The paper looks at recent ESA projects such as the EU Satellite Centre to suggest that they form part of an EU security programme. The study argues that these policies are being pushed by the French Presidency of the EU and that the Lisbon Treaty will be significant because space policy will become part of the EU Treaties for the first time.

The country plans to start installing another 3,000 centrifuges early next year, adding to 3,800 that are already enriching uranium and another 2,200 which are being gradually introduced, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said. The IAEA's latest report deepens the dilemma facing the incoming White House administration of BARACK OBAMA, WHO HAS PLEDGED TO TALK DIRECTLY TO IRAN'S LEADERS. Iran insists its programme is solely intended to produce electricity but western countries believe it is nuclear bomb research.

Analysts now say the country could be as little as one or two years away from enriching sufficient weapons grade material to create a nuclear bomb. Alarmingly for western hopes of using persuasion on Iran, the IAEA also revealed that its relationship with Tehran over its non-proliferation investigations had broken down a few months after the Iranians claimed "the matter is over".

"We had gridlock before but then at least we were talking to each other. Now it's worse. THERE IS NO COMMUNICATION WHATSOEVER, no progress regarding possible military dimensions in their programme," said a senior UN official.

The damning report by Ofsted makes clear that the death of Baby P was far from an isolated tragedy. It found that 282 vulnerable children – many of them already known to social services – died in the 17-month period to the end of August. A further 136 suffered serious harm or injury. TWO THIRDS OF THOSE KILLED OR HURT WERE BABIES LESS THAN A YEAR OLD. Children's charities had previously estimated that one child died from cruelty each week.

It is the first time that Ofsted, which regulates children's services in England, has examined the issue of children at risk. Its findings suggest that hundreds of abused children are at risk because councils are failing to learn promptly from previous deaths. The report was presented yesterday by Ofsted's chief inspector, Christine Gilbert. She said: "We are still not learning enough – or fast enough – from serious case reviews which happen when a child has died or been harmed through neglect or abuse."

Caught in the middle of a who-blinks-first standoff are legions of manufacturing firms and auto dealers—and millions of Americans' jobs—after Senate Democrats canceled a showdown vote that had been expected Thursday. President George W. Bush has "no appetite" to act on his own. U.S. auto companies employ nearly a quarter-million workers, and more than 730,000 other people have jobs producing the materials and parts that go into cars. About 1 million on top of that work in dealerships nationwide. If just one of the auto giants were to go belly up, some estimates put U.S. job losses next year as high as 2.5 million.

"If GM is telling us the truth, they go into bankruptcy and you see a cascade like you have never seen," said Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, who was working on one rescue plan Wednesday. "If people want to go home and not do anything, I think that they're going to have that on their hands." The carmakers argue that bankruptcy would devastate their companies, but proponents say it would give them a chance to reorganize and emerge stronger and more competitive.

It's unclear, though, whether Democrats controlling Congress are willing to risk being blamed for letting one of the Big Three—symbols of the nation's once-mighty manufacturing sector—go under.

Commenting on the results of the recent presidential election, Cardinal Stafford said on Election Day "America suffered a cultural earthquake." The cardinal argued that President-elect Obama had campaigned on an "extremist anti-life platform" and predicted that the near future would be a time of trial.

"If 1968 was the year of America's 'suicide attempt,' 2008 is the year of America's exhaustion," he said, contrasting the year of Humane Vitae's promulgation with this election year. THE CARDINAL ATTRIBUTED AMERICA'S DECLINE TO THE SUPREME COURT'S DECISIONS SUCH AS THE 1973 RULING IN ROE V. WADE, WHICH IMPOSED PERMISSIVE ABORTION LAWS NATIONWIDE.

"Its scrupulous meanness has had catastrophic effects upon the unity and integrity of the American republic," Cardinal Stafford commented, according to The Tower. His theological remarks centered upon man's relationship with God and man's place in society. "Man is a sacred element of secular life," he said, arguing that therefore "man should not be held to a supreme power of state, and a person's life cannot ultimately be controlled by government."

That has raised hackles in diplomatic circles, not just because the meeting appears to compete with a planned gathering of 20 world leaders next April. Sarkozy's aggressive statements have put American officials on edge, with some saying that he seemed determined to turn the global crisis into a referendum on the ills of untrammeled capitalism.

"Sarkozy claimed he put a bell on the American cat," said Simon Johnson, a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. "He said the U.S. had agreed to a whole range of negotiations on regulations. But he didn't actually come in and negotiate any of these things." Making matters worse, Sarkozy said nothing about his plans to convene a meeting to President George W. Bush or the 18 other leaders while he was here. A senior European diplomat said he found the French proposal "amazing," while an American official said that that would be a charitable description.

French officials said the gathering on Jan. 8 and 9, which is to be co-hosted by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, is merely a conference, intended to bring together political leaders and prominent thinkers TO DISCUSS ISSUES LIKE GLOBALIZATION AND THE VALUES OF CAPITALISM. The surfeit of summit meetings reflects what has become a tense trans-Atlantic contest over the global economy. Much of this is posturing by ambitious leaders, but it also reflects a genuine philosophical debate about how best to fix the fractured global markets.

The stock plunged $11,550, or 12 percent, to $84,000 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading and has slipped 41 percent this year, compared with the 45 percent drop in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. Berkshire, based in Omaha, Nebraska, rose in 17 of the past 20 years.

"There's nothing fundamentally wrong with Berkshire, what's really happening is PEOPLE ARE WONDERING IF THERE'S SOMETHING FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG WITH THE ECONOMY, and Berkshire is in some ways a bit of a proxy for that," said Michael Yoshikami, president of YCMNet Advisors in Walnut Creek, California, which manages $850 million including Berkshire shares.

Berkshire has posted four straight profit declines, the worst streak in at least 13 years, on falling returns at insurance businesses and investment losses. Buffett, ranked by Forbes magazine as the richest American, has committed at least $28 billion this year to acquire companies, finance buyouts and purchase securities as prices fell and competitors were hobbled by limited access to credit. "Many of the companies Berkshire owns, such as American Express, are under pressure," Yoshikami said. "What you're seeing is a systematic de-leveraging process taking all financials down, including good-quality financials."

It takes the number of job cuts threatened in Wales this week to more than 750, including 337 jobs at the Hoover factory in Merthyr Tydfil. The assembly government said it will hold talks with Bosch managers. The company broke the news to the 1,200 strong workforce in Miskin on Tuesday, telling them that it was now entering a 90-day consultation period on the plans.

It also confirmed an earlier decision to reduce agency workers at the site by up to 300 posts. "We were hoping that 2009 would see a return in stability, but unfortunately our customer order reductions continue," the company said in a statement. "As a result we will not have sufficient work to retain our entire existing Bosch workforce in full-time employment."

"Piracy in many ways is socially acceptable. They have become fashionable." Most of them are aged between 20 and 35 years - in it for the money. And the rewards they receive are rich in a country where almost half the population need food aid after 17 years of non-stop conflict. Most vessels captured in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden fetch on average a ransom of $2m.

BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says such pirate gangs are usually made up of three different types:
- Ex-fishermen, who are considered the brains of the operation because they know the sea
- Ex-militiamen, who are considered the muscle - having fought for various Somali clan warlords
- The technical experts, who are the computer geeks and know how to operate the hi-tech equipment needed to operate as a pirate - satellite phones, GPS and military hardware.

The three groups share the ever-increasing illicit profits - ransoms paid in cash by the shipping companies. A report by UK think-tank Chatham House says piracy off the coast of Somalia has cost up to $30m (£17m) in ransoms so far this year. The study also notes that the pirates are becoming more aggressive and assertive - something the initial $22m ransom demanded for MV Faina proves.

BACKGROUND - We undertook a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial to test whether intake of artificial food colour and additives (AFCA) affected childhood behaviour. The subjects were from the general population, not diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

METHODS - 153 3-year-old and 144 8/9-year-old children were included in the study. The challenge drink contained sodium benzoate and one of two AFCA mixes (A or B) or a placebo mix. The main outcome measure was a global hyperactivity aggregate (GHA), based on aggregated z-scores of observed behaviours and ratings by teachers and parents, plus, for 8/9-year-old children, a computerised test of attention. This clinical trial is registered with Current Controlled Trials (registration number ISRCTN74481308). Analysis was per protocol.

INTERPRETATION - Artificial colours or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.

In the February edition of The American Academy of Pediatrics Grand Rounds, two medical experts praised the current research and advised pediatricians to recommend "a trial of preservative-free, food coloring-free diet" when a child is hyperactive.

IN A SIGN THAT THEY ARE PREPARED TO SIDELINE THE OUTGOING US PRESIDENT, Mr Medvedev backed the call from President Sarkozy for a follow-up summit in February once Barack Obama has taken over. Mr Sarkozy said after a one-day EU/Russia summit in Nice that he welcomed the meeting of minds with President Medvedev, which came despite lingering disagreements over Russia's invasion of Georgia.

"Russia's financial, technical and economic proposals are of singular quality and they are very close to the European proposals," Mr Sarkozy said. "I am delighted to know that there is a determination on behalf of the Russian Federation to ensure that something strong comes out of the Washington summit. THIS SHOULD NOT BE A SUMMIT HELD WITHOUT ANY POSITIVE OUTCOME."

Mindful that the combined pressure of Russia and the EU will be seen as A CONCERTED EFFORT TO FORCE PRESIDENT BUSH TO MAKE DEEPER CHANGES THAN HE WANTS TO, Mr Sarkozy added: "I do not say this in a spirit of aggressiveness to anybody but this crisis is very serious and we have to change things on a long-lasting basis." President Medvedev said: "The positions that I have and Nicolas has pretty much coincide. We need an appropriate, adequate response, not just a list of decarations, not just hand-shaking, not just photos."

The new industrial revolution in Asia, above all in China and India, has led to the redistribution of the world's wealth in favor of new leaders. In the 1980s and 1990s, globalization favored developed nations, but now the tables have turned. STILL MORE CRITICAL IN THE LONG TERM IS THE WEST'S DECLINING MORAL AND INTELLECTUAL AUTHORITY in defining the international agenda. It has made too many mistakes and has used too much self-serving rhetoric.

The weakening of the traditional democratic model of development has dealt a serious blow to the ideal of political democracy, which has suffered from the economic success of authoritarian nations. China is doing much better than the more democratic - but far from fully democratic - India. A partially democratic Kuwait is lagging behind the monarchies of the Persian Gulf. A democratic Lebanon and the Palestinian state ruled by democratically elected radicals are in the throes of civil war. Their more authoritarian neighboring Arab states are doing better.

Until the 1990s there had been two shining paths: democratic capitalism and communism. The latter collapsed ignominiously. The West celebrated the final and seemingly irrevocable victory ("the end of history"). In addition to winning a moral victory, the West enjoyed a redistribution of wealth, human, and other resources in its favor. However, this process was eventually stopped and reversed by economic slowdown and - most importantly - the success of new capitalist and relatively authoritarian states.

The Rt Rev Patrick O'Donoghue, the Bishop of Lancaster, has claimed that graduates are spreading scepticism and sowing dissent. Instead of following the Church's teaching they are "hedonistic, selfish and egocentric", he said. In particular, the bishop complained that influential Catholics in politics and the media were undermining the Church.

While not naming names, he suggested that such people had been compromised by their education, which he said had a "dark side, due to original sin". Prominent Catholics in public life include Mark Thompson, the BBC's director general, and Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister. Bishop O'Donoghue, who has recently published a report on how to renew Catholicism in Britain, ARGUED THAT MASS EDUCATION HAS LED TO "SICKNESS IN THE CHURCH AND WIDER SOCIETY".

Mr Blair, also Oxford-educated, became a Catholic last year but has received Mass for years. As Prime Minister he oversaw the introduction of laws on gay rights and abortion which the Catholic church opposed. THE BISHOP SAID THAT INFLUENTIAL CATHOLICS HAD SET A BAD EXAMPLE AND CORRUPTED THE FAITH of those who had not gone to university.

Night time temperatures on Saturday night in northern England and Scotland could fall as low as 23F (-5C), the Met Office said. But the whole country will feel raw, with day time temperatures across large parts of the British Isles struggling to get above 41F(5C). A second Arctic spell is likely to follow quickly behind early next week, according to forecasting services, bringing the first prolonged taste of winter this season.

Obergurgl in Austria and Laax in Switzerland are among a handful to open their pistes early, weeks before normal, while resorts with high altitude glacier skiing like Zermatt, Saas Fee and Tignes have more than 5ft (1.5m) of snow on upper slopes. A spokesman for the Ski Club of Great Britain said: "Snow is forecast pretty much for the whole week, with 20 to 70cm expected, with the heaviest falls on Friday and Saturday." She added: "We have not had snowfalls like this in November for quite a few years.

It promises to be one of the great photo ops of 2009. Benedict sent a personal message to Obama the day after his victory, which referred to the "historic occasion" of his coming presidency; and Obama subsequently telephoned the Pope as part of a round of calls to world leaders. But well before the two men have their historic handshake, THE GROUND IS ALREADY SHIFTING UNDERNEATH U.S.-VATICAN RELATIONS. And the first issue to watch is abortion.

The Pope's top aides may have already informed Benedict about a campaign promise Obama made on July 17, 2007, to Planned Parenthood, stating that his first act as President would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would undo legislation that put restrictions on access to abortions. Some Catholics have warned that such a decree, which would essentially codify Roe v. Wade into federal law and could force doctors in Catholic hospitals to perform abortions against their conscience. "There's more fear here than wrath," a senior Vatican official told TIME with regard to the Catholic hierarchy's attitude toward Obama.

However, if Obama signs the Freedom of Choice Act in his first months in office "it would be the equivalent of a war," says the same official. "It would be like saying: 'WE'VE HEARD THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND WE HAVE NO INTEREST IN THEIR CONCERNS." U.S. Catholic bishops meeting last week in Baltimore vowed to take on Obama for his support of abortion rights; they are also skeptical about his assurances to try to reduce the number of abortions while supporting the right to choose.