Crude's rally mimicked the wild price swings seen last month and have at least temporarily halted oil's slide back toward $100 a barrel. A weaker US dollar and worries about tightening output from OPEC countries are also supporting prices.

Tensions with Russia about a deal between Washington and Poland to install a missile defense system in Eastern Europe - seen as a threat by Moscow - and the continued presence of Russia in Georgia contributed greatly to the bullish mood. Light, sweet crude for October delivery jumped $6 to $121.56 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was crude's highest trading level since August 7.

Four soldiers and four militiamen were killed. Before dawn the following morning, insurgents attacked two nearby towns, killing at least three more soldiers and 33 civilians. According to reports, the rebels hacked some of their victims to death with machetes. "They were killed as if like chickens," said a local army commander.

Since the 1960s, more than 120,000 people have been killed in the southern Philippines as Islamic separatists have battled government troops for control of parts of Mindanao. But this week's bloody events have pushed the region closer than ever to all-out war. On August 20, the Philippine government ordered police commandos into the area with orders to kill insurgents. The government has also reportedly sent a shipment of weapons to local militias. General Alexander Yano, head of the country's armed forces, called the insurgent attacks a "virtual declaration of war," while President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered government troops to defend "every inch" of territory.

Only a few weeks ago, the decades-long conflict between the government and separatist fighters seemed to be inching toward a political solution. On August 4, negotiators for the Philippine government and the main insurgent group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), struck an agreement that would have set boundaries for an autonomous Muslim homeland, and, hopefully, dampened the insurgency. Yet, as has happened so often before in Mindanao, the center did not hold.

With recalcitrant insurgents determined to continue their armed struggle - and government police and soldiers deploying to meet them in battle - THAT COULD MEAN THAT THE PROSPECT OF PEACE IN THE PHILIPPINES' VIOLENT SOUTH HAS SLIPPED EVEN FURTHER FROM REACH.

The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out same-sex wedding cards - featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says. Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only US states with legal gay marriage. A handful of other states have recognized same-sex civil unions.

The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony. Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure. "It's our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can," Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Gronberg Kolell said.

Hallmark's largest competitor, American Greetings Corp, has no plans to enter the market, saying its current offerings are general enough to speak to a lot of different relationships.

A presidential spokeswoman described the move as a "painful step", but said leaders were still open to talks. The government had agreed to expand an existing Muslim autonomous zone in a bid to end decades of violence. But Christian communities opposed the deal and when the Supreme Court blocked it, the rebels launched attacks.

Earlier this week, raids by guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on several towns near the border of the existing autonomous zone in the southern island of Mindanao left at least 30 people dead. The government had hoped that the autonomy deal - which would see the existing region expanded by 712 villages - would kick-start talks with the rebels. But on 4 August the Supreme Court suspended the agreement after Christian lawmakers argued it was unconstitutional and would increase sectarian tensions.

Troops drove them out but the rebels then raided towns in the nearby province of Lanao del Norte. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting, villages have been burned and shops looted.

Flying into Baghdad on an unannounced trip, Rice said the two sides were nearing an agreement after months of painstaking negotiations but stressed there were still unresolved issues, including when US soldiers will leave and what their operations will consist of until then. "The negotiators have taken this very, very far," she told reporters aboard her plane. "But there is no reason to believe that there is an agreement yet."

Iraqi and American officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday that negotiators had completed a draft agreement that extends the legal basis for US troops to remain in Iraq beyond the end of this year, while calling for them to move out of Iraqi cities as soon as June 30. A senior US military official in Washington said the deal is acceptable to the US side, subject to formal approval by President Bush. It also requires approval by Iraqi leaders, and some members of Iraq's Cabinet oppose some provisions. There are now about 140,000 US troops in Iraq.

Calling the flooding "catastrophic," Gov. Charlie Crist requested an emergency disaster declaration from the federal government to defray rising debris and response costs. The White House said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was reviewing the request. Flooding was reported in hundreds of homes in Brevard and St. Lucie counties, some by up to 5 feet of standing water. In three towns, rising waters backed up sewage systems. It wasn't immediately clear how many residents had been displaced or were stranded, but county officials reported making dozens of rescues.

"We can't even get out of our house," said Billie Dayton of Port St. Lucie, as waters lapped at her porch. "We're just hoping that it doesn't rain anymore." The storm could dump 30 inches of rain in some areas of Florida and the National Hurricane Center said up to 22 inches had already fallen near Melbourne, just south of Cape Canaveral on the state's central Atlantic coast.

Forecasters originally expected Fay to energize over the ocean and possibly become a hurricane before landing in Florida for the third time later this week. The erratic storm first struck Monday in the Florida Keys, then veered out to sea before traversing east across the state, briefly strengthening, then stalling. For much of Wednesday, the storm barely moved, dumping inches and inches of rain over coastal central Florida.

"Numb's the word," says the 192-year-old publication, which claims an accuracy rate of 80 to 85 percent for its forecasts that are prepared two years in advance. The almanac's 2009 edition, which goes on sale Tuesday, says at least two-thirds of the country can expect colder than average temperatures, with only the Far West and Southeast in line for near-normal readings. "This is going to be catastrophic for millions of people," said almanac editor Peter Geiger, noting that the frigid forecast combined with high prices for heating fuel is sure to compound problems households will face in keeping warm.

The almanac predicts above-normal snowfall for the Great Lakes and Midwest, especially during January and February, and above-normal precipitation for the Southwest in December and for the Southeast in January and February. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions should be getting an unusually wet or snowy February, the almanac said. The forecasts, which are spelled out in three- and four-day periods for each region, are prepared by the almanac's reclusive prognosticator Caleb Weatherbee, who uses a secret formula based on sunspots, the position of the planets and the tidal action of the moon.

Weatherbee's outlook is borne out by e-mail comments that the almanac has received in recent days from readers who have spotted signs of nature that point to a rough winter, Geiger said. The signs range from an abundance of acorns already on the ground to the frequency of fog in August.

Secret negotiations have allegedly been taking place between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia to double the current order of 72 Eurofighter Typhoons. The MoD is looking to sell off its third tranche of 88 advanced fighters in order to save money for other major projects as the defence budget is facing an annual shortfall of an estimated £2 billion. Defence industry sources have also suggested that there is "a real prospect" of two squadrons of about 48 Typhoons potentially being sold to Japan.

India has also been sounded out as an additional market to sell the aircraft with BAE in the running to win a £6 billion contract to replace the country's aging Russian fleet. The RAF already has 144 Typhoons ordered and the third batch of fighters designed to meet the Soviet threat has long been considered unnecessary by defence planners. With a significant shortfall in defence spending, that has come under severe pressure with the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the MoD is desperate to cut some major projects.

Under a strict contract signed with the Eurofighter consortium the MoD would face paying huge penalties if it reneged on the 88 aircraft deal that would cost as much as actually buying them. But the potential Saudi deal would offer the MoD a way out of the contract for Tranche 3 although the Eurofighter consortium has refused to confirm or deny that this is an option.

The trip is raising fears that the new Cold War that has erupted in the Caucasus will spill over into the Middle East, long a battleground between East and West, and crush tentative hopes for peace. "Of course military and technical cooperation is the main issue. Weapons purchases are very important," said Mr Assad. "I think we should speed it up. Moreover, the West and Israel continue to put pressure on Russia."

Israel, like its main sponsor America, has developed close military ties with Georgia in recent years, with defence contractors supplying training and equipment to the small, US-backed state. As Syria renews its Soviet-era close ties with Moscow, many here fear that the Middle East could once again become a theatre for the two great powers to exert their spheres of influence, militarily and politically, in the volatile region.

And with Israel and the US providing military backing to Georgia, Russia appears set to respond in kind by supporting Syria. In a sign of warming ties, Mr al-Assad – a wily political operator keen to play regional powers off against each other – said he fully backed Russia's pursuit of its "legal interests" in its fight with Georgia. "On this issue we fully support Russia... Georgia started this crisis, but the West is blaming Russia," said the Syrian leader, who will meet with Dmitri Medvedev, the Russian president, during his two-day visit.

THE 2008 DROUGHT, THE MOST SERIOUS DROUGHT IN THE AREA IN THE PAST DECADE, aggravates the built-in, constant shortage of water in the West Bank. Rainfall this year in the northern West Bank was 64 percent of average, while in the southern sections of the West Bank, it was 55 percent. As a result, the water stored from rainfall has already been used. The Palestinian Water Authority estimates this year's water shortage in the West Bank at 42 to 69 million cubic meters. The total water consumption in the West Bank is 79 mcm. The PWA has already requested Mekorot – the Israel Water Company – for an emergency supply of eight mcm.

According to the World Health Organization, the per capita minimal amount of water needed for household and urban needs is one hundred liters a day. Due to the chronic water shortage, water consumption in the northern West Bank has dropped to one-third this amount. In Tubas, per capita consumption is 30 liters; in Jenin, it is 38 liters. In Nablus and the Southern Hebron Hills, the figure is slightly higher than fifty liters a day.

In comparison, average daily water consumption in Israeli cities is 235 liters, and 214 liters in local councils, 3.5 times higher than Palestinian consumption in the West Bank.

General Electric, the US industrial group, said it would cut its own use of water by 20% by 2012 and export water-saving and recycling technology to countries - often emerging economies - hit by shortages. Jeff Immelt, chief executive, said in Beijing: "We believe that, just as greenhouse gas emissions have been a big societal challenge, the same thing is true for water."

Lorraine Bolsinger, vice-president of GE's Ecomagination green technology division, added: "There is going to be a price on water that is going to reflect its scarcity in a way it doesn't today. We're going to see that change over time - certainly in emerging markets." The move by GE comes as scientists are warning that 50% of the world's nations will be hit by water shortages by 2025 and 75% by 2050. Barcelona is already importing water from France.

DROUGHT, ALREADY ONE SOURCE OF SURGING FOOD PRICES AND WATER SHORTAGES COULD PROMPT FRESH OUTBREAKS OF WAR AND TERRORISM AS GLOBAL WARMING, if unchecked, spreads desertification around the world and causes increasing crop failures, they say. A BILLION OF THE WORLD'S POOREST PEOPLE DRINK UNSAFE WATER, according to Unicef. Senior UN officials warned MEPs this year that NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS IN EUROPE AND THE US COULD FACE SHUTDOWN BECAUSE OF A LACK OF COOLING WATER, while the switch to biofuels was proving a big drain on dwindling supplies.

About 700 people filled a school hall in Adelaide's south last night to meet with the Prime Minister and his cabinet colleagues. Many were keen to hear how the Government will tackle the severe water shortages threatening the Murray River.

The Government will spend $AUS 400 million dollars this year buying water licences from farmers in Queensland and NSW but the water minister, Penny Wong, warns not all of it will reach the river mouth. "You lose a lot of water between Queensland and South Australia just by evaporation."

Senator Wong told those gathered it is extremely difficult to fix a problem that has developed over many decades.

Rushing from their homes with buckets, bottles, saucepans and wash tubs, they expressed relief that at last a truck from the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) had brought what their taps had failed to produce. In Mellows Hill, Timothy Smith rushed out with every plastic bottle he could find. He owns a water tank, but he was taking no chances.

Another resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they were often affected by water shortages, but it seemed things were getting worse. "Yesterday, all I got was a trickle. I'm thankful my grandson was here to fill up these cans for me," she said.

Residents of Delainavesi, Lami and surrounding areas have been plagued by continuous water shortages with some people forced to taking water from nearby polluted streams. Many are questioning whether the Fijian Water Department is aware of the problem which has been affecting them since the beginning of the year.

A third of the population in Fiji does not have access to safe fresh water according to a BBC Panorama documentary, despite the south Pacific nation's thriving bottled water industry. Bottles of Fiji mineral water are a common sight in the US where the largest brand, Fiji Water, shipped the equivalent of 200 million bottles last year.

Sitiveni Weleilakeba, 51, of Delainavesi said the whole area had run out of water from Wednesday last week and life was hard for many ordinary families. Weleilakeba said that the situation had become so bad that some people had resorted to using nearby polluted streams to get water. He also said that students of Ballantine Memorial School had to go home early because of the water problems, which had been a regular occurrence.

The study by the environment group WWF is the first attempt to discover the full scale of UK water consumption, or its "water footprint". As well as water for drinking, cleaning and washing, it looks at hidden factors such as how much water is needed to grow food around the world and to make and transport goods. It concludes that only 38 per cent of the water used by the UK comes from its own resources, with much of the rest coming from countries such as Spain and Morocco, which face serious shortages.

While the average UK household consumes almost 33 gallons a day for washing and drinking, it consumes about 30 times as much in "virtual water", used in the production of imported food and textiles. Only Brazil, Mexico, Japan, China and Italy come higher in the league of net importers of virtual agricultural water.

The report, which will be presented at a meeting of international experts in Stockholm, also highlights the amount of water used for different diets.