Calling for a greater partnership with the Islamic world in an address to the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important US ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.

"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical... in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject." The US president is trying to mend fences with a Muslim world that felt it had been blamed by America for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Al Jazeera and Al Arabiyia, two of the biggest Arabic satellite channels, carried Obama's speech live.

Obama said the partnership between the US and the Muslim world is critical in rolling back what he called a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject. "America's relationship with the Muslim world cannot and will not be based on opposition to al Qaida," he said. "We seek broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect."

"We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better, including my own country," Obama said. Obama also said, to a round of applause, that the United States supports Turkey becoming a member of the European Union.

Dozens of corporate advisers and executives have already, or will be shortly, interviewed in six separate cases being investigated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The investigations have been prompted by a high number of suspicious trading alerts that identified unusual movements in share prices of companies ahead of almost a third of all merger or takeover announcements.

The FSA has brought just one criminal case of insider dealing since its inception in 2001. But the new crackdown reflects concerns that traders and corporate advisers in the heart of the City have resorted to using confidential information to make illegal profits from mergers and acquisitions markets which have been hit by the recession.

Margaret Cole, head of enforcement at the FSA, the chief City regulator, told The Independent she wanted to send a message to the City that there were no hiding places for those who tried to profit by abusing the financial markets. In the first of the six cases, a man and a woman, one a senior corporate finance adviser, were arrested last week in connection with an ongoing investigation into suspected organised insider dealing.

The largest fire, an 11,000-acre blaze near the Texas-Oklahoma state line, was about 25 percent contained, but wind gusting to 35 mph made it difficult to maintain fire lines, Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Jeanne Eastham said Sunday. The forest service said the blaze near the town of Wheeler destroyed eight homes and 26 outbuildings. The town of about 1,300 residents was temporarily evacuated Saturday after the fire jumped the North Fork of the Red River. Residents returned home late in the day.

Another fire, which had blackened about 2,100 acres in Jack County northwest of Fort Worth, also forced temporary evacuations of more than a dozen homes Saturday, but residents there were allowed back by midnight. That fire was about 75 percent contained Sunday.

Fire crews also were battling three other wildfires in northern parts of the state. Two blazes, in Jeff Davis County and Shackelford County, were at least 60 percent contained Sunday, while a smaller fire in Nolan County was five percent contained.

This cannot be good news for U.S. President Barack Obama, who wants peacemaking to resume but has yet to spell out in what form, analysts and diplomats said. Refusing to enter final-status negotiations until the Palestinians meet their road map commitments, including a crackdown on militants, was Israeli policy under former prime ministers Ariel Sharon and, initially, his successor, Ehud Olmert. "THAT MEANS NO SERIOUS TALKS ANYTIME SOON," a senior Western diplomat said.

The first phase of the road map calls on the Palestinians to rein in militants and to build up governing institutions. It also calls on Israel to freeze all settlement activity and uproot outposts built without government approval. Lieberman and Netanyahu advocate expanding settlements, not freezing them, whereas Abbas has mounted a major crackdown on Hamas in the West Bank. While he rejected Annapolis, Lieberman said the new government would "work exactly according to the road map," and would be "meticulous" in implementing its three phases.

He said this meant checking "every dot in every phase" and vowed never to agree to "go straight to the final phase: negotiations for a final status agreement."

"If in the future, banks need exceptional assistance in order to get through this, then we will make sure that assistance comes," while ensuring taxpayers are protected, Geithner said yesterday in an interview on the CBS "Face the Nation" program. "Where that requires a change in management and the board, then we will do that."

Geithner noted that American International Group Inc., Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had their chief executives removed after it became clear the companies couldn't survive without government rescues. The Treasury is reviewing how much capital the biggest U.S. financial companies need in order to endure a severe economic downturn.

"Where we've had to do exceptional things," the government has replaced management and boards, Geithner said. Banks and financial institutions worldwide have reported more than $1.2 trillion in credit losses and writedowns. Many of those stemmed from mortgage-related investments that declined with the collapse in the U.S. housing market.

But people looking down from recently built high-rises in Mecca found the niches in many older mosques were not pointing directly towards the Kaaba. Some worshippers are said to be anxious about the validity of their prayers. There have been suggestions that laser beams could be used to make an exact measurement.

Tawfik al-Sudairy, Islamic affairs ministry deputy secretary, downplayed the problem in remarks quoted by the pan-Arab newspaper al-Hayat. "There are no major errors but corrections have been made for some old mosques, thanks to modern techniques," he said. "In any case, it does not affect the prayers."

Mr Darling, who will present his Budget on 22 April, has said the recession will be more severe than was forecast. He and Gordon Brown are due to meet the Bank of England governor to discuss measures agreed at the G20 summit. Leaders of the world's largest economies reached a deal to tackle the global financial crisis with measures worth $1.1 trillion (£681bn).

Resources available to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will be tripled to $750bn; there will be sanctions against secretive tax havens and tougher global financial regulation; and about $250bn will go into boosting global trade. Downing Street said the prime minister was "clear that the consensus reached at the G20 last week will make a difference to the lives and to the aspirations of families and businesses in the UK".

During the Inauguration reception, Bishop van Luyn, the President of COMECE expressed the wish that THIS NEW HOME WILL SERVE THE SOUL AND UNITY OF EUROPE. The European Commissioner Vladimir Spidla said "I think it is important that we bring forward our exchanges on issues which are, I believe, at the heart of THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SOCIAL EUROPE. Churches can shine a light on the whole range of these questions." For the European Parliament, the GERMAN MEP INGO FRIEDRICH remarked that "Churches have always been and remain important and reliable partners for policy makers."

The Bishop Members of COMECE also adopted a declaration in respect of the European elections of 4-7th June 2009. In the text they call on EU citizens, and in particular Christians, TO EXERCISE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AS VOTERS in order to contribute to a European Union where "all Europeans will feel at home."

This Plenary Assembly concentrated on the conflicts in the Middle East and in southern Asia. On this topic, the main keynote speakers were Fr. Klaus Krämer and Mr. Othmar Öhring (Missio Aachen), the NATO SECRETARY GENERAL MR. JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER and MR. CHRISTIAN JOURET, FROM THE EU COUNCIL GENERAL SECRETARIAT.

It means shepherds at the farm may need to use methods such as beating the ground with sticks and waving their arms to control the flock. Shepherd Mick Pethram told the Telegraph newspaper: 'New Zealand sheep are used to dogs, they know dogs. There's more stress in a human herding and manhandling them, waving their arms and beating sticks. Dogs are part of a sheep's life. This is absolute baloney.'

Buyers for Tesco visited Silver Ferns Farm, which is one of the chain's biggest suppliers of lamb, earlier this year and were said to be upset at the dogs 'running riot'. A spokesperson for the store said: ' We don't have a problem with sheepdogs, but we need to make sure they treat the sheep in a considerate manner, so they don't stress the sheep out.'

Scientists have found evidence that causing stress to animals before slaughter can cause the meat to become pale and watery. However a spokesperson for the National Farmers Union said there was no evidence that sheepdogs caused animals to feel stressed.

Instead scientists have suggested that these "proto-birds" flapped their forelimbs like wings to give them additional thrust to help them climb while attempting to escape from predators. New research from the University of Manchester, however, suggests this is inefficient and reduces the ability of the animals to run fast.

The biologists claim there would have been little competitive advantage that could have driven natural selection of wings in this way. Rather, they suggest another evolutionary force was at work, a process known as sexual selection, where traits deemed as attractive by the opposite sex become more common and more pronounced through generations because they are favoured by mating animals.

Early birds are first thought to have appeared during the late Jurassic period around 145 million years ago. Fossils have been found of a feathered dinosaur, known as Archaeopteryx, which is thought to have been a stepping stone between dinosaurs and modern birds. Dr Nudds added: "TO ME, IT MAKES MORE SENSE THAT DINOSAURS BEGAN TO HOLD THEIR FORELIMBS OUT WHEN JUMPING OUT OF TREES AND EVENTUALLY STARTED GLIDING TO THE GROUND, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THE EVIDENCE IN THE FOSSIL RECORD DOESN'T SUPPORT THIS."

"There may of course be gaps in the fossil record and with the ground dwelling species we have discovered so far, it seems that something other than simple natural selection drove the evolution of symmetrical forelimb posture." Dr Paul Barrett, a palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum where a specimen of Archaeopteryx is held, said: "THIS IS A CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC."

His return to the global stage would be a shock to his critics over the Iraq war and dismay many in Europe. But The Independent on Sunday has learnt that Mr Brown has accepted that his old rival should be in pole position for the appointment, on the basis that Britain needs to have a key figure in the architecture of the "NEW WORLD ORDER".

As the eyes of the world were on London's G20 summit last Wednesday, Mr Blair held private talks with the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso in Brussels. The talks focused on his work as Middle East envoy to the quartet of world powers, but it is almost certain that the two men discussed his candidacy. The former premier also visited Sweden last week, where he shared a platform with Bill Clinton at a climate change conference.

The presidency job is dependant on Ireland voting "yes" to the Lisbon Treaty, which creates the position. The Irish referendum will take place in the autumn. But Mr Blair's plans could still be scuppered if Angela Merkel loses the German general election in September. She is thought to have a strong desire for the job in the event of defeat.

North Korea said it was sending a satellite into orbit, but its neighbours suspect the launch was a cover for a long-range missile test. They strongly condemned the launch. The US president told Pyongyang to "refrain from further provocative actions". North Korea had "ignored its international obligations, rejected unequivocal calls for restraint, and further isolated itself from the community of nations", Barack Obama said in a written statement.

Japan called the move "extremely regrettable", while South Korea said it constituted a clear breach of a United Nations resolution. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said North Korea's actions were not conducive to regional stability, as did the European Union. China called on all sides to act with restraint. The UN Security Council has approved a Japanese request for an emergency session later in the day in New York.

North Korea says that the launch is part of what it calls peaceful space development. An unidentified South Korean official told Yonhap news agency that the rocket did appear to be carrying a satellite. It is not clear whether a satellite was successfully put into space. If it is confirmed, North Korea will see this as a major propaganda victory, says the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul.

Police again used tear gas to try and bring the hordes under control but were pelted with rocks and sticks and even Molotov cocktails. Mr Obama's wife Michelle and the other 'First Ladies' were forced to abandon a trip to a cancer hospital due to fears for security. Some 1,000 demonstrators had been staked out by the hospital waiting for the wives to arrive, French officials said.

Witnesses saw protesters storm a nearby hotel, setting fires inside the building before pilfering alcohol from the bar. Stacks of old tires were also set ablaze, unleashing thick plumes of black smoke that could be seen across the river. Near the bonfire was a sign welcoming visitors to Strasbourg, where the US President, Gordon Brown and another 26 leaders are holding meetings.

Some of the protesters say they want an end to the war and branded Nato a tool of Western imperialism but others simply appeared bent on causing chaos. Police have been using tear gas in Strasbourg to quell protesters since Thursday night before the two-day Nato summit began.

Lord Hoffmann, the second most senior Law Lord, accused the Court of going beyond its jurisdiction and imposing "uniform rules" on states. He said rulings that had gone against domestic decisions were "teaching grandmothers to suck eggs".

The judge insisted he supported the European Convention on Human Rights but not the institution that applies the law. In a lecture to fellow judges, published this week, Lord Hoffmann said the European Court, in the French city of Strasbourg, was unable to resist the temptation to "aggrandise its jurisdiction" by laying down a "federal law of Europe".

Lord Hoffmann – who is due to retire shortly – said the court should not be allowed to intervene in the detail of domestic law. He added that this had led to the court being "overwhelmed" by a growing backlog of 100,000 cases. Set up in 1959 in Strasbourg, the court considers cases brought by individuals, organisations and states against the countries bound by the European Convention on Human Rights.

It is unclear whether US regulators will prevent banks receiving government aid from participating as buyers in the $1 trillion Public-Private Investment Program (PPIP) designed to unclog credit markets and bank balance sheets.

But the program, where the government provides much of the financing and shoulders much of the risk, leaves open the prospect that banks, as well as private investors, could buy the troubled securities and loans. This means recipients under the government's $700 billion bank bailout fund, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, might take part.

"WITHOUT VERY STRICT REGULATION YOU'RE POTENTIALLY CREATING BIG RISKS BY ALLOWING BANKS TO BUY TOXIC ASSETS WITH HOUSE MONEY," said Wayne Shaw, a professor at Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business. "IT'S A TERRIBLE RISK."