said: 'No one should pick up a peerage with his P45, least of all Mr Martin who has so damaged our democracy.'

Delivering the annual Shin Bet survey, Diskin addressed the volatile balance between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah. "A joint [Fatah-Hamas] government can only be formed through firm international pressure," the Shin Bet head said. "Hamas will never voluntarily give up its rule in the Strip, and the Palestinian Authority will never cede its control over the West Bank."

"If ballots were cast in the West Bank today, there is a good chance Hamas would win," he added. "Hamas wants to maintain the calm in order to win the time it needs to reinforce and improve its standing in the field," he said, estimating that some 300 smuggling tunnels were currently active on the Egypt-Gaza border.

They tell of the curious case of an Australian ostrich farmer who needed emergency care for lung paralysis after drinking 4-10 litres of cola a day. He made a full recovery and was advised to curtail his cola drinking. Another example included a pregnant woman who regularly consumed up to three litres a day for the last six years and complained of tiredness, appetite loss and persistent vomiting. A heart trace revealed she had an irregular heartbeat, most likely caused by her LOW BLOOD POTASSIUM LEVELS. Once she stopped drinking so much cola, she made a full and uneventful recovery. The investigators believe these cases are not atypical and that many people risk problems due to their intake.

"With aggressive mass marketing, super-sizing of soft drinks, and the effects of caffeine tolerance and dependence, there is very little doubt that tens of millions of people in industrialised countries drink at least 2-3 litres of cola per day."It follows that the serum potassium levels of these heavy cola drinkers are dropping, in some cases, to dangerous low levels."

The author of the research paper, Dr Moses Elisaf from the University of Ioannina in Greece, said it appeared that hypokalaemia can be caused by excessive consumption of three of the most common ingredients in cola drinks - GLUCOSE, FRUCTOSE AND CAFFEINE. "The individual role of each of these ingredients in the pathophysiology of cola-induced hypokalaemia has not been determined and may vary in different patients. However in most of the cases we looked at for our review, CAFFEINE INTOXICATION was thought to play the most important role. Excessive consumption has already been linked with obesity, diabetes and tooth and bone problems."

"On this last trip the Pope spoke much about PEACE, as he had promised," the priest said. "Thirty speeches, one single message, that tirelessly repeated this one theme, with innumerable variations: PEACE between the Israelis and Palestinians; PEACE between Jews, Muslims and Christians; PEACE in the Church, between confessions and rites; PEACE in society and in the family; PEACE between God, man and creation; PEACE in hearts, in the Middle East and in the world… PEACE, PEACE, PEACE."

"He spoke a great deal, but he also listened, and perhaps did so even more," he added. "Benedict is a listening Pope. How many people have spoken to him, how many things they have said to him, with such passion, with such diversity of attitudes and perspectives! HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO MAKE PEACE, ABOVE ALL AT THE CENTRAL POINT OF ALL TENSION: JERUSALEM!"

The Vatican spokesman recalled that Benedict XVI was the first Pope to visit the Israeli West Bank barrier: "Here too the new pilgrim Pope came, to ask God and men that the walls of division be razed, beginning with those that close and divide hearts. 'NO MORE SPILLING OF BLOOD! NO MORE TERRORISM! NO MORE WAR!' With this cry he ended his pilgrimage of hope, in a crucial moment for the future of peace in the Holy Land," Father Lombardi concluded. "THE POPE DID ALL HE COULD AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO ALL HE CAN. May God now guide all the efforts of the peacemakers, religious, civil and political."

The responding officers — EIGHT TEENAGE BOYS AND GIRLS, THE YOUNGEST 14 — face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots — BAM! BAM! — fired from behind a flimsy wall. They move quickly, pellet guns drawn and masks affixed. "United States Border Patrol! Put your hands up!" screams one in a voice cracking with adolescent determination as the suspect is subdued. It is all quite a step up from the square knot.

The Explorers program, A COEDUCATIONAL AFFILIATE OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group's longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters. "This is about being a true-blooded American guy and girl," said A. J. Lowenthal, a sheriff's deputy here in Imperial County, whose life clock, he says, is set around the Explorers events he helps run. "IT FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE HONOR AND BRAVERY OF THE BOY SCOUTS."

Many law enforcement officials, particularly those who work for the rapidly growing Border Patrol, part of the Homeland Security Department, have helped shape the program's focus and see it as preparing the Explorers as potential employees. The Explorer posts are attached to various agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local police and fire departments, that sponsor them much the way churches sponsor Boy Scout troops. "OUR END GOAL IS TO CREATE MORE AGENTS," said April McKee, a senior Border Patrol agent and mentor at the session here.

"We will not back down where there is an obvious and clear need to investigate," he said. Sir Paul will appear before a committee of MPs in Westminster today, where he is expected to confirm that detectives are ready to act on hundreds of complaints received from members of the public.

The commissioner and Keir Starmer, the DPP, have set up a panel to assess allegations and set out a framework for deciding which MPs could face criminal investigation. The first meeting was held yesterday by acting commander Nigel Mawer, the Met's head of specialist and economic crime.

Initial investigations are expected into Elliot Morley, the former environment minister, and David Chaytor, who both claimed money for mortgages that they had already paid off. The Labour MPs have been suspended by the party. Criminal lawyers have said that the claims could constitute a criminal offence under the 2006 Fraud Act and the 1968 Theft Act. A conviction would be highly likely to result in a prison sentence.

The H1N1 swine flu virus killed a vice principal at a New York City school over the weekend and has spread to 48 states. While it appears to be mild, IT IS AFFECTING A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF CHILDREN, TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS. This includes people needing hospitalization - now up to 200, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"That's very unusual, to have so many people under 20 to require hospitalization, and some of them in (intensive care units)," Schuchat told reporters in a telephone briefing. "We are now experiencing levels of influenza-like illness that are higher than usual for this time of year," Schuchat added. "We are also seeing outbreaks in schools, which is extremely unusual for this time of year."

Because doctors usually treat symptoms and only occasionally give flu tests to patients, the CDC must monitor reports of symptoms such as fever, cough and muscle aches to track flu activity. Some centers are doing actual influenza tests to confirm the patterns that are seen. Influenza is a factor in 36,000 deaths a year in the United States and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths globally, the CDC says. "Unlike the seasonal flu, we are seeing relatively few cases or hospitalizations in people over 65," Schuchat said. Usually flu kills the elderly and people with chronic diseases.

Obama also had pointed words for Iran on a second major Mideast dispute, warning the Iranians they had until year's end to get serious about talks with the world community on curbing their nuclear ambitions. "We're not going to have talks forever," the president said.

Obama and Netanyahu spoke highly of their hopes for progress in the Mideast after a lengthy private meeting in the Israeli's first visit to the White House since Obama became president and Netanyahu began his second stint as prime minister. Yet the new president was firm in insisting the Israelis move toward peace with the Palestinians, and NETANYAHU STUCK TO HIS STANCE THAT ISRAEL CANNOT NEGOTIATE WITH PEOPLE WHO DENY ITS RIGHT TO EXIST. The two leaders found fruitful grounds for agreement on Iran.

Israel is deeply concerned about Iran's perceived attempts to build a nuclear weapon, believing the virulently anti-Israeli regime might naturally target the Jewish state which lies in easy range of Tehran's missile technology. Beyond that, the Iranians have been a key sponsor of anti-Israeli Islamic militants who refuse — as does Tehran — to accept Israel's existence. Most dangerously, the IRANIAN-FUNDED AND ARMED HAMAS ORGANIZATION CURRENTLY RUNS THE GAZA STRIP, while Hezbollah, the other Iranian proxy, has historically harassed Israel with rocket attacks from Lebanon on the north.

Palestinians offered praise for Obama but expressed disappointment with Netanyahu's remarks. "Mr. Netanyahu failed to mention the two-state solution, signed agreements and the commitment to stop settlement activity. He said he wants the Palestinians to govern themselves. The question to Mr. Netanyahu is, 'How can I govern myself while your occupation continues everywhere in the West Bank and Gaza, and how can I govern myself under your wall, roadblocks and settlement activities?'"

Mr Lula da Silva, who is visiting Beijing this week, and Hu Jintao, China's president, first discussed the idea of replacing the dollar with the renminbi and the real as trade currencies when they met at the G20 summit in London last month.

An official at Brazil's central bank stressed that talks were at an early stage. He also said that what was under discussion was not a currency swap of the kind China recently agreed with Argentina and which the US had agreed with several countries, including Brazil. "Currency swaps are not necessarily trade related," the official said. "The funds can be drawn down for any use. What we are talking about now is Brazil paying for Chinese goods with reals and China paying for Brazilian goods with renminbi."

Henrique Meirelles and Zhou Xiaochuan, governors of the two countries' central banks, were expected to meet soon to discuss the matter, the official said. In an essay posted on the People's Bank of China's website, Mr Zhou said THE GOAL WOULD BE TO CREATE A RESERVE CURRENCY "THAT IS DISCONNECTED FROM INDIVIDUAL NATIONS".

It found that the only offence that was heavily reduced by their presence was theft from vehicles in car parks. The findings are a further blow to Home Office officials and police chiefs who have turned to CCTV as their main weapon in preventing crime. ABOUT 4.2MILLION CAMERAS ARE THOUGHT TO BE OPERATING AND AT LEAST £500MILLION OF TAXPAYERS' MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT INSTALLING THEM.

But the report, by Cambridge University academic David Farrington for the Campbell Collaboration study group and funded by the Home Office, said cameras should only be used in specific target areas where they are known to be effective - rather than the 'current broad application'. Critics of CCTV say that improving police patrols or street lighting would be more effective, and that cameras can even increase crime by encouraging people to drop their guard.