The United Nations said protesters rioted in the town of Les Cayes on Thursday, burning shops, shooting at peacekeepers and looting containers at a U.N. compound. "At least four people have been killed and about 20 others wounded," said Gabriel Fortune, a senator from the southern region, who condemned the violent behavior of the demonstrators.

Food prices in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, have soared in recent months, stoking anger against the government of President Rene Preval. Preval's election in 2006 raised expectations that the country would finally start on the path to stability after decades of turbulence, culminating in the February 2004 ouster of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

"This hunger is unbearable and the government has to act now, otherwise we will burn down and destroy everything," a demonstrator shouted into a local reporter's microphone.

As expected, NO MAJOR ADVANCES WERE ACHIEVED AT THE MEETING, which was mainly intended to flesh out a roadmap from a breakthrough agreement in Bali last year to kick off the talks through to a culmination in Copenhagen at the end of 2009. The next meeting, to be held in Germany in June, will address the issue of funding and technology to mitigate climate change, a key demand of developing nations who argue that rich countries should foot much of the bill.

A suggestion pushed by Japan in Bangkok to take a sectoral, rather than purely national, approach to emissions cuts was deferred to the third round of talks. United Nations climate experts want the new treaty that emerges from Copenhagen to go beyond Kyoto by getting all countries to agree to curbs on emissions of the greenhouse gases that are fuelling global warming. Under Kyoto, only 37 rich nations are bound to cut emissions by an average of five percent from 1990 levels by 2012.

A U.N. climate panel agreed last year that the world needs to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in order to stave off POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC CHANGES to the weather system, THAT WILL BRING MORE STORMS, DROUGHTS AND HIGHER SEA LEVELS.

Speaking at the start of the PROGRESSIVE GOVERNANCE CONFERENCE of centre-left leaders and politicians, Mr Brown said that the old institutions established in the aftermath of World War II are now unable to cope. "We now have to reshape OUR GLOBAL RULES AND GLOBAL INSTITUTIONS for this new era," he said. "We are facing a GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS which is probably the first truly GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS of the modern world.

"We have to reform OUR GLOBAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. It is absolutely clear that the national supervision that we have is inadequate and we need A GLOBAL AGREEMENT." The prime minister said the INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND (IMF) needed complete re-structuring so it could act as an "early warning system" for THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY. He said the WORLD BANK should help developing nations move towards cleaner economic development.

In a speech, Mr Justice Coleridge, 58, a Family Division judge for England and Wales, will say "WHOLESALE COLLAPSE" IS PUSHING CHILDREN INTO DRUGS AND CRIME. He will say urban family life is "in meltdown" and the government is doing too little to address the problem. In a speech in Brighton to lawyers from Resolution, formerly the Solicitors' Family Law Association, the judge will warn of A "CANCEROUS" INCREASE IN BROKEN FAMILIES and say the government must take "comprehensive action".

He is expected to say the collapse is at a scale and severity that would have been unimaginable even 10 years ago. "WHAT IS CERTAIN IS THAT ALMOST ALL OF SOCIETY'S SOCIAL ILLS CAN BE TRACED DIRECTLY TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE FAMILY LIFE," he will say. "I am not saying every broken family produces dysfunctional children but I am saying that ALMOST EVERY DYSFUNCTIONAL CHILD IS THE PRODUCT OF A BROKEN FAMILY.

"And what is government doing to recognise and face up to the emerging situation? The answer is: very little and nothing like enough. "It is fiddling whilst Rome burns."

Last year, 332 MILLION EUROS WERE SPENT ON TRANSLATION ALONE, i.e. about 1 million euros a day. The general director of the EU's translation service has said that it is getting out of control. "IF YOU CAN'T SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY ON 15 PAGES," SAYS JUHANI LÖNNROTH, "THEN IT IS PERHAPS BETTER NOT SAID AT ALL".

His criticism comes as no surprise. There are 23 official languages in the EU now, which makes 506 possible translation combinations, including many absurd ones like from Slovene into Gaelic. THERE ARE 2,500 TRANSLATORS AND THEY PRODUCE SOME 2 MILLION PAGES PER YEAR, costing on average 166 euros per day. Often the texts are very complicated and deal with technical matters which must be very carefully translated. The rate of growth of translation work is growing by 5 per cent a year although the translation budget remains fixed (admittedly at 1.1 billion euros for the period to 2013).

By 2013, Croatia and Macedonia will probably join the EU and conference translators are being trained in those countries already. Further down the line, there will be arguments over whether Serbian and Croatian are the same or different languages, and whether the Albanian spoken in Kosovo is the same as the Albanian in Albania.

"We have to go into this fight as if we are going into combat in order to minimize the population's suffering," said Maj. Roberto Tury, a field hospital commander. The disease has killed 67 people this year in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, the state's Ministry of Health reported, and 58 other deaths are under investigation. Almost half of those who died were children under the age of 13, the ministry said.

Dengue, or dengue fever, is common in Brazil and other tropical countries. Yet this outbreak is one of the worst in the region in recent memory, with an average of 1.4 new cases a minute, authorities said. Brazilian authorities call it an epidemic.

Contents of the video - one of six made by the alleged plotters that were discovered by police - were read out and played to the jury in the trial of eight men accused of the planning to kill thousands in a series of simultaneous attacks in late 2006.

Sitting in front of a black flag and wearing a chequered headscarf, Umar Islam's taped statement - discovered during a search of his car by police in 2006 - says that he intended to carry out mass-murder to take "revenge for the acts of the USA in the Muslim lands and their accomplices, such as the British and the Jews".

He said that innocent people deserved to die, because they had not tried enough to get rid of their leaders. He claimed most Britons were "too busy, you know, watching Home and Away or Eastenders" or "complaining about the World Cup" or drinking alcohol. The gang was arrested, said Peter Wright, QC, for the prosecution, as they were in the final stages of planning their operation.

Tanvir Hussain's video was also played to the jury said: "I JUST WISH I COULD COME BACK AND DO THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL PEOPLE REALISE THAT THEY SHOULD NOT MESS WITH THE MUSLIMS". Yesterday, opening his case, Mr Wright said that the eight defendants shared a common interest in "inflicting heavy casualties upon an innocent civilian population, all in the name of Islam". He added that the attacks on seven aircraft, had they taken place, would have had "a truly global impact".

The World Meteorological Organization's secretary-general, Michel Jarraud, told the BBC it was likely that La Nina would continue into the summer. This would mean global temperatures have not risen since 1998, prompting some to question climate change theory.

LA NINA KEY FACTS
La Nina translates from the Spanish as "The Child Girl"
Refers to the extensive cooling of the central and eastern Pacific
Increased sea temperatures on the western side of the Pacific mean the atmosphere has more energy and frequency of heavy rain and thunderstorms is increased
Typically lasts for up to 12 months and generally less damaging event than the stronger El Nino

The poll found that 81 percent of respondents felt "THINGS HAVE PRETTY SERIOUSLY GOTTEN OFF ON THE WRONG TRACK." That was up from 69 percent last year and 35 percent in early 2003. Only 4 percent of survey respondents said the country was better off than it was five years ago, while 78 percent said it was worse, the newspaper said. The Times said Americans were more unhappy with the country's direction than at any time since the survey started in the early 1990s.

The economy has emerged as the biggest issue in this year's U.S. presidential campaign. The country is struggling with a mortgage crisis and many economists forecast a recession this year. Most of those surveyed said they were keeping their heads above water financially, but Americans were concerned about the country's financial footing. According to The Times, only 21 percent of respondents said the overall economy was in good condition, the lowest number since late 1992, when the recession that began in the summer of 1990 had already been over for more than a year. In the poll, nearly two out of three people said they believed the economy was in recession.

When questioned about the mortgage crisis, Americans blamed government officials more than banks or home buyers and other borrowers for the turmoil, the newspaper said. Forty percent of respondents said regulators were mostly to blame, while 28 percent named lenders and 14 percent named borrowers, according to the poll. THOSE SURVEYED SAID INDIVIDUALS, NOT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, SHOULD GET GOVERNMENT HELP. The paper said a clear majority told pollsters they did not want the government to lend a hand to banks, even if the measures would help limit the severity of a recession.

"THE SOVEREIGN CLAIM TO THE MALVINAS ISLANDS IS INALIENABLE," she said in a speech marking the 26th anniversary of Argentina's ill-fated invasion of the islands, located 480 kilometers (300 miles) off shore. The April 2, 1982 invasion prompted then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to deploy naval forces to retake the Falklands, known as the Malvinas in Spanish. The short, bloody conflict led to Argentina's surrender on June 14, 1982 after the death of 649 Argentines and 255 Britons.

HISTORIANS SAW THE INVASION AS AN ATTEMPT BY ARGENTINA'S RULING MILITARY JUNTA, WHICH WAS THEN IN POWER, TO DIVERT ATTENTION AWAY FROM DOMESTIC PROBLEMS. In her speech Kirchner called for Argentina to strengthen its representation in international bodies to denounce "this shameful colonial enclave in the 21st century." And Vice President Julio Cobos said in the southern city of Rio Grande that "WE MUST RECOVER THIS TERRITORY THAT IS OURS, THAT BELONGS TO US."

THE COMMENTS CAME AS KIRCHNER FACES HER OWN WOES, battling against farmers who have barricaded roads in a protest against a stiff tax hike on soybean exports.

A question-and-answer session with IMAM ABDUL MAKIN in an East London mosque asks why Allah would tell Muslims to kill and rape innocent non-Muslims, including their wives and daughters, according to Islam Watch.

"BECAUSE NON-MUSLIMS ARE NEVER INNOCENT, THEY ARE GUILTY OF DENYING ALLAH AND HIS PROPHET," the Imam says, according to the report. "If you don't believe me, here is the legal authority, the top Muslim lawyer of Britain." The lawyer, Anjem Choudary, backs up the Imam's position, saying that all Muslims are innocent. You are innocent if you are a Muslim," Choudary tells the BBC. "Then you are innocent in the eyes of God. IF YOU ARE NOT A MUSLIM, THEN YOU ARE GUILTY OF NOT BELIEVING IN GOD."

Choudary said he would not condemn a Muslim for any action. As a Muslim, I must support my Muslim brothers and sisters," Choudary said. "I MUST HAVE HATRED TO EVERYTHING THAT IS NOT MUSLIM."

SAUDI ARABIA most likely would develop nuclear weapons if IRAN acquires them, according to a report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. High-level American diplomats in Riyadh with excellent access to Saudi decision-makers said an Iranian nuclear weapon frightens the Saudis "to their core" and would compel the Saudis to seek nuclear weapons, the report said. The American diplomats were not identified.

TURKEY also would come under pressure to follow suit if Iran builds nuclear weapons in the next decade, said the report prepared by a committee staff member after interviewing hundreds of individuals in Washington and the Middle East last July through December. While Turkey and Iran do not see themselves as adversaries, Turkey believes a power balance between them is the primary reason for a peaceful relationship, the report said.

EGYPT most likely would choose not to respond by pursuing its own nuclear weapons program, said the report prepared in late February and obtained Wednesday. The impact on relations with Israel and the United States were cited as the primary reasons. The spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East could reduce regional security and endanger U.S. interests, the report said.

The two leaders have also agreed to resume talks on reunifying the island. "This is the first step. We hope many more will follow" said Nicosia Mayor Eleni Mavrou. We are living a historic day today," said an aide to Mr Talat, Osdil Nami, at the Ledra Street reopening on Thursday. "We are witnessing one of the obstacles to a solution come down."

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn welcomed the reopening, saying it showed that the two sides were "ready to put aside the difficulties of the past". Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been divided since 1974, when Turkey deployed troops after a coup by Greek Cypriots who wanted union with Greece. Ledra Street had been at the centre of the island's leading shopping district before it was blocked in the middle, with military posts either side of the dividing line.

"We still have a long way to go," said the mayor of Nicosia, Eleni Mavrou. "This is the first step. We hope many more will follow."

Here the BBC's Asia bureau chief Paul Danahar, who is based in Beijing, responds to this criticism and looks at the challenges of reporting in China.

It is a pleasant surprise to be criticised by your readers when you work as a journalist in China. Most of you viewing this page are unknowingly taking for granted a luxury that those of us living behind the "Great Firewall" have to do without. WE ARE IN A BIT OF A VACUUM, CUT OFF FROM NORMAL ACCESS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. My TV blacks out when someone says the magic words Tibet or Tiananmen protests; my daily paper is an unsophisticated propaganda tool for the Chinese Communist Party and half the websites I want to read are blocked including, until recently, this one. But when suddenly the English language edition of the BBC News website (the Chinese one is still blocked by the government) became accessible in China, some readers here, but by no means all, took exception to what they saw.

People like Xie Huai from Zhengzhou e-mailed the site saying: "I often find that stories about China diverge from the truth. Why?" THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION LIES IN THE WORD "TRUTH". Only now are many Chinese getting the chance to debate the "truth" of foreign media publications (and only those not in Chinese) because only now are they getting a point of view on some IMPORTANT TOPICS AT ODDS WITH THE ONE PROVIDED BY THE STATE-CONTROLLED MEDIA. There is, of course, enormous debate on the internet in China about all sorts of controversial issues ranging from politics to sex. But writing about things like Tibet, Falun Gong and the Tiananmen Square protests can land you in jail. The story that raised concerns for some of our new Chinese readers was the rioting last month in Tibet.

The foreign media was accused of misreporting the scale and nature of the trouble there. In fact, during the BBC's total coverage of the disturbances, we managed to upset both sides of the debate. We were the first foreign broadcasters to obtain pictures, filmed by a Chinese camera crew showing the ethnic violence against Han Chinese by Tibetans in Lhasa; events which were verified by the only (non-BBC) Western journalist in Lhasa at the time.

The Dalai Lama then said at a press conference that because of the pictures he had seen on the BBC, he was calling for an end to the violence. However he wondered aloud if we showed them because we were biased towards the Chinese.

The next day we were the first international broadcaster to show images filmed by a Canadian crew showing the Chinese flag being torn apart and replaced with a free Tibet flag by protestors in nearby Gansu province. THAT REPORT SENT THE CHAP WHO PRESSES THE BLACK-OUT BUTTON FOR MY TV INTO OVERDRIVE ALL DAY. People who criticise the media for their coverage in Tibet should acknowledge that we were and still are banned from reporting there. When we tried to report on disturbances outside Tibet that did not require a special permit, we were turned back at armed checkpoints.

And only a select group, not including the BBC, were eventually invited on a strictly controlled visit to Lhasa after the rioting had ended. "It is ironic that China, a country that does not allow the operation of a free press, should accuse the Western media of bias in its coverage of the dramatic events in Tibet, including the use of double standards" - not the words of a Western journalist but of Frank Ching writing this week in the South China Morning Post.

We welcome comments from our readers and particularly those new ones in China, because they help inform what we do. Journalists do make mistakes and when we do we have a responsibility to admit them. "I would sooner have you hate me for telling you the truth than adore me for telling you lies."

Hu Jia, 34, was convicted of "INCITING SUBVERSION OF STATE POWER AND THE SOCIALIST SYSTEM", his lawyer said. He has long campaigned for the environment, religious freedom and for the rights of people with HIV and Aids. His sentence comes a day after a rights group accused China of a campaign to silence dissent ahead of the Olympics. The US was "dismayed" by the verdict, a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Beijing said, while the European Union called for Mr Hu's immediate release. "We said very clearly before the trial that he should not have been detained in the first place and that he should be released and this remains our position," Beijing spokesman William Fingleton told the French news agency AFP.

Chinese state news agency Xinhua said the court had been lenient with Mr Hu because he had admitted his crimes. "HU SPREAD MALICIOUS RUMOURS, LIBEL AND INSTIGATION IN AN ATTEMPT TO SUBVERT THE STATE'S POLITICAL AND SOCIALIST SYSTEMS," Xinhua said, quoting the court ruling. Mr Hu's conviction comes only two weeks after another activist, Yang Chunlin, was jailed on similar charges. On Wednesday, UK-based rights group Amnesty International accused Beijing of carrying out a "wave of repression" ahead of the Olympic Games.

Last month, CHINESE PREMIER WEN JIABAO was asked about Hu Jia's case. He said it should be handled according to the law. "AS FOR CRITICS' VIEW THAT CHINA IS TRYING TO INCREASE ITS EFFORTS TO ARREST DISSIDENTS AHEAD THE OLYMPIC GAMES, I THINK ALL THESE ACCUSATIONS ARE UNFOUNDED," HE SAID.